Chapter 29: Violation of Privacy
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Kyoko deserves a doting father.
Yashiro drove down the street towards the Darumaya. It was pretty lively for the late hour. He looked into his rear view mirror as a pair of emergency vehicles came upon him. He pulled to the side of the road to allow them to pass safely. The blaring of sirens startled his charges from their stupor.
"What is it?" Asked Kyoko as she watched the cars retreat into the distance.
Ren was trying to crane his neck to see up ahead. "I can't see anything. It could be a car accident up ahead, hopefully no one is injured," he whispered that last part as he tightened his arms around Kyoko.
Kyoko hugged him back as she felt the tell tale signs of his past coming back to haunt him. She knew he was thinking about Rick. She couldn't do much but hold him with Yashiro in the car.
"This is the only road to your place Kyoko. We'll try to go as far as we can. If we have to turn around you can always stay at Ren's," explained Yashiro.
Kyoko nodded.
Yashiro continued to drive, up ahead they could make out where the vehicles were stopped on the side of the road. There were several news vehicles trying to get a scoop.
Ren realized exactly where they were stopped at, "Yashiro-San."
"I know, I see them," Yashiro responded. He pulled the car over. He took off his glasses, jacket, tie and rolled up his shirt sleeves.
"I'll check it out on foot. You two should head to the apartment. I'll call you when I know something."
Yashiro checked his pockets, wallet, phone, rubber glove. He gave them a nod and walked off.
Kyoko had a bad feeling as she watched Yashiro walk towards the chaos. "What's going on Corn? Do you think something happened to the Darumaya couple?"
"I can't lie and tell you not to worry. Let's just try to hold it together until we hear from Yashiro," said Ren as he turned the car around to head to his apartment.
Kyoko looked at the clock on her phone for the millionth time in the last five minutes. They had been waiting for news in Ren's apartment for what seemed like an eternity. They had time for her to take a shower and prepare a light meal for them. She wasn't really hungry but the task had kept her from going stir crazy.
Ren's phone buzzed. He read the text from Yashiro, "I have my key, so I'm coming up."
As he was telling Kyoko that Yashiro was here the door bell rang. Kyoko leaped up to open the door before Ren had the chance.
Yashiro entered holding an overnight bag and a large glass with Prince Rosa in it. Looking grave, he removed his shoes.
"Don't worry your landlords are fine. Okami-San is just a bit shaken up." He said as he placed the glass on the table.
Kyoko sagged on to the couch in relief. She was elated that they were unscathed. Her imagination was running amuck thinking of the worst possible scenarios.
"So what happened?" Asked Ren.
Yashiro rehashed the story of what had transpired after he parted ways with them. There were more reporters than expected. He could hear Kyoko's name being used as they reported live at the scene. Kyoko would be the center of the tabloids again for a while. He had lingered along the side of the police perimeter trying to catch bits and pieces of what had happened.
He flagged down Okami-San and Taisho's attention when they finally emerged from the building bowing to a detective.
They offered Yashiro to come inside. No one knew who the man was that entered the restaurant with the owners, maybe their lawyer or an insurance agent, all they could agree on for sure was that he was good looking.
Okami-San placed a cup of green tea in front of Yashiro.
After he took a sip, Taisho asked, "Is Kyoko safe?"
"Yes," replied Yashiro, "we were on our way here when we noticed the commotion. I thought it best she stayed with Ren tonight until I can figure out the details. Can you tell me what happened?"
Taisho turned to his wife and nodded.
Okami began, "Well during our dinner time rush, I heard a crash from upstairs. It left me curious because Kyoko was not expected home until late. So I came up to investigate and found a man rummaging in Kyoko's room. I was so frightened, I turned and fled to get my husband but by the time we returned he had already fled out the window. We called the police because we wanted the culprit captured. We asked for discretion since it was a non-emergency but apparently word got out about the situation. We're sorry we caused needless trouble for her. We didn't want Kyoko to ever get hurt in this house."
Yashiro scrunched his eyebrows as he thought, "was this just a crazed fan of Kyoko's. I think it's time she moved to a more secure location." She had refused to move after the awards ceremony. She took the tabloid articles in stride like a true professional. The good press about their relationship far outweighed the bad so she was able to get out of that mess relatively unscathed. The paparazzi got bored of camping out at her place since she was only ever there to sleep these days. She was busy with interviews, Bo, CMs, photoshoots and most of all the Sacred Lotus with their aggressive schedule took a good chunk of her time. Since things were quieting down, the President decided to let it be. That was only a week ago. With this new development, there was no way they could ignore this despite her desire to stay.
"I understand your feelings. I would have done the same thing if a stranger was found in my house. Do you have any idea if anything had been stolen?" Inquired Yashiro.
"I'm not sure, but the room was a lot messier than it was before I ran out. The vase holding the blue rose was the loud crash I heard." Okami brought the rose contained in a large glass over to the table. "I'm afraid Kyoko will have to take a closer look."
"Do you mind if I see the room? Also can you please pack some clothes for Kyoko," asked Yashiro.
Feeling like an intruder himself, he followed Okami up to the room. It was a modest Japanese girl's room. He smiled as he spied the poster of Ren on the wall. He didn't know it, but she had long ago disposed of the poster she had of Sho. All the gifts she had received from her friends were carefully adorning the room. The clothes in her drawers were strewn about the room. Out of respect for Kyoko, he ignored the pieces of lingerie he had to step over. He wanted be able to tell her what state her room was in should she ask. The items that normally sat on her dresser were scattered on the floor. Okami-San went about righting the room. Within ten minutes the mess was cleaned up and the bag was packed.
Yashiro thanked her as he took the bag from her. As he was taking his leave, he turned back to the owners, "I hate to say this but I think Kyoko may need to find a more secure place of residence."
"We know, my husband and I, have entertained the possibility of her leaving now that her fame has increased tremendously. We will miss her dearly," said Okami a slight tremor in her voice.
Yashiro thanked them again and headed out. By then, the commotion had dissipated and the streets were clear again. Down the block on a busier street he hailed a cab.
"So here I am. I think you have to think seriously about moving Kyoko." Said Yashiro when he was done recounting the night's event.
Kyoko sighed heavily. She knew Yashiro was right. She was only bringing trouble to her landlords. She also couldn't forgive the nerve of this thief for violating her privacy. She shuddered to think what would have happened if she was in the room at the time. Would the thief have been deterred or would something more devistating have occurred.
"Yashiro-San, was the thief apprehended?" Asked Ren. He wondered if this was a one time incident or if they were dealing with a stalker. Those types of perpetrators were common in their field. He was worried about Kyoko but he couldn't believe his good fortune.
"You can move in with me. We could be roommates," Ren piped in, a little too excited, forgetting the serious matter that her safety was top priority. He tried to contain his enthusiasm as he gave her logical reasons. He had high tech security that will offer her protection. She spent a lot of time here already, heck she had practically taken over the guest rooms. She had clothes in the closet and toiletries in the bathroom. Yashiro would only have to make one stop. Think of the reduce stress Yashiro would be under.
Plus he knew this last one would be the clincher, "I can be there to protect you at night. I'm worried that there's someone out on the loose that could potentially hurt you. I couldn't bare it if you were hurt," he told her entwining his fingers with hers. His eyes, serious, as he looked into hers.
Yashiro rolled his eyes at Ren's dramatics. He was happy for his friend and knew Ren would never take advantage of her so he decided to be his wingman. "Those are all valid reasons Kyoko, what do you think. It would be a great help throughout the day if I only had to make one stop. Plus your safety is our top priority. It would be so easy to move in here. Otherwise, there will be the hassle of finding a secure place, deposits, the cost of something similar would be high for a single person. I'm sure if you budget well you can get something but it may stretch you thin for a while before you can breath financially as your work steadily increases. You two both have busy schedules unfortunately any place you chose would only be a place to store your things and sleep."
Biting her lower lip she asked apprehensively, "is that really ok with you Ren? Won't I be a bother and cause you trouble instead?"
"Are you kidding, I've been trying to get you to move in with me since the night I found out you were Bo! With our busy schedules I would love to know that I can see you again, guaranteed every night and that you're safe in my arms."
"Ehhhh! You were serious then?" She cried surprised that he was actually serious when he mentioned that in front of the Ishibashi brothers. Since that day, even though the brothers knew of her relationship with Ren they didn't treat her differently. All three guys praised her tremendously for her nomination. In fact Hikaru-san has been able to act more natural with her. He still invited her to dinner. She now recognized that in the past he was asking her out on a date. When he asked her now it was to share in the company as friends with the other brothers except she still didn't have time for dinner since she chose to spend what little free time she had with Ren. Maybe staying with Ren could be a good thing.
"If it means I can have you by my side, I'm always serious,"l Ren said without batting an eye. How this guy can say such embarrassing things in front of Yashiro, marveled her, he diefinitely used to be a playboy.
"Ok I'll move in. I realize that the culprit was clearly there because of me. I can't bring that trouble to my landlords. If it becomes a problem for you here then we'll think of something else. I don't want to cause your problems. But I'll be a proper roommate. I'll pay for my half of everything rent, utilities..."
"You don't have to I can cover all that." He thought quickly as he saw her starting to regret her hasty decision. "How about you be in charge of groceries and cooking and we can split chores?
"Ren do chores, it's so unheard of." She looked around at how tidy his place was. He didn't have much of anything that wasn't a necessity. The only personal touch to the room was the recently framed candid photo of them that Sousuke-San took before they left R'Mandy for the awards ceremony.
"I prefer my privacy so I do all my own cleaning. Except laundry, my building offers the service for a monthly fee. You can use it too as it is not by person but apartment. Sound like a deal?"
Smiling she held out her hand to seal it. Ren laughed and shook her hand.
Yashiro clapped, he was fangirling at the fact that his two charges can now play house together. He tried to imagine Ren's elated face when he came home from a busy day at work only to find his beloved waiting for him in an apron, "Do you want to eat dinner or me?"
"Kyaa!" Yashiro screamed with glee. He was so excited. Kyoko and Ren ignored their manager's outburst; they were used to it.
Ren cleared his throat and flashed his gentleman smile at Yashiro. The manager cringed under his sparkly smile.
"We will need to set some time up to get your stuff tomorrow Kyoko. I would be more at ease if you were in a secure environment right away. Plus your landlords weren't sure what was stolen so you will have to go through things slowly. I'll inform the President on my way home"
Kyoko wasn't worried, she didn't have anything of value in her room except for...her eyes widened. She grabbed her bag and dumped out its contents. She rifled through everything. It's not here, she thought, tears pricking her eyes. She had left her corn stone on her dresser that morning in her haste to head out. She hoped he was safe.
Three nights earlier...
Morimoto knocked on the seedy looking basement door. A large man with a mean face appeared on the small opening looking him over, "password," he grunted.
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it," said Morimoto dryly. He groaned inwardly as he thought this guy still had a thing for Confucius.
He heard the distinct sound of the door unlocking as the man pulled open the door for him to enter. Despite the appearances outside, the interior was high class. A place for the rich to play in private. He passed through gambling tables and ignored the hostesses that propositioned him. He was here for one thing, to meet the owner. He had never been here before since it's been a long time since he had set foot in Japan. He was an old acquaintance from his early days on the street.
"Hey Tadashi! It's been a while since Brooklyn, come and sit down. I have what you asked for," called his old acquaintance in English from a secluded booth.
"Sota," he nodded to the man and took a seat across from him.
"Hey is that some way to greet your old friend." Sota held his hands up in surrender as Morimoto glared at him.
"Do you have what I asked for?" he asked a little impatient. He really hated dealing with this guy. He was way too familiar with him and yet he knew he could trust him to be discreet.
Sota passed him a manilla envelope. Morimoto opened the envelop and took a quick scan at the contents. He retrieved a thick envelope from the inside pocket of his leather jacket. It contained the payment for the information.
"I found this particular job interesting, Kyoko-San is very beautiful, a bump in her past but nothing too tragic. All the details are in there. Could she possibly be yours? The timing adds up to when you disappeared."
Ignoring Sota's questions, he asked, "I need something else. A DNA sample of hers. I'm sure you know her current residence, can you make it happen?" He tucked the envelope into his jacket as he stood up to leave.
Sota nodded, "Return in two nights, I'll text you the new password."
Morimoto rolled his eyes, "you watch to many mob movies." Sota chuckled as he watched him leave. He wondered if this new situation would change his cold "friend" back into the guy he used to know.
As agreed upon, Morimoto found himself knocking on the same door two nights later. He had reviewed the information given to him, medical records, brith certificate, family registry and the like.
The guilt ate at him knowing that he had ruined her life early on when he saw the medical records regarding her psychological welfare. He was stunned to see the word "suicide."
He had browsed the internet for Sae-chan and found the video clip of her TV trial. It was most definitely her. The woman that almost made everything he worked hard for come crashing down because he fell in love. The only woman that held his heart. The words, "I do not have a child," resounded in his mind.
She was no longer the woman he knew but at least she found a way to continue living. She was as beautiful as he remembered, though a little more statuesque. Cold as marble and unwavering.
Could he have been wrong on his assumption? She admitted on television to not having a child. Was there another Mogami Saena with the same history as her. No, she had lied on television which made him wonder why. The information provided said that she lived apart from Kyoko starting from when she was just six years old. That's a very tender age for a mother to abandon her daughter.
At least with him he was an orphan but he knew a parental love. His parents had died when he was eight in a fatal car accident. He had been at school when that occurred. Having no other known relatives he was lost in the system passed on from one abusive home to another until he was smart enough to run away and survive on his own.
He did what was necessary to survive then, some of it he wasn't proud of but it didn't break him. All the challenges he faced as a child only strengthened him to become stronger. There was many temptation to give up, give in to the seduction of drugs or death but he refused and continued forward. Choosing to do his best to become successful. How the world had not broken him was a miracle.
He was able to attend a public school and scrape by doing odd jobs. When he was of age he worked several jobs to continue his education. He even managed to get scholarships for a reputable high school and college. Although he was smart, his outward appearance was disheveled and a bit clumsy. He used his act as a teenager to approach Saena. With her naive personality, she couldn't possibly leave a hopeless guy like him alone.
He was the golden boy of his company at the time rising to the top quickly and ruthlessly taking down opponents. By then he was no longer aloof. With his high aptitude for business and good looks, he was instantly recognized for his achievements. His company was struggling to win the case against Jousei that had been dragging out for five years. It would cost them millions in yen and possible bankruptcy if they lost.
Morimoto had come up with a plan to infiltrate the opposing law firm handling the case. He confirmed Saena as his target. He observed her for a few weeks before making contact as Misonoi Kazushi someone he knew that would appeal to the hard working and naive ways of Mogami Saena. He used a side of himself that he never showed in public these days so it wasn't a complete lie. Except for the aspiring lawyer part, everything that transpired between them was the truth. He didn't expect to fall in love with her so fast and so hard. That love made him waiver in his mission. He left subtle hints for her to see what he was on about but he believed she just chose to ignore them.
The small hatch on the door suddenly opened up startling Morimoto from his thoughts.
"Password," the same doorman from last time grunted.
"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." Morimoto replied, Sota was definitely finding enjoyment in his predicament.
Morimoto stood in his office looking at the Tokyo skyline. His corner office in one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo afforded him an unhindered view of the city. He had sacrificed a lot in his life to obtain his place here, friendship, love, and now family. At his age what did he have to show for it wealth, power, prestige. Today he asked himself, was it worth it?
His thoughts were interrupted by his secretary, Tanaka Mya-chan. He blinked to focus as he turned to the older woman. Mya-Chan, as she liked to be called, had been with him since the beginning as he made his ascension. A clucking mother hen. Always frowning when he made poor decisions but making it her duty to always be there to pick him up.
She was by his side almost eighteen years ago when he decided to make the life altering decision to be selfish and choose his career over the woman he loved. When he broke down after he was given his position in the firm to run one of the most lucrative branches in New York City, she scolded him. He had no right to feel despair. This was his choice so he had to stand up and walk the path. He was on an airplane the very next morning never looking back.
He had been in Japan for less than two months now and slowly the ghosts of days past were catching up to him. He was here to close a business deal and then high tail it back to the states. Although, there was nothing waiting for him in New York but a cold career and a colder apartment. It was lonely at the top. He had several lovers over the years but never any of them coming close to owning even a small piece of his heart as "Sae-Chan." Eventually, they all left him and he let them go.
Mya-chan glanced at her Boss' desk. There were a slew of papers scattered about. She caught sight of medical records and even spotted a birth certificate. There was a nondescript shopping bag on the desk as well. She wondered what it contained.
"Yes, Mya-Chan?" Asked Morimoto in English.
Mya turned to look at her Boss. He looked tired. His usually brilliant gold eyes looked haunted. There were shadows under his eyes. The whites of his eyes also looked blood shot. Was being back home finally taking its toll.
"Sir, I'm just reminding you that your meeting this morning is still on. We should be closing this deal soon and be on our way back home," said Mya in a business tone. Morimoto was relieved she didn't ask. She was a very intelligent woman so he was quite sure she didn't miss anything on his desk. The fact that she chose to remain silent was one the reasons he trusted her completely.
"Thank you Mya-Chan for the reminder. I'd be lost without you!" He said with a chuckle as he returned to his desk. When she left, his attention fail to the bag. Sato has given him the bag last night in response to his request. Morimoto had a lab tech on standby to confirm his results as soon as possible.
If anyone were to look in this bag they would think he had a woman in his life. He rummaged through the clothing, past the brush that contained strands of hair, a hand mirror, and figurines until his hand clasped around the object he sought after. He opened the little pouch and withdrew the stone. He held it up and watched the brilliant blue color change as he held it up to the light of day. It wasn't a valuable stone on its own but the fact that it belonged to his daughter made it priceless.
AN: Phew, I thought I wouldn't get this one done. Holidays, family and all but somehow I managed. I hope the roommate reasons were a bit more clear. I'll admit it was hard writing this one. One of my key points was, as some of the reviewers guessed it, touching on Kyoko's father. I tried to give detail and also keep it vague because of my lousy imagination. I reread the Saena arc for this one. I keep making up these characters that I actually had to write them all down to keep myself straight...lol. Ugh I hope I got all my name typos. Third time is a charm XD.
I hope this chapter wasn't a miss. Thank you again to all the readers and for those that leave reviews, you're awesome! I appreciate all of you.
Until next time, Sayonara _
