THE LOCKS COMING OFF.
When Swara arrived at his office this morning, he eyes flashed with the colour gold because of all the ornaments. The whole room was occupied by a bunch of dark-skinned girls with short, straight bangs; plated with jewellery and ornaments from head to toe.
Between those egyptian girls awaited President Takarada, dressed like a pharoh, wearing a long smooth, silk kaftaan, and a nemes headpiece threaded with gold. On top of that, he was also lagging on a bunch of gold extravagant and fine accessories. Swara wondered how he hadn't been crushed by the weight yet.
Weird people wearing tons of makeup and dressed crazy barging into his office was a typical day in Swara's life. Though he did not found it odd, he still sighed.
"You like my egyptian look?" Takarada grinned. "Wouldn't it be wonderful for the party tonight?"
"No!" Swara flinched, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please do not go to the party dressed like that! Or better yet, just don't go."
"Why?"
"Because you always hog all the attention wherever you go! And there will be press conducting interviews of the cast. Wouldn't it be better to let them focus on it. Besides, it's not even necessary for you to go. It's a Dark Moon wrap up party. The Director only invited you out of courtsey. If you go there, you'll turn it into the Takarada freakshow!"
"How rude, that's ridiculous!"
"Is it? Haven't you already planned your grand entrance? Were you not gonna take all these thralls and your camel along with you?"
"Tsk," the President looked away. "But I was so looking forward to the party."
Swara narrowed his eyes. "You're still gonna go, aren't you?"
Takarada grinned again. "Don't worry, I'll be stealthy. No one would even know that I was there."
Kanae was making her way through the empty corridors of LME, to the Love Me Division, when in the distance, she spotted a girl looming there with a straight back and familiar ginger hair.
With a smile, the actress ran ahead but before she could call out to her friend, something she noticed caused her voice to die down in her throat. Kanae instinctively stopped herself from reaching out.
The reason being the unmistakably depressed aura emanating from Kyoko. It wasn't like usual, because something seemed really off about her. The customary playfulness in her hazel eyes was extinguished to nothing, and those empty orbs were focused on the floor in a quite upsetting manner.
Concern welled up inside Kanae. Her throat stiffening, she mumbled softly, "Kyoko?"
Hearing her name being called out, Kyoko snapped out of her trance, and cocked her head in the direction of the sound. "Moko!" Her cheerfulness returned and she outstretched her arms to crush her best friend in a hug.
Moko was first startled but she wasn't fooled. She could tell Kyoko was faking that smile of hers. Even though it wasn't easy to find the reason behind her miserable mood as her friend wouldn't fess up, but with much persuasion, she at last managed to crack Kyoko into telling her what was wrong.
"I... don't have a dress for the party tonight," she sighed out, looking down. Her dejected aura returning.
"Are you kidding me?" Kanae exclaimed. "You were so worried about that?"
As unlikely as it seemed so huge a problem for it to be fretting over, Kanae didn't doubt the reason or that Kyoko could be lying.
"What about the agency? Can't you borrow clothes from here like last time?"
Kyoko's head loomed down even further. "I have already borrowed clothes so many times, I would be surprised if Mr Swara wouldn't kick me away."
"That's not gonna happen. Thats the sole purpose of the wardrobe, so that rookie talents could borrow stuff from there!"
"I guess you're right," Kyoko stretched up from her seat. "I'll go and talk to Mr Swara then."
"Wait a minute," Kanae seized her before she could leave. "You still look so down. Are you sure you even wanna go to the party?"
Kyoko's face lit up. "Of course I do! Why wouldn't I? I love parties."
"I know you do. But it seems like you don't wanna go to this one. Are you sure everything's okay?"
"Yeah, everything's perfect. Don't you worry about me." Pressing Moko to her side into a half hug, she took her leave. "I should go meet Mr Swara. See you later."
After Kyoko was gone, Kanae was left there wondering what was up with her. It was so unlike her to be distracted like that. Maybe I had been right. Maybe she dosen't wanna go to the party after all, but why?
That was a close one, Kyoko sighed in relief as she filed out of the agency. She had no intention of visiting Swara, because she had already made up her mind to wear her school uniform at the party.
At first, she thought she might look odd, but since she had been told it was quite a small party with only the existing members of the Dark Moon cast and crew, she didn't bother much about it.
As for the lie she had told Moko, it was an excuse to keep her from knowing what was actually up. Kyoko did not really want to go this party despite her usual love for such events. She made that excuse to stop her best friend from probing the truth out of her, because she was afraid to admit the reason of it, that was why she didn't wanna go. It was because she was afraid to meet a certain someone who would definitely be there.
No matter how clear it was deep within her heart, she would never ever admit this truth even to herself.
She remembered how it had all started, when she had gone over to Ren's place for the Omurice meal. He had held her hand causing ripples throughout her skin. His kind eyes penetrated her gaze so deep, she could not never forget their softeness.
The feel of his touch against her skin; his smile; his voice; and even his colonge, it had all been dancing inside her mind since she visited him on that cursed day.
Because when he had held her hand, deep inside of her, Kyoko felt the very last lock open of that certain box which she had kept chained for so long.
After Sho's betrayal, that box within her heart had opened, letting out her demons and all the hate she possessed. But before it was relocked, something which used to be very important to Kyoko, was locked away with it. Her ability to love.
For months, Kyoko had made sure that it stayed locked forever, and so she had put layers upon layers of chains and locks to keep it jammed. However, on that certain evening, the last lock was opened, and it was only then Kyoko realized that every time she was with Ren, the number of the locks had been stooping one after the other.
This was not the first time something like this was happening to her. In the not-too-distant past, she had experienced a similar feeling, only it was with Sho. Remembering how that had ended, she had immediately tried to put the locks back up again, but it was impossible. If only a few were still left, she might have been able to put them all back up, but since every single one was gone, even the last one, it was too late.
It never even occurred to her that those locks in her heart were decreasing or she might have put up her defenses way earlier, so she wouldn't have had to be in this situation. Now though, the last lock had already dropped, and even a small breeze could blow off the lid unless she stayed careful.
She had to be careful, extremely careful, or else her poor heart, like an idiot, would make her fall for Ren, and end up broken somewhere in a ditch again.
As much as Kyoko dreaded it, evening came and she set out for the Dark Moon wrap up party, straight from her afternoon classes. She didn't even bother to change first, as she had planned.
On her way, she kept thinking about how she'd have to face Ren there. She needed to make sure that none of her inner feelings could be detected outside, and her face remained impassive. Unlike the time when she had let Moko see that something was up with her.
She couldn't allow herself to make a mistake like that again, or even the slightest of steps in the wrong direction could cause her her heart again.
The problem was, as much as Kyoko tried to appear indifferent, the sirens in her heart were still loudly blaring. They had been like that since the day Ren had kissed her cheek on Valentine's Day, but now her heart was throbbing to let that particular emotion out which should remain locked forever.
Lost in thoughts, she had almost reached the gate of her destination when someone called out to her. "Mogami!"
She swivelled on her spot and found a shiny white car on the other side. It's passenger waved at her with a smile. "You're going to the party dressed like that? You can't be serious!"
"Mr Kijima," Kyoko politely bowed. "I'm wearing my school uniform. It'll be a very small party, so it doesn't really matter."
The actor frowned. "But still, don't you think you should look your best? I heard from the others on the set that you came dressed up for some different role besides Mio and you looked totally unrecognisable. Even beautiful, instead of your usual scary look."
Kyoko smiled with a slight blush. "I was playing the character of a high school Queen Bee. That's why."
"Anyway, I was saying, that you should get dressed up. All that beauty is wasted if you don't show it off. Besides, I just heard that the press is there too. So everyone else will look gorgeous, you can count on that." An idea sparked on Kijima's face. "I know what to do! Hop in! We still have some time. I'm taking you to a beauty salon. Let's get you dressed up."
"But–"
"No buts, just hop in. It really wouldn't be fair if everyone else dressed up and you didn't. And don't worry, I'll pay for the expenses. In return, you'll have to be my date tonight."
Despite Kyoko's countless protests, in the end Kijima still won her over and persuaded her to go with him. Pretty soon, the two found themselves at a large and expensive beauty salon.
The moment they stepped in, the actor whispered something into one of the staff girl's ear, whom he apparently knew from before judging from her friendly giggles, and the next thing Kyoko knew, she was being ushered into a similarly tacky dressing room.
The party turned out to be way bigger than Ren and Yashiro had expected. They were all told that it was only a small get-together of the team, but when the press somehow aquired an invite, the guest list kept increasing.
And now, the hall was filled with some of the biggest hotshot celebrities of the Japanese film industry.
Ren constantly found himself surrounded by people and admirers, who showered his portrayal of Katsuki with praises. Whenever he wasn't talking to someone, his manager noticed him to be looking around searchingly.
"She's not here yet," Yashiro assured him. "You do know whenever she would arrive she'll come to see you herself."
"It's just so unlike Kyoko to be late." Ren sighed. "Did she say something about not coming?"
"Not that I heard of."
The Director approached them, and the two men congratulated him on the party being a success.
"This has really turned out to be quite a big scale event," Ren remarked.
"Indeed," Ogata grinned. "Since we exceeded the record set by Tsukigomori, a lot of sponsors have approached us. It's all thanks to them."
"To Dark Moon," the manager offered his glass up for a toast, and the men clinked it with their own.
After Ogata left, Yashiro noticed Ren swivelling his head around once more.
"Didn't I tell you? Kyoko's not here yet."
"I wasn't looking for her this time."
"Then who?"
Still looking around with a frown, Ren answered, "I've met everyone who came, but there's someone else I don't see. Kijima."
The moment Kyoko stepped out of the dressing room, Kijima's lips parted in awe. He blinked, not being able to comprehend the sight in front of him. His eyes leasurely travelled from her head to toe and then back up. Speechless, he blinked again.
The main reason he had gone to the trouble of bringing Kyoko here was because since the day of the crash, when he accidentally overheard the other cast members calling Kyoko twice as beautiful and mature, he had been stuck trying to picture her. Alas, his poor imagination failed him.
So he brought her here in order to see for himself what all that fuss had been about, and boy, did he feel lucky with this new catch!
He finally managed to open his mouth, but instead of speaking actual words, some nonsensical sound escaped his mouth.
"What?" Kyoko chuckled at his surprise. Looking down at the baby pink, floor-length gown wrapped around her torso and legs, she smiled apologetically. "Mr Kijima, thanks for all this, but I'm sorry, I can't accept it. This dress and this makeup, It's too much!"
"Are you joking?" Kijima put his palms on his mouth, his eyes as wide as saucers. "You look..." He struggled to find the right word, because every adjective he could think off seemed too little.
On top of her slim ball gown, a sky blue scarf was delicately wrapped around her arms, falling to her back, and it was the same shade of blue that her contacts were, which made her eyes twinkle occasionally. Her usual ginger, pixie hairdo was hidden by a wig of straight blonde hair parted in the middle. It fell to her shoulders in elegant waves.
Kijima had good reason to be speechless, because Kyoko looked nothing short of a Barbie.
"I had been wondering, what brought this on all of a sudden?" Kyoko asked, raising an eyebrow. She and Kijima didn't have anything against each other, but the two hadn't really been close either compared to the other co-stars.
Kijima chose to answer honestly. "I just had to see you for myself. On the day of the crash, everyone kept talking about how you looked twice as beautiful and mature. Before I came out to see you, you were already gone."
"Don't tell me you paid for all this just for that?" Without Queen Rosa's locket on her, Kyoko felt like a cheat. Specially since the real reason she looked so appealing during playing Natsu was because of it's magic.
"I did," he grinned impishly. "And I would do it over again, if that meant I would get to see you like this. You really are beautiful."
Until she heard the last part, Kyoko had been fretting over how she would manage to look good without the magic of Queen Rosa, but after Kijima praised her even without her lucky locket, she couldn't help blushing. This was the first time in her life a man had called her beautiful. Only her beautiful, not while she was in character or while she was under the spell of Queen Rosa.
A part of her almost felt giddy with excitement over the compliment. Maybe, just maybe, she was actually good-looking without the power of Queen Rosa backing her up. Heat flared up her cheeks and arms, and she looked down to hide her flustered expression. "Thank you," she bowed.
"No, no, that's really not necessary," Kijima said, but Kyoko wasn't listening. Instead, she was comparing in her mind today with the day of the crash, when Ren was about to say something similar to her and she cut him off. It was on purpose.
Right now, when Kijima called her beautiful, her cheeks flared up a bit, nothing more. But with Ren, that was not the case. She knew if she heard him say those exact same words, she would be shaken to her core, and the trembling of her heart might never subside. So she instinctively raised her defenses, and cut him off before he could finish saying what he about to say and steal her heart away with his words.
No matter what, I must not hear it from him. I must never let Ren call me beautiful, ever! That is, if I want to keep my heart secure.
"Well then, shall we?" With the charm of a gentleman, Kijima offered her his arm. "Allow me to escort you, my lady."
Her blush returning, Kyoko accepted his offer. Because no matter how exciting it was to be treated this way, she knew her heart was safe as long as Ren wasn't involved.
When Kyoko and Kijima finally made it, they were more than fashionably late. Ogata was just finishing his speech on the podium, which probably involved a lot of crying, because the eyes of almost all of the Dark Moon team were flooded. The hall was crowded enough to be full, and Kyoko recognized a lot of significant people who had nothing to do with Dark Moon, but whom she had only seen on TV before.
The air had the scent of power and money.
When Kyoko spotted a corner where a small stage was set, and her friend/costar, Airi Oohara was giving an interview there, she realized that there indeed were reporters crawling among the guests. She was now grateful she didn't come in her uniform afterall.
She soon learned from Itsumi that Kyoko also had to give the interview, and since Mio was a major character, she was supposed to have gone right after Mizuki, but since she arrived late, they moved her slot ahead.
With Kijima at her arm, they moved even slowly, since he stopped to talk with every girl in the vicinity, whether she was an extra, a regular cast member, or even a part of the crew.
Despite this, Kyoko still enjoyed herself since everyone was so nice to her. They all especially lost it when they saw her transformation, and they showered her with even more compliments than she received as Natsu.
As she circled the hall with Kijima, their arms locked together, they finally neared Ren, who himself was surrounded by a bunch of extra actresses clinging on to him.
Something fluttered in Kyoko's heart as she stared at him looking handsome as usual in his crisp white tuxedo. Soon, their eyes met from afar.
To be continued.