A/N: I am SO sorry it took so long to update :( School is hectic (already) and I'm really tired...but here we go :)
A/N2: I went through and edited this chapter. Hope it is better now. :)
Helping
Kyoko met the girl at LME the next morning. Matsunai Ruriko, as she introduced herself, smiled sweetly at Kyoko. "It's nice to meet you, Kyoko-chan. This is my manager." The taller woman gave a nervous smile and bowed.
"Nice to meet you, Kyoko-chan." She greeted the young girl.
"Nice to meet you both as well." Kyoko bowed. "Did you have anything particular in mind when you requested me?" She asked, her hands folded, head tilted to the side. They were in the lobby of the building, about to go on location to Ruriko's film set. Ruriko had requested that Kyoko meet her at LME and a driver was going to take them to the location. Ruriko explained that she only wanted her to assist her on location, but left it at that. They left the building with her manager and piled into a car driven by the LME driver.
Kyoko glanced apprehensively at the curtain on the window, then turned back to the actress. "Moreover, the shooting has to be done outdoors." The girl was saying. "If I'm exposed to the sun for prolonged periods, that simply is asking for my life." The girl sighed, and Kyoko was startled. Remembering, she realized that Ruriko had been wearing a large hat, thick clothing, and gloves when she had come into the building.
"Ruriko-chan…are you allergic to the sunlight?" She turned around, but the girl was asleep. 'It must be so hard for her, with a weak body, but still having to shoot movies outdoors.' Kyoko thought in pity. 'She's like a princess! She's like the figures I have admired since I was young!" Immediately swept away into her dream world, she almost missed Ruriko's manager's next comment.
"Mogami-san, Ruriko-chan hopes that you can protect her so that she can avoid the sun for as long as possible." Tears suddenly poured from Kyoko's eyes.
"Please let me take on this job!" She cried. 'I must protect her!'
After they had driven for a while, a sputtering sound filled the car and they slowed. "What's going on?" The manager asked the man up front.
"Crap. The car broke down." He mumbled irritably.
"WHAT!" Ruriko jumped out of her seat. "The car broke down! We actually stopped at this type of godforsaken place!"
'Didn't she just fall asleep?' Kyoko thought in confusion.
"What are we going to do now!"
The driver spoke up. "Sorry. I don't know how long it's going to take to fix it. Could you please walk there from here onwards?"
"You are right." Her manager nodded. "The set is just a short walking distance away."
"I don't want to!" Ruriko cried from the back seat.
"Mogami-san, excuse me. I have to ask for you help so soon. Could I ask that you take care of Ruriko-chan?"
"Yes." She answered, determination shining in her eyes.
"No! I don't want to walk!" Ruriko screamed from the back seat, banging her hands up and down on the seat like a four year old. Kyoko donned her armor and grabbed the large umbrella.
Kyoko held the umbrella up with shaking arms. "I'm sorry. Once I finish preparing the necessary luggage, I'll catch up immediately." Her manager apologized from the car.
"It's alright. We'll make a head start!" Kyoko adjusted her grip on the umbrella.
"I want to wait until the car is fixed!" Ruriko whined.
"No. Everybody's waiting just for you now! Because of your umbrella, we already had to postpone."
"That can't be blamed on me!" Ruriko cried.
'Right that cannot be blamed on you. Because Ruriko-chan's body cannot be exposed to the sun. This must be a very torturous task for her!' She thought sadly as they continued to argue.
"Because Tsuruga-san is waiting for you."
'Tsuru…Tsuruga!' Kyoko perked up a little. 'Oh. I'll get to see him act. I haven't really seen that yet.'
Ruriko, suddenly desperate to get to the set, dragged Kyoko along. Kyoko wondered why she was so excited to see Ren, but continued carrying the umbrella without questioning. However, under the burning sun and the weight of the huge umbrella, Kyoko could only think about collapsing. Dragging her feet as they climbed a hill, she followed the other girl, making sure to keep her covered as she walked in front of Kyoko. Suddenly, the girl dropped to the floor.
"I can't walk anymore! My legs ache, and I can't move another step." She cried, looking petulantly up at Kyoko.
'But….it hasn't even been five minutes!' Kyoko cried in her brain, a little irked.
"I didn't do any strenuous exercise when I was young." Ruriko sniffed, looking down, and once again Kyoko was taken in.
'Then I'll just carry her!' Pulling the girl onto her back, Kyoko began walking again, making her way uphill. The umbrella felt like it was made of stone, and breathing was getting harder and harder until she felt like her lungs were going to burst. Her waist and arms ached and her legs trembled. Suddenly, her foot hit something and she fell face first, her ankle throbbing in pain. Ruriko landed on top of her, crushing her back.
"Hey! What are you trying to do? That was dangerous!"
Kyoko closed her eyes against the pain. "Sorry. I sprained my ankle." She mumbled. "I'll get up." She coughed and tried to push herself up, but could only flap around like a turtle. Ruriko rolled her eyes.
"Never mind. I'll walk the rest of the way." Kyoko looked up and watched her walk away, sighing. "I'll send someone for you!" She called over her shoulder.
'Hasn't she reached the site yet?' Kyoko felt like she had been waiting for hours. Her dry throat ached and she swallowed, trying to wet it. 'Maybe I can hide in that oasis of trees…at least I would be protected from the sun.' She put a hand in front of her head and stretched it out, gripping the earth. Pulling, she tried to drag herself, but the jackhammer in her ankle put an immediate end to that. She groaned into the dirt, a tear escaping. 'I don't want to die in this unknown place. Won't anyone notice me?' She closed her eyes and saw her mother walking away, then heard her own voice. "Please don't leave me alone! I will be a good girl! Don't leave me!" 'All my life…no one has ever cared about me.' She laid her head on the grass and stared at the blades sadly. Suddenly she heard a rustle.
"Mogami-san?" She looked up at the familiar voice and felt relief spreading through her.
"Tsuruga-san! Did Ruriko-chan send you?" She cried happily. He knelt down and cocked an eyebrow.
"What? No…what are you doing? Are you laying here because you're taking a break?" He looked a bit amused. "Or can you not stand?" She blushed a little and looked away.
"Eh…"
"By the looks of it, you can't stand." He looked her over and caught sight of her swelling ankle, frowning in concern. "Let me take a look at that." He stroked her hair, then stood and walked behind her. "Can you roll over?" He asked. She did, but when he pulled her shoe off, she twisted her upper body, screaming into her arm and the ground. Clenching her teeth, she could vaguely hear other voices over the roaring in her ears.
"Wow…she really seems to be in pain."
"Of course. It must hurt. I think she might have fractured the bone." Ren's voice was filled with concern, and he gently sat her foot back down and walked over to her side, then crouched down. Scooping her up, he carefully held her legs still and cradled her against his chest. "Just bear it for a little bit longer, okay?" He asked her in a gentle voice. "We can take care of it on set." Blushing brightly, she nodded and rested her head against him.
"Tsuruga-san, you don't have to carry me." She protested quietly. "I can walk."
"Hmph." He snorted. "You can only move around like a turtle." He chucked at her offended expression.
"I do not move like a turtle!" She cried. "And I don't need your help!" He rolled his eyes and adjusted her in his arms, her ankle hitting her other leg, and she blanched, a soft whimper escaping from between her clenched teeth. For a second, she felt like she would pass out. Concerned, he stopped.
"Sorry." He said softly. "Do you think I should call an ambulance?"
She shook her head stubbornly, biting her lip to distract herself. "No. I'm fine." She managed. "I could walk on my own." He laughed and nodded, amused at her attempts at strained humor, then kept walking.
"I know. I just thought it would be easier for me if I carry you. You're so short, you can't walk quickly enough to keep up." He said conversationally.
"I'll bet I could beat you in a race!" She cried. "I'm not short, either. You're just inhumanly tall." He caught sight of the his manager as they approached the set and motioned him over. The stunned man nearly came running at the sight of the pale girl in his actor's arms.
"Alright, we'll have to race some time, turtle girl." He sat her down on the steps in the shade. "Yashiro-san, can you bring a first aid kit and some water?" The manger nodded quickly and ran off to get the things as Ren sat next to her. She flinched when he touched her ankle again with a worried expression. It was hot and swelling, and he was afraid it was a bone fracture. "So what happened?" He asked quietly.
"Oh. I fell while carrying Ruriko-chan." She told him simply. Yashiro appeared with the requested items and Ren took the water bottle, opening it and holding it out to the girl, his expression unreadable. She guzzled the water until he stopped her, taking the bottle away before she made herself sick.
"Carrying her?" He asked quietly. Kyoko clenched her teeth when Yashiro-san began wrapping her ankle and missed his tone.
"Yes. She was too tired to walk, and besides, she allergic to UV rays."
Taken aback, he narrowed his eyes. "Allergic…to UV rays?" He asked doubtfully.
"She said that she couldn't be in the sun." Immediately understanding, he nodded curtly.
"Alright. And after you fell, what did she say?"
"That she would walk the rest of the way, and that she would send someone to help me." He nodded, repeating his father's warnings that men were never to hit women, and took her hand when she suddenly cried out in pain.
"Sorry, Kyoko-chan." Yashiro looked up in distress and she gave him a weak smile.
"It's…not your…fault." She managed between gritted teeth.
"Well, it's wrapped. Shall we go?"
"Huh?" She looked between Ren and Yashiro-san.
"To the hospital." Ren elaborated for her. "You need to go to the hospital to have your ankle examined. Yashiro-san can go with you."
"Oh. No! I can't go to the hospital. I have a job here. I have to protect Ruriko-chan." Ren kept his mouth shut, not wanting her to know the true reasoning behind the other woman's behavior.
"Mogami-san…." He said reasonably, but the girl was hobbling off in the direction of the set. He sighed, then turned a little. His eyes met Ruriko-chan's, who had been watching furiously from inside. He narrowed his eyes and gave her a menacing glare, just for a second. She paled (even more than usual) and disappeared around the corner. He lowered his voice so as not be be overheard. "Yashrio-san…the consequences for hitting that girl would be…?"
"Disastrous." Yashiro-san told him firmly, but he looked angry himself.
"Right." He mumbled, standing. "Well then, I think I'll have a talk with her instead."
"Ren! You can't threaten her!" Yashiro-san cried, grabbing his client's arm. "Kyoko-chan will be fine."
"Ruriko is taking advantage of her!" Ren snapped. "And she is the reason Kyoko injured herself. Making Kyoko carry her on her back! That's not a reasonable request for anyone, Yashiro-san. We should report this to the President."
"No. We should convince Kyoko to go to the hospital." He told the younger man firmly. "But since she won't go, we should make sure she doesn't injure herself further."
