Enjoy!
...
A week and a half after the successful premiere of Tragic Marker, Konoe found himself staring at his production assistants in disappointment. Having stepped out to make the call to Yashiro-san, he had now reentered their conference room, a plan forming quickly in his brain.
"What did I tell you at the very beginning of us winning the production contract for this series?" he asked the group of them. A couple looked sheepishly down at the table, while a few others looked uneasy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to go out to the reporters out there and tell them something. What do you all propose?" Konoe asked them with a raised eyebrow.
"...Creative differences?" One piped up and Konoe pinched the bridge of his nose.
He had not believed Yashiro's suppositions to be true, but when he'd looked at the cast and crew list of this production, and had seen the name Morizumi listed a couple times, the evidence was no longer refutable. He had tested Yashiro's theory by deliberately letting it be known when he and his production company were contracted for this, that no Morizumis were to be hired. As of the meeting he'd had with his production team just now, it was apparent that the Morizumi family kept their ears low to the ground to catch every single rumor that involved them. There was no other explanation for the situation he was currently embroiled in.
"Good enough, I suppose." He muttered, after a further moment of contemplation.
The group of them stood when he jerked his head towards the entrance to the press room. Konoe kept his features neutral and pleasant as the group of them answered questions the press had. Halfway through, he coughed lightly, and scratched at his throat. He then hid a smile as a female reporter, one with a bright pink ballcap on, abruptly raised their hand and tossed out a question.
"The rumor of Morizumi Kimiko gaining the lead role for this, is that true?!"
Almost as one, the members of his production team grew tense, and fell silent.
Konoe adjusted his glasses, "That's an absolute falsity. I don't know who bandied that about, but no Morizumi will be attached to this production." The group around him relaxed slightly, and Konoe had to stifle a smirk. Really, after all the trouble they had caused Ogata-san's recent production, the Morizumis should have expected retaliation of some sort. Ogata Hiroaki had too much support behind him in the industry, for the Morizumis to have thought otherwise.
The reporter threw out another question, "Oh, did you have creative differences perhaps?"
"This has nothing to do with anything like that. It it simply a case of no Morizumi ever being allowed to be attached to this production. That's all."
Muttering grew louder around the room, and the satisfaction Konoe felt made him struggle to keep it off his face. His trap was laid. To all intents and purposes, with no further explanation, the speculation from people in the industry, and outside of it, would explode into a frenzy. And then...then they just needed to wait.
Konoe wasn't much for plots and backroom deals, but sometimes... sometimes you made an exception.
Yamamoto Daisuke couldn't remember much before the age of eight. Intellectually, he understood that his father was killed for his refusal to join the war efforts. He understood that his mother was taken away shortly thereafter, to a place where he could not follow. He was aware that the rest of his family thusly turned their backs on him so as to avoid further repercussions. He knew this, but could barely recall anything except vague memories of tight hugs and whispered prayers. It was not for lack of trying either. It was simply that everything that came after, was burned into his memory, and that fiery wall defeated his every attempt to think further back into his past.
He remembered hopping from one orphanage to the next, until one finally took him in because they did not know of his family history. He remembered that he was always hungry. He remembered running, and hiding, and always being afraid. The sound of hundreds and hundreds of feet marching was one that always scared him, and that was something he remembered others always picked on him for. He remembered struggling to keep up with chores because he always felt tired, or too weak. But he stayed there, at that orphanage, until the day of the pikadon the year he turned fourteen.
In the aftermath, it was discovered that only the orphanage caretaker and the people that were all together in the fields had survived the blast. Luckily, the caretaker had pulled him for field duty that day. He remembered that he had caught sight of cranes in flight leaving the area that day, and had thought oh how lucky. Even still, he wondered if he imagined that part.
But what came after was more orphanage hopping. The caretaker could not hope to carry on the duties of childcare and rebuilding the place by herself, and had searched and searched for places to house everyone. Daisuke had been one of the last to leave her. When they had come to a small town with an orphanage at the base of a mountain, his caretaker had sighed, and said, "This is it, this is our last shot Dai-chan."
She had smiled, and Daisuke had only stared back up at her, wondering how she could smile still, after everything. He had studied her, trying to figure it out, but even as he was introduced, and accepted, into the new orphanage, he wondered, Kiya-san, why do you smile?
Daisuke was a boy of few words, and his care under one Kaede-san did not inspire him to speak often. He was an older boy, often told to work chores others couldn't because they were too little. He was told to be more friendly, but he had nothing to say in response to those suggestions, which worried people more. He heard whispers sometimes, between the workers of the orphanage, about where he came from. He didn't care much for that at all. Frequently, those whispers also included poor boy and such a strange child and that boy is too quiet.
What purpose was there in being friendly? Why should he laugh? Was there a reason to smile, or was it smiling just to smile? Daisuke did not understand. He did not care if anyone else understood things how he understood them.
For all the half-remembered things, for all the vague and blurry memories of days gone by, the day the Yonedas came to the orphanage was a day he never forgot.
Naturally, everyone dressed nicely when families came around to express an interest in adoption. But even the nice clothing everyone wore paled in comparison to the clothing the Yonedas wore. He'd heard rumors of them of course. They had lost boys and men to the war, and they had a habit of picking people from the orphanage to become their workers. It was a wonderful opportunity Kaede-san had said. They gave you work, and they fed you and gave you a place to sleep. What could be better?
Privately, Daisuke thought having his parents back would be better, but he'd long since stopped saying that out loud.
Originally, he'd been part of the lineup that was just glanced over by the Yonedas and then dismissed. But when he and some of the other boys decided to go outside to play tag, (the one activity Daisuke liked because he liked to chase), the Yonedas had watched.
Yoneda Yaeko-sama pulled him away after and looked him over with sharp eyes. It reminded Daisuke of a hawk. Eventually, she spoke.
"You're fast."
"Yes Yoneda-sama."
"Do you like being with everyone here?"
Daisuke could only return her gaze steadily, without looking away. He had nothing to say on the matter. She had studied the rest of the boys for a brief moment, before turning to him again.
"Have you ever thought of what you would do, as an adult?"
"No Yoneda-sama."
A pause then.
"You're an honest boy."
"Why be anything else?"
A smile had flitted over her face for a millisecond, and Daisuke had tracked it with quick eyes, wondering once more why people smiled.
"Would you like to come with me Yamamoto-kun?"
Daisuke tilted his head in thought, "Will you let me run?"
"As much as you like."
"Then yes Yoneda-sama, I'd like that." Daisuke was satisfied. Kaede-san always yelled when he ran, unless they were playing tag.
Later, he would understand that he reminded Yaeko-sama of her only son. Later, he would realize that Michitada-sensei disapproved heavily. Later, he would ask himself if he should have said no. But that day, he could only be relieved that they took him home. He thought this even as they introduced him to their daughters, and their other workers. Anything was better than being stuck in a place you didn't want to be.
Unbeknownst to the Yonedas, that day Daisuke talked far more in one day than he ever remembered doing before. And after dinner, Yayoi, their daughter that was his age, showed him around their garden and explained how everything worked in the world that the Yonedas inhabited. Daisuke was fascinated.
He was fascinated by how much land the Yonedas had, how big their place was, how much they seemed to care for one another, and how happy they seemed to be, even though they had so many things they had to take care of. They had to take care of their gardens, their teahouse, their inn, as well as their own residence. It was mind-boggling to Daisuke. He was fascinated, nonetheless.
And he was fascinated by the smile of Yoneda Yayoi.
He did not question why she smiled, as it was evident why she did. He only thought to himself if I could look upon it, every single day, would I start to smile too?
- Yamamoto Daisuke's Beginnings, from supplementary material provided to Atsushi Isami
…
Atsushi Isami sat back in his chair, and heaved out a sigh. They were a week into shooting for episode five, and reviewing the material he'd been given had been something he thought was simply a smart thing to do, but he wasn't so sure now. What with the pace they'd been going at, he'd forgotten how much Daisuke's background affected him. Back when he'd been given the part, he had shared the material with his wife, as the story was too compelling not to, and when Hana had turned to him, tears in her eyes, he'd been alarmed. But she'd only brushed off his concern and said,
"Do your best Isami-san, do your best. This story deserves nothing less." Isami had bumped his forehead to hers, patted her round belly, and sighed.
"Of course, I promise. I can't wait to show this to you two," he had said, and his wife's hands had covered his.
"We'll be waiting to see it." she'd whispered back and Isami's heart had felt full and whole in that one, shining moment.
Isami sighed again, and rubbed at his eyes. Episode five was mostly from his perspective, so that meant his time was almost up. Kawaguchi-san and a couple others had already left, to go back to Tokyo, as they were no longer needed for on-location shooting, and Isami was to join them shortly. Isami thought of this frequently. Not just because Yamamoto Daisuke was a surprisingly difficult role to leave, but because his wife was pushing the eight month mark, and he was eager to return so he was there when his child was born.
Isami's gaze flicked back down to his supplementary material and he caught sight of the last lines of his narration script, There are always beginnings and there will always be endings. But that bit there in the middle, that's what matters.
"That's what matters." He repeated to himself aloud. His time to leave this series was swiftly approaching, but what was waiting for him was something unbelievably amazing.
He shook himself free of his wandering thoughts as Kotonami-san and Kyoko-san stepped out of the wardrobe department, discussing something in quiet tones. He'd been waiting for them so they could all meet up for dinner. Kyoko-san had offered earlier, and he wasn't one to turn down an invitation from a kind coworker. Kyoko-san had been a good friend through his many fretful fits of what can I do to help my wife right now? and etcetera.
In the beginning, she'd often come to him for advice over how to portray Yayoi's feelings for Daisuke and had offered many times to return the favor. She was always so sweet and discreet about it, that Isami had finally broken down and asked for advice when his wife had had a fit over her pants not fitting a couple weeks ago (one of many she'd had cursing women's fashions).
When Kyoko's advice had proven invaluable, he had shared both his own gratitude, and Hana's. This had apparently made Kyoko and Hana strike up their own friendship over fashion and sweets. Hana had told Isami that she quite liked this batch of coworkers Isami currently had, and Isami couldn't help but agree.
Isami spoke once they'd gotten near enough, "Good work today you two."
"Good work today Atsushi-san," said Kyoko brightly, "How's Hana-chan?"
Isami beamed back at her, "She's well. Thank you for asking. Shall we?" He gestured down the hall for them to go ahead so they could go eat. The three of them chatted lightly over the work they'd completed that day, before Kyoko paused halfway to the dining hall. Kyoko hesitated, then exchanged a glance with Kotonami-san, which struck Isami as a little strange.
Before he could ask what was up, Kyoko said, "Actually, I received a curious message recently, so can we make a pitstop to see Kinji-san at security Atsushi-san?"
"Of course, everything alright?"
"This is mostly precautionary, no worries Atsushi-san," she said. He nodded and they headed in that direction. Isami didn't entirely trust the 'mostly precautionary' part of that statement, and couldn't deny he was curious. He lingered on the periphery to be polite, as Kotonami-san and Kyoko-san addressed Kinji-san. He didn't catch much of what was said. But what he did, stoked his curiosity further.
"...appreciate this. Kotonami-san and I will also inform Yashiro-san. Koenji-san was adamant that…"
Kyoko-san's voice got quieter then and Isami cocked his head, trying to hear more, "...Hiou-kun was quite helpful there actually, so Yashiro-san has begun to think…"
Her voiced dropped in volume again, so he had little luck trying to figure out the rest. Whatever they spoke of though, Isami definitely didn't understand the minutiae of it.
Ah well, as his kaa-san had always said, eavesdropping was rude. Regardless, they didn't take up much more time with Kinji-san, and Isami was quietly relieved. His work that day had left him hungry, and he was eager to get to dinner.
The Saturday that dawned bright and sunny after a week of shooting for Act Five, made the scowl on Kyoko's face all the more apparent. Kanae sighed as she watched Kyoko stab at some of her egg as they ate breakfast.
"Kyoko, you've been like this all week. Aren't you tired of this act yet?"
Kyoko swung a gaze her way, but said nothing. Kanae frowned.
"Alright, I know that I said I didn't care how you behaved so long as we both maintained our professionalism while with everyone else, but aren't you tired?"
"Tired of what?"
Kanae set down her own chopsticks, and rubbed at her forehead, "Kyoko, is it that he keeps making smart remarks, or is it that you truly just feel like being this stubborn? What's motivating this?"
Kyoko frowned at her, "You're curious now? After professing all those times that you didn't care?"
"We've spent nearly every hour of every day together this past week. Of course I would be curious by now. Anyone would be!" Kanae hoped that didn't sound too defensive. But even her own siblings didn't keep acting petty and upset for a week straight. (Kanae held the record for petty grudges in her family. She'd once gone a whole five days not speaking to her oldest sister because she'd used the last of Kanae's best shampoo.)
"I'm not going to get in between this, as you guys need to figure it out, but even I've realized that Tsuruga-san took to heart what happened last week and his performance is now better than ever."
"Good for him," Kyoko muttered, using her chopsticks to viciously stab at her egg.
Kanae sighed again, "What is it going to take for this to get cleared up? Honestly, at this point, I would just like to know what to look for."
"For starters, he could stop being so damned appealing. Did you know that yesterday, he rescued Rieko-chan's kitten from a tree?!" Kyoko muttered some more about this and Kanae stared in disbelief. Their orphanage set they were borrowing allowed pets, and Rieko-chan had thought it'd be fun if her character, a orphan girl named Shion-chan, got to play with cats, and it had been allowed. The scene in question had been sickeningly adorable.
"What was he even doing near that set?"
"Plotting new ways to irritate me, I'm sure. Guess what Tsuruga-san, it freaking worked!" Kyoko scowled down at her breakfast, and Kanae had to smother a smile. Clearly, Kyoko was being contrary just to be contrary when it came to Tsuruga-san at this point. Kanae stifled another sigh and checked her watch.
"Hey, wardrobe needs us in a half hour," she said to Kyoko. They hurried through the rest of their breakfast, Kyoko's mood brightening as she realized she'd get to try on yet a new outfit. Act Five had Yayoi reconnecting with both her sister and mother, and so all three individuals had outfits that more visually appealed to that theme of reconnecting in the Yoneda family. Kanae was there just for another fitting for a festival kimono for Act Six.
"Morning Nagahama-san!" said Kyoko cheerfully as they entered the wardrobe room a little while later.
Nagahama-san poked her head out from the Yoneda closet of outfits, "Morning you two! Let's work well together today."
Kanae and Kyoko returned the sentiment, and once Kanae's work with her was finished, Kanae settled in to review her script as Nagahama-san bustled about Kyoko. Kanae's ears perked up, when, moments later, Nagahama-san directed a softly spoken question at Kyoko as she pinned a hem on the kimono.
"And your plan Kyoko-chan? Is it working on that silly coworker of yours?"
Kanae's eyes narrowed as she noticed Nagahama-san trying to hide a smile.
"Well, maybe. He has yet to stop approaching me about all sorts of inane things and I keep brushing him off. I thought he would have gotten more upset by now though."
"Hmmmm, a tricky customer, eh? He's not let on his true feelings yet?"
"No," Kyoko muttered sulkily. Kanae's eyebrows raised. Apparently, she'd not taken the right tack on how to approach Kyoko about this. Kanae filed that note away for later use.
"Well you're all done with adjustments dear. I do hope things go your way soon," Nagahama-san said, patting Kyoko sympathetically on the shoulder. Kyoko seemed somewhat unhappy again though, and Kanae saw concern cross the seamstress' face, before it brightened again.
"By the way Kyoko-chan, guess what came in!"
Kyoko seemed appropriately diverted by this, "What?"
"Your outfit for the Act Six scene in the dance hall!"
Kanae's interest was piqued by that, and she stowed her script in her bag and stood, "You didn't make it Nagahama-san?"
"Nope, I had a colleague of mine take care of it instead. It was a bit out of the realm of what I could finish under my deadline I've been given." Nagahama-san explained as she rifled through the outfit closet while Kyoko and Kanae exchanged curious looks.
When she pulled out the dress though, packed safely away in a transparent dress bag, Kanae gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.
"Kyoko! That design is vintage Dior!" She stared at Kyoko in disbelief, and Kyoko returned it, her expression simply bemused.
"Yay?" Kyoko ventured. Kanae shook her shoulder and repeated herself, her voice rising.
"Vintage DIOR KYOKO!"
Nagahama-san laughed, "Ah, you got me Kotonami-san. It's a little idea I had. Yoneda Yayoi after all, would have had the fashion sense to have bought Dior, yes?"
Kanae couldn't help but agree. Of course the Yoneda family would have put their heiress in the best Western fashion they could for a military event. Nagahama-san looked between them, amused by their reactions, and spoke again.
"Would you like to try it on Kyoko-chan?"
"Yes, she would!" Kanae said. Kyoko nervously inched away, but then couldn't fully escape as Kanae helped her out of her kimono with such swiftness that Kyoko got embarrassed.
"Moko-san!" she hissed but Kanae paid it no mind.
Nagahama-san had made the perfect choice Kanae marveled, once Kyoko had put on the dress and the matching heels. Kanae looked Kyoko over, admiring how easily Kyoko pulled off such an elegantly fashionable style.
"I'm glad my color choice worked so well. I thought red might be too bold, but no, it sets off your eyes perfectly Kyoko-chan. And the pleats don't make the skirt too full, I was worried about that since you have such a slim figure.," said Nagahama-san.
"And the neckline," Kanae murmured, "Off the shoulder just works so well for you! The delicate collar bone being highlighted, and putting more emphasis on the lines of your neck. What jewelry would go with this?"
Nagahama-san chuckled, "You'll have to ask Konou-san, I've not decided yet but maybe she has."
Kyoko was blushing to high heaven at all the praise, "Can I change now? I'm a little uncomfortable," she mumbled. Nagahama-san sighed, but patted her head sympathetically.
"You may Kyoko-chan. Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly."
Nagahama-san and Kanae busied themselves with putting away the dress and other things while Kyoko changed back into her skirt, sweater, and boots. Kanae murmured softly to Nagahama-san while Kyoko was distracted.
"Do you know the name of the coworker she's been telling you about?"
"Of course I do. He and Nick-san have loose lips around Konou-san."
Kanae discovered a new appreciation of Nagahama-san's cunning just then. Kanae couldn't help her curiosity though.
"How long do you give it?"
Nagahama-san smiled, "It's easy to be distracted from problems while you're working. Not so when you have an entire day free."
"Wait, tomorrow? You think something will happen then?"
Nagahama-san raised an eyebrow at her as she tucked away the heels that went with the dress, "Did you not hear? Takimoto-san arranged for a park outing for some of the cast for tomorrow afternoon. One of the last days where the temperatures aren't too low, and she said it would be good for people to get out, and destress."
"Takimoto-san did?" Kanae asked, confused. This sounded like a Yashiro Yukihito machination. But all Nagahama-san did was nod, before she turned back to Kyoko-chan. Kanae smothered her other questions, but if Nagahama-san was right, perhaps all her concerns would be taken care of by tomorrow. That'd be nice, for things to take care of themselves for once, Kanae thought.
She brushed those thoughts away though, when Kyoko collected her so they could go meet up with Oohara-san and Sugaya-san for rehearsal. She had other things she needed to concern herself with, and it was far past time for Kyoko to just handle it herself.
When Kyoko-chan and Kotonami-san finally joined the others in the lobby to complete their little group for their park outing Sunday afternoon, Misaki had to smother a surprised sound. She'd been notating what outfits caused Tsuruga-san to make his remarks, and it appeared Kyoko-chan had as well. She was once more in a tight, sleeveless sweater dress, with knee-high boots, but had paired it with knitted pink tights, some jewelry, and a pink knitted beret. Kyoko-chan, somehow, had been able to pull together an outfit that was undeniably provocative, while styling it so as to seem entirely innocent about how it might come across.
Point to Kyoko-chan, thought Misaki in admiration. She was close enough to Nick-san and Tsuruga-san as they all left to hike to the park they were going to, that she caught Nick-san's whispers about it.
"Ren, come on man, that outfit can't be by accident, right? Not after the week we've had."
"Keep it down. So she's trying to provoke me into saying something stupid, whatever. I've got this." muttered Tsuruga-san back.
"Mmmm...do you though?" replied Nick-san, and Misaki stifled a snicker when she caught the dirty look Tsuruga-san shot him.
The park outing had been a joint effort between her and Yashiro-san, and so far, Misaki was pleased with the reaction. She'd been in charge of gathering people together, and she'd been able to grab those two, Kyoko-chan, Kotonami-san, Noa-kun, Jin-san, and Oohara-san. Yashiro-san had been in charge of making sure it was ok that they visited the park near their orphanage set. They used the park on occasion during shooting, so the rule was that they couldn't do anything while there that would leave evidence behind. Misaki had been confused by that rule, except Noa-kun had sighed when he'd heard it, and said something about being depressed at having to leave his paintball gun behind. She'd understood then.
She strolled behind a majority of the group, falling in with Noa and Jin, and kept her eyes and ears open for anything entertaining that might happen. As they arrived, and Kyoko-chan, Oohara-san, and Kotonami-san decided to go for the swings, and the guys headed for the elaborate jungle gym, Misaki found herself stumped. Which group should she go with? She wanted to observe, but she had to be careful to not get caught too.
Yashiro-san she thought to herself mournfully, I did not plan for this.
After having won a speed challenge set to him by Nick about how fast he could traverse the jungle gym, Ren was now watching Noa and Jin compete to do the same. And he was doing his damnedest to not look at Kyoko.
All week he'd made sure his ironclad control had been in place, and had, on a few occasions, even won the battle of the wits he and Kyoko had been undergoing. To be fair, she knew exactly all the right buttons to push when she was trying to bother him. But Ren, aside from some smart remarks, had done his best to not let it get to him.
Then she'd stepped into the lobby right before they'd all set off for their excursion, and he'd nearly crushed the can of ice-cold tea he'd been drinking at the time. Nick had not let that go the entire walk over to the park. But Ren had planned for that. Once he'd noticed that Kyoko had been trying to provoke him all week with how she was dressing, he'd realized that she was exceptionally good at doing so. She learned far more than I ever thought she would when she played Setsu Heel he thought to himself.
And she'd only gotten more knowledgeable about fashion since that time. But Ren, to account for that, had decided to do the same. He'd long since realized that she looked him over the most frequently when he wore button-up shirts, and she always looked twice when he wore button-ups with the sleeves rolled up. And he'd made sure to wear the cologne that she'd said she liked the best the night of the Tragic Marker premiere.
He wondered vaguely what it said about him that he'd planned out his appearance to such detail. He knew his parents and Lory would definitely pick on him if they ever found out. Probably even Maria-chan would. He sighed, depressed for a second.
He was quickly distracted though, as the competition that Nick set up next was pullups from the middle of the jungle gym set up.
"Nick," said Ren, his voice heavy with amusement, "I would need to bend my knees nearly to my chest to even begin to try to do a pull up there. There's trees we could use, for chrissakes."
"Oh, yeeaaah. That makes sense. To the trees!" Nick declared and Ren wanted to facepalm as he heard a couple of the girls near the swings laugh. However, he determinedly didn't glance in that direction and simply followed Nick. Nick had honestly been such a good friend that week. He'd been helpful, understanding, and hadn't judged. Ren appreciated that more than he thought Nick would ever know.
When they got bored climbing all over the trees, they turned their attention back to the jungle gym, but the girls had taken over. Ren had to stop, blink, and then bite his tongue to stop himself from saying anything. Kyoko was hanging upside down from the middle of it, and the only saving grace was that her dress was too tight to fall down.
Nick was near enough to him to snicker and say, "Another accident do you suppose?"
Ren shoved him lightly, and hurried that way so he could get Kyoko's attention.
He saw Kotonami-san and Takimoto-san begin to watch him carefully as he came nearer to him, and he had to bite his tongue again on the first thing he wanted to say.
"Let me guess, you guys wanted to do a pullup competition too?" He said, making sure his tone of voice was lighthearted and teasing. He was gratified that it came out sounding smooth and natural. Oohara-san laughed.
"Kyoko-chan saw Jin-san doing this and she just had to try it." Oohara-san said.
"Ah, that good old competitive spirit. It burns bright in Kyoko-chan here." said Ren, not able to stop the words from coming out. He hid a wince when she shot him a glare. He wanted to say something else, but then the rest of the guys caught up and Nick spoke first.
"Hey, hey, how about we try the merry-go-round?"
Kotonami-san groaned, "I am not about to get into a spinning metal death trap."
"Well you're no fun," pouted Nick, while a couple of the others laughed.
The others debated this back and forth, and Ren used the opportunity to finagle his way closer to the middle of the jungle gym where Kyoko was.
"All the blood gone to your head yet there?" he asked her quietly. When she just said nothing, he couldn't help but tease her more.
"Oh, let me guess, you're stuck. Us guys came over, and now you're scared about how you're going to get down in a properly demure and ladylike fashion."
She shot him a glare, "I'm not scared of you."
Ren's eyebrows flew up in surprise, "Mogami-san. I never said anything about me. What a telling response."
She flushed as she saw his lips curl into a smirk.
"Perhaps you should live up to your gentlemanly reputation and help," she muttered through gritted teeth, as she adjusted her grip on the bars.
"As my princess commands," he replied, making a sweepingly grand gesture for theatrical effect. Ren stepped carefully through the bars so he could step close enough to her that she could use him as a barrier for her to pull her legs through without anyone else seeing it happen.
They carefully stepped back out, and walked over to the rest to see the result of the merry-go-round debate, only to find that Kotonami-san and Jin-san were adamantly against it, no matter how Nick pleaded. Nick sulked momentarily, but Oohara-san and Noa said they were daring enough to take a turn on it so long as Nick did too.
With that squared away, Ren turned to try to see if he could tease Kyoko more, only to find that she'd retreated back to the swings with Kotonami-san and Takimoto-san. That left Jin and him to their own devices, so Ren clambered back on top of the jungle gym again. He sat there and pondered his situation, like the introvert he felt he was, until the rest decided they'd had enough fun playing and wanted to start heading back.
He swung himself off the jungle gym and made sure he installed himself next to Kyoko for the walk back. He felt immeasurably grateful when she wound up getting distracted by the flower patch at the entrance to the park and started taking pictures of it to send to Maria-chan, as he was able to wave at their group to go on ahead. He'd take whatever opportunity that came his way to try to talk to her with some privacy.
When Kyoko finally glanced up from taking her picture, she noticed the distance, and frowned.
"Tsuruga-san, they're getting too far ahead. Let's not make them worry by trailing too far behind." She hurriedly put away her phone in her purse and started to walk away quickly.
"So considerate of you," Ren called after her, not moving.
"Obviously I want to be considerate of my coworkers," she snapped back waspishly as she stopped, and turned to glare at him. There was a long moment of silence as they just stared each other down, before she spoke again, "Well then Tsuruga-san, we should-"
"Quit calling me that." The words that popped out of his mouth surprised even him. Perhaps he'd not had such ironclad control after all.
"Excuse me?" her eyebrows raised in disbelief and there was another moment where they said nothing at all.
Kyoko frowned, "Look Tsuru-
"Stop calling me that."
A ferocious scowl overcame her features, before she visibly swallowed back words, and instead said, "We should get going, we should be polite enough to keep up with the people that invited us out today and not dally."
Ren still didn't move.
She repeated herself, "We shouldn't linger, they're getting too far-"
"Scared?" He interrupted her. "Is there something you're trying to avoid by rushing off like that?"
He watched her carefully as she licked her lips and glanced away. Ren felt himself smirk when he caught the look she darted his way when he took a step forward, before she dropped her gaze again.
She hurried to speak up, "That's ridiculous, I'm simply being considerate."
"Oh, you're such a liar." Ren couldn't help it, every single one of her tics were telling him that he was right, but she was insisting on keeping up the facade. Kyoko's face was bright red, and it seemed she was about to protest his words when he interrupted her again.
"Did you know, you look at me out of the corner of your eye, whenever you try to lie to me? It's like you're just dying to see how I'll react. You know I know you're lying, and you do it anyway. Tsk, tsk Mogami-san."
He stepped closer, and she stepped back, paling at what she saw in his face.
"Do you know what's been the most entertaining thing to watch you do this week?" He asked. She seemed startled that he actually waited for her response, and so she slowly shook her head, her features growing ever more uneasy by the second.
"Watching you watch me, just to see if you've successfully provoked me. Did you have fun Mogami-san?" He stepped closer again, ever so slowly shepherding her towards a tree.
He was glad he did so, when she tried to dart away, and he was able to bar her from leaving by planting a hand on the trunk of the tree and leaning in. She shrank back, trying to keep distance between them, and only hit the trunk. When the realization dawned on her face, he smiled.
"Oh go on Mogami-san. No one else is here, you don't have to lie. Go on, tell me, did you have fun?"
Finally, as she realized she wasn't going to be able to escape easily, she glowered at him. "That's a ridiculous accusation. I was simply being professional. Perhaps you would know that, if you bothered to do the same."
Surprisingly, this just struck him as incredibly funny.
"Mogami-san, you should know, you shouldn't have declared war if you weren't going to be able to surrender gracefully," he goaded her, and was thrilled to see anger blaze in her eyes.
"Why aren't you reacting the way I want?!" She finally snapped, her chest heaving with all the emotion she'd released with such bold question.
Ren couldn't help it, he laughed. She did hit him then, her balled up fist thumping against his chest. "Stop laughing at me! You've been playing me just like I tried to play you! Why didn't you just let me get away with it?!"
He grabbed her fist with his other hand, "Ah, Mogami-san, I'm truly sorry for being so pushy. I was just wanting to see how far you would go. I can't help it you see. You're reactions are all so interesting." He slowly let her fist go when it seemed like she wouldn't hit him again. He tucked a bit of hair back under her beret and smiled down at her.
"Forgive me? I just couldn't help it you know. I just popped off with whatever came to mind, and no matter what it was, or how demanding it sounded, you just kept brushing it off like it was nothing. And then you deliberately began to provoke me. And you were so damned attractive while you did it. I'm sorry for how I behaved, truly, but the more I get to know you Mogami Kyoko, the more attractive you become." he cupped her face in his hands and brushed their noses together. He was surprised that she let him. Unbeknownst to him, Kyoko couldn't help but let him.
His last words were whispered right near her ear, and there was no way for her to stop the full body shudder from running through her when she smelled the sandalwood and spice of his shaving soap.
"Unfair," she said.
"So is that goddamn dress you're wearing."
She hadn't even realized her eyelids had fallen shut until they popped back open, surprised and excited by the raspiness in his voice when he snapped back at her. They stared each other down for a moment, before he shifted away, clearing his throat. Kyoko surprised both of them when she wrapped her arms around him and planted her lips on his. Ren in this kind of mood was too exciting for her to be dishonest about how much she liked it. It was all true after all.
She'd been provoking him all week. It had worked so much better than she'd ever expected. When Ren returned her kiss, she all but she melted into his embrace. This was what she had wanted from the time they'd left that damn teahouse set last Friday. She'd wanted to bury her fingers into his hair just like this. She'd wanted his hands on her, honestly, wherever she could get away with having them. She'd wanted his lips trailing from her mouth, to her cheek, to her neck, and then back, ever since. She'd wanted, and wanted, and in her frustration, she'd made sure to shove it in his face how much he wanted her back.
Kyoko was not proud of it. It was not even inaccurate to say that she was appalled by her own behavior even. But, somehow, all her pride and propriety evaporated when he held her so tight she felt weightless. When he kissed her so hard her lips felt like they were on fire, and when his hands buried himself in her hair, and pulled, all of the rest of it simply disappeared.
"Maddening, infuriating woman," he muttered these words, several times, between hard kisses to her mouth, and little soft bites on her neck.
"So help me, put your hand back on my hip, or my boot heel is going to go someplace unpleasant," she threatened. Ren froze for a second, and untangled a hand from her hair.
"Bossy," he said, breathless almost, as his fingers returned to digging into her hip. Kyoko caught the delight in his voice as he said it though.
"You love it," she said, almost lightheaded with how brazen she was being.
"God do I." he muttered into her collarbone.
When they eventually did make it back, their hands stayed tangled together even as they entered into the lobby, and Kyoko was smiling.
With a week and a half down in shooting Act Five, one Atsushi Isami was preparing for his final scene. It was a whopper of a long scene too. Director Shingai employed such tactics a couple times a week. There always seemed to be a scene that they shot, and in the process of shooting it, the director coordinated everything so that the shooting time ran from a minute and a half to upwards of a five minute long scene. On Isami's previous productions, directors didn't tend to like running the camera for longer than two minutes before they called cut and readjusted something. This quirk of Shingai's had intrigued Isami in the beginning. Now, he'd simply gotten used to readjusting his expectations.
The scene that preceded this once, chronologically speaking, was a battle scene where Yoneda Daisuke got caught in the crossfire of the opposing sides. Daisuke, being used to being part of a security detail with Interpreter Tanaka, had instinctually pushed him out of the way, when they'd not been able to escape the deck that'd been under fire quick enough. So, instead of Tanaka-san facing a potentially mortal wound, Daisuke had taken it instead.
Daisuke was then hurried to the on-ship medical bay, accompanied by Tanaka-san. Isami had actually been really impressed with Miura-san's emotional expressiveness during that scene as he'd delivered his lines, as it had genuinely made him tear up. That's how that scene ended. The story then came back around to Daisuke after the battle, when Jack, after he'd checked on all of his other wounded men, visited him during his tour of the medical bay.
This scene in particular, was after Jack had been informed that he was hibakusha- a survivor of the A-bomb. His orphanage he'd been in until he was fourteen, had been located in Hiroshima. It didn't matter that Daisuke had been mortally wounded, he'd not had much longer to live anyways.
Daisuke, due to the severity of his wound, was isolated from the others, so the encounter was just the two of them in a room. The director tended to shoot those types of scenes from multiple cameras, and let them run for as long as it took to get the scene done. And if that lasted for longer than the typical time, Director Shingai let it. As the director said, it could always be edited again later.
The prep that Isami was doing, was that of being arranged on a med bay cot, to look appropriately fatally wounded, and in pain. The final touches of his makeup were currently being put on. Once finished with that, the makeup assistants stepped away and he waited and listened for Shingai to call for silence on the set, and then call for action.
…
Jack stepped into the room, a deep furrow in his brow as he studied the form on the bed. His entrance was loud enough that Daisuke cracked his eyes open. The expression on the commander's face was startling enough for Daisuke to let out a low chuckle.
"Evening Commander-san."
"Evening," came the curt response.
"You look like you have something on your mind."
"I do."
"Care to share?"
"Why not, sure."
Jack's mouth opened, but he said nothing as he paused for a moment, and then started again,"While I respect what you did, will always respect what you did, I cannot agree with the reasoning for why you did it. I heard you, you know. You told Tanaka-san that you were happy that it was you, and not him. You said that it was better that it was you. Tanaka-san had a wife and an unborn child waiting, and that you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if he left them. Admirable to be so self-sacrificing Yoneda-san." Jack's voice raised on the last bit and he thumped his fist down on a table for emphasis.
"Clearly that is an insincere compliment," Daisuke said, his voice raspy and tinged with pain as he shifted on the cot.
"You are dying! You are dying, and you are leaving behind Yoneda Yayoi! How can you be so infuriatingly selfish, and then say that to Tanaka-san?! How dare you?!"
"I would advise you to quit judging me based on the standards you grew up with. They are not mine. It is insulting and do you really wish to insult a dying man further, Commander-san?"
Jack's jaw worked as he glared at the man laying in the med bay bed. Daisuke simply smiled up at him, exhausted though the expression was. Daisuke went to talk again, but was interrupted by a minor coughing fit. Jack eyed him warily as Daisuke wiped the blood from his lips, and the sweat from his brow.
After another moment, Daisuke attempted to talk again. He wheezed slightly, and small fits of shivers intermittently wracked his frame.
"I invite you to contemplate, if you will Commander-san," Daisuke's eyes locked with Jack's as he spoke. "I invite you to contemplate the kindness of a friend towards a dying man."
Jack stared, thoughts flying by in his brain too quick for him to catch, except the one. Kindness of a friend? Dread and regret suddenly seeped through the rest of his thoughts and Jack glanced back at Daisuke, horror overtaking his features.
"The leukemia? Yoneda-sama knows?! How long has she known!?"
"Since my coma, when her father saved me in May."
Jack paled in realization, "That long?" he asked.
Yayoi had known for that long? Images flooded his mind of Yayoi and Daisuke at the orphanage, at the communal city events, at the inn with the instructional classes even. At every point, the truth had never even been indicated. Jack's horror grew. The things that I said. How I behaved. And still she simply asked for help.
Jack turned away from Daisuke, a hand covering his mouth, and he stifled his tears hastily, as best as he could.
Daisuke's voice floated over to him anyway, inescapable.
"So now you understand, Commander-san. I thought it might pain you to learn of this. That time when the kids went into the city, for the swimming lessons, I began to suspect. She asked you to help that girl-"
"Shion-chan," Jack said, his voice hoarse with the effort it took to keep it controlled.
"Yes, Shion-chan. The look on your face when Yayoi-san said thank you to you after you helped that girl, it was plain as day. You're in love with my wife."
Jack froze. What he'd not yet even admitted to himself stated aloud so bluntly made him want to shrink in on himself in shame. He didn't dare turn around.
Daisuke spoke again, "I suppose you despise me anyway, even knowing the truth now. I don't care though. I had nothing I wanted until I met her. I wanted out of the orphanage, and I thought at first I could just be happy with having work. But Yayoi-san was there. And I could never not want her. Her bright smiles, her intelligence, her beauty, her passion. It draws you in, until you no longer even want to run from it. I wanted, and I wanted, and I wanted.
"And, eventually, my wants were realized."
Even after every revelation, this statement angered Jack enough for him to whirl around and snap back.
"And you never cared for what she wanted, did you?! She wanted to teach! She wanted to mold bright young students into thinking, intelligent, capable adults. But you never cared for what she wanted, did you?!"
Daisuke simply raised an eyebrow, "She was always going to be proprietress after her mother. Those wants of hers she had already set aside when I gained her hand in marriage. We agreed that I would be able to help her with that, and be a good partner to her."
"We agreed. Oh how logical. How astute. I know you love her. I know you do. How dare you dismiss such a vital commitment for such cold reasoning."
Daisuke laughed, before it turned into a hacking cough, Once that was done, he began again, "I never expected her to return my feelings. We were however, friends. What better way to start a partnership?"
"How about with trust? How about with mutual wants and needs being satisfied? How about with a yes, I do, instead of a, yes mother, I will do as you tell me?!"
The amusement disappeared as quick as it had come on Daisuke's face as Jack snarled that.
"My efforts bore me fruit Commander-san. While I'll always regret that Yayoi wound up realizing the truth of me, I do not regret what we shared. She made me the happiest I ever was. If I was only ever but a good friend, then I am satisfied."
Jack was breathing heavy, fingers curling and unfurling as battled with himself to regain his composure.
"You regret but you're still satisfied. What a piece of work you are." Jack muttered finally.
Daisuke's had eyes closed, his talking had taken a lot out of him, but he huffed out a small laugh anyway. "Don't worry Commander-san. I'll be dead soon. I imagine you believe I'm getting what I deserve."
Jacks anger dissipated entirely with that remark and he hesitated. When he was silent for a moment, Daisuke simply chuckled again and said,
"Speak your mind. Who will there be left to judge what you say once I am gone?"
Jack stiffened, "Fine. But, I don't think that at all. You might be selfish, sure, but what I'm most upset about is that you don't even regret the pain you have caused her, and what pain your death will bring. You two are, by all reckoning, Mt. Oguso's fairytale. And this is what you decided would be a fitting end. Did she even try to stop you?"
Daisuke's eyes had drifted back open as Jack had talked and studied the commander. "No, she didn't. There would be little to no help for me anyway. And she knew that whether I had another year to go, or ten, that I would rather die doing what is right, than die in pain having done nothing at all. She can respect that. And, in her own fashion, I think she might have been grateful. But then again, I don't claim to know her thoughts and feelings. I'm not entitled to those."
Daisuke's face had closed off by the time he finished speaking. His hands trembled, and the lines on his face spelled out only pain. No relief from the painkillers, not yet. Jack felt pity for a fleeting moment, before he was distracted from it by Daisuke struggling to get a piece of paper out of his pocket. Jack stepped closer, fishing it out and tried to hand it to him. Daisuke just stopped him, his hand reaching out to keep the paper with Jack.
"Just give that to her for me please. That's all I ask."
Jack nodded and stepped back, tucking the paper into his fist, "I'll see it done."
Jack was almost to the med bay doors when Daisuke spoke once more, his voice weaker now, as he slipped further into the twilight state between wakefulness and sleep, "Commander-san. Do you suppose, wherever we go after, we meet with our parents again? Our families?"
Jack swallowed hard, a sharp pain shooting through him as he recognized the long-held pain and wistfulness in the other man's voice. He turned back to the bed, but Daisuke had slipped too far into sleep by then. Jack replied anyway.
"God, but I pray that's true."
Once Jack had left the med bay, he could no longer stifle the urge to look at the note. The writing of the kanji was shaky, and it was difficult for Jack to decipher most of it at a glance. But the ending sentence he knew, he'd read it before. It was in an old book the Yonedas had in their library. Michitada had lent it to him once upon a time.
Ya-chan, the note read, if you remember me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets.
Jack was immediately ashamed he had read such a personal thing. No matter his own feelings, what Daisuke and Yayoi had, it was something precious. It was something he may never understand, but it was not something he was supposed to pass judgement on.
And he stood there, and he stared at those words, and Jack knew that what he felt was truly regret.
…
The set was quiet when Ren stepped off, before the sound of thunderous applause set him back on his heels. He glanced up, startled, and saw crew members scurrying by him to grab at Atsushi-san to congratulate him on his work. Atsushi-san, who was first startled the same as he was, now seemed both baffled and highly entertained. Miura-san even grabbed him in a tight hug and appeared to blubbering into his shoulder about it.
Ren smiled, He truly believed that it was some of Atsushi-san's strongest work. He deserved every bit of praise he got. He stepped next to Director Shingai, and looked down at where he was reviewing footage.
"Well?" Ren asked.
Shingai glanced back up at him, thrilled, "We're good. This scene is good. That was fantastic!"
Ren waited while everyone got their congratulations out of the way, before he got Atsushi-san's attention. Ren bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you very much for working with me."
Atsushi-san, by that time, looked embarrassed, "The same to you Tsuruga-san. It was tough, but we managed. Drinks on me later?"
Ren laughed at the offer, "Sure Atsushi-san. I'd love to."
Atsushi-san seemed pleased, "Oh, but first, before I do anything else, I need my phone."
One of the lingering crew members tossed it over, and Atsushi-san deftly snatched it out of the air, then bellowed, "Anyone who wants to be in the picture I send to my wife, gather round."
Ren was pushed in as the crowd tightened and gathered in. Atsushi-san angled it to catch most of them and snapped the shot.
Ren was curious enough to ask what the message was going to be, and Atsushi replied as he typed it out.
"Her due date is three weeks away. But even so, she's been worried about me doing this scene for ages. My grandad was hibakusha, and died before treatments became available to people at large. She knows what this role meant to me. I suppose, I guess, I just had to let her know how much her support helped me through this, you know?"
Ren did his best to nod along with what Atsushi-san was saying, but he was stunned by the smile on Atsushi-san's face as he talked about what it meant to him.
"So, you never worried over how to do this? How to make this work? Even when that subject matter hit so close to home?"
Atsushi-san chuckled as he put his phone away, "Of course I did. But I did it anyway. It was too important to just cry defeat and give up. That's not how I work."
Ren' studied the confident features of one Atsushi Isami. And he found himself bowing again.
"Atsushi-san, thank you very much for working with me."
He rose out of his bow, and the look on Atsushi-san's face had turned knowing.
"Thank you Tsuruga-san, for the very same. I imagine this was very important to you as well. And for more reasons than one might suspect, hm?"
"Yes," said Ren, "Yes it is."
...
Thanks for reading!
-artsy