Runaway Royalty
Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.
The history of the Ryukyu Kingdom is true, but the plot of the movie is entirely fictional.
Chapter 25 – To the four winds
"Ah-hmmm," Renate cleared her throat purposefully. The helicopter's rotors had come to a complete stop, making the setting seem deafeningly quiet. Kanae, still in an embrace with Hiou, looked over and met the beautiful older woman's look of amusement. Suddenly Kanae realized her position and pushed back.
Hiou, who could have stayed in that position forever, looked surprised and slightly hurt by Kanae's sudden movement. Kanae saw this, couldn't let him feel hurt, "I need to greet everyone, Hiou-chan."
Hiou nodded a trifle sadly and watched her move into the waiting group. Renate moved over next to him, "Patience, young man. The best things in life are well worth waiting for. You just keep focusing on becoming a man worthy of her interest."
Hiou looked over at the woman who he had known as Sophia, Kanae's manager, until one day ago. This was the second time she had given him the same advice. "You promised that you'd bring her back. Thank you."
Renate shook her head in amusement, "Your girl and her new friend took care of things themselves. I've never seen anything quite like it." When she saw his confused look, she continued, "I don't want to have to tell the story a hundred times, so I beg you to wait until I can talk to everyone at once."
Behind her there was the sound of more helicopters. She glanced back, "Ahh, the rest should be here soon."
* * *
The people who lived near Melbourne City Studios were used to all manner of vehicles coming and going for the variety of films that were made there. Still, the steady stream of helicopters with military and federal markings was becoming annoying by the time the last one finally settled.
At the director's request, the largest studio building, complete with two-hundred chairs, was set aside for their use that afternoon and evening. Cast and crew sat with the Australian Federal Police and the Tactical Assualt Group (along with their support team). Nobody knew exactly why they were all being called together.
Renate Analise DeGarmo and Sergio Fabriani stepped up to the makeshift platform. A large screen was placed behind the pair. Sergio handed his boss a cordless microphone and stood back. "Good afternoon, everyone. I know that some of you have had a very long night, and so I'll keep this brief. Many of you know me as Sophia Anderson, Kotonami Kanae's manager. My real name is Renate Analise DeGarmo, and I am a senior detective with Interpol.
She waited for the muttering to cease. Everyone had seen the way that she had taken charge and given orders in the pre-dawn hours. They had also witnessed her being whisked away in an Australian Federal Police helicopter. But except for a select few, they hadn't been informed about what was really happening. Even people whose lives were wrapped around creating dramatic stories found the situation amazing.
"This is my assistant, Detective Sergio Fabriani," she waited for Sergio to give a bow to the gathered group. "He and I came to Australia specifically to track a known kidnapper. We had reason to suspect that he was going to target Kouenji Erika." She held up a staying hand to hold off questions, "I know that at least a few of you are asking yourselves why we didn't inform everyone. My only answer is that we tried that strategy to catch him in the past, and failed. This time we needed a different approach. So I got as close as I could to Erika-san and waited. Later I found out that Kotonami Kanae was also a target.
"I never dreamed that he would do something as drastic as creating a landslide. Up until now he has never killed a single person, as far as we know. So I can only apologize for the terrible danger that many of you faced last night.
"What we did do was set up a way to track our two young ladies. I cannot tell you how; I can only say that we knew that we would be able to trace them wherever he took them." Before they had climbed onto the helicopter the NSA technician had made the two young ladies take off their right shoes. Then, using a special removal chemical, he had taken the fake toenail from each girl's big toe. As quickly as that was done, he had left the room. They had looked at their feet in surprise, at each other, and then at Renate. "Sorry, girls, I can't tell you anything about what you just saw. Just trust me when I tell you that we've been tracking you for hours."
"The other people here today are the Australian Federal Police and TAG, the anti-terrorist team of the Special Air Service." The cast and crew, especially the ladies, looked at the muscular, for the most part handsome young men with interest. The men of the cast and crew had already been checking out the six young ladies among the group.
"We have all been working together since very early this morning to accomplish the rescue of our two young ladies. The people in these two groups are the best of the best Australia has to offer." The teams responded in different levels of pleasure to her words. "But it wasn't any of us who finally took down the man who has been causing problems for law enforcement agencies throughout the world…" Renate paused dramatically, an amused smile on her face.
Kanae cringed slightly in her seat, knowing what was coming. Erika, characteristically, sat up straighter and preened.
"It wasn't any of us who took him down because, when we arrived, our two young heroines had taken care of everything for us." Sergio keyed a remote, and the hanging projector displayed a big man, bruised and battered, slumping in the chair that he was bound to. "I have been wracking my brain for hours trying to come up with an amusing quote for this moment, but I have failed. The picture speaks for itself.
"I will say this to the men in the room, though. I would highly advise you to treat these two young ladies with respect."
When the laughter and clapping had died down, Renate spoke again, "One of the reasons that I've asked you all to gather here is to make a request. In the past when crimes like this become well-known there are copy-cats who try to either imitate or out-do the criminal. So I need to ask you to keep this entire incident, and the cause behind it all, secret. I know that eventually news will leak out, but I am hoping to avoid a media-frenzy. There's a second reason that we've gathered you here, but I'll let Director Shinai explain that."
As everyone applauded Renate and Sergio, Director Shinai stepped up and took the microphone. "Even though our two young stars stole the show, we would still like to thank all of the authorities for all that you have done for us and them. That is why we would like to invite you to spend the evening with us. I have laid on food, drinks, and even live music. Please stay."
* * *
At Kanae's request, Renate led her to the room where Matsuda Sumi was keeping herself. Careful questioning had satisfactorily cleared the poor lady of any wrong-doing many hours before. But she couldn't make herself face the raven-haired girl whose live had been endangered because of Richard.
Kanae knocked gently. When there was no response Kanae tried the doorknob and bound it unlocked. Matsuda was curled up in a fetal position on her hotel-room bed. "Matsu… Sumi-chan, may I please come in?"
Sumi rolled over, bewildered, almost frightened to see Kanae's face. "Please, Sumi-chan, may I come in and talk to you?"
Matsuda Sumi turned and sat up, but she brought her knees up and clutched them. "Why would you want to talk to me? It's all my fault; all of it. Richard tried to kill everyone. He abducted you and Kouenji-san. And I'm the one who brought him here!"
Kanae sat down next to the blond girl and wrapped an arm around her, "He tried to kill you, too. Sumi-chan. He tricked you and used you. But it was all his doing, not yours."
As the older lady started to cry, Kanae just pulled her tight and let her work out her pain and frustration. Renate opened the door slightly to check on the two of them, and then shut it again. She wondered if Kanae would ever realize how much this day had changed her. She was showing tenderness and affection in a way that she had never allowed herself to show before. Renate sighed; she had grown to like and respect the young actress. She almost hated to leave her now.
* * *
It took an hour, but Kanae was able to get Hiou's manager cleaned up, dolled up, and over to the party at the studio. In the photo of Richard that had been projected his face was so bruised that nobody had recognized him. Only a select few knew that the man who had committed these terrible acts was none other than Matsuda Sumi's fiancé. They never shared the information.
Sergeant Elanzo Noel noticed the withdrawn lady sitting alone in the corner and went to her. With charm, dignity, and cajolery he managed to drag her out to the dance floor. He kept her out there, or in his company, for the rest of the night. In the end it was the oldest SASR, the one who wasn't even looking to meet a girl, who found his love that night. It would take another eighteen months of patient, loving persuasion; but in the end Japan lost a gifted young lady and Hiou lost his manager. Matsuda's second love turned out to be everything that Richard was not.
The story of what the TAG team found when they busted down the door was told over and over that night. The Lieutenant said it best when he ended his version with, "I'll never be able to drink a cup of coffee without laughing, ever again."
* * *
Director Shinai allowed everyone to sleep in until 10am the next morning before he gathered the cast and crew together. "Everyone has had a stressful two days. We have made tremendous progress in filming our movie and we are actually ahead of schedule. I've spoken with the producers and they agree: We're giving everyone a week-long break before we resume filming. For those of you from Japan, I've arranged for round-trip tickets home if you want them. Everyone, please have a fun and safe week."
Everyone applauded in surprise at the announcement. Within hours the people were scattered to the four winds.
* * *
Renate Analise DeGarmo lingered until the morning to make her goodbyes to Kanae. "Do you forgive me for deceiving you?"
"I would forgive you if you were willing to stay on as my manager." Kanae responded archly.
Renate looked at the raven-haired beauty affectionately, "I really wish that I could. But I've still got a job to do, and there is no end of criminals out there to deal with." She raised a graceful hand up and brushed a long strand of hair off of Kanae's shoulder. "But I would like to stay in contact. Someday I want to spoil the children you and Hiou make."
Kanae blushed crimson, "Sophia! He's five years younger than I am and he's just a kid!"
"Yes," Renate said, quite seriously, "but in six years he'll be twenty. If what I see in him now is any evidence to what he'll become, then you'll have a real fine man on your hands. Personally, I'd wait for him."
Kanae wanted to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Where will you go now?"
"Back to Rome first. Then, who knows. I have my own fine man that I've been stringing along for far too long. Maybe if I finally let him catch me I'll end up with a daughter as wonderful as you."
The two beautiful women hugged affectionately. As Kanae watched Renate leave, she thought about all that her ex-manager had said.
* * *
There was one more meeting on that day that is noteworthy. Kouenji Erika, flanked by Albert Foss, stood at gate 12b of the airport and waited as the first-class passengers disembarked. A tall, dignified, middle-aged Japanese man was the fifth man off. As soon as he saw his beautiful blond daughter he rushed forward and seized her in a tight embrace.
Nobody can blame him if he shed a few bitter tears that afternoon over the daughter that he had horribly neglected and almost lost.
Notes: This is a short chapter, and a little bit of a filler, but necessary for the next chapters. The next chapter, "Much wise counsel," needs to stand alone, so I will break the story here.
Please let me know what you think of the story so far.