Mogami Saena vs. Tsuruga Ren

Kyoko ran through the hallways towards the office. It had turned out worse than she had thought. Tsuruga-san hadn't been accused for anything. Instead he had been used as a reason to attack. She would never be able to get near her sempai again.

"Ah! Ms. Mogami!"

Surprised she stopped. That voice sounded just like... "Sky-kun..."

"What happened? Girl, you look like you were attacked."

The model's face was filled with genuine worry and concern.

"I... I was just... No! Sky-kun, why are you here again?"

"I'm here to get an apology out of the idiot from this morning. If you're not in the greatest hurry I suggest you come along. After all, he owes you an apology as well."

"No. I can do without."

"Stop that." Sky-kun's face darkened in anger. "You can't let people push you around like another ragdoll and then not be apologized to. Listen to me now. If you once let people step all over you they will never stop. In a worst case scenario you will be killed."

Chills went down her spine. It was what had almost happened just a moment ago.

"I see you know what I mean. Come on now. It won't take long."

The hands that grabbed hers were warm, firm and gentle. Nothing like the hands that had just been hitting her because she had been walking too close to Tsuruga-san. She felt herself start to tremble with held back tears.

Arms surrounded her and a warm body pressed against hers.

"You are safe with me, Kyoko. I won't let you get hurt."

It wasn't Tsuruga-san's arms, and certainly not his body. The feeling that filled her was different too. It was warm, safe and the scent of forest on Sky-kun brought up memories. For the first time she felt like a child slowly rocked in a mother's arms.

In another room Mogami Saena and Tsuruga Ren faced each other with equal hard stares. Yashiro had gone ahead to tell the director that something had come up. Something that couldn't wait and no, he couldn't say what it was.

Mogami Saena opened her mouth first.

"Explain yourself. You were obviously the cause of what happened."

The male's face stiffened. He couldn't deny it was his fault. Like he couldn't deny he had more or less watched it happen.

"Yes. Thank you for putting a stop to it."

She glared at him. That was it? No denial? No explanation? Just a thank you?

"Have this kind of thing happened before?"

He shook his head.

"Are you going out with my daughter?"

Now his face was suspicious, but he shook his head again.

"So why was she attacked?"

"Shouldn't you know that?" the star shot back. "You're the one spreading the rumour of Mogami-san being a whore in the first place."

She flinched, but didn't back down. "That might have been the case. So why, if you were aware of the gossip, was she with you?"

He stared at her. This man had the nerve to stare at her. Then he frowned.

"How long were you watching?"

"Don't you know how wanted you are?" she almost yelled. "I'm not stupid. Anyone can tell she was attacked for standing too close to you, Mr. Most Wanted. Jealousy is a curse that can kill! You saw that much, didn't you?"

He stared at her with something strange in his eyes, like the beginning of understanding.

"What are you after? You attack your own daughter by spreading those false rumours. Aren't you hurting her enough?"

"I want her out of this business if it is the last thing I do."

"Why?"

"That's none of your business."

They glared at each other again.

"And why are you so interested? Don't tell me you have a thing for Kioko."

His face cracked, then hardened. "What if I have?"

Mogami Saena straightened, prepared to give this man the blow up of a lifetime. But he wouldn't move. Being taller he had the advantage of staring her down. He refused to understand. This man had never thought about the consequences.

"Keep out of this. It has nothing to do with you. Just leave my daughter alone!"

"Mogami-san comes to me of her own authority, and I will not ask her to stop. As long as she needs my support she will have it."

She gawped at him, gobsmacked. Hadn't he learnt the lesson already? Hadn't he seen what had just happened only because Kioko was walking too close to him? What the heck would he do if it happened again? Why were his eyes so solemn?

"Fine!" she spat. "Do whatever you like. I'm sure you can make her happy just by existing."

It was impossible to read the expression on the star's face, but his body spoke instead.

"So she has rejected you? Or you haven't touched her yet? Good for you, because once that girl is out of this business you will never see her again."

"You can't say that."

"Try me. I will make sure she never touches upon fame again."

Mogami Saena glowered at him, feeling like a mountain in her determination to win. In front of her Tsuruga Ren slowly became someone else. A man with the raging eyes of an unsteady heart and the aura of a killer.

"Keep it right up," he said lowly. "Whether or not Mogami-san leaves is her choice. You can fight it as much as you wish. If you use all your might to hurt Mogami-san, I will be right there and fight you back. Be sure of that."

By the end of his words Saena stood frozen, hit by his words and by realization.

"You have no idea what you are talking about," she whispered. "Tsuruga Ren isn't even the real you and still you claim you will protect my daughter? She doesn't even know you're lying to her, does she?"

At that he refused to answer. But he wasn't speechless.

"I'm not going to let her go."

Saena's eyes widened.

Japan's top actor passed her and went out the door. Mogami Kyoko's mother stood petrified.

It was too late. From the very beginning it had already been too late. She hadn't been able to do anything back then. Hell if she would stand by and watch this time.

Kyoko stood stiff, not knowing what to think. She had never seen anything like this, not even in the most dramatic of dramas. The room was like a boiling pot filled with raw anxiety and awkwardness. In the middle of everything stood Sky-kun with her arms crossed and a dark skinned woman by her side. The Love-Me girl remembered the model had ranted about people treating her like a ticking bomb. Now she understood what that meant.

It was the first time Kyoko stood at the receiving end of an (reluctant) apology where the other part was lowering their head. Lory Takarada was humbly apologizing along with the photographer and both of them were still bowing deeply. The president had no problem apologizing to both the model and Love-Me member, but in the photographer's opinion all this was Love-Me's fault.

The silence seemed to stretch out forever.

"I have met my share of mighty men in my days," Sky-kun broke the silence, "and I am positively surprised."

Sky-kun was smiling slightly when the president looked up. He too smiled as he straightened his back along with the photographer.

"But, I never want to see that man again." Sky-kun nodded towards the photographer who immediately bowed down again.

"I am honestly very sorry and I have..."

"Stop."

The man held his breath.

"You might as well apologize to the stars. But understand that I am not as mad at you for throwing me out as I am about your throwing film."

The photographer was cold sweating.

The other woman said something with an amazed voice, but Kyoko couldn't understand the words. Sky-kun answered with a nod.

"I'm... sorry."

"Save me your nonsense. Tell me why you think I am mad about the film instead."

The poor man was trembling and swallowed. He couldn't seek support from the president either.

"I think... I... the film... I don't... know."

Again the room fell into silence. It was like Sky-kun was using the silence to put more pressure on the one apologizing, or more weight to her words. As an actress Kyoko had seen it, tried it too, but she had never thought it could actually be used in real life. Sky-kun was a pro too.

"I see. Well, I won't tell you either. So until you figure out why the film made me angry, get out of my sight."

But he didn't move. He stood there, bowed down and searched for words.

"You better do as Yuni says," the other woman suddenly stated, in Japanese. "For your own good. From my point of view you got away easily."

The president made a notion to his assistant and the photographer was showed the way out.

"Ms. Sky. What are you going to do now?"

"I will stay with the band. After all, the modelling is only a part-time job."

"If you forgive me for asking directly; are you willing to do the ad? With another photographer of course."

"If you chose one with care I will have no complains. But the band comes first. I'm not the only model here. It will be easy to find a substitute." She smiled understanding. "In this case there may be no winners."

Kyoko couldn't help but smile. It was amazing to witness the president act like he handled a live poisonous snake, and Sky-kun was well aware of it. She handled the situation like the professional she was.

Sebastian came back and whispered something to the president who nodded.

"There is one more who is in need of apologizing to you."

Sky-kun blinked. "Is that so? I don't remember being insulted more than once in this agency.

"She is not from my agency."

Kyoko felt how her blood went cold and her stomach turn in sickness. Mogami Saena entered the room in the heels of the president's assistant.

The woman went straight up to the model and bowed slightly. "My apologies for not being at the shot this morning." She straightened. "I am Polnoch Sana, designer. I admit some blame should be put on me."

Sky-kun nodded, her eyes awake and listening. Kyoko realized her mother spoke good English.

"I believed the measures I had gotten were incorrect, so I added to the tension Ishida-sensei already felt."

The model sighed. "I wish I could say that was a first. Being the only grown model this height is troublesome." Then her face changed, becoming curious. "Is it rude of me to ask if that is your real name?"

"Of course not. It's my pseudonym. Why?"

"Nothing," Sky-kun said, then she smiled. "I have heard you design for superstars. I hope we can work together some time during my stay in Japan."

She held out her hand. Kyoko watched nervously. This was the first time she saw her mother at work. There was a lot of pride in her voice as she spoke.

"I hope so too, Ms. Sky."

The other woman checked the clock and then said something to Sky-kun. Kyoko saw her mother's face stiffen before a mask was put up.

"You're from Russia?"

"I live there now, but I'm born in Scotland. Why?"

"No. I just recognized the language."

There was suddenly something different with Sky-kun's face. It wasn't the open and genuine face anymore. To Kyoko it seemed like the model had closed the book and her face was now showing the cover; a face where you couldn't tell what was written on the inside.

"I see. But right now you must excuse me. We have a meeting with the band and the director of our newest PV."

The foreign women were shown towards the door, but then Sky-kun remembered something.

"Oh, right. Mr. President?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure to thank Ms. Mogami properly. I would never have come to hear you out if I had never met her."

Then she was out the door.

Lory Takarada turned to the younger of the two Mogami in the room. Not without noticing the stiffness of the mother.

"Thank you, Mogami-kun. It seems like your presence have saved me from a serious scandal."

"Ah. That's okay."

"Are you involved with that Russian band?"

"Huh?"

Mogami Saena glared at her.

"The only Russians that have arrived to Japan are The dead Saints. Are you involved with them?"

Her mother was angry. She would be slapped again.

"Mogami-dono..."

"Shut up!"

Kyoko cringed. "N-no. I have only met them shortly. I'm not involved with them."

For a long moment the elder Mogami only stood there, shoulders trembling. Then she turned on her heels and headed straight out.

She sat with her guns by the new table. Today had been a good day. Two jobs done for a sum of almost a million yen. It was time to move soon though. Too many people had figured out where she was hiding. There was only one person she waited for. One she knew would come see her today.

Nothing in Tokyo moved without her knowing about it, and the past few weeks had been interesting. Though things happened all the time there were one handful of events that peaked up. Events that would soon involve her.

The sound of high heels clicking against pavement reached her long before the person wearing them. She kept cleaning her guns. The steps were fast and angry. She already knew who was wearing those annoying shoes. Last time she had heard them they had been slow and hesitating.

There was no hesitation there now. She smiled to herself.

The owner of the shoes entered her cell.

"Well, well, what a difference." She turned around. Her client's face was striped from ruined make-up and still wet with tears. But the glow in the eyes was lovely.

"That is the face of someone who is certain."