Title: Incognito
Plot Writer: NerdyInuProductions
Manga/Anime: Skip Beat
Status: Complete
Disclaimer: I don't own this Anime, Manga and its characters, but I proudly own the Plot and the Story which I thought and loved to share, hope you give me some reviews and tell me what you think.
Salamat!
With the growing popularity of Kyoko, gaining fans though her skills and talents, but most of all her wholesome personality, the audience fell in love with her after her first ever interview, and her fans wanted to know more about this wonder girl who is storming the late night drama and action movies.
However gaining fans means they wanted to know all about their idol especially her private life, "Well, I signed up to it." Kyoko sighed after her senpai and good friend told her to be careful since he got a wind that there are male fans and some paparazzi wanting to snoop in her life off camera.
With Ren smiling at the signet ring Kyoko had made him, "Thank you for this." Voicing his appreciation to the small item that snuggly fits his pinky, he was even more delighted that Kyoko included a bit of her corn stone to it, it was a tiny chip of the rough water sapphire but it was enough to let him know that he is special.
"It is fair when you gave me your precious necklace, it was a bit big but I hope you don't mind if I instead used it as bracelet?" Ren mused at seeing the long necklace that don't fit her much to a bracelet that has been wrapped around her wrist stylishly without dismantling it.
"I don't mind, and I always forgot how crafty you are when it comes to this." He chuckled, of course Kyoko has an eye for accessories too, finding a cheap yet high quality white gold ring, she requested it to be adjusted to his size and have the tiny chip of corn stone she kept polished and shaped into a proper gem. "y the way, should I pick you up later?" he asked as he is always excited for their Friday night dinner dates.
"That would be nice, I'll be in the NHK Studio for a meeting." She informed.
"I remember that Yashiro-san mentioned that the show wanted you to host for a Kyoto tour?" He asked.
"Yes, and I'm excited to visit the spots I used to go around too!" she said in glee and Ren loves to see her smile.
"Alright, I will be picking you up later." He stole a kiss from her and bid his goodbye, heat on Kyoko's face crept up, she muttered a lot of will not to squeal at the man's sweet gesture.
Her day was spent as usual, however this time she is currently waiting by the front entrance of the building, "Do you need a ride, Kyoko-chan?" one of the studio employees offered politely.
"Thank you so much for the offer, but I'm currently waiting for someone." With that said the woman that offered her a ride grinned which made the actress blush, and it wasn't even long when a familiar white sports car pulled over, "Oh… my ride is here. Thank you, Sasaki-san for the offer again." Kyoko made a polite bow at the older lady.
The news anchor had a big knowing smile after glancing at the said driver, "Was I late?" Ren asked and opened the door for her.
"No… no… the meeting was just finished quicker than planned, by the way, how was your taping?" It was cute how the two slipped into an old married couple conversation, and it was sweet of the actor to buckle his partner safely.
"It was great, my furry co-star was in the mood to do all the commands today too." He chuckled, "Thank you for waiting with Kyoko, Sasaki-san." the actor was familiar with the woman. The lady just acknowledged him and proceeded to step in to her own van after her driver went to get her.
On their way to his apartment, Ren noticed that Kyoko remained silent, pulling over to a safe space, "Are you okay?" he turned to her and checked if she was hurt or something.
"I-I'm fine, it's just I've been thinking too hard about what Miyanagi-san said earlier that I need to get a friend or someone I can take for the trip." She revealed, Ren nodded.
"Did you consider me?" He asked cheekily and a bit of jealous if Kyoko thought of others first.
"I did!" she was quick on defense, "I really did, though, I thought you're so busy you might not come." She looked sad.
"But did you consider asking me about it?" Ren gently asked her.
"I also did, and I would want to open up later, but you beat me to it." She pouted and Ren stretched a bit to steal another kiss.
"I'll cash in my 'Special holiday passes' to Boss so I can come with you, you know I love you and would want to be with you right?" She was pouting with her face all red from embarrassment.
"I-I love you too." Hiding her face with her hands which made Ren laugh.
"Tell me when is it so I can have Yashiro-san arrange my schedule." Kyoko mouthed thanks to him which he gave her another kiss and continued to drive back to his place.
"Oh no!" she gasped remembering something, "I think your supplies are almost out!" She remembered when Ren and her made a quick trip to his apartment the other day for a bit of rest, his pantry don't have their usual groceries and his fridge is just full of take outs from the Darumaya.
With a quick detour to the expensive department store that Kyoko despises and now thankful for its privacy, Ren parked his vehicle at the underground parking lot and took the cart for Kyoko. They walked to the same aisle and the actress started to get some items, despite being thankful for the privacy, she still hates the expensive price of the items.
They bickered like a married couple and the old woman managing the place mused to them as she often see the couple get their groceries, as usual Kyoko gave up after Ren shot her with his puppy eyes and tightly holding at the pack of nuggets. "Fine, I'll cook them for snacks later." She sighed in defeat and Ren added it to their purchase.
It was cute how he bounced around and coaxed Kyoko on getting some chips and soda. Loading all the items in his small trunk they made a quick trip home, and as usual they would spend a good hour organizing the items to its places, "Rest?" Ren gently pulled Kyoko back to his living room and forcefully yet gently snuggled her, she let the actor have his way because he wasn't that picky and fuzzy during their trip at the store, for a good amount of time they ended up napping until it was late.
"I think we should get dinner." She yawned and Ren ended up nuzzling his face on her neck. For that day Kyoko ended up sleeping at his place as usual after his pleadings.
With Ren's plans for his 'special holiday' the President was ecstatic that his favorite people are together and wanted to slowly show their fans, however this time Ren's going incognito with another persona that he and Kyoko planned.
"Kyoko-chan! Your beau is ready!" with that said she entered the President's office to find Ren in a familiar look.
With a gasp, "CORN!" she jumped and tightly hugged him, Ren chuckled and gave her a kiss, Yashiro and Lory wanted to melt from all the sweetness the two was showing.
"Now, use this." Lory handed Ren a key fob for a new vehicle they will use for the said trip. Both dressed in a couple themed outfits the staff of the show were all screeching and squealing after seeing Kyoko with a foreigner.
Attaching some sports camera to their car and mini microphones on their shirts, the other host joined the couple settling herself in the backseat. The trip was long and the editing staff will later fix the footage taken from the hours of ride, it was adorable how Kyoko fell asleep and her foreigner kept on glancing at her to see if she's okay and stopping over placing a neck pillow for her.
The poor lady from the back was just watching all the lovely dovely moments and wished her significant other came along. "From all the other celebrity host that joined, this couple is the sweetest one yet." She sighed and the foreigner internally snorted.
Once they arrived to the planned location of their stay, Kyoko was immediately hugged by the Okami of the said Ryokan, the said Okami then started teasing her about her gaijin partner.
As the camera continued to record, Kuon was already introduced to the audience however the staff as well as the other host started calling him with a nickname 'Gaijin-san' and Kuon being cheeky only conversed with them in English which turned the adventure show into a comedy after the staff, producers and even the host struggled a bit.
However they were impressed at how fluent Kyoko was especially she has adapted to her boyfriend's accent. For noon, they spent it inside the Ryokan trying on the food, and Kyoko being trained by the Okami personally did the tea ceremony by herself, and despite Kuon being a total gaijin he was a behaved man properly sitting and joining the ceremony.
By the afternoon, they toured the streets of Tokyo, and guards were all busy controlling the crowd as they wanted to see Kyoko. Though, some of the male fans were not happy seeing their idol sweetly talking and holding Kuon's hand.
The actress showed her favorite spots when she was in her Junior High, Kyoko even shared about her childhood friend who would often visit the guitar shop with her, when they went to the said shop to look around, Kyoko gave away the name of that friend which surprised the host, as Kuon feeling jealous, he asked for one ukulele and gave it a try which made Kyoko blew up blushing after he serenaded her.
I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh, it could be so nice, growing old with you
"Oh my gosh, you guys are so adorable!" the host squealed and Kyoko turned to her.
"Please don't encourage him." Still trying to make Kuon stop, but the man was persistent and kept on serenading her.
And by evening, they went around the place for a nice restaurant and Kyoko shared the best ones, they featured the food and the Chef who are responsible to all those wonderful dishes. Many of the staff were actually big fans of Kyoko after her roles from her new action and romance drama and movie where she played Momiji.
The team will be there for three days as they will be going around the famous shrines, garden, and imperial sights and traditional houses. Of course though out that tour Kuon is always on Kyoko's tail and making sure that the episode will be so sweet for her fans to watch.
With the whole trip, Yashiro who is the couple's shared Manager for that time became an unofficial paparazzi for Lory, it was hilarious when instead of his iPad, he was armed with an expensive camera.
After they returned to Tokyo, Kyoko's fans together with Ren's fans were speculating something was off with the 'Gaijin-san' since the man was wearing the same singlet on his pinky with the same design and gem stone, and it took them a while after realizing that the bracelet Kyoko was wearing has similar pendant as what Ren used to wear.
"You know, I never knew fans can be this vicious when it comes to investigating…" Kyoko read the article after her Love Me bestfriends shoved a gossip article to her face.
"Wow, I'm surprised you're this calm…" Chiori baffled while Kanae face-palmed.
"Well, Kuo- I mean Ren and I already knew this would be coming soon, but never realized they would catch on this quick." Her friends suddenly realized that the couple already planned and calculated what they are doing, now all she and Ren needs to do is just give hints to their fans.
The suspicion grew when Ren started wearing a bit of Kyoko with him, the familiar plain red hair tie Kyoko would always wear when she's on break in between her takes that is often showed on bloopers or behind the scenes.
While Kyoko would obviously have those scarf or oversized sweaters from Ren, the couple were waiting for their fans to be upset about it until they received a positive reaction from them, some were not delighted but still accepted because they are cute together. However they were questioning if "Kuon or Gaijin-san" is the real man behind the character of "Tsuruga Ren"
Finally, after so much speculations, rumors and talks, Ren finally revealed he was the gaijin which fooled the whole Japan again, but most of all Kyoko's significant other who has been supporting her from behind without interfering to her career, "It was all her, and besides she was the one who inspired me to be a better actor than before, my roles were limited until she helped me with learning the emotion that I was too afraid to know." With such statement, his fans were all amazed with the actress.
Lory giving Yashiro another assignment being the couple's photographer while the PR team to handle a shared media account for the couple, posting pictures from Yashiro.
It was all new to Kyoko however she immediately got used to it after months and Ren wasn't holding back either. "Babe?" Ren knocked on Kyoko's own private room after Lory gave her one, it was beside Ren's and the President was even considering to have their rooms have a 'love door' as he call it, so that the couple would just have a shared yet private rooms for themselves.
"Hi." She greeted and Ren walked in and gently closing the door, attacking her with gentle kisses, his inner Kuon started to slip out after he was Kyoko-deprived for a day, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just missed you." He said.
"We just met this morning." She mused.
"Yeah, but I still miss you." He pouted like a child, "It would be nice if you finally move in with me." He gave those pretty eyes still trying to convince her.
"And what happens if I move in?" She challenged.
"Well, I'll get a lot more Kyoko time, kisses and snuggles." He stated, "Plus, you can always watch my food in-take." He winked and Kyoko rolled her eyes giving his nose a kiss.
They ended up all tangled on her dressing sofa and talking about their day, "Do you still have any scheduled meetings or job today?" She asked.
"I'm already free, I asked Yashiro not to take some other roles, I really want to rest a bit since I've been drained from one of my drama, I love my furry-co-star but sometimes his energy is too much." He chuckled.
"Hmm… Like someone I know." Kyoko stared at him which made him laugh and attack her more with his kisses covering her neck and face, "Don't leave any marks this time, it was embarrassing when one of the make-up crew found it and said I was bitten by a bug or something." With that said Ren burst out laughing.
Of course even though that their relationship is publicized, it was still cute that the couple exchange wardrobe every now and then when given a chance and their fans would play a game called, 'spot-the-item-from.' It all started when Ren wore Kyoko's bandana and wrapped it around his arm during his biker scene, his fans looked for Kyoko's images though the internet where she wore it and attached it beside his screenshot.
And Kyoko returned the favor when she took Ren's beanie and used it to match her street outfit for a day, it took Ren few more months to convince her to finally move in. They had that agreement that she would sleep on the guest bedroom however failed after they ended up snuggled either in Ren's room or the living room, and because they love the living room so much, Ren bought an expensive and stylish sofa bed, Kyoko on protest gave up after she slept on it comfortably, "I hate yet love you." Was her only comment to her favorite man.
Moving in, their favorite thing to do during their off is to just laze in the living room and blare some good acoustic music and share some conversation that would later end up to either a make out session or a long nap.
"He is so cute!" Kyoko squealed in glee after seeing Ren's four legged co-star, "What's his name?" She sat and allowed the dog to investigate her instead forcibly reaching out and letting the dog smell her.
"His name is Kuma, as you can see he's a big boy." Ren patted the dog.
"What's his breed?" If the dog would stand on its hind legs, he would be bigger than Kyoko.
"He's an Italian Mastiff Cane Corso, a rescue and became a stunt dog, I hope you won't mind out little family of two becomes three?" The dog had brown shiny fur with cropped ears and Ren was holding a thick lead attached to an equally thick leather collar, the bark was deep. Despite the drool on Kyoko's arm, the huge dog is adorable. Kyoko without any words welcomed the canine with a hug.
"He needs some doggy bowl and bed, and it should be massive." Kyoko realized and Ren chuckled.
"Then we should get him those?" With that said Ren pulled her to have a quick shopping. Kyoko took pictures of the said dog and sent it to her friends.
"Remind me not to go to yours and Tsuruga-san's place alone." Was Kanae's response.
Undoubtedly, Ren is the spoiling type, and it made Kyoko think of the future, what if they have their own kids, red would definitely spoil them rotten. Everything the dog touches goes to the cart.
Despite the massive size of the canine, it was cute how he lets Kyoko lead him, Ren allowed Kyoko to take the lead and walk the dog along the aisle, Ren begged Kyoko for the Cuban chains collar which made the dog more tougher and rougher, "By the way, why are you keeping Teddy-chan?" She already gave the dog a pet name.
"His employment to our show is a way for him to be adopted, and since he was fostered by few of the staff, it seems this big boy choses his own human and he preferred me, I guess he now likes you too since he lets you reign him around." Giving the dog a pat.
Little did they know that some paparazzi and freelance photographer caught them candidly, however since the couple is used to it, they allowed the said people to do it since they were not doing anything scandalous, maybe the said images will bring luck for his and Kyoko's career especially their relationship reveal has not yet subsided.
And since they are still the subject of the tabloid front, one show begged Lory if he would allow them to have an at home interview with the couple since Ren accidentally revealed that they are living together, Lory liked the idea however he wanted the best for his favorite couple, second from Kuon's parents that is. So as a logical employer that he is, he made a quick call to the couple and asked them if it is fine.
Ren and Kyoko had nothing to hide and wanted to be one of those couples who openly share their home and relationship to their audience and fans. With them agreeing, the schedule for the interview was set, Lory instructed their separate managers to keep that day open aside from their off.
Kyoko liked the idea as they would be paid even though they're just at home. "Welcome, and please come in." Ren opened the door for the crew and host, Kyoko on the other hand gave the host a warm welcoming hug.
"Thank you so much for allowing us to visit and enter your love nest~" she joked which make Kyoko heat up and turn red.
The host took her seat at the couple's huge sofa, with the producers admiring the interior and living room, "Kyoko and I often stay in the living room during our off, we got this couch specifically for it too." Ren gave a hidden meaning which made pout in embarrassment, the producer laughed from the background.
When Kuma suddenly appeared looking all elegant, he started sniffing the crew, one of the camera men were terrified and Kyoko jumped into action, "It's okay, just let Teddy Bear sniff you, in that way he can identify you guys." She assured and they allowed the dog, it was amazing to see a small petite woman giving some gentle commands to the giant dog who loyally listened to her.
Shortly, the host realized that the dog was none-other-than Jirou, the canine companion of Gin. Ren chuckled and told them that the dog is his co-star and later on adopted him, as well stating the dog is quite the momma's boy.
The show also showed some of the couple's photo frame collections, and since Kuu and Julie decided to disguise themselves as Sarah and Yahiko Tsuruga Ren and Kyoko also included it to their wall. Now their fans calls them "Mama and Papa Tsuruga."
Even though the Ren and Kyoko were similar to the other celebrity couples, they were different when it comes to their professionalism, everyone noticed how they were not subject to a similar project nor having to help the other get a role, instead they do their own thing separately and just help the other learn that role.
"Do you guys even fight?" The host started to joke.
"We do actually, and most of the time." Kyoko admitted.
"Though, I set a rule that no one goes to bed, unless we work it out." Ren stated.
"Trust me, we have one sleepless night because I was stubborn." Kyoko looked away and Ren laughed.
"That's part of your charm, Babe." Ren shamelessly attacked her with a kiss on the neck, the female staff were all squealing, and they noticed how Ren speak in perfect English with his American accent. Little by little Ren reveals his roots and real self which made Kyoko proud.
~END?~