I don't own Skip Beat, Yoshiki Nakamura-sensei does, So I give her all credit for the original Story, While I own this fan-fiction – My first about Skip Beat
Chapter 2: Chances are 50/50
( In the car )
Yoshiro gulps as Ren stare daggers at him with his infamous gentlemen smile and says : I can explain !
Ren : I am listening, you better not leave any details out !
Yoshiro: I understand ! …. It all started after Kyoko won the role of Momiji, she accepted the role happily then asked about Kotonami-san, and found out the she did not get the role, so she tried to reach her, but hasn't gotten in luck in doing so, so she was really depressed, so I suggested we should get food in her system for Kotonami's sake
Ren : …
Yoshiro looked at Ren who sat quietly listening and continued his recollection of that night : Kyoko went to the bathroom and it took her a while, so I got suspicious, so I went to check if she was back, however I only found Kyoko's head-tie which she used in the audition on the floor, and I remembered what koenji's butlers said, about Kimiko doing whatever she wants in order to obtain the role she desired, even if it means harming the other party, so I rushed to the first place I can think of, the roof !
Shocked, Ren asks : The Roof ?! … was she planning to throw kyoko of the roof to impair her and prevent her from performing the role of Momiji ?
Yoshiro answers with regret : Yes, that is exactly what happened !
Ren furious : Why didn't you contact the president about it, and even the police ?! are you CRAZY ?!
Yoshiro: Ren ! …. This is the entertainment industry, as much as I wished to do so, at least I did want to talk to the president about it, but kyoko decided against it, she wanted to think about it first, and she trusted Koenji's plan, no, it's more like a deal !
Ren still angry asks: what the hell is this deal ?!
Yoshiro: Koenji got pictures, video, and audio of the whole incident …. She threatened Kimiko that she would release the video live if she didn't accept defeat and left the entertainment industry completely. She also mentioned some guy called Cedric D. Bennett, being someone Kimiko is interested in and that alone made Kimiko agree to koenji terms, as it seemed his opinion of her is really important to her, so she gave up her career to keep this buried and hidden from the world, and especially from that guy !
Ren : Cedric D. Bennett ! …. I see!
Yoshiro: Sorry, but as her manger, I can't tell you everything, especially something she specifically told me to hide from you !
Ren looks out of the window in silence, and sighs, thinking to himself ( what should I do about this? …. The president has to learn about this ! ….. but Yoshiro is right, the entertainment industry to cruel, and police involvement causes a lot of trouble, but still, that girl got off easily and I Cannot accept that !
Worried Yoshiro calls out : Ren ?
Ren: I cannot stay quiet about this, but since Kyoko is involved I will take this matter to the president and we will have a long conversation about this matter ! … we will decide together the best option going forward !
Yoshiro agrees : I understand !
Ren looks at the time and notes that it's been around 5 minutes since kyoko entered, and wonders how long the meeting will take.
( In Viride General Law Office )
Kyoko sets in the same meeting room she sat in when she met her mother a few weeks ago, memories flooded in her mind of their first honest conversation. She sighs nervously and looks at the time, it has been five minutes since she was seated in the room … as she was told her mother was on a call with a client and she will join her as soon as she was done.
Door Knocking
The secretary enters and places a cup of tea in front of kyoko and informs her that Mogami-san was on her way.
Kyoko thanks her for the tea and waits patiently for her mother to come, but another minute passes and she still didn't come, so kyoko decides to eat the chocolate piece she brought with her, fearing it would melt if not eaten in time.
Kyoko decided to eat it slowly to savor every bite regretting not bringing the box and sharing it with her mother, telling her self ( if only I brought it with me, I could have shared it with my mom too )
However, kyoko notices a bitter taste, which was not present in the first piece she ate, although all the pieces should have tasted the same as mentioned on the box [ 24 piece milk chocolate truffles]
The bitter taste discourages her from taking another bite, as she starts wondering why this piece tasted different ( maybe a manufacturing mistake, they might have included a dark chocolate piece by accident, but shouldn't the color be darker? …. Plus this bitter taste, is unusual, dark chocolate sure is bitter, but this tastes different ! )
( As expected of kyoko, who know flavors well, and is a good cook, she can distinguish flavors even with the slightest change)
Suddenly she starts feeling weak, weak enough to drop the piece of chocolate on the ground, but only one thought came to her mind ( Is it expired ? ) she felt more pain, this time in her stomach, soon after her head starts hurting and she felt really dizzy.
The symptoms kept appearing, and now she felt like she was short of breath, she became scared, asking herself ( what is happening to me, is the chocolate really expired ? … am I getting food poisoning from expired chocolate, … Nooooo ! … I gave Tsuraga-san and Yoshiro-san some ! what have I done ?! … I should've checked the date on the box !)
Saena finally arrives, she opens the door and enters the room to see kyoko holding her chest and struggling to breath
She asks coldly : what are you doing ?!
Not getting any replay from her daughter, she walks closer and asks again : what are you doing, if you're not feeling well, then you should've headed to the hospital !
Still no response, she decides to get her attention be grabbing her hand, but before she reaches her, kyoko collapses on the floor and is struggling to breath
Concerned, she calls for help, which Todoh-san answers since he was walking by.
Todoh knocks the door and enters without waiting for a response and asks calmly: what is going on, for you to scream for help, this is unusual !
He sees Saena trying to get kyoko to respond to her, but without any success. He rushes out and get the emergency first aid kit and return and asks : did you call the emergency services ?!
Saena ( on the phone ) looks at him and says: what do you think I'm doing ?!
Todoh-san realizes that Saena is worried, but is trying to remain calm, so he asks : how long ?
Saena : 5 minutes
Todoh-san: that's too long, we should do something, anything ! … before we lose her !
Saena worried answers : CPR, they are asking if anyone around knows how to perform it !
Todoh-san: luckily I have a certificate ! …. He hands Saena a mask from the CPR kit and asks her to blow air while he starts chest compressions
( CPR kits come in different shapes, but the one they had included a mask that you blow in, which provides a better way to give oxygen to the patient, compared to the lip-to-lip method)
Together they work in a rhythm to keep kyoko alive until help arrives
Todoh-san: what happened exactly ?
Saena: I don't know, I came in and she was holding her chest and she seemed like she was in pain, if she was sick, she should have requested help from a hospital instead of coming here !
The secretary comes in with Saena's cup of tea, but drops the tray at the scene she just witnessed
Todoh-san: why are you here ?
Secretary: I came to bring Saena-san a drink since she finally came to her meeting with kyoko-san … what happened ? …. She was ok a few minutes ago ?
Todoh-san still doing the chest compressions, asks : she didn't look ill to you ?
Secretary: No, she looked like she was in good health and good spirit, I brought her tea and she thanked me with a smile, I am sure she was 100% fine at the time … I promise !
Saena looks around and notices a bitten chocolate piece on the flour and asks: did you give her any chocolate ?
Receptionist: No …. I only brought some Tea !
Todoh-san : Anyway … hurry and check if the ambulance is here, she needs help quick !
Secretary scared : yes sir ….. ( she runs out to check )
Saena: remind me to pick that piece up, this can solve this puzzling situation !
Todoh-san: aren't you worried ?
Saena: what makes you think that I'm not ?!
Todoh-san : Can you just show a little emotion ? she's your daughter !
Saena: If I did, I will fall apart ! … and you don't want that to happen do you ?!
Todoh-san : good point
Saena keep aiding her daughter breathing, while trying to be as calm as possible
( Outside the Law firm)
Ren gets out of the car, to stretch, sitting for too long bothered him, especially that his mind is full of many possibilities and options to make sure Kimiko doesn't get close to Kyoko again
Yoshiro gets out too and bows apologetically
Ren: its fine, as long as we take the right steps to protect her ! … She is still new to this cruel industry, yet she already had her fair share of troubles, we need to stay be her side !
Yoshiro agrees : Your right !
Ren expression changes when he sees an ambulance with a few police cars heading their way
Yoshiro: what is happening ?
Ren : Just when I'm thinking about the police, they come, what is going on here ?
Yoshiro: could it be, the meeting went wrong, and her mother called the cops !
Ren : That doesn't explain the ambulance!
Yoshiro: right
Ren : Let's get closer and see for ourselves, besides, I want kyoko to get out of here safely !
Yoshiro: you mean her mother …..
Ren interrupts him : no ! … I just hope this isn't for kyoko …. Whatever the situation is, kyoko must be safe !
Yoshiro agrees and get closer with Ren to see what is going on
Ren expression changes into shock when he sees kyoko was the one on the stretcher being rushed and behind them, her mother follows along with a man wearing glasses who has a serious expression on his face and is holding a bag that has a half chocolate piece that is identical to the ones kyoko had in the car and shared
Ren seeks an explanation by shouting: Kyoko ! …. What happened ?!
Todoh-san stops, and heads towards them and asks : and you are ?
Ren : Tsuraga Ren ! … Kyoko's senior in LME …. We are also coworkers !
Todoh-san : Mogami-san I will speak to them, you stay with her !
Saena nodes and steps into the ambulance, but her expression this time changed, it looked like she saw a ghost, she looked tired and was unable to keep a straight face
Yoshiro: what is going on, what happened to kyoko ?
Todoh-san: we are not sure yet, but I suspect it's this piece of chocolate, she only ate half of it , and from what I was told, Mogami-san walked in and saw her gripping her chest in pain, and soon after she collapsed ! … My only theory is this chocolate is poisoned !
The ambulance rushed with all the light and sound open to the nearest hospital taking kyoko, and her mother, followed by two police cars
Ren and Yoshiro's expression turns into shock, because the also consumed the chocolate
Todoh-san: what with this expression ? … could it be, you gave her the chocolates?
Yoshiro: no that's not the case, but, the matter of the fact is that .. both me and Ren also consumed some chocolates along with kyoko-chan
Todoh-san: you consumed it too, the same type ?!
Ren : Yes, it seems that Mogami-san received them as a gift today morning and she shared them with us on the way here !
Todoh-san: so the reason why you are here is because you drove her here and were waiting for her to finish the meeting ?
Police officer Suzuki: Todoh-san, can you please give me the bag, we need to test it and confirm the results with the hospital, in order to save the victim's life
Todoh-san hands the bag to the police officer but stops him from leaving and says : those two need to be rushed to the hospital, they also consumed it !
Police officer Suzuki looks at them and asks : are you two feeling alright ? can you tell me how you got this chocolate ?
Yoshiro: the box is in the car, kyoko-chan received it as a gift and shared it with us, but we are feeling fine, no issues
Ren : we can drive to the hospital just to check, but we will hand the box of chocolates !
Todoh-san: Thank you
Police officer Suzuki: please hand in the box of chocolates and get into the police car, you won't be driving anywhere until we are sure you are fine !
Yoshiro bring the box from the car, and enters the police car with Ren, while Todoh-san follows them in his car to the hospital to check on both mother and daughter
Ren whispers to Yoshiro that he feels guilty just from sitting in the police car and all the sirens are on, it make him feel like they were criminals
Yoshiro agrees and drags Ren down, to avoid having his face seen inside a police car, because rumors spread like wild fire
(In the Hospital)
Kyoko is rushed into a room and her mother was asked to wait outside, a nurse comes and asks questions concerning kyoko's general health, but Saena isn't able to answer even those basic questions considering she and kyoko aren't close and haven't seen each other, until just recently, but the issue of health never came up.
Nurse: how about allergies ? any medication allergies we should be aware of ?
Saena frustrated answers angrily : I don't know ! I don't know the first thing about her, we aren't close, how many times am I supposed to repeat that ?!
Annoyed, the nurse asks : do you know anyone who can tell us then ? where has your daughter been, if you know nothing about her ?
Saena: I left her with a friend in Kyoto, and she came here to Tokyo around a year ago, but I didn't know where she lived until just recently, I can call and ask if you would like !
Nurse: please do ! …. Any information can help us give your daughter the best possible care !
Saena calls Yayoi and asks about kyoko's general health and is informed that kyoko always had health, and never had issues with food or medication, so she isn't sure if kyoko did have any allergies.
The Nurse thanks Saena and leaves while thinking to herself ( what kind of mother is she, at least she called someone who actually knew her daughter, some people should be banned from having kids ! .. seriously ! )
Saena sits in the waiting room, thinking to herself ( I failed to answer the basic question about her health, …. Failed ? ….. I, who despises failing and worked so hard to reach my current position, yet I failed my own daughter )
Ren and Yoshiro along with Todoh-san enter the waiting room where Saena is silently sitting and great her
Todoh-san: Mogami-san, did you get an update on Kyoko ? is she going to be alright ?
Saena still trying to maintain her emotionless expression says with a weak tone : not yet …
Todoh-san : You two are sure lucky … to think that you ate some chocolates, yet you managed to avoid the poisoned ones !
Ren agrees slightly, regretting that he didn't question the chocolates further, it seemed suspicious until she mentioned her coworkers having gotten some as well.
Todoh-san : The police informed me that there were 12 poisoned pieces, so the chances of eating one was 50/50 … Kyoko just happened to choose one of them, but luckily she didn't eat the whole piece !
Saena shocked, she asks : 12 pieces are poisoned ? … is someone aiming to kill her ?
Todoh-san: yes, 12 of 24 were poisoned. The chocolates were in a box, and the formation was 4 rows, 6 pieces each, 2 whole rows were safe, while the other 2 were poisoned …. 4 pieces were missing, 3 were from the safe row, and one from the poisoned row .. Kyoko was the unlucky one ! … The poison used was Cyanide, which is a fairly easy to obtain, found naturally in a variation of seeds and pits, such as peach, apple, cherry, among others. Highly toxic and deadly if a large amount was consumed.
Saena: how did she obtain those chocolates ?
Yoshiro: they were gifted to her today morning, she told us that a mail man delivered it to her, and along with those chocolates was a card that congratulated her on winning the role, and it claimed that it was from the staff
Todoh-san: did the staff gift chocolates to the other actors involved in the filming ?
Yoshiro: she mentioned that her costars Koga-san and Asahina-san got chocolates, but on a different day.
Ren : Yoshiro, you should call her job at TBM and inform them that she won't be coming today, due to an emergency, also, cancel all my jobs for today, I won't leave this place until I know she's ok …. I will call the president and let him know about this situation
Todoh-san sits beside Saena and says : she will be fine, the doctors will save her !
Saena nodes and looks away, trying to keep her composure from crumbling, especially in front of everyone in the room
Yoshiro leaves the room to make some important calls
Ren calls the president and explains what happened with kyoko and was told that he will be on his way here, since kyoko is one of his talents and he should take responsibility to what happens to his actors.
After Ren finished his call, Todoh-san gets up and heads towards him and asks : Can you think of anyone who would benefit from kyoko get harmed ? someone who hates her enough to poison her food ?
Ren : Not really, she is well loved amongst her costars, in both "Dark moon" and " Box R ", others like to tease her, but for someone to do this, I ….
Todoh-san : you ?
Ren : actually, there is someone who tried to harm her before, just a few days ago actually !
Todoh-san: Name them please, this can help the investigation !
Ren : Morizumi Kimiko-san … however, please keep this from the media and news, if this comes out, her family will not sit still !
Yoshiro returns to the room and sits next to Ren
Todoh-san: what did she do to kyoko ? and if possible, do you know why ?!
Ren : I heard that she and her manager tried to push Mogami-san of a three-story building, luckily, both Yoshiro and Koenji-san were able to stop them from doing so.
Yoshiro: Ren ! … if this gets out ….
Angered by Yoshiro attempting to keep the situation quite, Saena raises her voice : what if it gets out ?! .. SO WHAT ?! … we are talking about someone's life being in danger, not once but twice, from possibly the same person !
Yoshiro steps back in fear, but continues: I'm not defending that girl, this is for Kyoko's sake… the Morizumi family is really strong, and they can sue us from defamation, the media will start rumors and Kyoko's career would be over , since Kimiko is well-known and has many fans that will stick by her side no matter what !
Ren : Mogami-san wanted to keep it quiet, and didn't want to cause trouble, especially since koenji-san is also involved, but she did seek help, she came to meet her mother today to at least ask for advice on what to do …. she didn't want to keep it a secret for long, but she wanted to do the right thing … a little too late though, I am really disappointed that Yoshiro didn't tell the president about it at least, he could have taken some steps to protect her
Todoh-san: but the situation with the chocolates doesn't seem suspicious, since two other coworkers received some, no one could have anticipated this happening!
Ren : I did think it was suspicious at first, it did bother me since most productions don't do this, we usually do parties after the filming is completed or when the series or movie is successful, but when she told me that others also received chocolates, although on different day, it made me think that maybe they forgot to give it to her so they mailed it instead, which might be the reason she received it a few days later!
Yoshiro stand and bows as he says: Mogami-san …. I apologize, I should have been more careful …. However, I was glad to hear from kyoko-chan that she was meeting you today concerning that incident, she did mentioned that she wanted to keep that girl away from her, even if she left the entertainment industry, which only makes me think that kyoko-chan was meeting you to request a restraining order against Morizumi Kimiko!
Todoh-san: I see, she did take my advice to come and ask if she needs any help, but she went straight to you Mogami-san, I am glad !
Yoshiro: Actually, she was meaning to contact Todoh-san first, because she didn't want to trouble her mother, however, because she wanted to spend more time with you Mogami-san and more than that, she wanted to entrust her case to her own mother who is a lawyer, in kyoko-chan's mind, asking any other lawyer for help is wrong, because she should be proud of her mother and trust her with anything legal-related !
Ren looks at her mother and wonders how she is feeling, about both kyoko wanting her to take her case and about kyoko getting poisoned. The fact she is keeping a straight face bothered him, because he isn't sure if she feels anything for her daughter.
Todoh-san : I see, you should be proud Mogami-san, your daughter wants you over me !
Saena: …..
Todoh-san : She seems quite close to you both to tell you such details, especially concerning her mother …. She seemed to me like she was hiding her relationship because she is only using her first name as her stage name, with a different spelling of course !
Yoshiro: well, No, I am only her temporary manager, she is usually very secretive and she doesn't share much with us, she hates troubling people, so she tends to deal with her problems privately …. She initially never mentioned who she was meeting, but we figured it out so she opened up
Ren: many actors and singers use stage names is order to keep their family out of the media, .. The less people know about you as an actor, the less the family will be watched, I myself use a stage name, so no one would know who my parent are, for their privacy and peace of mind.
Todoh-san : I see, so not to draw attention to her mother, she is only using her first name, smart move !
Saena: has she faced other problems in showbiz that you are aware of ?
Yoshiro: ah, …. Well …..
Ren interrupts Yoshiro and says with all confidence : Yes, and most of the time it is concerned with that childhood friend of hers, Fuwa-san …. He himself likes to come and cause her problem half of the time !
Todoh-san : fuwa-san, could be the same person she left Kyoto with to come here to Tokyo and enter showbiz ?
Saena brows twitch when she hears the name fuwa
Yoshiro: He is also connected to her stalker, which caused problems in Karuizawa
Todoh-san : Stalker ?! …. This showbiz industry sure is dangerous !
Saena: ….
Yoshiro: well, the whole thing was connected to a music band that was only interested in stealing everything from fuwa-san, and the lead vocalist thought he could also steal his girl, although kyoko isn't his girl, he still targeted her, and scared her terribly …. Fuwa-san did step in and confronted that person, but then on valentine's day, he came and gave kyoko-chan a huge flower boutique to congratulate her on dating the very person who stalked her, because he saw her giving him chocolates that said ( I love beagles ), but he mistook the whole incident , and the chocolates kyoko gave him where full of hatred and telling that member to go to hell !
Confused, Todoh-san asks: why would she even give him chocolate to begin with ?
Ren: she made them because according to Mogami-san, that guy held her sorrow and weakness, so she give him chocolates that will condemn him to hell if he was to eat them !
Yoshiro : to be honest, I thought she was giving those chocolates to fuwa, but it turned out she didn't give him anything …. But after kyoko explained that she isn't dating that vocalist, fuwa-san made fun of her, saying something like she will be single forever and pitted her for that, but what's worse, he forced a kiss on her, she pushed off after a long struggle, and he just said that kyoko has to return things he lend her, in that case he gave her chocolate and forced her to lend it back to him be kissing her !
Todoh-san expression changes from shock to amusements and says : That is sexual harassment ! … That kid is really something !
Ren: Every time Kyoko forgets about him or about her revenge mission, he comes and reminds her that she should only think of him and her revenge, …. From my view point, it seems like he wants to occupy her mind at all time, like she's just an object he owns, and can toy with anytime he pleases !
Todoh-san: he views Kyoko as an object he owns ?
Saena's Mogami-river flows deeper, as she thinks to herself ( The kid lied didn't he ? … he told his parents he didn't know where she was until she revealed her whereabouts to me ! …. What's more, he keeps harassing her as they claim … what is that boy thinking ? … I kept kyoko with his parents, but they don't own her, and neither does he ! )
Ren: That's only my viewpoint, well, he does seem aware of how close me and Kyoko are and since he dislikes me, he keeps making sure that she isn't dating anyone, especially me
Saena: and you like her ? are you planning on dating her ? … is her aim to date you to piss that kid off as revenge ?
Ren: No … personally, I don't really care what guy thinks of me, I am just bothered by his behavior towards her …. If he is the one that treated her like a maid and kicked her out because he no longer needed her, after everything she's done for him, then he should just leave her alone !
Yoshiro : Come to think, I heard from Okami-san who is the wife of the landlord and restaurant kyoko stays with, that back in the day, Kyoko worked 3 to 4 jobs, in order to pay rent for that apartment she lived in alone. But later we learned that she was indeed staying with Fuwa, who according to her stayed with his manger the majority of the time, and only came home to get clean clothes. We only know that because Kyoko-chan was chanting angerly about him being useless and lazy, and she was the only one who had to do all the hard work, … kyoko-chan didn't notice we heard all that, but she does tend to talk to herself out loud when she is furious
Todoh-san: she worked 4 jobs to pay rent, while that kid stayed with his manager ? …. That's why she wants revenge from the kid who fooled her, used her and throw her away … that kid is sure spoiled and entitled !
Saena wasn't sure if her daughter was just stupid, or she just foolishly fell in love and lost all her intelligence !
Ren: Kyoko told me that she didn't go to high school, because she was just a stepping stone for that kid, working so hard to pay the bills as well as handling all the house work, she had zero time to actually go to school, but when she finally joined LME as a member of the Love me section and earned her first commercial, she wore a high-school uniform and from what I heard she didn't want to take it off, so the president asked her if she wanted to go to school and she agreed right away. I remember that she studied so hard for her entrance exam, to the point it seemed like her life was depended on it
Yoshiro smiles and says : Kyoko is sure hard-working, no matter the job she's given !
Ren looked at her mom and continued : I asked her why she was working so hard, because she wasn't required to get full marks to enter, she just needed to pass. A few days later, she came to the agency wearing her uniform after attending school, she seemed really happy, and from what we heard from the president, she received full-marks on her entrance exam.
Yoshiro : Yes, it was really impressive, since I heard most student get just average score just to pass, no one tries as heard as she does.
Saena looks at Ren with surprised expression, when she met kyoko a few weeks ago she thought she was wearing a custom for a job, and was relieved to hear she went to school, but to hear that kyoko got full scores made her …. well … Proud !
Yoshiro notices that his phone is ringing and leaves the room to answer it
Todoh-san smiles and says : I will go out to see if we can get an update, I am sure our nerves can't handle this long of a wait ! …. ( he leaves the room )
Saena looks at Ren and asks again : you like her, don't you ?!
Ren looks away and answers: well, you can say that I fell in love with her ! …. She is the Ideal women, but she doesn't seem to notice I have feeling for her at all, after all she is dense when it comes to the topic of love … in the end … she is indeed the love me section member number 1 !
Saena: Love me section member number 1 ?
Ren: Yes, it's the new section the president formed just for her, he noticed that she hates the idea of love, she failed her audition because she smashed a phone in one of the rounds, the phone call was supposed to be about a guy apologizing to a girl he left behind and is asking her to come back, but she lost it, became furious and smashed the phone as the president described, he was surprised by the amount of hate she harbored !
Saena thinks to herself ( she has so much hate inside her because of that kid ? … yet she told me that could never really hate me ? …. even though that kid might have treated her better than I ever did ? )
Ren continued : She seemed to have become a person that watched people especially is showbiz jump just for the chance to be loved, yet she stood there disgusted. The president also told me that when her acting skills were tested, she surprised everyone, and help Maria-chan overcome her problem towards her father, yet the president noted that she didn't seem to be acting, just the one sentence she said seems to reflect her true feeling, which was "even parents can hate their own children"
Saena cut her silence and says: the president seems to tell you everything concerning her !
Ren: Yes, because he knows I like her, and he is puzzled by that, not that Kyoko-chan is bad or anything, but because she is his love me section member number 1 !
Noticing that Ren changed the way he addressed her, as he kept calling her Mogami-san, but now he switched to kyoko-chan, Saena asks: are you allowed to call your junior by her first name ?
Surprised, Ren respond's by saying: Sorry, old habit !
Saena confused: old habit ?
Ren: To be honest, Meeting Mogami-san here in Tokyo, wasn't our first meeting ! … when we first met, I actually disliked her, because she brought her problems and decided to enter the showbiz industry that I love with such a foul reason, revenge ! …. That's all she could think about, and I didn't like that, so I tried to keep my distance, but soon after she joined our agency, I discovered that Mogami-san is the one person I always wanted to meet !
Still confused, she asks : what do you mean ?
Ren: Me and Kyoko met in Kyoto, perhaps it was 10 … no, it's 11 years ago by now ! .. she doesn't remember that, because I looked different and I wasn't an actor yet, so she called me by my name, or more like my nickname, …. You probably don't know this, but every time you scolded her or got mad at her because of her grades, she went to the forest to Cry, and that's where we met, I hung around her for a while, until I had to go back home, but she was truly my ideal person, since then ! …. I was shocked … because I couldn't recognize her … she was so different … because of all the hate towards that kid …. I almost couldn't believe it was really her
Saena: so you knew about our relationship all along ?
Ren: Yes, but I could never ask or bring it up … after hearing her story, I couldn't believe that the boy she dreamed to marry is the person who throw her away … since then I became angry every time she met him … because I am jealous, and I am really scared that she might revive those feeling for him overtime, since I did seem them talk and joke with each other normally just a few days ago, which made me feel really upset, so I said things I shouldn't have and hurt her !
Saena: …..
Ren: Mogami-san ! … although I don't know your reasons and why you said what you did that night, she was really hurt, that she mistook me .. well, for me, … and she cried her heart out, but when she learned it was me, Tsuraga Ren, she refused to tell me why she cried and she claimed she was fine, and decided to meet you and face you instead of running away !
Saena: she mistook you for you ?
Ren: will, she thought I was her friend from the forest, Corn, as she called me !
Saena: Corn ? a vegetable ?
Thinking to himself ( If I can gain her mother's trust I need to be honest, this might as well help me practice how I'm going tell kyoko that I am Corn )
Ren composes himself and says: My name is Kuon, Kuon Hizuri, my father is a Japanese American and my mother is part Russian. I grew up in America all me life, I admired my dad who is an actor in Hollywood, but his shadow became too big to bare, and I couldn't handle being compared to him, I got fired and bullied and at age 15, I lost it, I became violent, I fought whoever bullied me and that resulted in my best friend's death, he was hit by a car while trying to stop me from fighting ! …. I couldn't handle life anymore and shut everyone out, even my loving parent, who were just too busy to notice my troubles, but free enough to bail me out of trouble
Saena: That's why you took the stage name of Tsuraga Ren and that's why she calls the real you Corn ?
Ren: Yes, I was bought here by the boss, the president, and I was given a different name, and appearance, and I started from zero, and here I am 6 years later, a successful actor who no longer fears his father's shadow …. But … I left one thing out … When I first met Kyoko, I lied to her, no… to put it simply, I played along with her delusions .. she thought I was a fairy when we met 16 years ago, and I pretended to be one, I didn't have the heart to tell her I wasn't one, but I really enjoyed playing with her and adjusting my part in her fantasies … I thought If she did believe that I was a fairy with my acting, I can make it big in Hollywood, but man was I wrong. However, I don't regret it, the time we spend together, was one of my fondest memories . She entrusted me with everything, and told me all her trouble and explained to me why she was crying, I was able to ask her freely and she kept my existence a secret due to our deal.
Saena: but how did she think you were Corn when you appeared to her .. 11 years later .. you clearly grow up and so did she, does she still have such delusions ?
Ren: I wouldn't call them delusions, more like, she loves fairy tales and she is free to keep believing in them … but to answer your question, we did meet again, as in my true form. In Guam I was waiting for woods-san to come and turn me back into Ren, since Ren doesn't exist, I need to return to my original appearance whenever I travel out of the country …. Kyoko who arrived a day earlier than scheduled went out to explore the area, and we met by chance, she immediately thought I was Corn her fairy prince who grew up …. And although I tried to ignore her so she can stop thinking I was a fairy, it didn't work, she looked really gloomy, and I couldn't leave her like that, so I played along as her fairy prince once again, but I promised myself, that next time we meet, I will tell her everything, which didn't happen yet, …. Hopefully soon !
Saena: And she doesn't see a resemblance ?
Ren: she did, but I made things up, being a fairy that can use magic, I fooled her to think I was using the voice a the last male she thought of and his appearance …. Mogami-san has a keen eye for details, it's very scary at times !
Saena: yet because she believed you're a fairy and she still believes your two different people
Ren: Yes, because in my real appearance, I have green eyes and blond hair .. which is hey way of telling us apart ! … Besides, she did tell me that she met Corn … So I, Ren , I'm aware of the existence of him, corn, and I , Kuon, is aware of relationship with Ren, the actor she respects and her senior in the agency.
Saena: do you mind if I ask … how did you know it was her who you met 11 years ago ?
Ren: well, it was the purple-blue stone I gave her long ago, a stone I claimed had magic to take all sadness away, I gave it to her because I was going back to my world, America, and I couldn't be there to help her when she is sad anymore, it was a short visit, since my dad only came back to his home-town Kyoto for business and he brought me along. Shortly after she joined, we were both on each other throats to some degree, so when she dropped that stone by accident and called it Corn, like she use to call me, the person who gave it to her, I knew it was her, but again, I did something stupid and said something mean, so she flipped me off.
Saena: I don't know how you're going to come clean about this, but if you don't, forget ever becoming close to her, she was deceived by that kid, and you saw how she became, full of hatred and revenge, I have no doubt that I caused her a lot of pain, but she told me when she met me recently , that she can never really hate me, as her mother, but you, she can easily cut you off and hate you !
Ren agrees with Saena : I know …. That's why I am struggling, I am afraid to lose her, so I do need to come clean about everything !
Saena: Thank you, for telling me about her, and for loving her, because I couldn't bring myself to do so !
Ren: Mogami-san, I know it's not my place to say this, but I think that it's not too late to change that, at least your relationship with her …. All she wants is your approval, and I believe she can gain it, because she is one of the greatest and most talented actresses I ever met !
Surprised, she smiles and says : I like the new Kyoko, she is finally doing what she wants to do, and is doing her best, that's why I am more willing to comply to her request, of patting her on her head when she achieves something I can never achieve myself … but it might be too late …. We still haven't heard a word, and now … I almost don't want to hear the outcome !
Ren looks at the time and realizes it been over an hour and a half since they came – and no word yet, he became really nervous, and he is almost too scared to learn what happened, so he closes his eyes and holds head and praying that she still alive.
Door knocking
Todoh-san enters the room and says : The doctor would like to talk to you, urgently !
Ren heart dropped, but he couldn't sit still, he got up and asked : can I come ?!
Todoh-san: sorry, I must have scared you, but sure, as long as Mogami is ok with that !
Saena nodes her head and follows Todoh-san to meet the doctor
Ren follows them quietly, but in his mind, a million thoughts & possibilities made more eager to run and check, but he just followed them because he didn't want to make a scene
(In Kyoko's room - Hospital)
Saena and Ren enter the room behind Todoh-san and see kyoko lying on them bed, connected to many tubes and wires, both realize the situation is worse than they might have hoped for
Todoh-san: This is Kyoko-chan's mother, Mogami Saena-san, and this is her coworker who wanted to get an update on her situation, given he also had some chocolates but he was lucky he eat a safe one !
Doctor : I am Dr. Tsutomo Sato, nice to meet you two, although given the current situation, I am sorry about this ….
Saena fears take over and almost causes her to lose her composure as she asks: is she dying ?
Ren fiscal expression remain shocked as he stared at the bed, where his beloved is lying, unconscious, and covered with wired and tubes
Todoh-san pats Ren on the shoulder giving him a sad smile, trying to comfort him " its not as bad as its seem"
Doctor: We managed to keep her alive, but her body didn't react positively to the antipode, and although we managed to handle the situation, we had to go to the extreme to make sure she survives
Saena remembered the nurse asking about allergies earlier, so she ask : So did she have allergies to the antidote ?
Doctor : No, it's not allergies, but even if it was, she wouldn't have known unless this happened
Saena: And …. what exactly is this extreme measure you took ?
Doctor : We put her in a medically induced coma, she will remain in this state for the next 3-4 days, as we monitor her and insure all her organs are working properly, then we will try to wake her up, …. I want to minimize the chance of her getting a delayed neurological problem, which a handful of people develop after surviving cyanide poisoning.
Saena shocked she could only voice : a Coma …. ( before losing all her composure and tears start to fall uncontrollably
Ren: she will wake up right ?!
Doctor: in most cases, if there is no brain damage due to the lack of oxygen, then yes, if we fail to do so, we will perform an EEG and try again in a few days to a week's time.
Todoh-san: I see, can you please provide a report for both the police and our law office, we will take this case and make sure the person behind this doesn't slip from justice !
Doctor: Are you the one who performed CPR ? I was told that CPR was performed in your office until the ambulance arrived !
Todoh-san: Yes, Mogami-san and I performed CPR until help arrived !
Doctor : Well, it's all thanks to you both that she is still here, so great job, stay strong Mogami-san, I will do everything in my power to bring her back safely to your arms !
Todoh-san looks at Saene, who stood poorly and unable stop crying
Doctor : However, I do need a sample of blood from you, Mogami-san, if possible … Because it seems that Kyoko is suffering from a possible genetic problem that might be the cause behind her body rejecting the initial antidote
Saena confused, asks: Genetic problem ?
Doctor : Yes, it would also be helpful if her father also give us a sample, because it might come from either parents
Saena: I will give you a sample, but …..
Todoh-san: The father is not around, so please refrain from mentioning him around both mother and daughter, that man left without a trace, so this topic is sensitive, No … it's a land mine, please avoid stepping on it !
The Doctor was taken aback, so he responds: ok …. Noted ! ….. Nurse Uno, please take Mogami-san to the clinic and take a sample and send it to the lab as soon as possible
(Outside the hospital - In Takarada's car )
Yoshiro: that's what happened sir !
Takarada : So you and Ren are safe, but kyoko-chan is hanging to life ? … half the chocolates were poisoned, the odds of her eating one and dying are high …. Whoever is after this is not going to avoid punishment !
Yoshiro: about that ….
Takarada : you have an idea Yoshiro-kun ?
Yoshiro tells him what happen on the day Kyoko won the role of Momiji
Angry, Takarada uses a stern tone while asking : Since when do you hide those kinds of incidents from me, Yoshiro ?! … You and Ren didn't say a word to me at all ?! …. I'm hurt !
Yoshiro: Ren only found out today, he was angry as well, he said he will bring this up and we will set together to discuss our next step forward, but then we found out kyoko collapsed from being poisoned
Takarada : But considering what you just said, Morizumi is unlikely to be the culprit behind this, since she is already being threatened to leave the showbiz industry, she won't be stupid enough to make it much worse for herself, considering she was filmed on camera trying to throw our girl off the building
Yoshiro: I disagree, I believe that she is the only one who will benefit from what happened to kyoko, if kyoko dies, then they will have to beg her to come back to showbiz and take the role of Momiji, which is a role she wanted at all costs, she tried once, she might as well try again
Takarada shouts angrily : Then? … this should have reached me the moment kyoko was safe, what took you so long ?!
Yoshiro answers with shame and guilt : As I said, she wanted to keep it a secret, since she and koenji reached a deal with Morizumi
Still upset, Takarada complains : But that does not explain why she went to her mother about this instead of coming to me !
Yoshiro: I believe kyoko really wanted to reach out to her mother, I might have missed it, but she didn't look cautious about her surroundings, neither did she look scared or uncomfortable, she even asked me to stop driving her, because of something that happened between her and Ren …. If she was worried, she wouldn't have asked to travel alone !
Takarada: what happened between Ren and kyoko ?
Yoshiro: A misunderstanding, Ren said some mean things because his jealousy toke over, especially after seeing kyoko and fuwa-san on what seemed to be " good terms"
Confused Takarada asks: then how did they end up in the car together ?
Yoshiro: well, yesterday Ren dragged Kyoko to his apartment and they had a talk, and since then they seemed to be on better terms
Takarada : better term ?
Yoshiro: well, I wouldn't say that everything was solved, the atmosphere between them gave me that impression, Ren seemed eager to see her again, and seemed to want to keep talking to her, but she needed to meet her mother instead, then,…. that happened
Takarada sighs and asks : any news ?
Yoshiro: not yet, but I called Sawara-san and told him about the situation, and we informed both her job at TBM and " Lotus in the Mud" … They informed me the police are already investigating and interviewing the whole staff …. The media has caught wind of it, but it won't be announced in the news until tomorrow … producer Kuresaki was upset by this setback, but he understands the situation and he told me that he will wait to hear from me before deciding how to go forward from there.
Takarada : lets pray that kyoko-chan survives this ! … it's such a shame, such a young talented soul hurt like that !
Yoshiro with regret says: I wish it was me instead of her, I deserve to be punished for not saying a word about that incident
Takarada : now now, Yoshiro-kun, we don't need more victims, just thank your lucky star your alive and well !
Yoshiro notices that kyoko's mother was leaving the hospital, and wonders : she is already leaving ?
Takarada worried : What does this mean ?!
(Outside the hospital )
Todoh-san runs after Saena and tried to stop her from leaving, saying : Why are you leaving ?!
She looks at him and says : How do you think I can sit there ?! what am I supposed to do ?
Todoh-san: What if they need you to sign more papers, or do more tests, kyoko-chan needs you by her side !
Saena upset, she says: I need to recollect myself …. I will come back tomorrow ! … if they need me they have my phone number !
Leaving him with no chance to argue, he gives up and says : Fine, I will drive you, since you left your car back at the office
Saena follows Todoh silently while she is try to regain her composure
( Viride General Law Office)
A man in his later forties enters the building
He sees a police officer's letting the staff know they were done taking all evidence and pictures and that the meeting room is free to be used again
The man smiles and greets the police as they leave and wonder ( What happened here ? )
The man heads to the reception and asks if Mogami Saena is available, and they informed him that she left for the day so he smiles, thanks them, and leaves
The man looks at the building before riding the taxi and says: So this is where you work now ? impressive !
( Love me section room )
Kanae enters the rooms and finds it empty so she sits and wonders if kyoko will come around today, but remember that today, she usually goes to her TBM job.
Kanae decides to call kyoko since she knows her job doesn't start for an hour from now, hoping she can practice the English she learned in her lesson today morning
Kanae wonders if kyoko forgot to charge for her phone, as the line goes straight to voice mail.
Not wanting to give up, she decided to get a hold of Yoshiro-san's number, which might help her reach kyoko, since he is her temporary manager. She goes to Matsushima's office hoping to get a hold of Yoshiro's number but notices that the whole office seems gloomy
She hesitates to enter, but not wanting to waste time, the faster she learns English the better chance she has to get the job, so enters the office and head to Matsushima's disk
Kanae: what's with this gloomy mood ?
Matsushima responds with a depressed tone : Kotonami-san, what are you doing here ?
Kanae: I am here to get Yoshiro-san's phone number, I can't reach kyoko, and since he is her manager for now, I might reach her if I call him ! .. or at least get her to charge her phone !
Matsushima still depressed : so you haven't heard, Sawara-san, should I tell her ?
Kanae: Tell me what ? …. Speak up !
Matsushima: It seems that I will have to find a substitute for your English conversation partner, because Kyoko-chan won't be able to do it anymore !
Sawara-san angrily shouts : That's a horrible way to put it !
Kanae: what in the world is going on, why are you substituting her ?
Matsushima hesitates : well….
Sawara-san: Listen Kotonami-san, I want you to be calm when I tell you this, since you're her best friend, I want you to know that the doctors are doing everything in their power to save her !
Kanae drops her bag in shock and asks worriedly : what happened to Kyoko ?!
Sawara-san's phone rings so he answered immediately
Matsushima: From what we heard, she was gifted chocolates today, she along with Tsuraga-san and his manager ate some, but Kyoko is the only one who was poisoned … the police are currently investigating …. However, we still don't have an update of her current health situation or any possible suspects!
Sawara-san hangs up and says : I have an update … it's not the news we were hoping for !
Kanae heart drops and her tears get the best of her, she weakly asks : what's the update ?
Sawara-san : She survived ….. but unfortunately, she's in a Coma!
Kanae worried about her friend, she pleads : Give me the address of the hospital … please !
Matsushima write down the address and hands it to Kanae, who takes it and runs out as fast as she could … to be beside her first best friend.
Author notes:
Chapter 2 ends here !
Thank you all for reading it, and hopefully you enjoyed it!
And … Don't kill me, please !
This is my first Skip beat fanfiction, so please bear with me
until next time ! Jane !
Source:
Used as reference for this chapter, this is to give credit to author and work:
Cunha, J. P. (2019, September 23). Cyanide Poisoning Treatment, Symptoms & Effects. Retrieved from cyanide_poisoning/article_ #what_is_the_prognosis_for_a_person_who_has_suffered_from_cyanide_poisoning