AN: Thank you for your patience with this update. You guys are incredible with all the reviews and support and I only hope I give you something entertaining to read in return. Thank you so much for continuing to read this story 😊 Also next chapter will have the beginning of the drama work

Chapter Six – Who is Kuon Hizuri?

There was a long silence between the four individuals as Kyoko's words sunk into all of their minds.

"His name is Kuon Hizuri!"

Yashiro's eyes widened and he quickly looked at Ren. He wasn't sure what to do with that information, it was a shock especially being a fan of Kuu's. Then again, Ren had told him earlier that morning that he had a real name that would be revealed with the movie. He had also confessed to being an American. Kuu lived in America and was married to someone who was an American, therefore Kuu's son…

It couldn't be that Ren was actually Kuu's son, no father and son would have that off putting a reunion than when Kyoko was helping Kuu during his stay in Japan the previous year.

He looked at Ren again who had seemed to have grown quite distant. He didn't have any light in his eyes, then again it was rare for that to be used as a way of describing the mature brown eyes that the top actor had.

"Ren?" he dared to ask and saw Ren give a very distant look.

Ren must be guarding his emotions now that there's someone else competing for Kyoko's heart and that he seems to have won. You were having so much joy in working opposite Kyoko, Ren. As your manager I am asking you to keep your mind in a mature and unaggressive form for our work today.

Those were the thoughts going through the manager's eyes as he tried to study his client.

"Oh, right," Ren nodded as he gave his gentleman's smile but not for the reason Yashiro would have thought. "That's right, we should be leaving, shouldn't we?"

Ren felt himself about to throw up, he felt that his blood was icy cold as it ran through his veins. He felt as if the world was going to open up and swallow him up and then close above him. Hearing that name, hearing Kyoko have a connection to that name in public was horrifying. He didn't know whether he could take the identification as Kuon quite yet. When he told the world that he wanted to be Kuon Hizuri, he wanted to be the one to say those words.

He didn't want to get too angry at Kyoko, but she had promised to keep his secret and he felt betrayed by what he had just heard. He didn't know what to do in terms of Yashiro finding out. Yashiro would have to either find out now or find out later, he would be bothered about this until he knew. Ren didn't know if he could handle that.

"Yes, it's important to keep you punctual, it's one of your most desirable qualities in the eyes of a director," Yashiro prompted him before hearing Kyoko's voice.

"Tsu-Tsuruga-san?" she asked before she gave a bow and Yashiro looked around to see her with wide eyes. Had she not realized that Ren was standing there and that he could hear things? Was she worried that he would scold her on her maidenly virtues or whatever strange ideas ran amuck in Kyoko's mind. Yashiro saw her fidget. Did she know how Ren felt about her and was now feeling guilty that she had found comfort with somebody else?

"Mogami-san," Ren said with a gentleman's smile, "I wasn't expecting you to be here. Do you have work here as well?" he turned to Kijima who was trying to work things out for himself. "Morning," he smiled to the other actor.

"Tsuruga-san," Kijima said as he came to stand side by side with Ren, "Have you ever heard of Hizuri Kuon?" he asked as Kyoko looked up and saw the very well acted blank expression on Ren's face. Okay, so he was acting as if they were separate people, now she knew how to act.

She was just so sad that she had said his real name, now she couldn't be seen as the woman who Ren was dating.

"The name sounds familiar, Mogami-san, isn't that Kuu's son? Are you really going out with him?" he asked as Kyoko paled, so he had been able to hear that. She felt like such a wretched woman to have said his identity aloud. She hadn't thought that he had been around when it had escaped her lips. It was that stupid argument with Shoutaro that she had been thinking of and there was no way that she was going to go back to Kyoto and work for Shou's family.

Kyoko nodded as her eyes went to Ren's trying to figure out what to do. Knowing she was putting too much of an investment in them, he looked down.

"Well, I have to get going. I have a work assignment to do," Ren turned and started walking off into the building.

Kijima meanwhile was looking extremely satisfied and in a way almost proud, "So, that's the reason why you're in the drama and I'm not?" he asked, "You're sleeping with the director's son. Well, I have to say that that commitment and love of acting is commendable. I've done something very similar myself so there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Kyoko paled, "I was given the role because Kuu-sama likes my acting. He believes in my talent as an actress. I met Kuon-san after I was cast in the drama," she announced honestly and Kijima grinned playfully.

"Well you might have been cast in it, but I doubt you would have been given the leading role opposite Tsuruga-san unless his son dropped your name. I bet they're the kind of doting parents who would give their child anything that he could…" Kijima caught Kyoko's dark look.

"Please don't speak badly about the Hizuri family," she said before giving a last look at the direction that Ren went in and then turned and walked away.

…..

…..

As Ren exited the dressing room after the talk show had been filmed, he saw Yashiro with a very shocked expression on his face. Ren adopted a more serious expression on his face as he stared at the speechless man in front of him. Was something that he had done really that shocking? Had someone spilled his secrets to the media?

What on earth was wrong with his manager's face?

"What is it Yashiro-san?" Ren asked as he adjusted the strap on his bag. He saw the gloved covered hands and the cell phone where Yashiro had been looking something up on the internet. He just wondered what would have given his manager such a confused feeling.

"You…are Kuu's son?" Yashiro whispered as he looked side to side to make sure that no one could hear him.

"Just because you are so desperate that Kyoko and I embark on a relationship together doesn't mean that…" Ren said before Yashiro turned the phone around and Ren felt sick at what his manager had been able to dig up. On the screen were photographs of him as a teenager. He looked a bit different in those than he had years ago, but Yashiro had met him when he had been more like that.

"Uh," Ren said as he looked side to side, "I doubt you're going to believe that it's a coincidence?" he said awkwardly.

"Maybe to the less trained eye or the general public you'd be able to get away with it," Yashiro smiled though the shock was still in his eyes. "However, this is a blond version of the man I was introduced to by the president. I can still see that untamed young man who laughed at the world around him."

"I think it was more of a scoff," Ren said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Yashiro hummed before taking the phone back and Ren watched him clear his recent search history so that the pictures of his younger self couldn't be traced on the phone. Yashiro raised an eyebrow, "Well, I suppose for some people that acting is a genetic trait."

Ren groaned, "I hope it's more than genetics. I've been working for years to prove that I have the talent to stand alone as an actor. I don't want to get any special recognition as to who my family is. I also don't want my past catching up with me."

Yashiro nodded. "I have to agree that if it was just a genetic trait that you wouldn't have noticeably surpassed Kuu's talents and you wouldn't be being talked about my international directors. Don't worry there weren't any solid offers or I would have told you about them," Yashiro said as he saw Ren still looked at him baffled by him saying that. "I am very good at my work," he told Ren.

Ren smiled and took slow and steady breaths, "For right now, I would like to stay as Tsuruga Ren" he told his manager. "Until I'm ready for the world to know."

"Sounds fair," Yashiro smiled as he looked his client over, "Wow, I can not believe that I was this close to a Hizuri all the time," he commented before seeing Ren's questioning look. "I mean, it doesn't change anything. You're an actor and even if you weren't related to a great actor, you have the acting world idolizing you. I suppose that I should start looking around for a new client, you'd want to go to America and spread your wings even more, I bet."

Ren smiled and looked down, "No, in fact, I'd like to retain your service even if the paperwork has to change," he said as he allowed the smile to spread on his face. "Maybe I'm thinking too far ahead and I don't want to expect too much from her, but I want to work on my relationship with Mogami-san. I think that being with Kyoko is much more important to me than going to America. There are more important things in life than acting, Yashiro-san."

Yashiro rolled his eyes, "I could have told you that, but I'd like that too. We have a great dynamic, Ren" the manager grinned and Ren nodded.

Hopefully soon becoming Kuon Hizuri wouldn't be a big deal.

He just wanted to soar in the sky above him, who knew that within two years the definition he had for what that soaring was would change so dramatically.

…..

…..

After a few hours of sitting with Jelly as she did her hair for the final time for the near future at least, Ren was finally ready to look in the mirror again at the blond hair and emerald eyes that he would use to allow his acting self and his real self to live together. He only hoped that this project would work and he would be able to live a normal full life again.

Soon he would shed the name Ren Tsuruga, but that was going to be in the future. It wasn't yet, he had some time before that had to happen. He smiled as he looked at himself. It always felt a bit weird whenever he would have his hair done like this, but this time it finally felt as if he were coming home.

He didn't have to lose the important relationships he had built. He didn't have to run away and pretend because soon he would be credited at the end of this movie as Kuon Hizuri despite the promotional posters and paperwork listing him as Ren Tsuruga.

"It always does look more natural," Jelly said as she saw him looking at himself. She grinned as she saw him smile, so he could carry that much happiness inside of his heart. She was glad she got to see the blond version of him doing so.

"That's because it is," Ren said as he looked back at her.

He heard a knock on the door before it was opened and he looked up at the president continuing to smile. He finally felt as if he were living as himself again.

"You have someone waiting for you, I caught her pacing around the lobby so invited her up here. I could send her away if…" Lory began before Ren smiled.

"I'd be happy to see Mogami-san," he told him as even Lory felt himself blinded by that smile.