Enjoy!
...
"It was a great idea Tsuruga-san! So then I started thinking of ideas of what could be possible, and somehow I got it to the point where I could make the character have more depth, and I didn't really fumble like I did yesterday! Thanks so much for your advice."
A low chuckle rumbled across the line, "I didn't do much, just tossed a couple things out there."
"Well still, it gave me a starting point. Experience in this case was somewhat more helpful than imagination."
"That's understandable."
"Um, Tsuruga-san, I know I've kind of been chatting your ear off, but how have you been since the other night?"
"You're too kind Mogami-san. I thought for sure you'd still be upset at me over that dinner."
"Well friends do nice stuff for each other. I get that. And I'm trryyying to be nice back. How have you been?"
She could hear the amusement in his voice as he replied, "Quite well. I have an interesting project trying to get off the ground. So that's been fascinating to figure out."
"I look forward to it-" A yawn suddenly startled her and Ren chuckled as he heard it.
"It's late, get some sleep, hm?"
"OK. You too."
"Sweet dreams."
End Call
Duration 17:11
05/03/20XX
Yashiro tapped his pen thoughtfully against his desk, frowning in consternation as he studied the two schedules. Kyoko had recently acquired a new long-term tutoring task that the LME acting school had put to the LoveMe section, and that was eating up two evenings a week. Typically, she used those evenings for schoolwork. Perhaps she was able to complete it at another time?
"Hmmm…" Yashiro mused. She typically blocked out time on Mondays for the Ishibashis and their show. So that wouldn't work either. Wednesday evenings might work if the Darumaya couple she boarded with could do without her those evenings. He shot her a text letting her know he was worried about her schoolwork in combination with the new things she'd just accepted, and turned his attention to the second schedule.
It remained as mysterious as the first time he'd looked it over. Sighing, he picked up his phone.
It rang a moment before the voice came on the line, "Yashiro-san? Is something the matter?" Ren's voice sounded surprised and Yashiro's eyebrow twitched.
"Ren, why are your next two weeks nearly entirely blocked out? I was planning on scheduling you with R'Mandy. They've made inquiries about your availability to do their fall line. It needs done, and soon."
"Oh, I see. Ah, well, can it be done after the next two weeks?"
Yashiro felt a great urge to smack his face with his planner and had to restrain himself, "It can, so long as you don't change your schedule. Again." Warning threaded through Yashiro's tone and he hoped that it was intimidating enough for Ren to agree.
Ren cleared his throat, sounding somewhat abashed when he spoke again, "I sincerely apologize Yashiro-san. Please, go ahead and schedule with them. I promise not to change it on you at a later date."
Yashiro felt a small sense of relief, "Thank you. Will you ever explain to me what you've been up to?"
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them and when Ren replied, he sounded quite apologetic, "I can't currently, no. I promise you, as soon as the project is cleared for a press release, you'll be the first I tell. There's been a heavy amount of security for this. I am not entirely sure why, it could be that some permissions have yet to clear, or it could just be because the producers haven't yet agreed on how to market it. When I can explain, I promise I will."
"Fine. I guess I have no choice." Yashiro dropped it, less aggravated about it once he heard Ren was truly apologetic.
"Can I help you with anything else?"
"Maybe. Do you know if Kyoko has been able to keep up with her schoolwork?"
There was a brief hesitation and Yashiro waited patiently before Ren said, "I believe so. It doesn't often come up in our...discussions, but she did recently mention something she'd done for English class."
"I see." There's was barely stifled glee in Yashiro's voice and he heard a huff through the phone line.
"I'm so glad we've had this talk Yashiro-san. I was in the middle of some work however, and do need to get back to it."
"Oh yes, yes, no problem. Thank you so much Ren. It was greatly informative."
"Goodbye Yashiro-san." came the aggrieved response. Yashiro snickered as the call disconnected, suddenly in a much better mood. He whistled cheerily as he returned to his scheduling work.
Kanae checked her watch again before glancing at the door to the LoveMe locker room. Kyoko in the past couple weeks had gotten into a specific sort of schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Kanae had timed it just right to grab her before she walked out of LME for the night. Her watch-face ticked down another minute. And another, and she smirked as right on time, Kyoko walked through the door. Kanae moved quickly, pulling her from the doorway, closing the door, then leaning back against it so Kyoko couldn't leave without some good effort on her part.
Kanae's smirk grew wider as Kyoko took in her friend's predatory expression and paled.
"Mo-Moko-san? Um, can I help you?"
Kanae waited her out, crossing her legs at the ankles and settling in.
It wasn't very much longer before Kyoko wailed and threw herself into a dogeza.
"I'm so SORRY MOKO-SAN! I'M SO SOOOORRY!" She continued her apologizing and Kanae waited her out some more. This took longer, but eventually Kyoko's apologies slowed and she snuffled a bit before looking up at Kanae from where she was on the floor.
"Mo-Moko-san?"
Kanae examined her nails and didn't reply.
"I er, I'm not too sure what I did. Um, can you tell me what's wrong?"
Kanae decided to finally speak up as Kyoko's pitiful face seemed to be growing ever more pitiful.
"It seems you have a guilty conscience. You've already apologized. Do you have something to say to me maybe?"
Kanae studied her as she fidgeted nervously. Kanae's patience began to fray as Kyoko remained silent.
"Perhaps a certain picture you might recall having had taken?" Kanae prompted.
Kyoko cocked her head questioningly, "Ummm…"
Kanae's eye twitched, "It included a very suggestive pose with someone you've assured me several times you're just friends with. Ring any bells?"
There was more silence before Kanae cracked, "The Box'R party you've been dodging me on?! I had to hear from Amamiya-san that everything was ok. Aren't you my best friend?! Why can't I get a straight answer from you?!"
Kyoko closed her eyes in an attempt to hide her shame, finally recognizing what she was referring to. Her mouth remained stubbornly closed as she had no idea what she could say to Moko-san. She had already apologized and it seemed Kanae was expecting an actual explanation and what was she even supposed to say?
"Seriously?!" Kanae exploded, "I thought best friends told each other everything?! Why can't you trust me?!"
Kyoko stared, horrified, "No, I do! I do trust you! I promise!"
"Please, you obviously don't," Kanae scoffed.
"I can't explain because there's nothing to explain!"
Kanae sniffed, "Chiori-san has a picture that says differently."
"What?" Kanae took some pity at the look on Kyoko's face. She seemed absolutely gutted at the news.
"Chiori-san says you and Tsuruga-san took some selfies with Rumi-chan and her and some of your other cast-mates. You and Tsuruga-san were looking veeerrry cozy." Kanae's eyes narrowed as Kyoko's features grew ever more horrified. "You have some explaining to do Kyoko. So explain."
Kanae leaned back against the door again and crossed her arms, fingers tapping impatiently on her arms as she waited for Kyoko to answer her.
"Tsuruga-san was just teasing me a lot that night is all." The softly whispered response startled Kanae a few minutes later and her gaze swung back to Kyoko, suspicious about what she was saying.
"Uh huh...I see. So Tsuruga-san simply took it upon himself to hang all over you and act so lovey-dovey just because...what? He likes to tease? And, what? You let him do this, in public, without scolding him for being irresponsible?"
"Ahhh...he's...um, very persuasive?" Kyoko responded weakly.
That got her a disdainful toss of Kanae's head, "Please. Have some decency and don't try to fool me. You're not one to allow others to act inappropriately like that because they're persuasive. Try again."
Kyoko flinched and fidgeted some more. "It was um, it really was just part of our plan."
"Try. Again." Kyoko winced as Kanae stared her down.
"Um…"
"Ugggh. So you don't trust me then. Got it." Kanae's words were scornful and harsh, and made Kyoko wilt in despair.
"No, I do! I promise!"
"You know what I think?"
"Um-"
Kanae interrupted Kyoko, her words coming fast and fierce, "I think you've been lying to me. You tell me over and over that you guys are just friends. That he simply likes to tease. That you find him irritating because of his presumptuousness, his temper, and even how he behaves like a child. I think not only are you lying to me, but you're lying to yourself. You like him. You really, really like him. You're just too scared to do anything about it. Unless there's a useful pretense, hm? How long will that satisfy you Kyoko? How long will pretenses and doing nothing make you happy? For that matter, why do you insist that this doesn't make you happy? That picture I saw, that is one of the happiest smiles I've ever seen on your face. How long do you think you can go on fooling yourself?"
Kyoko sat frozen, mortification and panic settling in deep beneath her skin as Kanae's words shattered the perfect little lie she'd created for herself. Kyoko's breath came fast and sharp as Kanae continued speaking.
"Honestly, I'm your best friend and even I don't get you. I thought you wanted to change. I thought you wanted to grow. I thought you wanted to be the greatest actress in all of Japan. I thought you wanted to honor our promise! If you could be honest with yourself about this, you'd be free of this pink curse like that!" Kanae snapped her fingers and Kyoko flinched at the abrupt sound. She curled her fingers into fists in her lap, sitting hunched over as Kanae fell silent.
"No I wouldn't be." Kyoko's low voice surprised Kanae and she stared, taken aback.
"The President already knows."
Kanae felt her breath leave her as she stared at Kyoko in shock. "What? He knows what?"
Kyoko turned her face aside, trying to hide the shame overtaking her features, "He already knows how I feel. He's known for months."
Kanae stumbled towards her, finding herself kneeling beside her friend and reaching out to settle her hand on Kyoko's shoulder, "Kyoko? What are you saying?"
Her voice was small and scared as she replied, "The president knows how I feel. It doesn't matter, the pink curse remains."
Kanae was thunderstruck, and her thoughts quickly began to overwhelm her. "But, but I thought you just had to learn to love again. You've learned to love yourself better. You've learned to love your friends, the work and your fans. You went through all that stuff with your mom even. If, if, this wasn't the last step, are we...will we never be free?"
Kyoko shrugged, still quiet as she said, "I don't know. What does it matter? Now you know the truth."
Kanae stood again, bringing Kyoko with her and settling her down at their table. She paced, one hand on her hip and one hand on her forehead in concentration as she talked, "Forget the president for the moment. We can deal with that later. This is between me and you right now, and why you feel you can't talk to me. Because this isn't all of it, is it? Why are you fine with letting him push your boundaries like that? Why don't you tell him to stop?"
Kyoko was quiet and Kanae stared, stumped at how to get her to talk. "Just because you like him doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants. He needs to be held responsible for his actions."
"You're misunderstanding us Moko-san. You're insinuating that he's just taking advantage. I'm sorry. I hadn't realized how my behavior was making this look. But, this really is a simple misunderstanding." Kyoko's soft voice had Kanae stopping in her tracks, irritation flaring in her anew and she threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.
"Fine, then explain it to me!"
"We talk all the time you know."
"What?" Kanae asked, baffled.
"We call each other almost every day. He's taken me out to dinner. Three times now."
Momentarily sidetracked, Kanae asked the question before she thought about it, "Three? When was the first time?!"
"End of April. After I auditioned as Momiji. He didn't just send me that bracelet like I said he did. He had Ten-san dress me up all nice and we went to this really nice restaurant and he just-he just... presented me with it. I'm sorry for lying."
Kanae stared, absolutely flabbergasted.
"Then we did that commercial together for Saishi and he took me out then. And he did it again before the party." Kyoko paused and Kanae sank into the seat across from her, trying to process all of this.
Kyoko's voice got ever quieter, "We danced. To Billy Joel." She sniffed, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks.
"Kyoko…" Kanae's voice was full of emotion she was unable to put into words, so she reached out to grasp Kyoko's hand in hers to comfort her.
"He is very kind." Her voice wobbled and Kanae felt sympathetic tears spring to her own eyes before she realized what was happening.
"Kyoko…"
"I don't know what to do Moko-san. He makes me feel things I have never felt before and I don't know what to do." Kyoko broke out into full on sobs and Kanae hurried to her side, pulling her into a comforting embrace. Kyoko sobbed, taking huge gasping breaths and sniffling into Kanae's chest. Kanae couldn't help but marvel at her fortitude as she sat there with her, patting her back as soothingly as she could. How long has it been like this? How long has she held this in?
She couldn't stop herself from asking as Kyoko began to quiet her sobs.
"How long Kyoko?"
Kyoko was quiet for a moment, taking the back of her sleeve to mop up her face.
"Dark Moon." Came the quiet reply and Kanae's heart broke all over again for her friend.
"I am so sorry Kyoko. I am so sorry." Kanae hugged her tight, "I'm so sorry I pushed you like this."
The heavy silence lingered as the two girls tried their best to muddle through the situation. A faint flash of memory struck Kanae and as she sat there trying to comfort Kyoko, she couldn't help but think, Does she even know that he feels the same?
"Hold on, slow down a little. You had to do what for your stunt today?"
"This like, back tuck thing into a spin-kick, but we were on mats, but Hiromune-san just kept making fun of me! At least Moko-san didn't…" Kyoko's voice trailed off, less exasperated at the situation now.
"Seems like it was a bit rough, hm?"
"Yeeeeah. Hey Tsuruga-san..."
"Yes Mogami-san?"
"Are you sure you aren't mad at me about Bo still?"
"Of course I'm not. Why do you ask?"
"I guess I've just been worried about it… I really don't want you mad at me."
"It is very, very hard for me to get mad at you, or for me to even stay mad at you. Please don't worry about it so much. Put it out of your mind."
"Well, alright. Thank you Tsuruga-san."
"You're very welcome Mogami-san. I have to get going now, so this is goodbye."
"Have a good rest of your day! Thanks for calling."
A chuckle came across the line, "Well it's habit now, right?"
Kyoko did her best to hide her embarrassment at his teasing, "If you say so. Goodbye."
"Goodbye Mogami-san."
End Call
Duration 9:02
05/27/20XX
"Nick! I'm so glad I finally got a hold of you." Ren's relief was honest. He'd been calling some people that he knew personally that weren't strictly of Japanese descent in the industry. He had struck out a couple times now because some people already knew they wouldn't be able to fit this project into their schedule.
"Glad to hear from ya man! Just now on break, sorry for you having to wait to hear from me." Nick's surfer drawl made the English he spoke elongate his vowels and Ren felt a pang in his heart as the drawl reminded him of his home.
"Hey, no problem. Hey, you still interested in doing more acting? Or would you still be busy with your college troupe?"
"Depends on the time really."
"Do you have any time in the next two weeks for an audition? If we clear casting within the next two weeks, we can start shooting at the beginning of September. Most of the other pre-production has already been done." Ren eyed the calendar with some exasperation as he waited for Nick's reply. Some noise sounded through the line, probably Nick checking with his manager.
Some more rustling and then Nick's voice came through the line again, "Yeah, yeah, that's good for me man. Surprisingly, we've only got R'Mandy scheduled right now. Though, my last two school semesters did need more of my time, so we took up some less work for that. Is it a side character thing?"
"Yeah. You'd be playing a right-hand man for a U.S. military official. By the way, do you still have the numbers of anyone from that recent international shoot?"
There was a pause. "Ahhhh…"
"I'm sorry, that was abrupt. I know you don't tend to like to give out people's numbers. It's only that I remembered us working with a pretty diverse group. There were a couple people from Hawaii, some from Guam, and I think some from the Philippines, right? I don't think I managed to get anyone's numbers. Sorry for the confusion, but this series is set in post-WWII occupied Japan and apparently pretty diverse units were involved, especially on the American side."
"But I thought their military units were segregated? Don't you need more white people?" Ren sighed as Nick asked him his questions. Ren was quite familiar with this routine by now.
"Apparently, historically, the U.S. military just started desegregating the year before this story starts, and the unit we've been doing research on for authenticity was very diverse according to all historical records we've dug up." Ren felt himself shrugging even though Nick couldn't see him.
"Honestly man, if you've got any numbers, or if you know anyone else of mixed heritage, it'd be a huge help. I've got a few nisei that are interested that are at school here currently and I have a few volunteers from the military base where we, theoretically speaking if we get the permission, will be shooting some footage. But I need more people."
Nick sounded confused as he asked, "Are the casting calls not helping with this?"
Ren blew out a breath. "I expressed an urge to help with casting, and that seemed to impress some people here and if I can work with people I've directly been involved with casting, I'd feel a lot better about this. I'd feel a lot more confident about well, all of this."
Nick heard his unspoken plea it seemed, and he assured Ren that he would do what he could and the two said their goodbyes and hung up. Ren groaned and rubbed at his face. He looked grimly through all his research and sighed again. Time for call number six.
Kyoko was staring at her phone, willing it to ring. It was a few days after Kanae had cornered her in their locker room at LME. Kyoko had gone about her day to day duties since, and buried herself in her work to better act as the professional she desired to be. She had been so used to reinforcing her own gigantic lie to everyone around her, that having her dearest friend know the truth was both freeing and exhausting.
She felt like she was on tenterhooks waiting for Kanae to press her further on the topic; and was oftentimes both saddened and relieved when Kanae said nothing. Although, she had demanded an ice cream date with Kanae as retribution the next day. It was only fair after all.
And yet, even though her foundation had been rocked, life went on. Yashiro was, naturally, the most capable manager she had ever had. He was prompt, thorough, and amiable as ever she could wish. Her LME tutoring seemed to be helping her as much as it was helping those she tutored, and regular acting duties had yet to crop up with further issues.
Kyoko fully realized that the other shoe must drop sometime. She knew she had the President's confidence. She knew she had Kanae's. But if Chiori was wondering, if Rumi-chan had been so curious as to mention it to Chiori, she knew there was a shoe to yet drop. She cursed her own carelessness once again. For good measure, she cursed her own foolishness.
And so there she sat, grudges providing ample suggestions for who to curse and what with as she awaited her phone call. Kyoko's gaze flicked again to the clock in her room. It was nearly time. It had actually been Yashiro's suggestion to ask Lory for help the day before, after she had explained her conundrum for her role and had run into some research trouble for the Mt. Oguso project.
She had first tried asking her school's history teacher. But, her history teacher had apparently specialized in Pre-Meiji Japan outside of the high school curriculum they were required to keep up with and didn't know where to find people to talk to. Regardless, both Yashiro and her teacher had warned that first hand accounts may be less accurate than statistics and papers, but it was more likely to be less influenced by outrageous bias and propaganda. Kyoko's delving into modern-day academic papers and contemporary sources of the time had provided vastly conflicting reports, so she was inclined to take him up on his suggestion. The LME president was thrilled that he could help her out as well.
She tapped her fingers along her table as she once more skimmed the paper that had been the most helpful. Still, her lips twisted in a frustrated grimace as she could hardly place it into the relevant context for what she needed it for. An abrupt ringing interrupted her irritated thoughts and she flew to answer her phone.
"Hello there. Is this my lovely child?"
Instantly, a cheery smile sprang to Kyoko's face, "Father! Yes, it is!"
Hizuri Kuu's laugh echoed through her phone and Kyoko found herself giggling along. They had a great deal to discuss and by the time Kyoko was finished explaining how her Natsu role had went, and Hime-sama, and how Momiji was going and why exactly she needed help with this newest role, an entire half hour had almost passed.
"Well, you've been quite the busy one, hm?" Kuu's kind voice was a balm to the more tired and battered parts of her and she found herself relaxing for the first time that day. His general support and knowledge of their business helped Kyoko reorient herself as she related all she'd been up to. (Some parts anyways, he didn't need to know absolutely everything, she was pretty sure.)
"I've done my best to keep to what you taught me. But, yes, I've been busy, and well, now I'm kind of stuck." Kyoko replied.
"Yeah, the Boss said you were confused. And that it might be something I specifically could help with. I confess, I'm curious about it."
Kyoko worried at her bottom lip. She was young yet, but she wasn't completely ignorant of the troubles that came from the American Occupation. She sighed when the silence went on too long, then finally blurted out her question, "Was your mom a war bride?"
A ringing silence followed her question and Kyoko almost wished she hadn't asked she was so scared to hear his answer. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her tongue so she wouldn't take it back.
Kuu cleared his throat after another minute or two and replied rather delicately, "Actually, ah, no. However, my great-aunt was. I'm afraid I'm going to need you to elaborate on what you need from me here."
Kyoko slumped over in relief, "I'm so sorry for asking such a rude question. But, ok. So, my role for this newest series requires a lot of interaction with American military units, as well, that's part of the setting. This is set right after the Second World War, up until the war with Korea, and much of it is influenced by the American occupation and the military. The Yonedas run an old traditional inn about an hour from the base they interact with. It's like, in the countryside. My character is being trained to take over the inn as proprietress but also helps out at this other family-run teahouse. They're like, in an old rich resort area, so many of the characters interact on a customer-service level." She paused for a second, trying to explain her other thoughts.
"But, there's also a lot of other layers. There's American women that are there for feminist activism, people mingling in clubs in their time off, some interactions with an American-run orphanage, diplomacy meetings, honestly, the different layers here is exhausting to figure out. I thought, maybe, you might have a more accurate picture of how these people would have actually interacted. Did anyone in your family tell stories about this time? Were the kids actually really that happy that the Americans brought so much food? Did the American military actually help the Japanese not starve for a time or is that also propaganda? I'm a little overwhelmed and the research I've done is really biased at worse, conflicting at best." Kyoko's mournful tone of voice made Kuu smother a chuckle. He well knew that frustration.
"I can tell you my story if you think it'll help." He suggested gently.
"That would be great, thank you!"
"It's pretty boring actually. My great-uncle was an American pilot in Korea. He was based out of Tokyo but wasn't on the ground often. He and his buddies would frequent a particular bar, and he met my great-aunt there. She is, technically, considered a war bride yes. But their story is pretty boring. They met, fell in love, decided to stay in Tokyo after the war once my great-aunt decided she didn't care for the climate of the U.S. He and my grandma didn't have much left after the wars. My grandma had lost her husband, she was pregnant with my mother at the time, and so my grandma went with them when they returned to Japan, my mother with them." Kuu sighed.
"There were certainly problems as you might guess. My mother felt she had something to prove, but my great aunt and my grandma were fast friends. My parents were happy, so far as I know, but my mother wanting to prove herself did instill in me at a young age a want to prove myself. It's funny how the way you grow up affects what you choose to become. My mother stayed, I decided to leave." Kuu decided to go to the more difficult part of her request.
"I realize my story isn't going to help much, but my great-aunt does talk about being grateful that the Americans came when they did. The kids during the war had to forage for food, that's how bad things were. Often, there was no school, because days would be spent trying to find something to eat. That was what she told me in any case. But you have to understand, that varied from region to region. And, also, during the Occupation, Americans instituted a constitution that allowed everyone to vote, and elected into power a 50/50 split of women and men into elected government positions. That had never been done before. Women had more power than ever before." He mused on how much he should elaborate when he heard Kyoko respond.
"I'd kind of heard some of this through school, but it's quite startling to realize that there's still people around today that had such a hard life..." Her voice trailed off thoughtfully.
"I understand that. I had a similar feeling when I was first learning about it. The generation before my parents just hardly ever talked about it. And why would they want to? It was a very difficult time." He had to be very careful here, she was young yet, but it seemed like it would be important to explain further.
"It was the end of a devastating war. When people say that we lost an entire generation, they're speaking the truth. But yeah, both sides had produced so much propaganda, and so great was the enmity between these people that assault occurred." Kuu's voice was heavier as he spoke again.
"Assault of all kinds occurred, and it most often happened to the poor who could not afford to keep themselves safe and out of the way of the harbors where the military bases were. The Americans certainly tried their people for assault and served discharges, but not only were the cases difficult to handle at the time, not the least of which was due to a great deal of it going unreported, but also because the people wanted so much to be at peace and for there to be no more war. People will suffer a great deal, so long as it means there will no longer be a war. Do you understand?"
Kyoko sat there, attempting to comprehend the undercurrents of what Kuu was saying. She hesitated but then said, "I think I might, maybe not completely, but maybe a little..?" Her voice was questioning and Kuu sighed again as he imagined her struggling to wrap her head around all the nuances and context.
"To put it another way, it mattered what class you were. It mattered what skin color you were. I only learned about the specifics like that later, as my great-aunt never talked about it. So, specifics. Is your character from the disgraced noble class? Or is she just from an old family? Is she wealthy, poor or middle class? The Americans you're interacting with, are they officers? Are they just sailors? Are they pilots? Are they wealthy, or poor? Are they black, white, or the same shade as you?" Kuu didn't really wait for her to answer every single question, that'd be silly given the context clues she'd already given him, and continued with his explanation.
"If you're talking to a black sailor, your mother at the time would have scolded you and sent you away from them, just for fear of the talk of the townsfolk. If you were serving a white, rich, officer, and wasn't the most polite you could be, she would have given you a walloping and sent you back out there to apologize for shaming their household." Kuu decided to be a tad more blunt with his next question.
"Would you be poor enough to live in a dangerous area in which you would not be able to have protection from assault of some kind? Would your character have friends in that situation? Always remember this Kyoko, in this time, your class mattered, your skin tone mattered, your manners mattered. If your character were a paler Japanese maiden, you would have been prime recruiting material for the American feminists as the ideal of their feminist liberation. All of this, it mattered."
Kyoko had read enough into the subject that she felt she should be less shocked, but still, she sat quietly stunned, trying to digest all the layers. After another moment's thought, she eventually asked, "And if my character is talking to a Lieutenant Commander from a U.S. naval base who acts as if he should be from our culture, but he obviously isn't, how do you think I would approach him?"
Kuu thought carefully before he replied, "I think, if your character has scenes within an American-run orphanage, your character would already be aware of ethnically mixed kids and why exactly someone could act like that, don't you?"
Kyoko closed her eyes as his words solidified what her gut feeling had already had her thinking, "Yes, I thought that too."
"And?"
"And I would most likely approach him with pity or sympathy. I would be unguarded at best, and open and welcoming at worst. Even though the Yoneda matriarch would be swearing up and down that they were the enemy." Kyoko let out a depressed sigh.
"I'm getting the feeling you were trying to find fault with your original analysis."
Kyoko pouted at Kuu's slightly teasing remark.
"I had hoped my character would be somewhat more aware of the dangers in her world, if I can be honest with you."
"I get that. Perhaps you might be able to discuss that with your director, hmm?"
Kyoko smiled. Of course he wasn't going to judge her for her opinion. Of course he would just provide a solution. Kyoko then felt an odd sensation of a bell ringing deep in her own brain. She frowned distractedly, but pushed her odd meandering thoughts aside to answer Kuu, "I probably can. Thank you so much for talking with me."
"Of course. I'm happy to help. Save my info, hm? Shoot me an email if you feel you need more help, alright?"
Kyoko glowed with the warmth his support provided and she let him know she would and then they said their goodbyes. Setting aside her phone, she thumbed through her scripts again, and the journal she'd been given. She let out another sigh as she viewed them. Most of what Kuu had said only confirmed her own theories, but still she hesitated. But, as she remembered what Takashi-san and Kuu had said, there were people that could put some of her questions to rest. She didn't have to do it alone. That thought made her smile.
"I'm glad you got to have so much fun with Kotonami-san today Mogami-san. I have a feeling you're going to have a wonderful day tomorrow too. It seems like this commercial campaign is doing wonders for your self-esteem."
"It really is though. It's like a dream come true."
Her soft, slightly self-conscious laughter put a smile on Ren's face before she distracted him with a question.
"Tsuruga-san? Do you have dreams you still want to come true? I'm fulfilling so many of mine with Saishi that I'm wondering what I'll have left to look forward to."
There was a small silence before Ren spoke again.
"I think my dreams are mostly related to work I'd like to do. As you already know, this isn't my native home. And a lot of my acting aspirations were founded in how I grew up. The U.S. had some great authors that really stood out to me when I was a kid, and learning about what they wrote. I'd love to play this character, Atticus Finch, for example. But someone like me never could."
Kyoko gasped, offended at the remark, and at whoever could have possibly given Ren that idea, "What?! Why?!"
Ren laughed bitterly, "I'm not the right ethnicity, you see. And that matters very much in his story. It's called To Kill a Mockingbird if you ever want to look it up."
Kyoko swallowed a little nervously as he brought up something that obviously bothered him, and decided to direct the conversation down a different path, "So is reading one of your hobbies? I guess I never realized…"
"Mmm, it's more accurate to say that I simply enjoy stories of all kinds. But that story is a rather famous one." Ren let out a sigh, then said, "Gone With the Wind, that's another hugely famous piece. The characters are absolutely vivid when you read the novel, although this one you might have heard of because of how famous the movie is."
Kyoko made a soft noise of agreement, and eagerly listened. It was rare that he brought up specific things he admired like this.
"There's this character in it, Rhett Butler… I saw a clip once of the original movie, and the actor playing him totally blew me away. I mean, the character's lines are kind of infamous, but the way the actor delivered them... It really struck me. I think I'd really love to play a character like that. I guess, mostly, I would find it...an exciting challenge to put my own spin on famous, or even infamous, kinds of characters. So I guess that's a dream of mine."
"That does sound like it'd be a nice challenge. I read a little bit of Shakespeare recently, for English class." She hesitated, trying to remember what specifically she'd liked and finally said, "I think I might like to play Puck. That might be really fun."
"Oh that's a good one! A Midsummer's Night Dream… how interesting. Anything else?"
She laughed, partly self-consciously, "I'm not nearly as well-read as you are. I'd have to think about that."
"I look forward to hearing about it." Ren noticed the time out of the corner of his eye and realized how early she'd have to get up, "I'll call again some other time, hm? It's getting late and you have a big day ahead. Sleep well."
"Yes, thank you. I look forward to it. Sweet dreams Tsuruga-san."
End Call
Duration 22:34
06/03/20XX
Yashiro pulled into his parking space, then glanced over at Kyoko. She was biting her lip while flipping nervously through the script. Which she'd been doing nearly the entire ride here.
He quietly cleared his throat. She looked over at him curiously, then with more embarrassment as she realized they'd stopped.
"Sorry Yashiro-san. Time to go in then?"
He nodded, then said, "We're still early however, just as you wished."
She shot him a thankful smile and they gathered up their things and entered the building. Takashi-san had informed them that this was going to be a pretty loose audition. They had been given notice that while most actors were available for this group audition, some may be coming later than others. As she had spent a lot of time pondering whether or not to audition for the role, and had made everyone wait like she had, she figured a good way to make up for it would be to be early if she could.
They found the waiting room in no time, with only a few occupants yet, and so they settled in for the wait. Kyoko did her best to not let her nerves get to her. Takashi-san and Shingai-san had seemed pretty confident in her abilities, but she really didn't want to let her co-workers down.
"Hey there! You look sort of nervous." The cheerful greeting interrupted her fidgeting, and she glanced around to see who'd addressed her. As there were several benches in the waiting room, it took her a bit to realize it was a man a few seats away. He was a burlier fellow with skin darker than hers but with sun-bleached hair, who offered his hand and a brilliant grin.
"The names Noa. Noa Mano. What's yours?" She took his hand, a little bewildered at the friendliness, and shook it before replying.
"I'm Kyoko. You can call me Kyoko-san, most everyone does." She sent him a hesitant smile in return.
He threw another grin her way before jerking his thumb to the guy on the seat next to him.
"This grumpy fella is Jin. Since it's morning, he won't respond too much, but he's pretty friendly otherwise."
She sent the smaller man next to him a nod, who returned it, before turning his attention back to the script.
"Do you know if we're about to start?" Noa asked, seemingly eager to strike up a conversation.
She and Yashiro exchanged a small glance, and at his encouraging nod, Kyoko decided to engage.
"I'm afraid I'm not sure. I was only told the general meeting time."
"Well phooey. I was hoping this would go a bit quicker. It's why I hauled us here so early."
"Are you two with the same agency?" Kyoko grew more curious as he kept including Jin as he spoke.
"Got it in one. We're nothing big, not like some of the others, but we get by."
Kyoko noticed Yashiro sliding towards the doorway, motioning as if he was making a phone call, and she waved him on.
Noa noticed this and said, "So are you big time then? Since you have a manager?"
Kyoko shrugged, "I don't think so. My agency just has me doing a lot of tasks at the moment and I'm also trying to keep up with school."
Noa whistled, impressed, "Heck, I quit that ages ago. It was cutting into work time."
Kyoko let out a low chuckle, nervously running a hand through her hair but then Noa whistled softly again.
"Not to be offensive, but damn that's one helluva looker." Kyoko swung her gaze towards him, confused, but he was staring at the door. She followed suit, and then even as an uncertain look crossed her face, she rushed to the doorway to give her friend a hug.
"Moooookooo-saaaaan!" Kanae deftly avoided it.
"Kyoko! Honestly! I'm trying to look professional here. Did you forget that you're here for an audition, same as I am?"
Kyoko paused in giving Kanae a pleading look. Then her brain turned back on, "Wait a minute, are you here for Spring at Mt. Oguso?!"
"Of course. I just saw Yashiro out there in the hall, and assumed you were as well. He's your official manager now right?" Kanae arched an eyebrow.
"Well, mostly yeah. I think he's still helping Tsuruga-san as well."
"Hmph, well, you know my feelings about that man currently, and…" Kanae clamped her mouth shut as she realized that perhaps Kyoko may not be aware of everyone that would take part in this audition.
"Kyoko…" she began to ask, but was interrupted.
"Oh, Moko-san, by the way," Kyoko took her hand and dragged her over to where she'd been sitting, "I just met these two. Noa Mano, and um, wait, you were who again?"
The smaller man stood up and bowed before settling back into his seat, "Hayashi Jin. I hope we'll work well together."
Noa stared at the three of them before jumping back in, "Ah, yes, let's work well together. I'm sorry but you are?" He studied Kanae with a great deal of interest that had her flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Kotonami Kanae. You may refer to me as Kotonami-san. And never, under any circumstances as Kanae-chan." She shuddered a little as revulsion swept through as she said that.
Kyoko and this Noa fellow seemed suitably cowed though, so she turned her attention back to Kyoko, "Kyoko, what role are you auditioning for? And do you already know who else is coming?"
Kyoko shook her head, "Takashi-san didn't go into too much detail. I know I'm here as Yoneda Yayoi, but the only other thing she mentioned specifically was the scene we're doing so I could prep for it."
Kanae's eyes narrowed in interest. "So Takashi-san specifically informed you?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure Shingai-san was cc'd on the email, but it came from her, yes."
Noa spoke up again, "That's interesting. Can't say I've met with her yet. Only with Shingai-san and Tsu-"
Noa was interrupted as the doors opened again and another familiar face came in.
Kyoko lit up as she realized who it was and waved her over, "Oohara-san! Wow! I had no idea I was getting to audition with so many people I knew."
Oohara-san and everyone said their hellos before Oohara-san responded to what Kyoko had mentioned, "You know a lot of the people that are a part of this then? How interesting. Everyone's been so hush hush about things. My money's on the fact that marketing dropped the ball."
Kyoko chuckled, "Well, I may have exaggerated a bit, but I'm really glad I get to audition with you and Moko-san. Oh, and naturally with the two gentlemen I just met."
Oohara-san cocked her head thoughtfully, "Well, I've been here since the very beginning and they finally settled for me to play Yoneda Yumika, but I definitely don't see Atsushi-san yet. And I know he'll be doing Officer Yamamoto. And Interpreter Tanaka is being played by an older actor if I recall correctly. I think I saw him in something once, but I'm not too familiar with him yet. I don't know if they've cast for Yoneda Okami-san yet though. I think they have for Diplomat Yoneda, if I'm remembering my last emails with Shingai-san right. I think that'll be Kawaguchi-san. So, you two are new."
She directed this at Noa and Jin, "Are you extras, or part of the American military force?"
"Ding ding." said Jin dryly, "For whatever odd reason, the military extras are divided from the town extras and all that."
"Makes sense though," Kanae mused, "You most likely will be required to have physical tasks other extras won't. I know carrying gear like that can be pretty harsh without training."
Noa was nodding fervently, not being at all subtle about how much he appreciated Kanae. Kyoko quietly grew ever more amused as she noticed his behavior. If Tsuruga-san was a lady killer, Kanae's classic beauty could one-hit KO guys anytime, anyplace. She sobered some as she noticed more people coming in and taking seats. She saw a few people about middle-aged, and a couple that appeared to be about the age of the people in the group she was with. She now knew that the crucial players in this scene were herself, and the four others she was with, as well as the commander, but she was very curious about the people that would be part of the teahouse staff in the scene. How would they react? What were their thoughts about the tension and the subtext in this scene?
She was so curious in fact, that she nearly crossed the room to ask one of the young women that had come in that very question, but at the same time the doors to the audition room opened, and she saw Shingai-san waving everyone in.
She scurried in with the rest, giggling a little as she saw Noa still making moon-eyes at Kanae, who was breezily chatting away with Oohara-san. She caught a small sample of their conversation and they seemed to be discussing the differences of this group audition to the last one they had had.
"...odd to start with this scene, don't you think?" Oohara-san was asking while Kanae shrugged and didn't reply.
Oohara-san didn't seem satisfied with that and pressed further, "If we're here to test group dynamics, wouldn't it be arguable that we're missing a pretty vital component?"
Kyoko didn't get the chance to hear Kanae's reply as they all settled in at a table with Takashi-san and another suited man already seated there.
Shingai cleared his throat, "Some of you already know each other, some of you don't. For those who don't know, I'm Director Shingai, Takashi-san here is the screenwriter, and this is Nanaka-san, our casting director. Everyone here auditioning should at least be familiar with one of us. One or more of us have emailed you, or otherwise contacted you because we think you might be a good fit for the characters in our production. Is everyone here familiar with the scene in question for this audition?"
There were murmured yes's and nods around the table and Shingai nodded in satisfaction.
"Excellent. A bit of housekeeping before we begin, Atsushi-san did just let us know he wouldn't be able to make it. You," here Shingai nodded to one of the older men, "are fine as a substitute for him in this scene as your character is in the detail that Officer Yamamoto is a part of. You simply need to act as representation for that detail instead of as his right-hand man. Does that work for you?"
The gentleman in question nodded briskly and Shingai continued on, "Excellent. Now, we can stay at this table and just read lines, but, I have a feeling some of you would rather set the scene as it were?" Shingai gave them all a curious smirk.
It didn't take very long for Kyoko to cotton on. She stood up and strode over to Noa's side, "Excuse me, will you help me move the table please?"
Noa seemed to understand in an instant and he stood to help her move it, and then another desk that was in the room, and another bench, along with all their chairs. They rearranged the furniture, some of the others picking up on what they were doing. Kanae even unearthed a small podium from a dusty corner of the room and brought it to Kyoko.
"And this?" She asked Kyoko and Kyoko directed it into place. Once everything was set, a decent approximation of the front end of a small café, or a small teahouse, was in place.
Kyoko stood near the podium-her posture perfect, while others already sitting in the scene took their seats again. The younger woman Kyoko had noticed earlier walked to her side and she gave Kyoko a small smile.
"Yoneda Yayoi I presume?"
Kyoko nodded and returned the kind gesture, "Akari-san of the teahouse staff?"
"You betcha." They then returned their attention to Shingai who surveyed them all with a pleased look on his face.
After a moment, he boomed out, "Begin!"
Right on cue, Noa and Jin stumbled into a table where Kanae and the gentleman of the detail were sitting, almost as if they'd practiced the coordination required. It was makeshift, but the original entrance required them coming into the teahouse abruptly and bumping into that table, so it was a good approximation. Kyoko approved.
She and the young lady playing Akari came forward then, bowing as was appropriate and politely asking them to have a seat and pretending as if they were handing them menus.
From there, the scene flowed pretty smoothly. They had just gotten to the part where Jin's character was to have a slur thrown at him by an extra, but Takashi-san then clapped her hands to signal a pause.
"My apologies for their interruption, we were just notified of a change in plans. If you don't mind, there'll be a brief break." She motioned to Shingai while the rest of the group looked on curiously.
Kyoko, however much she'd recognized the pause on the surface, realized that the Yayoi inside of her kept casting her eyes about, searching for the person that was missing. Why aren't they here? They should be here right? Where are they? The Yayoi-sama inside of her seemed to be struggling with something and Kyoko tried to relax and be more at ease, so as to better grasp the character.
Who's missing? Mi-chan is right over there. She always has lunch here on Thursdays. Akari-chan loves that she comes in because they get to gossip about their older sisters being scandalous feminists with American women. That petty officer in the corner loves flirting with Akari-chan, that's why he drags his friend here with him all the time. Daisuke-san just couldn't make it today. You know that. He was busy, who are you still looking for?
As much as Kyoko tried to delve into why she felt uneasy, she was coming up blank. They appeared to have the right amount of people, even though this Atsushi-san playing Yamamoto Daisuke couldn't come. Kyoko frowned as she thought it over, but couldn't give much more attention to it as Shingai stepped back from Takashi-san and turned his attention to the gathered group.
"Sorry for that everyone, let's reset and begin again."
They did just that, Noa and Jin stumbling into Kanae's table, and Oohara-san shooting them dirty looks for their loud, boisterous, American behavior as she pretended to be doing paperwork of some sort. The fellow from the security detail Daisuke-san was a part of was also shooting them dirty looks while Kanae appeared to be soothing him. Kyoko and the girl playing Akari-san went through their same motions as before.
Jin and Noa played their characters to perfection as they got rowdier and rowdier. To Kyoko's amazement, the two of them spoke in American English-period appropriate slang and all- throughout their dialogue and would briefly switch to broken Japanese to say thank you and such phrases like that to her and Akari-san. Kyoko wished she could be that great at switching between languages like that. And, as they got rowdier, the extra who was the spark for the conflict then stood and with a stormy look on his face, snapped out a hateful slur that got Jin's character's hackles up. Jin was forceful enough standing up that he knocked over his chair, which sparked other people's tempers, but Noa's character was backing up Jin's character and intimidating everyone and then it was time for her and Akari to re-enter the scene. They approached again, Akari to the extra, Kyoko to the soldiers.
"Customer-sans, we apologize for the rudeness. Here, shall we get you a teapot of your favorite tea, on the house?" Kyoko coaxed, speaking in the manner of the polite proprietress-to-be.
This was where Oohara-san came in, sneering in disgust at the American oafs. This behavior often infuriated the older Yoneda sister, and she and the younger Yoneda sister often fought about it. As was so in this scene. Naturally, this just added to the chaos. Kyoko felt the Yoneda Yayoi she'd created blossoming as she squabbled with her older sister and snapped at her for her rudeness while also attempting to calm the soldiers.
Kyoko felt herself become more and more involved with the scene, as Mi-chan, otherwise known as Kanae, came to Yayoi's defense. The excitement of the chemistry flowing between everyone sang in her blood as the scene went perfectly. She saw that excitement being mirrored on Noa and Jin's faces, who were nearest to her, as well as on Kanae's. Almost unconsciously, Kyoko felt herself beginning to turn herself towards the door of the room. The furniture was nowhere near it, and they weren't in an actual teahouse, but she knew that-
The door opened. She was the only one facing it, and as she saw him, Yayoi snapped into perfect clarity inside her.
Her posture perfect, she stepped to aside of Jin, whom she'd been holding back from the hateful extra. She faced the man who just entered the room with her head high, then executed the picture-perfect bow, "Welcome Lieutenant Commander, I apologize for the disarray."
"What is going on here?" The two soldiers who had stared at her in confusion, froze as they heard the icy voice of their commanding officer. They whirled around, shock widening their eyes.
The tall, lanky form of Tsuruga Ren stared back at them, utterly unimpressed.
Ren had to give everyone in the room props at that moment. The soldiers he'd 'recruited' with Nick's help stumbled all over themselves to show proper deference as soldiers to a commander. Kotonami-san held her irritated frown, and Oohara-san did the same with nothing but a slight twitch giving away her surprise. Meanwhile, Kyoko and the other girl that was part of the teahouse staff maintained their polite demeanor as they tried to sort out the conflict. In short, the scene continued with no slip-ups.
As the extra tossed off the girl's calming hand, and threw another hateful slur right on cue, Noa mock-went for him in defense of his brothers-in-arms. Ren held him back, and grabbed the other soldier's arm as well, just as was mentioned in the script. As Ren hauled up the two men in front of Akari-san and Yoneda-sama, the scene slowly drew to a close.
"Bow." Ren muttered to them and the two soldiers obeyed, sulking slightly. The commander's character would not let that fly and Ren sneered.
"Apologize. Now."
The soldiers remained sulky and silent. Ren grabbed them by the scruff of their necks and bowed with them. Hauling them back up, Ren apologized for their misbehavior.
"Gomeiwaku o okakeshite sumimasen." Ren felt the room suddenly still then. He had technically just ended the scene. But not with the right phrase. He didn't care, and frantically searched for Kyoko's gaze. As his eyes caught hers, her face remained infuriatingly blank. His jaw tightened with tension. Shingai, the bastard, hadn't said a word about her being here. Was this a test Shingai? Did you want to see how I handled myself? He knew Shingai could be as tricky as Kurosaki could, but he still felt slightly betrayed.
He had hoped to be informed that she would take part in the auditions. He had hoped to have enough time to explain things before said auditions. Does she know yet? He couldn't help but ask himself. He then tried to comfort himself by reminding himself there'd be no reason for her to. She'd been fooled by his appearance before, what would make this any different? Nonetheless, the apology had slipped out the way it had and he didn't regret it.
He swung his gaze back to Shingai and arched a brow, "Well?"
Shingai smirked. "Well done everyone."
Relief swept through the room and small smiles started appearing on everyone's faces. Ren watched Kyoko carefully, but her polite demeanor didn't falter until Kanae stepped up to congratulate her on a job well done. Kyoko's focus shifted to her friend, and Ren kept a subtle eye on the two of them as he turned his attention to Shingai and the actors he helped cast.
Shingai was the first to speak up, "This turned out quite well I think." He and Takashi-san exchanged pleased looks that had Ren's frown deepening.
He waited until Shingai, Nanaka, and Takashi congratulated the two newcomers and sent them on their way, before speaking up again.
He carefully studied Shingai, "Why didn't you say anything?"
He saw Nanaka and Takashi exchange a glance in his periphery, but Shingai knew what he meant.
But all the director did was shrug, "I can't see why it matters, to be honest. She was only ever a suggestion. We weren't going to know for sure until today. Is that a problem for you?"
Ren's jaw clenched so he could avoid clenching his fists, "No, what's done is done I suppose." He cautiously shot a glance to Kyoko and Kanae, but they seemed to be hanging back as Oohara-san approached them. "I guess I'll go on ahead then, shall I?"
"Might be for the best. I have a couple things to say to Kyoko." Takashi looked them over carefully, "Shingai-san, show him to our wardrobe guy. We've got limited time, and he made a special trip out here, just in case. And deal with...whatever it is that has you...so concerned Ren." Her frown made Ren grimace, but he nodded in agreement as he strode out of the room with Shingai.
"Kyoko?" Kanae asked worriedly as she watched her friend stare as one Tsuruga Ren left the room as swiftly as he'd come.
Others had trickled out after the scene, saying their goodbyes and congratulating each other on a job well done. The girl playing Akari-san had introduced herself to Kyoko and said how excited she was to be working with her. Oohara-san had even congratulated her on not breaking character when Ren had come in. Oohara-san had said she had been a hair's breadth from doing it herself since she'd been so startled. They three of them had laughed a little as they'd agreed about that. Once Oohara-san had said her goodbyes though, Kyoko's focus had again shifted to Ren and his role.
Kyoko remained horribly uneasy, and there was a roiling pit in her stomach because of it. She was putting on her best professional facade to get through it. But warning bells were ringing in her ears, loud and persistent.
"He's the Commander Moko-san. What am I supposed to do? Did you know?" Kyoko's despairing eyes met hers, and Kanae swallowed hard because she didn't have an answer for her first question, and was just as surprised as she about the second.
"I didn't, no. When we did a group audition previously, he was there as the interpreter. But you'll be as professional as ever," She insisted, "Just as you were now. That was beautifully done."
Kyoko heard what she was saying, but she also knew it was Yayoi that had gotten through that scene. Kyoko had just been along for the ride. Kyoko fidgeted nervously but then was distracted by Takashi-san approaching her.
"Mogami-san, that was everything I was looking for and more. How did you know who he was supposed to be?" Takashi-san sent her an inquisitive glance as she asked this.
Kyoko bit her tongue on her first reply. I didn't. Yayoi did. She figured that wouldn't go over well. She instead replied, "Mostly intuition. No one else in our group had stood up by then to take the commander's place."
Takashi laughed softly. "Fair enough. Well, we're all sold. This character is yours, if you'd like it."
"Oh thank you so much for believing in me! Thank you!" Kyoko returned her bright smile and bowed in thanks.
"Thank you Kyoko-san. I didn't know it, but you were who we were looking for the whole time."
Kyoko blushed at the compliment. She and Kanae murmured their goodbyes to Takashi-san as she waved them on so they knew they were free to go.
The girls didn't get too far out into the adjoining room before Yashiro, who was on his phone, was motioning to Kyoko.
Kyoko hurried over, Kanae following close behind, and Yashiro covered his phone's mouthpiece to talk to her.
"If I'm not mistaken, I just saw Ren walk out of there with Shingai-san. He needs to explain himself to me, can you go hunt him down please?"
Kyoko's fingers twitched nervously on the skirt she was wearing. Kanae gave her a worried look.
"Umm…"
"I also sent him a text, but he's been dodging me for a while about this project. I'd really prefer to give him a good talking-to face to face. Will you just let him know please? I'm on the phone over one of his modeling contracts and can't step away yet."
Kyoko finally nodded in agreement as Yashiro was sounding particularly frazzled. Kanae patted her shoulder in sympathy before letting her know she had to get going. Kyoko waved her off, then squared her shoulders in a determined fashion to start searching for where they could have gone to.
She came across a partially closed door a couple minutes later, down the hall from their audition room, and heard Shingai's and Ren's voices.
She peeked in, and noticed an unfamiliar figure doing some sort of test makeup near Ren's eyes as he held them closed. She saw a little of it from the doorway, as a long, standing mirror was opposite the door. The makeup artist appeared to be focusing on his work as well as attempting to answer the director.
"... No, I think it'd be best for us to go with hazel colored contacts, as that would be more streamlined with the uniform of the period."
Kyoko noticed Shingai frowning skeptically, and then he said, "Really? But his natural eye color is so distinctive."
Then the makeup artist again, "Certainly, but this isn't about his character standing out from the beginning, right? That's what Takashi-san says anyways. His arc is the slow reveal."
There was a hint of a smirk around Ren's face as the artist dabbed a cloth over his face to clean away what he'd been doing. His eyes then blinked open, and Kyoko's eyes locked on his in the mirror. She heard her pulse start to pound in her ears as something deep inside her shattered.
Ren whirled around, horror filling his face all the way up to his brilliant green eyes, and she felt fury begin to simmer in her veins.
"Mogami-san!"
She vaguely noticed the makeup artist and Shingai looking between them, stupefied by the interaction. Her fists clenched in her skirt and she sneered back at him.
"Corn."
Ren stared at her helplessly, but didn't seem able to say anything in his defense. And that did nothing to cool her temper. She only half heard Shingai tell the makeup artist he was clear to leave and only shifted out of the man's way once he was near enough to exit the room, makeup bag in hand. Shingai eyed the two of them warily and put up a calming hand.
"I'm not sure what the problem is here, but let's cool it down and talk it out, hm?"
Kyoko was nearly vibrating with fury and shot Ren a nasty glare, "You first Tsuruga-san. Guess I should have known when you never told me your real name. You must have had so much fun fooling me." Her grudges were as conspicuously silent as the warning bells that had been ringing in her brain since he'd walked in the audition room door. She seethed even more as she realized that not only had Ren deceived her, but she had made it easy for him. She'd willingly buried her head in the sand just so she wouldn't have to ask herself the hard questions.
Her tone was icy as she said, "Well Tsuruga-san. You don't want to disobey the director do you? Go on. Talk."
Ren closed his eyes and breathed out a shaky sigh as he realized there was no going back from this. There was no way to charm or cajole the woman in front of him, and he wouldn't have wanted to anyway. He slipped his phone out of his pocket as Shingai directed Kyoko's attention away from him for a second and shot off a text. Ren slipped it back in his pocket as she turned back to him, face still filled with righteous anger. He stared back at her in grim silence. To the truth then, he thought, and all of its consequences.
"Why the giggling? I'm telling the truth!" Ren's teasing voice just made Kyoko giggle more.
Shortly, she got a hold of herself and asked, "But why would a director do that? Why not just do something different? Why make you put up with such a disagreeable dog for a simple modeling shoot?"
Ren's voice was rich in amusement as he said one word, "Aesthetics."
Kyoko burst out laughing at his intonation and it took her a moment to get herself under control again.
"I still say you're trying to fool me."
"Ah, Mogami-san, never fear, some day, it'll be you telling me unbelievable stories and we'll look back on this and find it even funnier that you don't believe me now."
She snorted before glancing back down at her homework with a sigh, "Hey Tsuruga-san, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"I have this writing assignment for school; we're supposed to be talking about something that's let us down that we've learned from since. But it needs to be a brief, one page thing. Any advice?"
Ren hummed thoughtfully, "Can you talk about that old self you've mentioned to me before? You said recently that if you could go back in time, you'd try to shake some sense into your old self because you'd learned that taking charge of your own future was ultimately better for you than just dreaming of fairy tales."
Kyoko's eyes lit up as she thought of what she'd said, "Oh gosh, you're so right! I was just waiting around for good stuff to happen before. Just because of how much I adored that, that, old silly, Cinderella story. Really, what does that fairy tale teach us impressionable girls though? We shouldn't just be sitting around thinking that we must suffer to obtain happiness like what happened to Cinderella."
Ren winced as she picked up steam. That's not exactly what he'd meant when he'd brought it up but, ah well. He settled back with a smile as he listened to her voice through the phone.
"Cinderella just needed to like...reach out...ask for a bit of help...like help for her to find her own happiness. Truly... The implication of that story of her being like... content in her suffering..," She was scribbling as she talked, words spilling onto her page. It was a couple minutes into this rant that Ren interrupted her.
"Mogami-san."
"Hm?"
"I mostly meant that sometimes a perspective shift can help you think of what you couldn't before. It seems like you've gained some inspiration anyhow, but it is getting late. Why not head to bed and then finish this tomorrow?"
Kyoko couldn't believe it, but she found herself whining, "Tsssuuuruuuga-san, this is way more fun than just going to sleep!"
A bark of laughter came over the phone and Kyoko found herself feeling unreasonably pleased. Ren cleared his throat, "That'll be the rebellious teenager in you I imagine."
Ren had to laugh again as he heard her raspberry the phone in response.
"Come on Mogami-san, I'll be calling about the same time tomorrow, you know that. You can fill me in on your paper again then, hm? How's that sound?"
"Okaaay. I guess. Tsuruga-san?" her voice got shy and Ren's eyes snapped open from where he'd been resting them as he relaxed on his couch. He knew that tone of voice was dangerous for his emotional well-being.
He cleared his throat again, but it came out husky and shy anyway, "Yes?"
"Our dance was very fun. Thank you very much for taking me out. It's become a very precious memory."
Ren sat in stunned silence, waiting a moment to respond so he could get his bearings, "You're um, you're very welcome Mogami-san. That's a very precious memory for me too."
"I'm very happy to hear that." Her voice was very small and quiet as she said this and Ren's heart nearly stopped in his chest.
"Ah, um, well then, sweet dreams Mogami-san."
"Sweet dreams Ren." Ren stared helplessly at the phone in his hand as she ended the call. His face burned bright red and he buried his face in his hands to try to recompose himself.
He will never know, but Kyoko fell asleep to the memories of Ren sweeping her across the floor of a pub, as magnificent a dance floor as any, with her lips turned up in a smile as she once more heard the trills of a tenor sax.
End Call
Duration 36:13
06/23/20XX
If you're still near that audition room, I'm just down the hallway, you can't miss it. I need help. Now. Yashiro was already checking an email on his phone, his call complete, when the text from Ren came through. Rather alarmed at its abruptness, Yashiro hurried that way, and saw Shingai and Ren attempting to talk to Kyoko, who was sneering back at them with unbridled fury filling her face.
Aghast at such a situation, Yashiro made sure to approach Kyoko cautiously, while staring Shingai down. Whatever was happening, Yashiro was pretty sure Shingai needed to leave before Kyoko decided to unleash her fury at him. Shingai frowned as he looked between the three of them, but slowly melted out of Kyoko's personal space while saying his goodbyes. Kyoko swung her alarmed gaze between Shingai's retreat, to Yashiro, to Ren's exhaustedly grim form.
"Yashiro-san?" Her panicked tone cut through the noisy concerns in Yashiro's brain. He sent her a firmly reassuring look and gently took her by the arm.
In a soft undertone, Yashiro spoke to her quickly, "While I am unaware of what is currently happening, I must advise that you and Ren go and discuss it somewhere not in public, hm? I'll make sure to take care of any wandering eyes. Don't worry about what I said earlier. Now go."
Kyoko tracked Yashiro's swift departure with fearful eyes and tightly pursed lips. A fierce battle was happening inside her, one side furious, the other something else she couldn't name yet. For a brief second, the something else won her over, and as she glared at Ren, she tersely suggested, "Alright, um, Tsuruga-san. I, uh, the room from earlier is probably free now, why don't we go there?"
Ren nodded shortly, lips in a tense line, and they strode quickly to the room she mentioned. Once inside, Kyoko made sure it was secure, so no one else would follow them. She crossed her arms tightly, backing up until the wall was a comforting presence holding her up, and she waited for him to speak, swallowing against the tension crackling through the air.
Kyoko's agitated gaze kept flinching away from his and Ren felt such a sweeping feeling of bitter regret that he had to bite his tongue on a million apologies. Kyoko didn't need apologies. She deserved the truth. In all its fractured glory.
"Mogami-san…" Ren began hesitantly, and Kyoko cut him off with a scoff.
"I'm a foolish, naïve idiot. Don't worry Tsuruga-san, that's abundantly clear to me."
Ren winced, "That is not the truth, and you know it. The truth is that I'm a selfish idiot whose cowardice has hurt us both. I've told no one here the truth… No one. I just… "
He trailed off as Kyoko let out another disbelieving scoff. Ren sighed and agitatedly ran a hand through his hair and decided to try a different mode of attack.
"Mogami-san, look at me, please." His hard, unwavering tone struck a chord with her and her eyes flicked up to meet his.
"Do you remember when you told me your thoughts about Cinderella?"
Kyoko's pained, bewildered stare prompted him to continue before the silence grew too uncomfortable.
"I said that sometimes you just needed a shift in perspective." Ren said, as gently as he could.
"Tsuruga-san… What does this have to do with anything?" Kyoko stared him down, face frosty and unrelenting.
"Everything actually. You kept talking about how she was just...content in her suffering. Content in letting fate take her where it willed. But, as good of a thought that is, I'd like to tell you mine."
Kyoko sneered slightly, but seemed otherwise fine with him continuing, so he did.
"Love at first sight certainly isn't all it's cracked up to be. But, imagine instead, that's it not about that at all. Maybe, that prince met an astonishing young woman, and found her so breathtaking in their brief time together, that he did whatever he could, just to meet her again."
A loaded silence fell, as Ren gazed at her, carefully analyzing what she might be thinking. Kyoko gave him little to no indication, aside from her gaze skittering away from his again, and her hands tightening on her crossed arms.
"Can you imagine such a thing?" He stepped a little closer, a hand reaching out and gently grasping one of hers. "Maybe he thought that no matter what it took, she was worth it, to try anything, if it meant he could see her again. He worked hard to find her because something he felt while with her in that brief time together, made her worth finding. She made the search worth it."
Kyoko's breath hitched as she turned one hand palm up, so her palm met his, and he heard Kyoko swallow thickly and sniff. Ren slumped in relief, his hand more firmly taking hold of hers as he put his forehead to hers.
"I promise you Mogami-san, no matter what you might think, you deserve to hear the truth of this. My own cowardice is my shame. Please, will you listen?"
There was a quiet moment, and then he felt her nod. Ren took a deep breath and gently brought them to sit down on a bench.
"I will try to explain this the simplest way I can. My ah...my situation...well. My parents are Kuu and Juli Hizuri. My name is Kuon Hizuri." Ren stuided Kyoko carefully for a reaction, but she didn't give any noticeable one.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell the truth until now. I can't even begin to imagine what you're feeling right now. I just, I was trying to take the easy way out, for a lot of reasons that seem stupid now. And I'm sorry." There was still no apparent reaction and so Ren soldiered on.
"Wh-when I was young, I um, I came to Kyoto with my dad. And, I, I met this uh...this wonderful girl. Her name was Kyoko. Well, but, of course, I couldn't call her by that name. That just wasn't done." His weak try at humor didn't seem to pierce through her armor and he let out a sigh.
"For a brief period of time, she believed in me enough that I was able to be her fairy prince. And the memories we made together got me through a lot of tough times." He swallowed hard and risked glancing over at her and noticed the white knuckled grip of her fingers. He cleared his throat and spoke again.
"I um, grew increasingly reckless as I became a teenager. Having celebrity parents wasn't the greatest when you were also trying to make it in the entertainment world. My age didn't do me any favors. Neither did my mixed ethnicity. I got into a lot of fights. One of them ended with me losing my best friend to a hit and run while he was just trying to help me. And I..." he swallowed hard, staring down helplessly at his hands in his lap as he finally told her the truth at last.
There was a long moment of silence, and then, ever so slowly, Kyoko's hand crept into his. Pathetically grateful for this small change in her tense, standoffish behavior, Ren intertwined his fingers with hers.
"I uh, I know that my issues, well, they're not your problem. But, ah, to elaborate, I couldn't handle the overpowering guilt of what I had done. I left my parents because I couldn't handle it. And all of my hiding...all of my guilt...I've been trying so hard to not let it weigh me down. And it's felt so impossible. And I kept hiding and hiding...but um..." He caught her gaze again, "It took a lot for me to open back up as much as I have. And a lot of that has been because of you."
"You are so brave. You work and you work to make your life better and you do it for you. And I've been watching you and your determination to make something of yourself and when I realized that I had known you once, something inside me clicked. I felt like, if I could just be the kid I used to be with you, if I could make someone believe in me and what I could do again, like I did then, then maybe I could starting moving forward again. I think you gave me hope again."
Ren stared at Kyoko helplessly, trying to figure out the nuances of the emotions flitting across her features, "I uh...I need to thank you for that." He bit his lip and cast his gaze downwards.
"If there's a chance I can keep your friendship, I'll fight to do that with all I've got. Can you answer me that? Do I still have that chance?"
Kyoko blinked as he turned a fierce look towards her, and she struggled as she frantically tried to control her emotions enough to form words.
"I, I just-" her voice was husky with unshed tears and she couldn't meet his eyes, "I'm just... I don't know what you want from me right now." Her voice wobbled and eventually broke on her last sentence and she brought her wrists to her forehead to hide the tears spilling across her cheeks.
"Just a chance. Just a small chance."
Ren wrapped an arm around her heaving shoulders and tried his best to figure out what to say to her. "One of the hardest things that happens when you grow up is when you realize that your heroes are only human. I have spent all this time trying to tell myself that telling the truth would just disappoint you. That the truth would only hurt you, so why bother? But that wasn't my choice to make. And I'm sorry for that. I know I've let you down. My actions in Guam are completely inexcusable. I am so, so sorry for that." He squeezed her tight, hoping it was comforting and not overbearing.
"Your fairy prince that you believe in, your Corn, keep him with you. You have held his heart for so long already, don't let go of it simply because Ren the adult has disappointed you. Please, can you do that for me, please?"
Kyoko wiped her tears as best she could as yet more spilled down her face. She blinked quickly and sniffed as she tried to gather her façade back together. "I um, I still feel like this stupid fool isn't going to be much help. I, um, I can try." Her sympathetic grief for what he'd gone through was then overwhelmed by her anger again.
"But, I can't take...just, no more lies! No more deceiving me! It's not fair and you know it. You keeping this from me for so long was absolutely uncalled for!" Her voice rose shrilly as Ren quickly took his arm away from her tense and resentful form.
"No, you're right, you're completely right. I meant what I said, I'll do whatever it takes." He risked grabbing her balled up fists to drag her eyes to his. "If it means that I won't lose you due to my own cowardice, I'll stop at nothing. This was never on you. You are not a fool. If anything, I am. And cowardly to boot."
The fierce determination that filled his features made something deep inside Kyoko catch, then release. With that release, she felt herself relaxing an indeterminate amount, but enough that she let Ren interweave their fingers and she didn't pull away. The soft, shuddering sigh of relief that came from him made her gaze jump up to his again. He sent her a shaky, scared smile. As preoccupied as he was, he almost didn't hear her soft question, "Why are you so determined in this?"
"There's, uh, this thing my best friend said to me once. It helped me sort of find my way when I got lost for a bit... But, ah," he cleared his throat, then tried again.
"You only get so much time on this Earth. Why not get up and do something if you can? You mean so much to me, that if I can do anything to make this right again, for us to be ok again, it'll be worth it. You are worth it." Kyoko's heart thumped hard as he peered back at her, answering her question with such sincerity and naked vulnerability on his face, that it took her breath away.
"Even if I'm angry for a long time? Like, a really, really long time." she found herself asking, not quite able to trust this tentative, new beginning yet. She was struggling to keep control as anger flashed through her one moment, and sorrow unfurled the next.
Ren slowly nodded his head but didn't elaborate. Sincerity and determination shone brightly from his features, and she knew then that she was at a crossroads. Kyoko didn't know where this would take them, but she knew with utter certainty that she wanted to be around to find out. As angry and as sad as she was, knowing that made Kyoko decide, made her choose to believe that this would not break them. And maybe, that was a good enough start.
...
This is the revised version! Thanks for reading
-artsy