Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kanae Kotonami sat quietly in her living room with her finger hovering over the number on her speed dial, wondering if it was wise to call the person on the other end of the number. It had been two weeks since they spoke to each other last and at least five months since they had seen each other. She didn't know if she wanted to just surprise her in London at Fashion Week or, let her know she would be showing up.
"Mo..." She sighed. "If I don't call her, she'll do something stupid and act like an idiot, flinging herself at me and ruin the reputation she's built if anyone sees her." With that thought, she dialed.
The phone was picked up on the second ring.
"Moko-san!" The voice squealed.
"Mo! Kyoko calm down. I'm just calling to let you know I'll see you in London next week." Kanae told her.
There was silence for a moment. "Moko-san, I really hope you're at home." Kyoko said in a scolding voice.
Kanae smiled. "Of course I am. I would never use your name in public or, at work. You're secret is still safe; although, Tsuruga-san has been acting a bit strange lately. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Kanae asked in a conspiratorial tone.
"No?" She answered in a small voice.
"Are you sure?" Kanae needled.
Kyoko sighed heavily. "Alright... We've been e-mailing each other everyday." She confessed. "Andhecallsmeatbedtime." She added quickly.
"I'm sorry... repeat that." Kanae told her she wasn't sure she had heard right.
Kyoko whined. "Alright, alright... He calls me at bedtime!"
"When did this start happening?" Kanae asked in disbelief.
"Um... I guess a few days after New York Fashion Week." Kyoko told her in a far away voice, remembering how it had all happened. The night she and Julie had returned she had found a beautiful set of ruby earrings cut to look like tiny roses and an apology letter from him. What the letter had contained tugged at her heartstrings and with his sincere apology she couldn't bring herself to hold a grudge, so with Kuu and Julie's help she was able to contact him and they had been writing and calling ever since.
"I see. Well, just remember you are Lily when you see me Monday in London." Kanae reminded her.
Kyoko smiled. She would finally get to see the best friend that she hadn't seen in months in a matter of days. "Don't worry Moko-san, Mark will make sure I don't slip up and Julie is going to be there too."
"I get to meet Julie Hizuri?" You could almost hear the excitement in Kanae's voice.
"Of course. Mother and I are sharing a hotel room for the event and we'll get to go shopping too." Kyoko told her excitedly.
"So... are you going to tell her everything?" Kuu's serious tone lilted over the phone line to his son. "She deserves to know why you lied to her and I think she's been more than patient with you on this matter. She hasn't asked me or, you mother a thing about it since you left her that letter."
"I don't want to lose her when she finds out." Kuon sounded conflicted. He wanted to spill everything to Kyoko, but he didn't want her to run again when she discovered that he was responsible for Rick's death.
"She's not going to run. She already suspects. She's just waiting for you to open up to her. I can imagine that she believes that you don't trust her enough to tell her." Kuu explained.
"Dad! You know that isn't true." Kuon exclaimed. "I... I"
Kuu sighed. "You don't think you deserve to be happy... Right? Is that what you were going to say?"
Kuon sighed deeply. "Yeah..."
"What about her happiness? You do know she loves you... Right? I see it every time she speaks to you. If you don't take care of her... I will find someone that will. She doesn't deserve to be smothered in limbo, waiting for you to make a decision on whether you're good enough. If that is what you are thinking, you will never be good enough for her. Hell, I'm not good enough for you mother but, she still accepts me, heaven only knows why. You need to lay everything on the table and let her make that choice. Only she knows what she wants and it isn't your decision to tell her. She will tell you..." Kuu lectured in a serious tone. He wanted to get this through to his son right now when he was finally taking his advice and listening to it. He wanted to impress on Kuon that the decisions he was making no longer only effected him. They effected Kyoko too.
"I get it Dad. I know what I need to do. I just don't know how I'm going to go about doing it." He sounded tired and a bit defeated.
"Well, she will be flying out to London on Friday and your mother won't be there until Sunday. Why don't you make the best of what time you have?" Kuu suggested.
"I'll think about it." Kuon told him. "Thanks Dad."
They said their I love yous and hung up their phones.
Moments later Kuon received a text from his father with Kyoko's flight information. He chuckled "Thanks again Dad." and then dialed his best friend and manager.
"Ren... Did you need something?" Yashiro answered.
"Hey... Could you do me a favor and move up my flight to Thursday and cancel everything for that day. I have something important I need to take care of with a photo-shoot that's been moved in London?" He lied.
"Sure... I'll take care of that right away and email you the new information." Yashiro agreed, but with a little bit of suspicion in the back of his mind.
"Thanks. I really appreciate it. See you tomorrow." Kuon hung up and dialed another number.
The call was picked up on the second ring.
"Ren-chan... What can I do for you?" Jelly Woods chimed sweetly.
He needed this extra special favor so he chose his words carefully. "Um... Ten, I need to have my hair done Wednesday night instead of Thursday. I'm leaving a day earlier that originally planned."
"Of course. Do you mind if I drop by your apartment and do it there? I can make the trip on my way home." She asked.
"That won't be a problem." He told her.
"Did you want to make the switch in London earlier too?" She asked.
"No that won't be necessary. I can keep that appointment for Saturday evening still." He assured her. Yashiro wouldn't be flying in until Sunday anyway. "Thanks Ten." He almost slipped and called her Ms. Woods. "Please keep this between us."
Jelly giggled. "Don't worry I won't tell Darling. It'll be our little secret." She then hung up.
Kuon received the new information from Yashiro moments after. He sighed deeply. "I really hope this works." He mused to the empty living room.
Kyoko felt refreshed after talking to her best friend during her break. She would finally get to see her after being away from her for almost five months. It actually took her a few extra moments to pull herself back into the damaged character of Melanie Marrs for the next scene.
{Melanie lay curled up on the hospital bed, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets shivering. She could swear she felt someone watching her intently. She had been seeing a great many unusual things lately. There was the slaughter of all of those people at the park by the strange fire covered men or, demons, what seemed like ghosts were following her everywhere, she had discovered that there were such creatures as vampires and werewolves and finally she discovered that there were people that could actually turn themselves into water. It was terrifying. How was she supposed to give a sane account of everything that had happened when she didn't believe it herself?
"Melanie... Melanie. Come out. I need to speak to you about what has been happening to you." The breathy, quiet voice whispered.
"Go away! You aren't real! You're just a bad dream or, a hallucination!" She yelled in a shaky fear filled voice.
"No, this is real." It assured her. "I will not hurt you. You are one of us."
Her eyes grew wide and she quickly flipped the covers off to see who had been addressing her, only to find what seemed to be an apparition. She gasped.
"Be still and listen to me." The older woman told her as she materialized, then sat next to her. The woman then closed her eyes and began to explain. "Since the dawn of time the human race has been divided into several different species. Science has only discovered a few of them but, there are many, many more. Every legend has it's origins and truths. We have divided into different tribes. There is the Fire Tribe, the one that you encountered and believed to be demons. There is the Water Tribe that most mistake for Merfolk. The Children of the Earth, that most humans believe to be werewolves, vampires and other shape-shifters and finally there is the Tribe of the Wind, they are like me. We often get mistaken for ghosts or, guardian angels, but we are far from angels." She told her in a serious tone. "Do you understand?"
Melanie nodded silently trying to take in all of the information. "Where do I fit into all of this nonsense?" Melanie demanded an answer. She had a difficult enough time in her life right now after all that she had witnessed in the park and the death of her parents not even a month ago.
"My dear you are a shape-shifter. You belong to the Children of the Earth. You need to be with your own kind. Did your parents never tell you of this?" She informed her.
Melanie shook her head in disbelief.
The grandmotherly woman shook her head. "I suppose it's to be expected. Melanie, your parents were from two different tribes. Their union was a forbidden union. That they were not discovered and you were allowed to exist is a miracle within itself. Had they been discovered sooner, they would have been punished and you would have been terminated. That is no longer an issue." The woman's hand went through her own as she took it.
Melanie gasped in fear. "Wh-wh-what did you do to me?"
"Calm yourself. I was merely confirming what I already knew. You are a shifter. A very promising one at that. You deserve to be with your own kind and you deserve to learn more about yourself." The woman told her.
"What does that all mean?" She asked nervously.
"It means, my dear, your clan-mates will be by in the morning to meet with you and offer their protection. I suggest you take their offer." The woman then faded from the room as mysteriously as she appeared.}
"Cut... Very good job Chouko, Lena. Very convincing." Finally after three takes that scene was done and out of the way.
"I can hardly wait to see what it looks like when they add the CG." Kyoko mentioned to Lena, an older actress of about fifty years, yet still very beautiful in Kyoko's eyes.
"I agree and I think you did a splendid job Chouko. It's a pleasure working with you." Lena smiled. This girl was going to go a long way.
