FAIRY PRINCE.
Itsumi refused to leave the set and let Ren control her actions like a puppet. She tried to come up with some excuse to stay and let the scene drag out, and one immediately popped into her mind. If she could somehow prove that Mizuki's hand was fine, she could stay and resume the scene. Her eyes went up to the grand piano in the corner of the living room. There she had it, her excuse, because Mizuki loved the piano.
Without saying anything, she sat on the bench and started playing. It was a very soft and tranquil song which she had learned recently. She played it because it somehow resembled Mizuki's mood in that moment, it showed her love for Katsuki and how she was hurt by his rebuke. The music beautifully demonstrated the sadness of her heart to everyone.
When she was done, she looked up to face Katsuki and her heart fluttered when she saw an angelic smile suffusing his lips and his eyes dripping with love. Her face turned bright red and heart almost jumped out of her chest.
She immediately ducked beneath her seat to hide her blushing face. It was a genuine reaction from Itsumi but it only ended up making Mizuki look more cute. The more she was trying not to respond to his improv, the more the scene went exactly like Ren wanted. She hated it.
Katsuki joined her at the piano. Shrugging off his coat, he neatly folded up the cuffs of his shirt and sat beside her. "Let's play something together."
Itsumi hesitated. The only other song she could play was I stepped on a cat, and it was a playful, cheerful beat, the opposite of the current mood of the scene. Ren knew very well that she had just started learning the piano, but he deliberately asked her to play. Was he doing it on purpose? Did he somehow sense her intent on sabotaging the improv and was now trying to get back at her by humiliating her again?
"You don't need to hesitate," Katsuki urged. "I know you're not allowed to play the piano here, so if anyone asks I'll tell them that I asked you to play with me."
Itsumi had almost forgotten about this little fact that Mizuki wasn't allowed to touch the piano. Even her hesitation helped her play out her character. No matter how much she wanted to screw up the scene, somehow she kept failing.
Katsuki cracked his knuckles before he lightly touched the rectangular keys to play.
To Itsumi's surprise, the song he played was none other than I stepped on a cat. If he wanted to humiliate her, then why would he pick that particular song, knowing very well she could play it with her eyes closed. The only explanation was he wasn't doing it to get back at her. Then why did he say those things about drawing out the lines from her? Nothing made sense to Itsumi.
"Aren't you gonna join me?" Katsuki's fingers paused after the first verse and he slightly turned his head to give her an excited smile.
Mizuki blushed again. Itsumi gave up on her plan to sabotage the scene, since it was obvious now that Ren wasn't purposely trying to provoke her. She stretched out her long, delicate fingers and began to lightly strike the keys to play the second verse of the song together. After a few minutes, their parts were in perfect sync. They couldn't help but smile widely as the jolly, cheerful melody of the song filled the air with glee.
"I think we should borrow the music room in school for you to practice your piano, what do you say?" Katsuki suggested.
"We can?" Mizuki's face lit up like a christmas tree.
"Only if you could catch me," he smirked in a childish way that made her chuckle, and then raised the tempo of the song leaving her behind.
Mizuki played fasted as well. But as soon as she caught up with him, he played even faster and went out of reach again. Their jubilant smiles first turned into chuckles and then into full cackles. Soon, the crew joined in as well and the set was filled with the merry sound of reverberating laughter.
After the song was over and their chortles had finally subsided, Mizuki's eyes slowly flickered to the broken shards near the sofa. "I almost forgot about those."
She got up from the piano and carefully picked up the broken pieces of the white china in her hand. "I will go make another tea." With that, Itsumi stepped down from the stage leaving Ren alone.
Katsuki looked at the door through which Mizuki had disappeared. He sighed in gloom as he sank back on the sofa.
The crew became confused again because Ren was supposed to be smiling in love. No one understood what he was trying to show except for the Director. Ogata could tell the reason for Katsuki's sadness. It was because after trying so hard to drive Mizuki away, he still ended up losing control. The pain and longing on his face was obvious. The closer he got to her, the harder it became for him to ignore the love he felt for her.
Still, through that pained expression, in an extremely slow pace, a pure smile suffused his lips. Katsuki knew he was not supposed to love Mizuki. He was only hurting himself by being with her, but his smile proved that beneath his worries and regret was plain joy.
"Cut!"
Ren looked straight at the President. His eyebrows shot up questioningly. Everyone followed his gaze to the same man for some words or a nod of approval.
Takarada sluggishly raised himself from his seat, a corner of his mouth was twitching up in a lopsided smile. "Not bad. I guess you'll do," he replied to Ren's unasked question and the crew erupted into a loud applaud.
Takarada walked up to Ren. "The last look you had, I could feel everything you were trying to show. Not from here," he said pressing his index finger on his temple, "but from here," this time he poked his thumb towards his heart and gave a knowing smile.
Kyoko and Yashiro glanced at Ren's impassive face. They had spent enough time with Takarada to tell from his smile that he already knew how Ren came up with his new Katsuki. He already figured it out that Ren's in love...? They both thought at the same time. Nothing could stay hidden from this man.
"I also figured why you said those things to Miss Momose," the President added. His words shushed everyone. Suddenly silence reigned again. Apparently, they were all very interested to know why Ren had been so mean to Itsumi for no reason. More than a few dozens pair of curious eyes flickered back and forth from the faces of the leading stars.
"Itsumi, I want to apologize for being such a jerk earlier," Ren smiled sincerely. "I only provoked you because I knew if I hurt your pride, you would drag the scene longer, just for Mizuki's sake. It was only a gamble but it worked out. I'm sorry for using you like this. I only said it because I believed in your talent as an actress."
Itsumi blushed. "I-It's alright."
A few whistles and howls came from the crew, followed by amused chuckles. Everyone was laughing, with the exception of one person, Kyoko. The moment she heard the last part of what Ren had said to Itsumi, her heart burned with envy and each word pierced her like a stab wound.
After the President had approved Ren to play Katsuki, the Director took the whole crew to treat them to lunch before resuming the shoot. The only exception was Ren, because he had left with Takarada, since the latter called him to have a private chat in his trailer. When Ogata asked Kyoko to join them, she refused the offer as well, saying she would wait out for Ren. In reality, though, she made this excuse because she needed to be alone in order to sort out her jumbled thoughts.
When Kyoko had heard Ren tell Itsumi that he believed in her, it filled her heart with sadness. If she had been good enough to play the lead, she would be up on that stage instead of Itsumi. She would be the one being complemented by him.
The thought of playing the lead with Ren let the memories from last night pour into her mind and she couldn't resist shivering fiercely. Her heart rate picked up and a realization dawned on her. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that if she had been given the role of Mizuki, she would have failed. Because even the thought of being that close to Ren again leaped her heart out of her chest. If she were to play Mizuki and act out those intimate scenes with him in front of the whole crew, her brain would have malfunctioned and she would have broken character in a moment, making a fool of herself. If she ever wanted to play the lead with Ren, she knew she needed to get a better grip on her emotions. In other words, she wasn't ready yet. So that was it.
At last, Kyoko prepared herself to ponder on the subject which she had been dreading most since last night, her feelings. As much as she wanted to pretend that everything was normal between her and Ren, she knew that wasn't the case.
After what had happened with Sho, Kyoko had sworn never to fall in love again, but the way Ren had made her heart race last night, the way her body heated up with every touch of his skin against hers, the way she froze up when he held her close, and the fact that she secretly craved for more - felt awfully close to the L-word and it was freaking her out.
You can't fall in love again! Specially not with a celebrity like Ren. Remember what happened last time! She scolded herself. After pondering on the subject for a while, she jumped on the only other possible conclusion that could free her from this nightmare becoming a reality. She admitted to herself that yes, she was indeed a little tempted to let Ren kiss her but the reason was not love. In fact, it was just her hormones acting up. Being sixteen, it would have been weird if she was not tempted. Even Itsumi had blushed hard when she was in a similar position. Any girl would feel flustered if the Ren Tsuruga makes a move on her, even if it was only for acting.
I'm okay. I'm not in love, Kyoko sighed with relief and allowed herself a small smile. Whatever she felt last night was strictly biological, so there was no more need to worry. She left the empty set to look for Ren so they could have lunch together like two professional colleagues because that's all they were.
Ren and Takarada settled inside the spacious trailer of the President, which was parked on the empty road outside the set building.
"So what is it you want to ask me?" Ren was straight to the point.
Takarada scrutinized him with his perceptive eyes for a moment before he answered. "When you were giving off that malicious vibe, I know you were desperately trying to show Katsuki's dark side, but that look wasn't Katsuki's. It was yours. For a moment there, I think I saw Kuon resurface."
Ren's eyes widened with surprise and disappointment, and he slapped his forehead. After all these years when he was finally starting to forget about his past, why now? His face darkened. He didn't even try to hide his desperation from the President because it was no use. Takarada would have seen through it anyway. And also because he was tired. Tired of always being afraid to become Kuon again.
"Don't make that face," the President added quickly. "I'm not criticizing you. In fact, I think it's actually good for you. Surpassing the old Katsuki was one of your biggest hurdles. Now that you've cleared it, don't you think it's about time for you to forgive yourself?"
Ren didn't reply. He just looked down distastefully. Forgive himself? How could he after what he had done? Just because it had been years since the incident didn't mean it was any less of his fault. Only thinking about it was enough to shake him to his core. He didn't even try to hide the mortified look on his face and the melancholy in his eyes. "Just give it a rest already," he didn't shout those words, he only said them quietly. Yet, there was power, disgust and dangerousness lingering in them because of the way he had said it. There was a cold warning in his tone suggesting, "say that again and I shall cut you down." Takarada didn't push him any further.
Outside the trailer, Kyoko strode up to it's gate looking for Ren. She had been trying to find him all over the set after coming to that reassuring conclusion so they could have lunch together. Before she realized what she was doing, she stealthily snuck a peek inside through the glass window before she saw him. When she looked at him, she froze up, because the look on his face broke her heart into pieces. She had seen him in low spirits a lot of times, she had seen him depressed and sad and dejected, but even when he was acting, he had never seemed so... so broken before.
She immediately ducked down before he could see her peeking.
Meanwhile, inside the trailer, the President spoke again hesitantly. "Dark Moon is the best way for you to heal yourself. You need to bring out the parts of yourself that you've sealed before to put more impact in your Katsuki, but without getting swept in. At least if you want to surpass Kuu Hizuri..."
At the mention of that name, Ren's eyes turned so cold that they could have drilled holes in the President's skull, but Takarada didn't flinch away. He held his gaze head on.
Suddenly, the President squinted his eyes and let his gaze wander outside through the glass window focusing on something past Ren. He wondered aloud, "is that... Mogami?"
Ren cocked his head in an instant to follow the President's eyes outside, and found Kyoko pacing the floor a few feet away.
"What is that girl up to now? She's been twirling around like a honey-bee." A mischievous smile made it's way on Takarada's lips as a sudden realization dawned on him. "Could it be that she is waiting for you?" He inquired cheerfully and turned to face Ren so he could give him a playful wink, but after one look at Ren's face, the President gasped from shock and jerked back in his seat. "You've got to be kidding me! You finally fall in love and the girl turns out to be her!"
Ren blinked with surprise. How on earth does he know? The question was practically written on his face. "What are you talking about?" He knew he had already given himself away but he decided to deny it as long as he could.
"Don't play dumb!" Takarada scolded him. "Just now, you were looking at Mogami the exact same way your Katsuki looked at Mizuki. And you thought you weren't obvious?"
Ren immediately put up the impassive shell on his face and thickened the walls around him but even as he did that, he knew it was no use. No matter how high his defences were, Takarada could see through anything.
"Why?" The president slapped his forehead. "Why do you keep torturing yourself? Out of all the options, you had to fall for a girl who hates love."
Ren covered his face by his hands to hide the colour tinging his cheeks.
"Well, on the other hand, now that I think about it," Takarada went on, "I think she might turn out to be exactly what you need, since she's tough. If she was easy to get like the other girls, you still wouldn't go after her because of your I-don't-have-a-right-to-be-happy attitude."
Ren ignored the President's remarks and excused himself. He jumped down from the trailer and his eyes darted around the empty road searchingly until he saw her.
Their eyes met and they treaded across the road until they were standing in front of each other.
"Hold out your hands," Kyoko said softly before Ren even had a chance to speak.
He obliged without question. She streched forward her closed fist above his hands and dropped a tiny, round, purplish-blue rock in them.
"Do you remember it?" She asked with a small smile.
Ren's eyes widened and an overwhelming amount of emotions rushed through him making his heart speed up. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Did she really figure out that I'm Corn? He felt a jolt of fear along with a tiny speck of hope inside him.
However, her next words calmed him down and at the same time put out that tiny speck of hope. "You picked it up for me once, back at the office, yeah?"
"Ah, yes. I remember." He examined the stone closely. "So why did you give this to me?"
"Um..." She hesitated. "I didn't mean to peek but earlier when you were talking to the President, I saw you."
No more explanation was needed. Ren knew exactly in what condition she had seen him.
"Anyway, try looking through that stone holding it up like this," Kyoko held her hand up to the sky.
A feeling of deja vu hit him. Her words were the exact same from ten years ago, but ironically their positions were reversed.
Ren held the stone up to the sky, doing what he had been told. "Like this?"
"Yeah. Did the colour change?" Kyoko exclaimed with a toothy smile and her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Yes," he smiled back.
"See! You're smiling now! When you held that stone, you could just feel your sadness drifting away, right?"
"Um..."
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's magic!" Kyoko exclaimed in a whisper, excitement bubbling out of her voice. Her features twisted into a dazed expression as if she was lost in her own fantasy world.
She hasn't changed at all! Ren failed to stop a small chuckle escape his lips.
Kyoko's grin faltered and colour rose to her cheeks. "You don't believe me, do you?"
"I never said that." He tried to keep a straight face.
"Well, in that case, I will share with you my most cherished memories of all times which also happens to be a very important secret."
He could tell from her face that she was just itching to tell him.
"I never told anyone about it because I couldn't trust anyone with such a big secret. Besides, no one would have believed me anyway. It's the shocking truth about the boy named Corn who gave me that stone."
His eyebrows popped up from genuine curiosity. He wondered what could that shocking truth be. Even Kyoko wasn't naive enough to still believe all that nonsense he had yapped when they were kids. After all it had been ten long years.
Kyoko first looked around to make sure that no one was there, then she leaned in close. Cupping her hands around his ear without actually touching him, she whispered softly, "Corn is a... Fairy Prince."