THE FAVOUR.
A little time after lunch had started on the set of Dark Moon, the Director left his crew in order to pick up a few props from the prop-trailer, before the shoot could resume.
As he made his way to the little trailer, he was careful not to make any sound since he had heard from Yashiro that Ren was taking a nap there. He climbed the vehicle with silent, hushed steps and snuck a peek before getting inside. But what he saw painted his cheeks bright red as he blushed hard, immediately jumping down with his eyes squeezed shut.
What on earth is Kyoko doing there? I thought she was with Sho Fuwa! Ogata thought. Anyway, I don't think I was supposed to see that. Better leave here before they notice me.
On his way back to the set, the Director couldn't help but wonder what was going on between those two members of his main cast. He had always suspected Ren to have feelings for Kyoko, but he never considered her to be into him as well. So seeing them in that position in the dim lights of the trailer was naturally quite a shock to him.
In the end though, he was happy for them. But there was still one pesky thought that stubbornly clung to his head. If Kyoko was with Ren then what about Sho Fuwa? Where did he fit in the picture?
"Hey fellas, look what I've got!" The door to the private studio of the Vie Ghouls burst opened and the bassist, Miroku sauntered in with a sheet of paper in his hands and an easy smile on his face.
The other four members of the band, who had been huddled around the glass table on the sofa, perked up at his voice to face him with inquizzitive expressions. "What?" One of them asked.
"The arrangement of Fuwa's new song!" A corner of Miroku's lips quirked up in a lopsided smirk.
"What? You're kidding!"
"Nope. Have a look." The bassist passed the paper to his bandmates who glanced at it in turns. Their eyes bulged out from their sockets in surprise.
"Holy shit! Is he for real? Did he actually pass these up while our mole was still there?"
"I know man!" Miroku laughed. "Fuwa must be brain-dead stupid!"
"I'm honestly starting to pity that guy. Just how dumb can he be?"
"You guys wanna try playing it?" Miroku asked. When he received nods and yells of encouragement from his teammates, he shifted to the corner where their instruments for lying, followed by the othet guys with only one exception, the lead singer.
After each of them had carefully scrutinized the sheet, they started playing the song while Reino remained huddled on the soft couch, his eyes sweeping up to them uninterestingly.
The melody started with a few chords for the guitar which were later joined by the drum beat, the base and at last, the keyboard. By the end of the first verse, all five of them were jerking their heads and rocking their bodies to the rhythm of the song, letting the music get a hold of their movements. When all of a sudden, their faces went pale as the realization struck them.
They all stopped playing at once and looked at each other for confirmation that they did not only imagine it.
"It's our song!" At last, one of them pointed out the obvious when he couldn't bear the awful silence stretching over them any longer. "That bastard rearranged it!"
"How dare him? He thinks he can get away with it?" Another one of them spat through gritted teeth.
"Unlike our audience, his audience is expecting a new song. Does he actually think he could just rearrange the best song we made and no one will even notice."
The unanswered questions loomed over their heads like a dark cloud. Even though no one said it, because despite the tough guy act, they didn't have the guts to admit it out loud but beneath the raging anger storming inside their hearts, there was a pinch of guilt inside them.
The bitter feeling of having their song copied stung them but what stung the most was the fact that even though the arrangement they played just now was originated from their own song, it was a thousand times better.
They were forced to face the fact that in a fair fight they didn't stand a chance against Sho Fuwa. He even copied their song better than them even though they were at it for months.
Reino finally got up from the sofa, his interest piqued. He clutched the sheet of paper from Miroku's hand and studied it once more very carefully. When he was done, he flipped the page over and scrutinized it again. "There's more. Some notes are handwritten on the back."
The other guys glanced
at it in turns. Without a word, they readied their instruments and carefully played the last notes scribbled on the back in a neat handwriting.
Only when the melody turned out to be an old-fashioned jolly mocking tune did they realize what the message Sho was trying to convey was.
"Our song is only a decoy!" Miroku couldn't help a chuckle escaping from his lips, then he burst out laughing at their own defeat. "It's his way of telling us that he's gonna fight back now. He's got us!"
When they were done playing the sheet music that had been distributed by Shouko, Sho's team eyed him with cringed expressions and quizzical looks. You cannot be serious was practically written on each of their faces.
"Sho," Shouko approached him and voiced the thoughts of every person present in the studio, while Sho relaxed in his chair with a small, mysterious smirk. "You're not actually planning to release this, are you?"
"Of course not!" Sho slowly raised himself from his chair. "I only copied it to get back at them."
Hearing those words, his team sighed with relief.
"My only intention was to mock them by rearranging their song into a better version," Sho went on, his smirk widening. "Thanks to the mole here, whoever he is," he suspiciously eyed his teammates before continuing, "this song is already handed to those plagiarists. They're probably collapsing in humiliation after playing this. Now that I am in a good mood, we can start recording."
He reached into his bag and took out a few handwritten notes. "This is the real song," he declared. "Before we start, I want every single person in this room, whether you're a part of the team or only a member of the staff, to hand over your phones to my manager."
No one moved.
"Didn't you hear what I said? Hand over your phones! No one will leave this studio until we'll finish recording, no matter how long it takes!"
Still, no one moved. Awkward silence stretched in the air. Before a guy from the recording team broke it. "Look Sho, we don't blame you for being suspicious, but we also have our pride as fellow musicians. Why don't you just give us a day or two to figure out who the mole is?"
"Yesterday, you had the whole day for that," Sho snapped, his tone icy cold. "But you didn't even narrow down the suspect. It only proves that wating for the culprit to be revealed is a waste of time. To put it bluntly, I don't trust a single one of you lot!"
Shouko gently tapped Sho's shoulder to stop him from saying too much. Things weren't going well. She could see the resentment rising on the team's faces. It was never a good sign to have feuds with workmates since it brings down everyone's morale.
"However," Sho went on. "Even though I don't trust you personally, I do trust your artistic skills and talents. What I seek from you is nothing sappy like loyalty or justice. Your abilities though, if I can get them then I have no complaints."
The atmosphere shifted from tense to proud. Sho could feel the resentment from earlier slowly ebbing away from his teammates.
"So, can I count on you? To give me the best music?" Even as Sho asked it, he already knew the answer. Judging from the admiring way his colleagues were looking up to him, he knew he had got them.
"Isn't it too high?" Kyoko inquired, her voice shy.
"No. It's just right," Ren replied as he shifted close to her before putting his head back into her lap. At first, when he had asked Kyoko for a 'favour', he had thought it was finally time for him to make a move on her since he couldn't resist himself anymore. He had gazed into her eyes and was about to claim her lips with his own before he stopped, because even in the dim lights he could see the fear shining in her big, hazel eyes as she struggled not to jerk away from him. It was obvious that she was terrified of him.
If Kyoko was afraid of him now when he treated her with absolute kindness and respect, Ren could only imagine what she would do if he suddenly went for her before she was ready. Judging from her experience and obsession with Sho Fuwa, she seemed as far from ready as one could be, and so he stopped.
When he realized that she was still waiting for him to ask for a favour, he made the first excuse that popped into his mind before she could see the craving in his eyes, and asked her if he could use her lap as a pillow since he couldn't sleep without one, and also that if he could just get some proper sleep, he'd feel a lot better. It was a bold move, but Kyoko obliged without hesitation.
Now that Ren was lying on the couch with his head resting on her thighs, Kyoko felt exceedingly awkward. It was the first time she willing allowed a man to be this close to her physically. Her legs felt stiff under the weight of his skull and despite the thick fabric of her skirt, his right cheek being pressed against her legs burned in a delicate warmth.
This is embarrassing! Kyoko thought, resisting the sudden urge to jump away from him. Since she had to sit still, she only ended up feeling extra skittish. But she bore it without any excuse. It was her fault that Ren got sick in the first place. And even if it was not, he had done so much for her. It was only fair that she tried her best to help him out this time.
She thought about how Ren had hesitated before he asked her for this favour. It was her fault as well. Instead of being encouraging and helpful to him, when he gazed at her with his dark eyes she felt afraid of him for some reason. The ravenous look he had, it was scary. Now she was sure Ren must have sensed her fear, and she only felt stupid. Seriously Kyoko? She thought slapping her forehead. What were you thinking showing fear to a sick person?
A long moment passed while Kyoko reminded engrossed in her chain of thoughts when suddenly her eyes focused on the dark silk threads that was Ren's hair. They were a bit too long and were falling softly from the nape of his neck to her skirt. The little side bangs above his forehead were swirling down to his face.
Kyoko's hand moved without permission to caress his forehead, sweeping away the hair from his face in the process.
Sparks ripped throughout Ren's body from the spot where her delicate figures touched him. He stayed absolutely still, pretending to be asleep, because he knew how much Kyoko would freak out if she found him awake.
It was funny how he was feeling so down a few minutes ago but only Kyoko's presence was enough to get his heart racing with nervous excitement.
Kyoko withdrew her hand in a flash when she realized what she was doing. She bent a little forward to sneak a peek at Ren's face and heaved a sigh of relief when she found him asleep.
Thank goodness he is not awake or it would have gotten really awkward! Kyoko, not knowing that Ren was only pretending, thought. Wait, since he's asleep, then...
Giving into her temptation with a mischievous smirk, she let her hand lightly drop on his head. When Ren didn't react at all, she ran her fingers through those dark velvety strands and stroked them to her heart's desire. They were so soft and smooth that she did not want to let go at all, but she had to in case Ren got up.
Just five more seconds, she swore to herself.
Ten seconds passed, but her hand remained tangled within the web of his smooth hair. Okay, maybe a minute more...
Three minutes later, she thought, oh well, nevermind.
Wild shivers rose up inside Ren under the impact of her touch, which he skillfully disguised as turns. Her soft fingers rummaging his hair, stroking them lovingly was enough to make him forget all the cynical thoughts about Sho Fuwa in a heartbeat. The lump in his throat dissolved. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach disappeared as well. Instead, his heart hammer against his chest, pumping that warm, fuzzy feeling inside him. A long moment passed, and the tiredness from skipping sleep last night took a hold of his senses until he drifted off to sleep.
I can't do it anymore.
Please don't ask again.
The words scribbled in a hasty handwriting on the small strip of paper burned the last remaining hope to a crisp from the members of the Vie Ghouls. Their faces turned bitter.
One of them voiced the thoughts of his fellow teammates. "The mole was our last hope. If he can't help us..." He let the sentence trail of knowingly.
"This can't be over!" The youngest member of the band screamed, frustration building up inside him. "Can't we find another mole?"
"No. It was only a miracle that we found the last one," Miroku answered. He was the only one besides Reino who was as cool as a cucumber throughout this whole ordeal. "It's time to let Fuwa go."
Their heads drooped low. Miroku noticed Reino gritting his teeth, so once they were alone in the balcony, he asked his best friend "what's the matter? You seem unusually pissed?"
"Aren't we all pissed? Since we can't steal Fuwa's songs anymore."
"Don't give me that bullshit. I know you never cared about any of this to begin with. You wouldn't have even joined the Vie Ghouls if I hadn't basically dragged you."
"True. Anyway, how come you are not pissed?"
Miroku sighed before answering. "I did accept the deal to copy and use Fuwa in order to sell my name, but it was supposed to be only a temporary thing. Once I climbed the ladder and built an audience, I wanted to make my own music."
"Since when did you become so serious about music? I always assumed it was about the money."
"I was always serious about music!" Miroku exclaimed, before he added quietly, "and yeah, the money too."
"Alright. Go for it. I'll tag along too." Reino gazed at the city with a faraway look in his unnatural dark eyes. "As for Fuwa, it's good how things turned out because this way, I'll get a chance to make him suffer all by myself."
"Woah, easy there! What happened?" Miroku asked. "I thought you were only messing with Fuwa to have fun?"
"It used to be for fun in the beginning but now it's personal. Still, I'm not planning on doing anything to him. I'll just take away something that he desperately wants to protect."
Sitting inside the cozy trailer with Ren's head resting on her lap, Kyoko didn't even realize when she drifted off herself. With her fingers still entangled within the dark clusters of his hair, her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was Ren's chiseled face rewarding her with his dazzling, angelic smile spreading on his lips. It was so radiating that she was almost blinded on the spot, so she snapped her head up, sitting up straighter.
"Hey there," he muttered. "Good timing. Lunch's about to end, so I thought I might have to wake you up."
"What the...?" Kyoko snapped afyer sleep finally left her hazy mind to think clearly, and she was horrified learning just when and how she had fallen asleep. She immediately got up and jerked away until her back was pressed against the cold, metallic wall of the trailer. "You should've woken me up! Why didn't you wake me up?" Her cheeks tinging red with embarrassment when she thought about how long Ren had been watching her sleep.
"Sorry," he chuckled lightly. "You seemed to be sleeping so peacefully that I thought it would be a waste to wake you up. Besides, we still had some time."
"Rather than letting someone watch me drool in my sleep, I think I'd prefer to be woken, thank you very much!" Her tone was rattled. "This is so embarrassing!" She cupped her face to hide the blush creeping up to her cheeks. "On top of that, instead of taking care of you like I said I would, I ended up being so useless. I'm so sorry."
"Hey," Ren inched closer. "You did help me. Thanks to you, I'm feeling a lot better now."
"Really?" Her head perked up, hope shimmering in her hazel eyes.
He nodded encouragingly. "Thank you." Deep down, Ren knew that her concern for him was fuelled by the fact that she considered herself responsible for making him sick, but as he stood there, he couldn't help but wish that her feelings would evolve, even if just by a tad, and she would at least see him as more than just a mentor. "Anyway, we should get back or we'll be late."
"Right."
Kyoko clumsily jumped down from the trailer, and almost fell flat on her face in the process. She somehow saved herself from toppling over, but failed to save the thing strapped to one of her legs, because it fell down from her skirt with a loud thump.
Upon closer inspection, Ren found that thing to be a hammer. "Why on earth do you have that?" He inquired with genuine curiosity.
"Er... Sorry!" Kyoko apologized, as she bent down to pick it up. "It's for... just in case...you know..."
"Just in case that stalker shows up again?"
"Yeah."
Stepping close to her, Ren took the hammer from her hands. His head drooping low, as he pretended to examine the tool. "You don't need this," he mumbled in a hushed tone.
"Huh?"
"I mean," he hesitated before he looked up again. His deep dark eyes boring into hers with promise and expectations. "If he does show up again, I'll protect you. Can you rely on me?"
"Oh. You got it wrong! This is totally different. I did not keep it to protect myself. In fact, its was the opposite reason."
Ren frowned questioningly.
"Until yesterday, when I first brought this hammer it was indeed intended to protect me, but now though, I kept it so if I run into him, I can beat the hell out of him."
Ren's eyes narrowed even further. "How is that different?"
"Well," she explained. "Last night I was scared to death wondering what I would do if that guy shows up again. I was losing the mental battle and he was taking over my head. But after you came back, my fear was all gone, like poof!" She scratched her head. "How should I put it...? Um... Being with you, it gives me courage and strength."
Those words hit Ren straight to his heart. He already almost regretted his decision to not kiss Kyoko when he had the chance. But then he thought about how it might have ended badly with Kyoko not being ready, and he was glad he controlled himself. Because, he could tolerate anything in the world but being shunned away by her. The worse thing that could happen to him was not if Kyoko started hating him, but if she erased his existence from her mind.
