A/N: I had a plan. My plan was to write this yesterday. I had a few hours free, so I got ready to write….and then I watched my favorite YouTube channel…and then I reread my other fanfics….so needless to say I didn't write this yesterday. Sorry. I was actually sick this morning, so I don't have my homework yet, therefore I have free time this afternoon.

(For anyone who was wondering, I finished The Fault In Our Stars a few days ago and I sincerely recommend it. Sweet, wonderful, and it made me cry…not many books do that.) Anyway, here is the next chapter.

****IMPORTANT! I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE! But I went back and fixed it. Okay, so I always called Lory's butler 'Sebastian' because that is what Kyoko calls him…but WE don't know his real name. Kyoko just made that up because it sounded like a butler name. I'm sorry. So when I am referring to Sebastian, I use that name (because there are several occurrences and I don't want to change them all), but when someone is talking about him, it will be just 'Lory's butler' etc. Sorry again.****

Backtracking (To Natsu Part II)

She was falling. The figure in the shadows watched from the top of the stairs as her limp body crashed to the ground, her head bouncing against the hard, tiled floor. There was a scream, but he didn't know if it was his. It couldn't have been hers. Her lips were sealed, her eyebrows furrowed in pain. He tried to move but something kept him anchored to the spot as a pool of blood slowly surrounded the girl on the ground. It seeped over her body and stopped at his feet, slowly covering them, creeping up his legs and stomach and hands, until he was nearly covered. 'So much blood.' The thought was painful, forced through a dense fog. 'There can't be so much blood…she can't be dead.' But even through the red haze, she wasn't moving.

Ren gasped, his whole body jerking as he was torn from his dream. Unsure of what had awoken him, he tried to catch his breath and slow his pounding heart. "Are you okay?" The soft voice, so familiar and welcome after such a horrible nightmare, made him jump again. A gentle hand touched his cheek and his eyes slowly adjusted to the dark enough to make out the figure of a young woman kneeling beside the bed, her golden eyes worried. "Ren?" He reached up and caught her hand, sighing in relief. Unable to explain his nightmare without explaining everything, he gently pulled her up and into his arms as he sat up, cradling her smaller body to his torso as he convinced himself that she was okay, that she was safe and real and in his arms. He nuzzled her neck, breathing deeply as if to memorize her scent, and brought a hand up to stroke the back of her head, fingertips ghosting over and raking through her soft orange locks. She was silent as he held her, bringing a hesitant hand up to wrap around him and touch his back.

"Did I wake you?" He whispered the question hoarsely against her neck, lips nearly touching her ear, and he felt her shiver. Fighting the sudden urge to do more, he pressed a kiss against her neck and left her ear alone.

"You were yelling. I was worried that something was wrong. Are you okay?" She asked in her normal voice, pulling away a little to look into his eyes. He managed a strained smile.

"I'm fine. Sorry for waking you." She was staring at him critically, her eyes raking over him for a moment, and then she brought her left hand up and touched his forehead. His smile relaxed a little as she assessed his temperature and then stroked his cheek.

"Are you sure?" She demanded softly. He nodded, capturing her hand and pressing a kiss against it.

"I'm sure. What time is it?" She sat back on her knees and turned to the digital clock.

"3:30." He grimaced.

"You should get back to bed. Goodnight." He reached up and kissed her forehead, using every ounce of self-control not to ask her to stay with him. He was sure that she would be uncomfortable with that, and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable in any way while she was with him. He watched as she left the room, shutting the door behind her with a soft 'goodnight' and then listened to her soft retreating footsteps. Lying back down on the bed, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping that he wouldn't have anymore bad dreams.


Kyoko lay awake, staring at the random patterns on the ceiling. The bed was soft and comfortable, and she could feel the slight warm spot from where she had been lying earlier. Shifting a little, she tried to get into the same position, pulling the soft sheets and comforter over her, trapping the delicious warmth of the bed. Vaguely she could hear the soft hum of the heater as it kicked on, and the vague sounds of the city. Occasionally the soft honk of a horn could be heard from the streets far below, but it was mostly silent due to the excellent soundproofing available for the rich.

She thought briefly back to her room in Kyoto, where the soft chirping of crickets and the occasional barking of a dog or murmuring of a guest would be the only noise after 3 in the morning. It was rare that a car would drive so close to the inn in the early morning, nor did many of the staff stay past midnight. Once or twice a week she would slip out of her bed and go exploring, walking out to the stream, especially in the heat of the summer, and stare up at the stars in amazement, trying to make pictures in the inky darkness. It was the only thing she missed about Kyoto…the chance to be so close to nature, to the stars on hot summer mornings.

'He looked so scared.' The thought returned unbidden and she tried to push it away, along with the longing to comfort him. 'He's fine.' She told herself firmly. 'He just had a bad dream.' She remembered his hands wrapped firmly around her, his lips against her neck, the almost desperate way he breathed her in. 'What kind of bad dream?' She had to wonder. She rolled over and took some covers with her, wrapping herself in a thick cocoon of blankets. Her toes curled and relaxed against the silky sheets as she gazed out the open window that let the distant city lights drift into the room. Too comfortable to get up and close the curtain, she instead tried to count the lights as she slowly drifted to sleep, several hundred feet away from the bed she wanted to be laying in.


Kyoko opened her eyes when the softest rays of sunlight tickled her eyelids, warming the room and revealing the early morning city. She rolled over on her back and groped on the nightstand for her phone. Squinting at the bright light, she found that it was only 7 in the morning. She didn't have filming until midafternoon, but she wasn't sure what Ren's schedule was like. Convincing herself that she should make breakfast, she reluctantly climbed from the warm bed and looked down at her rumpled clothes in dismay. Suddenly, a thought struck her and she went to the closet, opening it a bit hesitantly, then smiled in resignation. There were at least four pairs of slacks and a few blouses in her size. On the floor was a bag that, upon closer inspection, contained undergarments…also in her size. Chuckling softly, she chose an outfit and said a quick prayer of thanks that her boyfriend kept clothes in her size in his guest bedroom closet.

Entering the kitchen, she began pulling ingredients from the shelves and refrigerator, briefly wondering why she always felt so at home in his kitchen. She had learned to cook at a very young age while helping the Okami-san and Tahiso at the Fuwa Inn, but her opportunities in the kitchen had disappeared when Sho had, and she hadn't been able to partake in her favorite pastime again until she had move to Tokyo and taken the job at the Darumaya. Still, she never enjoyed cooking as much as when she was able to do it for someone she knew…especially Ren. This thought made her blush softly as she combined the ingredients for pancakes in a small bowl and began stirring with her left hand, careful to keep the right still at her side. She loved being at Ren's apartment and spending time with him, but she was always happiest when she was in the kitchen making something for him. 'Would this be my life if I had run away with Sho? Would he have allowed me to devote myself to cooking and cleaning up after him?' She wondered, staring into the bowl of cream colored batter sadly. 'But Ren wouldn't.' She told herself firmly, shaking herself from her stupor. 'He appreciates when I do things for him, and he supports me in my career as well.' Carefully she poured the batter onto a hot griddle and adjusted the temperature on the burner on which it sat. Flinching at the effort of doing it with one hand, she started to lift the other when she felt a presence behind her, holding her right elbow.

"The doctor said to keep it still." His deep voice informed her softly, then he reached over and kissed her cheek, steadying the bow and helping her pour the batter for an oddly shaped pancake. "Good morning."

"Good morning." She smiled and sat the bowl down, adjusting the temperature once again and then pulling out a spatula. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well." He took the spatula from her and stood in front of the stove, waiting for her to tell him when to flip. "You?"

"Yes, I slept well."

"Are you feeling okay?" He wondered solemly. She leaned against the counter and looked down at the pancakes.

"I'm fine." She smiled warmly. "Thank you." He eyed her suspiciously.

"Are you sure, Kyoko? Does your head still hurt?" She shook her head with a smile. "Have you taken your medicine?" She started to nod, then hesitated when she realized that she had forgotten to. He crossed his arms.

"Flip." He did so as she grabbed a glass of water and found the pill bottle, taking two, and then went back to the stove.

"You look beautiful by the way." He was smiling now, a soft, gentle one that made her blush.

"Thank you." She mumbled. "Oh, and thank you for the clothes." He smiled and nodded.

"Of course." He hadn't dressed yet, and was wearing a sleeveless white top and pajama bottoms, his feet bare. She shivered a little when cold air seemed to come from the vent above her. "It is cold in here, isn't it." He placed the pancakes onto plates and carried them to the table while she poured them two glasses of milk and took the bottle of syrup from the cabinet. He walked over to the thermostat on the living room wall then joined her at the table. "When do you need to be at work?"

"Nothing for Dark Moon today, but I have to be at the studio for Box R at 1." He nodded thoughtfully as he chewed. "You?"

He swallowed and took a drink. "I'm working on Dark Moon at 10, but I have a modeling shoot at 8:30, so I'll have to leave soon." He frowned apologetically. "Do you want me to take you to the Darumaya?" She was thoughtful for a moment. "Or do you want to stay here? It's closer to the studio. I could also take you to LME." There was something strange about the idea of staying in Ren's apartment without him, and she frowned for a moment.

"Well, I could get some Love Me work done at LME. If you don't mind…"

"Of course not. Let me get ready first and I'll drop you off before I get Yashiro."


Kyoko entered the halls of LME after saying goodbye to Ren in the car and started for the Love Me room. Must to her disappointment, Moko-san wasn't there. However, she went to Sawara-san's office and knocked lightly on the door. "Come in." She turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, bowing in the doorway.

"Good morning Sawara-san." She greeted cheerfully. He smiled.

"Hello Kyoko-chan. Please come in." She did so, then realized that the man wasn't alone.

"Oh! Takarada-san!" She bowed again, flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you! Good morning." He chuckled and nodded,

"Good morning Kyoko-chan. It's quite all right." He was obviously amused and she gave a small smile, sitting down stiffly in another chair as the two men watched her. "Are you okay?" She looked up in surprise at his concerned tone, then remembered the bandage on her wrist.

"Oh. Yes. I'm fine. Just a slight sprain." She lied smoothly. "The Doctor said I'll be fine. I just fell during one of my jobs yesterday." He was watching her closely, obviously concerned at the over cheerfulness of her voice. She crossed her ankles and tried to hide her bandaged hand behind her left one, smiled brightly. "I just came to see if there were any Love Me jobs for me today." He continued to stare at her but nodded slowly, looking over at Sawara-san.

"Well…can you do paperwork?" For a minute, she blanched a little, which was obviously noticed by the President, but she quickly nodded.

"Of course. If you…"

"No." The President's voice was firm and he stared at her with a distinct frown. "Kyoko-chan, if you've sprained your wrist, you need to keep it still. That means no writing." She started to argue, but he crossed his arms and looked down at her with such finality that she nodded morosely and gave in, not that she had any chance of standing up to this man anyway. "What time do you have to work today?" He asked abruptly.

"I have to be at the set of Box R at 1, Takararada-san." She answered simply.

"Come with me, please. I need to speak with you." Unable to do anything but nod and follow him out of the room, she bowed a goodbye to a concerned Sawara-san and followed the intimidating man into the hallway. Taking a moment to look at his outfit, she realized that it wasn't that eccentric. He wore a black suit with a half mask on his face, with a magician's hat on his head, but other than a wand tucked into his back pocket and an air of mystery surrounding him, there was nothing in particular that marked his peculiar love of cosplay. He pressed the button for the elevator, then signaled for her to go in before he followed suit, pressing the button for the top floor and then waiting. She stood in the far corner away from him, silently watching the digital numbers change until they reached the top floor. Once again, the tall man motioned for her to go ahead, and she did so, walking nervously to his office.

'What did I do?' The thought bounced around inside her head, panic blooming in her chest. 'Is he going to fire me? Is he upset? What did I do wrong?' He pulled out a key and unlocked his office, nodding to the butler wearing a turban who gave them both a slight bow. She bowed deeply in return and thought she caught a smile in his eyes, then followed the man in.

"Please have a seat, Kyoko-chan." The President sat on a sofa and motioned for Kyoko to sit across from him. Unlike when Ren came to see him, he abstained from the cigar and only took a cup of tea brought by his butler. She thanked the man in the turban and took a sip of tea, keeping her right hand in her lap where her boss's gaze lingered for a moment. "How have you been, Kyoko-chan." He asked softly, regarding her with a pleasant smile. To nervous to really return it, she only placed the tea on the table and looked nervously at her lap.

"Um…I'm fine, Takarada-san. Thank you." She spoke hesitantly.

"And you are staying at the Darumaya, correct? How is that working out? Are you able to pay the rent?" His voice was gentle and concerned, his eyes sincere. She recognized the look from the ones he would give his granddaughter and smiled a little.

"The Okami-san and Taisho-san are very kind. And I work there to help pay for the rent. It was very good of them to offer me a room and a job." His eyes softened at the gratitude in her eyes and voice.

"That was kind of them. But if you ever need to find alternate housing, feel free to come to me, and I can take care of it. It's part of my job." He insisted when she seemed about to argue, albeit feebly. "I take care of my talents. I helped Ren find his apartment and funded it for a while when he was just getting started." He smiled at her surprise expression. "Of course he insisted on paying me back when he began to get famous." He grinned suddenly. "So, how are you and Ren doing?" Kyoko felt her face begin to burn and looked down, still unused to having any kind of relationship to talk about.

"Um…fine." She mumbled.

"Just fine?" She blushed brighter and he chuckled. "I'm sorry Kyoko-chan. I don't mean to tease you. There is something I should warn you about, though. You and Ren are, to my knowledge, in a serious relationship. Is this correct?" She nodded, looking up at him in embarrassed confusion. "Soon, this information is going to leak to the press." She felt the blood, so prominent in her face a minute ago, drain from her face, and his eyes softened. "I know that you are frightened by this, but you need to begin to prepare yourself to announce this information, since they are going to be asking questions one way or another." She nodded, a little miserably, and he took pity on her for a moment. "But Kyoko-chan, you should talk to him about this as well. I was going to meet with him later today to talk about it, so the two of you can discuss it when you get the chance. The reason I really called you back here was to talk about you hand." She looked up again in surprise. "Kyoko-chan, I want to know what really happened."

"Um…I already told you…" She mumbled, praying that he would believe her. He shook his head.

"Kyoko-chan, I want the truth now." His tone bordered on angry and she flinched.

"Please, Takarada-san, I can handle it on my own." She looked up at him pleadingly, but her was still frowning.

"Who caused your injury, Kyoko-chan?"

"Takarada-san, I'm going to take care of it!" She cried desperately. "Well…Natsu will. And it isn't serious! There's no need for…anyone else to get involved." Her voice died off as she realized that she was being disrespectful and she bowed her head miserably. He was still staring at her in silence, a strange expression marring his expressive face, then stood abruptly.

"You may go, Kyoko-chan." He said simply as he strolled away.


Kyoko took a deep breath, hoping that he wasn't angry, but also relieved. She knew that Natsu could deal with this…and that, in fact, that was the best way to deal with it. But she also knew that the President was protective of his talents, and that he wanted to help her with the situation. 'I don't need help.' She thought firmly as she walked toward the exit. 'I can handle this on my own. I've always dealt with things by myself, and I can't stop now that I have people that will help me.' "Thank you, Sebastian." She said absentmindedly as she walked through the door, then froze at his confused look. Mortified she covered her mouth and stared at him. The confusion was still there, and she was sure she hadn't blushed quite this much in a while, which was significant. "I…I'm sorry. That…I don't know your name…and…that's just…what I…call….you…" She mumbled the end, still bright red, then bowed hastily and fled.

In the doorway, the turbaned man placed a hand over his mouth and chuckled. 'Sebastian, huh?' Shaking his head and laughing, he went back into his boss's office.

The director took one look at her hand and threw himself on the floor. "I'm sorry!" She told him sadly. "I fell down the stairs and injured my wrist." She caught sight of Chiori entering the room, her face pale with fear, and Natsu smirked a little. "The doctor said I should keep it still, but it should be back to normal by the end of the week. I can continue filming as normal though."

"Continue…Kyoko-chan! How can you do the bully scenes if you can't move your right hand!" He cried from his position on the floor. Natsu grinned, kneeling down and locking eyes with Chiori, she smiled.

"Heh. Director, there are plenty of convenient people around who are capable of becoming my right hand, and doing as I wish." Everyone looked at her in shock, and the director paled a little at the smile on her face. "Let's see…who can I have as my right hand…of course it would have to be someone who could quickly do as I say…who can anticipate what I will say before I speak." She met Choiri's eyes. "Yumika!" The girl's eyes widened and she backed away a step as Natsu smiled at her. "You'll do!" There was a stunned silence, then the director spoke up.

"Eh…Natsu. The one who understands you best would be Kaori…right?"

"Heh. Don't misunderstand me Director. Kaori is someone that I trust enough to substitute as myself, my 'right arm' you could say. She is not some cheap 'right hand' that I can dispose of when I finish with her." Natsu grinned cruelly.

"So…you just want someone to follow your orders…to bully someone for you?" Natsu smiled at him patiently.

"Director, you said that, as for the main bullying scenes, it was up to us to determine what was going to be done, yes?"

"Um…yea. I did say that."

"I am the leader of the group. I will be headlining the main event."

"But…just now…" He broke off at the strange, malevolent expression on the teen's face.


Natsu glanced over at Chiori, deep in thought with a sad, desperate expression on her face. 'Bingo. I'll make her act the way I want.' "Yumika!" The girl jumped and turned. Natsu looked back over at her best friend who was painting her nails. "Didn't I tell you that I found that level boring?" She glanced over irritably. "Are you that stupid? Doesn't she understand what Level 5 play is? I'm bored with her." She asked the one painting her nails. Another girl smirked.

"Natsu, you've been playing with her for a year. Shouldn't you switch targets?"

"You've found someone new, haven't you?" Natsu grinned at the knowing look on her best friend's face.

"How did you know?" The girl grinned as she continued to do Natsu's nail, adding decorations. "Well, I do have one more idea. Do you get it, Yumika? Snap out of it, will you?" She looked down at her nail. "Heavy! How many decorations did you add?" Her friend laughed.

"You didn't stop me." Natsu laughed and held out her hand for more decorations.

"Yumika, I'd better not have to repeat myself again..." She grinned up at the girl. "Do you want everyone to know?" Chiori paled. "I found out all about your past of course. You're that scared of being tarnished?" Natsu giggled, pulling her hand away and walking over. "You already are. It won't disappear until you die." The girl glared, her eyes blazing. "Oh come on. What's with that face? You have to know that I can take a stumble in life better than you. We are made of different stuff altogether." She crossed her arms. "You want my silence?" The girl dropped her head. "Fine. Use that girl and entertain me. Then I'll allow you to apologize." Yumika suddenly grinned, cruelty and excitement glinting in her eyes. "Level 5, okay Yumika?"

A/N: First, sno-zutto: You have disabled private messaging and I really wanted to respond to your review, so I'll do it here. Thank you. I cannot say how much it means to me to hear you say that. I try to keep my stories interesting and in character (as much as possible) and I am glad that you decided to give something I wrote a try. Since writing is what I want to do with my life, it is really encouraging to receive reviews like yours. I hope you continue to read and enjoy.

Second, please forgive spelling/grammar issues. I do not have anyone helping me edit, and though I try to get everything, I am bound to miss something. Thank you for reading.