Patience Is Its Own Reward
Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.
Kyoko is still attending school and is trying to make the most of it before it graduation, with Ren and Sho chasing her every step of the way.
Chapter 11 – The New Adventure
It was the end of June, Summer Break, and Kyoko was tired.
The three girls, Nikino, Michiko, and Nanami, tried to hide their bewilderment as they stood before the tall, mustachioed man. How often does a young lady get to stand in a penthouse office and speak with a man dressed as Czar Nicholas II, in full regalia? Thankfully, Kyoko was doing most of the talking.
"I don't understand, Takarada-san. Is this a movie or a concert tour?" Kyoko had been pleased by the idea at first. But recently her eyes had been opened and she could recognize an ulterior motive in this deal.
Lory stood straight and tall, brushing an imaginary piece of lint off of one golden shoulderboard. "Think of it as both, Mogami-san. You will perform in the United States at venues that have already been arranged. During this tour you will also be filming a movie entitled Chasing the Wave, that will include scenes from these concerts."
"But we've only been performing together for three months. Yes, we've been well received in Japan; but that's mostly due to the fact that they already had a successful group with Sani as the lead singer. Besides, Japanese groups seldom attract an audience in the U.S." That was only partially true. Their previous success had opened doors, but it was the new group that was attracting serious attention throughout Japan. Kyoko was almost as busy as Ren now, between "Cain Heel," "Box R," and the finale of "Dark Moon," she barely had time for schoolwork. Add to that the concert schedule that seemed to have new bookings every time Kyoko turned around, and it meant that Kyoko seldom had a free moment.
Lory sighed and turned to the three young ladies who had been watching this interchange silently, "Ladies, could you excuse us for a little bit? I need to speak with Mogami-san in private." The ladies nodded and left the room. After the door closed behind them, he turned to speak, but Kyoko beat him to the punch.
"We're not dating, Kaicho! I barely even see him on the set anymore! He's Tsuruga Ren, not some letch that you have to keep away from me. He has never been anything but a gentleman." Since the night of the talent show Kyoko and Ren had both been kept so busy that they hardly ever had a chance to exchange words, much less explore their feelings for each other.
"I know that, Kyoko. Ren is almost like a son to me. You're not stupid. You know perfectly well why you have both been so busy. Look, I won't ask you about your personal feelings, but let me ask you this: Do you care about your sempai's career?"
"Hai, of course," she replied immediately.
Lory held her eyes,"How do you think that his career would fare if the world believed that he was dating an under-aged girl?"
Kyoko looked sad, "It could destroy his career."
"And if… and I'm only saying if… but if you two did decide to form a bond, how do you think that people would view it if people thought that you started dating while you were still under-age?"
"There would always be a taint on the relationship."
"Then will you please trust me? Right now we are giving the press nothing to work with. If you are performing in the United States, then there will be no cause for rumors at all." Lory didn't look like the president at that moment. He didn't look like the Czar either. He looked like a concerned father.
"I'll go, Takarada-san, but I still question how well we'll be received."
"Trust me on this, Kyoko, you'll be well taken care of." Kyoko bowed and prepared to leave, but Lory had one more thing to say, "You will be eighteen in December, Kyoko-chan. After that day you will have my blessings and approval for whatever you decide to do."
* * *
Kyoko looked out of the little window onto Orange County, California, and one of the busiest shipping ports in the world. She was astounded at the number of huge ships moving slowly in and out of port. Nanami was sitting next to her, frantically studying her English textbook, "Ohhh, I wish that I had paid more attention in class! You and Michiko speak English like natives. Nikino isn't bad at it. But I'm just lost trying to understand this."
Kyoko smiled at the cute drummer. It was odd, but the three girls seemed to look at Kyoko as an older sister even though they were the same age. She had been tutoring all of them in English for the last two weeks while she finished up her previous commitments and they learned new music. "Don't worry, Nami-san, we're going to the Hizuri's first, and they both speak Japanese. We'll ease you into this."
"Don't worry! How can you speak so casually about two of the most famous people around? Hizuri Kuu was famous even before he left Japan. Now he's one of the top action film stars in Hollywood! And Julie Hizuri is supposed to be one of the most beautiful people in the world! She's a model, an actress, and a fashion designer. How am I supposed to relax around them!?!"
Kyoko smiled happily, "It will be amazing if you don't relax around them, Nami-san. You'll understand after you meet them."
It didn't help that they were met at the airport by a chauffeur driving a Rolls Royce. Kyoko was surprised herself at how relaxed she felt. All she wanted right at that moment was to see the two people who seemed to accept her without condition. Despite her relaxed state, she gasped along with the other three as they drove past a wrought-iron gate and followed a curving road up to a magnificent antebellum mansion. Two people were standing on the marble steps waiting for the car to stop. The door was barely open when Kuu was bellowing, "Kuon, get out of that car and come give me a hug."
Kyoko didn't need to be asked twice. With all of the emotional overload of these last three months she needed the unconditional love that this couple always offered her so freely. She flew from the car, calling out "Otou-san" and flying into his arms.
"And what am I, chopped liver?" A female voice asked with mock-indignation.
Kyoko quickly extracted herself and turned to hug Julie, "Okaa-san. I missed you."
The three young ladies looked on in astonishment, but Kyoko had not forgotten them. "Otou-san, Okaa-san, please allow me to introduce Nikino Somora, Michiko Tokoji, and Nanami Mitora. They are my friends and we are in a band together."
"Pardon our manners. I am Kuu Hizuri, and this beautiful lady is my wife, Julie." Kuu could be the perfect gentleman when he wanted to be.
Julie held on to Kyoko's hand as she bowed slightly to the girls, "Welcome to our home. We have heard so many good things from Kyoko about you that we could hardly wait to meet you."
Just as Kyoko had predicted, within ten minutes the three girls felt like they had known this wonderful couple all of their lives.
* * *
"So," Kuu prompted as he watched Kyoko expertly debone the tuna, "have you read through the script yet?"
Kyoko flipped the tuna flank and began slicing off thin strips with practiced ease, "Yes. I used it to work on Nikino and Nanami's English. I play a young singer whose mother has passed away and whose father doesn't even know that she exists. He took a producer's job in the U.S., but his girlfriend refused to get married and go with him. She never told him she was pregnant. I find pictures and letters among my mother's things and decide that I want to meet him. So I drag my entire band to the U.S. with me and we take jobs in out-of-the-way places while I look for him. We start attracting notice, and my father actually approaches me as a prospective agent. Of course, he's changed his name so that I don't know that he's the one I'm looking for.
"The problem is that he's down and out, unhappy, and a drunk. He's abrasive and irritating and we can't seem to get along at all. Finally he is feeling maudlin one night after a very rough day and he confides in me that he lost his love because she refused to move to the states with him. I realized who he is and do my best to get his life back on track. After a lot of problems, he cleans up his act and I tell him the truth."
As Kyoko was mixing her ingredients she saw Kuu's hand reach out and she slapped it. "It's my wasabi cream recipe, Otou-san. If you want to add more wasabi after I serve everyone else, that's fine. But stop trying to spike my dinner."
Kuu rubbed his hand dramatically. Then he said, "Sashimi should be served spicy, Kuon. It isn't for wimps."
She laughed, "You just want to scare everyone else off and get more for yourself, Otou-san. I just thin-sliced forty pounds of tuna, isn't that enough even for you?"
Kuu pouted, but brightened up again right away. "And did the Boss tell you who else would be cast in this film?"
"I've read some of the name's, but I still don't know who will be playing my father." Kuu watched in fascination as she dipped each wide strip in the sesame-ginger-wine sauce and rapidly seared each side. Within five minutes she had whipped out six enticing plates of Darumaya-style sashimi (plus a huge platter of seconds for Kuu).
As she started to arrange the plates on the rolling cart she asked, "Have you heard who's been chosen for that part, Otou-san?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact."
"Who is it"
"Me"
Dinner was almost lost that night as Kyoko leaped up and down in her excitement. Right up with her dream of co-starring as an equal with Tsuruga Ren was her dream of acting with the man she called "Otou-san."
* * *
"Ren, stop glaring at me and sit down," Ren sat, but he didn't completely stop glaring.
Takarada Lory had been relaxing in his silk bathrobe, watching his second-favorite romantic drama when Ren burst into the room without knocking. "I'm assuming that you read the press-clippings? Would you deny your father the chance to play opposite Kyoko?"
"That's not it, and you know it. Whose idea was it to cast Scott Forester as the love interest?"
"Oh! Do you know him? I thought he would be perfect for the part. He's boyishly handsome, muscular, musical, and he speaks Japanese."
"I know he speaks Japanese! I taught him! We've been friends since Kindergarten! It's because I know him so well that I don't want him within a mile of Kyoko! I'm going to California." Ren was gripping the arm of the chair so hard that his fingers were white.
"You can't go." Lory's normally soothing manner was gone. Now his voice carried an "I will be obeyed" tone. "We've gone over this already, Ren. The publicity department, Yashiro and I have worked very hard to diffuse the rumors. If you fly to the U.S. now you will destroy all of our hard work. Do you really want to sully Kyoko's reputation like that? She's new enough in the business that it could destroy her career. If you love her, you will wait. Come on, Ren, she's the charter member of the LoveMe section; she won't throw herself into the arms of the first handsome American she meets."
"You once told me that a man in love loses his composure and disregards how others think about him," Ren grumbled.
"That's true, Ren. You've certainly lost your composure. But we're not talking about your reputation, are we?"
* * *
Scott Forester chuckled as he read the threatening telegram a second time. I wondered if the rumors were true. The great and mighty Kuon has fallen!
Don't worry, old friend, I won't try to step in on your territory. She is damn cute, though. He looked over at the stage where the four young Japanese ladies were tuning up for their first concert. But the other three little beauties are fair game.
* * *
Fuwa Sho paced the sculpted gardens of his parent's luxury inn with an angry, set look on his face. His mother has kicked him outside because he was frightening the guests with his violent pacing. So now he was pacing in the gardens, fumbling with his cell phone, completely oblivious to his beautiful surroundings.
He was disappointed that Kyoko hadn't responded to his request and come to Kyoto with him. He had been pleased that Kyoko was half a globe away from that Tsuruga Ren. But then he had seen the movie interview with his parents. Three handsome young American actors were sitting at the table with the four Japanese girls and Hizuri Kuu.
During the interview, Kyoko looked more adorable than ever. Sho's mother hadn't been able to resist swatting his head and calling him "baka!" His father had scowled at him for the rest of the night. And Sho had agreed with both of them.
But what really bothered him was the casual, relaxed way that the American guys were flirting with the four girls. Kyoko seemed so relaxed during the interview, so comfortable with the handsome American men. And it was driving Sho crazy.
The cell phone rang and he almost dropped it in his frantic efforts to find the button and accept the call. "Yes, Shouko? ... Have you made the arrangements … I don't care what the head of the music branch thinks! Just get … Okay, okay, fine; I'm sorry. It's just that this is important … Just get their itinerary and match mine to it … No I don't want her to know! ... It's supposed to be a surprise, Shouko … Of course she'll be happy to see me! ... Just get it arranged, Shouko. Please … Thank you."
He closed the phone and smiled for the first time in many weeks. He was going to America.
Notes: Just a personal note to Blackdraumdancer: I can't reply to your emails because you have personal messages blocked.
And thank you to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and marking my story as a favorite. It is always encouraging to know that somebody is reading. (Now I just need to take a break and read everyone else's stories).