Warmth
"Are you okay?" inquires the Okami-san as she places a large plastic bin of dirty dishes on the counter beside the dishwasher which Kyoko is busy utilizing to clean up after the dinner rush. After Ren and Yashiro left the restaurant, Kyoko had been desperate for a diversion and so she begged to help the older couple instead of retreating to the silence of her room where she would be sure to do nothing but worry. The older woman glances with concern at the young actress when she once more replies that she is fine. Leaving the kitchen, the older woman can not help but sigh. It is obvious that something is bothering her young boarder, and it saddens the older woman that Kyoko will not share her distressing concerns. Not for the first time, the traditional woman wishes that the young girl that she and her husband both love like a true daughter would share her worries with her. She has always believed that it is a parents duty to help his or her child, and the woman can not avoid the desire to aid Kyoko in facing whatever issues have fallen roughly into her young lap.
The Okami-san enters the dining area of the restaurant just as the bell jingles to announce a new arrival. Unconsciously, she greets the new guests with her customary welcome until she realizes that the late evening customers are actually special guests here for Kyoko and not food.
"Kyoko is in the kitchen helping with the dishes," the traditional woman explains to her more modern counterpart. "You're welcome to go right back if you wish."
With a beautiful smile that lights up her blue eyes, Hizuri Juli thanks the other woman before gliding regally through the archway into the private area.
Distracted by the Taisho's expert cooking skills, Kuu wanders over to the diner-like service counter and strikes up a conversation with the stoic gentleman while his wife collects their unsuspecting second son. Fifteen minutes later, a still slightly distracted Kyoko follows her adopted mother from the private part of the business. She has a ragged overnight bag slung over her shoulder. The Taisho's dark eyes narrow slightly when he witnesses the bag.
"Are you going out for the night, Kyoko?" the chef asks with a piercing look.
A bit startled to have the older man inquire directly about her plans, Kyoko instantly replies that the Hizuris have invited her to spend their last night with them at their hotel.
"We'll make sure she gets safely to school tomorrow morning," offers Kuu as he snags a final bite of the beef special from a large red bowl that the Taisho offered him while he waited. The restaurant owner nods once to acknowledge that he is placing Kyoko's safety in their hands. After reading the letter from the president of LME, the Taisho and his wife are appropriately horrified that someone is threatening to hurt their daughter. Even with the assurance of protection from the visiting American celebrities, both the Taisho and the Okami-san watch their cute charge exit their company with concern in their eyes. Silently, the Taisho hopes that Kyoko will be safe while his wife adds her own hope that Kyoko will at least share her concerns with the Hizuris. Although slightly jealous with the thought that the Kyoko may consider the sophisticated and gorgeous model more of a mother then herself, the older woman can not help but hope that Kyoko will share her issues with Hizuri-san. Like a true parent, her desire for Kyoko to be happy and safe far outweighs her own petty issues.
Kyoko comes padding on bare feet from the opulent hotel bathroom in the Hizuri's suite. She is dressed warmly in her favorite fuzzy pajamas. The comfy clothes are made from the softest brushed fleece that the actress has ever felt. The loose fitting pants are soft green patterned with tiny yellow flowers while the top is a solid green with a huge flower on the chest. On the edge of the flower, three fairies flutter around it as if gardening. One holds a watering can, one holds a tiny trowel and one holds a pair of pruning shears. When Kyoko saw the pajamas on the clearance rack last spring, she immediately knew that she had to have them, and the nightwear quickly became her favorite comfort clothes. There is something almost magical in the way clothes that are warm and comfortable can help a person feel more at ease. That the outfit sports one of Kyoko's favorite indulgences just further seals the deal.
The young actress drops softly onto the closest end of the large couch while Kuu and Juli snuggle on the opposite end of the large, overstuffed luxury furniture piece. Kyoko absently slips on a fuzzy pair of socks as her attention is drawn to the screen of the large television. She shivers at the image of a large, sinister man gliding from the shadows. BJ coldly kills his first of many victims with a single shot to the back of the head before fading into the darkness once more.
"Ooohh, he is soooo creepy," squeals Juli as she grins joyfully and shivers in response. Her husband chuckles in agreement.
Kyoko frowns.
"I didn't think that Tragic Marker would be available for home purchase until the new year," comments the young actress as she wonders what the older woman will think when she discovers that the cold blooded killer in the film is none other then the handsome actor whose career Juliena has been following for years.
Kuu grins with all the arrogance of someone who is accustomed to special treatment and replies happily "Boss gave us an early release copy. He thought we might enjoy it. Have you seen it?"
Kyoko nods.
"Tsuruga-san did a great job as a psychotic killer. Don't you think?" Kuu innocently asks with a twinkle in his eyes.
Kyoko's mouth drops open in amazement, and the older couple laughs.
"Cain Heel can't fool us," giggles Juli. "We can tell it is your beloved senpai acting the part of BJ."
"Really? You could tell?" Kyoko sputters. She is amazed that someone else besides herself could tell at a glance that the actor, Cain Heel portraying the part of BJ was actually Tsuruga Ren. Not even the media had discovered it. In an industry that thrives on discovering secrets, it truly is amazing that this one has remained in the shadows for so long. It will be a huge boost for sales when the producers announce Ren's identity in association with the home release.
Kuu reaches for the remote control and pauses the movie.
"Tsuruga-san is a very talented actor," Juli states as she shifts her attention to her adopted daughter, "but no one can fool us. We are old hands after all."
Kuu laughs and hugs his wife with a single arm before standing.
"That's actually not true," the actor admits as he moves across the room. He ruffles Kyoko's hair as he passes her. "I have actually been fooled twice by my second son."
The females in the room stare at the handsome older actor as he pulls a bag of snacks from the counter and returns to the sofa. He grins at the dumbfounded expressions on both his companions' faces. He takes a moment to build the suspense from his statement as he opens his store bought treat.
"It's true," he admits sheepishly. "Kyoko tricked me twice. Granted, the second time I was just waking up, but I really thought she was Kuon."
"When was the first time?" his wife asks with a still amazed expression lighting her face in disbelief.
Kuu barks a laugh. He can't believe he forgot to tell his lovely wife this story already.
"The first time was when she claimed to be speaking to the Boss about me. She told him that the job was going well and that everything was fine even though I had been mean to her. I didn't realize that she wasn't actually speaking with Lory. She completely had me tricked with her skills as an actress."
Kyoko blushes profusely and apologizes for tricking him. Kuu just laughs once more before assuring her that he deserved it at the time and that he was glad that she did it. Kyoko and Juli both glance at him questioningly. He returns their looks with an indulgent smile.
"I'm glad that you tricked me because it cemented in my own mind how utterly amazing your acting skills are. You truly are a gem that just needs a little polishing and you will soon outshine everyone else."
Kyoko blushes at the compliment and stutters a thank you for what she feels is an exaggerated compliment. She can't help but attribute his praise to her adopted father's normal idiot parent routine. It tightens something in her chest to think not only that Kuu respects her skills as an actress but also that he cares enough about her as his second son to treat her with all the adoration that was previously showered upon the real Kuon.
"Well, you definitely are an amazing actress, Kyoko, but you still can't fool me. You're not acting now, and I know that something is bothering you," states Juli. "You need to tell us what is bothering you. It will make you feel better."
Kyoko assures the older couple that she is perfectly fine. Juli crosses her arms and stabs the teen with a piercing look which makes the young actress wiggle in discomfort. Anxiously, Kyoko clasps her hands in her lap and nibbles lightly on her lower lip as she contemplates if it is acceptable to explain all the thoughts bouncing around in her mind like a dozen ping pong ball in a championship tournament.
"It's more than being upset about the threats, right?" prods Juli as she reaches towards the trembling hands of her clearly distraught adopted child. It has been clear all evening that something or possibly a number of somethings weighs heavily on Kyoko's mind. The older woman's elegant and perfectly manicured fingertips brush gently across Kyoko's shaking hands. Kyoko raises golden orbs that seem haunted by too many stresses for a single teenager to handle at one time.
"I'm scared about the threats," admits the fledgling entertainer "but I do believe that President Takarada has done everything he can to ensure that I am safe."
Her hand absently brushes over the personal GPS and security alarm watch on her wrist. She has never feared anyone before so the experience is a new one for her. In the past, she has always been able to use her own strength to overcome her obstacles. This time though, the obstacle is vague and mostly unknown. It makes her feel even more apprehensive. Luckily for the teen, she implicitly trusts the people tasked with her safety. It helps steady her nerves at least slightly.
"I will follow all his rules to help keep anything bad from happening to me. Everyone at LME will take good care of me."
"So what else is bothering you, sweetie?"
Kyoko glances from the gorgeous woman sitting beside her to the equally handsome man beside her. Both are looking at Kyoko with expressions of obvious concern. Just like the Okami-san and the Taisho, this couple genuinely cares about Kyoko. Unlike her more traditional landlords, the Hizuris feel comfortable with expressing their desire to help her in more vocal and sometimes even down-right pushy mannerisms. Kyoko freezes for a moment as her mind and heart finally find accord with the statement Juli made earlier in the week. Both her fathers really do love her and so do her mother figures. Tears suddenly swim along the edges of the teen's eyes. The wet wash of happiness overflows and tracks down her cheeks as a soft smile spread across her lips.
Promising herself that the next time the Okami-san asks her if she is okay that she will tell her the truth, Kyoko opens her mouth and spills all her current worries on the laps of her currently available parents. She starts slowly. Similar to the discussion with Yashiro earlier in the day, Kyoko describes the situation plaguing her memories of her fairy prince and her fears about Koga actually being Corn. She then proceeds to explain that she took Juli's advice on forgiveness and her attempts to stumble down the jagged path of forgiveness for her previous best friend and childhood prince. She admits that she just does not know what to do about his confession. Kyoko knows that opening her heart to anyone romantically carries the strong potential for pain and she refuses to endanger herself once more. For a number of minutes, Kyoko rants about love and all its harmful manipulations.
Listening to the irate rant, Kuu covers his mouth to keep his second son from seeing his amused grin. The actor can't believe how verbally scathing Kyoko's views on romantic love are. It seems very unlike the girl who is overflowing with love for others and for life to find true love repulsive. He decides in that moment that he will do anything in his power to help Kyoko see how truly wonderful an experience with love can be. In his musing about how to prove his point to the slightly clueless and unbelievably stubborn girl, he misses when she changes topics.
Kyoko slides into a lament about how confusing people with families can be for people without them.
"I mean, really, do siblings kiss on the lips?" she rants almost rhetorically. "How am I supposed to know if they do when I have never had a brother or a sister?"
A bit of a grin seeps across Juli's previously concerned countenance and she attempts to cut into Kyoko's monologue of confusion when she wonders which of the young men who are pursuing the actress kissed Kyoko. She misses her chance though because Kyoko is on a roll and nothing, not even the formidable model, can stop her explosion of rambling emotion. In fact, by this point, Kyoko is so agitated that she jumps from the couch and begins pacing. Her audience stills and takes an anticipatory breath at her next muttering.
"And Ren. Why did he wait until today to ask me to the awards ceremony? Why not yesterday? Why not the day before? Why not a week ago?" she growls gruffly. "But no... he has to wait until after LME sets up Shotaro to be my date then he decides that he should ask me."
The actress stops her restless pacing and glares at the Hizuris. "What was he thinking?" Kyoko grumbles. "What am I supposed to do now?"
Kyoko finally falls silent. The moment of stillness draws into a heavy atmosphere of anticipation. The actress waits on pins an needles for some type of response from the older couple.
"Come here, Sweetie," prompts Juliena as she softly pats the overstuffed couch that Kyoko has previously vacated.
Unable to resist the gentle and love-filled direction, Kyoko settles once more into the seat. Absently, she runs her fingers in a tracing pattern over the small flowers on her pajama bottoms as she waits for her adopted parents to offer her direction.
"Let's start with the easy one. No, siblings do not normally kiss on the lips and if one of your young friends kissed you like that then they were most likely trying to show how much that they care about you."
Juli waits a moment to watch Kyoko's response to her comment. It is surprising the almost blank look on Kyoko's face as she processes the information. The model then inquires as to which gentleman had approached her in such a manner. With a soft blush, Kyoko explains the story about Hikaru taking her out for hot chocolate when she was upset and his soft kiss at the end. A pensive expression steals onto Kyoko's countenance.
"So, does that mean that Hikaru was my first kiss?" she questions softly as she wonders if this experience falls under the category of actor's rule of the heart that Ren had explained to her previously. She briefly considers if she wants to have Hikaru-san as her first kiss. With a slight queasiness in her stomach, she admits that as far as first kisses went, it was nice. It was definitely superior to being attacked by a rabid anteater.
Juli takes a sharp breath. She can't believe that no one has kissed her sweet little girl before this. The model can't help but worry about how strange her son is for having not at least kissed the girl even once in all the time that he has known her.
Kuu growls softly. He had originally liked the young Ishibashi boy, but he is not sure if he approves of the idea of the boy already kissing his second son. Perhaps he will need to have a discussion with the Boss about the situation so that he knows what is happening. Perhaps Lory can help keep a closer eye on the teen. For a brief moment, Kuu also wonders if he should warn Kuon about the leader of Bridge Rock like he did about Fuwa's intentions. With a bit of an evil grin, the older man decides that it is none of his business. After all, Tsuruga Ren is not his son Kuon so what loyalty does he need to show him. Although he would love to have Kyoko as his daughter in law, the actress has already shown that she wants to be part of his family. He can be happy with having a second son. He just wants what will be best for his second son, and from what he has seen, Ishibashi-san is not a bad choice. The young man obviously cares about Kyoko and is willing to act upon those feelings. Kuu ascribes to the belief that, at times, actions can speak louder than words. He has seen with his own eyes the effort the Bridge Rock leader has contributed to his second son's well-being. The actor was duly impressed with the boy's innovative idea to enlist temporary LoveMe members to help complete Kyoko's tasks so that she could enjoy more time with himself and his wife.
While Kuu finishes his contemplation on Hikaru, Juli draws the conversation forward to another issue and offers very similar advice to the suggestions that Ren's meticulous manager had recommended in regards to her fairy prince. This topic though has Kuu concerned. He has heard too many bad rumors about Koga Hiromune to think that he is an acceptable companion for his innocent Kyoko. Although Kuu would be the first to admit that the tabloids and rumor mongers rarely get the entire picture correct, he suspects that there is more then a kernel of truth to the stories about Japan's second ranked actor.
"Perhaps you should be a bit conservative in your approach with Koga-san," suggests the actor. "I would wait and see. Talk to him some more. Ask him about his childhood. Find out about him now. Even if he was your beloved fairy prince in the past, you should decide if you want him in your life now based on his current actions and not childhood memories. No matter how precious the memories are, the current person is who you have before you now. Keep that in mind. It will help protect you."
Juli squeals in delight.
"Oh, darling, what a genius you are. That works for Kyoko and her issues with Fuwa-san also."
Juli claps her hands in delight like a small child who was just given a long awaited toy.
"You can focus on the musician now instead of the boy from your past. That should help you decide how you feel about him currently. Look at him as a person in the present. Is he truly someone you want to know and spend time with now?"
"But what about all the hurt he caused?" grumbles Kyoko as she rebels at the idea of just brushing away all the pain his cruel treatment elicited.
"Do you truly wish to forgive him, Sweetie?" Juli nudges.
Kyoko sighs and admits that she thinks that she does. She can't help but feel that her almost obsession with the betrayal of her prince has caused her growth to stagnate. She wants to mature and has finally accepted that perhaps forgiving Sho is the only way to do so.
"Well, then I think that you should try to focus on now instead of the past. Not that I think you should forget everything you shared. Far from it. I just think that you should look at the passionate young man as he is now and then temper that opinion with the things that happened in the past. Don't let your previous pain nor your previous hero worship cloud the truth of who Fuwa Sho is right at this time. How does that sound?"
The room falls silent once more as the young actress considers Juli's suggestion. She finally nods her head and agrees to try. Juli pats the teen's knee and tells her how proud of her she is. The model knows how hard it can be to trust after being hurt. Kyoko beams in response to the contented happiness that settles over her at hearing the compliment on her intangible accomplishment. Until starting her new life in Tokyo, the teen received far too few honest compliments and the few she heard were for tangible actions and not for personal growth. Her adopted parents affection and warmth help still her rioting thoughts until only one last concern remains.
"So what do you suggest I do about Ren?" Kyoko asks to draw attention to her final problem. The Hizuris have given her so many good ideas to consider that she can't help but hope they can offer some insight into how to deal with her beloved senpai too.
The Hizuris exchange identical looks. Having been married as long as they have while sharing such a close relationship and having strengthened their receptive skills through their experiences acting helps the couple communicate almost more effectively with body language and expression than some couples do with speech. Their exchange this time is simple. They are not touching anything to do with Tsuruga Ren's relationship with Kyoko. Wild horses could not drag them into his romantic endeavors because if, unfathomable as it may be for his idiot-parent father to imagine his son losing, things do not end the way he hopes, Kuon's parents do not want to have any stake in the blame. They fear he would never forgive them. Instead of offering any advice, Juli offers only her sympathy that Kyoko is frustrated and that she hopes she can address the issue with her senpai soon.
Happy for the sympathy at least, Kyoko thanks her adopted parents for all their help. Brushing aside her thanks, Juli wraps her arms around the teen.
"Sweetie, all you have to do is ask and we will move heaven and earth for you. That's what parents do for the children they love. Parents might not always be perfect but they do love their kids perfectly."
Juli settles back into her husband's arms and pulls the smaller teen along with her until she too is snuggled against the older woman's shoulder. Kuu hits play on the recorder once more, and the trio turns their attention back to the summer's biggest hit thriller. For a few minutes, Kyoko sits stiffly, but Juli's hand shifting softly through her lightened hair finally relaxes even her steel spine posture. The teen succumbs to the gentle warmth and comfort; she relaxes into the type of embrace she fervently wished for all through her childhood. Her anxiety brushed aside for the time being, Kyoko's golden-eyes drift shut and she slips into a peaceful sleep.
