AN: Not a very creative chapter but I think I put some good stuff in there too 😊
Act 84 – Those Brats
Kyoko paled as Kimagure Rock continued to film. She believed that she was completely disguised as Bo but for some reason the brat was glaring at her. He was still being talked to by the Bridge Rock members but his attention seemed to be placed on the rooster as if asking what the hell she was doing there. Kyoko just tried to keep calm so that she didn't get discovered. Being Bo wasn't her favorite thing but the kid shouldn't harbor negative feelings towards her.
"Wow," Hikaru said with his usual blend of energy, "If you go home, there will be Nabatame-san, it's amazing." He grinned trying to keep Hiou excited. Kyoko had seen how the three guys had grown with the show and how they were able to read the body language of their guests, they also each had their own personality type and Hikaru most definitely was the leader. He was also the most playful and optimistic of the members.
Hiou frowned though, he bowed his head as if avoiding the cameras and Kyoko couldn't help but study him hoping that she would be able to get him to open up about what might be happening with Moko.
"Not really," Hiou said in a quiet manner, "Even if I go home, my parents are hardly home. So it's really not a big deal." Kyoko paused. Could that be a part of what was upsetting him? Was it because Moko had multiple fathers and they spoiled her that he was acting like this. No. Kyoko wasn't even sure what was going on with those older men especially since it didn't seem to be Moko that they were treating and Kyoko didn't want to think about certain things that would make her head spin round in circles.
"So it's like that," Hikaru said uneasily. He laughed awkwardly as he struggled to keep the interview on the positive note, "You're right," he said. Kyoko had a feeling it would be okay though, Hikaru always had a sort of ease about getting onto the next question and making sure to patch up the show just like when Shotaro had been on the show. "By…by the way, I've been wondering, Hiou-kun, why is your head bandaged?"
Kyoko paused. No. He couldn't be asking a question like that. If Hiou was the kind of brat that she believed that he was then he would shame Moko on television and her career would be over before she knew it. Her name would be said with a bitter and unpleasant tone. This was her dream. Kyoko couldn't let her treasured friend lose out on her dream.
"This was caused when we were shooting a drama by that lowly actress Koto -" Hiou said and Kyoko purposefully threw the tray she was carrying on the ground creating a huge diversion that made Hiou jump and stop speaking. Maybe she would be called a wild rooster again but even if she lost this job and was banned from the TV studio like they had told her in the past, Moko would still be able to live freely and work towards that dream she had had since she was a child.
"What are you doing, Bo?" Hikaru said with a light and playful slap to Bo as if acting like he was some kind of pet. It didn't annoy Kyoko though. She had a great deal of respect for the hosts but what did worry her was that this brat had the arrogance and pride to actually go ahead and destroy something so precious. This kid was going to say her name but not only her first name, her full name. He could use her initials or just not give a name but he was bold enough and rude enough to actually scar her. Kyoko might not be her number one person but she still had to protect her. She wanted Kanae as a precious friend. She needed to protect her with everything she had inside of her.
…
…
Kyoko had tried her hardest during the program to really make sure that Kanae's name wasn't heard on TV. She knew that the more she attempted to stop Hiou, the more there came the possibility that her own name would become muddied and dirty but it didn't matter to her as long as Moko could live in her own beautiful world. Kyoko would climb out of the dirt to protect Moko's dream. She didn't want to let Hiou say anything that would negatively influence Moko's future.
As the show was at the half-way point, Kyoko felt herself exhausted. Not only was she supposed to do her role as the mascot but she was trying to protect Moko as well. She saw everyone trying to get ready for the next segment and heard a voice behind her. "Oy! You!" Hiou said as he pointed to her and she turned around to see his angry face along with his young manager who was looking a little nervous about this. Of course she was, this boy was twisted.
"You're probably Kotonami's friend, the one I met earlier, aren't you?" he asked and Kyoko looked at him. So he did know who she was. He probably had more information than she knew he did, either that or he was very perceptive of the goings on around him. Of course, Ren had said that he observed numerous things but then even when she had met him as a small boy, Corn had been impossibly smart.
Kyoko tried to make some cute movements that a mascot could make to show that she didn't know what he was talking about but somehow that made him even more angry. He looked at her bitterly and she continued to dance around like a cute rooster. "Don't play dumb! Stupid pink witch!" he yelled at her.
"When I start talking about Kotonami Kanae, you interfere! The only person that knew that I hate her besides the ones related to the drama is you!" Hiou announced and Kyoko looked at him. He thought he was able to throw her name around here as well? Didn't he know the meaning of friendship? Didn't he even have one friend in his life who he cared about, one person. Yes, Kyoko's mother had not wanted anything to do with her but Kyoko was imagining that Hiou's family must be like the ones that Ren had, they were too busy for him and made him feel alone. It was a sad reality for a child to face but it didn't mean that the parents didn't give a crap about the kid.
Kyoko knew at that point that Hiou was probably more like Corn than she had wanted to admit. Corn always knew so much more than his years and though this boy was younger, he was just like Corn apart from he didn't have the attractiveness of Corn and he probably couldn't do the tricks and athletic skills that Kuon could. Kyoko blushed inside the suit but as she came back to reality, she felt more anger towards the brat. How could she be comparing him to Corn? Hopefully Ren would never find out about that.
Hiou faced her with a dark look and defiant stance, "I've decided now that I know it's you, I'm going to bucchi you," he said with the look of a villain and Kyoko blinked. Was that some type of slang word that she had never learned. What was the meaning of that word and what he was going to do to her? She paused and tilted her head to the side.
"Bucchi?" she repeated, "Is that a noun?"
"It's a verb!" Hiou snapped back, "I said I can sweep you out! Don't make me explain it!" he said and Kyoko's eyes snapped open. She was really being attacked this time. What was this kids problem, did he go away and have tantrums and get people fired because he was from such a 'powerful' family. She stared at him. She felt horrible that she had even tried to compare him and Corn. Corn would be hurt by that comparison. Maybe sometimes Ren was blunt but he had a good heart and cared about other people. This brat didn't care about anyone apart from himself!
"How can I appear in this crappy program with you!" Hiou yelled as he pointed a finger straight at her as his manager attempted to calm him down from what he was saying. Obviously, this manager thought there was some good left in this child. Kyoko felt sorry for that lapse in judgment. "I'll leave a letter containing your name and you'll disappear!" he announced. "I'll leave a letter where anyone who sees it will think that you're at fault! If I do that, my family won't stay quiet especially Gramps!"
Kyoko stared at him as she felt a slight twinge inside of her. No, she was giving this kid far too much kindness to compare him to Corn. Even if Corn wasn't a fairy both he and Ren were good people. They might have their faults and they might be stubborn and have grown up with luxury but Kuon had always tried to do good. This kid, this brat was a miniature Shotaro Fuwa but even worse. At least Shotaro had had some kind of care and brotherly love with the friends he had made even if Kyoko had just been a convenience for him.
"This is just like what I proclaimed," Hiou continued eagerly and with an uncommon visciousness, "You and Kotonami are the same. You won't be able to appear in this industry again. So I suggest—I just want to say this. If the guest suddenly disappeared everyone would be troubled right?" Hiou laughed in an arrogant fashion that deepened Kyoko's memories of Shotaro. "If you disappear right now, I'll stay. There's no replacement for a celebrity like me but there are tons of people to replace you! A newcomer without any face to show. Anyone who does it will be the same," he laughed bitterly and Kyoko started shaking with anger. She didn't want to hurt a child. She didn't' want to use her anger to cause him to a child but this monster would only get worse and worse in life.
"Hey," the brat said arrogantly, "What will you do? Decide quickly. Will you disappear or not…"
Kyoko had had it. She had snapped and she took off her mascot head, delivering him a sharp glare. Maybe it was something small but she wasn't going to let some brat bully her like this. Her dreams weren't going to be destroyed because of someone she could push over with a single shove. She stared at him with a wave of anger flooding through her whole body. She hated this kid. This evil, maniacal brat. She hated him.
"So that's how you cornered Kotonami-san." She stated as she watched him, studying him. She saw him just stand there and that managed to help her control her anger.
"So," he said smugly, "Will you disappear?"
"I won't," Kyoko stated. "This is my job. No matter what happens, I'll give it my best shot."
Hiou stared at her like she was an idiot, "Hmm, then it's decided that you won't be able to appear again forever," he said and Kyoko nodded.
"All right," she said and Hiou stood there stunned. Kyoko wasn't going to let him bully her. She craved her happiness and revenge much more than he knew. He wasn't going to wreck her future because there were ways of rebuilding ones future even with the worst of circumstances. "Try it. It's okay if you put me in such a dangerous position like what you did to Kotonami-san. You'll beg your mommy and daddy and grandpa, right? But I won't let you have everything you want. I won't be quiet without knowing the reason why."
Kyoko looked right at Hiou who was obviously caught off guard by a newcomer treating him with this little respect. "Kotonami-san might have hurt you but for me there's no reason, even if there is one, I can't put up with a child throwing a tantrum without knowing the reason why he is in this state of mind."
Hiou's eyes widened and Kyoko knew this was because he finally was getting a taste of his own medicine. He was being challenged by someone else. Someone he didn't even respect. "You!" he yelled and Kyoko continued to look at him with a feeling of superiority, "I won't forgive you! Making people hear you quietly and treating me like a brat all the time."
Kyoko blinked, what was so upsetting about that point of things. He was a brat and he was throwing a temper tantrum. Just because he was a pro in acting didn't mean he was suddenly an adult. "What's wrong with treating a kid like a kid?" she asked and Hiou growled somehow shaking with anger as that was said. "When I see a spoiled child like you I want to teach him that there's something called hardship."
Hiou stared at her and Kyoko didn't know what else to do so she did what she had always done even when she was a young girl, she kept on smiling. Nobody was going to beat her down anymore. Even life wouldn't beat her down any longer. As she felt her own power growing through her, her demons launched and swarmed around the screaming brattish child.
End of Act 84
Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated
Thank you to Kaname671 who reviewed Act 83
Also, right now Fight Song (instrumental version) is on. (I often listen to instrumental versions of pop songs when I write) Am I the only one who feels a lot of confidence and happiness in listening to this song?