A/N: Thank you to those who have been reading up to this point! Apologies for the delay. Let's get on with the story!
CHAPTER V - MASQUERADE
The makeup and wardrobe assistants finished their work and stepped back to give Kyoko a better look at herself in the mirror. The wig had been twisted into a thick, elaborate braid that went halfway down her back and was studded with pearl hairpins. A few wispy curls framed Kyoko's face and she wore pearl stud earrings. A matching necklace accentuated the gown's low neckline, edged with pale pink ribbon. Kyoko reached out a gloved hand to touch her reflection. Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes. When I open my eyes, Kyoko will be gone. I'll be Christine Daae. Kyoko opened her eyes, and Christine looked back at her. The actress gently gathered up the delicate layers of her skirt and swept through the door. Her Prince was waiting.
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Kyoko had been completely oblivious to the ripple of whispers and turning heads as she walked onto set. Sho was momentarily stunned. He had no idea that Kyoko could look so pretty. More than pretty. She was glowing. Sho felt his face heat up as she approached. Luckily the producer hustled them into place immediately to start the scene.
The atmosphere on set was noticeably different. Kyoko was dazzling, and easily led a hypnotized Sho through their scenes. While the two teens still bickered between the takes, it had none of the swirling demonic rage that marked their usual interactions. There were no shouting matches. Sho would grumble, and instead of yelling insults Kyoko would banter and tease and smile, until the musician was no longer grumbling but smiling too. They breezed through the rest of the 'date' montage and the clips of Sho asking Kyoko to a ball. When the director yelled cut, instead of leaping away, Kyoko continued to be as relaxed and happy as she had been when the camera was rolling. Every easy exchange between the two made Ren's jaw twitch. The crew assumed that the veteran actor was merely already in character, despite not being in front of the camera. Only Yashiro knew that it was Ren, and not the Phantom, who was jealously watching the stage.
Sho was aware of the actor's pointed attention, and every tiny break in Ren's attempts to conceal his feelings only made Sho more gratified. The pop star inched closer to Kyoko, leaning into her personal space, and was rewarded when he saw Ren's brow twitch. Sho waited until he caught the actor's eye, then gave the actor his smuggest possible grin as the musician casually draped one hand over Kyoko's bare shoulders, idly fingering the lace on her sleeves.
"Isn't it beautiful?!" Kyoko whispered reverently, her eyes shining with such intensity that Sho knew exactly what kinds of fairies Kyoko was picturing. "I feel like Cinderella!"
The popstar rolled his eyes in pretend annoyance. "You're lucky my fans have the same stupid taste as you do, they wanted to see me as my princely self, so…" Sho gestured to himself, so Kyoko could appreciate his double-breasted jacket with military-style fancy gold trim. She admired every detail, running her fingers over the delicate engraving on a button. Sho glanced past Kyoko to where Tsuruga Ren stood looking distinctly displeased at their closeness. Kyoko, oblivious, continued rambling about Cinderella and fairy godmothers and makeup artists. It was just like the old days. Sho felt his chest clench.
"Kyoko, are you," Sho cleared his throat. "Are you having fun?"
"Yes! It's like a dream, isn't it!?" Kyoko beamed up at him, and Sho's chest tightened again.
"Yeah," he mumbled, suddenly feeling very self conscious.
"Places for start of scene 15!" A production assistant called. The set began to fill with backup dancers and extras to make the crowd for the ball. The cameras began to roll.
The scene opens at night, with Sho waiting outside a large building while masked couples make their way up glowing lantern-lit steps into the ball. A carriage pulls up, and Sho eagerly walks forward, opening the door. The camera zooms in on his hand as it extends to meet Kyoko's, emerging from the carriage. The shot cuts back as Kyoko steps down and smiles shyly at Sho before he steers them into the party.
The camera reveals a glittering two-tiered ballroom. It is almost oppressively ornate with its black and white marble floor and gold accents on every possible wall and surface. Wide curving staircases lead up from the dance floor to a circular balcony. The room is glowing, lit by many ornate crystal chandeliers and gold statues holding dozens of candles. From above, the room looks like a swarm of insects with the dancers weaving through each other and onlookers on both levels wandering about.
As the camera pans down to eye level, several people pass quickly by in brief succession. Every face is disguised - some are painted black and white, others wear decorated masks covering their faces entirely or strips of black cloth across their nose and cheeks. Kyoko and Sho look around in awe. A familiar white, skeletal mask flashes across the screen before disappearing into the crowd. The overall atmosphere is tumultuous. In the shadows of the hall, slightly apart from the chaos, a tall masked figure in a dark suit and long black cape stands half in shadow. The camera lingers for just a second, then turns back to Sho and Kyoko. Kyoko glances around nervously, but Sho tugs her onto the dance floor, into the center of the fray. A dozen masked faces pass by too quickly to be fully seen. Kyoko and Sho are quickly swept into the current of the ballroom, and the camera zooms out to show them falling into the swirling pattern with the other dancing couples.
"Cut!" The director called out, then turned to consult the choreographer beside her. "Sho, Kyoko, you're off your marks! You need to make it to the center of the circle so that the cameras don't lose you in the crowd. Let's try it again from the entrance!"
Four takes later, the cheerful mood that had originally dominated the set was entirely gone.
Sho continued to miss his mark when entering the swarm of dancers. The first two takes, Kyoko bit her lip, hoping he would figure out the timing. But the next takes, Sho watched the dancers cautiously, looking like someone waiting for their dash into the middle of a game of double dutch jump rope. The director had to NG the scene midway through and remind him that he was supposed to be acting like he was at a party.
"It's too scripted!" Sho complained. "Nobody ever wanders that specifically during a party, it's weird!" Kyoko made an ambiguous 'mm,' which Sho took as agreement. He gave a frustrated growl. Sho was aware that he was messing up the takes. The blocking was just too complicated, with the extra throng of people crowding up the set.
Sho's mood was made worse by the fact that Ren had been gliding around the set with ease, even improving the blocking when he did deviate. Whenever they made eye contact, Ren's clear contempt made Sho growl and ruined even more takes. So it wasn't only his fault that they still hadn't finished the scene! But Asami was only calling out his name whenever they had to stop.
"Cut! Sho, you're focusing too much on the blocking! We need to see you smiling at Kyoko. You're supposed to be in love! Be a man and lead her around the party!" Asami would yell across the set, causing the musician to cringe.
After two more failed takes, even Asami's temper was wearing thin. The looked between her actors, pinching the bridge of her nose and holding in a sigh.
"Listen, I know the script is hard. The blocking is complicated, and I know you're giving it your best, but-"
"What? What was wrong with the last take? It was fine!" The musician complained.
"It was not fine. Besides," Asami said, polishing her glasses, "we are not aiming for fine. This needs to be dazzling. But all we're getting is shots of you looking around like a lost tourist."
Kyoko managed to mostly stifle her laugh before it got away from her. Sho shot her a dirty look, but she merely rolled her eyes and playfully stuck her tongue out. He stuck his tongue out back at her, but his prickly attitude softened. His manager couldn't help noticing the young actress' talent for pulling Sho out of his moods. Kyoko handled his attitudes with ease, shrugging off his prickly comments and coaxing him out of his bad moods. Shoko wondered if she should be taking notes on the actress' methods.
But even Kyoko's magical touch couldn't fix the attitude on set after three more ruined takes. On the last take, Sho stepped into the dance too soon. Kyoko saw the collision coming and tried to squeak out a warning. But it was too late, and Sho and Kyoko swung into a pair of extras as they came waltzing by.
"OUCH!" One of the extras was sent sprawling to the floor.
"Let me help you up," Sho leaned down and offered the girl a hand, who nodded shyly and took his hand. As he pulled her up, she pretend to stumble and fell against Sho's chest, smiling up at him through her lashes. The musician steadied her with a hand on her arm. "You okay, uh..?"
"Rina." Rina said, blushing. Then she cradled her wrist. "That really hurt when she swung into me!" Rina pointed at Kyoko, who was in the middle of her apology that Rina was pointedly ignoring. Sho narrowed his eyes at the girl. He knew Kyoko shouldn't be the one apologizing. While he wouldn't admit it out loud, the musician knew that it was him messing up the timing that had led to the collision. But he stayed silent as Asami came over to make sure everyone was alright. Rina continued to cast dirty looks at Kyoko, but eventually proclaimed dramatically that she would continue to shoot.
"Let's take a five minute break." Asami sighed. She looked at her watch. While she really wanted more time to let Sho reset, they were behind schedule. "Tsuruga-san, a word?" She motioned for the tall actor to follow her onto set.
"Is something the matter?" Ren asked mildly. He doubted the director had notes for him, since so far all Ren had been asked to do was 'skulk about and look jealous,' which Yashiro had slyly remarked would be no problem at all.
"No, no, of course not." The producer glanced back at Sho and Kyoko, before turning to the actor. Asami gave him a tight smile. "We're really going to need those legendary skills of yours, Tsuruga-san. I'm afraid Sho-kun doesn't have the necessary experience to lead this scene, and we really need to nail it."
Ren only smiled mildly in response. Personally, he doubted that any amount of experience would make Fuwa into an actor. In Ren's mind, it was frankly a miracle they had gotten any decent shots out of the pop star at all. And by miracle, it was really just the constant stream of praise and flattery mixed with hints and reminders from Kyoko that kept Sho in a good enough mood. Ren flicked his eyes over the producer's shoulder to Kyoko. The actress was patiently guiding Sho through the blocking, laughing at some comment the musician made. Ren frowned and forced himself to turn his focus back to the director. The perception in her gaze made him nervous.
"As I was saying, Tsuruga-san," Asami continued, pretending not to notice the actor's distraction. "I think the only way we're going to get a decent performance out of Sho is if we catch him off guard. So whatever you need to do to pull out that performance, I trust you to do it." She paused, giving Ren a meaningful glance. Ren nodded.
"I'll be sure to do my best, then." Ren took in the set one more time, making sure he studied the layout.
"Just make sure you exit past the camera downstage right," Asami pointed to a small alcove towards the front of the set before turning back. "I'll leave it in your hands then. PLACES IN TWO!" The director called, startling the milling crowd of dancers and tech hands back into action.
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"Hey, uh, thanks," Sho muttered, as he and Kyoko made their way back to their starting place again.
"For what?" Kyoko turned to him. She scrunched up her nose. "It's weird for you to thank me. It's suspicious. Gross."
"A person makes a rare and earnest thank you and that's your response?" Sho huffed. "So not cute!" Sho grumbled, mostly to himself. But he glanced at Kyoko, who was busy admiring the lace on her costume with a dopey faraway smile on her face. It made Sho's chest ache. "Kyoko, are you… having fun?"
"Yeah." Kyoko realized it was true as she said it. Despite the multiple NGs and retakes, she was having fun. She was doing her best to keep acting as Christine, on and off camera. And since Raoul in the story was her childhood friend and love interest, Kyoko knew how to act with Sho. It had been surprisingly easy to fall back into her old habits. And since pleasing Sho was no longer her sole reason for existence, Kyoko had been relaxed. I wonder, would this have been what it was like? If we had really been friends… She stared at his face, suddenly aware that her arm was linked through his. "Yeah, I'm having fun. Thanks, Sho-chan."
Sho coughed, turning his head away to conceal the blush that wanted to sprout on his cheeks. It had been so long since he'd heard her call him Sho-chan in that voice. He tried to reason with himself. There's no way I think she's cute. It's just the costume. That's all. "Alright," he managed, "let's nail this take."
A dancing couple whirls past in a flurry of black and white. Behind them, the camera focuses on Sho and Kyoko in the crowd. They are the only unmasked faces in the anonymous crowd. Sho smiles before whisking Kyoko onto the dance floor. He wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her close as they move across the floor, seeming to look only at each other.
More couples run down the stairs to join in the dancing. Behind them, the Phantom looms from the outskirts of the dance floor, partially hidden behind a tall candelabra before pace of the dance has picked up, everyone is moving faster. The men lift their partners during a spin and the dance floor is almost entirely obscured by the twirl of skirts. People flash by in a blur, too quickly to catch. The camera turns left and right, almost tilting, trying to track the crowd, but the pace is too quick to focus on any individual. The music comes to a crescendo as the dance ends. Sho and Kyoko are in the center of the floor, circling around slowly. They make eye contact, slowly leaning towards each other. Kyoko looks down, her eyes almost closed.
The chandelier above the ballroom plummets to the floor and plunges the set into semi-darkness. People scramble and stumble in the dark as they begin to panic, knocking over candelabras and spreading broken glass across the floor. Above the chaos, the Phantom stalks down the staircase towards Kyoko and Sho, who are trying to reach for each other in the hysteria of the crowd. Before their fingers touch, Kyoko is shoved roughly to the side. Sho loses sight of her as she falls behind the widening sea of people between them.
The camera cuts to Kyoko on the ground. A gloved hand extends into the frame. She looks up gratefully, then scrambles away in horror. In her panic, Kyoko moves backwards towards the ruins of the chandelier, away from the crowd. The Phantom advances, lunging suddenly towards Kyoko. Ren wraps a hand around her arm and pulls Kyoko roughly to her feet while his other hand clamps firmly over her mouth. He begins to drag a struggling Kyoko away, slipping through gaps in the crowd with practised ease. The camera switches to a top view of Sho struggling to make his way across the increasing crowd between him and Kyoko. His head swivels around frantically, searching. Cut to another camera on Kyoko, struggling furiously against Ren as she is dragged away from the crowd. With a heroic effort, she manages to slip from the actor's grip.
"SHO!" She screams, hoping he will hear her above the uproar. His eyes find Kyoko just in time to see Ren grab her again, this time by the shoulder. His fingers are dangerously close to the base of her throat as he yanks Kyoko backwards. Her hand is still outstretched towards Sho across the floor. The camera zooms in as Sho shoves his way through the crowd, a desperate look on his face. The Phantom drags a still struggling Kyoko through a small alcove before it fades to black.
As soon as they were out of sight of the cameras, Kyoko stopped pretending to struggle. But Ren continued his pace, forcing Kyoko to stumble on behind him. She tried to pull her hand back, but Ren was squeezing her wrist so tightly Kyoko could feel her bracelet digging into her skin through the thin fabric of her long gloves. Ren's long strides were too quick. Kyoko tripped over the hem of her dress, letting out a yelp of surprise as she felt her foot slip on the silky lining. The sudden momentum was enough to free her wrist from Ren's grip. A second too late, the actor realized what was happening. Ren reached out an arm to stop her fall, but the fabric of her dress slipped right through his gloved fingers. Kyoko went down in a puff of fabric.
"Kyoko!" Sho pushed through the extras and off set, jumping over lights and wires on the floor. He threw Ren a scornful look before crouching down next to the actress. "Are you okay, can you stand?"
"I'm fine!" came a muffled reply and then a rustle as Kyoko tried to untangle herself from the swath of chiffon around her. She felt a tug and realized her bracelets had caught on some of the lace of her gown. Kyoko froze instantly, not wanting to tear the beautiful Cinderella dress. "Can you help me up please? I'm stuck." She felt a familiar hand around her elbow and let herself be excavated out of the layers of skirts.
"You're bleeding." Sho pointed at her gloves.
"I'm fine," Kyoko hadn't noticed in the commotion, but now that she looked at her hands, she saw a few tiny drops of blood against the white satin and felt a stinging sensation on her palms where she had caught her fall. "It's nothing."
"Oi, stage-manager!" Sho hollered, ignoring Kyoko's assessment that it was nothing. "We need a first aid kit!"
"Sho-chan, it's fine. I'm fine." Kyoko smiled. "Did we get the shot?"
"Who cares about the shot?" Sho grumbled. "Your hands are all scraped up!"
"Don't fuss over me! It makes me nervous!" Kyoko retorted, scooting away from Sho. "If even a person like you is worried, I might seriously be in trouble!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sho's brow twitched in irritation. "Why is it weird for me to be worried about the girl I li-" He clamped his jaw shut. "So what if I'm worried?"
"It's not like you," Kyoko said teasingly. "Do you think you have a fever?" She reached out to feel his forehead, but let her hand drop. "Oh, that's right. Idiots can't catch cold."
"Hey!" He reached out to smack her, but then remembered Kyoko's injured hands. "Dammit, where's that stupid first aid kit? You need a bandaid. Hey, don't just stand there," Sho barked at Ren, acknowledging the actor's presence for the first time. "Where's your manager? He seems like the kind of guy who'd have a bandage."
Ren started, as did Kyoko, who seemed to have forgotten that he was standing right there. The actor looked down at the two teens on the floor of the studio. Sho had peeled off her gloves, and Ren could see where his grip had left a red mark on the inside of her wrist, which she was brushing tenderly. Guiltily, he remembered that he hadn't been gentle when dragging her off the stage. Even so, as petty as it was, Ren didn't want to go fetch Yashiro and leave the two alone for even a second longer.
"Mogami-san, are you sure you're alright?" He stalled.
"I'm fine," Kyoko said politely. "Really, there's no need for all the fuss." She shot Sho a look, but the musician turned his nose away, obviously choosing to ignore her glance and statement in favor of glaring at Ren. Seeing no other option, the actor went to hunt down a first aid kit.
"Hey, be careful when you're alone with that guy" Sho said as soon as Ren was out of earshot. He frowned at Kyoko. "I'm serious."
"Why?" Kyoko stared back at him stupidly. What does that idiot mean, be careful? Kyoko had been looking forward to the next shots, almost exclusively because Sho wasn't in the next scene, which meant a break for her. After the NGs from the now-finished scene, all Kyoko wanted was the acting industry's one-take king to guide her so they could nail it on the first try. Kyoko was exhausted. "It'll be fine." Kyoko waved off his concern.
"No, really, you need to be careful. You're so defenseless." He really didn't want to point it out to her. Sho had seen how the actor looked at Kyoko, even if she hadn't. The naive, defenseless, plain Kyoko he grew up with was suddenly cute, and totally unaware. "You have to be careful." Sho swallowed, his mouth had gone dry. "He's a man."
"So?" Kyoko narrowed her eyes.
"Well," Sho paused, glancing past Kyoko to where He cleared his throat. He needed to make sure. "I mean… Most girls, around Tsuruga Ren, would… Because he's..." Sho trailed off awkwardly. He didn't know how to say it. You know. A man man. He gestured vaguely.
"Tsuruga-san's not like that," Kyoko said impatiently, done with Sho's nonsense. "He's not a man, he's a professional." Inwardly, Kyoko wanted to scream. Tsuruga-san is the pinnacle of professionalism! He's an actor! Don't group him in with the likes of you, who can't get through a scene to save your life! Kyoko managed to swallow her lecture. Fortunately, she was rescued by Shoko rushing over.
"Both of you, quit dawdling!" The manager began to draw the musician away. "We're starting the separate scenes in five, and you need to get changed!" She pushed the musician in front of her, prodding him to walk. Watching the rockstar's retreating form, Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief.
Almost done.
