Stalemate

A/N: I'm rewarding myself for hitting my writing goals by...doing more writing. Ah, well, Camp NaNoWriMo is in session and I have officially finished rewriting the first act of my novel! Only FOUR MORE ACTS TO WRITE!

My personal writing aside, thank you all for the kindness and enthusiasm circling this story! I feel the love in my heart and keep all reviews close to me! 3 Please continue to enjoy!

. . .

Her words came out harsher than she expected, though they were barely louder than a whisper. It didn't matter, her voice carried, regardless. The studio fell deathly silent and Kyoko could feel the eyes of set fall on her figure. She'd said the wrong thing, of course, but it was too late to fix it. The deed had already been done. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it; I know you didn't mean it," Kuon said it easily but his expression said the opposite. He's known Kyoko hadn't seemed all too thrilled when he revealed his new (well, not really) persona. Except the way she acted, it seemed she hated 'Kuon' more than she hated 'Tsuruga Ren.' Which wasn't ideal, considering the circumstances.

Kyoko hated to see her senpai with that expression-and if the situation was any different, she would grovel at his feet begging for his forgiveness. But this wasn't her esteemed senpai, the man she loved; this wasn't even the number one actor in Japan. This was supposed to be 'Kuon,' a nobody talento. People might suspect something was up if she did something like that to someone ranking lower than her at the agency. Worse, they'd think they had a history—and while that was tangentially true-it might reveal the truth about 'Kuon.'

Which left her unable to do more than bow politely and scamper off to track down Yashiro-san. It'd be harder for her to get in trouble with the capable manager at her side, she thought. Then she could get this job over with and move on with her day.

The downside was that this shoot was supposed to take all day.

Yashiro-san, where are you, she groaned internally. Kyoko hurried through the studio, scanning the different people looking for her pseudo-manager. He was unfortunately nowhere to be found.

"Look at her, walking around like she's actually important."

Kyoko's ears perked up as she passed the lead actresses for the drama. They had to be talking about her. It wasn't just the spotlight effect or her anxiety; she knew it for a fact. She'd been bullied enough times through middle school to know when girls were talking about her.

"Yeah, I knew we couldn't buy the cast interviews where they said she's the complete opposite of her characters. She's a total bitch."

One girl snickered, not even trying to be discreet. "For sure. That's why she's typecast as the villain all the time. Nobody truly nice could play a demon like Mio."

"Or a snob like Natsu."

She didn't look in their direction but Kyoko knew they watched her, waiting for her reaction. She knew better than that. Bullies loved reactions. She knew that not from her roles but from real life. And, of course, these girls were the worst type of bully: the ones who didn't know they were the actual mean ones-that, or they didn't care. To them, they were simply standing up for themselves.

Kyoko wondered idly if she'd ever play a role like that. Then again... someone would have to actually recognize that it happened. Only the bullied know of the situation's irony and most of them probably didn't want to write a drama rehashing their prior traumas.

But she wished that she could turn around and deny the accusations. It wouldn't look any good, though. She recognized she shouldn't have ever said that to Kuon-san. She already knew she messed up and here were these girls, rubbing salt in the wound. Now she had to reap the consequences and suck it up. She was better than a bully.

Then again, given her reaction to Ren-as-Kuon earlier, maybe she wasn't.

. . .

"And cut!" The director called. "OK!"

The set dispersed quickly as the crew came in, prepping the stage for the next scene. They'd gone through at least half-a-dozen takes for this last part. It wasn't any fault of Kyoko's, who would have made it through a perfect one-take shot, but one lead continued botching the takes. She was one of the girls Kyoko had overheard earlier continuously messed up the scenes.

She figured her motivations were to make her frustrated with the retakes—but honestly, after working with Ogata had made her numb to six takes. Six takes weren't a lot. Fifteen bordered on it—so the girl would have to try a lot harder if the intention was to catch Kyoko off guard.

They'd both have to work harder.

The girls, Kyoko decided, probably learned their bully tactics the same place Chiori did. During each break, she'd found her nameplate destroyed and her things rifled through. They even tried changing the call board for each scene but luckily, one of the crew members caught on before there were any real consequences. She hadn't even bothered telling anybody; Kyoko was just tired. It wasn't a game like when she'd played with Chiori on the Box R set—she could sense a deeper motive there. Here, she'd honestly deserved the actresses' hazing.

But she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of reacting. If she brought attention to the situation, she would only earn the rest of the cast's dislike. Nobody liked a snitch. Especially when they snitched on the drama's leads.

So, she'd made herself entirely more unsociable than she already was and remained glued to Yashiro's side every moment she wasn't on set. He'd expressed concern, reminding her about the importance of networking but the odd expression on her face was enough to keep him from pressing the issue. Instead, they silently watched the rest of the actors prep for the scene. His eyes kept gravitating to a very peculiar face. There was something about this guy... "Kyoko-chan, can I ask you something?"

Not to sound mean, but she'd grown used to him asking odd questions all the time without asking permission before. What inspired the sudden formality? "Hmm?"

"That extra, the tall blonde, he's-"

Kyoko braced herself for the realization. Though Yashiro hadn't known about Ren's plans when she talked about the new Love Me! member, it was too obvious now. He had to recognize the man he'd managed for years. And she was sure it would not be a pretty reaction given Ren lied and, technically, so did she.

"He's a new actor, huh? Do you think he's capable of reaching Ren's level?"

"Ku-Kuon?" She choked on the fake name. Of course Kuon could reach the level of Ren Tsuruga seeing as he was, in fact, Ren Tsuruga. It was just a matter of how long Ren would play this alternate identity game. "I, uh, yeah?" She stumbled over the answer.

Yashiro nodded sagely. "I must take note; you said his name was 'Kuon?'" He scribbled in his notebook. For the first time in what seemed like forever, maybe Ren Tsuruga had some viable competition. "I'll have to look into which agency he's at."

"Ours."

Yashiro looked up, his eyes wide. Certainly, he misheard? Because there was no way... "Excuse me?"

Kyoko managed a laugh. This whole Kuon-situation was bordering on anime-absurdity. How did he not recognize Ren? All that was different was hair color and a little attitude change! She didn't blame Yashiro for being incredulous. It seemed the President enjoyed orchestrating huge messes that seemed unlikely to happen in real life. And, of course, it all happened to her circle. It's like she was a drama magnet! "He's at LME; Kuon is the newest member of the Love Me! Section."

Putting someone who can easily overshadow Ren, especially now that the actor away for personal reasons, so close to Kyoko? It's almost as if the President was trying to get rid of Ren-why wasn't he briefed on this? "What is the President thinking?!"

She rolled her eyes. She'd been wondering that since she signed into the Love Me! Section.

. . .

Kyoko rested uneasily waiting for the scene to end. She only had one scene left for the day and it couldn't come fast enough. Every while the rest of the drama's cast had settled down by the end of the day—the two girls from the beginning had not. They'd left a note on the inside of her dressing room door with a cutesy note proclaiming: This is for Kuon-kun, hag! Even she'd admit that one stung. Plain she could stomach. 'Hag' was associated with ugly and Kyoko really didn't enjoy being called ugly on top of being cast as a villain all the time.

Now, she'd hidden away in the back of the sound stage while Yashiro made a call to the office. She was on her own if the girls came to bother her. A shadow cast over her figure and she braced herself, waiting for the worst. The apprehension faded as she looked up to meet green eyes. "K-Kuon-san?"

"I'm sorry." He whispered as quickly as he appeared.

What — Her face contorted and burnt red as the man-in-question wrapped his arms around her and covered her small frame with his body. Kyoko found she completely could not register the situation because, after everything, there wasn't any reason for him to do something like that. He should scold her instead of... instead of hugging her?

His teeth gritted in her ear and Kyoko duly noted dots of liquid splashing against her legs. He'd protected her from something. Her cheeks burnt. It was a classic Tsuruga-move—acting like prince charming in moments of potential danger. But she couldn't help but wonder how he'd known what they'd planned.

Of course, she couldn't ask. Instead of running like any bully worth their salt, the girls burst into concerned squeals. They'd known he'd overheard their plans, but he should have appreciated the gesture—not get in their way! "Kuon-kun! Are you hurt?"

He removed himself from Kyoko and turned to face the girls. "I wouldn't say hot coffee to my back is particularly enjoyable."

Hot coffee? Kyoko's eyes honed in on the brown stain on Ren-as-Kuon's uniform. It would be a hard stain; the costume department would probably just toss it. Hesitantly, her fingers reached out and touched the wet patch. She hissed in sympathy; his skin below was still warm. If he felt her touch, he didn't react. He remained focused on the culprits the entire time.

"We weren't-we weren't-"

"Aiming for me. I'm aware." He smiled. Even from behind him, Kyoko's grudges could sense the anger radiating from him. She shuddered and pulled her arms close to her chest. The girls were fortunate to be unaware of Tsuruga-san's cover. Even as Kuon, he simply smiled. "You were aiming for Kyoko-senpai."

His blunt accusation made one girl falter. She had reason to be mad at Kyoko but when Kuon put it into words; he made them sound like bullies. And they were not bullies. She couldn't quite figure out how to rebut without making the situation worse. "But-"

Her friend had no such qualms. It wasn't possible to bully to bullies; this was nothing more than teaching Kyoko her place. Kuon ruined a life-lesson! "But she hates you!" She spat. "Why protect someone who doesn't deserve it?"

Kuon shook his head. "Personal feelings should never affect your acting and Kyoko-senpai has maintained her professionalism through our entire shoot. You two, however, have not. You should never attack another actress to follow through on a personal vendetta." His eyes narrowed. "You were intentionally attempting to harm Kyoko because of something she already apologized for. Something she didn't mean, either."

His statement hung heavy in the air, rubbing in the guilt. They cringed. Upset Kuon was not their favorite Kuon. "S—Sorry." They bowed deeply.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to." He stepped aside, motioning to Kyoko.

The girls narrowed their eyes at the actress. They didn't want to apologize to Kyoko. She was a bridge they would leave burnt; Kuon was not. Kyoko flinched, seeing their obvious disgust at the proposition. She waved Kuon's suggestion away. "No—No, that's all right. They don't have to apologize. I—I deserved it!"

Kuon was unimpressed. "I would like them to apologize to you, Kyoko-senpai."

They couldn't refuse it when he said it so bluntly like that. "Well, we don't like it, but Kuon-kun is upset with us and we can't ignore that." The girls bowed, short, stiff bows that looked mechanic. "Please forgive our inexcusable actions, Mio-sama."

"My name is-" They turned away before she could finish reminding them that her name wasn't Mio Hongo. She wouldn't have minded if they called her something rude to her face, especially since they were openly insulting her behind her back. "Kyoko," she finished blandly.

"Kya~! Look! Kuon-kun has only been acting for a little while and he's already so professional!" They squealed, jumping up and down as they disappeared into their dressing room. They'd tuned her out as soon as they'd turned around. To them, she'd always be Mio. There was no helping it.

She sighed; Ren-as-Kuon was already amassing a fanbase with this new persona and all she's been able to do is make enemies.

"You don't deserve abuse, Kyoko. I'd thought you knew that."

His voice shook her from her annoyed thoughts; he'd reverted to his 'Ren' voice now they were alone. Apparently, he trusted that they wouldn't have any more interruptions. Kyoko couldn't bring herself to be annoyed by his comment. He spoke like someone who'd been through the same teacher conversations about standing up for herself. As far as she was aware, though, he was never bullied. Or if he was, he never talked about it around her.

She shrugged carefully. "I'm used to it; it's like junior high again." Kyoko shifted her weight. "And like my first week at Box R, to be honest." She didn't mention the Lotus filming; she was positive he wouldn't want to hear about the benign teasing she'd received from Koga. It was child's play compared to this (and she was completely ignoring the Kimiko incident if it was the last thing she did).

He chewed on her statement for a moment. Back when Box-R started, he remembered that she was in an odd mood for a while but he'd assumed it was because she was struggling with creating the character. "You never told me you had trouble on set. I thought they loved Natsu."

"They loved Natsu only after I changed her." And they almost didn't like that I changed her. She pinched her face at the memory. If she hadn't nailed the Natsu test—there wasn't any chance she'd be here today. They would have cast her aside as nothing but a one-note actress. "But at first, I was just playing a Mio-knockoff and everybody hated me. My castmates hid costume pieces and taunted me behind my back just like these girls.

"Even after I changed her—Amamiya-san pushed me down the stairs because she was mad I wasn't bound to Mio's character forever." Kyoko sighed. That was a stupid thing to say, considering her guest role on this drama. "Though, I technically still am. I'm still a bully."

"You were... pushed down the stairs?" Kuon's eyes widened. That news would have made it back to him, even without her telling him. Which meant... she told no one? His hands curled into fists.

"Ah, well she's repenting in the Love Me! Section."

Flinching, he looked at Kyoko curiously. He'd honestly believed they'd grown closer before this rift opened. Apparently, he was wrong. "You never told me that."

She smiled sadly. "I couldn't bother you; you were struggling with Actor X." The memory of Ren's haunted face at the Dark Moon accident sent chills down her spine. She forced herself to laugh the memory away. "What could you have done, anyway? It's not like Dark Moon where you had a reason to defend me."

He couldn't say anything; she was right.

"You didn't need to do that now, even." Kyoko turned away, hiding her flushed cheeks. She smiled wryly. If anything, she should have played the role of concerned senpai. And yet, she cowered behind him and let her fight her battles like she was a stupid, weak girl. "Even if I'm supposed to be mad at you, you still were the bigger person."

I'm supposed to be mad you. The words weren't lost on him. He could work with that. He'd assumed her greeting this morning was a fluke but, this cemented it. The hate was nothing but a facade. He was the master of facades; he'd sure he could overcome this. "I would do again if I had to, even if my skin melted off from repeated exposure to hot coffee."

"Tsu—Kuon-san," she breathed, barely remembering to use his new name.

"Kyoko-senpai."

Different variations of her question cycled through her head. That shouldn't have been his reply. He was supposed to agree that she wasn't worth saving. She couldn't choose solid navigation around the topic, so, she settled on the "Why?" that bothered her the most.

His brows furrowed together. "I thought it was obvious."

She turned her nose up. "It's not."

"I love you, Kyoko."

~End Chapter Three~

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review!

A/N: I think this one's a teeny bit shorter than the last two chapters but I really love those melodramatic cliffhangers. So just think of it as just your average SB update each month! Short and overly dramatic!