He didn't finish with work until eight. In Yashiro's mind it was quite the feat considering they were meant to be filming until eleven, but his charge had persisted and rushed everyone to finish early. Then the hopeless puppy was on the phone calling his master. Yashiro could practically see a pair of dog ears drooping as the man listened to the line ringing. There was no answer, and a low pitiable whine came from the tall handsome man. It was so cute Yashiro almost swooned.
"Is something the matter with Kyoko-chan?" He asked in a hushed tone. They were in Ren's dressing room but who knew if someone was outside the door trying to listen in. Yashiro had caught people doing that in the past.
"Potentially." Kuon said.
"Potentially?"
"She might be having a fight with Kotonami-san." Kuon explained. It would be counterproductive to hide things from their manager.
Yashiro wrinkled his brow. "A fight about what?"
Kuon opened his mouth but came up empty. Why was Kotonami-san treating Kyoko like this? It made no sense.
"Of course, they might have worked it out and be at the movies already. You know how excited Kyoko gets when she's going out with Kotonami-san. She may have forgotten to tell me that everything is fine now." He was reassuring himself, but Yashiro nodded feeling some relief.
"What theater were they going to. We can go there and see." Yashiro said already pulling his glove on so he could look up showtimes on his phone. They were going to see that new comedy that Fuwa wanted to watch. The one with outdated humor and poor acting.
"I don't know." Kuon sighed running a hand through his hair.
There had been no reason for him to know because he trusted Kanae. If she was going with then he felt no need to be overbearing or protective. He could always leave Kyoko under Kanae's protection without worry. Now he wished he had asked. He had rushed to finish work early and had no where to go except home. He could always run around Tokyo trying to find the theater but by the time he checked all of them Kyoko could be on her way home.
"Do you think Chiori-chan or Kana-san might know?" Yashiro asked.
Kuon thought for a moment but shook his head. They would want to know why he was going to interrupt the date. They would assume he was being jealous and going to start a scene. Chiori would probably show up with a popcorn to watch him pummel Fuwa. Kana would make an attempt to talk him out of it but ultimately, she would call their other friends and they would all show up to see if he killed the poor bastard trying to take his girl. Kijima and Koga might even help. None of them would know that it was Kanae he wanted to shake. Fuwa was one thing and completely irrelevant compared to Kanae. That girl wouldn't need to do much to cause some real damage to Kyoko.
He headed home worried about the state his resilient wife could be in once she arrived home from her 'date.' Would she be visibly upset and crumble into his arms when she saw him? Would she play pretend and try to convince him that she wasn't heartbroken that her best friend wasn't speaking to her? Or maybe everything was fine. Maybe Kanae had called her and explained that she had been really busy all day. If he was going to be busy, he would tell her first thing in the morning so she wouldn't worry. Considering all of Kyoko's needs in advance was his default though, and he didn't expect Kanae to be so obsessively attentive. Still, she could have left a note before leaving their apartment. Writing something simple such as sorry I had to run, super busy day, on their fridge notepad would have sufficed.
Knowing that he wasn't going to get any answers until she got home, he headed to the store. The least he could do for her was be prepared. He bought her favorite matcha mochi ice cream and stocked up on the essentials for making her favorite hamburger steak with an egg. He didn't think he could ever make it correctly, but he could always help her make it. For good measure he bought a decadent strawberry cake from the store bakery. If she knew how much it cost, she would flip but he couldn't think about cost when she was potentially in pain.
"Hey, asshole." A gratingly familiar voice called out to him when he stepped out of the store.
How had Fuwa Sho gotten into his apartment building? Did he follow Kyoko in? Kuon narrowed his eyes at the boy. If he had hurt her, there was no saving him. His poor mother wouldn't even be able to identify him. Which was too bad since Kuon liked Yayoi. He had gone to the Fuwa ryokan and helped Yayoi wrap dumplings a couple times, disguised as best as he could as an American tourist. He had not been allowed to make the filling, but she said that his dumplings had looked the most elegant. Sho's father had even taught him how to properly eat fish, and also gut a fish and prep it for cooking. He had come to care for the Fuwa. Yet here he was contemplating the best way to dispose of their son's lifeless corpse.
"Where the fuck is my girlfriend?" Fuwa asked in a low voice which Kuon assumed was meant to be threatening.
"I didn't even know you had a girlfriend." Kuon replied coolly. "I was under the impression that you were the lame lone wolf type. The I'm too cool to need anyone so I sit alone boasting about how awesome I am, type."
Kuon remained calm as he walked towards the elevator. Sho was hot on his heels determined to track down Kyoko.
"I am the cool type and what are you the lock my girl up so no one else can touch her, type?" Sho shouted placing a hand on Kuon's shoulder and yanking him backwards.
"I didn't lock her up anywhere. I didn't even know that the two of you didn't go out tonight. She probably didn't want to see you because, you know, you forced her into pretend dating." Kuon said curiously as he checked his watch. What he wanted to do was check his phone to see if he had somehow missed a text or a call from Kyoko.
"That's bullshit! You made her cancel our date because your little spy couldn't go with." Sho screamed losing his shit over the thought of Kyoko not wanting to see him.
It had to all be Tsuruga. He got into her head and filled it with lies about Sho. That had to be the reason she was so unresponsive lately. Why she barely even fought about stupid things anymore. It was all Tsuruga's fault.
"You know she loves me and that's why you don't want her to date me. You flirt around with Kana but you keep little Kyoko on a leash so you can have someone to worship you. But the truth is you're just a placeholder. I'll always be her first and only love. In the end she'll come back to me."
Kuon sighed and gave him an almost sympathetic look.
"You're right she does love you." Kuon said feeling an odd sense of pity for the man before him. It was clear that Sho was fighting really hard to win a game no one else was even actively playing. "But she doesn't want to be with you. She doesn't miss you. I make sure of that every day."
"Oh really, you can just get in her head and manipulate her like that." Sho sneered sick of Tsuruga's confidence.
"No, I don't manipulate her. I treat her like a priority instead of an afterthought. When I tell you she doesn't miss you, what I mean is she doesn't miss struggling every day for the tiniest crumb of affection. She doesn't fret and worry that I'll stop loving her because she's a little overzealous about fairytales and she has odd hobbies. She knows that I love her and that I won't take it for granted everything she does to make me happy." Kuon's words caused Sho to deflate a little. "I know that she was never a priority to you. I know that she gave all that she had to make you happy and all you were willing to offer her were scraps. Little bits of your time which became less and less over the years. She doesn't miss the loneliness she had with you."
"I didn't…" Sho started but he didn't know what he could say to defend himself.
"You didn't know that you were hurting her. You thought that she should be happy to be allowed to worship you. Because you have convinced yourself that your ability to sing well and have stage presence makes you better than everyone else. It doesn't. You have a talent but at the end of the day it's just your job. It's pathetic that it's all you have. Where are your friends Fuwa? Who do you have in your corner punching me in an attempt to help you win Kyoko?"
Sho flinched back and turned his head away. There was nothing he could say to the man who was somehow intimidating even though he was standing casually with bags of groceries in his hands.
"I can see that you've finally realized how much she loved you." Kuon said after a brief pointed pause. "You've finally learned what love is and you've realized that you are alone. It's only natural to want back the one person who loved you unconditionally. But she's learned the difference between someone who wants her and someone who values her."
"I value her." Sho tried to argue. It pissed him off how much Tsuruga thought he knew about their relationship. Sho had been the one who knew her since childhood. He had been through everything with her their whole lives. "You think that just because you're always voted number one in the stupid magazine polls that she should be honored to be your little slut."
"Don't make me hit you Fuwa." Kuon growled gripping the groceries bags tight enough that they started to tear. "Do her and yourself a favor and leave her alone already." Kuon said with a sigh. He was done fighting with Fuwa.
"Right? That's all you want. That way you can have her all to yourself and she won't see that she has other options. She could be the girlfriend of a major star. One who will date her publicly. Not like you Tsuruga who chooses to publicly flaunt a sexy vixen like Kana, rather than that dowdy maid you claim you love so much."
"I chose to protect her from my fans. Did you ever stop to think what your fans say about her? Did you ever think to stand up for her against the tabloids calling her names and claiming she doesn't deserve you?" Kuon asked.
"Kyoko isn't a damsel in distress. She doesn't need to be coddled and taken care of like a child. I don't have to protect her from tabloids."
"You're right. She's not a damsel and she doesn't need anyone to protect her. She's strong and resourceful, but friends protect each other. Friends take care of one another. From where I'm standing, she was always a friend to you, but you've never done anything for her that a friend would." Kuon said over the slight pity he had felt for the younger boy.
"You don't get to accuse me of not being her friend. I was her only friend and where were you? I was there when she was being abused and neglected by her mom. I brought her with me. I got her out of that place. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have the life she does. She never would have gotten into acting."
"Weren't you one of the people abusing and neglecting her?"
"I never hit her, and I made sure she took care of herself." Shou countered.
"You never hit her?" Kuon asked. "You never made her feel sad or told her she was worthless? You never knew the other kids picked on her? You never mocked her for crying?"
"…" Sho hung his head clenching and unclenching his fists.
"You may not have physically abused her, but you neglected her. You made her feel small. You did nothing to stop other people from causing her physical and psychological harm. You Fuwa Shou were a shitty friend to the only true friend you ever had!" Kuon seethed turning on his heel to leave before he drove his fist into Fuwa's face.
Sho shook his head. Why was he letting Tsuruga manipulate him? He wasn't some silly lovesick girl like Kyoko. He could see straight through the loving gentleman act.
"I'm owed a date Tsuruga. Hand over Kyoko or I'll call the tabloids right now and…"
"Fuwa this is a secure building. If you don't leave, I'm afraid I'll have to call security." Kuon said waiting to pull out his card to access the elevator. "I don't know how you got in but for future reference Mogami-san does not live here. Don't come around here looking for her. And in the future don't try to act big and corner me. You are bound by a contract."
He stalked over to Sho to loom over him.
Sho gave an involuntary flinch. Why did he feel like an insignificant worm when Tsuruga spoke like that? He was the Fuwa Sho, yet he was going to be thrown out? He made to push back Tsuruga wanting to get on the elevator, but the older man's aura darkened.
"Don't ever threaten her again or I will destroy you." Kuon said boarding the elevator.
"You tell her that she owes me a date." Sho said losing all his nerve as he backed away.
It had taken him an hour to get into the building. He had tried to use his name to get past the doorman. He had offered his autograph and money as a bribe, but the doorman just glared at him unmoving. The doorman had insisted there was no Mogami Kyoko living or visiting there. Finally, when all hope seemed lost, he had called a super model he'd had a fling with who lived in the building. She wasn't too thrilled to hear from him but had called the front desk to let him in on the promise of a fun night where she didn't have to talk to him. Sho sneered, she didn't have to see him at all if that was how she was going to be.
"Bye, Fuwa." Kuon shook off his annoyance as he pressed the door close button.
If Kyoko hadn't gone out with Fuwa then she might still be somewhere talking things out with Kanae. He hoped she was out with Kanae because the only other thing he could think of broke his heart. If Kyoko was in their apartment alone then she must feel lonely and sad. She could be up there calling herself names and berating herself. She could be crying all alone in the dark too afraid to reach out to him for fear that he'd reject her too.
"God damn it Kanae!" Kuon cursed. His leg shook with anxiety as the elevator seemed to take forever to move. He closed his eyes imagining himself punching Fuwa instead of calmly threatening to call security. If he concentrated hard enough, he could feel the fools jaw crack against his fist. It was almost satisfying enough to make him happy. Almost. But when the elevator doors opened, he abandoned all thoughts of murdering Sho and bolted down his hall. Fuwa was insignificant compared to Kyoko's mental state.
Taking in a deep breath he willed his hands to stop shaking so he could open the door. Nothing could have prepared him for what he found upon entering his apartment.
She was there in the kitchen wearing her Cinderella apron. The food on the stove smelled, well not bad but off somehow. Soulless maybe. The sudden greeting, she gave him was cheerless despite the bright smile plastered on her face. It didn't sound natural but at the same time it was perfectly normal. Too normal. Shouldn't she ask him why he was home early? He expected to be questioned and then scolded for pushing himself to finish work so early.
"I made dinner, if you're hungry." Her dull voice made his ears ring.
If he was hungry? If? Not, come eat before it gets cold? Not you must have skipped lunch to finish early so come eat all these vegetables.
He watched her fidget for a second seeming embarrassed by his scrutiny. Though she had expertly applied her make up to conceal it he could tell that her eyes were puffy.
"You were crying."
Her smile grew brighter, but he didn't miss the increased glossiness of her eyes or the rapid way she blinked to dispel the moisture.
"Oh, you got groceries!" she said reaching for the bags in his hands. "That's good. I won't have to go shopping tomorrow. Thank you."
"I got you a slice of cake that was needlessly expensive." He said wanting her to scold him like she always did when he wasn't frugal.
He pulled the cake out of the bag and presented it to her. She bit her lip fighting her urge to scold him. She had seen that cake on previous shopping trips. It always looked too delicious to eat and too expensive for her to justify buying.
"Thank you." She said looking down.
"Kyoko?"
"I'll eat it for dessert." She said taking it to the fridge.
"Kyoko." He said in a low soothing voice and caught her wrist.
Sometimes she hated how attentive he was. He knew her too well and could see through her no matter how good at acting she was.
"I'm fine." She lied refusing to turn around.
"I skipped lunch." He said pulling her back to his chest. "I pushed myself and my costars hard so that I could finish three hours ahead of schedule."
"You must be tired." She said not taking his bait. She wouldn't berate him. She wouldn't get into an argument or make him feel bad for not conforming to what she thought was proper professional behavior. "If you're not hungry I can pack up supper for your lunch tomorrow."
"Kyoko." He breathed hugging her tight. "You can scold me for my bad habits."
She shook her head. "I know I can be overbearing, and I don't want to annoy you."
"It doesn't annoy me." he said kissing her ear.
"Kanae doesn't like it when I jump all over her as a greeting or call her Moko-san. She hates how excited I get whenever we hang out. I think that might be why she doesn't want to talk to me anymore. I can't blame her since I'm the one being annoying." She cried. "I force my views on other people thinking that I know what's best for them. It isn't fair of me to do when I am barely a professional myself."
Kuon hugged her tighter and she allowed herself to melt into his warmth. Silent tears fell down her face and she turned in his arms to burrow into his chest.
"Shh. Shh princess." He soothed then whispered sweet nonsense into her ear as he rubbed up and down her back in circles.
"I…hiccup… I'm…" she mumbled something against his chest that he couldn't understand. He doubted it was anything significant or even true. Probably self-deprecating nonsense.
A couple hours later her eyes ached, and her throat and chest throbbed from the sobs that had been racking through her body. She noted vaguely that they were laying in their bed, and she had been changed into one of his shirts. He had her wrapped in her favorite fluffy blanket and cradled her in his arms. She looked up and smiled at his tear-streaked face. Her eyes drooped as he kissed her head flashing her a worried smile.
"Thank you Kuon. I feel a lot better now." She said drowsily snuggling closer to him. "I love you."
"Any time princess. I love you too."
Her eyes closed and she let herself fall into a deep sleep comforted by the thought that he would always be hers. With her sobs reverberating in his ears, he caressed her cheek and sighed. Then he carefully extricated himself from her arms replacing the space with her large dog plushy. He kissed her temple and went to clean up the kitchen.
As he cleaned her heart wrenching sobs echoed in his mind. His thoughts stirred and his anger festered. Whatever Kanae's problem was, she could have at the very least answered the phone. She could have sent a text or left a note. He couldn't think of anything that could be so bad as to ruin their friendship. Even if Kanae was icy sometimes he knew she loved Kyoko. Why was she being so stupid and cruel? He passed the key hooks on the wall and stopped. Kyoko's keys innocently hung from one crown topped hook. He took them and held up the key for the apartment she officially shared with Chiori and Kanae.
That was how he found himself entering their apartment so late at night with Kyoko's despondent words of how she must have annoyed Kanae in his head. Really what did Kanae think was going to happen? She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't permit anyone to hurt Kyoko. She spent the most time with him after Kyoko and Yashiro. It should not have come as a surprise to her that he would be in her apartment after she had spent all day ignoring Kyoko. He didn't know why she would be so upset. This should have been expected. Afterall, she would be the one coming to yell at him were their roles reversed.
"Get out Tsuruga before I call security." Kanae threatened as she slipped out of her shoes.
"You broke her heart." Kuon said in a low menacing tone. "We deserve to at least know why."
"We?" Kanae asked rolling her eyes. "Right because the two of you are so close, you're practically the same person."
Kanae didn't know why it pissed her off so much other than to say that Kyoko was her friend. It hurt to know that the person she told all her secrets to, had been keeping secrets for some stupid boy.
"Is this some jealousy thing because that's dumb." Kuon said fixing Kanae with a glare. "Kyoko and I are close but you're still her best friend. Call her and she'll forgive you. Then the two of you can go out for ice cream or something. Maybe Sarah-san will take you shopping again."
"Really Tsuruga, does Kyoko have your permission to go out? Oh, I suppose since we'd be with your mother that makes it ok."
"Kyoko doesn't need my per…mission… what did you say?"
"Oh, yeah I know all about Sarah-san or should I say Jul…mmphhff." Kanae was cut off by his large hand and his glowering face was suddenly uncomfortably close to hers. She supposed most women would swoon from his proximity, but she was filled with fear and dread. His eyes were those of a murderer.
"You broke her heart over that?" He seethed low and deathly. "That is even stupider than being jealous. In the first place it's none of your business. Second you should have just asked me. Instead, you ruined the one true friendship you had. Who will stand by your side on this? No one. Maybe Hio-san. Though he's her friend too. Eventually even he'll see that you don't deserve her. It should be you crying alone."
Kanae swallowed hard. She had thought for sure that Kyoko had run straight to him. Why would Kyoko cry alone when she had him wrapped around her finger? In fact, Kanae had assumed that Kyoko had sent her guard dog here to defend her.
"She was afraid that she could drive me away too. Because if you found her annoying enough to leave her than she thought that I could too. You have no idea how much influence you have over her."
He backed off just as abruptly as he had encroached on her space.
"Good evening Amamiya-san." He greeted the petite woman who finally opened her bedroom door fully.
"What are you two doing?" Chiori asked crossing her arms.
"Hey Chiori-chan." Kanae said forcing air back into her lungs. She didn't care what Kyoko said, he was scary.
"What. Are. You. Two. Doing?" Chiori asked again and Kanae couldn't help herself she laughed. Kyoko was surrounded by guard dogs.
"Don't laugh. Why are you two here, alone together and looking so intimate?"
Kuon motioned towards Chiori and said, "I told you. You'd have no one without her. When I first started dating her, I made the mistake of keeping secrets. So just some words of advice from someone who almost lost her once; don't you ever make her cry again!"
Chiori cocked her head curiously. "Tsuruga-san?"
"I'm sorry Amamiya-san, for disturbing your rest. Kotonami-san, I hope we'll be friends again tomorrow. If you don't call her by lunch time, you will need permission to ever speak to her again." He said in a way that gave Kanae chills. It was as if he had threatened to kill her. "Good evening Amamiya-san." He bowed to a still baffled Chiori before leaving.
"What was that about?" Chiori asked.
"He said we were friends." Kanae mumbled finally hearing everything he had said. She didn't know why but it had made her happy. He didn't even seem to care that she learned his secret and he hadn't threatened her to keep it secret. Like he trusted her enough to just keep it. "I have to call Kyoko in the morning." She knew that he would keep the promise of cutting her ties off from her best friend. She couldn't let that happen and she couldn't live with herself knowing she had made Kyoko cry. "And buy her breakfast from her favorite bakery. And agree to let her practice doing my make up."
"Why? What has you feeling so guilty?" Chiori asked following Kanae to her bedroom. "Oh my god! Do you have a crush on Ren-san? You poor thing. Is that why he looked like he was about to murder you? Did you try to flirt with him?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Yuck!"
"Well, I know he would never cheat. He's too obsessed with her. Of course I never took you for a home wrecker but it's more believable than him coming here for a secret tryst. He's not that dumb."
"And I am?" Kanae burst out annoyed.
Chiori shrugged and Kanae scowled. That was something they had all been picking up from Kyoko and ultimately, she had gotten it from Kuon.
"Kijima was right those two are the mom and dad of our group. We all unconsciously follow their lead." Kanae grumbled pulling her phone out and nervously typing up an apology then deleting it. "What the hell am I supposed to say to her?"
"You could start with I'm sorry." Chiori supplied. "If it's Kyoko you're talking about that's all she'll need. Since she loves you. I mean she forgave me and I, well we're talking about you right now." She looked behind herself afraid Tsuruga might still be around. There was no need to remind him of her past transgressions.
A/N: I wish I knew what I did but I can't figure it out. This chapter was much different with more Kuon and Kanae fighting but I did something and all the chapters I had been working on are gone. On Tuesday my computer reset to 3am Friday and I don't know how or why. So I spent Wednesday staring at the screen crying then I wrote this chapter. I kind of like some parts and other parts I feel very meh about. I just don't know how to rewrite the argument I had. I also don't know if it was as good as I think it was or if I'm just choosing to remember it as good because it's gone now.
