Act 100 – Scary Side of Things

Ren smiled as he finished the scene of Katsuki and Mizuki meeting. He wanted to clear his head of all thoughts of his father and how much his father just didn't care about him at all. There were other things to think about. Although he didn't respond much to the cheers and applause of the crowd, he did feel satisfied that he was making his way through the drama. He would show everyone how strong he could be and how he was already matching his father's skills.

"Let's move on the scenes that take place in the classroom. Everyone please relocate to the next setting!" Ogata instructed. Ren looked around seeing the way that people were working smoothly and professionally. He took the water bottle that Yashiro was passing him.

"Ren, would you like some water?" he asked and Ren took the bottle. However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted as he listened to how the director was speaking with a senior member of the crew.

"Is Mio ready?" the director asked and Ren felt a protective tug at his heart. He wanted to see Kyoko transform into the actor he had trust she could become as much or more than anyone but he still worried for her. She didn't bear with her the cockiness which he had had when he was a starting actor but there was still that slight possibility of that happening. However, the lights and everything else put pressure on anyone.

"The makeup artist says she's almost done," the man on the crew replied and Ren felt uneasy again. Yes, Kyoko loved makeup but would she just appear as someone with makeup on or would she be able to take that chance to transform herself. He wished that just being given the role of Katsuki was enough to transform him. Would his father respond well to that change or would he continue to pretend that nothing Ren did was of his own concern.

"The director seems like he is back to normal. That's great," Yashiro stated with some excitement.

Yes, following your family's footsteps was a hard ordeal and Ren didn't want to think about what that meant about what he was doing. That's how he could sympathize and relate so well with Ogata. He couldn't reveal his own truth though. He wasn't supposed to be Kuon Hizuri, Ren Tsuruga was a much more important role which he ha to play.

"Yeah," Ren nodded as his thoughts remained on his own relationship with the father who didn't seem to even want to acknowledge him at this moment.

"But can we really feel relieved?" Yashiro continued, "The doctor said that his body is fine, but when he fainted, wasn't he unable to breathe? He may have some sort of heart problem."

Ren remained silent. He knew too well the feeling of not being able to breathe. Not only was he responsible for a tragedy but he was responsible for failing all of those in his life around him. In fact, given the reaction his own father had made in that interview, the things that he had done were so bad that he might never be allowed to return home, he might have to continue to use the moniker Ren Tsuruga because he might have already lost the privilege of being part of the Hizuri family.

He didn't want to listen to his own negative thoughts about that, positive thinking was what he really needed right now but it was beyond difficult to forget what he had seen and heard. He had done his parents a favor, hadn't he. They could disown him with no consequences to them. Thye might not even be sad or upset about it.

The doctor said it was a panic attack. When he gets too excited or depressed his breathing becomes difficult. In addition, he was holding his breath due to worry and overwork; it made his panic attack even worse, which made it even harder for him to breathe. The director must be struggling really hard under the huge burden of his father's name and success.

Ren frowned as Kyoko's words came to mind. Yes, he hadn't had a panic attack and he knew that he wouldn't – he believed he was stronger than to succumb to one – but he understood the want to regain your father's love and respect. Still, he had no idea if the father and son relationship between the two of them was the same. His father would probably be asked and Ren didn't know if it would be a positive reaction or a negative but he didn't feel that it would match up with the uninterested absence of acknowledgment he had felt.

100.2

Kyoko had sat through the makeup for a long time for this character. Despite how much she loved makeup, she didn't love Mio and so the process hadn't been as enjoyable or as magical as she would have liked. Being turned into a fashionable woman or even a princess would have brought so much joy to her but Mio wasn't someone who brought her joy. Besides, she was worried about Kuo-Ren and how he was coping with something that connected him and his father so much,

As she walked down the hallway she passed a group of three normal looking girls and tried to steady herself. She didn't want to admit it but she didn't quire know how to talk with that group of high school girls. Her own high school days hadn't been good and that included at her current high school.

"Oh right, it was once mentioned on TV that Director Ogata is the son of Director Hirotaka," one of the girls said.

Kyoko's heart pounded for two reasons. One that should be an off limits subject which everyone in the studio should know about. It had been a reason that the director had fainted and so people shouldn't be discussing it so freely. The second was that she worried about what Ren's reaction would be to a discussion covering the family dynamics of father and son.

"Didn't Director Hirotaka receive some kind of prestigious award for one of his movies outside the country?" the second girl asked and the third girl laughed before entering the conversation.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's really awesome," the first girl started speaking again and Kyoko kept her lips closed. She wanted to show respect to those in the profession above her, of course, but she also wanted to protect Kuon's heart. She didn't want him to be her boyfriend. She wanted to claim her independence and not fall into the role of stupid girlfriend again and Kuon hadn't said that he wanted her as his girlfriend and next to Ren she didn't seem to fit.

"Director Hitrotaka is the one who filmed the original 'Tsukigomori.' They talked about him on TV and introduced all of his works. A director that films TV Dramas and movies so successfully…he really is something," the first girl praised and Kyoko could tell that her friends were in agreement about this.

"Yes! He is amazing!"

"Maybe Director Hirotaka's magic will make this TV series successful too. It will be wonderful if this can open our road to becoming a movie star," the third girl squealed and her friends joined her in this as Kyoko passed them. She felt her energy burn inside of her and she turned to the group of friends.

In a 'scary' manner, Kyoko faced them, "Unforgiveable," she said as she looked at them. She wanted to be respectful to both Ren and to Director Ogata and them speaking about something so important was something she didn't want to do. "How dare you three. The next time you say these things again. I will curse all of you."

Kyoko looked to them knowing that the frustration was showing on her face but she hadn't expected them to look at her with so much fear in their eyes. It was as if they were becoming ghosts. She hadn't wanted to do that but she had just wanted to threaten them to consider their place and not to use others as stepping stones despite the fact she had done that with Shotaro very recently. She paused for a moment feeling that something was going wrong and then heard the girls scream and run off.

She watched them and sighed, they were yelling about a ghost. What were they doing? Sinking into their love of themselves. Kyoko looked to them and then rolled her eyes before pointing to the scar that makeup had included under her wig.

"Who are you calling a ghost!" She yelled at them, "You brainless girls! This scar is from makeup."

Kyoko heard her breath as she tried to calm down and then heard voices beside her and realized that she had found them as she had been hoping. She turned to Yashiro and Ren who both looked stunned at how she had yelled at those girls in such a scary manner right in front of them.

"Is that you, Kyoko?" Yashiro asked as he tried to get used to the situation.

Kyoko turned to the two of them and started to calm down a lot more. She blinked as she tried to think if this was the first time she had seen Ren that day or not.

Ren laughed as he saw her and he couldn't help but breathe her in before he realized that he was in public and Ren Tsuruga wouldn't do that. He paused, "The scar looks amazingly real," he told her, "How long did it take to put it on?"

Kyoko sighed before getting out a comb so that she could maintain the look of the character. She wanted to do her best and in everything which she did she knew she had to look the part and that was more important in acting than ever. "Three hours," she sighed, "I can't help but be frustrated when I think about how long it'll take to put on the makeup every time."

Ren folded his arms and leaned back, finally able to relax now that he could think of the present and acting alongside Kyoko rather than being disowned by his parents. "Not always," he told her and she blinked up at him. He had to hold back from commenting on how cute she was. "It's only necessary for a scene in which you need to show the scar in the movie."

"Ah," Kyoko nodded, "So it's like that."

Kyoko felt happy that the air seemed to be getting a little clearer with the attention taken away from Kuon's personal relationships and to what really made him happy, the acting process.

"Other than the shocking makeover," Yashiro chimed in again, "You really surprised me too," Kyoko looked to him and blinked. He seemed so genuine and so Kyoko was wondering whether it was a compliment. "Mio's expression," Yashiro said, "You already have the feel of the character. Your really are something, Your expression fully expressed Mio's hate. No wonder the director chose you for the part. Keep it up and you can definitely surpass the previous Mio. You can do it!"

Kyoko looked down feeling depressed by that, that hadn't been her intention at all. She had just felt annoyed by what those girls were discussing and how they were saying these things in public and in such loud voices. They deserved to be punished but she hadn't been acting.

"Could it be that, what you did back there wasn't acting?" Yashiro panicked, "You really meant it?"

Ren sighed as he looked away. He knew that he was broken as well and he hated that, it would be hypocritical of him to say what was wrong about that but he hadn't wanted for her to fall down into a place that was dark and scary. Maybe it was because of him and if it was Ren would have to stop that and figure out a way to banish him from her memories.

Even though he couldn't love her, he could still protect her. He could do at least that much for her, couldn't he?

End of Act 100

Thank you for reading

Thank you to the reviewers of Act 99

Claraowl, H-Nala, kurokazeyuu, miemieo86, T,