AN: Because this is mostly about Kyoko's interaction as a solo, it is very heavily copied but there are some differences here and there will definitely be some more in the next chapter. Hope you enjoy 😊

Act Fifteen: Up The Hill

Corn had seemed a little distant before. He had seemed to be thinking about his own work and Kyoko was scared to talk to him about her new assignment especially since he didn't seem to really believe that she could have met another member of a royal family. So when he had left the next morning and had only left her with a note reminding her to be safe and have a good day, she figured she would fill him in on the details later on.

She had wanted to phone him, ask him what time he would be back but he had hinted that it might be an overnight affair. Kyoko paused. She wasn't doing a multiday trip, right? No. They wouldn't do that to her without telling her.

Kyoko took a look out the window as they started to drive over the bridge. She could hear Ruriko speaking.

"To be honest, I didn't even want to shoot a movie. Moreover, the shooting has to be done outdoors. If I'm exposed to the sun for prolonged periods, that simply is asking for my life." Ruriko sighed melodramatically and she chanced to look behind her at the singer. She was a well-known idol and had performed with Shotaro on a few occasions but Kyoko wasn't going to bring that up now.

She was dressed in black, all covered, and Kyoko wondered why she would be dressed that way when black got the hottest under the sun. She sighed before thinking about the words that Ruriko was telling her. Ruriko was a princess and so she must have been raised in a very isolated environment. Maybe she was from someplace where people would make sure that there was no dirt or dust and so the exposure to the outside world had hurt her. It was the king and queen who were responsible for bringing her up this way.

"It can't be Ruriko-chan, you are allergic to the sunlight?" Kyoko asked as she feared that this was asking too much of the princess. Ruriko knew of a way of life that Kyoko had only experienced in her dreams.

Kyoko paused and tilted her head to the side but Ruriko was completely asleep. It must be that she had some delicate nature because Kyoko wished that she could have fallen asleep that quickly at times. Ruriko-chan had to live a hard life which Corn probably had to endure as well but Corn's body had never been weak whereas Ruriko's did. That must be the difference between fairy princes and real life princesses or at least honored members of society. Ruriko did seem more of a high-class girl than an actual princess.

"Right," the manager said and Kyoko turned to look at her. She was a shy looking woman with large round glasses. She was one of those introverted stereotypes and Kyoko wondered why she wanted to work in show business since she seemed so anxious. No, making those types of claims weren't very loving of her and the president wouldn't have liked that. Kyoko nodded and listened to the manager again. "It's hard on her. Once she's exposed to sunlight, her body will feel very uncomfortable. She normally can't go out often, it's really hard."

Kyoko's eyes widened. So even if princess was seeming to be less and less of what Ruriko was, she did seem to be a high-society lady and that type of social princess. She was like those women who had the gorgeous looks but were always cursed by real life never to be completely safe within it. She was one of those good people whose purity and innocence were her best traits.

"Therefore, Mogami-san," the manager said as she turned to Kyoko again, "Ruriko-chan hopes that you can protect her, so that she can avoid the sun for as long as possible."

Kyoko nodded. She had always wanted to be cast in a fairytale and whereas the role of the princess already seemed to have been taken, she could do the role of a knight or a lady in waiting or something that showcased her protective talents. She wanted to see the beautiful life that Ruriko left and she wanted to please her.

"Please," Kyoko said passionately, "Please let me take on this job!"

Kyoko felt the drama in her body flare up but she wanted to be part of this fairytale if only so she could talk about it for the rest of her life. She was on a natural high when she heard something slam and the car seemed to move unnaturally until it stopped. Kyoko looked around trying to figure out what was happening and then it was announced to her.

The car had broken down.

…..

…..

Kyoko was a little excited about what she had heard before when they were at the base of their climb. This was a project that Corn was working on. She'd be able to watch Corn work. That had been her motivation to continue and it was good that it had come when it did. They were almost near the top of the climb and due to her maidenly weakness, Kyoko had offered to give Ruriko and her heavy black umbrella a ride to the top.

Kyoko froze. She felt her legs giving out on her but she didn't want to lose yet, she had to bring Ruriko to the top of the hill and then she would be able to perform across from Ren. Kyoko froze. What if Ruriko would want more than to act with Ren, would she want to manipulate him or worse, would she try to buy him. If she found out that he wasn't actually a human but a fairy, would she send out fairy hunters to go and catch them.

No. Ren was a successful actor, this was all about business.

Kyoko froze as her foot made contact with some slippery grass and she crashed, falling down onto her back in the middle of the road. She tried to get up but her body wouldn't let her. It was as if her foot was on fire, as if she had lived through a volcanic eruption or had a rabid dog try to tear her foot from her leg. She had to hold back her tears and do her job properly though.

Kyoko could hear Ruriko leaving, telling her that she'd ask for help at the shoot location but before Kyoko could truly be heard, she had left.

Kyoko froze, she looked ahead of her where it looked significantly cooler but as the sun came out and beat down on her worn out body, she felt that the elements were going to kill her. She didn't feel good enough to stand up especially with the pain in her foot but maybe she could crawl. Crawling wasn't going to look elegant but sometimes you have to pick survival over beauty no matter what that dumbass Shotaro might say.

The woods would give her some escape, less exposure to the sun. It was as if it was an oasis of trees where she could rest. She was always alone. Her mother had left her. Shotaro had used her. Only Corn had come back to see her and she was so grateful for him. He wouldn't cheat her or manipulate her and she wanted to protect him. What protection was she on the ground this time?

She tried to inch her way towards it before a rustle and the sound of leaves. She felt a hand on her shoulder and then the familiar shoe as she looked up at him. He really did look like a modern day god, like one of the younger ones in the pantheon.

"It seems that I've found you, Kyoko," he told her before looking her over very concerned. Something didn't seem normal here and he hadn't heard from her that she had been coming. She wasn't trying to trick him again was she?

"Lying over here," he hummed looking a little bit amused before squatting down in front of her. "Are you taking a break or can't you move?" Honestly, with the crazy things that Kyoko had done in the past, she could just by taking a break in a strange position but he doubted it. Still, to tell her she was hurt might sound like an accusation and he was attempting to use less critical tones when it came to her.

"Di-Did Ruriko-chan tell you and so you came here?" Kyoko asked and she saw Ren's confusion.

"I haven't spoken to Ruriko-san, has she arrived?" he asked her and Kyoko stared at him not really understanding what he was talking about. "Wait, is she the princess that you're talking about? I'm sorry, she's a trickster who thinks too much of herself. She's not a princess, not that I want to disappoint you," he said and Kyoko looked at him. She tried to get up but instead she just moved from side to side as if a turtle lying on its back.

Ren sighed and took a look at his phone, "She's made it to the site, that's what my manager is telling me but it doesn't look like you can get up," he told her and Kyoko nodded nervously. He wasn't going to tell her off was he? Ren got down next to her before taking her leg in his hand and Kyoko felt an unbearable pain throughout her entire body.

"Let me take a look," he said as he turned it and Kyoko was blaming herself for letting a fairy try to examine it. Corn wasn't intending to do her any harm but there must be a huge difference between the way that male fairies were and human women and he didn't have human medical knowledge. Fairies had to have good upper arm strength because they flew, they probably didn't use their feet because of their wings. Did Ren even feel things in his feet or were they just there for him to stand up on?

"She looks like she's in great pain," one of the crew members commented and Kyoko really felt that they were being idiotic. She would only squirm on the ground like this if it hurt her. She noticed that Corn was trying to hold her food more gently and he sighed.

"Of course it hurts, I think she fractured her bone. Let's bring her up first," Ren said as he lifted Kyoko up into his arms as if she was a little kid. Kyoko looked at him in shock before realizing that she wanted to remember how this felt. His arms were so strong and she wanted to bury her face into his chest. She wanted to be more than a friend to him but she had to respect the limits of fairy kind. "We can't do anything by staying here."

Kyoko looked up into his eyes and she pushed her head into his chest, he gently sniffed her forehead and she looked at him. Corn might not have ever felt love before and he wasn't projecting it right. That was the way that princes looked at princesses, Corn must not be used to concern for his friends…that sounded tragic. She needed to try to keep a good relationship with him despite not feeling the agony from her food too much.

"Bear with this for a while," he told her and Kyoko wasn't sure how to react.

This felt amazing to her, to be given such treatment by Corn but Ren hadn't wanted to go public with the fact that she was his childhood friend. This wasn't going by the professional limits and borders that they had talked about? How was she going to react to him when they got to the location.

End of Act 15

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you reviewers of Act Fourteen

Dreamerkins, Guest, H-Nala, Kaname671, Kris XD, MWEH, Paulagato

Author Response

Kyoko is definitely going to be inspired by Ren and the acting and it's going to lead it in a different path. I am going to include the training school later but not in order so I'm skipping the part with the switched lines for now. I agree that they should have given her more instruction on what to do with the corridor but I felt they were telling her to ask and not do things on her own (get wet floor signs for instance) which leaves them open to lawsuits. I might have accidentally given Ruriko the wrong title because I've been sick/working/studying. I've read the manga a lot of times and have a lot of fanfics on here so when it's an error like that it's because I'm exhausted and kind of pushing the chapter out rather than that I actually didn't know that.

As for the question about Bo

I said in an earlier chapter that the issue of Corn not really being a fairy comes up in the equivalent to Act 21. Bo and Ren meet in the manga in Act 21. SPOILER FOR FANFIC Ren is going to tell Bo that he is not a fairy.