-Oxford - Friday: Part 5-
Ren Tsuruga perfect gentleman mask had slipped, he had felt it several times. Not that it was needlessly a bad thing, but it was starting to bother Kuon before it felt as if Ren slipped when he was around Kyoko. 'Then again it was still due to her' he was starting to see her as a very dangerous creature, a person he most likely shouldn't keep in his life. Yet, every time he thought that he felt a pain in his chest as if he did such a thing his heart might just stop beating.
'Not like she knows it me' it was a painful truth he told himself. 'But she still remembers me' another part of his soul screamed. 'She was only six years old.' He sighed again this time not just in his mind as he stared out the window. 'Doesn't matter,' and that was the truth. It wouldn't matter because he had no right to have anything nice in his life. Regardless he couldn't really leave it either, there wasn't anyone he had met then or now that really eased the pain in his heart and mind.
He felt Yashiro's eyes on him and he mentally sighed knowing it would only be a matter of time before he tried to make some guess about what had to be bothering him. The man was a good guy but he really had no idea who he was, so he really couldn't understand.
"Thinking about Kyoko-chan?" the grin seemed to be carried in Yashiro's voice.
The shock that he actually had been correct scared him. Had Ren Tsuruga been slipping that badly? 'No, no someone else would have noticed, Boss would have said something.' The thought of his mother perhaps even getting more carried away, seeing Kuon and not who he was pretending to be. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Yashiro." From the corner of his eye, he had seen Keiji's phone lower, his eyes falling on him before turning back to his phone as Yashiro sighed almost as if his heart had just been crushed.
Yashiro, "you are so boring," he said with a pout, "one scandal and you can't even pretend that your thoughts are on the girl who was in it." His face falling into a pout before a little buzz coming from the sound of his pocket. He quickly pulled out a rubber glove before checking the message his eyes turning towards Keiji, "Did you just seem me additional appointments?" there was annoyance laced in his manager's voice and he found himself turning towards him before looking towards Keiji who didn't seem bothered at all by it.
"Indeed I did. He needs to follow them, if there is a conflict let me know." He said with a smile that told Kuon that it was a professional smile trained over the years of living with his parents before Keiji's eyes turned towards him. "You did well today Ren-chan."
Kuon wanted to laugh at this thought, true the younger children had caught a part of his soul while he played whatever role they thought fit for him. Reading the stories, playing, even the small breakfast wasn't so bad. Partly because hadn't he told Kyoko he would indeed eat something, that thought warmed his heart. He knew he wouldn't get such text messages from her so the fact he now had them even if it was because of Keiji and not because she had gone out of her way had buried its way into his soul and he doubted it would be shoved aside anytime soon. The worse part of the day was something he had been expecting the whole time because it happened no matter where he went. Women wanting his number, wanting to get close to him. Thankfully Yashiro was able to keep them at bay due to that icy glare of his that shot them running but still he had no missed how they were jealous they were of those sick teenagers and it disgusted him.
'Women, disgusting creatures' and then the flash of Kyoko face entered his mind and he found himself sighing again 'alright most women are disgusting.' He wasn't sure he would mind if she was the one throwing herself at him, but even as a child her love for him had been pure, there hadn't been the desire to own him. At least not from what he could recall. When he thought about the things she told him he found some issues there, some problems but she only really ever talked about the pain in her heart, Shoutaro and most of all the fairytales and her favorites were of fairies, though she was very fond of one day becoming a Princess 'but what little girl isn't?'
Yashiro sighed heavily, "Look Keiji-san. I know you are just trying to help my charge but..."
Keiji looked back down at his phone, "Lory has already approved of these changes, if you disagree with it, then take it up with him." Yashiro opened hung open for a moment reminding Ren of a gapping fish before he closed it shut before pulling out the little notebook that he kept track of his schedule in.
"Why did Lady Kyoko's other leave her?"
Keiji eyes narrowed slightly before looking down at his phone, "It's not my place to say." The silence filled the van for several heartbeats before he looked up sighing some, "but I can say that woman doesn't hate her but she without a doubt does not love her either."
That he could believe, he never thought that the girl was loved by that woman. She was unrealistic in her demands of Kyoko. Yet, it seemed the one person that Kyoko desired to have praised her, to tell her she did a good job and pat her on the head. Kuon wondered if that had ever happened before pushing that thought out of his mind.
Keiji sighed heavily as if all of a sudden the world was going to crash around him. "Alright time for a bit of business before we get back to the hotel." His eyes turning towards Yashiro as he spoke, making sure that the man was looking at him and no longer between his phone and notebook. "and I expect this to be followed without question." slowly Keiji's eyes turned towards him as if studying him before resting both of his hands, phone included in his lap.
Kuon couldn't help the smile that wanted to play across his face for just a moment. He wasn't sure when it happened but Keiji apparently outgrew him, somehow becoming the older cousin with him now in the place of a younger cousin and it amused him because all he could picture for the longest time is the little boy who would trail after him and Daiki. Yet the adult world had come crashing around them all and if he had to say the one who became truly stronger from it, it was Keiji. He would make if he chose to follow his father a great politician one day. 'Then again maybe he just comes to realize it's more fun to boss people instead of being bossed.'
"Ren-chan is not allowed to talk to the media about this, no interviews, no comments. If by some chance he must say something, I rather he just state it is a part of his personal life and that he is uncomfortable with talking about his reasons for it." He could see the question that was on the tip of Yashiro's tongue and apparently so could Keiji, "It's more important that he does what he has basically done with each question asking about his personal life, give a vague answer and then deflects it to his modeling or his acting. It won't stand out as being any different than before." Keiji shook his head some. "The fact the women were taking plenty of pictures will help boost things and there will still be some questions as to why now." He smirked slightly, "That's why I added several locations that are more directed towards the elderly when you return to Tokyo... but none of these places are in Tokyo that you will be going to."
That caught his attention, Yashiro asked the question he himself wanted to know. "Why not in Tokyo?"
Keiji shrugged his shoulders and Kuon wanted to laugh it was a gesture that he made very often as a child that he had to reteach himself not to do when he moved to Japan, it was not an easy thing to do. "To put it simply, he lives there. If he goes further out then it will be harder for the media to get their hands on him, which is important for this to work. The conferences weren't for Ren-chan" his eyes turned towards his phone, "True the Takarada family tried to smooth things over, one of them more than anyone else doesn't want this to hurt your career but it is indeed doing that."
Yashiro eyes raised in shock, "But his ratings are back where they were."
"That doesn't change the fact that for Ren-chan his fans can make him or break him. Yet, I assure you that was not said for his sake, it was for the sake of the royal family. The nobles and those in power would never stand for such a scandal, the very fact that they twisted it to make you seem as if you were some sort of hero is due to Lory. Though there is truth in what she said, someone did come into the room. There might have been some comfort in her mind knowing that you would be there still as well Ren-chan. Which might be why she feels so guilty about it." He said trailing off slightly.
The thought that Kyoko was worried about him seemed to warm him for a moment before it disappeared, it wasn't because she cared really. No, she was feeling guilty, she felt guilty for causing him more hassle, for likely harming his career. "Is that why you are helping me?"
Keiji eyes turned towards him some, "Yes and no. Like I said you aren't a bad guy, you just fucked up. I'm going to put you back on the track you, nothing more and nothing less. For that to happen, we need your fans in Japan, to feel at ease, knowing that it could have been any of them. Not just some rich girl from noble birth, not just someone who is claimed to be close to your family who they have never once seen you with."
He couldn't deny the truth of it, no matter how hard he wanted too, they needed someone to blame. If not her, then they would blame him. Was that why she had made him something to eat last night? Due to the guilt that was eating away at her, he couldn't let that happen. 'I will have to make time to see her...' he didn't want her pity, even if that meant having her attention. Then again if that was the only way to get her attention maybe he would have no choice but to use it.
Yashiro look at the young man in front of him, and both Ren and Kuon felt pride again with the way he looked at his young cousin. It was as if he too could see the brilliant mind that was behind him. The way he understood people, politics, they could even one day be looking at their future Prime Minister 'Not that I want to live in Japan when that happened.' No, he was hoping before that day happened he would be back in the States because he would have proved himself his father's equal if not better.
Yashiro, "then why are these things taken place in Japan?"
Keiji sighed turning to look out the window, "Because it would look really strange for him to only give his time to those in other countries and not his own. In time if needed we can set up a few other locations in other countries." he looked away before picking up his phone, "The worse thing we can say is he's not really Japanese." Anger had flashed through Kuon's mind and he was sure that Keiji saw it but didn't seem bothered at all, "Don't get me wrong, I could care less if he is or isn't. Yet one's image is everything... and the moment you don't fit their ideals." he looked back down at his phone, looking through something, "Well people aren't always kind."
Yet as he stared at his younger cousin he realized it wasn't directed towards him no it was something the young man had experienced himself. Most likely a lot growing up and he felt stupid. Keiji was Japanese, both his parents came from there, he had been born there. Yet for most of his life had lived in the U.K. that had a way of shaping people's thoughts about someone. Which meant that it was something that caused him pain and likely more guarded about himself as to how he carried himself. He was left with only one answer, "He's right, Yashiro."
The first thing she had noticed when Ruto had come to get her from Daiki's room was that his eyes seemed to be elsewhere. It wasn't that he was not in the same room but he was in deep thought. So deep that after she said her goodbye, gathered the dishes and was walking back down the hall to put them in their proper places he had said not a single word. On the way back to her hotel room she stopped causing him to do the same and only then did he look down at her, "Is something the matter Miss Kyoko?" she stared up at him trying to figure out exactly what was going on in his mind before sighing softly. She realized she couldn't tell and that bothered her deeply.
"I was... just wondering why you seemed so distant."
"Someone desires a meeting with your father Miss Kyoko. I am not able to at the moment to look into them to assure his safety or their intent for your father." She nodded her head some before chewing her lower lip, the thought that someone would want to hurt him made her think about Heth for a moment and he placed a hand on her shoulder, "It is not that man Miss Kyoko."
Her eyes widen and then soften before a smile fell into place. "You really are an angel Ruto" she didn't miss the slight shock in his eyes and the smile that seemed to be hidden, the man facial expressions were rarely there but her eyes didn't miss the almost unnoticeable differences he showed. In that, she had no one else to thank but her mother and Mr. Susumu who had taught her how to read even the most hidden expressions and what they meant.
"Thank you, Miss Kyoko."
A/N: Be honest I wasn't sure 100% if I was going to add the meet and greet for Ren/Kuon so I think this works in the end. I hope. Thanks for again for reading and the reviews n.n