Convergence Zone

Disclaimer: This series doesn't belong to me.

Teaser: Kyoko's recent success and her new friendships have allowed her to begin moving away from her troubled past. How will she react when the past kicks down the door of her present?

Chapter 9 – A night of revelations

It had been a wonderful day. After the all of the scheduled scenes had been shot, the cast spent an hour getting special make-up done to change their appearances (courtesy of Director Ogata and President Takarada). That allowed them to move around the park with the regular crowds and enjoy an unseasonably warm afternoon riding the rides and watching the shows. Ren, Yashiro, Maria, Kanae, and Kyoko hung as a group. Kyoko enjoyed riding with everyone, but she especially enjoyed it when her tall, handsome sempai was seated next to her. Oblivious as always, she never noticed how often Yashiro and Kanae arranged for this to happen. Ren recognized it, but he chose to ignore the manipulation and just reap the benefits.

Besides, he felt that he needed to stay close to her just in case the unlikely happened: Kyoko's mother making an appearance. He had no idea what the woman might look like. He felt nervous whenever a middle-aged Japanese woman came near. Since there seemed to be a large number of Japanese tourists in the park on that day, he was too jumpy to completely enjoy his time with the girl who now owned his heart.

Nevertheless, Kyoko was having so much fun that he didn't want to tell her about her mother until after their day at the park concluded.

Kyoko's Ren-meter was pinging as the cast rode down I-5 on their way back to the Hizuri residence. While she didn't sense the anger that sometimes boiled so terrifyingly beneath the surface, she did sense that something was troubling him. "Tsuruga-san, is everything all right?"

His first natural instinct was always to cover over his feelings with his brilliant fake smile; he fought back that instinct when he saw that cute, concerned look on her face. "Mogami-san, when we get back to the residence, would you take a walk in the garden with me?"

Just as had happened too often lately, Kyoko found herself falling into his eyes. His look at this moment was neither that of the hidden devil nor the Emporer of the Night; it was sincere, warm, and caring. For Kyoko it was the most devastating and debilitating look of all.

"Kyoko?" Ren prompted for her response.

This time she neither jumped back nor screamed in terror; she simply shook herself and composed her face, "Of course, sempai. Anything that you need."

* * *

Neither person noticed that the rest of the passengers of the bus deliberately kept their distance as the two walked towards the gardens. Perhaps it was because Kuon was home, or perhaps it was because of the way that he had unburdened himself to his mother; whatever the reason, Ren had been much more obvious about his feelings toward the seventeen year-old than he knew. Most of the cast members had harbored suspicions; now they were completely convinced.

Kanae, watching the couple walk away, looked down and was surprised to see Maria actually smiling. Given the situation, she had expected histrionics and accusations when the spoiled little girl realized that Tsuruga Ren was in love with Kyoko. Maria was famous for showing up on the sets of Tsuruga Ren's films and terrorizing the actresses who were trying to attract the tall man's eye. But now she was remaining silent; even smiling.

"Maria-san, is it ok?" Kanae asked in an uncharacteristically gentle voice. She had never done well around children, but she felt surprisingly tender towards the little girl at that moment.

Maria looked up at the long-haired brunette and met her tender gaze with an open, frank, expression of peace, "Its ok. I'm not blind. I've seen the way he looks at her a million times." Her look became slightly fierce for a moment, "If it was any other girl, I would destroy her," once again her look became gentle, if slightly teary-eyed, "but it's okay if it's Onee-sama." Many more words were left unsaid by the usually outspoken little girl, but Kanae understood.

She was having an internal struggle of her own. She had fought the idea of Kyoko's friendship tooth-and-nail. Once she had succumbed, the friendship became a defining element of her existence. It has been the struggle of best-friends throughout history to watch a love-interest take first-place in a friend's life. She wanted Kyoko to be happy, but she felt an aching in her chest as well. Mo! That's why I never wanted a friend in the first place! Still, she wished Kyoko the best as the girl was led off towards the gardens.

Of course, what Tsuruga-san had to say had nothing to do with what everyone who was watching them thought that he meant to say. While they strolled, his anxiety mounted. Now he was almost wishing that Fuwa Sho had told her himself. Kyoko looked so enchanted by the beauty around her as they strolled through the perfectly orchestrated garden that it hurt him to be the one to destroy the atmosphere.

Finally he squared his shoulders and led her to a white-washed gazebo. He motioned for her to sit, and then sat on the next bench, turning his body to face hers. The setting was so perfect that Ren had to fight back the urge to make a confession of his love. Instead, he asked Kyoko the question that shattered her peace in an instant, "Mogami-chan, have you heard anything from your mother?"

The demons were back. They swirled around Kyoko in a cloud of remembered despair, reproach, and rejection. Had it not been for the many new friends who had surrounded her with love and acceptance in the past year, she might have closed off completely. Instead, she met Tsuruga Ren's eyes with a hurt expression, "Why are you asking me this, Tsuruga-sempai?"

"Because, Kyoko-chan, she has been seen in this area yesterday."

Kyoko's eyes widened in a mixture of longing and horror. No matter how bad a parent is, most children still feel some level of bond to him or her, even into adulthood. Kyoko had spent her childhood seeking her mother's acceptance. Now her internal conflicts threatened to overwhelm her completely.

Ren was experienced enough with Kyoko to know that it was best to just sit with her in silence. More than ten minutes had passed before Kyoko lifted her head and asked the question that had hovered in the back of her mind. "How do you know that my mother is here in California?"

Ren had steeled himself for that question, but it still bothered him slightly to answer, "Fuuwa Sho met with me and told me. He was afraid that you might not listen to him, and he wanted me to be there to protect you."

"Shotaro?" She felt so numb that the name didn't even excite any demons. Ren winced at her familiar use of his rival's name. After a long, thoughtful pause, "But why would you need to protect me? It's not like she abused me." The dark aura around her was spreading as she spoke again, "It's not even like she would ever take the time to see me."

After a few more minutes spent in silence, she shook herself to clear her head and stood. "Well, anyway, I promised Takarada-san that I would meet with him this evening. I had better find him."

Ren stood with her, and they walked silently through the garden and into the mansion.

Yashiro was sitting in a chair in the foyer, watching impatiently for the two young people to return. When he turned a sickeningly hopeful expression on Ren, Ren made it clear with his eyes and look that it wasn't a good time for questions. They found Lory in the library. When Ren made to leave, Lory waved him back, saying, "No, Ren, I think that you had better stay, as moral support for Mogami-san."

Kyoko looked startled, but concluded, "Is this about my mother? Tsuruga-san has already told me that she's here in California."

Lory's eyes widened as he regarded Ren speculatively, "No, not exactly. Would you have a seat, please."

As they sat on the couch that he had motioned to, Kuu and Julie also entered. Ren watched their faces and decided that they must already know what the "boss" was going to say. They were both snatching glances of worry and compassion at Kyoko.

Lory Takarada was a performer at heart, so he naturally and unintentionally slipped into the role or a storyteller as he began to speak:

"I have always loved beautiful women. When my wife was alive, I never looked away from her. She was my life and my reason for living. After she died, I couldn't even see or think straight for a long time."

He paused, and met the eyes of both Kuu and Julie. "It was only because of my dear friends that I was able to pull through that time.

"About two years after my wife's death, I found myself captivated by a young actress who just seemed to come out of nowhere and nailed one role after another. LME had been flagging for a while, due to my neglect and due to the fact that my star actor," he looked at Kuu significantly, "had decided to leave and start all over in Hollywood. It was this young lady who finally got me interested in LME again, and I quickly fell in love with her."

There was a long pause, and somehow the mood of the room changed. "But the young lady was not what I thought that she was. Soon after we started dating she began working behind the scenes to take my company away from me. I was in love and oblivious, but my people were loyal, so they brought her actions to my attention. At first I refused to believe them; I even lost several friends due to my attitude. But I slowly began to recognize and accept the truth. I broke it off with her, but not before she had embezzled a lot of money from me.

"We had lived together for several months, and I had fully intended to make her by bride. After she left I never heard from her again, although I have heard of her from time-to-time; though that is not my story to tell."

There was a long pause, and everyone in the room could feel the electric charge of suspense as Lory Takarada prepared himself for his next words.

In the first chapter of this story, I made mention of the fact that Kyoko was the epitome of the word "oblivious." In my defense, I also cited her intelligence. So it might come as a surprise to you that Kyoko had spent the first few minutes of the president's story wondering why he needed to tell her this tale. Even for a young lady as new to dramas as Kyoko, the answer was obvius.

As Lory Takarada prepared to continue, Kyoko spoke softly, "Your talking about my mother, aren't you?"

Lory regarded her tenderly, along with Kuu and Julie. Ren reached over and covered her hand with his own. "Yes, Kyoko-chan. I'm talking about your mother."

"And that would make you?"

"Your father."

* * * * * *

Notes: I know that somebody will take exception to this twist in the story. It just seemed like the two people who are most like Kyoko in this manga are Takarada and Maria; Lory Takarada because he lives on a different plane of existence from his fellow man, almost his own fantasy world, and Maria because she and Kyoko share such an interest in the spirit world.