"There is still some confusion as to why the two were fighting. Some witnesses claim Fuwa-san had merely been coming out of the bathroom when Koga-san attacked him. Others have reported that Fuwa-san was the aggressor with many claiming he had drunkenly damaged club property. Reports say that Tsuruga-san paid for the damag…"

Kyoko sighed and shut off the TV.

"Good morning sweetheart. I was watching that." Kana said as she got up from the couch and followed Kyoko into the kitchen. "I made breakfast." It still felt awkward being at their place so early. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was intruding on their time together.

"Thank you." Kyoko said softly.

Kana nodded her head knowing that Kyoko would have insisted on cooking for her. Not that she wouldn't love anything Kyoko made for her. She simply didn't want the girl to have to go to the trouble of feeding her.

"Are you upset about last night?" Kana asked glancing back in the direction of the TV. Kyoko shook her head no, as she served herself. "Tsuruga-san seemed a little…" she searched for a word to explain the less than gentlemanly expression that had been on Ren's face. "Off." Was all she could come up with though that didn't quite describe his bleak aura.

"Oh." Kyoko said keeping a blank expression. Kana could have sworn she saw a blush, but it was gone in the blink of an eye.

Kyoko tilted her head from side to side thinking for a moment before she admitted, "So he was probably irritated because he knew he wouldn't be able to have his morning fun. Because you're here."

"Oh?" Kana said confused for a moment. Then feeling like an idiot, she grimaced apologetically and said, "Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine." Kyoko said despite wanting to crawl into a hole and die having to admit to Kana that she'd been having sex. Not that Kana didn't already know she had sex. Kyoko closed her eyes and screwed up her face realizing that yes Kana did in fact know that she and Kuon had sex.

"Do you really do it every morning?" Kana asked suddenly in the mood to gossip about each other's sex lives.

"NO!" Kyoko said then she deflated and with a nod admitted, "We can't seem to stop and I'm starting to worry that it's an addiction at this point."

Kana smiled saying, "It's good you two get along so well. We should have a girl's night and you can tell Chiori-san, Kotonami-san, and I all about it."

"No, that's too embarrassing." Kyoko said shaking her head so violently she saw stars. "I can't tell you about all the wanton things we do. Or how I let him talk me into doing them at the club. It wasn't even talking actually. All he did was kiss me and I melted."

"Sounds hot." Kana teased. "What have you done so far? Is it all just missionary or does he let you take the lead?"

"Take the lead?" Kyoko asked.

"You know having sex with you on top. Cowgirl. Reverse cowgirl. Riding his face," she caught Kyoko's blush at that one and said, "Bingo. Good boy Tsuruga-san."

"No! No! He tried to get me to do that, sitting on top of him but I refused." Kyoko said slapping her hands on her face.

"Why?" Kana asked cocking her head at the strange girl.

"Why! Why!" Kyoko covered her mouth and peaked around the corner to make sure Kuon hadn't come running out to check on her. Satisfied that he was still out of hearing range she turned back to Kana and whispered. "Because it's embarrassing. He wants me to sit in his lap and move my hips. He wants my butt in his face. It's weird and what if I mess up. Not to mention gross bodily functions could occur. Then he'll be grossed out by me. He'll finally realize that I am disgusting and no good and the least sexy woman on the planet…"

"Ok. Ok, Kyoko, stop." Kana said taking the serving spoon from Kyoko's hands before she could snap it in half. "Why don't you have a seat." She said pushing Kyoko to the dining table. "We can make a plan to meet up later and have a talk about this particular problem." Under her breath she added, "I'm sure that will make Tsuruga-san happy too."

"What problem is that?" Kuon asked coming out of the bedroom fully dressed.

"Nothing. Nothing. Just talk between us girls. No boys allowed." Kana said.

Kuon rolled his eyes and walked over to kiss Kyoko on the cheek. In her ear he asked if she was ok, and she nodded to him.

"What's up? Why did Koga-san attack Fuwa-san?" Kana asked as she brought them both a plate.

"You can't guess?" Kuon asked in reply. "Thank you."

"Did you really have to pay for damaged property?" Kyoko asked looking up at him with a pout.

"I didn't have to. It seems Fuwa had some sort of fit in one of the private rooms. Maybe it was a lover's quarrel. We saw him head back with some girl then he came out looking pissed."

"Oh. I'll tell him he has to pay you back." Kyoko said annoyed at Shotaro for not already offering to repay Kuon.

"No, leave it alone. That boy has enough issues, and I don't think he could take anymore abuse from you guys." Kuon was half teasing though he had to admit he liked seeing Sho with a couple bruises.

Remembering her injury Kuon took Kyoko's hand and brought her bruised wrist to his lips. "I should break his hand for this." He said rubbing her bruises tenderly.

"It doesn't hurt." Kyoko said.

"What the hell!" Kana questioned having not noticed the marks on Kyoko's arms. "Fuwa did that?"

"I'm fine."

"Fine my ass. That boy needs to be a taught a lesson once and for all." Kana growled.

"Kana-san please eat your food." Kyoko said motioning for Kana to take a seat. "Please don't worry about Shotaro. I am more than capable of handling him."

"But…"

"Kana-san, you're never going to win. She won't let you hurt the boy." Kuon said and Kyoko eyed him. "For Yayoi-san's sake I won't let you hurt him either. The Fuwa happen to like me, and they depend on me to look out for both their children."

"Wait what? What are you talking about both their children? Does Fuwa-san have a sibling?" Kana asked confused.

"No, Ren just prefers to think of it that way because the truth is far less pleasant." Kyoko said to an increasingly bewildered Kana. "Fine I'll tell you."

Kyoko spent the rest of breakfast explaining to Kana about how Seana had abandoned her and the Fuwa had raised her to be Sho's wife.

"Gross that's grooming!" Kana interjected but Kyoko shook her head.

"Let me finish." Kyoko said as they walked down to the car.

She told her about running away to Tokyo and working three sometimes four jobs to support Sho. Kana listened intently as Kyoko described what it was like listening to Sho talk about her to Shoko. Kyoko glossed over the grudges not wanting Kana to think she was strange, but she told her all about her revenge plot and how she had met Ren. She explained how Sho kept popping up to harass her and how slowly she had gotten over her need for revenge while simultaneously falling in love with Ren.

"And after everything he did, he still thinks he has a chance with you?" Kana asked as they arrived at the set of the Good Morning Japan. "He stole your first kiss."

"No, that wasn't a kiss. I told you, the time in Guam while we were playing the Heel siblings was my first kiss." Kyoko insisted and Kana shook her head at her.

"Yes, ok, but he still assaulted you." Kana said. "How can he even think that he has a chance after that?"

"Not you too." Kyoko said. "Fuwachi is not in love with me. This is all just his idea of a joke or a game. He does it all the time."

"Kyoko," Kana sighed shaking her head thinking Kyoko was hopeless.

Kana stayed in their waiting room as Kyoko and Kuon joined Sho and the hosts, Emi and Daiki on stage.

Kyoko sat nervously sandwiched between Kuon and Sho on the uncomfortable morning talk show couch.

"Oh! Darling is based on the number one selling book of the same name and will start airing next week." The male host Daiki said. "Kyoko-chan you're so young. I'm looking at you here and you're really just a kid. Then I look at the poster and I'm blown away by how much older you look."

"Thank you," Kyoko said with a bow of her head.

"Tell us how you prepared for such intense roles. Did you read the book?"

"I did, yes." Kyoko said. "It was a beautifully written book about the secrets people keep and the lengths they'll go to in order to keep them."

"Your characters secret being her domestic abuse situation?" Emi asked.

"Yes, our characters are embroiled in this messy relationship and the audience sees that there is something wrong from the very first scene of them together." Kuon replied.

"And were you nervous about filming the more violent scenes?" Daiki asked.

"At first I was but having worked with Tsuruga-san before I knew that I wouldn't be in any danger."

"So, there was already that trust there?" Emi the female host asked.

"Yes, Tsuruga-san was really patient with me and helped me through the scenes."

"Don't give me all the credit." Kuon protested. "Kyoko-chan is an amazing actress and helped me get through some of the more emotionally draining scenes."

"Did the two of you do anything special to get through those scenes? The book gets pretty graphic, and I couldn't imagine what it must be like to film." Emi said sympathetically.

"There was a lot of asking each other if we were alright." Kuon said. "You know we checked in with one another and director Anna checked in with us as well. There were some nights when we would get done filming and we would go out to karaoke with Chiori-chan and Murasame-kun."

"It was like watching a fairytale movie after watching a horror film. We had to calm ourselves down and remind ourselves that though these horrible things do happen, they weren't happening to us." Kyoko added.

"Then you had a good support system on set?" Daiki asked and they both nodded. "What about you Fuwa-san, was it difficult to watch Kyoko-chan being treated in such a way?"

Kyoko stiffened for a second but forced features to remain serene. She had been hoping to avoid any topic that could lead to talking about them being a couple.

"It wasn't the most fun experience, but I knew that she wasn't in any imminent danger. Ren-kun is a gentle giant and always very professional." Sho said sounding surprisingly mature. "He even cried a couple times when he thought he might have hurt her."

"You cried?" Emi asked folding her hands together.

If Sho thought the comment would hurt Ren's reputation, he was sorely mistaken. Kuon blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"I may have shed a tear or two. She's so much smaller than I am that I was genuinely scared I had hurt her a few times."

"Me too!" Kyoko chimed. "There were a couple times when I thought I had hurt Tsuruga-san. Since the domestic abuse between the characters can sometimes go both ways, you know. There were a couple scenes where they would have me slap him and at first it would be a fake slap but then Tsuruga-san would whisper, hit me, and I wouldn't." Daiki and Emi giggled. "Then we would reshoot the scene again and again, and each time after the take he would tell me to hit him. I guess I wasn't very good at fake hitting."

"No, it wasn't that. I just thought it would look better if you really made contact with my face."

"Did you hit him?" Daiki asked.

"No, I would touch my hand to his face, but I didn't put any force behind it. Although there were a couple times when I actually tripped him."

"You tripped him!" Emi asked.

"Yes, she did." Kuon said proudly.

"He said that he could land in a way that wouldn't hurt and he did. More often than not he would roll back into a standing position, and we'd have to reshoot the scene."

"It's instinct." Kuon said.

"What about Sho-chan? Did you do any stunts?" Emi asked.

"My character doesn't really have any action scenes. His story revolves around his father's company." Sho said earning a nudge from Kyoko. In the book Kenji had fight scenes with Satoshi and Haruki but Akatoki requested that those scenes not be part of the drama. They had to protect Sho's precious face.

"Oh!" Daiki said with some surprise having read the book. He had been a host long enough to know however that he couldn't push the subject. "Well, I heard that the three of you would also be singing for the soundtrack. Kyoko-chan will you really be writing a song for the drama?"

"Yes, I've written two songs." Kyoko said.
"We spent a lot of time writing together. My darling even helped me with a couple songs for my upcoming album." Sho said settling his hand on Kyoko's knee. "She's really quite good at writing."

Kyoko's skin itched where he touched her. The fabric of her slacks wasn't thick enough to keep the warmth from his hand from giving her unpleasant chills. If she pushed his hand off his fans would bash her online. She wouldn't care but she knew her friends would make a fuss and fight with them.

"She really is." Kuon said then casually dropped his arm around her shoulder pulling her into a side hug effectively forcing Sho to drop his hand. "I'm so proud of my little kohai." He mussed her hair and lifted his arm from her resting it on the couch behind her.

"You sing as well correct Tsuruga-kun?" Daiki asked wondering what the odd tension he could feel was.

"Yes, very poorly." Kuon joked. The hosts and Kyoko laughed in a friendly manner, but Sho gave a derisive chuckle.

"That's an understatement." Sho said, "But Satoshi isn't meant to be a good singer." He finished in a joking manner as though he didn't mean anything by the comment.

"Well, we can't all be amazing singers and actors like Kyoko-chan." Kuon said, "Some of us have to settle for only being talented in one area."

Looking to Kyoko for help the hosts scrambled for a different subject. It was clear to them that if they didn't move on the two men could start a brawl on stage.

"Tsuruga-san will lend his voice to one song, a duet with Sayuri for a very specific scene." Kyoko said sensing that they needed to move along as well.

"I think I know the scene." Emi gushed her copy of the book in hand. "Tell me Kyoko-chan aside from the physical aspect was it difficult to get into the role?"

"It was." Kyoko nodded and tried not to look at Sho as she explained. "Sayuri is in this relationship with a man who has a lot of insecurities which manifest as a need for control and when he feels he is losing control he lashes out at her. Tsuruga-san plays Satoshi in a very emotionally vulnerable way. It isn't as simple as he's a bad man and a bad husband. He can actually be a very good husband and he is fiercely protective of her and their children. You know but he constantly needs her to prove her love for him. She gives up a lot and does things to make him feel loved and wanted, and it's never enough."

"It sort of snow balls. The more she gives the more he takes." Kuon added and Kyoko nodded.

"Yes, and it was very hard to be in that state of mind. To keep proving my love for this person and have him punish me for it." Kyoko said before she shut her mouth thinking she had said too much.

"You've never experienced that in real life I hope." Emi said.

Kyoko hesitated a beat before collecting herself and saying, "no," with a breathy giggle. "Never."

"It helped that we are friends." Kuon said. "You know we could sit and talk through the scenes before and after. Director Anna was amazing as well. He would take us aside and help us get through emotional blocks."

"That's good. I've heard he's a strict director but that he's also fair." Daiki said. "Now, we have a clip to show, don't we? Tell us about this scene."

"This is the scene in the café." Sho said. "It's where Kenji runs into Satoshi and Sayuri and their just having coffee, but he notices something off about them."

Sho sulked as the scene played on the large screen. He hadn't liked what she had said about needing to constantly prove her love to someone then being punished for it. That couldn't have been him she was referring to, so it had to be Tsuruga. What had she given up in order to prove to the ogre that she loved him?

Kyoko was worried that Sho was mostly quiet for the remainder of the interview. The audience would surely notice and blame her for it. His fans could stir up trouble for Oh! Darling and she didn't want that. They had to think that she was a good girlfriend to him, or they might spread weird rumors. Going against all her instincts of self-preservation she leaned into him and whispered, are you alright? A jolt rushed through Sho, and he placed his arm around her shoulder.

"Perfect." He said with a grin.

"Do you think the two of you will ever work on another soundtrack together?" Daiki asked noting how stiff Kyoko looked beside him. "Perhaps Kyoko-chan will be in another PV."

"Yes, I think my manager has already contacted hers about appearing in my next PV. I'd love to have her in the studio with me again. We work well together. Her voice really compliments mine." Sho said not realizing how uncomfortable Kyoko was as he pulled her closer. The audience awed at them thinking they were being a cute couple.

"What about Tsuruga-san?" Emi asked.

"Well, he'll be in the PV for the song I wrote for the soundtrack. As scenes from Oh! Darling will be used." Sho said rubbing his thumb on Kyoko's arm as he hugged her close.

She had to swallow the bile in her throat. What the hell was Sho thinking? This was way too much touching. She had never given him permission to touch her.

The interview finished with another announcement for when Oh! Darling would air. They said their goodbyes to the hosts as Kyoko counted the seconds to freedom. She wanted to run home and take a scalding shower. She had to settle for being ushered off stage by Sho who was set on milking the act for all it was worth. He stopped to thank multiple stagehands for their work on the way to the waiting room. If they were in front of people, then she couldn't shove him away. If she, did it would create a scene and people would gossip. Knowing this she let him keep her in his grasp even as Kuon was forced to walk ahead of them.

"Shoko-san, we have time for a short date now, don't we?" Sho asked squeezing Kyoko's shoulder almost painfully.

"I can't right now." Kyoko said looking around them to see if anyone was watching.

"You still owe me a date." Sho reminded her increasing his hold on her.

"Ow!" she said, and Shoko stepped forward.

"I just spoke with Yashiro-san and Kyoko-chan has another interview to get to. We have rescheduled your missed date already, Sho. You also have somewhere you need to be." Shoko said taking his hand and removing it from Kyoko. "Say your goodbyes."

"Goodbye." Kyoko said hurriedly and ducked away as Sho tried to lean down to kiss her cheek.

"Shoko," Sho growled at his manager. "You're supposed to be helping me save her from that brute."

"From where I'm standing the only thing, she needs saving from is the mess you've created for her." Shoko said holding up her phone for him to read the hateful things being written about Kyoko.

Sho rolled his eyes. "Whatever. She's used to things like that. Kyoko doesn't scare easy. She's not a helpless victim."

"Sho." Shoko sighed wishing she could get through to him. "Come on we have some damage control to do. You have a radio show next where you're going to explain your side of what happened last night. Kijima-san and Koga-san have been busy talking up Tsuruga and smearing your name."

"Like I care what they think." Sho said turning away from her intending to chase after Kyoko.

"What they think is that you are a terrible boyfriend for Kyoko, and they aren't afraid of telling their fans that. If you let them control the narrative their fans will be sending you hate until you agree to break up with her." Shoko said and Sho grimaced backpedaling.

"Alright we'll go do the radio show. What do you want me to say?" he asked holding his hand out for the notes he was sure she had already prepared. He could act the part of an all-around good guy better than those two. He'd steal their fans and have them demanding that Kyoko marry him.

A/N: I wasn't going to post this because I keep thinking I can write it better. I also thought I had already posted a chapter with an interview but I reread the entire story three times and couldn't find the chapter I thought I'd written. Must have been a scene I wrote and never put in the chapter. I dunno, let me know if you remember reading a similar chapter.