The Prelude to Disaster

A/N: I cannot begin to thank everybody for their support for the first chapter! I've honestly been a blubbering mess between everybody's kind words and just like everything going on in life. I know this story is gonna be a little weird and a little indulgent but hopefully y'all are in for the long haul. Because I think this is going to be a fun one.

. . .

Kyoko didn't know if she felt guilty or suspicious for successfully avoiding Tsuruga-san for the next two weeks. Considering they were technically supposed to be "sharing" a manager due to some contrived plan from the President, it seemed rather unlikely that they wouldn't cross paths for so long. Tsuruga-san could probably handle himself for a couple of days. A few weeks, though? It was a statistical improbability. He probably would end up working himself ragged.

Yes, she was relieved. But she also couldn't help sensing the impending sense of doom that lingered in the air. Someone, somewhere, was planning something. And she was going to get to the bottom of it.

"Moko-san! We have a mission!" Kyoko hollered as she burst into the Love Me section. Yashiro said she time to socialize (a first in so long) and this was definitely her one chance to figure out exactly what the president was planning.

She froze in the doorframe. Moko-san left for America the other day...Kyoko had totally forgotten. And Chiori was filming a guest appearance somewhere. Technically, this room should have been empty.

It wasn't.

Hidden in the back corner of the lockers was a person that sent Kyoko's stomach plummeting to the ground. Specifically, a male figure very familiar to her. But not. No way. "H-Hello?"

The man turned to face her and her brain short-circuited for a brief moment. Despite all her mental calculations, there was no way this man was Tsuruga Ren. It couldn't be. Not only was this man blond with brilliant green eyes that reminded her of Corn but he was also wearing...the dreaded uniform that left an awful impression on the brain. The Love Me! Section uniform. He smiled and nearly took out her grudges with its brilliance; Kyoko had to pinch herself to remember that this was not the senpai she was supposed to be in love with. It was someone else entirely. The man bowed politely. "Hello! It's nice to finally meet you, Kyoko-senpai."

Her cheeks burst into flames. He tried to hide it under a foreigner's accent to match the blond hair. But she knew it now. This man was, without a doubt, Tsuruga Ren. His voice vaguely resembled that when he played Cain Heel. It also reminded her of someone else...someone she couldn't quite recall. Which was a shame because it seemed an important comparison.

"Don't-Don't call me that," she managed when she remembered to breathe again. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as her face returned to its normal color.

He blinked, tilting his head to study the girl in front of him. As expected...she reacted just like she normally did. However, she would be unable to talk her way out of this. He hoped. "Don't call you what, Kyoko-senpai?" He asked innocently, like a stranger. He was...kind of.

"That!" Kyoko's face remained steadily pink. How long could he keep up this act? Certainly, he would break like last time when he was Cain Heel. Or, perhaps...her heart clenched. Perhaps this was his way of reacting to her cold words. Her punishment. When she brought herself to speak again, it was with less conviction than before. "Don't call me 'senpai' or say my name so familiarly! You're-" She faltered. "You're... a stranger."

He flinched at her words. You're a stranger. Obviously, she recognized him. And still, she spoke these biting words. Perhaps this wasn't as good an idea as he had thought. "But-But isn't your stage name 'Kyoko?' The kanji for 'child from Kyoto,' no? What else should I call you, if not 'senpai?'"

Kyoko gaped. "Moga-" she hesitated and her surname fizzled from her lips. Mogami-san, like you've always called me. But she couldn't bring herself to say it. Until she knew more about whoever Tsuruga was pretending to be... She couldn't risk telling him to call her Mogami. Tsuruga Ren was the only one that called her that and if this was supposed to be another secret role like Cain...she couldn't ruin it with something as stupid as a name. No matter what she felt. She huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't know, just not that."

"Then how about Kyoko-cha-"

"No!" Kyoko screeched. Even with his slight foreigner's accent, she could still hear the lingering sound of Tsuruga's voice. And she wouldn't be able to bear it to hear that voice say her name so intimately...especially considering how cruelly she spoke to him to protect her heart. She deflated and spoke to the linoleum. "Kyoko-senpai is fine."

He hesitated. While he had planned on teasing Kyoko until she allowed him to call her by her name, he'd forgotten that he might render her upset. No, not forgotten. Completely ignored the fact. He was right; this wasn't a good idea after all. But it was too late. He was already in too deep and there was no way Lory would let him back out now. "I'm sorry," he whispered, defaulting to his 'normal' voice.

That got her attention. Kyoko looked to him curiously as her embarrassment faded. For someone who was pretending to be someone else, he gave up his identity to her quite easily. Hmph. She wouldn't let him back out of this so easily. He had a reason for doing this and she was determined to figure out why. Kyoko pulled her shoulders back and met his gaze directly. "If I'm supposed to be your senpai, that makes you my kohai." She arched a brow. "So, what's your name, kohai?"

"Kuon," he said softly, not meeting her eyes. He didn't want to see her reaction. She was much sharper than everybody else and would inevitably put the halves of his identity together. Just like all the times before. In any moment...

However, his apprehensions had no grounding. Kyoko's brain was so muddled simply seeing Tsuruga's transformation that she was unable to wrap her mind around this new odd situation, much less connect Tsuruga's 'Kuon' with Kuon Hizuri.

"Ku-on-san?" Kyoko bit her lip and her bravado wavered. It wasn't lost on her that 'Kuon' is the name she'd mistaken for 'Corn' when she was working with Hizuri-san. Perhaps this was his way of torturing her-picking a name he'd known was important to her. But he wouldn't win. Character or not, she wouldn't be calling him by his first name. "What about your last name?"

He shook his head. "No last name. I wanted to be like Kyoko-senpai and use just my first name as a stage name."

"But-" She struggled. He was making this very hard on her. Worse, he was making fun of her need for formality. Kyoko bit her lip and narrowed her eyes. "That's very informal."

"You can call me 'Kuon,' Kyoko-senpai. I don't mind." When he had imagined this conversation, he didn't anticipate the guilt coursing through his body. It was supposed to be teasing. Instead, it felt like he was just digging the knife she'd left that night in Bo's dressing room farther in his chest. He'd never meant to hurt her. Honest.

"I can't-" Her argument died on her tongue. Normally, she would justify the distance she placed between them with the boundaries of a senpai/kohai relationship. There was no way she could refer to an esteemed colleague so familiarly. In this case, though, with the roles reversed... It wasn't a good argument, was it?

"Kuon-kun, if you prefer to use honorifics." He said.

"I-" She narrowed her eyes. He was driving her into a corner with this name thing. Kyoko shook her head. He wouldn't win. Not now. She set her jaw and crossed her arms. Turning her nose up, she rolled her eyes. "Kuon-san is fine, thank you."

At least he was right to anticipate that decision. Yet the only thing that proved is that she's unfortunately set in her ways. Once again he thought: I was stupid to think this would work. "If that's what you'd prefer," he said politely.

She nodded. "It is."

They stood in the empty Love Me! section room in complete silence and stared at each other. What were they supposed to do now?

Kyoko had only come today to get to the bottom of Tsuruga's plan. And now, it seemed that she figured that out (at least, part of it; she still had to determine the why) without even trying. What would have happened if she didn't storm in today? When would she have figured out that Tsuruga Ren was charading as Kuon, last name pending?

The thought was enough to shake her from the moment. She didn't want to be here any longer. And if she knew anything about Tsrugua Ren, he would leave her to her thoughts if that's what she wanted. She could count on that. She hoped.

"It was nice meeting you, Kuon-san," Kyoko said suddenly. The silence only made things worse. So, she dipped out of the room before he could respond.

She was right. He simply watched as she left and didn't dare follow.

. . .

Yashiro pulled Kyoko into an empty conference room shortly after he picked her up outside the Love Me! Room. She'd had an odd expression on her face since he found her. Perhaps it had to do with what Sawara was telling him when he picked up her recent requests. "I heard from Sawara-san that there's a new Love Me! Member. Have you met her yet?"

Kyoko flinched, unsure of why he pulled her aside just to ask that. Unless...he knew something about the so-called introduction she'd just had with "Kuon." She'd thought she'd kept her face rather collected after the ordeal. Apparently not. "Him," she corrected.

"What?" He blinked. Surely she didn't just say what he thought she said? Except he definitely heard right.

"The new member. He's a guy," Kyoko repeated, feigning disinterest. She wasn't about to let Tsuruga Ren get under her skin. She still had work to do that day.

"Really?" It was exactly his worst nightmare, next to Kyoko never reciprocating Ren's feelings. President Takarada certainly had a sick sense of humor by bringing a male stranger into the situation. He hoped news of this new addition to the section wouldn't make it to Ren, wherever he was. "So, I take it you met him?"

She remained quiet. Certainly, Yashiro had known about his charge's convoluted plan. What kind of manager would he be if he didn't know what Tsuruga-san had planned? "Say, Yashiro-san, have you seen Tsuruga-san lately?"

"I-Uh, didn't you say you didn't want to see him for the foreseeable future? After the Yappa Kimagure Rock, no?" His breath caught and his anxiety about the situation twisted in his chest. This came out of nowhere. He didn't have to explain that his charge was technically MIA. "Where'd the change of heart come from?"

Bingo, Kyoko thought triuphantly. "I thought, perhaps, that it was time to clear the air between us. I can't hold my grudge against him...I'll never graduate from Love Me! if I can't prove I can forgive people for the stupid things they say."

Stupid things, Yashiro thought wearily. It wasn't even an outright confession and she'd already compartmentalized the sentiment as 'stupid.' He'd really wished Ren had told him more about that night beyond her identity as Bo, the show's mascot chicken. Something happened that night. And neither of them wanted to talk about it. So much that Ren...

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "If I could tell you, I would, Kyoko-chan. But I can't."

The words of a man hiding something, she decided. "Can't? Or won't?"

"Can't." He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "I really don't know where he is. Right after...right after that night, Ren said that he needed to leave for personal business. Something that existed beyond the realm of what he could do as 'Tsuruga Ren.'"

"Because that's just his stage name?" She guessed before the thought could fully register in her brain. Immediately, her hands jumped to her lips. Spoke too quickly.

Yashiro flinched as if he'd been slapped. "He told you that?" He didn't tell anybody that. Even Yashiro had to figure it out himself. And it was a conclusion that took almost a year of being at the man's side 24/7.

"Uh...I don't think he intended to. But it came out in Karuizawa when Reino was threatening me."

"Well, I guess, if you know that much...it's okay to say..." He narrowed his eyes and watched Kyoko intently. He was sudddenly thankful that he had the foresight to drag them into one of the places in LME where they had no audience. But that was less because he was hiding secrets and more that he needed to quell Kyoko's odd expression before her next job. "What I'm about to tell you...you can never repeat it. Not without Ren's permission. Or the President's."

"I thought you didn't know where Tsuruga-san was," she accused. It was exactly as she'd thought! Yashiro was in on this silly Kuon business!

"Oh, I don't. But...I'm worried about him. He's been my charge for years but even then, he doesn't say much about his personal life. Maybe a few hints every now and then to sate my curiosity but not much... Especially in interviews, he won't dare to talk about his past. It's as if his life only started with the inception of Tsuruga Ren.

"If something happened that forced him to pull away from his identity as 'Ren,' I assume it's nothing short of an emergency. A matter of life-and-death, perhaps?" He sighed. "Wherever he went... I hope he's alright."

"An emergency?" She bit her lip. It couldn't have been an emergency if the man was charading as 'Kuon' in the Love Me! room. However, if Yashiro didn't know about his charge's new identity, she wasn't going to be the one to say anything. She learned her lesson as Setsu. Tsuruga had to have a reason for this. "I'm sure he's fine. Next thing you know, he'll be back in action."

"I hope so. I had to cancel all his engagements for the next six months. I have some very pissed off people on my hands and would love if he came back early," Yashiro sighed, resigning himself that this may very well be the end of both his and Ren's careers. Ren's reputation as the 'perfect gentleman' would probably be ruined because of his speedy departure from Tokyo. It was something he definitely didn't like thinking about.

Kyoko scrunched her nose. "Six months?" That was certainly a long time. However, Yashiro didn't respond. Instead, he led her out from their conference room and into the stairwell. There was no longer time to discuss Tsuruga-san; they had things to do. And they would be late if he let her think too long. She didn't mind, of course. Dwelling on the situation wasn't going to do her any good.

She walked quietly beside Yashiro, gnawing on her lip as they walked down to the parking structure to his car. Certainly...certainly he wasn't doing this...for her? Wasn't that the last thing she said to him? I wish you were anybody but Tsuruga Ren. But that was impossible. He'd have to actually care for her to do something as crazy as this.

And she was no longer in the business of hoping for fairytales.

. . .

Whatever the situation with Tsuruga-san was, Kyoko still wasn't going to let herself dwell on it. She had work to focus on. More than enough work, it seemed most days. When the press release for Lotus went live Kyoko found herself juggling a lot more offers than she was used to. It wasn't technically her debut but the sheer number of them dumbfounded her. If it wasn't for Yashiro-san, she was sure she would have keeled over and rejected them all.

Luckily, she did have him. So, they worked together to create a variety of different roles for her to play with. Since the producer of Lotus was known for his aversion to talents, Yashiro had her lean into her role at LME as a Talent, though the only experience she had in that area was with Bo.

And talent work aside, she was also encouraged to maintain her reputation as a bully actress since Momiji was (technically) in the same realm. Which led her to her job that day.

It was almost a full month since she'd seen Tsuruga in the Love Me! Room and nobody had brought it up again. She didn't ever run into him and it seemed that Yashiro-san truly had no idea that the new Love Me! Member was actually his charge in disguise.

Kyoko allowed herself to relax that morning. She was guest starring on a teen drama, playing a bully that would ultimately motivate the main character to toughen up for the impending story climax. The director had insisted that they were looking for Natsu with a little less refinement. And she could manage that.

She'd thought.

Tsuruga Ren would be disappointed with her. One of the things she needed to accomplish as an actress, especially as a visitor on set, was looking into the regular cast members. That way she could anticipate any potential troubles before making it to set. Of course, she'd been so confident that the job would be an easy in-and-out that checking the cast list had completely slipped her mind (and besides! She was so busy that she almost never had free time anymore!).

That was her first mistake.

After the director introduced her to the lead actors, she found herself surrounded by a number of extras. Yashiro had left to set her things in her dressing room and get her things ready and she'd thought she could handle introductions on her own. She was wrong.

She didn't recognize many of the faces of the crowd that surrounded her, though she did recognize some of the crew members from previous jobs. But she didn't focus on them. Instead, she focused on the tall frame that stepped from the mob. The tall, very blonde person who stepped in front of her with the most dazzling, brilliant smile. She would have flinched if they didn't have an audience.

There was no way this was happening. Either Yashiro knew more about Ren's Kuon charade than she had concluded, or fate had a stupid way of throwing the two of them together when she didn't want to see him. She'd just gotten comfortable. And here he was, anyway.

"It's a pleasure to work with you today, Kyoko-senpai."

Kyoko's body shook. Her hands curled into fists at her sides as she watched Tsuruga-as-Kuon bow politely at her as if she was actually his senior instead of the other way around. This was infuriating! "I hate you so much," she whispered.

That was her second mistake.

~End Chapter Two~

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