Episode 09: Finally Found, His Princess.
Kanae had came to accept the fact genius or not, Touya Kyouko was a complete amateur in acting. It was a hard truth to swallow someone who was natural in acting exist, but natural or not…
"Hm…"
Watching her fumbling with the script was driving her up to the wall! Why a genius acted like this?! Couldn't she… acted more like an actress, instead of carelessly browsing script as if it would answer this problem she brought upon herself?! How could she as Flora saved Angel's heart if she hated the little sister?
"Mou! If you have a question just ask!" Kanae snapped.
The girl looked up at her with the most clueless expression she could muster and said. "I am not a scriptwriter so… I am not sure what to say to save Angel as Flora."
"In that case don't criticize the script in the first place!"
"It doesn't make sense to me… for the sister to be such a saint."
Kanae groaned, "You see…" She told herself to calm down and be a mature actress teaching the amateur the way of an acting. "Whatever opinion you have about a play, as an actress you should just follow the script because it's the best outcome for the story!" Then she added. "Follow them faithfully and you will be fine! Don't argue with a script!"
"Hoo… is that so?" Kyouko recalled her pseudo-proper acting experience with Ren. They followed the script but faithfully? Not so much. However Shingai-kantoku did say the level of improvisation they did was high and much better than what written on the script, but Ring-doh was a complex and realistic story. Angel's words was the very opposite, a simple and touching story.
Senpai did tell her to keep it simple, maybe it was alike with complicated looking tsumego that could be solved in one hand?
She opened the script again, eyes narrowed at the eighteenth scene. "Hoo… I see... the solution is very simple after all."
Kanae's eyes widened when she saw Kyouko's smirk. It seemed she find out a way to solve the seemingly impossible task, and all of a sudden Kanae felt really sorry for the kid who played Angel.
Back in acting class
"Ojii-sama! They're trying to humiliate one of our stars, how could you let a trainee do that?!" Maria huffed, stomping her feet. "This is so unfair!"
Lorry shrugged, "She was the one who accepted the challenge, Maria…" He had not tell Maria that Kyouko was her soon to be cousin. "Kyouko is a professional, if she said she could do it she will." Lorry was ashamed to admit it but instead of worrying that one of his favorites was going to embarrass herself, he was looking forward of what she would do to accomplish this challenge.
"Hmph!"
He sighed, "Maria… you really likes her, don't you?" He pressed on, "Why?" Lorry honestly didn't think Kyouko's scary aura was the only thing that drew his granddaughter in.
She swallowed heavily, "Do you remember the Akiko-baasan's birthday party last year?"
"Yes, we came to Touya residence… what about it?"
Flashback
She escaped the festivities where adult was clamoring in the main room, exchanging pleasantries and in overall being fake and lying adults they were. She came because Ojii-sama wanted to introduce her to Akira-chan, her second cousin and so far with how absorbed Lorry with the party, he had completely forgot about it for sure.
She wandered to another room where they said they let younger children socialize, only to take a peek of her young cousin. However she didn't find her cousin in the room but in the porch where he was playing go with a much older children, she didn't play Go but she could see the kids didn't use the whole board.
Pachi!
Akira was a small boy with fair skin and dark curtain of hair that fell around his cheeks, a beautiful baby toddler. His smile bloomed beautifully as he placed a black stone a little clumsily. Maria guessed he was winning, and shocked when his opponent suddenly turned the board over and ran away.
That was so mean! Maria thought.
Akira stared at the ruined game and the mess before them, and started hiccuping. Maria instinctively moved towards him but someone was faster. A girl in her teen came forward and knelt beside the boy, wiping his fat tears and helped him to stand up.
"Akira… don't cry, you have to be strong."
"Strong?" He echoed, still sobbing.
The girl nodded, her golden eyes staring straight at Akira's much darker ones. "Aki-chan told me you want to be like your father, ne?" The toddler nodded vigorously. "Then if Go become your life… promise me you will not cry because of Go in front of anyone but me."
"Because only weak boy cry?" He asked.
She smiled sadly, "Go you see… is a beautiful world, but it's cruel too! It's full of mean people unlike your father and other sensei in our study group… especially to you who is the son of your father." She murmured softly, "He has a very biiiiig shadow in Go world, his hand is big too…"
"Otou-san has big hand…"
"A friend of mine… said that he can't fly because he is caught in his father's hand, the father's shadow is so big he couldn't even see the sun. He is trying his very best now I am sure..." She drawled on in solemn tone. "Aki-chan is still very small but Nee-chan want you to be ready." She sighed, "Because some people can't shut up about your talent and everyone is already expecting something big from you." She grumbled under her breath.
"Aki don't really get it but… Aki just have to be strong, ne?" He asked, "So Aki will have hand as big as Otou-san one day!"
"Yes, grow up big and strong… so you will not cry and no one can hurt you…"
End of Flashback
Lorry stared in horror at sparkling Maria, "Erm…"
"Unlike other adults who can only lie… Onee-sama is very honest." Maria declared. "Ojii-sama know as well as I do that Akira-chan is going to have a hard time growing up! After all… Kouyou-jiisan is his dad! If I am in Akira-chan's shoes I don't want to be fed fake words that I will be like Kouyou-jiisan one day!"
"Uhm."
"And the best of all… as she said, even if you cry you're not going to get saved." Maria finished with relish, trembling. "My heart was pounding then and now too!"
Lorry was unsure who he should worry about first, his granddaughter, or his nephew and niece. Then again… it was so like Kyouko and Maria to agree that crying was weakness, and they had to be strong to help themselves. She was teaching her brother the same thing, and Lorry couldn't even fault her about it. "Maria… you're a child, for… a five years old child who never asked for anything to ask her parents to spend her birthday together."
A tragedy in her special day.
"I know Otou-sama will never forgive me and I am fine with it…" She had to live with it.
Clack
The door opened and revealed Touya Kyouko and Kotonami Kanae, she flashed a brilliant smile at Maria while the teacher, Chigusa called the students who had part in eighteenth scene to come forward.
"How did a model like her is going to act?"
"Aside from acting cute?"
"She isn't that pretty either…"
"It must be money and connection."
Kanae was ticked, recalling certain Ojou-sama with both who had been getting on her way for years. The girl before her wouldn't cut vegetables and displayed such a memorable reaction acting if she used those! Not to mention they were also looking at her direction when they said it.
"Touya-san…" Kanae growled, "Shut them up with your acting, I am with you now and I will never forgive you if you make me looks bad!"
"Aha ha ha…" She laughed weakly.
Maria grabbed her hand, and Kyouko turned her attention to the younger girl. "Make those glib talkers shut up and destroy this play to pieces!"
Kyouko sighed inwardly, wondering why Kotonami and Maria-chan were so hyped up like this. She could hear their murmuring, they knew her name and up close look of her appearance disappointed them greatly. Well, excuse her if she would like to avoid putting make up all the time unless her job require it. President was right to not disclose her status as his niece, people would scorn those with special privilege without caring about the circumstances behind it.
Just like in Kyoto when those girls bullied her just because she stayed in Fuwa inn. She loved the Fuwas but living indebted to people and working hard to return their kindness in her opinion was not what those shallow girls had in mind for a wonderful life living under the same roof as Shoutaro!
"We'll start off following the script, and then the rest will up to Touya-san's improvisation." The instructor told them.
The two girls smiled unkindly to her, "Hai! I'll improvise."
"Leave it to us."
"After all unlike model who just have to pose and looks pretty we work hard to be a good actress."
Kyouko was ticked off, if being a model was that easy why did they think not everyone could be one?!
The teacher pointedly ignored the provocation, "On your marks, ladies."
As they walked pass her, they couldn't resist to add last jabs. "I envy someone who can but their dream with money."
"Your parents must have love you so much." The other added.
Buying dream?
Loved by her parents?
Lorry narrowed his eyes, the air around the girl changed. Did they stepped on her landmine? 'To change the air around her like that… she is as surprising as always.'
"Ojii-sama looks so happy…" Maria grumbled, "Just so you know if they trouble Onee-sama I am going to make those two's life a living hell!" She pointed at the two friends of Flora.
"Maa… don't swear vengeance yet, beside I am sure she can pull it off. After all so far…" He trailed off, "Kyouko-chan never failed my expectation yet." She exceeded them.
Angel's word, 18th scene
"Oh Angel! You poor girl..." Flora's friend with dark brown hair said in sad voice. "You've been blaming yourself for so long." She clasped Angel's hands in hers. "But you're wrong… no one hates you."
Kanae had to admit she wanted to vomit at their act, especially at how the girl said the first part of her dialogue. She couldn't choose it was the sappy script or the girl's terrible acting. Then again Kanae herself was not confident with her acting skill could made those sappy lines to sound better.
"Yes… right." The girl who played Angel replied, and Kanae had to compliment the girl because obviously the one who played Angel had better acting skill than her sister's friends. "That's what everyone said to my face! But behind my back, they said I killed my mother!"
Maria narrowed her eyes as Angel spoke the lines that resounded in her heart. If there was anything she could like from this play, it was Angel got everything right about how no one could love a daughter who killed her mother. She hated that even more, those lying adults who tried to comfort her while when they though she was not listening, they blamed her for her mother's death!
"Why can't she put up with it?"
"There won't be any model from Japan like Lina!"
"A child just get on the way!"
They should just say it to her face!
Back in the play Angel shot down all comforting lines the other two girls told her. "Mother died because of me! That's why Father hates me!" The girl yelled, clenching her fists.
"What are you talking about Angel?" The girl in pigtails asked. "For parents to hate their own children, that's impossible."
Angel just glared in response, while the audience watching braced themselves for Flora's entrance.
"Pfft!"
Everyone froze on their tract, especially the one in the play who was used to sound of sobbing suddenly in scene they had repeated over and over was replaced by restrained laughter.
The girl in pigtail asked naturally, not really had improvisation in mind when she said the line. "Why are you laughing? Flora…"
Flora was hunched, a hand covering her lips as her shoulders trembled in silent mirth.
"She is seriously laughing?"
"Why?"
Flora at last straightened herself, but still not looking at them. "Nothing, I was just thinking… how many times I've heard people say that."
"It's Flora's original line!"
"She is following the script?!
Then she turned around, showing them her expression for the first time. Honey like eyes flashed dangerously, her lips formed a cold smirk. "I am sorry…" She said in completely unapologetic tone.
The three actress in training barely could suppress their yelps and latched on each other on instinct.
Their audiences were in shock, and one girl was extremely delighted. Lorry knew Kyouko could be intimidating but to see three of their best students cowering and momentarily forgot their role was an amazing feat for a girl who had no experience in acting.
"Such an amazing big sister, just with changing her feeling and tone she didn't need to make up original lines!" Maria squealed. "I am in love! Please let me call you Onee-sama!"
"Maria." Lorry called his granddaughter with pale face. "You're the only one who think so." He pointed out but Maria wasn't listening.
Flora came closer, and the two friends backed away in hurry to make way for her. Originally they should slowly and naturally made space for Flora to talk with Angel but now they did it our of fear. Angel's actress was rooted on her spot as her beloved older sister's eyes pinned her to the chair. She stood up at last as the script said, her feet shook with tremor.
"You're a smart child, Angel…" She complimented in simpering tone, "So before you heard the others talking, you already know the answer in your heart." She said with a cold smile.
Angel once again found herself back to her chair not voluntarily but because she tried to back away from pressure Flora emitted and lost her balance. "Flo...ra?"
"Father is human too…" She said a matter of factly. "If he lost control of himself…"
Maria narrowed his eyes, bracing herself for the incoming line. 'He might hurt others unintentionally…'
Flora reached out to caress Angel's cheek and the younger girl shivered, "He might hurt other intentionally without realizing it." The tip of her well manicured nail touched Angel's cheek briefly and the girl recoiled as if she had been burned.
"Bu…" The girl whimpered and the other two backed away even further.
Lorry was torn between impressed and worried, because at this point the other actresses were losing control of their composure very quickly, overwhelmed by Kyouko's acting. She was a scary actress, against these trainees she was swallowing them whole with her acting.
"You understand right? Parents…" Flora narrowed her eyes, "Can hate their children."
Kanae was shocked, 'She change the line now?'
Maybe letting her playing Flora was not a good idea because Lorry could feel his very soul break to hear Kouko saying that line so convincingly. Akiko and Kouyou would kill him if they knew!
"How she is going to save Angel's heart who thinks her father hates her then?"
"That's right!"
"She can act a hating sister well but if the goal of this play is not achieved…"
Flora leaned closer and delivered the vital blow, "Yes… it's true that..." Her chilling voice sent shiver down Angel's spine, and with a smooth move Flora stood up to her full height, towering intimidatingly before Angel.
"Father, hates you…"
Viride Lawyer Office
Toudou had been resigned, disappointed and sad for his co-worker and almost best friend, Mogami Saena. But never in his wildest imagination, he would feel anger for her. However today was the last straw, the real one.
"She came for you."
"Uninvited."
"A child." Toudou hissed, "Didn't have to come with appointment just to see her mother! Especially if all she wanted is giving you something to remember her by! She just…"
Flashback (Few hours ago)
"Why do you come to my office, I am busy."
The girl glanced at the clock on the wall and pointed out. "It's still lunch break time… ten minutes left, could you… let me have five minutes at least?"
Toudou could feel his heart clench, a daughter shouldn't beg her mother just for five minutes of her time like Kyouko-chan did!
Saena sighed, "I am giving you up to the Touyas… soon, for your own sake… do convince them to sign the paper."
Toudou was about to open his mouth to interrupt but Kyouko was faster. "They will do so, I just have to ask… you don't have to be worried, Okaa-san."
She clicked her tongue, the wrinkle in her forehead deepened. "Touya Akiko is your mother now…"
Kyouko smiled, "Not now… not yet."
The lawyer sighed again, "You've not tell me why you came yet..."
Kyouko looked down to her lap and then placed something wrapped in furoshiki. "Please hear me out first." She requested with sincerest voice she could muster, "For my whole life… I devoted myself to succeed your expectations."
Saena didn't say anything to this because she didn't keep track of her schoolworks since the lawyer left Kyoto.
"Last year…" Kyouko began in somber tone, "I graduated as the best student from my middle school… I get straight As on my entrance test to high school, I won local Ikebana competition, I passed my pro exam in first place, and won Young Lion Tournament…" She listed on monotonously, there was no pride in her voice she might as well listing groceries.
"..."
"Everyone compliment and congratulates me… my guardians, the Fuwas… my friends, co-workers… Toudou-san…" She shot the male lawyer a grateful look. "But never you…"
Saena tensed.
"You used to scold me for getting 88 points in my test… that anything less than perfect is no good." She shook his head, "So imagine my confusion when Akiko-baasan praised me and wanted to frame English test with score 92 in my first year in Tokyo…" She laughed softly, "I… think, I thought." She corrected herself. "That's some form of love from you for me as you want me to be the best, perfect..."
Toudou let himself nailed on the spot and watched Saena's reaction, which was nothing other than deepening Mogami river on the bridge of her nose.
"A lot of people call me perfect… they said I am sweet, kind… smart and I can do anything! I can arrange flowers, performeng tea ceremony, playing Go at pro level, I am an As straight student. By the time I am sixteen I have omiai offers lined up for me more than I know what to do with it!" She added the last one with mirthless laughter, "Though Kouyou-sensei burned them all when I am not looking."
"..."
"So… Okaa-san." She laced her fingers together nervously. "What else I have to do? To accomplish… to master so I can get what I've always dreamed of from you?"
Saena frowned, wondering if her daughter came to brag at first but then this question threw her off.
"What do you want?" An apology? Her love? Taking her back from the Touyas?
She smiled at her mother, a heartbreaking one as her eyes went slightly glassy. "Give me a pat on my head." She touched the crown of her head, then with a blush kissed cheek she continued. "And praised me that… I've done a good job, a good daughter." She finished her simple and seemingly hopeless dream. "Is that… too much to ask?"
Guilt… it had been so long since she felt this, back in Kyoto this feeling mixed with disgust was always prominent in her heart in regards to her daughter. A girl that as much as she loathed to admit was just unfortunate girl who was born from her womb in the worst circumstances possible. Now the girl once again came fearlessly to be loved, and asked her such a simple thing? Confessing that everything she had done until now was just to get a compliment and a pat on the head from her biological mother.
"You're such a fool." Saena said before she could stop herself, jaw clenched.
Kyouko however didn't cry, she just smiled understandingly as if she knew Saena wouldn't say anything kind to her confession.
Why? Kyouko was always hopeful… ah, so her seemingly perfect daughter was a human in the end. Pushed away with rejection after rejection, even Kyouko would…
The girl unwrapped the furoshiki, revealing a beautiful glass trophy. It was shaped like a Go stone with fancy kanji for Wakajishen written in the center, the base was made of kaya wood with Kyouko's name as the champion of Young Lion Tournament.
"When I saw you watching the tournament…" Kyouko trailed off, looking to the side as she recalled the moment she spotted Saena. "I completely forgot my honor as Go player, respect to my peers and loyalty to Kouyo-sensei's teaching… I just want to win in front of you… for you."
Saena sighed, "Your five minutes is almost up."
"I am sorry… but rest assured, this is the last one." She stood up and placed the trophy on the table, right in front of Saena. "This trophy is… the last piece of my heart that still yearn for your love." She smiled at Saena, almost beaming. "It's yours to do as you please, Okaa-san."
Saena reached out for the trophy, standing up. 'Her heart… she said, or rather… whatever attachment she has left for me, her biological mother…' Saena came up with a decision and before Toudou could stop her, the female lawyer threw the trophy as hard as she could to the wall and it broke to pieces.
PRANK!
"MOGAMI!" Toudou howled, "What the hell are you doing?!" That was Wakajisen's trophy! Had she no idea how much that worth for a Go player?!
"What I should have done long ago, setting her free…"
Kyouko's smile faltered for a moment before she recovered, her eyes became as cold as ice as she walked pass Saena and gathered the shattered pieces to the furoshiki before tying them. "Arara… I caused such a mess, I clean them up so don't worry." She stood up and bowed deeply at Saena, "Thank you very much… Mogami-san."
Toudou couldn't move, shocked out of his wits at the switch of address. "Mogami… Kyouko-chan you…"
Saena returned the bow as stiffly, "You're welcome… Touya-san."
End of Flashback
"That trophy was not intended to be my keepsake, Toudou…" Saena shot him down. "It's her last request to me as her biological mother to break our bond completely."
Toudou scoffed, "Oh yes… because a glass trophy can break a bond made of blood. Very funny Mogami… you suppose to be cunning and clever. Yet… you think it make sense Kyouko-chan came just for you to break her heart."
"...It's not her heart that I break…." Saena murmured softly, "And she is not… that weak."
Toudou wondered why he didn't break their friendship yet over Kyouko-chan, and realized because Saena pulled this kind of stuff when Kyouko-chan was not in the room. "You should say that to her…" A glimmer of hope that in the corner of her cold and stone like heart, Mogami Saena loved her daughter.
That was very wistful of him though.
LME training School
That one simple line resounded in their heart. Kanae gasped as her heart rate sped up, she loathed to admit it but that one line was choked to the brim with so much bitter emotion to the point just hearing it made her think for one moment that her father really didn't love her. Well, her father was hand-off parent type but Kanae was sure he didn't hate her. But just now…
Lorry felt like he had a heart attack just now, 'Something did happen in her mother's office! Akiko will kill me!' He stopped, if he felt like that then Maria…
Maria was in tears, "I am so touched! That's why I cry!"
"Erm… you don't have to make up a reason."
On the scene Angel's actress was gasping, "Father to...wards me…" She should say this line with conviction but she was stammering and unable to bring herself to finish it.
Flora smiled at her, a cruel smile as if she enjoyed torturing her sister. "Surely you understand his behavior towards you that he… doesn't love you at all!"
"YOU LIE!" Angel cried out, tears streaming out of her eyes.
Flora smirked at her response.
Chigusa the instructor couldn't believe what she saw, she didn't know Chieko the one who play Angel could show such emotion so intensely. Then again… her co-star was terrifying and even Chigusa was very tempted just now to swoop her student off of the stage, away from Flora.
Kanae just realized what the meaning of that smirk and why Touya was so damn confident to pull this off.
"Why…" Flora drawled on, "Why did you say I lied to you, Angel?"
Angel scrambled to respond, defending her father's feeling for her, denials from before was long forgotten. "He…" She latched on to the first thing in mind, "Father keeps my photo with him all the time!"
The dialogue switched!
"She switched Flora's and Angel's dialogue!"
"How did that happen?!"
Flora harrumphed, "Not just yours… he brought mine and brother's too."
"He came to my recitals no matter how busy he is!" Angel continued.
Flora was not impressed, "Well… it would be bad for him if he didn't. He has to keep up appearance after all, what parent would dare to miss that?!"
Maria deflated as an imaginary rock fell on her, 'Otou-san never come to anything my school organized…'
"He buy me a birthday present every year!" Angel cried out.
"Present I choose because he don't know what to give you, he doesn't care enough to not even know what you like…"
Second block of rock fell on her, 'Then what about my father who just buy what's popular and no idea what I like?' At least Angel's father had enough sense to ask for someone's opinion first, even a character in a play was luckier than she was.
Angel was in the same spot struggling to defend herself. "He writes me letter when he is away!"
Flora sneered, enjoying ripping apart her sister's reasoning. "Aaah… those letters that say the same thing every time?"
Maria recalled one line her father repeated over and over again in his email, 'Good morning, Maria… how is the weather in Japan?'
"Do you think?" Flora drawled on, "Is there even a gram of feeling in them, Angel?"
"THAT NOT TRUE!"
That line was not said by one but two persons, and everyone was shocked when the second Angel namely Maria barged into the play. "It's true he always said the same thing but! BUT! He always send them in the morning and night everyday without fail!"
Angel was stunned to see Maria standing beside her, glaring at Flora. "Uhm…"
"So what?" Flora asked in the same infuriating tone, drawing both Angel's attention back to her. "Either email or letter… if they says the same thing all the time, the sender is slacking off." She waved them off as if they were just pesky flies, "Even boiling cup noodles takes more effort than that… ha ha ha…"
"Writing letter takes effort!" Angel retorted hotly. "He put his heart in every word!"
"Don't compare father's letter with cup noodle! You're so rude!"
Lorry couldn't believe Maria and Angel went on defending their fathers against Flora, and wondered if Kyouko planned to take them both on since the beginning. It was hilarious and ironic Maria used what they told her to defend his son. The original Flora wondered if this play was still going on with extra Angel.
"I just know!" Maria and Angel chorused.
Flora gritted her teeth, backing away slightly and for a moment Maria and Angel thought they had won. "What do you know?!"
Hana's eyes widened, 'She is back to original dialogue.'
"You don't even talk to Father properly!"
Numerous emails every day and not even once she replied them. She just slept them away.
"How do you know your father's feelings?!" She asked, pressing on. "You don't understand his feeling! At all!"
"I do!" This time Maria was faster than Angel, "Because he always said he loves me in his email!"
'Good night Maria,
I love you.'
One line that said so much as she refused to believe all these years…
Flora smiled at her, and Maria looked up. "There… you have your answer." You always had it deep in your heart.
Silence…
There was a silence until the two girls in tears were pulled to a big hug by the kimono wearing girl. "I… I AM SO SORRY!"
Five minutes later…
"Why are you sorry, Touyaaaaa?!"
"I made two little girls cry! I was so mean to them!" Kyouko cried, there was no tears but she looked like she wanted to.
"It's part of the play!"
"It didn't say so in the script!"
Your acting was that good to make them cry! Kanae growled in her mind. "Mou! You're a star, mind your image! You're ruining your image!"
She stopped whining, then cocked her head to the side. "What image?"
"What image she said?!" Kanae howled to the heaven. "You're the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko, and last time I checked one shouldn't whine because she make two little girl cried in a play!"
Kyouko was still confused, "Am I even popular enough to have public image like Tsuruga-senpai?"
"This coming from a model who dominates all traditional fashion in magazine from the last six months?!"
"I did?"
Kanae stopped in her track, "You're impossible."
"I heard that often lately."
"I am sure you do." Kanae sighed tiredly, "So… everything goes according to your plan?" Kyouko blinked owlishly, "Switching Flora's and Angel's line I mean…"
She nodded, "Thanks to your clue and senpai's...I noticed even if their lines switched the story still makes sense."
"And if Angel didn't reply you with Flora's line, what the hell are you going to do?" Kanae asked, she suspected it but the sheer confidence Angel would give Touya what she wanted…
She just smiled at that, "Ara… I am very confident she will if I stick to the script, after all… when you're at a lost you would say the line you used to hear." Not to mention unlike Tsuruga-senpai who thought more deeply about his character, these girls were more like Kotonami so they would go back to the script in a pinch.
Kanae groaned, holding her head as she could feel oncoming headache. 'Insufferable genius is really a pain.' She sighed. "So… when you're going to start acting seriously?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Silence…
"Listen… I am not forcing you." As much as Kanae wanted to do so. "But you're very talented! Don't you think it's a waste to let your talent rot?"
"...my talent?"
She nodded, "I honestly didn't get why you didn't go to acting department, I admit you're a good model… but you're phenomenal as an actress…" She told the shorter girl pointedly. "But no one came to LME audition to be a model… LME does have the best models including Tsuruga Ren but we're not modelling agency, you know! Why did you even come to this showbiz world Touya? Surely… there's something you want for yourself?"
Kyouko stayed rooted on her spot, "That's… strange."
"What?"
"No one ever asked what I want for myself when I choose to do something." She told the dark haired girl in sincere tone. "Thank you…"
Why?! Kanae screeched in her mind.
LME's parking lot
"So it went well…" Ren breathed out a sigh of relief, "And Maria-chan is going to make a call soon to Kouki-san?"
"Yes… she was nervous but Kyouko assured her that Kouko feels the same and if she is not confident she could always send Kouki a drawing of flowers to express herself through Hanakotoba." The president said fondly, "Maria is fine now, and she even make friends with the student who plays Angel…"
Ren smiled at that, "Sounds wonderful…"
"But it's not Maria I am worried about now…" The grim tone in his voice made Ren straightened his posture. "It's Kyouko… perhaps I unintentionally tested her limits today."
He narrowed his eyes, "President, what did you do?"
"Nothing evil or manipulative I assure you… it's just that she has tendency to pull a drastic stunt and forget everything else." Lorry sighed wearily, "You're an observant guy Ren… surely you notice there is something off about her?"
He recalled their previous conversation, "How she could be so dedicated to something without loving them for real? That… she is good at what she is doing for everyone but herself?"
"Right… she is a loving girl, seriously I have no complain about her ability to love. However she has serious issue about loving herself… which is why she had been very reluctant to part with her original family name."
That was right, the first time they talked with each other, her surname was Mogami.
"My sister in law adopted her but let her holding onto that name for years but… now, the mother who gave her that name is taking it back. As of now… she is officially Touya Kyouko."
Ren was confused, "What is that mean for her?" He asked dreading the answer.
"Terrible things for her heart… the biological mother she wanted to acknowledge her has severed all their legal bonds. Which mean everything she devoted herself for her mother's sake by today… they're all for nothing, Ren… she just lost her purpose."
"Everything I've done until is for what?
What left of me then?"
Her fear had become a reality.
"Where is she?" Ren asked, "Please tell me you know where!"
"Somewhere in LME… she excused herself before I can say anything! I ask my staffs to look for her but… I hope she didn't do something stupid."
Ren sighed as he alighted from his car, "Don't worry… she has this bad habit of going to place with no people to cry alone."
"How do you know that?"
"That's none of your business, President… good night." He said as he ended the line and rushed to the office to look for his reckless kouhai. She was a strong girl but losing purpose in life would do a number to a person, he told Lorry to not worry but he was unsure of that himself.
Places with no people in LME was limited, and for someone who was not too familiar with the building like Kyouko, there was only one place she would know. It would be fire escape stairs, a place that rarely frequented in any building unless for emergency purpose. Fortunately the stairs located right next to the parking lot, and Ren groaned at the countless stairs as wondering if he had to run all the way up to find that girl.
He didn't have to.
Something blue and sparkling suddenly fell near his leg and he looked down to find a very familiar ocean sapphire. He picked it up and inspected the stone. "This stone… the rough cut…" A keepsake he gave to Kyouko-chan?! What was this thing doing in here?!
"CORN!"
The old name snapped him out of his thought, his heart skipped a beat. 'Who?' And there she was, her big honey colored eyes were in tears, long ebony hair swayed by the wind as she ran down the stairs. Not the wise thing to do when one was dressed in restricting clothes like kimono, and she tripped down the stairs.
"Kyaa!"
"Kyoko-chan!"
The next thing he knew he was on the cold floor and he could barely felt the bruise that surely formed on his back from the collision. His senses were stolen by the sight before him, teary golden eyes, blush kissed cheeks framed by a curtain of dark hair. Her pink lips swollen as she bit them to stifled her cries. Smell of tea mixed with jasmine filled his nostril, and the warmth of her body as she sprawled across his much larger body.
"Kyo…" His hand reached to wipe her tears on reflex.
"Hu...Corn…"
His hand stopped midair as he processed what just happened. "I…" Should he deny it? Or-
"Where… are you?" She sobbed. "Corn?"
"I'm…" Here right?
"Did you see… Corn, senpai?" She asked between her sobs, not moving from her position on top of him as she wept.
He blinked owlishly at that question. "Huh?"
She sat up and Ren stiffened, "The water sapphire stone… around this size." She formed a circle with the tip of her index finger and thumb, "It have rough cut… I dropped it… hic hic…"
She named the stone after him?! That was close! He thought Kyouko-chan recognized him, he sighed in disappointment. Eh? Shouldn't he feel relieved she didn't recognized him? Beside, he should feel ashamed of himself that he didn't recognize her, or rather he had a feeling this was the same Kyouko-chan but he ignored it even though a lot of things pointed that his instinct was right.
The drive to do her best at something she hated.
Her devotion for others.
Gentle demeanor and strong heart.
"What if… Corn broke or chipped…" She cried, and her tightening hold on his shirt snapped his attention back to the crying girl on top of him.
"Thank you, I'll treasure it!"
She treasured the stone as she promised him, and Ren couldn't stop the smile from blooming in his lips. He didn't even bother pretending he just found it, she was too distracted anyway. So he held out the stone for her just like when he gave it to her ten years ago. Her eyes went wide in shock then in relief as she accepted the water sapphire back.
"Corn… you're alright." She whispered lovingly then once again his heart skipped when she kissed his gift. "Thank you so much, senpai!" She said as she gave him a bow in seating position. Now that Corn was safely in hand, Kyouko's mind rebooted and she realized their compromising position. "KYAAA!" She catapulted herself off of him. "I am so sorry! Tsuruga-senpai!"
She didn't have to react like that but then again for a conservative girl like her, he should've expected it. "Well… it's alright, are you hurt? I hope I cushioned your fall…"
"Yes! I am fine…" She stood up but swayed dangerously and he quickly assisted her to stand.
"You're not fine at all…" She was exhausted mentally and physically, it was a miracle she didn't collapsed yet.
Ren wondered if she had been stressed for days over her mother, and now he knew she was the same Kyouko-chan, of course she would endure it and hold everything in. "I will give you a lift back home…"
"NO!" She shouted, "I can't go home like this!"
"What do you-" Ren cut himself off and cringed when memory of Kyouko-chan who would wash herself and erased all evidence she just cried her heart out came up to mind. Of course she won't go home at this state, and judging from her glassy eyes she was still losing grip of her emotions. Almost losing the keepsake didn't help either. "Alright, so where are you planning to go? You can't stay in here…"
"I…"
"Should I drive you to one of your friend's house? How about Nase-san's?"
She shook her head frantically, "I can't go to anywhere like this!"
Of course, just few days ago she was so reluctant to accept their friendship so there was no way she could show up in their house in tears with her emotional baggage in tow. Then Ren came to a painful realization that the 'man or rather boy' Kyouko was talking about as the only person she would show her tears to was him and the stone named after him.
This was dangerous, if he got too close to someone from his past…
"Hic… sob!"
One look at her scrunched up face that tried her best to hold back her tears, his resolve to feign ignorance crumbled to dust. Ha hated Kuon but if there was one thing he was proud about the failure he was, he had been a fairy prince that could cheer up his sweetest childhood friend.
He sighed tiredly and came to a decision. "Come."
"Huh." Confused and distraught, the Japanese girl just placed her hand in his on reflex. "Senpai, wait!"
He tugged her hand gently and they exited the office hand in hand and straight to his car. "Let's go." He would apologize to Yashiro about leaving him behind later, and his manager would be delighted by this turn of event anyway.
The two LME's stars were so absorbed with their episode, they didn't notice frozen and pale looking Sawara Takenori was watching everything with wide eyes. He had been guilty of startling Kyouko when the girl was sitting on the stairs and ran after the girl when she rushed down the stairs. He came just in time to see the two ended up in compromising position and locked in said position too long for comfort. The most surprising was for the two well mannered models of their to allow it, and they left with holding hands to boot.
"So… Ren and Touya-chan are dating?" He asked to no one.
Lorry's Office
"So, please call the Touyas for me… about her condition." And with that Ren ended the line.
For the first time in his life Lorry felt Ren had one upped him, and he was left with the task to face one of scariest parents in Japan. One thing for sure, Ren could be trusted with a girl because he was a gentleman. Lorry was not sure he would survive the night to explain why Kyouko-chan was in such state.
He was so dead.
Ren's apartment.
On the way back she had been very quiet and subdued when Ren ushered the upset girl inside his place. The first thing she said of course was this, "This is so improper."
"We're not doing anything improper, Touya-san." He sighed as he took seat on the sofa beside her. "And can you please… just let it out? Because you looks like you're really suffering holding those lead like feeling back..." Why couldn't he be like his ten years old self? He just had to hug, pat her head and waited until she finished her cries then listened to her troubles attentively.
"Uh…"
"And you're not looking at me in the eye at all which is…"
She whipped her head to the side, "I don't mean to be rude but-" Their eyes locked and her tears flowed uncontrollably. "Hic! Hic! I don't… hic! Get it myself either but when I look at your face I just…" She choked out. "Lost control of my tears, this is so embarrassing!"
Ren was unsure he should feel happy or horrified at subconscious level Kyouko-chan did recognize his face. Which explained why she let herself cried back in Nagano too.
"Huu uh! Hic…"
He sighed and decided to give in, he pulled her to his embrace and patted her head and caressed her back gently. She tensed involuntarily before she relaxed, she was so exhausted she had no strength length to argue about propriety with him.
Kyouko sighed contently as her sobs quieted down, somehow this closeness felt familiar and comforting. She had cried freely in front of him, showing him her weakness but it didn't feel humiliating at all. She felt so safe… just like when she was with Corn… She felt so tired and sleepy.
"Corn…" Strange, her blurry eyes saw shadow of her fairy prince in Tsuruga-senpai. She didn't care anymore, she would wake up and embarrassed to death tomorrow for sure. For tonight… she was too exhausted to care.
Ren sighed in relief as he felt her breath slowed down and her eyes fluttered close. She fell asleep just like that, and he supposed she was alright for now. Then he noticed her right hand was still holding onto something. His eyes widened when he saw thin trail of blood, he pried her hand open gently and found the Corn stone had dug into her skin deep enough to draw blood.
Now that the owner was asleep, he had the freedom to inspect her hand. Those soft and pudgy hand of a child was no more, he thought as he gently wiped the blood with tissue. She had calluses from Go playing, but nothing explained the thin and small scar on her palm. She had been holding onto his gift so tightly as if it was her lifeline all this time…
"We changed… a lot Kyouko-chan…" He said in a whisper. "You and I… mostly me… for the worse." He murmured softly as he scooped her up to his arms and walked to his bedroom. The guest bedroom was unmade, and he was not going to let Kyouko sleeping in there. He would take the couch for tonight.
"Mm…" She was snoring softly, pressing her face closer to his chest.
He put her down on his massive bed as gently as he can, and relieved she didn't latch onto him too tightly. "Corn…" She murmured in her sleep.
"You're still the same inside, so gentle, so strong… and frail…" He caressed her cheek. "I am sorry I can't be him any longer." He wished she was dreaming of their clearing, just two innocent children playing together and not burdened by their suffering.
He knew he had to leave her back then, but looking at her breaking down for the third time as Tsuruga Ren in his short time knowing her was painful. " At least for tonight, sweet dream… princess." He murmured as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and left the room.
That night Kyouko dreamed of Corn flying in the sky, though it confused her greatly why Corn grew as tall as Tsuruga-senpai in this dream.
And that's a wrap... I hope I fulfill your expectation on rewriting this scene. I always feel Ren's reaction to his discovery of Kyouko-chan is a little lukewarm. As for why Kyouko's reaction in this story is much stronger... back in canon Lorry just remind her of Saena unintentionally. In here... she just broker her own heart to pieces before marching back to work, and one that rubbed salt to her bleeding heart. Not to mention Kyouko in this story is even more dependent on Corn, in a sense you can say she is frailer than canon Kyouko.
Please Review