The Shadow's Heart
Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat or Ashita no Ousama nor do I own any of the characters from either original story.
Chapter 53 – The story heard around the world
The following talk show is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to any particular major U.S. talk show is entirely coincidental (and you believe me, right?)
The live audience of the Sarah show applauded enthusiastically as the middle-aged host walked out onto the stage, waved, and took her usual, comfortable seat. On some occasions Sarah would have her first guest already seated, but on this occasion her guests would not join her until after a lengthy introduction..
To be honest, Sarah's producers had expressed their doubts as to whether or not the American viewing audience would be that interested in a couple whose exposure was almost exclusively known Japanese entertainment. Sarah had entertained her own doubts; despite her fascination with the serial story that had been taking the people of both nations… plus many more… by storm. Then a little judicious searching by one of Sarah's best staffers had revealed that the couple was not as unknown as she and her producers might have thought.
For quite a few years now, Asian dramas had been subtitled and posted on the internet. The Korean dramas seemed to have made the biggest impression in the U.S., while Japanese anime dominated a different crowd. But one Japanese drama had risen to the top of the Most Popular list and had remained there for a long time: Dark Moon. Sarah had sat down to watch the drama herself and had been so captivated that she had stayed up all night to watch all twenty episodes. She had laughed, cried, and raged at the villains along with the rest of the people who had been sucked in by the drama. She had fallen in love with the handsome protagonist, had rooted for the female lead, and had shivered whenever the frighteningly dangerous, horribly scarred cousin had made an appearance.
Sarah had also viewed several other dramas that featured either of her two main guests. The man was an excellent actor who was as talented as he was handsome, but it was the young female guest who had truly begun to capture Sarah's attention. That was because, for each role that the young actress played, Sarah had to repeatedly go back to the credits to verify that it was the same actress! In fact, Sarah had actually asked the same staffer who had spoken up before to verify that there wasn't two Kyoukos. The girl was a changeling!
Still, even after the staffer had assured her that her pending guest was, in fact, the one-and-only Kyouko, Sarah had struggled to reconcile the sweet girl in the story to the characters in the dramas. Nor could she entirely accept that Ren Tsuruga, who was a truly beautiful man, would choose this young woman over any other… until she watched Dangerous Academics and saw recorded clips from the play The Shadow's Heart. Then, and only then did Sarah begin to understand.
Now, as Sarah settled into her seat, she was once again trying to reconcile the girl she had just met to the girl in those films and dramas. Sarah had been an actor herself. Occasionally she still made appearances. But in all of her years in entertainment she had only met a very few other men or women who could bring a character to life in the way that the young woman behind the stage did. Sarah pushed those thoughts aside, smiled at the cameras, and began.
"Good morning, and welcome to the Sarah Palmer show. For the past two months the world has been waiting with bated breath each day for the next installment of a fascinating true story. The story, as most of you know, is about two destined lovers who met first, supposedly by chance, in a special clearing in the woods in Japan. At their first meeting, the boy was ten and the girl was six. They struck up an instant friendship and continued to meet together for ten days… and then they parted. Our mystery couple met again, by chance, at the same place of work ten years after they parted. The man, for reasons that will be explained today, had returned to Japan, changed his name, and started a new life. He recognized her after only a short time, but it would be almost two more years before she would realize his true identity.
"Nevertheless, they were drawn to each other inevitably, and they built a new relationship long before the truth came out. Here are some highlights of the story thus far:" The huge wall-screen behind Sarah lit up and began the dramatic reenactment of some of the more touching scenes. The actors on the screen never showed their faces; only legs and hands and the back of heads were ever shown as various emotionally-charged moments were featured: the blue stone falling down the stairwell; the day that Ren was sick and Kyoko nursed him back to health; the day that he flew to Seattle and protected her from her stalker; these and many more scenes captured the live and the viewing audience's emotions. When the final scene… Kyoko's recognition of Ren's true identity and their subsequent date… faded away, there was a moment of pregnant silence. Then the lights faded in and Sarah stood center-stage.
"I know that I am not the only one who has guessed and speculated about the true identity of our two lovers. I found out about the story late, but since then I have read each installment faithfully and have waited for the final chapter with eagerness. Now…" Sarah pulled a folded document out of her pocket and flourished it in front of the audience, "I have that final installment. Would you like me to read it?"
In one very loud voice the live audience shouted out their approval. Sarah shrugged as if it made no difference to her and then dramatically… slowly… broke the seal on the folded document and opened it. After another moment, she began reading.
They were alone again, laying on a thick blanket and watching the brilliant stars in the night sky in front of her little castle. She was cuddled up next to him, just enjoying his warmth. She broke the silence to look up at his handsome face and ask, "How did you get permission to build here? I thought that this was private property."
"I bought it. I've owned it for months. I couldn't stand the idea of anyone defiling this place and building a hotel or something. It will stay as it is today, a park."
She smiled and relaxed into his arms again. "What have you named the park?"
"I haven't. I have two name choices, but the final decision is dependent upon your answer."
"My answer? I don't understand."
She felt him fumbling around with his free arm until he gave a grunt of satisfaction. She heard what sounded like a popping sound, like a small box opening, and then he placed something small and square on her chest. As the starlight glittered on the multi-faceted stone mounted on a golden ring in the center of the box, he answered her question.
"You get to decide if this park should be named using your family name… or mine."
She looked at the object for what seemed like an eternity to him. Then she stiffened as her mind finally grasped the import of the ring and the meaning of his words. She jumped up, catching at the box that juggled in her fumbling hands. When she caught it she fell to her knees and extended the box to him with her face pointed to the ground.
"Please take it, Sempai. I… I'm not worthy of… Oh…" She was suddenly lifted up weightlessly in the air, still curled up. (The audience, as reader's of the story, were already familiar with the female character's self-effacing habits)
He spoke softly. He had almost allowed himself to be overwhelmed by anger due to his own self-doubt, but the way she groveled made him realize that she wasn't rejecting him… she was rejecting herself ... again. "Do you love me?"
"Oh… yes! More than anything! More than anyone! But don't you see, that's why I can't… I can't let you tie yourself down to someone…"
"Hush," He punctuated his words with his lips. She was still being held like a little child as he allowed the true power of his love for her to come out for the first time. Always before, when he had kissed her, he had held back. But this time, for this one moment, he let his true feelings for her come out through his kiss. When he pulled back, her body was limp and she could only just look up at him in wonder. "Do you understand now? I have never felt this way about anyone else. If you are truly worried about me, then you will say yes. Because, if you reject me, you won't be saving me; you will destroy me."
He continued to hold her as he sat back down. The stars were forgotten as she let herself rest in his arms… and let herself truly believe for the first time. "You want me." Her words came out softly, almost as if… as if by saying them she might break the spell. "You really want me? When you could have anybody?"
He looked down at her with adoring eyes, "Baka. You've never needed to have a doubt about it. I've had to watch all of those other guys hover around you all of the time. And I've always had to worry that you would finally get over your phobia when I wasn't around. Do you even realize how many times I've confessed my love to you?"
She looked confused. "What guys? And when did you confess to me? I would remember something like that."
He shook his head, "Never mind." His long arm reached out and retrieved the box. He snapped it shut and looked into her eyes. "I did this all wrong. Before you give me an answer, there's something important that I need to tell you about. It might color your answer, so I have to be fair and tell you this first."
She could feel a slight tremor in his supporting arm. "What's wrong!" Her imagination ran wild, "You're not… dying … are you?" Her eyes filled with tears and she started examining his face for signs of disease.
He chuckled, "No, I'm perfectly healthy. It's just… um, could you maybe sit facing me? You're entirely too cute at this moment and if I'm holding you then I…" (The audience laughed as Sarah read this, and behind the curtain Kyoko blushed profusely in Ren's arms)
Her eyes grew large and she quickly moved into a sitting position on her knees, facing him. Even in the moonlight the red blush on her face was visible. Unfortunately, that look was just as adorable, and he had to suppress a groan of frustration and desire. He knew that the best way to throw cold water on the situation was to tell her what he had to say, so he just blurted it out. "I need to go back to the United States."
"Huh?" The words were so unexpected that she couldn't process them. Then her hands began to quiver as her body seemed to grasp what her brain couldn't accept, "You're leaving me?" The words came our almost like a soft plea, but they stabbed him through the heart.
"No! Not permanently, just for a little while. Do you trust me? I keep asking you to trust me, but now I have to ask you again: will you trust me? And allow me to explain?"
She nodded numbly. Somehow her energy seemed to all be gone. "Please, go ahead, Sempai."
"Please don't say it like that. If you call me Sempai, then you're shutting me out again. Call me by my name… or call me Corn." (The audience was familiar with that part of the story and understood the odd name well)
She saw the plea in his eyes and it cut through the sudden gauze that was forming around her heart again. "I can't call you Corn… Corn left me for ten years. But you came all the way to America just to save me. I trust you. Please tell me why you need to go."
He sighed in relief. In just moments he had seen two years worth of progress disappear. It had been worse than he could have imagined, and he almost changed his mind. But he felt that he had to follow through with his intent. "When I marry you… if you accept… I want you to take my name. I want you to wear my real name, not some stage name. And I want to earn my name back.
"When I was fifteen, the Boss came to our home and gave me a challenge: Leave everything behind, even my name and money, and come to Japan to build a career entirely on my own, without the benefit or interference of my family name… and then go back and prove myself an equal to my father in the States.
"An American producer spent the last six months working on a project here in Japan. He saw my acting, and he wants me to star in a major film that he is producing out of Hollywood. The movie is at the same level as what my father normally appears in. It would take six months to film." He saw the alarmed look on her face. He sat down the ring box and reached out to take her hand, "And it will be completed in May."
He let that sink in. She tried to control herself as she asked, "You'll be leaving in November?"
"December 5th, after the last filming for our drama; I don't know for certain that I will be able to be here on December 25th. That is why I didn't want to wait to propose to you. I don't want you to have any doubt about how I feel about you.
"I love you. When I go, I want to know… I need to know that you'll be here when I come back. More than anything else I want you to take my name, but I have to earn it back first. Can you… do you understand?"
She looked at him without speaking for so long that he began to feel panic setting in. "I've lost her. Because of my selfish pride about this challenge, I'm going to lose…"
A slender hand reached out to take up the box that he had set aside. She opened the box carefully and looked at its contents. She sat the box down on the ground and used a thumb and forefinger to extract the ring. She brought it up to her chest and held it close, admiring the way that the stars twinkled in its facets. Finally, she reached out a hand to take his hand, and she placed the ring in his palm.
With a blush he could still see in the darkness, she said "I like your family name for the park. After you put this beautiful ring on my finger, could I have another one of those kisses?"
The audience "awwwwed" as Sarah concluded her reading. She wiped a tear from her own eye before tenderly placing the sheet of paper on her table. "So what do you think? Would you like to meet our couple?"
The clamoring applause was deafening until Sarah finally had to wave them down. "First of all, I should tell you that the male member of this soon-to-be-famous couple is already well-known to some of you… or at least, his family is well-known. Our female guest, on the other hand, is also well-known to those of you who like to watch Japanese dramas on the Internet… though you probably won't recognize her immediately. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome Kuon Hizuri… known to many as Tsuruga Ren, and Kyouko!"
The audience's applause was loud, but slightly subdued at first. Few people in the U.S. had a clue who either of these people were at first. Kyouko was unknown, and the Hizuri's son had mostly faded from memory. Sarah had anticipated this, however, and so her staff had compiled multiple clips from the couple's various dramas that had already made an impact on the Internet. As recognition dawned, the applause began to grow.
Kyoko, looking tiny and embarrassed next to her blond-haired, blue eyed giant fiancé, looked beautiful nonetheless. Julie had flown back on the previous day and she had engaged an entire team of people to ensure that her future daughter-in-law… and present daughter-in-heart… would look stunning. Kyoko was dressed in a flowing, spaghetti-strapped silk dress that emphasized her now well-muscled yet still delightfully feminine form. The men in the audience found her very, very alluring. Next to her, Kuon looked like a blond Adonis. The women of the audience were smitten as soon as he smiled.
Sarah, having had an hour to get used to Ren's presence, still found it difficult to tear her eyes away so that she could motion the couple to their seats and continue with her show.
"First of all, I think that I speak for all or most of my audience when I say that your story was quite fascinating. Kuon, Kyoko, could you tell us what prompted you to share it?"
Ren felt Kyoko's reassuring hand squeeze and he returned it with a gentle squeeze of his own, "To be honest, it wasn't either Kyoko's idea or my own. A dear and talented friend had heard our story and she had written it out… though she had sworn to never reveal it. We are both, after all, very private people, despite… or perhaps due to our chosen profession. Privacy is a precious comodity for us."
"Then what made you change your mind?" Sarah asked, looking at Kyoko. A close-up on Kyoko's face revealed her unusual golden-eyes and a few of the audience members gasped quietly and muttered to each-other.
Kyoko smiled sadly, "Ren… or should I say Kuon… was concerned about how people would receive the news of his true identity. You see, he has very loyal and devoted fans… and he was afraid that the story of his past mistakes might startle those fans… and that they would feel betrayed. We didn't want that. But our story… the story of how we met and all that has happened thereafter… shows that Ren is still the same good person who I first met in the clearing." She looked up at Ren's handsome face with a look of affection that captivated viewers throughout the world in a heartbeat, "He is a kind, hardworking, caring man. And I think that our story demonstrated that. So when another dear friend offered this idea as the solution for revealing Ren's true identity as Kuon, even though we would have preferred to keep our private lives private, we agreed to her plan."
Sarah nodded gravely, "Let's talk about you for a moment, Kuon. You are the son of Kuu Hizuri, the famous Hollywood action star, and Julie Hizuri, also known as Julie Swan, who has been both a model and a famous designer. Why did you become so rebellious in your teen years?"
The camera now focused on Kuon's handsome face and his brilliant blue eyes. "I don't make any excuses. I wanted to be an actor like my father, but my own temper and touchiness, as well as the false perception that I was riding my father's coat-tails, got in the way. Many other children of celebrities have overcome this situation, but I allowed it to get to me. I responded to the insults and taunts of my peers with my fists… and I am ashamed to say that many were hurt due to my lack of maturity."
The sad expression on Kuon's face completely captured the audience as he continued, "Then, one day, a very close and dear friend of mine died while trying to protect me from my own foolishness. It broke me, and I didn't think that I would ever recover. But as the story showed, a dear friend of my father, Lory Takarada, the president of one of the most prestigious talent agencies in Asia, offered me a way to redeem myself: Change my name, fly to Japan, and build my own reputation based solely upon my own hard work and talent. I took him up on that offer and that is how I became Tsuruga Ren."
Sarah nodded and looked at the audience, "For those western viewers who don't know this, in Japan it is customary to say your family name first, and then your given name. You might also like to know that Tsuruga Ren, over the past seven years, has more than just reinvented himself. Tsuruga Ren has been the number one actor in Japan for the last four years running. Not only that, but he has just wrapped up his first film in the United States, The Wrong Man, which will appear in theaters in June. Let's look at a clip from that movie…"
The extended trailer for The Wrong Man appeared on the screen. It was well-cut and the movie promised to be both insightful and action-packed. When the clip was over, Sarah smiled conspiratorially, "Of course, since we have showed one or Kuon's clips, it is only fair that we should show something of Kyouko's as well. My staff has compiled several interesting clips."
Kyoko cringed inwardly, but maintained her outward composure as some of the most dramatic… and sometimes sexy clips were shown from Dark Moon, Box 'R, Dangerous Academics, and Chasing the Wave*. Then, when the lights came on and Kyoko thought that the torture was over, Sarah grinned and said, "Oh, and my staffers were able to secure one more very interesting little video. Do any of you remember, a few months ago, when the Japanese swordswoman came to Washington D.C. and stopped a mugger in the park?" Kyoko tried to sink into her seat, but Ren only grinned and used one arm to hold her upright. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was our young guest, Mogami Kyoko."
The clipping from that event, with Kyoko standing over the cowed mugger in the mist, with the Egami Sword in her hand, appeared on the screen. The live audience went wild, clapping and cheering. Kyoko, red faced, tried to maintain her composure, but her embarrassment was evident as her face was shown in close-up on the screen. But Sarah wasn't done, "In case you're wondering why our young guest was carrying a sword, perhaps an explanation is in order. Kyouko had actually flown to our capital to see her fiancé, and to give a demonstration for the cast and crew of his film. My staffers, wonderfully talented as they are, were able to secure a copy of that demonstration."
The lights went dim again and suddenly Kyoko was facing off with Sergeant Stewart Price with hardened wooden practice swords. She looked beautiful, dressed as she was in white silk with her hair done up in oriental fashion, but then she began to move and she suddenly seemed very dangerous. Kyoko, watching the film, was picking out all of her mistakes and trying not to grimace. To the audience it looked like she was some sort of sword master. She moved with such grace and speed, and with such flow, that people held their breaths. But it was the smile on her face and the fire in her golden eyes that held them captive until the demonstration match was over. Then, as the film faded, the live audience began applauding with unprompted enthusiasm.
Sarah smiled triumphantly. She had known, as soon as she saw the short film, how her audience would react. People simply didn't expect a petite young girl of eighteen to do things like that… and when she did, they were sure to respond with awe. "For the past two months, Kyoko has been debuting for the first time on stage. The play that she has been starring in seems to be tailor-made for her, because it was set in medieval Japan and Kyoko played the part of a misunderstood swordswoman… sort of a Japanese Robin Hood. We have also been told that there has been serious talk of filming an English-speaking movie about this story, with Kyouko as the lead actress."
The talk-show host turned back to the couple, "The final installment of your story ended with that beautiful proposal…" on the screen behind her, a photo of Kyoko's pagoda-style mini-castle in the faerie clearing was displayed, "… and we know that Kyouko accepted… We also know that you completed your filming three weeks earlier than expected... so could you tell us: when will the wedding be?"
Ren smiled tenderly at Kyoko before turning back to Sarah, "Due to certain other considerations we will celebrate our wedding in June. Originally we were going to hold the wedding as soon as we returned to Japan, but then…" he gave playboy-smile that made many of the female viewers almost swoon, "… I am a little impatient." Kyoko turned crimson red and it took every fiber of control for her to not run off of the stage. Then Ren had mercy on her, "Mostly, we are delaying until June because we have such a tight work schedule. But my mother, who is handling the majority of the arrangements, has pointed out that such a special day requires much planning… and that the groom doesn't get much of a say in the manner." The audience laughed in sympathy as he pushed out his lip in a pout. Ren had agreed with Kyoko that they wanted to keep her pending surgery under-wraps. She had decided that it would serve no purpose for the world to know her true identity as an Egami… or rather The Egami. Let the world believe that the delay (and Kyoko's month-long disappearance from public view) was due to her efforts to plan a wedding instead.
Sarah took the reference to Kuon's mother as a cue, "Well then, Kuon Hizuri, since we've reintroduced you to the world, perhaps it's time to introduce your parents." The crowd roared in applause as Kuu and Julie walked onto the stage. Kuu was still handsome and powerful-looking, and Julie was still stunningly beautiful. When the couple had exchanged hugs with their children and had taken their seats, the resemblance between father and son became immediately apparent.
It had all been carefully choreographed. Now that the world was enthusiastically embracing Ren and Kyoko, the people who remembered Kuon's deviant teen years were prepared to be more forgiving. For the next half-hour the Hizuris talked about Kuon's childhood, about his struggles and his difficulties, and about the lost seven years. But they ended with how deeply proud of their son they were for reinventing himself into a solid, productive man. Finally, to divert the world's attention away from Kuon's past once again, Kuu told the story of his first encounters... or confrontations... with Kyouko, and why he already loved her as his own child before she ever agreed to marry into the family. It was such a fun and touching story that the viewers embraced it with joy.
Ren, or rather, Kuon came out of the interview with a much better than break-even acceptance from his fans. Kyoko had unwittingly become an international icon due to the emphasis on her acting skills in her dramas, her musical talents in Chasing the Wave, her swordsmanship, and the story of her unique approach to defeating Kuu. She would never grasp the full reality, but in that single hour Kyoko had not only exceeded Fuwa Sho, but she had left Tsuruga Ren in the dust as well. Over the next several years the offers for projects would continue to pour in from not only Japan and the U.S., but from other nations as well.
Ren knew it, and he accepted the truth with aplomb. Kyoko's willingness to stand up with him and face the consequences of his past was the greatest gift that she had given him yet. He already knew and understood Kyoko's true potential. It seemed only right that the world should know as well.
Later, as he held her in his lap and they watched the stars from the veranda of his room in his parent's mansion, Ren turned his head and gently kissed Kyoko's slender neck. She shivered as a delicious warmth overcame the cool of the early May evening. Ren leaned back and studied her profile before saying, "Thank you."
Kyoko turned and the moonlight caught in her incredible golden eyes, "For what?"
"For flying halfway around the world to save me."
Kyoko had to think about that for a second before she lifted a slender hand and caressed Ren's strong jaw, "I was only returning the favor."
No more was said. Kyoko laid her head on her man's shoulder and together they turned their attention back to the stars.
Unseen in the darkened door behind them, another older couple hugged as they watched the scene. The Hizuris had their son back… and the girl he had brought back with him was more than worth the investment of those seven long, lonely years.
Notes: The excerpt that Sarah read was taken directly from the prequel to The Shadow's Heart, which was Patience is its own reward. Of course, since nobody was supposed to know the identity of the couple yet, I had to remove the names.
Before anyone asks, the couple will be doing a lot of interviews in both the U.S. and Japan. These will only be referenced in the story, however.
*Dangerous Academics and Chasing the Wave were both earlier projects of Kyoko in the story Patience.
