NATSU.
When they started shooting the bullying scenes at the Box R set, Kyoko did so well that there were hardly any retakes. The Director was highly impressed with her, and he immediately reverted back to his old carefree self, all of his previous anger drained away.
After they were done for the day, Kyoko made her way outside. Suddenly, someone tapped on her shoulder from behind. She turned back to find out that it was a girl her own age with dark brown wavy hair, a baby face and big beautiful eyes. It was Chiori Amamiya. "Kyoko, you really were amazing today!" Her costar offered her a sugary sweet smile.
Kyoko smiled back politely. Turned out that she was right about not all of her co-stars being awful, she thought with optimism.
"And I also wanted to apologize for what happened today." Amamiya looked down. "Don't pay too much attention to Honami and Yuka. It's just, they feel a bit threatened by you, since you have only deputed an year ago, yet you still have so much more experience than all of us. You shouldn't take their words to heart."
"It's alright," Kyoko replied honestly. If she had learnt anything from her past experiences, it was to always turn a blind eye to her bullies. That way, they would eventually grow tired of you and leave you alone. So that had been her plan from the start.
"Anyway," Amamiya said. "I heard you when you were talking with the Director, and I must say that I totally agree with you. Natsu dosen't hate Chitose yet, so all that negativity, it just seems a bit excessive."
Kyoko abruptly halted in her tracks. "You think that too? So you actually think I was right?" Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
"Yes. And relax." Amamiya chuckled. "It's pretty common for actors to have a clash of opinion with the director. But I support you in this situation. I agree that villains are supposed to be scary and all, but I think that the Director is kinda pushing it."
"Amamiya-"
"Call me Chiori."
"Chiori," Kyoko blushed. "Do you think there's anything I can do? To change the Director's mind about Natsu?"
"Well sometimes, in order to protect the role they worked so hard to create, actors must fight. If you believe in yourself, then don't give up. I say you should stand up for your character and play your Natsu exactly the way you want to."
"Do you really think so?" Having someone else support her opinion, Kyoko felt someone her confidence returning in her.
"Sure" Amamiya answered, evoking a determined smile from Kyoko. "Well, I forgot something back in the studio. I'll go get it. Don't wait up."
Without waiting for a reply, Amamiya sprinted back inside. She found the Director by the entrance. He was slowly walking outside while packing his stuff in his bag so he could leave as well.
"Sir?"
"Chiori," he looked up for a second. "What is it?" He asked, pulling up the zipper of his bag.
"It seems..." She hesitated. "Um, Kyoko... I don't even know if I should be telling you this."
"What? Does she have a problem?" Kazutoyo slung the bag on his shoulder and crossed his arms providing her his undivided attention.
"Well, it seems that she really doesn't want to play your version of Natsu. She asked me for my opinion, so I told her that the Director's word is absolute and she should just listen to you."
"Good." He patted her shoulder. "You two are the same age, but unlike her, you seem to know how things work around here."
"But that's not all. Kyoko told me herself that she doesn't care what you say and that from tomorrow she'll play her Natsu exactly the way she wants to."
Kazutoyo's face darkened. "She actually said that?"
Amamiya looked at her feet. "Um...she told me these things in confidence, so I wasn't supposed to tell this to anybody. But when I thought about how it would cause trouble for the whole crew, I just had to give you a heads up. It's better if we don't have any more delays."
"You did well." Kazutoyo nodded. "Don't worry, I didn't hear this from you. But as for that girl, it seems that I must deal with her at once. This is what happens when rookies debut too easily. They tend to get a big head. If she plays Natsu even slightly different from what I tell her, before she gets even harder to handle, I'll crush this stupid pride of hers."
That night, even after Kyoko had reached home, Amamiya's words kept replaying in her mind over and over again. When the Director had lashed out at her on the set, she had felt guilty for causing trouble and delaying the shoot, which was why she didn't press her opinion and just went with him for the time being. But now, however, she was regretting it. I should've been more consistent, she thought remorsefully.
Standing up from her soft bed, she walked towards the wall mirror and stared at her reflection, and Amamiya's words popped in her mind again.
Sometimes, in order to protect the role they worked so hard to create, actors must fight. If you believe in yourself, then don't give up.
Kyoko was now finally starting to get a clear picture of her Natsu, but she still wasn't sure whether it was good enough to be worth fighting for. And as she thought about it, she realised that if it had been Ren in her shoes, he would have fought the entire crew if he had to, just so he could protect his role, and he would've successfully convinced everyone with him. But she wasn't as passionate about her role of Natsu as she should be.
Once when she was in her Bo costume, she had asked Ren about his days as a beginner, and he had told her how he was often fired from his jobs because of talking back to the directors. But he loved his characters enough to put his job on the line. She on the other hand...
Love. It all came down to this preposterous, nonsensical emotion again. She couldn't do the same thing as Ren because she didn't love Natsu like she should.
You don't? A tiny voice from the back of her mind inquired in a quizzical tone.
Kyoko's eyes widened as a certain epiphany struck her. Come to think of it, compared to before I feel like I'm starting to though... She thought, as she took in her reflection with curious eyes, looking for any hint of Natsu inside of her.
What she found was a thin girl with big eyes, wearing a plain old sweater, a roughed up skirt which she had brought on sale and long socks.
She couldn't detect even the slightest trace of Natsu's presence from within her. If she wasn't sure herself about her role, then how was she supposed to to take on the entire crew and fight them for it? And to make matters worse, Kyoko was finally able to see what the Director had been telling her about her posture. Her back was way too straight and her body way too stiff for her to be Natsu.
God, I really need to work on this, she sighed before she tried relaxing herself. But just like before, it didn't work. No matter how she turned and twisted her body, it seemed unnatural.
She closed her eyes and visualized her co-stars while they were in character. What did they have that she lacked? And then she saw it. They all had something in common. Their posture. It was slightly askew. There was a certain charm around them which seemed to be pulling others to them. As if they were models.
Kyoko had her answer. She tried remembering all those times she had seen a model on TV and magazines. In her memory, just from the way they used to stand, they seemed oddly appealing. Their bodies seemed... inviting somehow. Their poses were seductive. There had so much charisma, that they were practically dripping with it.
Kyoko finally understood why Natsu's underlings followed her, tolerated her malevolence, and fulfilled her unreasonable demands. Because she could guess how it would be hard for anyone to say no when someone looked like that, and had so much confidence.
And now she was supposed to be like that! Kyoko tried recollecting everything about models, down to each detail so she could try and copy them. She closed her eyes and remembered, the way their bodies were bent and twisted in places, like the swell of their chests as they stuck it out; the curve of their waists; their slightly protruding hips; and their shoulders drawing up, highlighting their sharp collar bones, it all added that certain charm to the rhythm of their bodies.
Kyoko crossed her arms on her chest and then opened her eyes. It didn't work, she still seemed stiff and unnatural. She then tried spreading her joined legs and moved her hands to her hips. Yet there was still not much change.
This time, she coiled her legs together, swelled her chest, and stuck her butt out swaying it a bit as she placed one of her hands on her waist and touched the side of neck from the other.
Ridiculous! She thought as she scrutinized her image on the mirror while maintaining that pose. There was still nothing modish about her. It only looked like she was trying really hard to hold her pee in.
Breaking that awful pose, Kyoko slumped down on the floor. If only she knew more about models, then she might have had an idea on how to do this. Hizuri had once told her about always keeping her eyes peeled open and making a habit recording everything around in her mind and keeping it stored. So she could use these experiences as references while performing. But in this case, she had no experience when it came to modeling.
As far as she knew there was a modeling section in LME but even if she did go there, she neither had the time nor the money to depend on it for creating her Natsu, because the shoot was starting again tomorrow morning. And it was already eleven at night. What she needed was a quick crash course on how to behave like a model. She had a feeling that she was on to something there, and if only she could somehow pull off this fashionista vibe, then she knew that her Natsu would be born.
The problem was Kyoko didn't know anyone from the modeling section to ask them for help. She sighed dismissively. If only she knew a single person who could teach her.
Maybe she should ask Mr Swara if he could introduce someone to her. Although she did not have much hope from him, since she knew that no one would be kind enough to help her in the middle of the night, but she still reached for her bag which was lying on the floor so she could take her cellphone out and call him. As she began fishing through the contents to find it, something else captured her attention and she pulled it out. It was her Ren voodoo doll.
Why on earth didn't I think of this before? She thought. A smirk appeared on her face and she dropped her bag to clutch the Ren doll with both hands, as if it was her salvation. Which it probably was, because if Kyoko remembered correctly, besides being an actor Ren was a model too.
The weather was rather cold on that night as Ren drove back to his apartment. There had been some delays at his shoot, and he had to stay a little longer than usual which was why he was running late.
His car sped through the vacant and foggy road, when his phone started ringing. It was Yashiro.
"Hello?"
"Ren, have you reached home yet?"
"No. I'm still on my way. Why?"
"Well, I just got a call from Kyoko."
"You did?" Ren glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard of his car. 02:13 am. "What did she say?"
"She wanted to know when you'll be home. And when I told her you should be there shortly, she just hung up." Yashiro said. "So I think she might be heading to your place right now."
"At this hour?" Ren was genuinely concerned. "That's so unlike her."
"I know. That's why I'm worried too. It might be my imagination but she also sounded a bit off," the manager said. "Anyway if you see her and if she is fine then do me a favour and let me know."
"Yashiro, you can be relieved now," Ren smiled, as he started to pull his car over. "Because I just got home, and she is here."
The moment Kyoko saw Ren's car approaching, she allowed a big smile on her face and cheerfully waved at him.
"And judging from her face, it seems everything is okay, so you can stop worrying." He climbed out of his car.
"Good to know." Yashiro sighed with relief. "She had me really worried there. Anyway, whatever it is, deal with it quickly and please go to sleep. It's already quite late and you have an early shoot tomorrow."
"Sure," Ren said and hung up.
As happy as Ren was to see Kyoko, his first instinct was to scold her for being careless enough to stay out so late, especially because it was freezing. He was sure if he hadn't arrived when he did, she would've passed out from the cold.
But before he could do so, he stopped himself as she was shivering fiercely.
"I'm s-s-s-s-s-sorry for d-d-d-d-distur..." Her teeth clattered as tried to speak without much success. He could only imagine how long she had been waiting for him.
The first thing Ren did was to usher her inside his apartment, even though he had intended he wouldn't since it was the middle of the night.
He turned on the heat to maximum and wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders while she slumped down on the sofa. Apparently, she was too chilled to refuse. He left her as he went into the kitchen.
He returned with a steaming cup of coffee, and when he offered it to her, she looked genuinely grateful as she received it without hesitation. She let out a satisfied sigh after a single sip. Slowly, the colour was returning to her skin.
"Thank you," she smiled and took another sip. "I feel alive again. I thought I was going to freeze out there. She pulled the blanket even closer.
"You should've called me," said Ren. "At least then you wouldn't have had to wait out there. It was so cold."
Her smile died. "I know you must be tired. I didn't mean to disturb you at such an unholy hour."
"I don't mind that. But you were so careless. A girl like you shouldn't be out alone at a time like this, especially now that you're an actress! Seriously, when will you start being more cautious?"
"I'm sorry," Kyoko looked down to avert her eyes. "It's just that I had been busy with my jobs all day, and so I didn't have any other chance to see you."
Kyoko's cheeks were slightly blushed from the cold, and something about the way she said it made Ren's heart flutter with hope. "Why did you want to say me?" He whispered softly, holding his breath as he waited for her to answer.
"Oh, because I wanted your help." She looked up again. "Can you please coach me how to be a model?"
Ren blinked. He almost gave away his disappointment but Kyoko was too naive to notice it. "You want to learn to be a model?"
"Yep," she nodded simply. "Only a few techniques."
"And you want me to tutor you? Right now?" He raised his eyebrows incredulously. "You wanna learn some techniques of becoming a model?"
"Yes."
After a pause Ren asked, "what type of model are you going for? A magazine model or a runway model?"
"Wait, there are types?"
Ren sighed patiently. "Kyoko, I'm glad to see that you're fired up to try something new but don't you think there is a proper time and way to do this?"
Kyoko looked at him blankly for a few seconds before he got his point. "Oh! It's not for me!" She explained. "It's for my role." She then gave him a small gist of her conversation with Director Kazutoyo, telling him how the shoot was delayed because of her and how she felt like her Natsu was on the verge of a breakthrough. All she needed was some quick modelling lessons to make it happen.
Ren nodded as he listened to her. And when she was done he replied, "I'd be glad to help you but I don't think I'm the right person to be helping you in this particular matter."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm a guy," he pointed out.
"So?" Kyoko asked cluelessly.
"Well," Ren tried explaining, "there are a lot of dissimilarities between a male model and a female model. The postures, the style of walking, it's all very different."
"So what are you saying?
"What I'm saying is I think it would be quite difficult for a man like me to teach you the technicalities of female modelling. Your best option would be to talk to someone in the modeling section-"
"Ren," Kyoko interrupted. "Have you ever worked with a female model?"
"Of course I have-"
"That's great!" She smiled and slapped her palms together. "Then it's settled. Since you're such a committed actor, I'm sure you also have a habit of recording everything you see in your memory so you could draw it for reference in future performances. You should at least know the basics of female modelling, enough for you to teach a beginner like me." Her eyes were practically shining with little stars of hope. "I mean it's you! There's no way you don't remember! Can you please teach me?"
Ren was taken aback for a moment when he saw how much faith Kyoko had in his abilities. As he stared at those big hazel eyes of hers filled with so much pleading, he was mesmerized by their beauty. How could he ever say no to that?
Besides, Kyoko had deliberately made it sound like a challenge, and he was never the type to turn around from one.
Right outside his apartment door, Ren pasted a long strip of paper-tape on the floor of the long corridor.
"Now, stand on this white line," he instructed.
Kyoko obliged. She was wearing her new heeled sandals, which the Taishos had given to her as a present on her birthday. Since Natsu wore high heels in a lot of scenes, Kyoko figured she better get used to them. So with a heavy heart, she finally started wearing them outside, the moment she returned from the set today.
"Kyoko, you know you can relax." Ren chuckled at her serious frown.
"Yes," she didn't relax.
"Alright," he began. "For starters, put your weight on your right foot and raise your left one behind." He gave her a few more instructions, which Kyoko did as best as she could.
When they were done, Ren laughed aloud. "There. You look like a perfect exit sign."
Kyoko looked down, only to realize that Ren had made her stand like she was running away, exactly as in an exit sign.
"You're making fun of me!" Kyoko humphed.
Ren laughed again, but when Kyoko glared at him, he tried to stop without much success. "Sorry! Sorry! You seemed so tense, I was only trying to cheer you up."
Kyoko narrowed her eyes, not believing him.
"Anyway, now that the mood is lightened up, we'll start. For real this time." He placed a book flatly on the top of her head. "Now, do exactly as I tell you while making sure that you don't drop this."