Okay, so in my defense, I actually had this chapter written by the 31st! I just fucked up my wrist painting for four straight days and couldn't type to edit it...lol. However, I also, SOMEHOW, in 12 fucking thousand words, still couldn't quite make it to Christmas (mostly because SOME people wanted the full interviews I mentioned and I'm a pushover...), so...one more chapter! XD Then epilogue. Then done. If I don't go off the rails again. lol.
Anywhoooo, hope you all had a fantastically boring new years that didn't put you within six feet of anyone infected with the new mutant version of COVID.
'Cause that would suck.
OH! And, at long last, a little look at what the tabloids are saying about our favorite couple, as requested many months ago!
Enjoy!
The weekend before Christmas, 6:31am Tokyo, Japan
Yashiro Yukihito yawned as he mechanically pulled on a pair of gloves and opened his laptop. The small motor whirred to life as the screen woke up, nearly blinding his still sleep-encrusted eyes. He allowed himself several long, drowsy blinks before he opened up his browser and took a much needed sip of coffee.
Time to begin the day…
He typed 'Tsuruga Ren' into the search field and waited a few seconds for Google-sensei to reveal the latest gossip on his charge. As always, the search results were well into the hundred-thousands. Luckily, the thousands of fans who consistently stalked Ren on a daily basis through their electronic devices helped to shoot the newest and most interesting results right to the top of the front page.
"Rumors of Tsuruga-san's Lover Continue to Circulate"
"Japan's Most Unassailable Bachelor has finally fallen! This time, for real!"
"Tsuruga-san contracted for work on Netflix Original anime adaptation of Violet Evergarden"
"10 Most Likely Candidates for Tsuruga Ren's Mystery Lover"
"Tsuruga-san Confesses on Live Television! Watch here! Over 23 Million views!"
"Tsuruga Ren in talks with Universal for unknown Hollywood film"
"Tsuruga Ren's Signature Necklace Replicas Sold HERE! 50% OFF for a LIMITED TIME!"
"Tsuruga Ren Revealed to be Cain Heel, AKA Black Jack in TRAGIC MARKER!"
"Are you Tsuruga Ren's dream girl? Take this quiz and find out!"
"Tsuruga's Lover Revealed! It's not who you'd expect…"
Yashiro skimmed the list, familiar with most of the usual click bait. It hadn't taken the press long to jump on Ren's missing necklace, but the now famous interview he'd given concerning it the day he got back to Japan, where he confessed that he had given it to the love of his life (whose identity would not be revealed for her protection) had spurred on a feeding frenzy of press and fan uprisings never before seen in Japan. Between that and the carefully leaked rumors from LME's marketing department concerning his soon to be extensive work in America, there were more than enough headlines for the manager to keep tabs on.
He'd already seen the fan video speculating on the '10 Most Likely Candidates'. Kyoko came in as number 4, right after Momose-san and Ren's most recent co-star in that teen drama he cameoed on, with Kana-san topping the list as number one, despite Ren's very public dismissal of her as anything more than a professional colleague.
Yashiro's cursor lingered over the confession interview video. He had been present backstage when 'Confession-gate' had taken place, but he'd still watched the video a million times, his heart fluttering every time he thought about how Ren and Kyoko had come in the last two years. Before he knew it, he had clicked on the link yet again.
He slid the cursor to the 2:10 mark, skipping right to the good stuff.
Amidst the cheering of his fans in the studio audience, Ren shifted in his seat on the bright orange couch with a coy smile.
"Come on, Tsuruga-san. You can't keep us in the dark forever! Take the opportunity right now to tell everyone what happened to your necklace."
Ren let the question hang in the air as he turned his sultry gaze towards the audience.
"Well," he finally said. "I would hate to disappoint my fans, so I guess I'll have to tell you."
Yashiro was never sure who was more excited by his response, the interviewer or the screaming hoards of girls about to (unknowingly) get the inside scoop on Tsuruga Ren's relationship status.
"I gave my necklace to someone very important to me for safe keeping. And as a sort of promise to her."
"Her?!" the interviewer prompted eagerly. "Who is this important person? Do you have a girlfriend? Who does the great Tsuruga Ren deem worthy?"
Again Ren seemed to weigh his words before speaking. "I won't tell you who she is right now, for the sake of her privacy and safety, but I will tell you that I am very much in love with her and we have been dating for a few months now."
The crowd went wild with a mixture of devastated sobs and hysterical screaming. The interviewer was beside himself with satisfaction.
"So how did you meet her? Was it on your trip to America? Is it anyone we would know?"
"I met her...a long time ago here in Japan," Ren replied, with a sly smile that Yashiro still didn't quite understand, despite his many viewings. "And, yes, if I said her name right now, you would probably know who I'm talking about."
"Can't you tell us anything else about her?"
"I guess I can tell you that...she's very talented. Her level of dedication to her work inspires me to put more effort into everything I do. Granted, I find pretty much everything about her inspiring," Ren admitted with a soft smile that could have melted even the hardest of hearts. There was a collective sigh from the studio audience at the sight of it.
"It sounds like you really are quite smitten with her. She must be an amazing girl."
"Definitely."
"But how does she feel about you suddenly telling the world about your relationship like this?"
Ren laughed lightly and reached an arm up to scratch the back of his neck, glancing at the crowd with a sheepish look that he'd never shown the public before.
"Actually, she has no idea I'm doing this right now. I'm probably going to get an earful later."
A chorus of 'aww's erupted from the audience amid scattered laughter.
"Later? Are you going to see her today then?" the interviewer pried, hoping to get at least some firmer hint that could lead the public to Tsuruga-san's mystery girl.
Ren shook his head sadly, his mouth sloping down into an exaggerated pout. "Sadly no. She's away from Tokyo right now on business, but we talk on the phone almost every day that we don't see each other, so I was referring to the scolding I'll be getting on tonight's call. Between the two of us, she's definitely the more mature."
"So, does that mean she's older than you?"
Ren put on a brilliant smile (Yashiro cringed, recognizing the irritation behind it). "Sorry, but I'm not going to tell you that. I wouldn't want to give her identity away by accident. She is very important to me and I couldn't forgive anything that puts her safety at risk, especially if I was the one who made such a fatal mistake."
"But, how long can you possibly keep it a secret? Now that you've confirmed her existence, it's only a matter of time before someone figures out who she is. You've opened yourself up to direct scrutiny now."
"I guess we'll keep it going as long as we can. Right now, we're both focused on our careers, so we don't see each other as much as we would like, particularly with how busy I will be here in Japan before my return to America to film Violet Evergarden," Ren segued smoothly, bringing the interview back to its original purpose of promoting his new show.
"Ah, yes! It was only just announced that you and your kouhai at LME, Mogami Kyoko, will be co-starring in the new adaptation planned to release on Netflix next year sometime. Are you nervous about your first overseas production debut?"
"Of course. It will represent a huge step forward in my career that I hope to build on in the future."
"And how do you feel about co-starring with Mogami-san again? I know there are many skeptical fans out there wondering how the actress who gave us nightmares as Mio in Dark Moon will translate to a character whose story arc is about young love and discovery."
"I have every confidence in Mogami-san. While Violet is very different from Mio, Mio was just a character created and brilliantly portrayed by a very talented actress. So brilliantly portrayed, in fact, that sometimes it is hard to remember that the person of Mio doesn't really exist. Personally, I can't wait to see what someone of her skill will produce when taking on the challenge of Violet's complex character development. She successfully created deep characters for her roles in Box R and Sacred Lotus in the Mire, but this will be her first time in a starring role, let alone an international one filmed in two different languages. If she can pull it off, it will be more than enough proof that she is steadily becoming one of Japan's finest actresses."
"That is certainly high praise coming from you, Tsuruga-san."
Ren laughed lightly. "Don't get me wrong. She's still quite green in the ways of show business, and certainly has room for improvement, but, as anyone who has worked with her could tell you, she has an incredible amount of potential and a work ethic not many can match, let alone surpass. LME could not be more enthused about having her as a member of our team."
Yashiro clicked out of the video and back to his search page after that. He'd already gleaned all the morale-boosting encouragement he needed to spend another day protecting the relationship of his favorite couple.
Which meant he had to properly prepare for the next wave of gossip to come their way.
He clicked on the last headline on his previous page, a sigh of equal parts relief and disappointment leaving him when he discovered the 'Lover Revealed' was not Kyoko, but instead Morizumi Kimiko. Yashiro scowled. He was sure the vicious harpy would ride on the waves of that rumor until the tide washed another hapless victim into her clutches. Thankfully, the video provided nothing that even hinted at substantive proof, and the comments section had already eviscerated the blogger's shoddy pseudo-journalism, so it was something he could wait another day to worry about. He'd found over the last five months, sometimes the better part of valor was just to let a story burn itself out.
Or watch the fans burn it down in a blaze of glorious fact-checking hate.
Satisfied that there were no recent news-worthy rumors grinding in the gossip mill he needed to worry about concerning Ren, the manager returned to his search bar and typed in 'Mogami Kyoko, Kyoko-chan, Momiji, Natsu, Setsuka Heel', Mio.
These days she got almost as many results as Ren did, granted under a lot more names. Yashiro took his time combing through these. Since Sacred Lotus in the Mire had released its final episode, at the end of September, featuring an incredible display of Kyoko's historical stage combat skills, the headlines had been blowing up.
Nearly daily, there were new videos and blogs popping up to discuss, admire, or speculate about the steadily rising starlet.
At the top of the list (that Netflix marketing money hard at work)...
"Kyoko-chan of Momiji fame to play Violet Evergarden in Netflix Live-Action Adaptation"
After that, were some older headlines that never seemed to die:
"Shinkai Victim Revealed! Kyoko-chan Sexually Assaulted!"
"Kyoko-chan attacked! Never Before Seen LME Security Footage!"
The incident had come out a week or two after Ren's big interview nearly five months before, just after Kyoko had left the country, but it refused to die. Yashiro suspected Lory had authorized the initial leak, but even the love-mon president himself couldn't have expected the impact it had on the Japanese show business population. The footage of the incident sparked a revival in the 'Me too' movement (that had famously swept Hollywood in the not so distant past), and media outlets went crazy reporting rumors (some of them completely unfounded) of further sexual harassment claims.
All the agencies had immediately rolled out PR recovery plans including educational seminars and zero tolerance policies, including LME (which resulted in more than one joke about whether LME employees could file suits against their president for 'love harassment'). More than a dozen talents from as many agencies had quietly had their recent contracts broken and faded out of public view, but others hadn't been so lucky as to avoid public accusations. Even Kijima had been zinged for his somewhat famous playboy tendencies, until several of his ex-girlfriends surprisingly came to his defense, publicly stating that while he had a wandering eye, his hands only found their way to those who readily consented.
And the incident with Kyoko had started it all. And more and more often, what the humble high school actress had to say seemed to be gaining more and more attention. The seamlessly neverending list of headlines about her was a perfect reminder of her newfound influence.
"Kyoko-chan speaks out against bullying in interview from overseas"
"Hizuri-san adopts Kyoko-chan!"
"Hizuri Kuu boasts about new actress and 'daughter' Mogami Kyoko on Good Morning America"
"Is Fuwa Sho dating Mio-sama?!" (and older story from the Dark Moon days that had been granted new life recently
"Who is Setsuka Heel? Definitive PROOF!" (the article that had outed her as Tsuruga Ren's stand in manager shortly after his involvement with Tragic Marker was revealed)
"How Kyoko-chan became Setsuka Heel"
"Kyoko-chan to be nominated for Best New Talent?!"
"Setsuka Heel: The Woman Behind BJ"
"Kyoko-chan's best Momiji scenes"
"How to do Natsu-chan's makeup on a budget!"
"Top 10 Best Scenes with Kyoko-chan's Bare Legs"
The lists went on and on. Yashiro clicked on a few of the newer videos he hadn't seen yet, blushing a little as he determined (as was his duty as her manager) that the video featuring Kyoko's best scenes showing her legs wasn't nearly as dirty as it sounded. Though, it did bring into question just what the director had been thinking while filming her scenes.
After all, her extremely nice legs were displayed in an extremely flattering way throughout the series.
Not that he would ever utter such an observation aloud in earshot of Ren (or the internet). He knew the value of his own life.
And just how slippery the slope was to sexual harassment, thanks to way too many afternoons spent in redundant seminars.
After looking over Kyoko's latest publicity, he scrolled back up to a link he hadn't looked at for a while. Turning up the volume on his computer, he clicked on the Good Morning America interview video.
He'd of course watched the interview right after it had been fan-subbed in Japanese for rabid internet consumption, but hadn't gone back to see it again with the official translation (not that his English wasn't serviceable...but Americans always spoke so fast on television and he tended to miss things without subtitles). However, since he would be meeting Japan's pride and joy himself in only a matter of days, Yashiro thought it was a good idea to study up on all things Hizuri. And since Ren had flown to America a week ahead of him, he finally had the time...without being made fun of for behaving like a Hizuri fanboy.
Which he absolutely was not, no matter what Ren said.
"In our Pop News segment, we have a rare treat for you today. Kuu Hizuri, America's favorite Japanese action star is here to discuss the successful release of Out for Blood, a reboot of the 1992 martial arts film by the same name. But, this isn't just a treat for us ladies, since he brought along a fresh-faced actress from his home country," Lara Spencer teased out. "Who is already capturing hearts around the country, right, Michael?"
Michael Strahan, formerly of the New York Giants, cracked a smile but winced. "Don't let Kuu hear you say that or I'll be shortly reminded just what it feels like to be tackled to the floor."
The camera panned over to Kuu and the strikingly beautiful blushing young woman seated beside him.
Yashiro would never get used to how completely different Kyoko looked in makeup. As always, if he didn't know her so well, he never would have recognized her. This time, her makeup seemed to make her eyes look twice as big, and her chestnut hair had been trained into the loose, wavy curls that California beach bunnies were famous for.
"Before we start talking about your movie, won't you introduce us?" Robin Roberts asked.
Kuu sat back in his chair and rested a hand on the shoulder of the girl beside him. "This is Kyoko Mogami. I met her on my last trip to Japan and immediately adopted her as my unofficial daughter. I'm convinced she'll be the female equivalent to what Shuuhei Hozu was in Japan, and even more successful than Kuu Hizuri here in America."
"That's one hell of an introduction coming from the former Shuuhei Hozu himself. But I understand we've got some footage of Kyoko's work in Japan, so why don't we let the audience judge for themselves."
A reel of short, subtitled segments from Dark Moon, Box R, and Sacred Lotus in the Mire played, the last of which showcased an incredible display of historical Japanese fight choreography as Momiji, ending in the Dragon's Claw Storm Fang that had won Kyoko the part during her audition. The lights came up again as the studio audience cheered enthusiastically.
"Wow. That was incredible. Are you a martial arts master like Kuu, Kyoko?"
Kyoko blushed and shook her head, nervously clearing her throat before she spoke for the first time.
"Not even close. I was lucky enough to study stage combat with the incredible Kotetsu Uesugi for a short time, which allowed me to portray Momiji realistically, but I can't win a real fight like Hizuri-san, that is, Mr. Hizuri can."
"It's still more than I could do," Michael joked, shooting Kyoko a smile that she returned with visible relief.
"Honestly, it's almost hard to believe all those characters were played by the same person. If I didn't see your name credited with each performance, I would never guess the girl in front of me today was the genius behind them," Lara exclaimed. "Between that and your nearly perfect English, I'm quite surprised we haven't seen you in anything produced in Hollywood yet."
Kyoko's eyes went wide, her head shaking vigorously against such open praise.
"Oh, I'm still far too inexperienced for that! I only started acting about two years ago, so I have a lot left to learn. I've been very lucky to have great fellow actors who were kind enough to guide me, and I hope one day I can be an actress that can make Japan proud in whatever I do."
"From what I understand, you've already been cast in your first international production, set to begin filming next January."
Kyoko clasped her hands in her lap and smiled brightly. "Yes. Only a couple of weeks ago, I was honored to be cast as the title character in Netflix's live action adaptation of Violet Evergarden. We start filming in January, but I will be starting my training for the role this week."
"Wow, that must be some role if it needs six months of training. Is that pretty typical for the lead of an action movie, Kuu?"
Kuu tilted his head back and forth with a thoughtful look. "Sometimes. It depends on the role. And the actor. As I am a master of several martial arts and maintain my standing in each of them through constant training, I rarely have special training periods before filming unless there is a particular skill required that I don't have. But if the actor isn't versed in fighting, six months of training might be required to acquire the appropriate physique or skills to play the role realistically."
"Who knew actors worked so hard!" Michael joked.
"Not all of them do," Kuu rebuked sadly. "That's one reason I bonded with Kyoko so quickly when our paths crossed. We both take our commitment to our craft very seriously. So, I decided while she's here to train, I'm going to have her stay with my wife and I and I'll train her in everything I know. I know Julie is already hoping that when she's done filming Violet Evergarden, she'll be so smitten with California she won't want to leave!"
Kyoko started to duck her head as such praise, but stopped herself, lifting it with a thankful smile at the man beside her instead. "I'm just so lucky to have Dad-um, I mean, Mr. Hizuri in my life. I just hope I can make him proud of my progress as an actress one day."
"Dad?!" Lara asked in shock.
"Sorry, that just slipped out!" Kyoko backpedaled frantically, her hands waving in the air in front of her charmingly. "The first time we met, Mr. Hizuri gave me an acting exercise to try portraying his son, and after a few days it kind of stuck. I didn't grow up with my father around, so it was a dream come true experiencing what it's like to have a Dad."
Kyoko's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she earnestly smiled at the hosts. They practically melted under her sincere glow.
"And she's like the daughter I never had," Kuu added fondly, ruffling her fluffy curls. "Though even I don't recognize her right away when she's got a new role. Her ability to transform herself is really an astounding achievement."
Kuu's attempt to derail the inevitable prying into Kyoko's personal life was, unfortunately, not successful.
"Was it hard growing up in Japan with a single parent? You're still quite young to be so far from home. How does your mother feel about it?"
Kyoko stiffened a bit in her chair, trying to figure out the best way to answer. Kuu had warned her they would probably ask about her past, but she still wasn't completely prepared to bare everything about her past. Despite her best efforts, her face turned downwards slightly with a sad smile.
"My mother and I...have never been very close. I was raised in Kyoto by a friend of the family in their ryokan. Oh, sorry, that's like a very traditional Japanese inn. The opportunities they gave me there eventually helped me land roles as an actress. I try to look at my past as a series of stepping stones that I had to cross in order to become who I am. For example, most of my school life I was bullied, which was a great inspiration for my character in Box R, and also made the initial decision to run away to Tokyo with my best friend an easy one. I never thought of pursuing acting until the option was...presented to me, but once I tried it, I knew it was the only thing I wanted to do with my life. The rest is history."
While Kyoko had started timidly, her body language and tone grew in confidence until she was serenely explaining the facts of her somewhat tragic childhood with the poise of a duchess.
The anchors sat stunned for a moment at her candor.
But not for long.
"So bullying is as big a problem in Japanese schools as it is here?"
Kyoko furrowed her brows, giving the question the thought she believed it deserved before answering.
"I don't know much about American schools, but I think bullying is a problem just about everywhere. Kids grow up in so many different environments, and are exposed to so many different people that some of those influences are bound to be bad ones. Then, there will always be those kids who are naturally more beautiful or talented that incite envy and frustration. Add to that the constant pressure to fit into some kind of title or group in order to be a 'successful' student, and schools become a breeding ground for mob-style bullying, because everyone wants to belong to something and is afraid of being the one left out. The character I play in Box R is the leader of such a bullying group. I actually almost didn't take the part because it's something I have a very real experience dealing with, but now I think shows that can portray something like that so realistically are valuable. They show just how bad it can get, but also that bullies can be overcome. In hindsight, I'm really glad Dad encouraged me not to turn down offers for other bully roles after I did Mio."
Kyoko smiled at her surrogate father and Kuu rested his hand comfortingly on her head for a moment.
"Well, I have to say, I don't think anyone would assume you had grown up the victim of bullying if we hadn't heard you speak about it so frankly, but I can tell it's something you're very passionate about."
Kyoko shook her head. "I wouldn't say that. It's just...something I had to learn to overcome. And something I've had to think about a lot in order to develop my character. It's not so much that I'm passionate about it...but more that it's a big part of what made me who I am." She laughed with a sidelong look at Kuu, who threw an arm around her shoulders for a supportive side hug. "I learned from someone very dear to me, when I was a child, that all you need to make it through the worst moments is one person who believes in you, inspires you, or even just listens to you. Dedicating yourself to becoming someone that person can be proud of can help get you through days of wet gym clothes or tacks in your shoe...and then, some day, you'll find out that you don't need that person or goal anymore, and you can live your life in order to make yourself proud." Kyoko suddenly seemed to get self-conscious and cringed apologetically. "I'm not saying that would absolutely work for everyone, but it worked for me."
"This interview has certainly taken a much deeper turn than expected. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us, Kyoko. I know we'll all be watching your career from now on. But, why don't we get back to your movie Kuu. Is this version going to surpass the original?"
Yashiro paused the video and narrowed his eyes at the screen. There was something very familiar about how Hizuri Kuu was looking at Kyoko, but he couldn't figure out why it made him itchy. He shook off the feeling and closed out of the video. Maybe it would become clear when he met him in person.
Finally, he cleared out his search and typed in the last thing he checked each morning: 'Tsuruga Ren Mogami Kyoko'.
"Tsuruga-san and Kyoko-chan confirmed for Violet Evergarden Adaptation"
"10 Most Likely Candidates for Tsuruga Ren's Lover"
"Cain Sibling Identities Revealed!"
"LME President Celebrates Christmas with another 'Grateful Party' featuring a star-studded guest list" (they were only mentioned in relation to the previous year's birth of the unusual event)
"Tsuruga-san's Lover is Definitely Kyoko-chan!"
Yashiro's eyes caught on the newest byline immediately, his fingers clicking the link before he'd even finished reading it. A video popped up, the camera centered on a cute Japanese teen. As expected with the low quality of the video and her stiffness in front of the webcam, the video's watch count was low.
But steadily climbing.
"Hello world! It's Yuki-chan here with another rambling conspiracy theory concerning Tsuruga Ren's one true love! I know I've, um, speculated before on who the mysterious girl could be that stole our Ren-sama's heart, but, like, this time I'm positive I've got it all figured out! It just HAS to be Kyoko-chan!"
Yashiro watched in growing amazement and horror as the petite girl postulated with almost eerie accuracy how Kyoko and Ren had met, every possible rumor concerning them, every time they had ever slipped up and revealed even the slightest clue to their relationship in public, and even more than half a dozen pictures showing a suspiciously familiar chain sticking out of the collar of Kyoko's shirt. Thanks to Ren's little necklace stunt, she had even pinpointed the day they had started going out. Her giddiness reached its height when she displayed side-by-side stills from Ren's Confession-gate video, comparing his facial expression when he talked about his mystery girl and when he talked about Kyoko. They were so identical Yashiro didn't know how the world hadn't figured it out that very day!
When the video finally finished, he closed out of the browser and rubbed his tired eyes, swigging back the last of his coffee. With more than one-hundred-thousand views since it had been posted the evening before, it was only a matter of time before that video had paparazzi following them around.
It was time.
Or, at least it would be...in only a few short days. Thank god Ren was already out of Japan and had no public events planned until after Christmas. Yashiro would be flying out to join him in California in a matter of hours, and Kyoko was set to leave the next day, so with any luck, it would be months before the Japanese paparazzi could even get to them.
And the American press would hardly care about a couple of Japanese actors who happened to be in a relationship...right?
Kyoko awoke abruptly to an unfamiliar ceiling and the sound of the bamboo fountain outside her room tipping back into place with a satisfying reverberant tone.
For a moment, she faltered, blinking bleary eyes at the traditional rice paper screen walls surrounding her and the tatami mats beneath her futon. For one horrifying second, she wondered if the last few years had all been a dream. Then she remembered: she was in Kyoto celebrating an early Christmas with the Fuwas.
She'd only returned to Japan two weeks before, flying directly into Tokyo, taking her final exams and then immediately heading out to Kyoto. It had been decided the Fuwa Christmas would be moved earlier by a few days. It worked better for everyone involved: Shougetsu-tei always received a high volume of Christmas day-trippers; Sho had a Christmas concert scheduled in New York (to mark the halfway point of his world tour before he went to Europe); and Kyoko would be flying back to LA two days before Christmas to celebrate the holiday (and her eighteenth birthday) with the Hizuris so she could relax in the short time between December 25th and when Violet started filming on the first of the year.
Well, her time in Kyoto was supposed to be relaxing too...
Kyoko lay a little longer in her fluffy guest futon and indulged in a sad sigh.
While it was only a couple weeks' difference, she could help but resent the fact that Ren and she had practically crossed each other in the air, with his flight to California leaving Japan the same day hers arrived.
Though they'd already been apart for five months (not that she was counting…), for some reason those additional two weeks before she finally got to see him in person were like learning she had a term paper due during finals week; it was just one more frustrating hurdle that somehow made everything seem just that little bit harder.
She had been doing her best not to let it get to her...with varied results. She seemed to constantly be vacillating between hopeful anticipation and frustrated pessimism.
In the big scheme of things, a few days more wouldn't make that much of a difference. Soon they would both be working in LA on the same project and she would get to see him everyday, while they lived their dreams.
But even knowing that couldn't keep a frustrated tear or two from rolling down her cheek. She couldn't help it. She just missed him so much.
And, true, they spoke almost every morning on the phone (well, night for him) and messaged throughout the day (including an embarrassing number of pictures she prayed to kami would NEVER be seen by anyone except him). Ever since she had started sending him pictures, she had triple locked her smartphone with fingerprint, passcode, and facial recognition. (While she and Julie had gotten even closer than she and Kuu over the last five months, she now knew better than to leave anything anywhere the gorgeous, scheming woman could get her hands on it. There was nothing Kuon's mom loved more than gossip about her son, and there were no barriers she wouldn't cross to get it.)
But no matter how connected they were digitally, nothing compared to the heart-pounding anticipation that filled her up when they were together.
Although the sexting was certainly something she had grown to enjoy a little more than she probably should. Her dreams had also gotten a lot more exciting…
...and a lot more frustrating to wake up from.
In a way, it was almost a relief to be back at the Fuwa's inn for a few nights where they mostly left her alone, treating her like a distant relative coming for a visit.
But it was also lonely after being spoiled for so long. Despite their equally busy schedules, Kuu and Julie had been extremely attentive, making sure their appointments matched with hers as much as possible, and jumping at any chance to show off their city, state, or country if she expressed the slightest interest in something. She didn't know if they were trying to make up for their deficits while raising their son, or just not-so-subtly trying to convince her to move in with Ren next door (Julie had eventually revealed the purchase of the house causing a panic attack the likes of which Kyoko had never experienced before), but either way, it warmed Kyoko's heart.
Between the sometimes hourly text messages from her secret boyfriend, the copious attentions from his parents, and the enthusiasm expressed by her trainers over her swift progress with the choreography for Violet, she'd never felt so wanted and appreciated. Not a day went by when she wasn't reminded of how lucky she had become, and the glow of that feeling sat like bronzer on her skin, lighting her up from the inside out.
Kyoko finally understood what it felt like to be surrounded by people who loved her.
But currently they were all thousands of miles away.
Laying in her futon, listening to the sound of the hot springs through her window, she wondered how differently she would have turned out if she'd been lucky enough to have that kind of support from the beginning…
Kyoko's phone vibrated with a notification, breaking her out of her reverie. Quickly making her way through her layers of security, she opened up the message.
Moko-san: I think I accidentally stole your shoes.
Accompanying the mundane, matter-of-fact caption was a picture of her best friend holding a familiar pair of designer sandals by the back straps and making a face. Kyoko smiled to herself. If she was cataloguing the amazing amount of love coming her way these days, she couldn't forget about her best friend who had spent four hours on a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto (and back again!) just to see her.
They had gotten a lot closer while they were both in LA, Kanae enjoying a break from speaking English during her unexpected bouts of homesickness, and both of them getting some much needed relief from the naturally invasive attitudes of Hollywood (and sometimes Kuon's parents) in each other's company.
Still, Kyoko had been very pleasantly surprised when Kanae had shown up at the Fuwa's door two days into her trip and demanded to share her room (a whole week sooner than they had planned!). It was the closest her indomitable best friend would ever come to admitting that she'd missed Kyoko while she was gone. After a blissful ten days, Kanae had left on the last possible train, repacking her bag in a hurry when forecasted weather had the train rescheduled to leave an hour earlier than expected. It was no wonder their stuff had gotten a little mixed up.
Kyoko quickly wrote back.
Damn. Keep them for me until I get back? I'm flying out from Kyoto, so I won't be back in Tokyo for a while.
I can hold onto them... But I can't guarantee they won't get stolen by the rugrats…
Point taken. I'll pray for their safety at the shrine before I go. Lol. Thank you again for coming to see me early! It was a wonderful surprise!
Well, I had to make sure Julie-san hadn't carried through on her offer to get your boobs done after she dyed your hair. That would have been the end of our friendship.
Kyoko shivered just thinking about it. Apparently Hollywood starlets thought nothing of surgically enhancing their physical features, but no matter how much she wished she had a little more cleavage, she just couldn't imagine paying money for something so stupid, let alone going through having her body cut up for it.
Never. I don't care how normal it is over there, I like being 100% Kyoko.
Lol. More like 60% Kyoko and 40% Mio/Natsu/Momiji/Setsu/Violet.
Lol. Fine, 100% natural then.
Me too. When does your flight leave?
Tomorrow am early...5:30ish I think?
Are the Fuwas taking you?
No. I'm sharing a ride with Sho. He's got a flight out around the same time. He's only going to be here for a day apparently. He's such a terrible son.
Has he contacted you then?
Nope. His parents told me. He's still keeping his promise not to initiate contact.
But he's coming home today right? How is that gonna work?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Well, good luck. Gtg, I just arrived on set. Call me when you land?
Absolutely! Try not to make every man on set fall in love with you this time!
:P
3
When it was clear Kanae was done replying, Kyoko locked her phone on reflex, set it aside and headed off to take a nice long bath in the onsen.
"Who are you texting? Is it Kyooooookoooo~?"
Ren closed his eyes and sighed at the heavily accented English lilting from the man beside him in the back of the taxi.
"I know you just got here, but Yashiro, if you insist on teasing me about her please at least do it in Japanese," he muttered under his breath, taking his own advice. "The last thing we need is the taxi driver recognizing me and leaking my relationship to the tabloids when we're this close to Christmas…and if you must know, I'm texting my parents."
Yashiro frowned, decided not to bring attention to the fact Ren had actually spoken about his past without prompting, and replied in the same language.
"But then I don't get to practice my English! Honestly Ren, no one will recognize you like this. I didn't even recognize you when you came to pick me up! You look totally different as a blond! I don't know why you're even bothering to wear the hat and sunglasses."
Ren cleared the lump in his throat, but it did nothing to ease his tightly held panic. He eyed the taxi driver, but he was fairly certain the Latino man behind the wheel didn't understand Japanese. Now was as good a time as any to get his manager up to speed. That was one reason he had taken a taxi to pick up his manager from the airport instead of one of his father's sports cars: there was no way he could focus on the road while having this conversation. Well, that and a Tesla or sparkly new Corvette tended not to be the most effective ride when trying to fly below the radar, no matter how much fun they were to drive.
He cleared his throat and searched for the right words. For some reason, it was so much harder telling Yashiro that he'd basically been lying to his face for years than it had been with Kijima and Koga.
Which was probably why he'd put it off until the last possible moment.
And that moment had finally come.
"Actually, this isn't a disguise. This is my natural hair color. And it would be very troublesome if someone recognized me before we got to my parents' house, so the hat is staying on."
Yashiro whipped his head around to look at his charge, all sense of frivolity gone at the firm line of Ren's jaw. Aside from the fact that they would be staying with his parents, who apparently lived in LA, the actor had always been stubbornly tight-lipped in response to all of Yashiro's questions about his former identity. But it looked like he was finally ready to spill.
"Ren...just who are your parents?"
"My father is a certain actor who started off in Japan under the name Shuuhei Hozu, made it big, and moved on to be a famous American action star," he said carefully, hoping that was all he would need to say in order for Yashiro to understand.
Silence fell as Yashiro's mouth fell open. The taxi driver eyed his foreign clients in the rearview mirror, but wisely kept his opinions to himself. He'd switched to Spanish mid-conversation himself enough times to know when a conversation was meant to be private.
"YOUR FATHER IS HIZURI KUU?!"
Ren's eyes got huge in response to Yashiro's outburst, immediately checking to make sure the driver hadn't understood what he said before leveling a Gentleman's Smile at his manager.
"Yes. He is. And I'm so glad I went to all the trouble of avoiding saying his name only for you to yell it at the top of your lungs," he ground out through his teeth.
Yashiro put a hand over his mouth with a guilty expression. "Oops...my bad...but that means your mother is-"
"Yes."
"Which would make you…who?"
"Kuon."
"And you're naturally blond?"
"Yes. With green eyes." Ren tilted down his sunglasses just enough to flash his contact-free eyes at his manager.
Yashiro held back a squeal. "Oh my god, how did I never notice you wear contacts? You have her eyes!"
"Like I've never heard that before…" Ren grumbled.
"What the hell have you been doing in Japan all this time? You're basically related to Hollywood royalty! Why didn't you debut here?!"
"I did. It's a long story." Ren's tone implied the conversation was finished, but Yashiro, having tasted of the fruit of knowledge, was far past being content with a single bite.
"If this traffic is any indication, it's going to be a long drive," he replied pointedly.
Ren sighed. He supposed after all this time, if anyone had earned the right to know, it was Yashiro.
And thus began the recounting of the unbelievable tale of Kuon Hizuri's youth, while stuck in traffic at the intersection of 10th and Grand.
Kyoko stood on the front porch of the ryokan, wrapped up in her favorite new Gucci coat (because it had a pretty floral print silk lining that made her feel like a princess), peeling a mikan, and gazing down the snow-cleared path at a familiar, casually-dressed, blond rock star heaving his duffle further up onto his shoulder.
Neither one said anything.
She pulled off a piece of peel and dropped it over the railing into the flower bed, her eyes daring him to speak.
The seconds ticked on.
They didn't notice the steadily gathering crowd of employees and family members taking up residence in the windows behind Kyoko, just as they didn't notice their breaths coming out in visible little clouds due to the chilled air.
Kyoko kept her eyes locked with Sho's as she ate segment after segment of the sweet fruit between her fingers.
Meanwhile, Sho's face got angrier and angrier.
But, he stubbornly didn't say anything. Or move to go around her.
No matter how angry her little show made him, he was going to wait.
He'd already promised himself that. He was not going to lose this strange reverse game of chicken.
It had not been easy to resist contacting her, constantly waiting for her to make the first move, and being disappointed when she never did. This was the moment he would find out if he would be rewarded for all those months of good behavior.
Or doomed to a completely Kyoko-less existence for the rest of his life.
Surprisingly, Kyoko was thinking similar thoughts in regards to rewards as she held out her last orange segment to him.
"Thank you. You can have the last one if you want, Sho-chan."
"Bout freaking time!" he snapped back at her, but a smile broke through his annoyed words, clearing all signs of his frustration.
It had been so long since she'd last called him that.
He stalked forward and grabbed her wrist, eating the orange directly from her hand. It was a move that would have had any other girl swooning, but Kyoko was not like any other girl. As soon as he had a hold of the fruit with his teeth she let go and flicked him hard in the nose with her middle finger. He immediately let go, glaring at her as he rubbed the offended appendage.
"Hey! Ow!"
"Pssh, you deserved it." Kyoko turned away with a laugh and started for the door. "Come in and greet your parents like a decent human being. They've missed you."
Sho's annoyed facade gave way to a wistful, genuine smile as he stared at her back. She was more tan then he remembered, and her hair was a golden blonde color now, but neither of those things really mattered. Aside from the few months filming Dark Moon, she had never gone back to the natural black locks she'd had growing up, so it wasn't like it was all that surprising. What did matter was that the very air around her seemed to sparkle. The endlessly optimistic Kyoko who had inspired all of his first halfway decent songs, and agreed to run off with him to Tokyo, was finally back.
She's in love again, he thought before he could catch himself. She's just not in love with me anymore.
And, despite the fact that little observation had his chest feeling a little tight, it was also nothing new. He'd had months to come to terms with her relationship with Mr. Pretty Boy and he wasn't about to ruin his hard-earned Kyoko-time by jumping down her throat about it now. Taking the broad steps his long legs allowed him, he easily pulled up next to her.
"Why didn't you come to my concert in LA? The tickets I reserved for you at the door were never picked up."
Kyoko gave him an apologetic smile. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I wasn't sure whether I would be able to make it, but I ended up going out of town at the last minute. Then I totally forgot to message Shoko back so you wouldn't expect me. I hope it went well."
She didn't tell him that her reason for being out of town was Julie whisking her away for an amazing weekend in New York, where she went to parties with celebrities (some of which even she had heard of), and met a dizzying array of industry professionals. She'd even auditioned for something on Broadway (well, just off Broadway, but close enough) for the experience. Knowing Julie as she did now, she suspected it was all a ruse constructed entirely for the purposes of keeping her from that very concert (Kyoko had stopped asking how Julie got her insider information a long time ago), but that didn't make the experience any less incredible. The stunning model/actress/designer was nothing if not an indulgent mother...to Kuon and to her.
But also a deviously clever one.
"Well, next time I invite you, have your manager mark it down in your calendar ahead of time, or I'll take it personally," Sho replied, messing up her hair with one hand. Kyoko ducked away, swatting at his arm as they made it to the lobby of the ryokan, where they were met with a surprising number of staff and distant Fuwa relations milling around pretending to be interested in the decor.
"Fucking spectators," Sho muttered under his breath. "I can't believe you made me come back here."
Kyoko kicked him in the shin. Hard. "I can't believe I had to make you. You're such a shitty son! Now go greet your parents. I've got to help get lunch going."
"What the fuck? Are they making you work while you're here?!" he asked, stalling before he had to approach his parents and withstand what was sure to be the biggest scolding of his life.
"Of course not, idiot!" she laughed. "I volunteered. Since we're celebrating Christmas today, the kitchen staff was given the day off. I'm just gonna make something simple to satisfy the rabid Fuwa hoards while they listen to Okami-san shamelessly brag about you."
Sho snorted. "More like bragging about you. The only thing they ever ask about when they call is you. They never believe me when I tell them we haven't spoken since May. Not after I lied about not knowing where to find you in Tokyo."
"Yeah, that was the first thing they asked me about too. At least now they should believe you. Granted, I think your father plans to have a few choice words with you about the proper way to treat a woman…" She grinned over her shoulder and started to walk away toward the kitchen.
Sho gulped, threw his bag behind the host stand and hustled after her, throwing a glance at his parents who were having a whispered conversation with his aunt. "Actually, I'll help. I kind of feel like cooking too."
"Coward."
Sho didn't deny it. He just put on an apron and started forming onigiri like he'd been taught as a child.
"Do you have to dye it back? I love it so much like this!" Julie crooned as she ran her fingers through her son's hair.
"Yes, mom. I do. As soon as Kyoko comes back, we're going to start filming. I've left it like this far too long at your urging as it is." Kuon took the box of hair dye Yashiro had picked up for him and tossed the plastic bag it came in into the recycling. California wasn't quite as eco-conscious as Japan had become, but they were getting there.
"But darling, Kyoko hasn't even gotten to see it yet! Can't you leave it just until she gets home? You know how much she loves your natural color!" Julie coaxed, already a master at exploiting his greatest weakness.
Kuon sighed. "She saw it the last time we came. It's not worth the risk."
"That wasn't a no," Julie pointed out joyfully, whisking the box of hair dye off the counter and out of the kitchen.
"She's probably hiding that right now," Kuon sighed again to his manager, sinking onto one of the plush kitchen barstools and giving up, yet again, in the face of hurricane Julie. "We'll be lucky if it shows up before next Christmas."
It helped ease the sting of defeat that a little part of him did want to see Kyoko's reaction to his natural palette again. It could be his imagination, but he swore her eyes sparkled a little brighter when he was a blond...
As it always did, the thought of the last time they'd been alone together made his stomach feel empty.
Well, empty in an unpleasant way.
He grabbed a handful of mixed nuts from the massive bowl his dad always kept out on the kitchen counter and pulled out his phone to check his world clock app. It was 9:00 pm in LA, so that made it 1:00 pm the next day in Kyoto. She would be doing lunch dishes about now, if he had to guess. Or making cake for the Christmas celebration that evening.
A Christmas celebration with that visual kei show-off bastard and his family.
His perfect teeth locked together in frustration.
"Ren, I don't think your phone can take much more…" Yashiro commented gingerly. He didn't even notice he hadn't called the actor by what he now knew to be his real name.
Old habits die hard, after all.
Kuon looked down in surprise at his hand to see cracks forming in his screen from his grip. "Fuck. Not again."
Then the notification sound for a text from Kyoko pinged and he groaned.
No matter how many times he tapped the screen it was non-responsive. "DAMMIT! Yashiro, can you-"
"Here." His manager already held out a gloved hand for the damaged phone, his other holding the back up phone he now always carried in a side pocket of his briefcase for emergencies. Ren's impulse control had taken several hits since Kyoko had started utilizing her phone's camera. So had his electronics. "Give it to me. I'll switch out the SIM card for now and take your phone somewhere to be repaired tomorrow."
Kuon gratefully handed it over. "Don't bother, just buy the new iPhone with my account."
Yashiro snorted. "Fine, but you get to explain to Kyoko why you have a brand new phone when she gets here."
"On second thought, get me one exactly like the old one. Not that she can probably even tell the difference."
"Good call," Yashiro mocked dryly.
"Shut up. You're just as afraid of being lectured as I am. Don't think I didn't notice how you would clean the junk food wrappers out of your car every time you were going to pick her up."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I just don't like leaving trash sitting around my pristine vehicle," Yashiro rebutted with a sniff.
"Then I'll just mention the giant empty box of Pocky I saw you throw away at the airport to her, shall I?"
"Not unless you want me to tell her about just how many new phones you've bought this year, you won't!"
The two men stared each other down with narrowed eyes for a moment before nodding.
Mutually assured destruction it was. As usual.
"So, are you planning something romantic when you pick her up?" Yashiro asked with sparkles in his eyes. He pictured Kyoko running down the arrivals gate and leaping into his arms as he spun her around and fireworks went off outside the window spelling "LOVE YOU FOREVER".
"Probably not. Her flight gets in at midnight tomorrow night, so I'm sure she'll be exhausted," Ren said evenly, slipping his mask carefully back into place. He didn't mention his plan to find a private place to stop on the way home. In this house, the walls had ears. And they all reported back to the all-powerful Queen Julie. But he made a mental note to take one of the cars that actually had a sizable back seat.
Just in case Kyoko had been able to sleep on the plane.
Or had sent him another picture modeling the new lingerie he'd had delivered to her as a congratulations for passing her exams.
"The poor dear. Maybe I should stay up late and make her something to eat when she gets home!" Julie exclaimed as she swept into the room, having changed into a designer pair of silk pajama pants and oversized Minnie Mouse t-shirt for the night. Over it all, she'd thrown an open yukata patterned with peach blossoms. As always, she somehow managed to look like she'd just walked off a runway, even with the hodge-podge of fashion clashes and her voluminous hair gathered into a messy bun atop her head.
Yashiro still found it hard to breathe pretty much any time she entered a room. Even working in show biz as long as he had with her son (Mr. Co-Star Killer himself), the ethereal beauty that had captured the world's hearts (and sexual fantasies) for decades took his breath away every time.
"You have a photoshoot early the next day, don't you? Don't worry about it. If she's hungry, we'll pick her up something on the way home," Ren chided smoothly, using all of his not insignificant acting skills to hide the nausea he experienced at just the mention of his mother's cooking. He doubted he'd be able to keep anything down the entire next day now…
He swallowed hard to keep down the nuts he'd just carelessly consumed.
Julie pouted. "Fine. I'd bake a cake or something and leave it in the fridge for her, but we both know your father will get to it long before she gets here. One of these days, his horrible eating habits are going to catch up to him and then he'll be sorry."
Ren just nodded. It was useless to argue with her. She'd been saying that for decades and Kuu Hizuri was still fitter than most men half his age, despite the sheer volume of food he ate on a daily basis. Meanwhile, Julie still carefully ate like a bird to maintain her famous figure, subconsciously pushing all the food she secretly craved onto her uncomplaining bottomless pit of a husband. Ren was just thankful he was no longer her victim of choice.
Unfortunately, that wouldn't last long if he stayed too much longer with his parents. The two weeks he'd spent with Kyoko in his childhood home had been more than enough to convince him that he absolutely could not stand to live under their roof the entire time he was filming in LA. He just hadn't found the right time to break it to his parents yet.
Or to ask Kyoko to move in with him.
But that would be easy after he proposed? Right?
Well, nothing was easy when it came to Kyoko...
He halted those thoughts in their tracks. The last thing he needed was to get ahead of himself and blow the whole surprise he'd been planning for months. First he had to get through picking her up from the airport without his desire to touch her driving him to jump her before they made it out of the parking lot.
After all, Koga had bet 400,000 yen they wouldn't even make it to the car. And he hated to let Koga win at anything if he could help it. Or Kijima for that matter. It turns out those two guys really brought out a competitive side of him that hadn't seen the light of day in a long time.
Yashiro handed him the back up phone, newly installed with his SIM card and grinned as the actor swiftly said good night and walked purposefully to his bedroom.
Julie watched her son leave with a sly smile of her own. Unlike her overprotective husband (who insisted that absolutely nothing untoward would happen between Kyoko and Kuon under their roof until they tied the knot...or she at least turned eighteen), she knew exactly what it was like to be a talented teenage girl, with a blossoming career, falling in love with the number one actor of Japan. After all, she'd only been 17-years-old herself when Kuu had whisked her off her feet. And at that time, Kuu had not been nearly so concerned with protecting her virtue. Granted, the age gap had been a little less, since he was only 19 at the time...but still. Young love deserved to be nurtured. And in only a few days, Kyoko would be legal in the US as well as Japan and the argument would be moot.
But, she had more interesting avenues to explore…
Julie shot her husband a look and coyly approached her son's manager from the side, pulling a bar stool up close to him and leaning her head on her hand as she rested her elbow on the kitchen counter. Her lips curled into a secretive smile as he looked up from the bag he was shuffling through.
"So, Yukihito...how long have you been Kuon's, sorry, I mean Ren's manager?"
Yashiro forgot to breathe as tendrils of her golden hair slid over her bare arm and his eyes couldn't help but follow.
"Yeah. We didn't get to really talk at all last time I was in Japan…" Kuu remarked as he put a friendly arm around the shoulders of his much less muscular countryman. His other hand slid a glass of shochu (a popular Japanese liquor distilled from rice or sweet potatoes) on the rocks smoothly across the counter. "You're a shochu man, right, Yukihito?"
Yashiro swallowed and finally remembered how to inhale, laughing nervously under the influence of two such powerful auras. It was clear where Ren got his intimidating presence.
"Yes. Thank you." He cleared his throat. "How did you know?"
Kuu waved off the question. "I have my ways. A friend of mine in Shinjuku sent me a case of different shochus, but I think you'll like this one the most. It's fairly fruity."
Yashiro blinked several times, his mind racing behind his usual stoic mask. How the HELL does ANYONE know I drink fruity shochu?! I've only ever had it in my own apartment! I've ordered nothing but beer in public since I graduated college! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!
"Drink up," Julie chirped fondly, pushing the glass into his hand. "And then, we would love to hear all about our son's time in Japan. He's awfully terrible not to contact us for so long, don't you think? Was it terribly difficult for him to acclimatize to the new environment? Did you have to get him out of any kind of trouble?"
Yashiro could almost hear the click in his head when he figured out what they were really after. And was so caught off guard that he snorted, devolving into a waterfall of unmanly giggles. He took in their bewildered faces and lifted the glass, taking a long sip of some of the finest shochu liquor he'd ever had, exactly suited to his personal taste. Then he licked his lips and offered them a boyish grin. Who knew the Hizuris were such doting parents?
"What all would you like to know? The dirty secrets, the coolest moments, or the embarrassing ones?"
Julie and Kuu returned his smile, dropping their charade and leaning forward like the overeager parents they were.
"Everything!"
"Sixty seconds left!" the owner of Shougetsu-tei (AKA Fuwa Sho's father) bellowed gleefully. "You're gonna have to hustle now if you're going to beat my best time.
Kyoko redoubled her efforts and frantically pared down the daikon in her hands as she swiftly turned the radish into a rose. "Just you wait, I've got this. I haven't let my skills deteriorate for even a moment!"
Sho blew his bangs out of his eyes from his reclined position in the far corner of the room. "Like it fucking matters."
His mother smacked the back of his head hard enough to send him staggering forward.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"
"Sit properly. And don't make light of your father's life's work and the skills Kyoko worked so hard to accomplish. You have never shown her the respect you should. She's a very hard-working girl," the Fuwa okami intoned, neatly folding her legs under herself until she rested elegantly in seiza. "Unlike my careless musician son."
"She's an actress who is about to be internationally acclaimed, not a fucking sushi chef! Why does it matter if she can beat Dad in katsuramuki or not? And I have plenty of respect for her. It's Dad egging her on like some show pony in front of the family that I have problems with," Sho grumbled, glaring at several of the younger Fuwa cousins as they crept closer to his childhood friend, drawn in by her glowing aura.
His mother's eyes went wide. "What is this? I don't think I've ever heard you speak about Kyoko-chan that way before."
Sho shifted uncomfortably on the tatami mats with his legs crossed, drawing the line at sitting on his knees until his feet fell asleep just to please the old-fashioned parents who had never once supported his (very successful!) choice of careers.
"There are a lot of things you haven't heard me say. It's not like you ever cared enough to listen."
His mother sighed. "Shotarou, caring enough to listen, and having the time to listen are two different things. Running the ryokan has always been a full time job. I'm sorry it took you running away from home with Kyoko in tow for us to take your far-fetched dreams seriously, but we did the best we could with you."
Sho harrumphed. "Yeah, more like you were glad to be rid of me. You always liked Kyoko better anyway."
He braced himself for another smack to the back of the head, but was shocked to hear his oh-so-proper mother snorting behind her hand instead.
"You're kidding, right? The one who liked Kyoko most was you! You were our little prince, but she followed you around like the sun rose in your eyes. And you ate up the attention she gave you like it was an unlimited supply of pudding you never had to pay for."
"I did not! I hated how she was always hanging around me!" Sho shot a panicked look across the room to make sure Kyoko and his dad were still focused on their contest.
"Yeah, that's what you wanted everyone to think, for some reason. Why do you think we were so sure you two would get married someday? You may have gone through girls like handkerchiefs, but you only ever cared about her opinion. When you two disappeared together, I thought for sure you'd finally seen the light and eloped. But nope. My idiot son had dreams that were more important than the feelings of mere mortals such as Kyoko."
"Hey! I made my 'crazy dreams' come true! I'm very successful at what I do! I've made more money on one of my albums than you and Dad make in a year at this dump!"
Sho knew he had gone too far when his mother's eyes turned steely and her relaxed back straightened into a perfect line, granting her several more inches of height. "This dump, as you so charmingly call it, paid for the food that helped you grow up tall and strong. And for your guitar lessons. And for the ridiculously expensive haircuts you stole money from my purse once a month to get downtown."
Sho reddened. He had been pretty sure no one ever found out about that.
"And I am quite aware of just how successful you are. I have the pleasure of receiving copies of magazines from all of our closest friends and neighbors every time there's a story about you. I've read countless interviews in which you're so worried about your precious new image that you're careful never to reveal who your parents are, or how they raised you. Interviews where you never once mention the hard-working girl who provided for you while you were striving to become successful. Make no mistake, beloved only son of mine, that I bore through twenty-two hours of labor; I'm just as proud of your success as I am ashamed of your complete lack of gratitude to the people who gave you the worry free life that allowed you to pursue such a dream!"
Sho watched his always prim and proper mother in complete shock as she blinked away tears. "Mom, I…"
"Don't get me wrong, Shotarou," his mother continued more calmly before he could figure out just what to say. "Your father and I love you very much. And we always will. You are our one and only child and we will always be supremely proud of what you have achieved and happy that you are able to support yourself. However, it's about time you realized that you have also cut us very deeply. As deeply as I suspect you cut that poor girl when you said whatever idiotic thing you did for her to finally leave you. And that doesn't just go away. We are proud of this place we work hard for every day. It is our greatest shame as parents that you are not equally proud of the place where you came from."
Before Sho could even attempt to say anything else, she rose gracefully to her feet and exited the room.
His father and Kyoko, daikon rose completed, but forgotten on the floor in front of them when they realized what was going on across the room, bent their heads respectfully to keep from viewing her self-proclaimed shame.
Sho could feel their silent admonishment like water filling the room, becoming more suffocating the longer it went on.
Quietly, his father rose to his feet and followed after his mother. The rest of the cousins and his aunt and uncle quietly followed suit, leaving Kyoko and Sho alone in the suddenly oppressive room. A room once so familiar to them both that they could tell you what made the shape of every shadow on the rice paper doors from the garden outside.
But a room both of them had chosen long ago to forsake for the sake of their adolescent fantasies.
"Can I ever fix it?" Sho whispered to the ball of lead in his gut and the no longer fragile girl he would always regret throwing away.
The girl whose opinion was still the only one that really mattered.
"Of course you can. It's not a question of whether you're capable. You know you are. The question is, will you fix it?"
Kyoko raised her head with sympathetic eyes. She knew better than anyone how hard Sho had fought to get where he was. She knew how many of his nights were spent sleepless writing music, how hard the calluses on his fingers were from practicing chords, and, most importantly, how many times he had almost given up when it seemed like his dream was just too big to achieve. But, the wounds he had inflicted on her heart had only just begun to heal, so it took more than she cared to admit to keep from smacking him on the back of his head so hard she broke his nose on the floor and storming out.
Instead, she clasped her hands until her knuckles were white and carefully selected words that carried more weight with him than she would ever fully comprehend. "I want to believe you will."
Then she left the room, leaving only his regrets to remind him why he was suddenly so alone.
The ride to the airport the next morning was a quiet one: Kyoko sleepy from having woken up an hour earlier than usual; Sho exhausted from having not slept at all.
For Sho's part, he was sure he could feel Kyoko's admonishment in every bump of the road and her judging eyes following his every movement.
For Kyoko's part, she was wishing she had gone for caffeinated black tea instead of herbal in the hot thermos balanced between her ungloved fingers.
"I told her I was sorry."
Sho's words made Kyoko jump, stirred out of her contemplation of the scenery whizzing by her window.
"Uh...good?"
"I know that's not enough. And I will obviously do more to make it better. But I just want you to know that I told her I was sorry, okay?" he barrelled on, almost belligerently. Kyoko turned her head to blink at him for a few seconds before turning back to the window.
"Well, then it sounds like you're on the right track. Try not to fall off it this time."
"I won't."
Shoko observed the entire transaction from the rearview mirror, but she still had no idea if they had made up or not. She hadn't been invited to the Fuwa Christmas, so her curiosity was killing her. However, it would go unsatisfied.
But, she mused, they were sharing a car without yelling or hitting each other, and that was a start.
Kuon scanned the list Yashiro handed him and pointed to several names.
"Everyone else is settled into their rooms, but these three get in tomorrow. Kyoko doesn't know you're staying with us at the house yet, so you're in charge of picking them up at the airport and getting them to the hotel. Once they're all settled and briefed on the plan, then we'll meet up for dinner."
His manager nodded.
"No problem. Is there a particular car I should use?" he asked, only a slight shake to his fingers betraying how anxious the thought of driving on the wrong side of the road in the city made him.
Kuon smiled. "You'll have a driver who knows his way around. Your job is less actually picking up the guests, and more being their welcoming committee."
Yashiro let out the breath he'd been holding and nodded again. "Sounds good. Is there anything else you need me to do?"
"I think that's it," Kuon affirmed, looking at his watch. He got up from his chair and reached for the jacket slung over its back. "But check with Mom just in case. She's the mastermind behind the party side of things."
"Will do." He raised a brow at Ren. "Is it time to pick her up already?"
"I want to be inside and waiting when she lands."
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
Kuon grabbed his hat and opened up the panel in the wall that concealed the keys for each of the 24 Hizuri cars and 12 motorcycles. He ran a finger down his options and cocked an eyebrow when he saw several new custom made golden key chains that hadn't been there on his last visit. He tilted one so he could read it and puffed out an amused breath of air through his nose.
It read 'Duchess of the Skies'.
The one next to it said, 'Dash.'
He took a minute to read all of the tags, cocking an eyebrow when he got to one that wasn't gold, but rose gold inlaid with silver.
That one said, 'Princess Rosa'.
Curious, he looked at the keys attached to the ring, but couldn't tell anything except that they belonged to an Audi. Making a mental note to investigate that when he had a minute, he grabbed the keys for their newest Mercedes Benz (which happened to have a very spacious back seat), headed out to the garage, and started counting the minutes until he got to see Kyoko again.
Yep, just threw Princess Rosa in there. You're curious now, aren't ya? hehe.
So, funny story, I wrote the part with Yashiro browsing the internet and the part where Kyoko meets Sho on the stairs of the Ryokan right after the chapter before they leave for California and found myself flashing back to so much stuff, I just HAD to go back and at least detail what happened on their trip to see Kuon's parents...and then...well, you know what happened from there. I know, I know...I'm just nuts/crazy/insane. I hear it all the time...
But, I'm you're kind of crazy, right? hehe.
Love you all, and hopefully see you soon for the big conclusion to Japan's Most Wanted!
Riot out!