Wow. Thanks for all the support I've been getting! It means a lot to me!
Random notice: I'm thinking this is at about a midway point for the story.
I hope you like this chapter!
"Wow... Who would've guessed your life would be so... troubled," Kanae said in response to Kyoko's lengthy rant in the privacy of a karaoke box about her childhood and abandonment. "I thought you were a die-hard Fuwa fan, not that you were out for revenge on him!"
"NO! HOW COULD YOU EVER THINK I LIKE HIM?!" Kyoko yelled, hoping that the karaoke box would muffle the inhuman noise.
"Relax. It just seemed you had a big reaction whenever he was involved." Kyoko stopped squirming and tried to regain sanity. "So why didn't you sell the story to the media?"
"And cause a scandal? I'm not low like that. I'd rather get at him through my own abilities. Plus, that kind of scandal wouldn't last very long anyway... especially compared to something like that..." she trailed off.
"Huh? What are you mumbling about?"
"There's more to the story that might make it last longer if I chose to release it, I suppose..."
"What else did he do to you?" Moko asked in concern.
"I'm not going to use it against him, so it doesn't matter anyway," Kyoko said, trying to brush it off.
"I don't care about scandals. I care about you as a friend and your well-being. What. Did. He. Do. To. You?" she angrily stammered.
"Moko-san... I'm fine really."
"No more excuses. I'm your friend, right? You can trust me."
Kyoko inhaled deeply, and tried to muster all the courage she had. Better to tell her now than before it's too late. "Moko... I'm pregnant."
Kanae's jaw dropped to the floor. It took her several moments to digest the words before she screamed, "I'LL KILL HIM, THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING BASTARD!"
"Moko-san, calm down! It's my fault too!"
"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! HOW CAN YOU JUST FORGIVE HIM LIKE THAT?! ABANDONING YOU WAS ONE THING, BUT THIS?! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR HURTING MY FRIEND LIKE THAT!" Moko shouted nearly loudly enough for people outside to hear.
"Shhh! If someone hears, it might get around. "
Moko turned the volume down a few notches and regained composure. "You sure that you don't want to spread this around to the press? You could kill his reputation with this!"
"No! Please don't let anyone know!"
"You mean you haven't told anyone yet?!" she exclaimed.
"No... A few people have figured it out, but you are the first person I've actually told of my own free will."
Moko felt extremely touched that she had a friend who could trust her that much. "So what do you plan to do about the baby?"
"Well... I'm going to keep it, but I don't know how long I could keep the fact that I have a child hidden," she confessed. "I might have to lay low for a while to keep the whole thing quiet. I'll probably have to take some time off to get everything worked out. Worst case scenario, I'd have to quit show business altogether to keep it from getting out... "
"Mo! I'd sooner pretend that you and I were married and that we adopted than let you leave behind something you love this much!" she joked, trying to make the situation less heavy.
Kyoko couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks for the offer, Moko-san, but that probably won't happen. I'd find a way to act, even if I had to start over my career as a different person. My stomach's going to get bigger pretty soon, so that excuse wouldn't really work anyway... That's one reason why I'm debating turning down a drama offer..."
"You got a drama offer?!" she exclaimed joyfully.
"Ya... I just don't know if I'll be able to do it... I'm already a few weeks past three months... In the time it'll take to film it, I'll probably be nearing seven months at a minimum... It'll be nearly impossible to hide from the cast and crew."
"If you really want to do this, why not just reveal it to them?"
"They wouldn't drop me from the drama?" she questioned.
Kanae shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the schedule and director's willingness to work around you along with the weight of your role."
Kyoko thought for a moment before going pale. "Tsuruga-san is part of the cast. And he's already mad at me anyway for Shou's PV even though I said it wasn't for revenge! If he found out about this... AHH! Just thinking about it scares me!"
"Hmm... If it wasn't revenge... could it be... jealousy?"
"No! He's hated me from the first time we met!"
"Oh... Then maybe he saw through your lie? Maybe he was angry that you tried to trick him?"
"I never thought of that... I guess that's a pretty good explanation actually..."
"Of course it is! Now are you going to do the drama or not?"
"I-I... I really want to," Kyoko admitted. "I think I'm going to try, but I'm also going to try and hide it from everyone, except the director- I could see if it would be possible to get my scenes out of the way quickly."
Moko sighed. "I don't think it will be quite that easy. Who knows, though? You might have an understanding director. Good luck." She smiled encouragingly before she had to take off. The two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
A few days later
Kyoko excitedly skipped down the hallway to her first meeting for Tsukigomori, an original Tsukigomori script in hand. A young lady! I get to play the role of a young lady! She hummed happily, without a care in the world. That is, I will be if they don't drop me... She wallowed in self-pity until she heard faint sobbing. Expecting a young woman, she turned the corner and was surprised at the delicate man before her. She contemplated going out to comfort him, but Yashiro appeared out of nowhere.
"Don't worry, Ogata-san, President Takarada just wanted a word with Ren. He should still be able to be in this."
"It's just... If Tsuruga-san can't be part of this, I'm afraid I won't be able to make a Tsukigomori to surpass the one from twenty years ago!"
"That isn't any concern, Takarada-san just needed to talk to him quickly. I'm sure it's nothing."
Kyoko tiptoed into the room and silently walked up to the pair. "Um, excuse me, mind if I join in?"
"Kyoko-san? What are you doing here?" Yashiro asked.
"Kyoko-san? It's nice to meet you! I'm the director, Hiroaki Ogata!"
"You too! I look forward to working with you!"
"You're in this too?!" Yashiro exclaimed. "Ren will be glad to hear that!"
"Ahh, you and Ren know each other?" Ogata wondered aloud.
"Yes, he's my senior at LME." Though he's pretty mad at me at the moment. Kyoko suddenly became visibly anxious, shaking and sweating slightly. The familiar feeling of nervousness rushed over her, reminding her of the conversation she had planned out in her head on the way here. "Ummm... D-Director Ogata-san... Could I please have a word with you? In private..."
Yashiro and Ogata looked at her confusedly. "Please don't say you can't do it! I need a Mio who is better than the one from twenty years ago!" Ogata worriedly shouted.
"That wasn't my intention," she said, shaking her head. "I just need to clarify some things."
Ogata suddenly looked relieved. "As long as you aren't canceling on me, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions." Kyoko smiled, thankful she had gotten such a fragile and kind director. She hoped his reaction would be gentle and that he wouldn't kick her out. He showed her to an empty office, leaving Yashiro alone in the room. "So what did you need to ask or tell me?"
"I'm not sure I will be able to perform in Tsukigomori...," she began.
Director Ogata frowned and trembled. "I knew it! Why is everything backfiring on me?!" he sobbed.
"No! I might be able to! My schedule is pretty strange at the moment, though, so I think I'd only have the next two and a half months maximum to film," Kyoko elaborated.
"It's very hard to make filming fit the schedule of every single actor, so maybe your other job would understand?"
"I don't have another job that interferes...," she said with a melancholy tone.
"But then, why? Please... I need you for this drama to be a success!" he begged.
She bit her lip. If I am serious about this job, I have to tell him this. It would be detrimental to the whole drama if he had to replace me halfway through... She had already resolved to tell him. It was time. She opened her mouth, slowly rolling the words off her tounge: "I'm... pregnant. I understand if you want to fire me." She clenched her eyes shut an prepared for the worst. Ogata was panicking. He had never encountered a situation like this. He swayed and fell into the nearest chair. Kyoko opened her eyes and realized that he looked like he was going to cry again. She nervously tried to continue, "My doctor said that first pregnancies don't tend to show for a while longer, so I should be able to hold out until it's too visible." The tense silence between the two continued. Ogata's trembling intensified. It was worth a shot..., she thought. "I'm sorry... I'll excuse myself..." She opened the door to leave.
"No! Wait!" he called, getting up. "I-I... I'll make it work, just please don't leave this production! Only you could surpass the Mio from the last Tsukigomori!"
Kyoko looked back, eyes full of gratitude. "Really?"
"Yes! When I saw you in Shou's PV, I knew. You possess an unparalleled dark aura and malicious intent! It has to be you!"
"What...? Dark aura? Malicious intent? That's what you liked about me?! I thought I was playing a young lady!"
"You are! Mio is a girl who holds an inferiority complex towards her sister. She watches from her seclusion and becomes more twisted as a result. One day, an accident causes a severe injury to her face, and since that day, she hasn't smiled again. Her even more introverted personality is at full force, directed at her sister's happiness. Her hatred will be used against her sister, Mizuki, who is full of dreams and joy, desperately awaiting the return of her beloved. So, truly, she is just a troubled a young lady!" Ogata explained.
Kyoko's face fell. Her mood changed from hopeful anticipation to crushed. "I don't want this role!" she cried as she fled from the room in the direction of the larger room from earlier.
"Wait! Kyoko!" Ogata shouted as he tried to follow her. Just as he neared the door, however, he was nearly knocked off his feet by Kyoko running in the opposite direction.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed as she flew back into the office, slammed the door, and hid behind the desk.
"K-Kyoko?! What's going on?" Ogata spun from the door to the direction of Kyoko. Immediately, the door began to open, so he turned around to face the person who had just entered. "Ahh! Ren!" Ogata turned around again and watched as the desk jolted.
"Ogata-san, would you mind telling me where I could find Kyoko?"
These later chapters just keep getting longer and longer compared to the older ones =_=
Sorry to those who don't like to read wordy stuff haha
Thanks for reading! Again, baby name suggestions would be nice! Thanks to the two people who have so far!