-Gathering: Part 2-
Kyoko sat at across from Kouki, Maria had long since gone to bed and Lory had thought it was best to allow them to have a talk in the one room that no one would enter, more so seeing as Ruto was just on the other side of the door. They, however, were rather silent, she had been talking to him via text messages and phone calls.
It bothered her how awkward Kouki and Maria were with each other. Yet she also could tell they cared about each other, they just had no idea how to communicate. That she wasn't sure how to fix at this time, all she could figure was the death of Lina and that neither of them was grieving in their own way. She had no idea how to help them past that stage… she never was close enough to anyone who died. Not only that but Kyoko was starting to believe that Kouki just didn't know how to talk to people when it was not business.
Kouki, "How are you holding up?"
Kyoko looked up at him, his English sounded different than her own. She had already known that but it was even more so when there wasn't a phone in between them. It was likely he was trying to talk somewhere between American English and British English she couldn't help but smile, "I've been well brother. Father's been behaving… more or less."
"Yes Grandmother Leiko has a way with him," he said with a soft smile. "She has a way with all her children."
Kyoko had to admit that she honestly did, even if she didn't know what you did, she could tell you did something and then you were apologizing and admitting what you did. "Ruto apparently is not included"
"Yes I saw him at dinner, prior he never joined" he smiled sadly. She wasn't sure if it was because he felt guilty that Ruto had never once eaten with the whole family or if it was just the awkwardness between them.
"Well, he's been with Father for many years." she fidgeted with her fingers.
"Longer than both of us been alive," he said looking at her some. "Are you sure you are happy?"
Kyoko looked down putting her teacup on the table before looking at her hands. "Honestly… I think when it comes to family yes. To have so many people who care and love me. Who I have grown to love in such a short time is kind of scary." she sighed softly "But I don't believe I will ever grow to have a romantic love…" she trailed off.
"I understand Kyoko. I will never love another like I loved Lina, she was my best friend, the one who understood me best. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her. That I don't wish she was still here…"
Kyoko stood up as her brother began to silent weep, wrapping her arms around him. She ran her fingers through his hair. Yes, they had something they shared, they had loved someone so much that when they lost that love they became broken. Yet as much as they shared this one factor there was a big difference, Lina had loved him. Would never have thrown him away, never would have sold him, no she is sure that Lina would have happily given up her own life for him and at the same time, he would never have accepted it from her because her life meant that much to him. Where Shoutaro had chosen his own dreams and happiness and they didn't include her, she had loved him, had trusted him, had given all her heart to him and he threw her away like garbage. She had no worth in his eyes. Kyoko also knew one other thing, if she had to choose between the two, she would take being thrown away… she knew she would not have been able to ever heal if she had been in Kouki's place.
Ren lean against the frame of the entryway, his eyes moved back towards it. Objects of sorts but most of all it was orbs. From what he could gather these orbs were memories or even feelings. He had agreed to contacts of course and they would use CGI to make the violet glow of their eyes happen. At first, he was wary of this little fact. It hadn't been included in the script at first but in the end, no one had said anything about looking to Western. Most people said it just didn't look right on him at all.
Kijima, on the other hand, everyone was fawning over his blue contacts. The tray of tea was set on the table and he was leaning back in his chair with his arms draped over them. The actor playing Shigeki Takuji sat across from him, checking his phone he smiled before turning it off and putting it in his pocket as Director Morizumi moves towards them, Ren didn't miss the fact that Kimiko was trailing after him.
"Alright, everyone. This is going to be done in parts. We want to make sure to get the shots for CGI right when we need it." he looked down at his script "Takuji just stepped inside the office for the first time. Taji just served him tea and sat down, when Shosuke walked in." He looked at the three actors before calling quiet on the set "Action!"
"Ah. Shigeki Takuji" Ren gave a slight bow of his head before looking at him "How can I help you?" Takuji stared at him before looking back towards Kijima "Shouldn't you be telling me your names first?" By no looking at Ren he was showing that he was bothered by how someone he never met knew his name.
Ren didn't move from the archway "If you must know. I'm Nataga Shosuke and this is my helper" he said nodding towards Kijima.
Kijima sighed "Shosuke, the correct word is partner" it was spoken as if Shosuke didn't understand the difference between a helper and a partner.
Ren voice changed to one that showed how tired he was of this conversation "How many times do we have to go through this?"
"Until you do it right." Kijima flashed him a grin before turning his attention back to Takuji's actor "Anyways nevermind him. I'm Takeshita Taji, you can call me Taji." He said leaning forward to pour himself a cup.
Walked to the only chair between the two couches "Now…" sitting crossing his legs as he looked at him. "Tell me how I can help you Takuji-san."
Takuji's actor looked down at the teacup in his hands. "My daughter was murdered…" he said the words slowly.
Ren leaned back in his chair "Explain."
Takuji actor took a deep breath. Drank a bit of the tea before setting it between his legs and sat forward, "They said she had a cardiac arrest, yet she only had a sore throat. No fever, she only came to get a prescription." He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Ren had to admit he had good control over his voice, he could almost feel the pain as a man struggling to keep his emotions in check, something that he knew well. "Where was she murdered?" Ren asked.
"Taiyo Hospital, Emergency Room" Bitterness flooded the man's voice.
Kijima leaned back and arm draping over the couch as he looked at Takuji, "I don't understand, why would you believe she was murdered at the hospital?"
Takuji defeated sigh "You aren't understanding." He clenched his jaws, "You see I was a medic... I know what people look like when they are dying. I've seen it so many times" he sat the cup on the table shaking his head.
"Sometimes people are a lot sicker than they look" Ren leaned against the armrest.
Morizumi "Cut!" he grinned "That was great guys. Ren, we need to do a close up of your face for the CGI. Ren nodded his head "I also want to do a couple close-ups of Kijima face too, so make sure you look at him as if you can read his every action. Then we will get your facial features, the silently moves as you recall where you are supposed to be, the everyday actions he would be living through if his daughter was still alive." Takuji's actor nodded his head.
Kyoko ran a hand through her hair, her eyes trailed towards the bed. Maria was still asleep she had chosen to stay in her room on her visit and she really hadn't the heart to tell her no. Pulling out a piece of paper she wrote a quick message to her letting her know she would be home about four. Putting on the nightstand she went and got dressed for school.
Slipping out of the room she made her way down the dining room, today was slightly different, Kouki was at the table looking over some paperwork, you would never have known he had broken down last night. Charles was at the head of the table, he wouldn't move unless Leiko entered and it was still early enough that she wouldn't be up for another hour.
Charles didn't lift his head "Morning Kyoko" she smiled as Kouki lifted his head, echoing the same greeting.
"Morning Charles and Kouki," she said warmly as she made her way to the kitchen.
"It's a proper Japanese breakfast, I requested it. The Western world tends to eat far too unhealthy for my tastes." Kyoko chuckles softly as she held herself to rice, miso soup, and boiled fish. She grabbed an apple as well before making her way to the table sitting across from him.
"Yes, they are a bit heavy… I fear I'll have a heart attack"
"You know you can request them to make you Japanese foods for yourself Grandmother does," Charles said not looking away from his book.
Kyoko sighed softly, this was what Aunt Mary had more or less said as well. Yet she didn't want to be bothered to the kitchen staff, "I know but I don't want them to have to make a special meal just for me."
"It's their job Kyoko" her eyes turned towards Kouki "They get paid and they already make Leiko such meals."
Kyoko looked down at her plate "It's really alright."
Charles looked up from his book to look at Kouki the two men then looked back at her "Then I'll tell them for you." said Kouki.
"No… no, it really is alright," she said panicking over the idea of Kouki saying something worse the look on Charles' face said he agreed to the idea that if she wouldn't say it bothered her that they would just do it for her.
"The matter is settled Kyoko" her face paled as she looked at Kouki, 'He's like Grandma Leiko right now' she whimpered inside her mind as Charles patted her on the top of her head.
"It's alright." then he was back in his book leaving her to her own thoughts of despair even after Amanda, David and Cody came in. So lost in her despair she eats in silence saying nothing else other than to mutter a greeting the three looked at her and the other two but whatever had happened no one was saying.
Kyoko stared at Keiji like he grew a second head, he sat there eating his lunch like nothing had happened, today they were eating in the Student Council Room because it was too cold to be outside, they got away with it because Amanda happened to be the President and David Vice-President.
"I think you broke her Keiji," Amanda said waving her hand in front of her face.
"She's just trapped in her head," Keiji said simply.
"Right," she said turning on her heel and huffing "and you know damn well how long that can last…" she wrapped her arms around his neck, her hair falling over his shoulder "Fix it now."
"How exactly am I supposed to do that?" Keiji didn't really want to deal with it. Besides, it's wouldn't last.
Amanda, "Tell her it was a joke"
Keiji sighed, "But it's not a joke. I signed us up to perform at the next Dancesport." Yet he felt Amanda's arms tighten around him even more in a pure death grip.
Cody watched his sister and friend before looking back at Kyoko "still the look she gives…" he said more to himself.
"You mean like he grew a second head?" David said grinning as he wrapped an arm around Amanda "Come on if you hug him any tighter you'll kill him."
"Well then that will fix it" she muttered.
Keiji rubbed his neck. Cody grinned "she's moving!" sure enough Kyoko was now in the corner, it seemed to have grown darker and actually really depressing but Cody couldn't help but be amused by the whole thing.
"David…" Amanda "He really broke her bad! Let's just kill him." David held her close to his chest. While she glared at Keiji who found himself moving away to put a table between them. Even that he wasn't exactly sure if he was safe.
"Amanda…" Keiji sighed.
"No, you don't get to call me that it's Princess Amanda until you fix that… Thing." she pointed at the being that she wasn't even sure was Kyoko anymore.
Cody looked back towards his sister, "well the issue is she's never performed in front of people. She's gotten used to Keiji's presence where she's actually really comfortable with him."
David looked at him "So we just have her perform in front of a crowd and help her get used to it?"
Cody frowned slightly, "I dunno… I mean when she's really into what she's doing she forgets everyone else is around her until something breaks her out of it. Kinda like…" he nodded towards the girl now grasping her head, clearly being tormented by something that she just thought about. "Not only that but she's not very comfortable with a lot of the clothes. That's easy enough to fix once we can get her to accept she doesn't have to dress… well, what she calls impure… she's pretty big on keeping her purity."
Cody shot a look towards Keiji they had a far better grasp of just how her past affected her having been there before she was reborn. Yet David and Amanda knew the story without the full details of it, it wasn't hard to put one and one together.
"I'll help her with that" Amanda said pulling away from David.
David "and I have an idea how to fix her stage fright" he smirked.
Cody "so…. who is going to try and break her out of her downward spiral…." they all looked at each other, it was clear no one wanted to get near her when she was like that.
Amanda smirked "Keiji should do it seeing as it's his fault."
Cody and David grinned at each other "Agreed"
"I hate you all" Keiji muttered before walking towards her only to shiver as something seemed to surround him. "Kyoko…" her head turned towards him and he was sure that if it was possible for the soul to jump out of the body, his just did so. "Amanda and David have a plan to help you with your stage fright… and help you get ready." Her eyes turned towards the twins she was searching there faces but they just held each other tying as they slowly nodded their head. Her eyes turned back towards him and slowly she seemed to melt and reform before his eyes.
"I don't know…" Kyoko voice seemed to crackle as if there wasn't able to make words happen. It caused everyone to shudder.
Cody smiled "Don't worry Kyoko if Amanda and David say they can help they can… besides… don't you want to show Maria she can do anything?"
"Yes… but that doesn't mean… I mean she could do anything but I'm not her. I'm... " she lowered her voice.
Cody closed his eyes resting his cheek on his hand, "You're Takarada and a member of the Royal Family." his eyes opened and stared at her "There isn't anything you can't do."
A/N: I wrote a 'script' of sorts for Purple Down this would be the 'first' miniseries. It is for the most part completed, there will be minor changes depending on what sections I use of that 'script' but the story remains the same and for me, it's nice to see what it 'would' had been like had I read/saw the finished product.