The Shadow's Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat or Ashita no Ousama nor do I own any of the characters from either original story.

Chapter 14 – The Season of Our Discontent, Part 3

It is an oddity of human nature that a person sometimes feels better after saying what they really feel. Of course, sometimes the open expression of one's true thoughts may leave a trail of wreckage. That would have been the case in the outburst previously described if Yumi hadn't been there.

They say that wisdom comes with age… that's not always true; I've met too many foolish old people to accept those words at face value. Some people seem to be born wise, others learn wisdom over time, and others hold stubbornly onto their foolish ways and wear that foolishness over their burial clothing as they are lowered into the ground.

But in this case Yumi was wise, and Amamiya Chiori felt better for having expressed herself freely on that evening. She did apologize to Kyoko for her foolish accusation concerning Fujinosuke; about that she felt rather stupid. But expressing her feelings about being a "third wheel" had generated a surprising response.

"Chiori-chan, I thought that we made it clear that we count you as a best-friend as well. Do you think that I would have invited you into Ren's apartment if I didn't feel that way about you?" Kyoko may have had difficulty understanding and interacting with men, but she had no problem at all discussing friendship.

Chiori felt foolish saying words that sounded like dialogue from middle-school, but she said them anyway, "But you can only have one "best-friend." I know that Kanae-san is that person for you."

"Mo! Who wrote the rules? If this weird woman can chase me down and hound me until I allow myself to be her best-friend, then she… and I… can just as easily decide that you are in the same category. You may as well give up now, because Kyoko is relentless." Kanae was actually startled to find that she valued Amamiya Chiori's friendship almost as much as Kyoko's. All three of them were different types, but they were also similar. "Look: you're just like us. We don't fit in because we don't come from entertainment families. None of us had two yen-coins to rub together. Most people wrote us off before we ever even got started in this business. And we've all worn those god-awful pink jumpsuits."

Kanae could see that she was getting through, but she didn't stop there, "I'm also willing to bet that your childhood was just as lousy as ours. How many friends did you have growing up?"

"None… at least… not after I started filming The Scarlet Dice."

"There, you see! We are all each other has. You are our friend, and that's final." Kanae crossed her arms and scowled, looking like she had just delivered a death-sentence verdict. She hated appearing sentimental and soft.

Kyoko beamed at her scowling friend, "Moko-san! You're were so cool!" She launched herself at the raven haired girl. Kanae tried desperately to pry her loose, saying "MO! Get off me… you're not a limpet… go fly to America and hug your boyfriend… would you… just let go!"

For the first time that evening, Chiori smiled. The smile became a grin, and the grin became a giggle, which turned into laughter at the antics of the only two girls who had offered her true friendship since she was a small child. Yumi saw it and smiled affectionately, "Girls?"

At the sound of their sensei's voice, they disengaged and returned to their positions at the table. "Before we go any further, let's talk about Chiori's other two problems. The first is that she isn't doing well directing. The second is a certain handsome young man."

They talked for a while, gradually extracting the truth from their friend: She didn't enjoy directing, but she didn't want to admit failure. "It's not failure to try something new, Chiori," Yumi admonished. Everyone doesn't have the same gifts. Sasaya Yuu assures me that she couldn't act to save her life. And as far as I know, neither Kyoko nor Kanae are gifted writers."

"Not me, definitely," Kanae pronounced firmly.

"I gave up writing as a little girl," Kyoko said, almost sadly. She couldn't help remembering how she had struggled to impress her mother with her writing, only to be rejected.

"So, you see, there is no shame in trying and failing. There is shame, however, in refusing to face the truth and blaming things on others. I think that the best thing that you can do is step-down as the director and make a humble apology to all of the actors who you abused."

Chiori nodded, shamefaced, "I will, first thing tomorrow."

"Well," Yumi said with an evil grin, "not first thing. In the morning you all three still belong to me… your kind, gentle, sweet sensei." The girls all either laughed or snorted, and Yumi grinned as if they had given her high-praise. "Now, Kanae-san… I suspect that something is bothering you as well."

Kanae didn't begin until she had extracted a promise from Kyoko that she wouldn't speak with Ren about the incident. And then she told her story. The other three had no idea that Yashiro was rich, nor about his family, nor about the pressure that their friend was under. Once again, it was Yumi who spoke, "First of all, let's not assume the worst about the incident. I suspect that this man is far too humiliated to want to share the incident with his family. As far as retaliation, I don't think he'll try anything right away. With your permission, I'd like to work on this situation on my own for a little while. Will you trust me?"

"Of course, Sensei."

"Well then," she rose gracefully, "I need to get these tired old bones home. I'm glad that you're all getting along now… but since you've kept me up so late, I'll have to think of something extra-creative for our workout tomorrow. Ta-ta!" She pranced away, leaving the girls to share looks of dismay behind her.

Sawamura Fujinosuke had noticed Amamiya Chiori. He had noticed her from the first moment that he saw her, and he had noticed her many times since. Unfortunately, she frightened him. Please don't misunderstand; he wasn't a wimp. It was just that the very cute young lady seemed to be angry all of the time. He had read her script and liked it. And he had been pleased to take on the role of the broken-hearted husband, because it would stretch his abilities. But he just couldn't understand exactly what Chiori-san wanted from his role. She seemed to be unsatisfied with everything that he and the other cast members tried.

He was almost at the point of stepping down from the role, but he had been asked to take it on by Sasaya Yuu, and he didn't want to disappoint her. She had been his first love. Even though she never returned his feelings, he still cherished them. He also understood that it was his feelings for her that had broken him out of the shell of numbness that had threatened to dominate his life. From the first moment that he had seen her he had been captivated. All of his shyness, all of his fear of the public had faded into the background. He had taken bold steps, joining plays and even appearing in television and the movies. It had been one of the most difficult days of his life when she had married Touya Ichii and boarded an airplane for England.

Since then only two girls had caught his eye. One was Mogami Kyoko, who would play the shadow warrior… but she was clearly taken. And the other was Amamiya Chiori… but she seemed to dislike him intensely. Still, he found that she would appear in his thoughts at random moments. Maybe I'm cursed. Maybe I'm doomed to only be interested in young women who will never be interested in me.

Several of the other cast members on the stage were grumbling. They weren't enjoying the practice for this production, and they were certainly not pleased with the young director. A good many of them were even talking about quitting if things didn't improve soon. The mutterings stopped when the double doors opened and two figures, Amamiya Chiori and Sasaya Yuu, stepped through. While everyone rose and waited for instructions, the two young ladies strode purposefully up to the stairs and onto the stage. And then everyone watched in astonishment as their director knelt on the floor in a dogeza.

"Gomen nasai, everyone. I want to apologize for the way that I've acted… the way that I've treated you. You were doing your best, but all I did was confuse and criticize you. The truth is that I can write, and I can act, but I have no talent as a director. I have asked Sasaya-san if she would be willing to take over as the director… and I need to ask you for your forgiveness. Will you forgive me?"

Everyone had been stunned to begin with; but as they listened they felt only respect… tinged with relief. Very few of them would have had the courage to make such an admission, or to beg for forgiveness, and they knew it. Because of this, they were almost effusive in their words of forgiveness and in their efforts to encourage they young lady.

Her decision proved to be a good one, because it quickly became evident that Amamiya Chiori could act… and act very well. Now that the burden of directing was gone, she was free to become the character in her story; and she did it very well. Unlike Chiori, Sasaya Yuu was a gifted director. She had studied the script intently, anticipating the eventuality that she would need to assume the role. She was just glad that her new friend had approached her before she had to intervene.

Sawamura Fujinosuke was pleased too. Not only was Yuu able to help everyone to fit into their roles, but the young lady who had been on his mind transformed into a different person entirely. She seemed at peace, even happy, now that she had shed the responsibility of directing. And more importantly, she seemed to be almost friendly and nice to him. He didn't know if she would ever look at him in more than a friendly way, but at least this was a start.

But Sasaya Yuu wasn't content to leave things just as they were. She liked Fujinosuke, and she liked Chiori… and she suspected that they liked each other on more than just a platonic level. She was not a party to the conversation of the previous evening, but she did have her own ideas. "Fujinosuke-san, Chiori-san, before you leave, could you please come and talk with me?"

The two young actors said good-bye to the other cast members and walked to the side of the stage. "First of all, Fujinosuke-san, did Kyoko-san talk to you about helping her to learn the Kyomai dance?"

"Yes, she did. It normally takes much more time, but she assures me that she will give it her best before the play opens."

"Good. Now, I'm pleased with the way that everyone performed today, but I have my concerns about you two. You definitely have good chemistry…" she saw both of them color slightly and thougt, good, I was right, "…but you don't have the level of comfort that one would expect from a married couple. So here's what I want you to do: Tomorrow is an off-day, so I want you two to go on a date." She saw the startled looks and forcefully composed her face.

"A date?" Chiori exclaimed, embarrassed and slightly shocked.

"Yes, a date. For the afternoon I want you and Fujinosuke-san to go out, play, eat, and have fun. I want you to talk about yourselves and listen to each other so that you will be comfortable when you return to my stage… okay?" Even though she ended with a question, it was clear from the set of her face that Yuu meant business.

Fujinosuke was feeling startled and very bashful, but he was also excited. He decided to take charge of the situation in the same way that he had see Touya Ichii do. He turned and bowed slightly to his cute co-star, "I would be honored if Chiori-san would accompany me on a date tomorrow… will you?"

Amamiya Chiori couldn't suppress the grin on her face or the sparkle of her eyes as she replied, "I would be honored, Sawamura-san."

This afternoon, it was swordplay for Kyoko. Maria had just completed her first training session with the Uesugi's, but she had requested and been granted permission to stay and watch her big sister… and Hiou, of course.

The Uesugi name spans back in history to the time of the samurais and shoguns. At one time their predecessor was a great warlord, though the shifting of political loyalties and tides of war swept over the family and all but destroyed them. But the warrior blood remained… as did the gift and passion for the art of swordsmanship. Hiou had held his first wooden sword at the age of three, and he slept with that sword in his bed for the next three years. He had continued to study from that first moment on. So it was only natural that he should be chosen to face off with Kyoko as she learned. Yumi had much more to teach, but for now she was leaving the basics to Hiou, while she, Maria, and Hiou's grandfather enjoyed tea on the sidelines.

This was Kyoko's fourth week, and Kyoko was in love with the sword. She enjoyed the hand-to-hand techniques she was also learning. And she even enjoyed the pain and strictures of Yumi's harsh training regimen… but she felt different, somehow, when she gripped the sword. It showed in the progress she was making. Hiou was better, far better than her, but she was learning rapidly. It only took her once or twice to learn a new maneuver, and soon thereafter it became natural, even instinctive. And Kyoko couldn't hide the grin behind her face-mask as her wooden sword smacked powerfully into Hiou's.

While Maria watched with enthusiasm, unable to decide who she was rooting for, Uesugi Kotetsu turned away from the match to regard Yumi. "Yumi-san, are you sure that she's not related to you in some way? She seems to have your instincts and your passion for learning."

Yumi glanced at the handsome, elderly man, and then quickly returned her eyes to the match, "I sometimes wish that she was my child, or my grandchild. But you and I both know that it's better this way. The Egami clan is still terribly hide-bound. Kyoko is a person who needs open space and free air to grow… still, she is amazing sometimes. I did run a check on her family. Her mother is intelligent and ambitious, but she's a fool. Her father is unknown. He was involved for a short while in her early years, but then disappeared. The name he used was not his real one. Whoever he was, he must have been a man of good blood." She glanced back at Kotetsu, "I don't really care. She's with me now… sort of like a gift in my old age."

Kotetsu snorted, "Old age? Yumi-sensei, you'll never be old."

"Why sir, are you flirting with me?" Yumi flashed her eyes and fluttered her eyelids. Then she laughed when the dignified man flushed.

Maria's eyes had never left the match, but she had been listening. She smiled at hearing her Onee-sama so well spoken of, and she had to suppress a giggle at the flirtations going on behind her.

Yashiro Chojiro slammed his fist on his desk and grimaced as the movement made his nose ache. A careful, private review of LME had revealed that it was much larger than he had originally conceived. It would take more than his own assets to gain a controlling interest in the company, and he couldn't request the funds from his wife. She had a strong voting interest in HanasuSora, and that gave him the freedom to play around with his own shares. No matter. I will just borrow enough funds from the company. Nobody will notice, and I will return the funds long before they go missing.

His was an arranged marriage. He didn't love his wife and she didn't love him. Not that he cared. She had brought her fortune into the marriage, and that did matter. Due to the disparity of their assets, her family had insisted on her retaining full control of her assets. He hated that, but he could work with it. She had purchased controlling shares in his family's company, and he was exercising those votes. Eventually they would need to create an heir, but for now they barely saw each other. At first she had been open and friendly with him, but that had changed rapidly until she now occupied a different part of the house and barely spoke to him at all.

Someday, when they had a child, his wife's stranglehold on her inheritance would pass on to the child. And he could control a child. But that was later. For the moment, he just wanted to destroy his cousin and his cousin's upstart, pretentious, violent girlfriend.

He picked up the phone and dialed his investment broker; He knew that the man had him on caller ID, so he didn't even bother with the usual phone protocol, "Start buying up any and all LME stock. Keep it quiet for as long as you can. I want a dossier on every major shareholder by the end of the week… just do it!... Yes, I have the funds! … You just keep me informed." He slammed down the phone and flipped through his rolodex until he found the extension he was looking for. "Hello Yujii, I'm going to want two million out of company funding… If I had permission, would I be calling you?... don't try to play games with me, Yujii. We both know that I have everything I need to bury you, so stop trying to play games with me… tomorrow, no later."

Chojiro's face took on a feral smile. He had enough dirt to control half of the people in this company. Let President Yashiro Kenishi think he controlled the company… he was the real boss.

"… so he'll be taking her out on a date tomorrow." Ren smiled into the phone as Kyoko told him about her friend's plans. It gave him great comfort to think of Sawamura Fujinosuke being safely directed toward Amamiya Chiori… and away from Kyoko.

"That sounds great, Kyoko. I'm sure that they'll have fun together. How was the sword training today?" Ren knew that Kyoko was passionate about learning weapons. It amused him that his sweet, delicate fiancé had such a passion for what most would consider a manly art. Some men might have been turned off by the idea, but Ren loved to see Kyoko shine in whatever she did. She continued to amaze him, and probably always would; and he loved that about her. It made him want to work harder as well, just so that he could keep up.

"It was fun! I'm not that good yet, but I did manage to keep Hiou from taking any points off me for over five minutes." Ren could hear the joy in her voice, and he wanted to hold her so much that it made his chest ache. "I'll be good enough to be ready for the play, but I intend to continue until I can use the sword for real."

"Just don't get any ideas about chasing me around with it, dear."

"Oh, I want to chase you arou…" Kyoko stopped speaking with an "eep" sound. Ren could picture her reddening face on the other end of the phone.

"So you want to chase me around," he said with his Emperor of the Night persona in full control, "And what would you like to do with me once you catch me?"

He heard Kyoko's confused mutterings as she tried to regain control of the situation, and he relented. "Just kidding, Kyoko-chan. You keep practicing. I know that you'll get the dance down too, so don't give up. I love you."

"I love you too, Ren. And I miss you."

Ren put down his phone and turned on the guitar CD that she had just FedEx'd to him. As her soft, sweet strumming caressed his ears, he smiled. So, she wants to chase me around, huh?

Only a year before now… actually, less than a year ago she had gone into meltdown when he kissed her cheek. Soon, my dear Kyoko, soon. I'm going to work hard to get this film in the can early, and then I'm coming home to you. And then we'll see who chases who.

Notes: Because several people have asked the question, I'll also answer it here. People want to know when I'm finally going to get the Kyoko's play. I promise that it will be soon. A play is different than a television drama or a movie in that it will all take place in one shot. First of all, because of what Kyoko will be doing in the play, I had to make it credible. This is why I'm spending so much time on her training.

So please don't give up on my story just yet. Everything had a purpose, and everything will work out in time.

And please keep reviewing.