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: Sorry for letting you wait for so long, I just have so many projects going right now that one of them is always being pushed back. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and don't be too mad ^_^;


The Harem Flower

Part XII

August 2010

"You know, Kyoko-san, I really should hang out more with you," Chiori stated after Kanae's recounting of their meeting with Sho. To be honest, Chiori had been downright gobsmacked after hearing the story about Sho's impudence and Harry-kun's bad behaviour, but now a strange smile played on her lips. "I'm a fan of the band, so I'd like to come and watch the shooting. Would that be alright?"

"Of course," Kyoko replied, beaming. "Who would've thought that it would all happen just like that? I feared that the president would get really angry but in the end he was happy for us."

The manager of the band, it was a new one and its name was Demonic Light, had contacted LME on the same morning, just as the girls had left the president's office. In the evening, Kyoko and Kanae would sign the contract. Even though it was only three o'clock in the afternoon they were feeling giddy and excited. The impromptu job had another advantage besides helping Kyoko out of a tight spot: the date for the shoot of the PV was set in Kanae's week of babysitting, which pleased her immensely.

"One day less with the little buggers," she gloated. "It's like a small holiday."

"I bet," Chiori replied, laughing. "So now spill: is Harry-kun really as bad-tempered as the press makes him out to be?"

"You bet. That ape knows no manners whatsoever," Kanae growled, getting irritated by just thinking about their encounter. "Kyoko handled him well, though. Just said a few choice words and they cowered like little rats before her."

Chiori, who was always seen scribbling into her notebook, hurriedly wrote something down. "Really? How did you do that?"

Kyoko blushed and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess Mio got hold of them. It wasn't a big deal, anyway. There were really polite after a minute or so."

Snorting with laughter, Chiori finished her scribbling and closed her notebook. "I bet they were."

"So you're coming with us," said Kanae, visibly calming down. "What will you do once you've met them? Tame ickle Harry-kun and marry him?"

"Of course not," Chiori replied, smirking. She closed her notebook with a sound snap and stuffed it into her bag. "But now that you mention it …"

Kyoko pulled a face. "No offence, but he isn't the most pleasing man on the planet. I'm sure you could do better, Chiori-san."

"None taken." Chiori smiled pleasantly. "I just want to meet him in person, that's all."

"Of course," Kanae goaded, smirking.

While she and Chiori bantered back and forth, Kyoko received a message on her mobile phone. She unlocked it and opened the text. The first thing she saw was a picture of a grand street that was completely empty save a few cars and filming equipment. In the background she could make out a strange building with even more strange, onion-shaped tower roofs that were shining colourfully in the sun.

Just arrived on set for the 1st time. It's gigantic, the whole street is cleared for our shoot. In the back you can see Kreml palace. It's grand, isn't it? I have to go now, so have a nice day, Kyoko-chan.

"What is it?" Chiori asked curiously when Kyoko held the phone to her face and kept staring at the little picture and the words below. "Did someone send you a poem or something?"

"Oh, it's nothing!" Kyoko replied, jerking out of her pensiveness. She hastily closed the phone and then stuffed it back into her pocket, avoiding Chiori's inquisitive eyes.

"Nothing, bah!" Kanae exclaimed. "I bet it's from that man. He's been texting her every day since leaving Japan." Huffing angrily, she flipped her hair back. "Damn persistent, that's what he is!"

"Moko-san!" Kyoko cried out in horror. "You promised not to tell anyone!"

"Who's texting her?" Chiori asked, curiosity visibly firing her up. She was almost in Kanae's face, so eager was she for juicy details. "Tell me everything!"

"You can't! You promised!" Kyoko protested.

"Calm down, it's not as if people are blind, you know," Kanae said, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Why the tabloids haven't caught on yet I'll never know."

"Come now, Moko-san, don't keep me on tenterhooks," Chiori goaded just as Kyoko cried: "If you do that I'll disown you!"

"You have three guesses and the first two don't count," was Kanae's laconic reply. She stood and stretched.

Chiori choked when she realized who Kanae meant. "No! Really? That man?"

"You're sooo mean, Moko-san!" Kyoko wailed. "I won't talk to you for a week!"

Kanae ignored her. "Really. Or do you think that he comes here so often for our refreshing company?"

Chiori broke out into a fit of giggles. "Oh, this is the stuff of legends! Kyoko-san, you're really something! First Fuwa and now that man!"

But Kyoko was not listening. Insulted, she grabbed her bag and left the LoveMe locker room without looking back.

"Oh come on, I was only teasing you," Kanae called after her.

Her carefully veiled concern fell on deaf ears, however. Cursing, the long-haired beauty took her own things and ran after her, leaving a bewildered Chiori behind.


The signing of the contract was over before it had really begun. The president, who had wanted to oversee the signing himself, was in a good mood and allowed them to go home early. He did not notice the strange atmosphere between Kyoko and Kanae, or at least he pretended that he did not. With President Takarada one could never be too sure.

Despite the excitement Kyoko had felt all day, she was sad and annoyed. She was angry at Kanae for giving something away that had been told in confidence. It was not that she did not like Chiori or did not trust her to keep it to herself, but she had wanted to be the one to take the first step; they had not known each other for long, after all. Therefore it seemed justifiable to her to make true of her threat and ignore her best friend for a while.

"Mo, you're impossible!" Kanae groused when they had left the president's office. "Do you want Takarada-san to feed me to the wolves?" When no answer came forth, she actually stomped her foot and scowled. "Fine, I'm sorry for telling Chiori your little secret, but you have to admit that it wasn't hard for her to guess right."

Kyoko kept her silence and stoically strode towards the employee entrance hall. It pleased her that Kanae was so stubborn, and under different circumstances she might even have given in, but she had to get to the dojo for her training, so making up would have to wait until they found time to talk this over.

Therefore, out of necessity and hurt pride, Kyoko put herself first for once in her life. Before the other girl could try again she straddled her bike and sped off to the dojo. Leaving Kanae standing in front of LME without saying goodbye was rather satisfying and calmed her little disappointed grudges, even though she felt bad for having gotten into a fight with her in the first place. Still, she was done with letting people walk all over her and that included her best friend.

Scowling, Kyoko sped through Tokyo like a demon. She needed the exercise to work off her black mood because today was a special day, at least to her, and she wanted to enjoy it fully. Today Maeda-sensei wanted to start training kicks and jumps with her. Kyoko had been looking forward to it ever since he and Alimah had sat her down and they had seen one of the old martial arts movies where the actors did all of their stunts themselves. Maeda-sensei had promised that Kyoko would be able to jump just as high if she trained hard enough for it, and with that challenge out in the open she was fired up and ready to bring it on.

It seemed as if her determination was visible on her face because Maeda-sensei ushered her towards her locker as soon as she arrived. Together they warmed up, stretched and sparred lightly before he told her what stance she needed to assume.

"You need to let your legs move dynamically while controlling the movement. At first you'll hate me for making you do your exercises, but it'll get better with time. I've chosen certain Tai Chi exercises for you. You need to train all the little muscles in your legs that you usually don't use. So far you've only trained these and these." He showed her which muscles he meant. "Flexibility is more important than power, especially in the beginning. We'll start with Tai Chi and lots of stretching. Later we'll use the sandbag and sparring gloves to improve your strength."

Kyoko nodded, eyes gleaming in the lamplight. "I'll do my best, sensei."

Maeda-san smirked. "I know. Just remember to take it easy. Pulling a muscle won't do you any good."

In the following hour Kyoko was yet again grateful for her sensei's infinite patience. He went through the first two Tai Chi exercises with her until she could remember them and then helped her stretch out all the protesting muscles. Raising her legs high and at seemingly impossible angles had been more exhausting that expected, although she had expected a lot of aches.

"In a way Tai Chi is much worse than any other fighting style," he said while observing her leg stretches. "It's so exhausting because you have to move slowly and accurately." He clapped her on her back and raised an eyebrow when she did not sway as much as she had four weeks ago. "Now, don't let Alimah work you too hard, alright?"

Kyoko bowed to him and smiled her best smile. "I won't. Thank you so much, sensei!"

Laughing, Maeda-sensei sauntered out of the dojo. Alimah came in only seconds later, carrying her water bottle and two hoops. Since it was already getting cooler outside she was wearing long sweatpants and a tight long-sleeved shirt that left her midriff free. Kyoko could see the steely muscles work under that tan skin and wondered if she would ever be as fit as her two teachers.

"Come," the woman said gently. "You're tired, yes? Let's just dance, it's best for the body and mind." She started the music and then stretched efficiently.

Kyoko, who already had stretched more than she had ever believed she could, watched her. The training with Maeda-sensei had tired her body and lulled her mind. She felt tranquil, and not even her anger about Kanae could stir her.

"Let's start with the hula hoop," Alimah passed one of the hoops to Kyoko and stepped into her own. "Oh, and listen, it's starting to rain."

The soft pitter-patter of rain lulled Kyoko even more than her pleasantly tired muscles, but it was nice. She swung the hoop around her waist, again and again. The circles reminded her of the strange roofs Ren had photographed for her. She wondered how the weather was in Moscow. Was it still warm? Or already colder than in Japan? Would it snow when Ren was there? Would he have to wear a fur coat and matching hat? And Yashiro-san too?

Kyoko saw the picture in her mind and giggled. She did not notice that the hoop twirled around her in effortless circles. Alimah had a broad smile on her face but did not point it out. After a while she simply put the hoops away, chose a new song and then she and Kyoko danced the dance they had been practicing these last weeks. The steps had come easily to Kyoko, it were the isolated movements, the shaking and shimmying, that she had problems with.

That evening, however, it did not matter. Kyoko was too relaxed and felt too good in her own skin to worry about such trivial things like exact moves or the ability to bend in every which direction. She simply followed Alimah's lead and enjoyed her very first complete dance.

"Very good, Kyoko-chan," Alimah beamed when they were done. "It's nice to see you enjoy the dance. You look like a Japanese doll, but you dance like a girl from my home country. It's very nice." She moved her hips while pulling at her eyelids to give herself an Asian look.

Despite her embarrassment, Kyoko had to laugh. Alimah winked, and they dissolved into fits of giggles. For such a mature woman Alimah could be very funny, and not for the first time Kyoko realized that she related better to older people than to people of her own age. It was no wonder, she thought, because the pupils in her school had always hated her for being so close to Sho. Only older people had ever been nice to her.

"What's on your mind?" Alimah asked when they had calmed down. "Do you think about your Ren?"

Blushing, Kyoko shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Hm, pity. He's so handsome, no? Tell me, is he writing faithfully? He feels lonely so far away from home, yes?"

"He sends a message every day," Kyoko said, perking up. "And he sends photos of Moscow. It looks cold on the pictures but I guess it's still summer."

"What are you waiting for? Show me!" Alimah demanded.

Surprised, Kyoko went to get her phone. She had not expected her to be so interested in Ren besides teasing her about him, but Alimah was very curious and insisted on examining every picture.

"He never shows his face," she complained when she had read all messages. "And he writes such boring things, no? What do you answer, Kyoko-chan?"

"Uhm," Kyoko stuttered. "I-I just tell him about work, I guess?"

Alimah shrieked in horror. "No! You must tell him about yourself! That you miss him!"

"I couldn't!" Kyoko cried, sounding equally horrified. "He's my sempai, and a friend, but friends don't say that they miss each other. Not friends like we are."

"Well, I always tell my Tetsu that I miss him, even if he's just out to the shops," Alimah said decisively. "Mmh, how about … come here for a second."

Bewildered, Kyoko allowed Alimah to pull her close. With her arm around her shoulder, she became more and more confused as her teacher fumbled with her phone until she had figured out how to use the camera.

"Say 'Cheese!', Kyoko-chan!"

Before she had time to react, Alimah had already snapped the picture. "Now you have something more personal for him. Just write him something nice tonight, Kyoko-chan. He'll be happy, yes?"

Doubtfully, Kyoko looked at the photo. Alimah was smiling broadly and she looked oddly … nice. Her cheeks were flushed from training and her wild hair actually fell nicely to her shoulders. Since it was not so bad she decided to do as Alimah had suggested, but she would wait and send the message when she was back home.

"It's still raining," Alimah said, worried. "You can go change. I'll tell Tetsu that we're taking you home."

Kyoko suddenly felt too exhausted to refuse the kind offer. Instead, she smiled gratefully and bowed deeply. "Thank you very much, I'd appreciate it."

"It's no trouble." Alimah winked. "The video store is on our way back and Tetsu promised that we'll see 'Titanic' tonight." She sniffed. "I don't know why, but all my DVDs are always gone when it's my turn to choose."

Kyoko laughed. It was just like Maeda-sensei to dislike 'girly' movies. He clearly adored his wife but he still was a 'manly' man. He liked football and wrestling and disdained every kind of romance that was concocted in Hollywood's dream factory.

In her tiny locker room, Kyoko quickly showered and dressed. It made her a bit uncomfortable that her teachers would go out of their way to take her home, but she did not want to get sick in that weather, either. She just hoped that she could take her bike with her.

Thankfully, they could. Maeda-sensei expertly strapped it to the roof of his car and told her not to worry, the bike and his hair would dry soon enough. On their way to the Daruma-ya, Alimah told her husband that she had snapped a picture with Kyoko, and that she would send it to Ren, which immediately led to awful teasing. After a few minutes Kyoko gave up trying to convince him that Ren was not interested in her and that they were not a couple.

But despite their ideas, Kyoko liked the both of them immensely and did not begrudge them their amusement at her cost.

When she was finally back at the restaurant, she just saw the last guests leave.

The Okami-san waved, smiling happily and looking plump and content as ever. "Good evening, Kyoko-chan. How was your training? Are you hungry?"

"It was good," she replied, bowing to the woman and her husband and then to the regulars that smiled at her. "And yes, something to eat would be great!"

"Hmpf. That sensei of yours lets you work too hard," Taisho said gruffly. "You're too thin by half. Sit down."

"Let her, darling," the Okami-san said gently. "Just yesterday she ate all of the leftover rice balls. I'm shure she won't starve under our roof." She put steaming plates and bowls on a tray and carried everything to Kyoko. Allowing the girl to put everything onto the table herself, she looked her over critically. "Just remember that school starts again soon and that you need your sleep."

"Yes, Okami-san," Kyoko replied obediently. She thanked them for the meal and dug in. While she ate, she took her phone and looked at the photo Alimah had taken. Sighing with annoyance at her own cowardice, she opened a new mail and typed:

Good evening Tsuruga-san,

How was your first day on set? I hope everything went well and the crew welcomed you warmly. If you can talk about it, I'd love to hear more about your film. Do you have many action scenes? Who's training you? Do you have to speak Russian or will it be dubbed later? Please remember to eat enough so you'll stay healthy. Hopefully the food is alright, but I suppose it's very different from Japanese foods. Perhaps you could shoot a few pictures of their meals? I'd like to cook them if they look appetizing.

Thank you for the picture, the Kreml palace looks great. Do you think you could visit it sometime? Or is it still in use and the Russian president will have people shot if they try? I'm afraid that I dropped history when I re-entered High School and don't know much about Russia.

By the way, I accidentally got a job today. Isn't that great? President Takarada had new difficult tasks for us and gave me a job with Shotaro of all people. The script for the PV wasn't very good, though, so I declined. It turned out that he wanted to stand me up anyway, the little prat. Asami-san (that's Akatoki's chief producer) was very nice about it and apologized for Shotaro, but that was the only good thing about it. I like her, she shouldn't have to put up with people like him. Anyway, Moko-san was with me and got really angry, but then we ran into this new punk band, Demonic Light, and their manager hired us both right away. The shoot is next week, which is good because it's my last week of the holidays. I think that it'll be fun, and much better than Takarada-san's initial task.

Speaking of tasks, I got one from my sensei's wife, Alimah-san. She told me to greet you from her. Perhaps next time Maeda-sensei will send a picture, too. They're really nice and I'm glad that the president sent me to them to train for my next project. Oh, and please greet Yashiro-san from me. How is he holding up so far?

Well, I'll stop now or I'll keep boring you with my questions. Have a nice evening, Tsuruga-san, and remember your dinner!

Sincerely,

Kyoko

Sighing, she read over her mail. It still sounded somewhat cool and she considered re-writing it. But Alimah was right. All of her messages so far had been very impersonal, so this was an improvement, was it not? She knew that she would be disappointed if Ren would send her such cold-sounding texts. Even to her own eyes it looked flat and somewhat forced. He, however, always managed to make her feel better and she sincerely hoped that she would not fail completely as a pen pal.

With another sigh, she attached the photo to the mail and sent it off before she could change her mind. It was eleven at night now in Tokyo, which meant that it was six in the evening in Moscow. She had to remind herself to consider the difference in time, lest she disturb Ren when he was really busy, or worse, asleep.

"Kyoko-chan, please eat or it'll go cold," the Okami-san said while passing her.

Kyoko almost jumped. Meekly, she took her chopsticks and started to devour her food. It was delicious as usual and she thanked Taisho profusely when she was done.

"I had some beef left over from today's special, so it was nothing," he said gruffly. "And now off to bed with you, young lady."

"Yes, sir." Kyoko bowed again and then went upstairs to her room.

Like a whirlwind she completed her evening ablutions, and when she finally stretched out on her futon, she heaved a deep sigh. Why was it that she did not really feel like herself lately? Was the training having such a big impact on her?

Her phone purred in her hand. She had not even noticed that she still held it. Now she flipped it open and read the message.

Dinner is overrated, but if I must … ;-) It's late in Tokyo, you should get some rest. Good night, Kyoko-chan. I'll answer your questions tomorrow.

Smiling about his teasing, Kyoko put the phone away. It did not matter that her friends teased her about her correspondence with Ren. She never had had a pen pal but she imagined that this was how it felt to get a message from someone you were friends with. Perhaps she could find out where the crew resided in Moscow and send a real letter. One with many difficult Kanjis in it so that he had to ask someone for help. It was such a pity that she would not be there to see his cute, frustrated face.

Smiling again, Kyoko finally curled up and pulled the blanket over her. Her days as Heel Setsuka were not really over. She still had a few 'cute faces' to collect, and until she had seen them all she would not rest.

End of Part XII

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