AN: I will admit that I kind of rushed through this first scene, hope you don't mind.

Also Happy 2020 Everyone.

Act 88 – Brother or Sister

Kyoko blinked in shock after seeing Kanae throw her siblings so many times. This wasn't the type of homelife that she had imagined anyone having. The way that Moko threw her siblings looked like… "Seems like they're playing," Kyoko said before turning to Hiou. "If that's why, it's not wonder Moko-san threw Hio-kun when acting playing with kids." She said and Hiou's eyes widened. Was he realizing that too?

"Acting is not just starting from scratch," Kyoko said and Hiou sat there silently, "Things you've done in your daily life sometimes unconsciously come out," she commented. Kyoko was brought back to when she had helped Ruriko and those things that she had learned at the ryokan had come out unintentionally. Experiences were a part of a person and this might be why HIou had that experience with Moko-san. She would have to keep her mind focused on her acting.

As Kanae tried to catch her breath in front of them, all of the children finally asleep, Kyoko laughed weakly. "Moko-san, I now really understood why you made a mistake while acting," she stated and Kanae looked at her whilst panting. "Hiou-kun?" Kyoko said as she turned her attention to the younger male, "You understood too, right?"

Hiou hummed and looked down dismissively, "Yeah," he shrugged and Kyoko smiled. She was about to talk about how this might lead to repairing the working relationship between Hiou and Moko but Hiou cut her off. "As I thought, I was being treated like a kid like we saw just now from the first time we met." Hiou had an annoyed expression on his face but he stood and pointed at Kanae, "Not being surprised by my age was a pretense, right? You lying woman!" he snapped, "I won't be surprised with just that."

Kanae looked back at him before picking up two young boys who were pretending to eat imaginary food, "That's because, Hiou-kun," Kanae started to explain. "These two kids, they're eleven years old just like you."

Kyoko's eyes widened as she studied the boys she had thought were much younger. They seemed about six or seven which was the same as Maria but Moko was saying how much older they were then Kyoko expected. Kanae went to different members of her family talking about how they looked much younger than they actually were.

Hiou laughed bitterly once Moko explained her family to him, "That means I was given the same treatment as those childish siblings of yours. In the end I was still treated like a child."

Kanae blinked as she looked to him, "Same treatment means? Other than being hit did something else happen?" she asked and Hiou turned to her in slight outrage. Kyoko looked between the two of them, there must have been something which had happened.

"Don't act all innocent that day when you hit me! When we were eating lunch you pinched my nose and tried to force me to drink orange juice, those are things that you usually did to your siblings that time as well." Kanae blinked as Moko looked at him. Somehow this was really upsetting him and Kyoko had a feeling that Kanae had had the same experience as her and she was living in the role unable to break her way out of it.

It didn't surprise Kyoko when Kanae finally said that it was because she had enjoyed acting the role with Hiou and that was why she was unable to stop being the character. Kyoko had to admit that the training school itself was a lot different than when she had been around the actors on Ring-Doh. That was something she could often feel from Ren, he breathed acting. For some reason, this feeling of closeness that was growing within the family and between Hiou and Moko made her want to call him.

She blushed, no, thinking things like that about Ren were selfish. She couldn't just call him up about nothing.

…

…..

Ren sighed as he stood outside of the president's house. He had been asked here to talk about some odd behavior that he was going through and he had been trying to get a replacement cell phone. He had been able to stop Yashiro from destroying his own by talking about his real feelings but he had hoped that the president wasn't in the know about those particular details.

"Thank you for waiting," Ruto bowed as he stood opposite to Ren. He gestured to where the president was just getting out of the swimming pool despite it being the early morning. The first time that he had met with the president was to talk about the existence of Dark Moon and the fact that he would most likely be asked to perform the role, this was something more serious. "Please," he gestured, "I will show you the way."

Ren followed to beside the swimming pool. There were a lot of thoughts recently that had come from knowing about the remake of the famous drama and the interview with Kuu and Ren didn't want Kuon to be showing through the false identity of Ren Tsuruga.

"You've come, Ren" the president said as he welcomed him into the house and Ren nodded.

"Good morning, president," he replied with a nod of his head. I'm very sorry to disturb you this early," he said as they made their way to the president's private room.

"No. It's okay. I don't mind, lately I'm always awake around 4:30," he said and Ren smiled as he followed to where they could sit and talk.

"You can't sleep?" he asked and Lory shook his head.

"I'm watching one of my favorite love dramas and it's lucky for you that I am," the president said and Ren blinked. What on earth did that mean? "I have the spare cell phone that you were looking for, no scandalous action, correct?" he asked and Ren shook his head. He looked away trying to understand the comment that the president had made but it was gnawing on him.

"Why is it lucky for me that you're watch-" he began and the president turned to him.

"You want to act in a romance drama and yet I know you've never experienced love. However, I have been seeing something in your behavior and I'm curious. Are you in love with anyone? That's the way of creating a role and I've always told you this. Now, you seem like you're barely breathing inside of those clothes," Lory said as he picked up a cigarette. "Is there a woman involved?"

Ren paused before looking away trying to think of the best way to handle this, the president however cut him off before he had to say something.

"Impossible," he coughed, "You're a boring man, something like that wouldn't come out of your mouth."

Ren fidgeted anxiously. There was a woman that he loved but he needed to keep that as private as possible, besides, it wasn't as if he actually loved her but he had feelings of wanting to care for her and feelings of wanting to protect her. He would have to keep those feelings from developing. If he fell in love with her, he would only hurt her. "Excuse me, president," Ren said as he turned to the doorway, "I have work so I'll be."

"Ren," the president said in a low voice, "Sit," he gestured to the chair in front of him and although Ren gave a quick glance to the door again, he knew that he was stuck. He sat down and saw the president staring at him with a frustrated expression. "You are too clean," the president commented. "There should be a lot of women who would want to get near you but because you never appear in any of the gossip columns, they find you uninteresting. You also force situations clearly so that all women who try to approach you are to be treated as a friend only."

Ren bowed his head feeling slightly relieved that Yashiro hadn't explained that there was a special woman in his life now and that Ren was doing his very best so that she wouldn't know the importance that she had to him. He wanted to be able to be a gentleman and concentrate on acting. He didn't want to allow himself any precious feelings of love.

"I'm not telling you to play with women either," the president continued, "I don't like meaningless relationships too. Just fix your personality and be a little more social or else you will never know other people's good points. If you don't know then you won't have feelings for other people."

Ren bowed his head sadly, so the president was able to read into his body language that deeply. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with anyone but he wasn't allowing that to happen. Well, the president always knew how to investigate a character, it was truly a surprise that he didn't know about Kyoko already.

"Well," the president sighed, "I understand your reasons for not wanting to get close to other people but I worry about your future as an actor. Until now you have somehow covered it up but one day it will surely be revealed. Even if you fool Japan, I won't be deceived."

Ren looked at the president feeling a little pressured, he knew that the president was leading to a point and an important one at that. The president knew how to say things that applied to Ren in a way no one else would.

"Your acting skills on love is too fake," he said and Ren stiffened a little. He had sacrificed so much that he always felt a personal attack when it was acting rather than anything about him that someone had an objection to. "I get this feeling every time I see you acting in your dramas. Fortunately, you were saved because romance was not the main point in the dramas you've acted in but you're already twenty. You won't last if you can't act in a very hard romance drama. Especially if you want that role."

Ren looked down. He was suppressing his love but he needed to acknowledge it, how was he supposed to even do that without letting his curse affect the person who had his heart.

…

…

Ren looked out of the window of the apartment. He had made so many sacrifices to reach this part and to be playing the role that he was just offered, a character called Katsuki in Dark Moon, would be a sign that he was heading in the right direction of his career. However, there was a heaviness inside of him because it would mean performing a role that his father had done, a father that didn't care about him all that much anymore.

He looked forward at the convenience store riceball and was about to pick it up and hold it in his hands but his phone rang and he smiled. It was her number. He sighed, no, she wouldn't be just calling him for no reason, she needed help but whatever help she needed, he would make sure that he gave it to her. "Hello," he said with a weak smile as he picked up the phone and held it to his cheek.

"H-H-Hhhi, C-ccorn, Kyoko," she said in a quick manner and he laughed without meaning to. She was really adorable and even though she sounded panicked, he couldn't help but think of how adorable she truly was.

"Hey, is something wrong?" he asked in a comforting manner.

"No," she replied and he smiled as he listened to her voice, he was really falling for her but he shouldn't do anything, he wasn't allowed to have anything precious because he would tarnish anything precious to him and especially anyone precious to him. "I was…I'm at Moko oh…Kotonami-san's house and I was thinking about you and…and…I called without realizing."

"You called without realizing?" he repeated before chuckling. He smiled. That meant that she wanted to talk to him or maybe it was that his voice was comforting to her. No, he shouldn't be putting too much emphasis on these words. Maybe it was because of some acting problem that the two were dealing with. Even if she only saw him as a mentor in the industry, he wanted to help her as much as he could.

"I'm sorry," Kyoko apologized, "Is that okay? I was just…do you have siblings?" she asked.

Ren paused as he listened to that question. He had often wondered whether his parents would have another child once he left home. They had had him quite young so it made sense that they would replace him but he believed that were that to have happened, he would have heard from the president about such an event. He sighed, "No. No, I'm an only child," he replied and Kyoko paused.

"Sorry I just…" she said as he could tell that she was fidgeting, "I'm sorry. I wanted to ask you that. I'm sorry that it's such a weird and random question and strange reason to ca-"

"I don't mind," Ren said before laughing weakly. "I can tell you however that were my parents to have had another child, that child would have been their favorite. They weren't so lucky when they only had me. I almost wish that I had a sibling though, maybe I wouldn't have ended up as such a disappointment."

There was silence on the other end of the line and Kyoko was struggling with how to respond to that.

"Let's move onto other things," Ren said, "How about we have dinner together again? Sometime soon?"

"Yes…" Kyoko said hesitantly with a nod. "Yes, I'd like that, Corn."

End of Act 88

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated