Disclaimer: Nothing of Skip Beat belongs to me, only the original parts of the plot for this fanfiction.

Warnings: Implied m/m, but nothing bad. I hope. ;-)

Note: Thanks again for all your kind reviews. It's lovely to read what you think and expect, and how good you are at guessing ;-)

The Harem Flower

Part X

August 2010

"Oh come, Kyoko-chan, don't be sad," said Alimah coaxingly. "He's only away for two months. It's not a long time, yes? Before you know it - Pouf! - he'll be back again."

Kyoko sighed. It was easy for Alimah to say, and truly, she didn't want to pout anymore, but the empty feeling had not vanished yet. Surely she was allowed to be sad for a bit longer? Ren was her favourite sempai, after all.

That day, after coming back into Ren's apartment and finishing the food from breakfast, Kyoko had brought a plant to take care of. It was a little almond tree that now resided in an unoccupied, sunny niche in Ren's living room. It had taken almost all of Kyoko's remaining money for that month but at least she felt good about having the key to Ren's apartment. The little tree needed constant attention and she had listened very carefully when the florist had explained how to take care of it.

"Now concentrate on dancing. Your hips say they want to dance, so listen," Alimah admonished gently. "Swing and step, swing and step. Come on!"

Smiling slightly, Kyoko shook her thoughts away and followed Alimah's voice. Being sad was one thing, dancing was quite another. After almost four weeks of constant training Kyoko had discovered that she truly liked oriental dancing, or, as it was more commonly called, belly dance. Alimah was a great teacher and always managed to spur her on, even when she was tired or distracted. Besides, her training showed first results. She already had become more flexible and had better reflexes, not to mention lost weight while still eating properly. It was a girl's dream come true!

"Yes, very good, Kyoko-chan." Alimah smiled when Kyoko completed a series of steps flawlessly. She always mixed movements with steps to make it easier and more fun for Kyoko. "You're understanding isolated movements now, yes?"

"It's difficult, but I think I'll get the hang of it soon," Kyoko replied confidently. "The hips are easier now."

Alimah promptly asked her to move again and watched carefully. Her shyness long since gone, Kyoko did as asked. It felt so good. So natural somehow. As if she was growing into the dance, just like the dance had grown on her. From the beginning Alimah had made it a point to involve her whole body in the training. Kyoko learned all stances, all hand and arm figures as well as the most important isolated movements.

Many people thought that the oriental dance was all about hip shaking and shimmying to entice men, but in truth women had danced it through the ages to emphazise their womanhood, their fertility and their connection with nature. Men, Alimah had explained, only played a small part in a woman's dance. She might entice him with it but it certainly was not the sole reason for a woman to enjoy dancing.

"Yes, the hips are better," Alimah agreed. She winked. "Tetsu's training made your waist so tiny, no? You're even smaller than before."

Blushing but smiling, Kyoko nodded. "I lost two centimeters. It's great. It's just a pity that I don't have fuller hips. When you dance it looks fantastic, Alimah-san."

"You'll grow into them, trust me." Alimah sashayed through the room in rhythm with the music and got them two hula hoop rings. "You're only seventeen. Wait until you're ten years older. You're all woman then, you see."

Giggling, Kyoko chose to believe her and took the offered hoop. She had gotten better with it as well, and every small success fired her up even more.

By now she admitted to herself that dancing had become much more fascinating than martial arts, even though Maeda-sensei knew how to make his lessons interesting. She liked fighting, too, it was just that she felt so comfortable with dancing that it took up precedence over everything else, even if it was the preparation for her next role.

"I don't know how the president does it but he always has the most embarrassing tasks for us to do," grumbled Chiori. Her dark scowl chased onlookers off rather effectively. "Just look at us, advertising our lovely section with these pink monstrosities!"

Kanae snorted. "Well, would you rather mop the floor on your hands and knees again?"

Listening to their hissed conversation, Kyoko had to suppress a shudder. It happened rarely - her wishing not to be involved in Takarada Lory's schemes - but it happened right now. For the last hour her two friends and fellow LoveMe apprentices had complained about their latest tasks, tasks she was happy not to have been saddled with.

"You have it good, Mogami," said Kanae darkly while shifting the large, bright pink 'WELCOME TO LME!' sign in her arms. "You got to train and prepare for your debut while we had to scrub toilets and offices and even wait tables at that last function!"

"Oooh, but that wasn't the worst of it," growled Chiori. "Did you know that he forced a job on us?"

"In a kiddie show no less?" Kanae's gloomy aura drove even more people off. "In a kiddie girl show? I tell you, it was nothing compared to last time!"

Wincing, Kyoko shook her head.

"Of course not. You would have liked it, since you're the oddball here. But for us," she indicated herself and Chiori, "for us it was torture!"

"Five hours in glaring, glittery pink!" Chiori cried. "Five hours making nice with snivelling, annoying brats who think they're princesses, and all this crap banned on film for the world to see!"

"If the president hadn't stood at the side to watch I'd have thrown the little menaces to Hokkaido," Kanae snarled. "Job and LoveMe points be damned!"

"Instead we were forced to wear those horrible fairy dresses, complete with wings, and smile like gormless idiot bimbos!" Chiori looked ready to bash the next staring person with her own sign ('WE LOVE TO HELP!'). "Do you know just how humiliating that was?"

"I-I'm sure the president meant well," Kyoko tried cautiously. She lifted her sign higher, half-heartedly advertising the LoveMe section with their logo.

"Are you stupid?" Kanae yelled. A woman who had walked up to them, presumably to enlist their help, veered right off and vanished into the next hallway like a skittish deer. "By stuffing us in these riddiculous outfits and forcing us to play with bratty children?"

"Well-"

"He did it on purpose," Chiori accused, her voice growing more menacing by the minute, "but I'll tell you what, Kyoko-san: we simply frightened the dumb kids afterwards."

Chuckling evilly, Kanae nodded. "Yeah. I've never seen a little bug run so quickly. And the way they screamed in terror when we told scary stories about their restroom, it was pure music to my ears."

Kyoko winced again and then jumped when a sharp "Ahem!" sounded from behind her and her colleagues.

Shivering, she turned around, already expecting to see a very displeased president and still cringing when her expectation became certainty.

"Kotonami-kun, Amamiya-kun, I'm very, very sad about your behaviour," Lory intoned gravely. His face was the epitome of sadness and disappointment and Kyoko immediately felt bad. "And you, Mogami-kun, how could you stand there and let them slander their holy mission?"

"What? But Takarada-san, I-"

"No, I don't want to hear it." With a grand, dramatic gesture, Lory fumbled with the sleeve of his sheik costume and pulled three envelopes out.

"Oh no," Kanae groaned. The envelopes looked exactly like the ones from the last time.

"Oh yes." Lory pasted the envelopes to Kanae's and Chiori's foreheads while handing Kyoko's over in a more gentle fashion. "You were put in the LoveMe section for a reason and I'll make damn sure that you come out of it as normal human beings!"

With that, he turned around with a grand air and left the main hall of LME with fluttering cape and a silent Sebastian in his wake.

"Come, let's see right away what virulence he has planned now," Kanae growled. She ripped her envelope open, read over the letter inside and then let out a mighty screech. "Noooooooo!"

At this, Chiori actually paled. "Well, I-I think I'll wait until later. We have a job to do first, right?"

Kyoko nodded empathically, carefully rubbing Kanae's back. Her best friend looked near catatonic, alarmingly so, but she didn't know what to do besides being there for her and asking about it later when they were alone.

"What does yours say?" Chiori asked a few hours later. The three girls sat in their locker room and shared the horrors of their missions.

So far, Kanae's seemed to be the worst in Kyoko's opinion since the poor girl had to help out at the LME kindergarten for a whole week. Chiori had to play another part in a kid's show but this job actually paid rather well.

"I-I have to do a music video," Kyoko said dully. "With Shotaro."

"What?" Kanae roared. "How dare he, that unfeeling, insensible president!"

Smiling weakly, Kyoko put a reassuring hand on Kanae's arm. "Thanks, Moko-san, but it's alright. I think I'll at least read the script before I make a scene."

"Knowing Fuwa, that disgusting little weasel, it will be a tooth-pulling, toe nail-curling romance," Kanae spat. "Can we change places, please? I really, really want to hit something and he's the perfect punching bag!"

"What, Fuwa asked you to do a new PV with him?" Chiori asked, stunned. "Why would it be such a problem? He's kind of cute, isn't he?"

"Absolutely not," said Kanae. After a short look at Kyoko, who nodded tiredly, she told Chiori about Sho's behaviour. She concluded her narration of the events: "And that's why Kyoko shouldn't be forced within a hundred feet of that slimy bastard."

"I see. Well, I'd be happy to trade as well, if you'd like."

Kyoko shuddered at the venomous expression on Chiori's face. Such a scary, sick smile would make even Mio uneasy, and that was saying something. Still, it felt very nice to have friends who understood her for once but she still wondered whether she should feel sorry for Sho.

"No, you shouldn't," said Kanae, guessing correctly what was on Kyoko's mind. "The little prick deserves everything that comes his way, you get it?"

After feeling so emotionally drained for the last few days, Kyoko had to suppress the sudden tears that came to her eyes. She was so happy right now that she could cry but, knowing that Kanae would scold her for it, she fought the urge bravely.

"Mo, get a grip," the beautiful girl grumbled, sounding embarrassed.

Chiori was not as shy about giving comfort and actually put an arm around Kyoko's shoulder. "Yes, he's not worth it. If anything he should be the one to cry over you."

"If you do take this job tell us everything. And if I have time I'll come with you." Kanae's harsh tone did not hide her concern. "We can't have him paw you again, now can we?"

"Thank you, Moko-saaan!" Kyoko sobbed. She threw herself at Kanae and hugged her gratefully.

"Mo, you're so clingy," Kanae groused, but for once she allowed the embrace and awkwardly hugged back. "Promise to tell me when you go to the meeting, understood?"

"Yes, Moko-san," said Kyoko quietly. She let go of her friend and made to freshen up her face.

"Hm, as I see it, you got the short end of the deal," Chiori said, eyeing Kyoko intently. "Fuwa will get your best if you do the job, and in return all he'll do is harass you."

"Well, they would have to pay me for the work," said Kyoko, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah, but that doesn't cover Fuwa insulting you." Kanae flipped a strand of her hair back and scowled. "I swear, if he dares to lay one finger on you, I'll make him pay."

Chiori actually smiled at this. "How cool. Can I help?"

Sniffing, Kyoko dried the last of her tears and smiled at her scary best friends. Life was getting better for her, even if it was still complicated.

End of Part X