Disclaimer: Author owns nothing. Mai-Hime belongs to Sunrise.
CHAPTER 17
JAPAN: DAY 11
TAPING DAY: 5
The young director was leaning on the door frame of the superstar's bedroom door. She was clad in light green button up shirt with her black riding jacket on matched with a pair of skinny denim jeans and boots. Her dark glasses were left hanging on her shirt's collar. Arms were crossed in annoyance as she stood there. Emerald orbs were hidden behind eyelids as veins started bulging visibly on her forehead.
The reason for her foul mood early in the morning was a goddess in the guise of a certain superstar whose red Victoria's Secret limited edition lingerie clad body was immaculately laid on her queen-sized bed, with no blanket covering such display of gorgeous body. Her body was leaning on the bed's headboard. Crimson orbs hidden behind reading eyeglasses were focused on a small book in her hand as her slender fingers flipped the pages every now and then. Her long slender right leg was slightly folded while the other limb was left stretched out. The very pleasing and arousing view would have made any perverted man to have something sticking on their pants. The young director would have no complaint had she had no taping to do.
"Don't look! Don't look! Don't look! She's just tempting you. You're mad. Everyone's waiting for her on the set and there she is being a brat again. You're mad, Kruger. Remember you are mad." The young director recited in her head like a mantra, willing every control in her body not to give in to the temptation presented before her and the superstar's antic.
"What the hell do you think you are doing, Shizuru?" The young director said in mild annoyance as she started approaching the superstar on the bed. "We're waiting for you at the set. You're thirty minutes late of scheduled taping. Now, get up and get dressed." She ordered, looking at the woman on the bed.
"Ara, I was waiting for Natsuki. She's thirty minutes late." The superstar looked up from her book, settling it on her lap. She started to look somber, eyes downcast. "Natsuki is bad. She abandoned me after getting what she wanted from me last night. She is not taking responsibility for what she did to me." she continued in her distraught voice as tears started to pour down her cheeks. Light sobs were heard as her shoulders started shaking.
"Oi! Nothing happened last night, Shizuru!" The young director snapped her head towards the superstar, emerald orbs bulging at the accusation.
"Ara, Natsuki is denying it. I should have known, I am just a past time plaything for her." The superstar continued in her gloomy voice as her reading glasses' vision started to get blurred by her tears.
"What the fuck is she talking about!? Aarrgghh! This woman is really freakin' impossible!" The young director grumbled in her thought, not understanding what the superstar was up to.
She took a lungful of air then, exhaled it to calm herself. She went to the left side of the bed and settled herself next to the crying woman. She slowly discarded the superstar's reading eyeglasses and set them aside. The woman was still looking down, not even glancing at her as tears continued flowing down her soft cheeks. She cupped the woman's cheeks with her two hands. "Look at me, Shizuru." She urged as she started wiping off the tears from the superstar's cheek with her thumbs. "We really need to go now. Everyone's waiting for us." She finished, trying to be the voice of reason.
Unfortunately for the young director that wasn't the assurance that the superstar expected to come from her beautiful mouth. Her not denying the previous accusation did not help her in any manner in pacifying the superstar.
"I see. So, I am just really a plaything for Natsuki." The superstar said, swatting the young director's hands away from her before lying on her bed. Her back was turned towards the young director. "Natsuki can go now. I am currently indisposed. I am sure my manager and my producer will not mind."
The superstar heard a sigh being released before the additional weight was lifted off from the bed. She closed her eyes knowing that the young director was going to leave the room any time soon. Not wanting to see her out of her unit and probably out of her life again, she kept her eyes closed. Whatever little moments that they had shared together might be vanished into thin air as they will resume again to being strangers to each other.
The young director had discarded her black riding jacket and dark sunglasses before settling them on the foot of the bed. She turned around to the left side of the bed and joined the superstar.
The superstar's eyelids snapped open when she noticed the young director had joined her in bed. The young director pulled her closer creating little distance between their faces.
"Ara, what is Natsuki doing?" The superstar said, her eyes were still brimming with tears.
"Joining you. You're not coming to the set so, I don't see any need for me there." The young director said but the superstar started to wiggle from her hold. She held her in place before whispering in her husky voice. "Look, Shizuru. You're not a plaything for me, okay? Besides you have just leashed me yesterday with this stupid wristwatch." she showed the timepiece to the superstar. "Whether you like it or not, you will be stuck with me and I am not letting you go." She held the superstar's left cheek and caressed it gently with her thumb. "Okay?" She finished before she found herself lying on her back while her lips were captured in a long passionate kiss.
The superstar hovered above the young director. Her slender bare legs where entangled with the young director's denim clad slender legs. Her hands were holding the director's raven mane as she dove in for another long passionate kiss. The young director's hands were on superstar's hips. She started unbuttoning the young director's shirt but her hands were halted.
"Shizuru, not now." The young director said in her husky voice filled with arousal. She broke the kiss when she felt the superstar's hand started unbuttoning her shirt."God knows how much I would love to do it with you the moment you came into my bedroom that very first night but it's too soon, Shizuru." She said as her slightly parted lips gasped for air.
"I am ready Natsuki." The superstar said in her voice filled with lust and arousal. Her darkened crimson orbs stared back at emerald orbs which were in the same state of arousal. Soft pink lips were parting slightly as they took in some air. Her face was inches apart from the young director's as her tawny mane blanketed their faces as if hiding them from unwanted audience which might be present inside the empty room that was devoid of other occupants.
"We'll take it slow, Shizuru. I want it to be special and not like this." The young director reached for the superstar's left cheek above her.
"But Natsuki had slept with a lot of women already. How is this different?" The superstar said, not giving up. Her elbows were settled on either side of the young director's head.
"It's a whole lot different, Shizuru. I slept with them to satisfy my carnal desire. It was just pure flesh and pleasure for us. Meaningless one-night stands. Nothing more nothing less." The young director explained in all honesty, not even bothering to hide anything.
"So, Natsuki did really sleep with other women?" The superstar said with a little hurt in her voice. She was just trying to make the young director confirmed some of her thoughts and unfortunately for her, reality always hurt.
"I'm just trying to be honest with you, Shizuru." The young director whispered before laying her arms around her in a manner of presenting herself "This is me. I am a package that comes with flaws. I am not perfect. I am a human with carnal desires. I am no celibate saint, Shizuru. I get tempted and more often than not, I give in. New York is not a place for closed-minded righteous people with their so-called high morals, Shizuru." She bore her soul shamelessly to the superstar above her.
"I like Natsuki. I don't care what she did but I don't want her to keep sleeping with other women." The superstar said before diving in for another long passionate kiss which was reciprocated when the young director kissed back with the same vigor as the latter held her in place.
"Hmn." The young director relented as she tried catching her breath, her emerald orbs stared at those crimson ones above her.
The superstar lay down on the young director's body. She buried her head on her neck before whispering. "I'm glad for Natsuki's honesty with me. But Natsuki should know that I still haven't slept with anyone." She confessed, her melodic voice fading to inaudible volume as she spoke. A small blush crept on her face.
"Holy shit!" Emerald orbs bulged out as she jerked up into a sitting position, carrying the startled superstar with her in the process. She held both the superstar's shoulders at arm's length before blinking her eyes and looking at crimson eyes. "Are you telling me that you are a virgin, Shizuru!? Just how young are you?"
"Ara, yes, Natsuki. I'm twenty." The superstar replied before casting her glance down and resumed speaking in her melodic voice filled with melancholy. "Is Natsuki disappointed?"
"Holy Virgin Mary mother of all celibate saints! Fuckin' hell no!" The young director cussed, caught up in her revelation of the year moment. "I thought that I would be sued for corrupting a minor!"
"Ara, Natsuki surely loves uttering profanities. Those offensive words should not belong to her lovely mouth." The superstar said disapprovingly, reprimanding the young director in the process.
The young director gathered the superstar in her arms. "I mean that's an admirable trait of yours, Shizuru." She whispered as her emerald orbs looked at the far end wall in front of her. She held the superstar's head closer to her as a memory crossed her mind. "Don't ever repeat what you did the first night we met."
"Ara, that was because Natsuki was ignoring me the entire day. Natsuki was mean." The superstar playfully whined.
"That was because my rude Shizuru-Ojousama drenched me with her iced black tea and did not apologize to me." The young director defended herself, remembering the unfortunate circumstance. Then as if remembering another she added. "Oh! Don't you dare think that I don't know what you did with my coffee at you dear cousin Kanzaki's restaurant, Shizuru."
"Ara, Natsuki is mean. She is accusing me of such ill-mannered behaviors." The superstar whined as she nuzzled the young director's neck.
"Oi, I am not accusing you. I am stating facts here." The young director said before continuing. "So, no apology from my rude Shizuru-Ojousama at all?" She asked glancing at the superstar in her arms. "It is better late than never."
"Ara, none at all." The superstar said firmly before withdrawing herself from the young director's arms. "Did Natsuki not say that we have a taping to do and that we are late?" she continued after giving the confused young director a quick peck on the lips before sliding off the bed and going to her bathroom's direction. "I'll be quick, Natsuki." She called out before shutting the bathroom door closed.
"Aarrgghh! Egoistic brat!" The young director grumbled as she hurled a pillow on the floor.
The young director, clad in her button up light green shirt, was seated on her foldable chair. Her denim clad legs were crossed as she took her time in drinking her caffeine dosage for the day. Her emerald orbs were scanning the set as the movie crews did some last minute touch up. She was waiting for the actresses to be ready for the scene that was scheduled to be taken. The scene was actually the continuation of a week ago's taping that was cancelled due to an unfortunate event involving an annoyed young director, an ecstatic teal haired young actress, a stubborn superstar, and some verbal sparring that went out of hand.
"Natsuki, your interview with the late night show will be this 10PM. They're taking it live." The orange haired manager, who was sitting to her right with an iPad in her hand, turned her attention towards the young director.
"Yeah. Thanks, Mai." The young director smiled at her manager, still engrossed in her cup of addictive highly caffeinated beverage.
"I'll be taking you there, Natsuki. You can't go there on your bike. You'll be wearing a dress, remember?" The orange haired manager paused when she heard a groan. "Your personal make-up artist and hairstylist will be arriving from New York at 6:00PM today. No funny business with them, Natsuki. Unless you want any of them to walk down the aisle in an elegant white gown." She finished with a hint of promising impending doom awaiting the young director should she do something not in accordance with her manager's will.
"Don't worry about it, Mai. I won't. They're diamonds and I don't play with precious things." The young director finished her sentence with a wink. She stood up when she noticed the two actresses were walking towards the set. "That's my cue, Mai." She gestured towards the figures in front of her. She smiled at her manager before walking towards the set.
The superstar, clad in a purple Kimono, was cradling a teal haired young actress in her arms. Cameras were positioned around them. Light reflectors were also projected towards them.
The young director, with her headphones on, roamed her emerald orbs around the set. Checking everything before starting.
"Actresses ready." The young director announced, nodding at the two actresses. "All cameras on standby." She glanced at the rectangular screen to her left that showed all the cameras' angles and frames. "Light reflectors, focus on the actresses. Camera lights, ready. We'll start rolling in three…two…one…Action!" She barked over the microphone as she went behind the camera.
"Scene 58. Take 20." A cheerful young lady, holding a black rectangular film clapper, announced.
Everyone held their breath as they stood in awed silence. Not a muscle was moved, afraid to interrupt the moment. There in the middle of the set, the superstar cradled the teal haired young actress in her arms as tears flowed down her rosy cheeks. She seemed fragile like a glass that will shatter into pieces with even a single light touch. Her facial expression was in utter agony and grief like the world had just abandoned her and she saw not a speck of hope.
"My love, to what do you deserve this untimely misfortune? You did nothing but to love me." Kiyo caressed the face of her lover as her voice cracked in pain. "My love, my sweet innocent love whose heart is as pure as ivory. Forgive me for not coming to your aid in your dire need. Forgive my foolish wandering. Oh, my love! Had I known this doom will come, I shall have not left you to your loneliness even if it is a mere blink of a second." She said with eyes brimming with tears as she held her lover closer to her chest. "Why have this world forsaken you? You of most do not deserve its cruelty, my love." She cradled the lifeless body of her lover as she rocked her back in forth like a mother lulling her child to sleep. "Rest your soul, my love. Ease your kind heart of worry of my welfare for I am not wandering this cruel world alone. You will forever be held in my heart, my love. Succumb to your eternal slumber. My eyes will always long for your smiles but I shall be patient until we shall meet again and be united for all eternity." She stood, cradling her lover in her arms. Her demeanor had its sudden shift to an enraged one as sinister aura swirled around her. Her crimson orbs glowed menacingly. "But for this lifetime, let their blood wash away the pain that they caused you. I shall not falter until I seek my revenge. I shall not rest my soul until their corrupted bloodline is annihilated. No lone soul from their generation shall have the right to walk this land. These I vow to you, my sweet love." She finished as she stood there like an empty shell.
Everyone was stunned as they were taken to a roller coaster ride of emotions of grief, sorrow, anger, and fear. Not a single soul dared to breath despite the fact that the scene was already done. Everyone seemed to be carried away by the act in front of them.
"Cut! Saved!" The young director barked over the microphone. "Great shot, everyone! Thank you for your hard work." She went to the scene before facing all the crews. "Time for pack-up! All scenes are done here." She announced and all the crews started moving. She faced the two actresses who were now standing on their feet. "Great job, ladies. Keep it up." She turned on her heels and walked towards the direction of her tent.
The young director was now inside her tent. She grabbed her coffee and was about to drink it when she was suddenly spun around.
"Shizuru, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to get changed?" She asked gesturing at the superstar's Kimono clad body. She held out her coffee on her right hand to her side, away from both their bodies.
"Ara, Natsuki said that I did a great job, did she not?" The superstar interlaced her slender fingers behind the young director's creamy neck. Crimson orbs stared back at emerald orbs. Her slim eyebrow was rising, awaiting for confirmation.
"Yeah. I did. You two did a great job back there, Shizuru." She stated as a matter-of-factly nodding her head before wrapping her free left hand around the superstar's waist.
The superstar pulled the young director's body closer to hers until they faces were only inches apart before speaking seductively. "Ara, Does Natsuki not believe that it is proper for me to be rewarded?"
"Uh. Uh." The young director pressed her left pointer finger on the now frowning superstar's soft lips. Her head was shaking as if saying no. "We're setting ground rules, Shizuru. Rule number one: No fooling around at work. Personal life is different from professional one. Those two should not be mixed up." She paused detaching herself from the disappointed woman. She took a step away and drank from her coffee. "Rule number two: You will be calling me Director Kruger and I will be addressing you as Ms. Viola when we are at work. You can call me anything you want when we are in private." She sat her coffee aside and spoke. "For today, those are the only two rules that I am making. Of course, you can add to them." She walked towards the superstar in front of her and grabbed her hands before wrapping them around her neck. Then, she went on wrapping her arms around the superstar's waist before flushing said woman's body to hers. "These rules will be effective." She whispered as she inched her face closer. "tomorrow." She finished before capturing the superstar's lips in a long passionate heated kiss.
"Do we have a consensus, Shizuru?" The young director asked breathlessly as she pressed her forehead on the superstar's one.
"Ara, yes, my Natsuki. Is that irrevocable?" The superstar inquired breathlessly.
"Yeah." The young director replied shortly.
"Ara, can I overrule it, my Natsuki?" The superstar asked, a slim eyebrow was rising.
"No." The young director replied but her mouth was captured in another passionate kiss.
"Can I overrule it, Natsuki?" The superstar inquired again.
"Still no, Shizuru." The young director once again shook her head in disagreement, answering firmly. Her mouth was once again captured in a passionate kiss.
"Can I, Natsuki?" The superstar asked breathlessly.
"Fine. For now, it is still no. We'll see in the succeeding days, okay?" The young director relented before kissing the superstar's nose tip.
"Ara, so I can overrule it, Natsuki?" The superstar inquired again.
"Yes, Shizuru. But on a later date, okay?" The young director agreed, smiling at the superstar.
"Ara, ookini, Natsuki." The superstar said before she lunge herself forward and engulfed the young director in a warm embrace.
Cough* cough*
"Am I interrogating something, Director Kruger?" The blonde manager feigned coughing as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Eyes squinting in hawk like manner, ready to take on her prey.
"It's 'interrupting', Haruka-san." The spectacled brown haired producer corrected before smiling at the young director.
"Shizuru, I think you should distance yourself from me now. Your manager is ready to skin me alive." The young director whispered as she slid down her hands and let them settled on the superstar's hips instead, urging the latter to remove herself from being latched to her.
"No." The superstar stubbornly stated and to prove her point she secured her hold on the young director's neck and pulled the latter closer.
"Director Kruger…" The orange haired manager chirped from the tent door but was soon halted when she saw the two women locked in an embrace. She had seen the blonde manager and the spectacled brown haired producer long before she entered the tent. "Oh." She mouth.
"Shizuru, we are really gathering audience now." The young director whispered as she started sweating coldly.
"Finally." The young director breathed a sigh of relief upon noticing the superstar detaching herself from her. Her relief was short lived when the superstar halted in her movement but instead laced her fingers around her neck before smiling mischievously. "Oh, no Shizuru. Please don't…" Her panic thought was interrupted when she was pulled again into a long passionate heated kiss. The superstar was dominating the kiss.
The blonde manager stood there with her eyes bulging dangerously that it might come off its sockets. Her jaw was dropping wide that it might have fallen on the ground, if that was even possible. Contrary to her reaction, the spectacled brown haired producer's reaction was quite fine. Just a slight blush on her face, a few blinking of her eyes to check whether her already blurry vision was tricking her or she might need a new pair of eyeglasses pronto. Perhaps an upgrade to her lenses' grade.
The orange haired manager just covered her shocked mouth like a beauty pageant candidate who had just heard the announcement of her being the recently crowned Ms. Universe Beauty Pageant winner. Long eyelashes fluttering slowly that could've been mistaken as a gesture for flirting but was actually her way of expressing her surprise. Classy reaction.
"Do we still have those rules, Natsuki?" The superstar asked breathlessly.
"Yes, Shizuru. I'm not nullifying them. No more counter-argument this time." The young director said before turning her emerald orbs to the tent's entrance. "You may want to step aside, Shizuru. You're manager is ready to charge in any time soon." She finished upon looking at the furious blonde manager who had already recovered from her utter shock.
"You!" The blonde manager roared, pointing at the young director's face.
"Wait!" The orange haired manager interrupted, blocking the blonde manager's way by spreading her arms around her like a barricade.
"Mai." The young manager muttered.
"Suzushiro-san, you have my consent of beating Director Kruger endlessly but not today. Perhaps tomorrow or whenever you wish to. Just spare her today. I need her face intact for the cameras. I don't have ample time for instant cosmetic surgery operation." The orange haired manager reasoned out.
"Wow, Mai. Thanks for being a great friend. You really help a lot. I would give up the world just to keep you by my side for all eternity." The young director commented sarcastically before rolling her eyes.
"You're welcome, Director Kruger. You surely love digging up your own grave. Mind helping me a little here by shutting up?" The orange haired manager replied uncharacteristically. In her defense, she was already putting her life on the line and the young director's sarcastic comment wasn't helping at all.
"I understand your concern for Shizuru's welfare, Suzushiro-san. For that you have my respect." The young director said before detaching herself from the superstar and walking past her orange haired manager. She faced the blonde manager and looked her in the eyes with all seriousness. "I know it's too early for me to say anything today but my intention is pure with no hidden malicious motive. I don't intend on playing with Shizuru's feelings. I know these are just disputable words that you might turn deaf ears on but I wish to keep them. I can't promise you that I will always make her happy for I know that I will surely fail in fulfilling that. We have long years ahead and the future is uncertain. I might do things that might cause her pain or sorrow. I can't give her a utopian world when the world that I am currently in is anything but that." She paused before bowing before the blonde manager. "Please allow me to prove myself to Shizuru, Suzushiro-san." she finished and suspended herself in a bowing position, her emerald orbs were focused on the ground.
"Natsuki…" The orange haired manager thought upon witnessing the young director's behavior.
"I'll be watching you, Kruger." The blonde manager said before turning on her heels and walking towards the tent's exit.
"Work hard, Director Kruger." The spectacled brown haired producer tapped the director's right shoulder lightly.
"Come on, Yukino!" The blonde manager called out.
"Take care of Shizuru-san." The spectacled brown haired producer finished before turning on her heels and following the blonde manager who was already out.
The young director finally decided to straighten up from her bowing position and turned around. She was immediately caught in a warm embrace as the superstar threw her arms around her neck. It was only due to the young director's fast reflexes that they were still standing and not sprawled on the ground.
Her emerald orbs caught the sight of her orange haired manager gesturing her right hand like it was a phone before mouthing. "Call you later for your interview details." And finally letting herself out of the tent in tip toe mode.
"Hey." The young director whispered as she held the superstar's head with her right hand while her left arm was wrapped around her waist. She pulled the superstar closer to her causing said woman's head to be buried on her left shoulder. Her ears were attacked by soft sobs coming from the woman in her arms. She held the superstar in place as she started running her hands on her soft tawny mane in an attempt to sooth her as she hummed a soft melody.
After a few minutes of staying like that, the sob subsided and the superstar lifted her body off. The young director held the superstar's cheeks as she started wiping the remaining tears off the woman's face. The superstar held on to the sides of her button up shirt.
"These tears should only be for the cameras, Shizuru. I hate seeing them on your face if the reason is me." The young director whispered as she looked into crimson orbs.
"Does Natsuki really mean what she said to Haruka-san?" The superstar asked when her voice finally allowed her to speak.
"What if I tell you that I just said those words to save my ass from being kicked, Shizuru?" The young director asked playfully as she continued wiping the superstar's cheeks tenderly.
"Ara, Natsuki is mean." The superstar playfully whined.
"Yes, yes. Shizuru-Ojousama." The young director relented before looking at crimson orbs again. "I mean them, Shizuru. No more crying now, okay?" she cooed the superstar who just nodded at her before wrapping her arms around her neck again.
Unbeknownst to them, another figure was lurking near the tent's entrance, seething in anger as her hand clutched her phone in a death-vice grip. She abruptly turned around, unable to tolerate the scene before her and searched her contact before speaking to the mobile device in her hand. "Start digging for Kruger's dirt. I want every single detail of them." She said through gritted teeth before hanging up. "Let's see what skeleton you got in your closet, Kruger. The nerve of you to lay a finger on what's mine." She stomped towards her tent with a purpose in mind.