Hidden in Plain Sight
Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.
Summary: LME has seen better days; Kyoko was forced to return home by her mother and Tsuruga Ren has gone back to the States to resume his true identity. So who is the new kid making entertainment news… and why is Saena so angry?
Chapter 21 – Revelations and Restoration
Miyoko jumped back from the door, searching frantically for any sort of weapon. There was nothing, so she flattened herself against the wall and prepared for whatever would come through the door. I'll fight you, whoever you are. I will not give in until I'm dead.
The knob turned and the door swept open to reveal the youngest of the three men, Takuji, and a small older woman. The older woman, dressed in a maid's uniform, looked European, possibly Italian or perhaps Greek. She carried in a tray holding a plate of food, a tea pot, and a single china cup. The woman carried the tray to the center of the room, where the chair was set, but hesitated when she saw no table of any sort. Turning to the man, she spoke in another language. The man replied in kind and the lady shrugged before putting the tray down on the floor. After that she turned and briskly walked out of the room. Only then did Miyoko realize that the woman had never looked at her once.
Takuji spoke, "You're awake. Good. The shot we gave you was stronger than we thought, but don't worry, it won't have any lasting side-effects." He smiled as if Miyoko should be grateful. She wondered how she had ever considered this man to be handsome.
"Where am I? Why did you kidnap me?" She demanded.
"Someone has taken an interest in you. He thinks you look like someone else, someone who managed to slip out of his grasp. He is paying us top-dollar for you instead." The man shrugged, "Nothing personal. Simply business."
"BUSINESS! What you're talking about is slavery! You can't just yank a girl off of the street and lock her up because some man wants her!" Miyoko's anger gave her strength and she finally shook off the last of her stupor.
Takuji only laughed, "You obviously don't know anything about history… or about the Yakuza. Human trafficking is big business, girl, and it always has been. Look, I don't particularly care what happens after that idio… after our client accepts delivery, but until then, I have a task to complete. He doesn't want you. He doesn't even want the one who got away." He pointed to the huge flatscreen, where another episode of Box 'R was beginning, "He wants her." Miyoko looked over and saw Natsu's alluring, evil smile gracing the screen.
He wants the character Kyoko created! I can't even act! This is ridiculous! "But she's only a character. She isn't even real. And I'm not her."
"I don't particularly care about Shimazu's fetishes. He wants you to become her. He won't really care about what you want or don't want; or who you are or are not. From what I've seen of the way he treats his servants, it wouldn't be a good idea to displease him."
"If you think, even for one second…" Miyoko snarled, stepping forward. In an instant she found herself facing the point of a very large, very sharp, and very deadly looking stiletto knife.
"Aoki Miyoko," the formerly charming young man said with a voice as cold as the grave, "You have a choice. Either watch Natsu and learn how to please your new master, or you can refuse and discover for yourself what happens when he is disappointed." He let the blade drop to his side, bowed, and walked with complete unconcern to the door. "Enjoy your meal, Miss."
When the door closed behind him, Miyoko's strength failed and she finally allowed her tears to flow. Kyoko, what do I do? Eiji, please find me!
oOoOOoOo
"That's not good enough!" Hikaru shouted across his cell. He was tempted to crush the phone or throw it, but it was his only lifeline to discovering the whereabouts of his sister.
"Hikaru-kun," Lory said as soothingly as possible, "please trust me when I say that there are very powerful forces working with us to locate your sister and to deliver her to safety. This is one case where regular channels, including our national law enforcement, would only hinder the process. We are currently keeping track of the two people that we believe to be behind this. As soon as the assets are in place we will collect these two men. I know that you are worried, but we will get her back safely."
Hikaru and his two friends had been personally recruited by Takarada Lory. Though their talents couldn't procure for them the type of success that they had dreamed of, he had done well by them. Now he seemed to have a handle on this situation… though Hikaru still couldn't figure out how his sister became involved with Mogami Kyoko. He sat and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I will trust you, Shacho. But if she doesn't come home safely…" the threat hunger in the air for a long moment.
"I understand, Hikaru. She will be safe."
oOoOOoOo
Z remained leaning against Kuon for several seconds, stunned by Sho's sudden intrusion. The rocker glared between the tall blond-haired, blue-eyed man and the much shorter green-eyed teen. Despite his own unwelcome feelings for the boy he still felt revulsion looking at the scene in front of him.
The boy looked up at the man who sat on the couch with her. A silent communication passed between them, only serving to further irritate Sho. The man nodded and said, "There isn't any way to hide the truth from him any more anyway. Besides, we're going to need his help."
Z looked at Sho with an almost regretful expression on his face as he sat up and scooted away from his companion. "Sho, first of all, I didn't deceive you for any reason but necessity." With that he reached into his pocket and extracted something small. Sho recognized the object as a contact case as he watched the teen begin to remove the lids. Then he watched in morbid fascination as the boy extracted first one and then the other contact. Finally, when Sho could hold his curiosity no longer, Z stood and looked up.
Sho sucked in his breath as if he had been punched. Kyoko waited in trepidation as Sho's jaw worked. Then he looked down and she watched his fists clench. Then his shoulders began to shake and Kyoko looked over at Kuon, unsure of what to do. Kuon shook his head slightly, ready to leap to Kyoko's defense if the musician became violent, but he was as bewildered as Kyoko.
Kyoko was preparing to take a step forward when Sho suddenly looked up, tears of laughter pouring down his face as he pointed at her, "All this time! Oh man, this is great! You're even here in Kyoto, right under your mother's nose! And look at you… I mean, good god, Kyoko, you have half of the girl's in the country crazy about you! And I… and I…" He dissolved into a fit of laughter again.
Kyoko and Kuon relaxed a little now that it was clear that he wasn't furious, but they still watched in concern as the boy bent over from his near-hysterical laughter. At that moment Shouko Aki ran into the room. It was clear from her expression that she had heard that Sho was up there and she had expected trouble. She looked at Sho first, and then into Kyoko's golden eyes, "You told him?"
"You knew!" Kyoko asked in surprise.
Shouko nodded, "Not right away. I figured it out when I overheard you and Miyoko. Did anyone else see you?"
Sho tried to speak again, "If you only knew what I…" his own near-mistake seemed to sober the rocker and he managed to straighten back into an upright position, "Anyway, Kyoko…" his eyes drifted from the still-boyish image in front of him to the tall man on the couch and his eyes narrowed, "Hizuri Kuon?"
"Correct."
"Why the H*ll are you guys here in Japan? Don't you even realize how vulnerable she is here? Kyoko, your mother and stepfather are dangerous. Forget the fact that you fooled me and the entire country, if that woman even gets a whiff of you…"
"Excuse me!" A deep voice intruded with irritation, "But can we focus on the matter at-hand?" Enomoto Eiji, looking the worse for wear after a night of worrying and phone calls, stepped between the group, "We . need. to . find . MIYOKO!"
Sho and Shouko looked from the muscular man to the couple, their faces masks of confusion. Shouko spoke first, "What happened to Miyoko?"
oOoOOoOo
Shimazu Toyotomi glared balefully at the small-time Yakuza leader who had the audacity to keep him penned away like this in a small safe-house. The man met his gaze with a calm, almost urbane expression and repeated his words, "I cannot allow you to go yet. I have every confidence that the girl has people looking for her. We haven't heard a peep out of the police yet, but even they can keep a low profile when they feel that it is important. You need to remain here for at least another day."
Toyotomi was not used to being told what to do, especially by low-ranked thugs like this man. He recognized that there was logic in the man's words, but he needed to get back to his home so that he could begin training the girl to be what he wanted. "What ever happened to keeping a high public profile?"
"We will go out to another dance club tonight. If you want to bring a girl back here, then fine. But you don't usually appear much in public, so wouldn't it cast more suspicion if you were seen too much?"
Again, Toyotomi saw the logic, but he didn't like it. He didn't like this at all.
oOoOOoOo
Matsudaira Yoshikazu looked up from his computer as he felt the tires of the little Lear jet on the tarmac of Kyoto International Airport. Around him a small, hand-picked crew of men began to check their weapons and straighten their suits. Kyoto was not friendly ground for his "family," so there might be trouble right away. There shouldn't be. Yoshikazu had phoned ahead and explained the situation. The small group that had probably abducted the singer were also not a part of the Kyoto family… and they had not made any contact with the Kyoto group. This gave Yoshikazu a distinct advantage.
It irritated the crime lord to be in this position, responding to his brother's urgent request; especially because it seemed more like an order. His brother had voluntarily left the family, and he had managed to do so without consequences. It took a lot of nerve to come back and practically demand help… but then, his brother had never lacked for nerve.
The little jet pulled into a large private hanger. When they stepped out of the airplane, Yoshikazu was surprised to see Takauji waiting for the party with two large black SUVs, along with several other men that Yoshikazu recognized as local Yakuza guns. What was it that my brother called Takauji? Oh yes, Sebastian. "Takauji, I wasn't expecting to see you here."
Sebastian nodded and took the man's luggage, "I flew down as soon as we got word. We have the two men under surveillance. I have a GPS tracker on Ichigawa's car. They can't go anywhere without us knowing."
Yoshikazu considered this for several minutes as the car drove on in silence. He was considering the relative values of grabbing the two men immediately or waiting and letting them lead him to the girl. It doesn't matter yet anyway. I have to meet with Torayama before I can make any moves. One turf-war is enough; I can't afford two.
Torayama was the leader of the family that controlled Kyoto and the surrounding area. Twenty years ago, when he first came to power, there had been four rival groups. Employing both diplomacy and brutal ruthlessness, Torayama had either absorbed or eliminated his rivals piecemeal. Nobody had dared to challenge him since. He applied the same tactics whenever another group had the audacity to enter his playground without his permission. Matsudaira Yoshikazu had no intention of testing his organization against that of this man. Hence the meeting.
The two SUVs turned into the parking garage of a tall, modern office building in the middle of Kyoto's business district. Yoshikazu felt a moment of disappointment that they wouldn't meet at the man's home. His home, if rumors were correct, was a restored castle, remotely situated to the north of Kyoto. It was supposed to be spectacular, rivaling the ancient Imperial Castle itself. Torayama only invited his closest friends and associates there. I guess that tells me where I stand, Yoshikazu thought wryly.
The two local men led the way into the private elevator and up to the penthouse. Stepping into the penthouse was like stepping into the castle that Yoshikazu had hoped to see. It was finished completely in intricately carved wood, bamboo and rice paper. Once you stepped inside it was impossible to see that there were actually concrete and steel walls.
"You will need to leave all weapons here," One of the two local men instructed. Everyone complied, albeit reluctantly. Yoshikazu was surprised that they were not frisked, but then he realized that the door they passed through bore a remarkable resemblance to a metal detector, though it was concealed under rattan.
As they followed the two men, Yoshikazu noticed the tastefully displayed art and china in various nooks that had obviously been built to accommodate the art piece placed there. I'd bet that every piece is a masterpiece. That vase is unquestionably ancient Ming.
The two men came to a stop at a set of double, sliding, bamboo and rice paper doors. "Matsudaira-san only from this point on," one of the men said firmly. Several men in Yoshikazu's team stiffened, but he stayed them with a hand. "It is to be expected. Would someone see to refreshments for my men?"
The speaker nodded and a woman appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. There are probably hidden passages and doors everywhere, Yoshikazu mused. There could be a whole army standing by if I or my men cause trouble. His men were led away, leaving Yoshikazu to watch as his two guides slid the doors open to reveal a stairwell leading up. This time one man took the lead while the second took up the rear. They aren't taking any chances. He was surprised when he realized that Takauji/Sebastian was still with them
The door at the top of the stairwell opened up to the roof, and Yoshikazu had to stifle a grunt of surprise. Although they were in the middle of the business district of Kyoto, the top of the roof would have fit in perfectly with the courtyard garden from several centuries previous. There were pebble pathways circling around a seemingly endless variety of plants and several ancient-looking structures, such as the small gazebo that graced the center of the garden and looked more like a miniature castle.
The two men led him around the circular path until a single figure could be seen clipping a bonsai tree. Torayama was in his sixties, but he looked agile and strong, despite his whitish-gray hair. He was a short man, a little over five foot-five, and slender; but there was something about him that exuded confidence and power. He was everything that Yoshikazu had expected. When the man who led them didn't speak, Yoshikazu took the initiative. "Torayama Kiendo, it is an honor to meet you. I am Matsudaira Yoshikazu, of Tokyo."
The old man straightened and looked at the younger man, "Matsudaira Yoshikazu. Aged forty-six. Masters Degree in Business. Husband. Father or two. Younger brother of Matsudaira Kumanosuke, who calls himself Takarada Lory these days." Yoshikazu was startled at this last statement; he didn't think that anyone outside of his own family knew of the connection. The man continued, "When your brother decided that he would leave the family, you naturally stepped in. Although you lack your brother's charisma, you were able to cement your position through a series of brilliant moves. Now your organization is the strongest and most influential of the three who vie for power in Tokyo."
The man studied him silently for a minute before continuing, "Recently you have had several run-ins with the Shimazu family. It seems that the father fancies himself the natural leader of the three families." What? "Oh, I see that you were not aware of the extent of Shimazu Toyakazu's ambitions. You simply saw the man as an annoying, but very wealthy fly."
Yoshikazu was tempted to question the elderly man's assessment of the situation, but he knew that this man hadn't risen to power without building an extremely effective intelligence network. "I was not aware that he wanted to extend his reach that far," he conceded.
"And now his son is running around in my well-ordered garden without bothering to pay me a visit to ask permission. And now you are here to grab the son and make him reveal the whereabouts of that girl… Who, by the way, is becoming a big name star. Which leaves me with a dilemma: If I help you, then I am choosing to ally myself with you against Shimazu. If I don't help you, then I am putting myself in Shimazu's camp."
Yoshikazu didn't allow his mask to slip, but inside he was tense. He had contacted Toyatomi out of courtesy. Now he realized that he had stepped into this situation blind. If the elderly man chose not to support him, then his organization, his life and livelihood, and his family might be in danger. The older man allowed the younger man a chance to absorb this before saying, "You should be glad to know that you have three factors in your favor… four actually. First, you had the courtesy to contact me, whereas Shimazu's rebellious son did not. Two, I have watched your progress over the years and I find that you run a respectable and efficient, though not groundbreaking business enterprise. Third, Takauji here speaks well of you…"
Startled, Yoshikazu looked to his side and remembered, once again, that his brother's "butler" was still standing beside him. He turned back to the elderly man, prepared to speak, but the man raised one hand as if to forestall any questions, "The nature of my relationship with Takauji is not for public consumption. Suffice it to say that your family is not the only one with a son who chose not to continue in the family business."
Kami! Takauji is this man's son! And he's working as my brother's butler? Yoshikazu allowed himself one quick glance at the man beside him, but then he felt foolish. He had known Takuaji since he was a child. The man, who was then a teen, had always been quiet, but he was an incredible fighter and he had always been wise beyond his years. Whatever he did for Kumanosuke, it was more than just butler work. Schooling his expression, Yoshikazu turned back to the older man, "You said that there was a fourth reason?"
Toyotomi grinned, "I have granddaughters, young man. I don't know about your daughters, but my girls are completely insane over this new group… this…" he waved his hand as if trying to remember, but one of his men leaned over and whispered. He smiled, "Yes! Slow Rising Storm… a good name. Anyway, my granddaughters are crazy over this group… mostly that American kid, but they like them all. If that pretty female singer got hurt and I didn't do anything to help… well, you understand."
For the first time Yoshikazu was able to relax. He grinned, "My girls are crazy over that guitar playing boy as well." He expelled a breath dramatically, "At least they aren't obsessed with that Fuwa Sho anymore. I wouldn't let that kid within a mile of my girls."
The older man nodded and reached out a hand, "Then we agree. I suggest that we collect those two mongrels first of all. We'll decide what to do from there."
oOoOOoOo
Tears can only last so long. Sleep does not always easily cooperate. By noon Miyoko was sitting in the only available furniture in the room and watching the only available distraction. She had only seen two episodes of Box 'R prior to this… she didn't really care for shows that put so much attention on bullying. She didn't care for it now either, but she couldn't help but be fascinated by Natsu. How can Kyoko so totally transform herself? How can she play Mio, and then Natsu, and now Z and make each character so completely believable?
Her thoughts were a distraction ploy, she knew. She didn't want to think about her situation, so this was the only alternative. But the sick nature of her instructions came back to her: she was supposed to transform herself into that character on the screen… but even if she were willing, how could she. She was a singer, not an actress. And honestly, was there anyone else but Kyoko who could slip into one dynamic character and then the next so effortlessly?
What they really wanted was Kyoko, but they grabbed her instead because she looked like the missing girl… only she's not truly missing, is she? I know exactly where she is.
As soon as she had the thought, Miyoko shook it off, disgusted with herself. No matter what happens, I will not betray her. I just have to find a way out of this for myself.
Notes: I apologize if this chapter seems to focus everywhere but where you want it to focus. There will be more of what you were expecting in the next chapter.
If you think that Sho is OOC, please remember that he just received a reprieve from what he thought was an infatuation with a boy. Since he is decidedly heterosexual, that reprieve was enough of a relief that he hasn't had time to be angry about the deception yet… or angry to see Kyoko and Kuon together.