Disclaimer: Skip Beat! is not my creation. If it was, I would be pleasing all of you by working on the new chapter instead of this.
Authoress' Notes: Yay! A new chapter! Are you all as excited as I am? I hope so...it's been too long.
So I've been thinking that I need to introduce some more conflict soon. So far it's all been setup for the events of the future...but I'm getting bored writing it so I'm sure it's not that exciting to read. Let's see how this one turns out.
Sorry it took so much time to get this out by the way. Nakamura Fan mentioned how the drama plot made them think of one of Nakamura's other works, Tokyo Crazy Paradise...so of course I got distracted and had to read that. It only took two days of doing nothing else (I didn't have classes which helped A LOT), but those two days made me incredibly tired - because I would stay up until four reading and then wake up at eight. My fault. I know. But also Nakamura's for being such an entertaining writer!!! And then I discovered Ouran High School Host Club by accident...and there went another two days.
Oh and told me to please not put Kyoko in a motorcycle accident - I think I know what story you're talking about, and I've read it as well (and it's excellent!), and that was never my intention! The motorcycle came in because I wanted her to have something other than a bicycle to ride occasionally and she's not old enough to drive a car in Japan yet. She's still seventeen in my story.
Anyways, this note is not what you came here for. We're live with Kyoko's Fairytale in 3...2...1...ACTION!
"Slow down, Kyoko!"
Kyoko's instructor didn't have the time to waste on the use of formalities while addressing her. Amazingly, she had turned out to be quite a natural on the motorcycle. Her balance, after some initial problems, was exceptional. She had learned easily enough how to use the throttle, the handbrake, the clutch, the left foot gear shift, and the right foot brake after a few falls literally hammered the lessons into her mind. After only three hours, she could ride around the track they were practicing on without any problems. And she was also capable of scaring the poor instructor, Aki.
"Kyoko, you only started today. It's not safe to go so quickly!" he yelled again, hoping that this time she might actually heed his warnings. Aki was afraid that she was going to wipe out...and it was his head that Shingai would come after if Kyoko got scraped up. Sure, she was wearing an excessive amount of padding and protective clothing - not a speck of her skin was exposed - but if she skidded or crashed going at that velocity...
Kyoko, who had been having an absolutely amazing time driving around since she had stopped falling all the time and gotten used to the controls and the feel of the motorcycle, finally heard the instructor as she passed by him on her way around the track, and she slowed down accordingly. For Kyoko, riding around brought a feeling of complete freedom. It was so exhilarating...almost like flying. And unlike when she rode her bike, she didn't have to do any real leg work - it was a nice change.
As she coasted around the track, going now at a much more reasonable speed, she reflected on how very bad she had been a few short hours ago when her lesson had just begun.
'So, Kyoko-san,' Aki had said, 'to begin, I just want you to climb onto the bike and get a feel for it. This motorcycle is a lot heavier than the bike you ride and the seat's a lot bigger and more comfortable, so it's going to be different than anything you're used to.'
In her eagerness to master this new skill and be ready for filming, Kyoko had immediately thrown her leg over the seat, straddling the machine, while Aki held the handlebars to keep the motorcycle steady.
'Good,' Aki continued, when Kyoko was standing over the bike's seat. 'Now sit down and get comfortable on the seat. See how it feels when I tilt the bike a little to one side? Now I want you to support the bike on your own and feel how heavy it is. So I need you to first place your feet back on the ground. Good. Now take the handles. And now I'm going to let go.'
Well, as soon as he let go, the motorcycle promptly fell over.
Kyoko fell with it.
She groaned while the instructor laughed and pulled the bike off of her. 'Let's try this again,' he told her.
And she had. The second time, she was expecting the motorcycle's weight and she didn't let it fall on her. She got used to it, even going so far as to sit down on the seat with one foot propped out to keep the bike from tipping. Then she had a lesson on all of the bike's controls and what she needed to do to make the motorcycle go. Once Aki was sure that Kyoko had understood that much, he had let her start the engine and practice driving slowly in first gear, getting used to the idea of the clutch and the feeling of motion. He didn't let her touch the throttle.
She had lost control, abruptly stopped, fallen over by going too slowly or leaning too much into a turn, and done who knows what else numerous times before finally getting it. As soon as she had been allowed to try using the throttle and shifting gears, it seemed as if she was possessed by something. It was suddenly much easier for her. She was off, circling the track at a rapid pace. And once she was going, nothing could stop her.
"Kyoko-san!" Aki called again as Kyoko came nearer to where he stood watching her drive, a proud look on his face for his impressive student. "Slow down and brake. It's time for you to go."
Kyoko gently eased down on the handbrake to slow her progress. She came to a stop right by the instructor.
And then the bike fell over on her again.
"You need to remember to put your foot down until you can engage the kick stand, Kyoko-san," Aki laughed while he helped her up, "I thought we went over this already the last time you fell...and the time before that...and the time before that!"
Kyoko blushed furiously while making another mental note of that particular bit of information. "Got it," she told Aki, pulling off her helmet and mussing up her hair a bit with her hand - it had become plastered to her head during the long hours she had been wearing the protective headgear.
"I don't usually like to teach people so much at once and in such a quick time period, but seeing as how you start filming in a week and a half, it was a necessity. You surprised me though. You did extremely well for your first lesson. You should be proud of yourself," Aki praised Kyoko as she stripped off the elbow pads and knee pads she had been forced to wear on top of a protective jacket and pants.
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching," Kyoko told him as she unlaced first one, and then the other boot she had been given. Her own shoes were lying behind the instructor, next to her bicycle and bag. She had to go film some Bo scenes for Kimagure Rock after this. "So when can we have another lesson? I need to be able to do this and not fall when I come to a stop...or when I get on the bike...or when I try to get going," Kyoko listed all the instances where she was wobbly on the motorcycle. As soon as she got moving, she was fine. Starting and stopping - well that she still hadn't perfected - and she imagined that was probably what they needed her to learn most for the movie scenes.
"Can you make it in again tomorrow?"
Kyoko nodded her head. "Of course!" she exclaimed. She was going to give this her all even if that meant coming for lessons in every moment of her spare time.
Kyoko felt a fizzy, warm feeling starting in her body. She was just so happy, it was radiating from her very core.
Kanae, who was caught in Kyoko's embrace didn't feel exactly the same thing. Not that she wasn't happy to see Kyoko...after all, she was the one who had come down to the studio for a visit...but she could have done without the hug - Kyoko was strangling her! Finally, she managed to unwrap Kyoko's arms from around her neck.
"It's good to see you too, Kyoko," Kanae finally said after she had taken a moment to catch her breath.
Kyoko was still floating on her bubbles of happiness. Kanae had gone out of her way to visit her on set. She really was her best friend! Kyoko was done filming for the day and was already changed out of her chicken costume and ready to go so she grabbed Kanae's hand and started towing her out of the building, talking rapidly in her excitement: "Come on, Moko-san! Let's go get ice cream! And then let's go shopping. I need a new dress!"
"Mo! I'm coming! But would you drop the "san" already?" Kanae answered, finally fed up with the contrasting casual and formal tones of her nickname and the honorific. On the point of the ice cream though, she had no complaints. As much as she hated the calories that were in ice cream, she had sought Kyoko out in just the hopes that the two of them could spend some time together. It had been a long time since just the two of them had hung out. Even when doing Love Me work, they weren't often in the office at the same time, and when they were, Chiori was usually there too.
Kyoko stopped walking and turned around to face Kanae. "Huh? What did you say, Moko-san?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and looking at Kanae confusedly.
Kanae groaned. "That! Kyoko, if you're going to call me Moko, at least drop the "san". I thought we were supposed to be best friends," she explained.
Kyoko's eyes widened. "We are best friends Moko-s-...I mean, Moko! I just thought you wouldn't want me to address you so familiarly."
"Mo! If you're my best friend, then it's almost like a rule that we have to address each other familiarly. We're supposed to be close," Kanae continued. Why was she fighting so hard for one little thing.
'It's because that would put me ahead of Ren,' the unbidden thought drifted into her head.
Kanae knew it was irrational and stupid to be jealous of Ren. But he had met Kyoko before she had. He had known her birthday. He got to spend so much time with Kyoko on set. 'That should be me! I'm Kyoko's best friend!' she thought fiercely. It was a role that she had rejected when Kyoko had first put her in it, but it was one she guarded carefully now. Ren was not going to take it away from her.
"Okay, Moko!" Kyoko uttered happily after her friend's explanation. Kanae had just openly admitted to being her best friend - something she rarely did. She threw her arms around Kanae in another hug, this time less suffocating, and then started skipping out of the studio, Kanae following behind her with a small smile on her face.
On their way out the door, Kyoko saw the Ishibashi boys and stopped to say goodbye to them.
"Goodbye, Kyoko-chan!" they chimed back in unison.
Then Hikaru added, "Uh, Kyoko-chan... I was wondering if maybe you were free for dinner tonight."
"Sorry. I already have plans with my best friend!" Kyoko exclaimed dragging Kanae close to her to show her off. "Maybe I can join you guys next time."
And then her and Kanae were finally outside. But unlike Kyoko, who hadn't heard the other boys consoling Hikaru, who was sulking because she had turned him down again, Kanae heard every word.
"Does that guy ask you out to eat with him a lot?" Kanae asked Kyoko while they strolled towards their favorite ice cream shop.
"Oh yeah. The onii-sans are always like that, inviting me out with them. It's sweet. But I'm always so busy that I never have time to join them," Kyoko explained to Kanae.
Kanae just looked at Kyoko dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that Kyoko didn't realize that the poor guy was asking her out. 'He never even mentioned the other guys coming and she just assumes that they are,' Kanae marveled.
"Did you ever think that he might like you?" Kanae asked after a second of pondering Kyoko's answer.
"Don't be silly, Kanae!" Kyoko scolded her. Then she towed Kanae into the ice cream shop, completely forgetting their conversation.
However it was something that Kanae stored for later evaluation.
"What about this one, Moko?" Kyoko asked while she spun around in a circle, the dress' skirt billowing around her. "Does this one make me look like a princess?" she continued excitedly.
Kanae sighed. "No, Kyoko. Now take it off and let's go to another store."
"Aww, Moko," Kyoko whined. But she took off the dress and dutifully followed Kanae out of the shop. They had already been to five, and Kanae hadn't approved of a single dress yet. It's not like Kyoko was shopping for a ball gown or anything, just something that she could wear out during the day, but Kanae was adamant that if she was just getting the one dress it had to be the perfect one.
The two girls walked through the streets, Kyoko telling Kanae about her motorcycle lesson and Kanae narrating her adventures from the set of another tv drama where she had landed a role. Both of them were happy in their own little world, and so both of them almost missed the dress in the window. Luckily, a runaway giant of a dog knocked them over, and their attention was diverted from one another.
While Kanae stood up and yelled angrily after the kid who ran by them chasing after the dog. Kyoko looked up and her eyes landed on the store's front display.
"Oh! Moko! What about this one?" Kyoko asked her friend, pointing to the dress in the window.
Kanae considered the dress, looked up at the name of the store, and then nodded her head in the affirmative. "Okay, go in and try it on," she approved.
Kyoko hopped up and dashed madly for the store's interior where she hounded a sales lady to get the dress for her in her size. It took some time because they had to strip the dress off the mannequin in the window, which was the very last one in the store - and luckily Kyoko's size. When the dress was in Kyoko's hands, she ran to the change room where she slipped into it rapidly, stepping out to show Kanae in mere seconds.
Kanae's mouth actually dropped open in surprise. The dress was perfect. Kyoko could wear it out anywhere without looking too dressed up, but it would also be suitable for a date at a fancy restaurant. 'Not that Kyoko will be going on any dates anytime soon if today was any indication,' Kanae thought.
"So what about this one, Moko?" Kyoko asked.
"That's the one," Kanae told her. The reason she had checked the store's name before approving Kyoko's wish to try the dress on was to make sure that Kyoko wouldn't be heartbroken by the price.
Kyoko kept twirling around in the dress, checking herself out in the mirror. The dress was dove grey with thick straps. A black ribbon, finishing in a centered bow on the front, was tied around at the empire waist. The dress billowed from there, looking adorable on Kyoko's petite body, and ended just above her knees. It was so simple, but that's what made it so perfect. Kyoko could dress it up or down. And she looked good in it.
Kyoko thought happily about the dress while she changed considerably more slowly out of it. It was exactly what she was looking for. Her last dress had unfortunately fallen apart the last time she had washed it, and it was not worth the effort to sew it back together. She would be able to wear this anytime she needed to dress up a little, or just when she felt like looking a little nicer. The best part was that the price was right. She couldn't afford to buy a lot of clothes...or expensive clothes. But this dress fit right into her budget.
She exited the change room and payed for the dress, Kanae following her. Then the two girls headed over to the Daruma-ya for dinner.
Kyoko arrived for the cast meeting forty minutes early because she hadn't wanted to be late. She was nervous enough as it was and had thought that arriving early would put some of those nerves at ease. Instead, it had the opposite effect, giving her enough time to entirely psyche herself out. So she sat in the conference room, bouncing in her chair, having beaten even the director in arriving, telling herself over and over again that it was all going to be alright.
"Ah, Kyoko-san."
The voice interrupted her internal self-assuring, and Kyoko looked up to see the drama's director, Shingai Seiji, standing in the doorway.
Kyoko stood up and offered a little bow while she greeted him back. "Hello director Shingai-san! I am so happy to be working with you on this. I promise that I will do my very best."
Shingai laughed. "I'm glad to hear that. Now please, sit down Kyoko-san."
Kyoko took her seat and looked at the director, who was taking a seat at the head of the table.
"I didn't think that anyone would be here before me," Shingai remarked when he had settled himself into his chair and spread all of his papers on the table in front of him.
"I was so scared about being late that I left home really, really early," Kyoko explained sheepishly, turning red.
"That's not something to be embarrassed about," Shingai replied, "it shows that you're serious about your job, and it leaves a good impression when you're early."
Kyoko didn't say anything, and after a minute Shingai picked up the conversation.
"You've come really far since I last saw you, Kyoko-san," he began. "The commercial, the music video, two roles in dramas - and all in the last year."
"I've had some luck," Kyoko murmured looking down. It's not that she didn't appreciate the compliment he was giving her, telling her that she had "come far", but she was unused to receiving such praise from people whom she hardly knew.
"You have to have a little bit of luck to get started in this business. Your talent is what keeps you in though," Shingai remarked.
Kyoko was spared from answering, because at that moment there was a knock on the door, and a whole group of people came in, including Ren, who took the seat beside her's. Kyoko gave him a polite nod and muttered a "hello" before turning her eyes on some of the other cast members - one whose face she recognized.
"Hello, Kijima-san," Kyoko greeted an actor who had a short role in Dark Moon.
Kijima Hidehito gave her a smile and returned her greeting.
The rest of their names were unknown to Kyoko, though she knew that they must have strong actors for director Shingai Seiji to want them for his drama. The man was a perfectionist. A quiet stream of chatter came from the actors in the room while they waited for the clock to strike noon - the time when they were supposed to officially begin. After making a cursory study of everyone, Kyoko turned her full attention back to Ren.
"Is it unprofessional to be nervous, Tsuruga-san?" she asked him, blowing a strand of hair out of her face, a little exasperated with her own fretting mentality.
Ren wanted to reach out and tuck the loose hair behind her ear. Instead he answered her question: "Not at all, Mogami-san. Everyone gets nervous. It's normal. But you can relax. Today we're just going to meet everyone and learn what roles they're playing. Maybe we'll read through a little bit of the script. This is only to help us."
"Okay," Kyoko said, not entirely convinced that she could relax. Her mind however was easily distracted from her nerves, which it had not been for the entire time that she had been sitting in this room, when she thought of one of her usual questions for Ren. "So, what did you have for lunch, Tsuruga-san?" She didn't even try to make the transition to the question, or the question itself for that matter, more subtle. It was a standard point that came up in many of her conversations with Ren.
Ren had the decency to look properly ashamed when he told her, "Umm, nothing. I had to come here straight from another job if I wanted to be on time."
"Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko complained, getting uninhibited with her words like she usually did when Ren's eating habits, or health in general, were the subject. "You're not taking care of yourself! And Yashiro-san's not helping either. I'll have to give him another talking to after this before you two leave. You know that I respect you very much and that I recognize that you know a lot more than I do about a lot of things, but when it comes to your health...well...you're clueless."
Kyoko heard a giggle and turned away from Ren to look at the source. A woman, who looked like she had just entered her forties, sat across from her, and she held her hand over her mouth as if she was hiding the evidence of her lapse in composure.
"Sorry," she told Kyoko, "I couldn't help but overhear. It's nice to see Ren-san scolded like a normal person."
"Oh," was all Kyoko could manage to say in response to the surprising statement.
"Yes. I've worked with him before and he was just too perfect. Always getting his takes right, showing up on time, getting ready so quickly...he put us veterans to shame! Oh my. I should have introduced myself right away. I'm Abe Hiromi and I'll be playing the mother," Hiromi told Kyoko.
"I'm Kyoko," Kyoko told Hiromi, giving the woman her stage name, "and I'll be playing Saki."
"So you're the newbie who Seiji-san was so impressed with!" the woman exclaimed. "Ah that's right! You're Mio in Dark Moon. You're very good."
Kyoko turned red.
"Oh, don't waste your breath praising her, Hiromi-san. She never thinks that she deserves it. She'd rather you chew her out and tell her that she's horrible," Ren told Hiromi playfully. She was a very warm, kind, likeable type of woman who elicited those types of responses.
"You watch your tongue. I already like her a lot better than I like you. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and she's not cheeky," Hiromi told Ren.
Kyoko was surprised by the whole exchange. Ren was always very polite and kind to his co-stars. He always smiled with them and complimented them. She had never seen him react quite this way. But it seemed very hard to respond to this Hiromi in any way other than a light tone. Her very personality drew such a response from you.
Kyoko heard hands clapping and realized it was the director getting their attention. It was twelve, and it was time to begin.
"To start, I'd like you all to state your name and your character so that everyone knows who's playing who. We're all going to be working together for a while and we're all going to have to interact - whether it's running lines, on set, or even just me telling you what to do - so we should all get to know one another, at least by name. I am aware that some of you may be acquainted with one another, but other's are not, so let's begin. I'm Shingai Seiji and I'll be your director."
Kyoko learned that Kijima Hidehito would be playing one of her brothers, as would two other young men who were very popular in the drama circuit. Her father was to be played by Arai Kazuki, a popular movie star who was taking a break from films. He looked intimidating, and Kyoko was frightened of him at first, that is until she learned he had as good a humor as Hiromi.
The rival mob boss was to be played by a Hayashi Ryo, who Kyoko remembered, from when she had time to watch television interviews and variety shows, having been a singer who had discovered a passion, and a real talent, for acting. The chief of police would be played by Mori Fumio, who Kyoko finally recognized from the set of Ring Doh. The guy who was to play the rival to Ren's Yahiko for her attention was a Japanese actor who had worked in America for a few years with roles in a couple of movies before deciding to return to his roots. This would be his first Japanese work, but he was already well known for all of his American films. His name was Yoshida Daisuke.
Kyoko couldn't help but be intimidated a little by the cast. She wasn't a complete novice anymore, but she wasn't nearly as famous as everyone else. It was comforting that they all seemed to be kind. While they read through a few scenes of the first episode, no one got angry or frustrated when someone missed a cue or screwed up their words. As Ren had told her, it was a very relaxed atmosphere.
"Well done," Shingai complimented them when the read through was complete. "Now there's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you. We want to do some promotional work for the drama, so the day before we start filming we want to do a photo shoot. Then we'll have some posters made up. Does that work for everyone?"
Kyoko bobbed her head along with everyone else. That was supposed to have been her day off, but that just meant that she had the time. She wouldn't have done much regardless. And this way she didn't have to rearrange her schedule again.
"I'll pass the location and exact time to you when we've confirmed. I guess that's all."
Everyone immediately began packing up. Kyoko moved the fastest so that she would be ready to follow Ren out and ambush Yashiro about Ren's lunch. But when Ren started walking out and she made her move to follow him, she was called by Shingai.
"Kyoko-san? Could you just stay here for a minute. I wanted to know how your motorcycle lessons were coming along," he told her while everyone left. The only one who was still in the room was Daisuke.
"Really well. I'm having quite a bit of fun too," Kyoko answered honestly. The bike didn't fall over anymore, and Aki was confident enough in her abilities to let her go faster without much complaint. She was enjoying herself thoroughly, and she was sure that she was well prepared for the scenes where she actually had to be seen driving the machine she had been a stranger to until a few short days ago.
"I'm glad to hear that. I've also heard that you have another lesson today. I was hoping that maybe you wouldn't mind sharing your teacher," Shingai said before his eyes flicked quickly to Daisuke and then back to Kyoko. "Daisuke-san needs a quick refresher course. He has to ride a motorcycle in the drama as well, and though he's already learned, the last time he rode one was a year or so ago."
"Oh. I don't mind at all!" Kyoko exclaimed. She would do whatever she needed to do to insure the success of the drama, and sharing her time with the instructor was really not that big a deal - especially since she was now riding around the track without bringing any severe damage to herself or to the motorcycle. The drama was paying for these lessons anyway, so it was very considerate of the director to ask her approval - but she couldn't really say no.
"That's perfect," Shingai approved. "I already talked to Aki-san earlier and he says that you can both go to the track right now. We have a car that can take you both-"
"It's alright, Shingai-san," Daisuke interrupted, "I can take Kyoko-san with me in my vehicle. It's not a problem."
"Very good then. I guess that's all. I'll see you both at the photo shoot," director Shingai said while he packed up his papers and let the two young actors leave.
When Kyoko entered the hallway, she almost crashed right into Ren, who had been waiting for her.
"Mogami-san, I was wondering if maybe you needed a ride anywhere. Since the meeting went so smoothly, I have some time before I need to get to my next job," he explained to her, hoping she would accept.
Yashiro popped out from behind his charge and waved to Kyoko. "Hey, Kyoko-san."
Kyoko smiled at him before remembering that she was supposed to be scolding him for not making Ren eat. Her smile melted into a glare. "Yashiro-san, why did Tsuruga-san inform me that he hasn't had lunch yet?"
Yashiro grinned sheepishly. "Because he's going to have some right now?" he guessed at the answer he was supposed to give.
"That's correct," Kyoko said satisfied. Daisuke had joined her in the hallway during the brief exchange. She glanced at him and knew that she should get going. It was impolite to keep him waiting for her.
"Won't you join us for lunch, Kyoko-san?" Yashiro asked. "Then Ren can drive you home after."
"I'm sorry. I can't," Kyoko told him, glancing again at Daisuke, "Yoshida-san will be joining me at my lessons this afternoon and we need to get going." She turned her attention to Daisuke now, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's go."
Daisuke headed past Ren, and Kyoko followed, stopping to call over her shoulder, "Make sure he eats, Yashiro-san!"
"What was that?" Yashiro asked Ren.
"I guess he's also attending her motorcycle lessons today," Ren proposed calmly reasoning out the answer.
Inside though, he was protesting the unfairness. How come a guy who barely knew Kyoko got to spend time with her while he, who had worked hard to know her so well, was left without her company?
Kyoko was silent while she sat in Daisuke's car.
The two of them had gotten stuck in a little bit of traffic and so their progress had been slowed. That meant that she was going to have to endure the awkward atmosphere in the vehicle even longer. She just didn't know what she could talk to him about or ask him, so she remained silent. He was a stranger, and the only reason she was sitting here right now was because he had very politely offered the needed ride and it would have been silly to refuse.
He wasn't making conversation either.
Cars honked at other cars and Kyoko wanted to hit her head against the window.
She had to say something. Even if all she did was ask him if she could turn the radio on. The silence was so loud! It was the only thing she could notice. She made up her mind to ask about some music.
"Would you mind if I turned the radio on?"
They both looked at each other. They had voiced the exact same question at the exact same time. Kyoko really couldn't help it. She blushed and smiled. Daisuke laughed.
"I've been working up to that for the last ten minutes or so," he told her.
"Same here," she replied looking down at her hands folded in her lap.
"You can pick a radio station. I'm sorry that I'm not much of a conversationalist," he said.
Kyoko shook her head. "It's your car. You should pick what we listen to."
Neither of them said anything for a few seconds or made a move for the radio, and then they both reached for the dial at the same time.
"Ah, go ahead," Kyoko urged the man who was driving her around.
"No, really, I leave it to you," Daisuke replied sincerely.
"Can I ask you a question instead?" Kyoko asked before she knew what she was saying. It's true that a few questions about this new person were floating around her head. She was a little curious about this guy she knew nothing about. Who wouldn't be?
"Of course," the man told her.
"Umm, well, I was wondering what kind of role you had played before that you needed to learn to ride a motorcycle for," she said. Since her mouth had gone and decided for her that it wanted to ask some questions now, her mind had decided that was the safest one to ask. It wasn't a personal question. All she was asking for was some information that she could probably find online if she wanted to.
"It wasn't for a movie, actually," Daisuke answered, "I started learning while I lived in America because I thought it looked like fun. In the last year however, I've been busy with my final roles in American films and moving back here, so I didn't have any time to practice."
"Oh."
"Can I ask you a question now?" he inquired.
"I guess that's fair," she replied. They had started moving again and would be at the track in a few short minutes.
"Do you know Tsuruga Ren well?"
"I guess so. I mean, he is my sempai, and he's helped me out a lot since I started acting. I trust him very much. Why?" Kyoko answered with her own question.
"Oh. No reason. You two just looked friendly and I wondered if you had worked together before this drama," Daisuke explained. It was the truth, but only a part of it. He had been fishing. Now he knew that the two weren't dating.
"We have actually worked together," Kyoko told him. "You might have heard of the remake of Tsukigomori, Dark Moon? Ren was Katsuki, and I played Mio. We didn't have any scenes with just the two of us, but I did have the opportunity to act opposite him a little."
"That's cool."
Kyoko let out a happy little sigh. Awkward silences bugged her. She was glad that the quiet had evaporated and that she had finally found herself able to talk to Daisuke. And all it had taken was one funny little moment.
"We're here," Daisuke announced as he pulled into a parking space at the track.
"I'm very grateful for the ride. Thank you," she told him as she climbed out.
Kyoko waited for him to get out and lock up the car before she lead him over to where the instructor, Aki, was standing watching someone go around the track very slowly on a giant motorcycle. Kyoko called his name to get his attention.
"Aki-san!" she yelled.
The man turned his eyes away from the person going around the track and let them focus on the girl calling his name, who was perhaps his favorite student in his long career of teaching others to ride motorcycles.
"Ah, Kyoko-san. And this must be Yoshida-san," he said, his eyes moving from Kyoko to the blond, tall man walking with her.
"Daisuke is just fine," Daisuke told Aki while the two men shook hands.
Kyoko, who had tuned the men out, was watching the person who was driving around the track. Their every action was stiff and unsure, and they looked like they were incredibly uncomfortable on the giant motorcycle's cushy seat. And they were going so slowly! Kyoko was a speed demon, unsurprising when one considered how absolutely rapidly she rode her bike.
"Yes, he's just finishing up. He's been a client of mine for a month now. It seems he thinks that riding a motorcycle will boost his "cool" image," Kyoko heard Aki tell Daisuke as she tuned into their conversation, presumably about the rider that was coming to a stop near them.
When the rider hit the brakes, Kyoko could just tell that he wasn't going to put his foot down or engage the kick stand when he stopped. He wasn't readying himself to do either. She laughed internally when she envisioned what would happen next.
'And down he goes,' she thought, right before the giant motorcycle tipped over, the rider falling off of it. She stifled her giggle. That had been her a few short days ago. Only with intense, continuous hours of practice, a good memory, and sheer determination - plus the fact that according to Aki she was a natural - she could now avoid a similar fate.
She turned away from the rider, while he struggled to get up, to give him his privacy. She knew how she would've felt if a bunch of strangers had watched her struggle to learn to ride. She threw her gaze around the lot. That was when she saw the familiar blonde head.
"It can't be," she muttered to herself under her breath. If it was, that meant that the universe was really conspiring against her.
"Shoko-san?" she called out tentatively, praying that the woman who she was staring at wouldn't respond to the name.
The woman turned around though, and sadly it was none other than the stupid singer's manager, Aki Shoko.
"Kyoko-san!" the other woman cheerfully greeted her. Kyoko had nothing against Shoko. Kyoko had actually found her to be a kind person once she had gotten to know her a little. But if Shoko was here that meant...
She turned back to face the rider who was now standing. He took off his helmet and Kyoko wanted to scream.
"Aren't you going to say hello?"
Fuwa Sho stood in front of her.