Disclaimer: It's here.

Authoress' Notes: This time they'll be short. It wasn't as quick an update as I would have liked but I'm happy with how this chapter turned out. I hope you guys like the direction I took with Sho. I'm always happy to hear your opinions. We're at 100 reviews - and I say "we" because the success of this story is very much because of you guys, my readers.

Kyoko's Fairytale is live in 3...2...1...ACTION!

"Who was that?" Sho asked as they drove along, and Kyoko could tell that he was irritated.

"A friend," she replied vaguely.

"What friend?" Sho demanded furiously.

"It's none of your business," Kyoko said, revelling in the angry red Sho's face was turning.

"We're here!" Shoko announced loudly and quickly, glad to have a legitimate reason to interrupt the two teens.

Kyoko hopped out of the golf cart lightly and headed over to where Asami was telling a few guys with camera equipment where to go. She waited quietly for the woman to finish giving her instructions before speaking up.

"Excuse me, Asami-san. I was hoping you could tell me what the first thing we'll be filming is so I can get into the right mind set," Kyoko said politely.

Asami glanced over Kyoko's shoulder and saw Sho and Shoko making their way over to join them. When all four of them were standing together, Asami spoke: "First we're going to film a bunch of scenes of the two of you having a fun date in the park. On the swings, having a picnic, chasing each other, walking together, cloud watching. Cute, couple stuff. We'll start with the swings."

Asami had decided on the first scene right when Kyoko had accepted the job. She figured Sho pushing Kyoko on a swing might not arouse any overly antagonistic reactions from either of them. She hoped she was right.

Kyoko nodded her head in acceptance and walked off to get into the character she had imagined. She tried valiantly to get in the head of the nameless girl she had created over the last few days, the one who liked Sho, the one who would be happy to be his girlfriend and playing with him in the park.

It wasn't working.

She glanced over at Sho and saw that he was relaxing in a director's chair with his name written across the back. She hated how easy a time he was having with this. Sho might not be an actor, but he was great at being a fake.

"Come on, Kyoko. You can do this," she murmured under her breath, trying to giver herself a little pep talk.

Last time, thinking of Kanae had worked like a charm...could she think of Kanae again? Would she look like she was with her boyfriend if she imagined she was hanging out with Kanae? Sadly, Kyoko didn't think so. It wouldn't really look like she loved Sho at all - more like he was just a friend. And there wasn't a guy she could imagine to give the right tone to her acting...or was there?

"Okay," Kyoko started, reasoning through it aloud, "When you play in a park, even as a teenager, you act like a kid - you find joy in simple things, you smile a lot, you have fun. And if you were there with your boyfriend, you would be especially happy to be with him, maybe a little in awe of him, and you would be able to have fun with him and smile with him...smile at him."

Kyoko thought back to when she was a child and tried to find someone in her memory who fit that description...and suddenly an image popped into her head. If she imagined she was with a brief childhood friend, a boy who she had cared for very much, a boy who had made her smile, a boy who had given her a precious gift - she could do it.

She could act like she was on a date in the park with Sho if she imagined she was back in Kyoto with Corn.

"We're ready to begin! Kyoko-san! Sho! Let's go!" Asami called out.

Sho climbed out of his chair and sauntered over to the swing set, seating himself on one of the swings to wait for Kyoko.

She was leaning against a tree nearby, her eyes closed, a small smile on her lips. And then suddenly, she straightened up, opened her eyes, and walked over to where he was sitting. The smile never left her.

When she reached the swing set, she took the swing next to him, kicking her legs a bit to get it moving.

"What do you want us to do, Asami-san?" Kyoko asked, still swinging. Sho thought she even sounded happy.

"Uh..." Asami began, momentarily stunned by the apparent happiness in Kyoko's voice. She had expected every scene to be a battle between the two teenagers. "Umm, right. Sho, you're going to push Kyoko-san on the swing, and I want you two to both just smile and laugh, look at each other...just act like a couple."

"Okay," Kyoko said pleasantly, and Sho just stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and going to stand behind her.

He really wished that he could know what was going on in her head. He had expected her to be angry or irritated with him, reluctant to continue, generally upset. She didn't seem to be any of those things.

Kyoko meanwhile was in her happy place. Right now, she was six again and about to be pushed on a swing by Corn, her fairy prince. A boy whom she had admired ardently and who had been able to make her smile and laugh.

"Action!" Asami's voice rang clear.

Sho started pushing Kyoko, who immediately started giggling as she swung back and forth, fully enjoying the experience - especially since in her mind it was Corn pushing a six year old her.

Sho didn't even have to act like he was having a good time. This moment reminded him of playing with Kyoko back when they were kids. And sure, he had been a spoiled brat even then, but he had still had fun with her.

As the camera rolled, Sho continued to push Kyoko who had a brilliant smile on her face. At one point, she looked back at Sho and reached out one of her hands towards him. Sho automatically grabbed it with one of his own and used his other hand to grab the swing and stop it so Kyoko's arm wouldn't get wrenched out of the socket.

Sho was shocked that Kyoko would actually reach out for him of her own volition - Asami had never instructed Kyoko to do that. He kept his smile on though, and if anything it got bigger...in his mind, he was succeeding, and Kyoko was already getting lost in her memories of him. He couldn't know that she didn't even see him there.

For Kyoko, it was Corn behind her. So when Sho stopped the swing, her one hand in his, she leaned back into him and closed her eyes, feeling the protective embrace of her fairy prince. She didn't see Sho looking down at her, awe struck by her peaceful appearance.

"And cut!"

Asami's voice brought Kyoko back to reality in a violent way. She knew that it was Sho behind her, and she jumped from the swing and took a few steps forward.

Shoko, who had watched the entire seen with rapt attention, relaxed when she saw Kyoko acting normally. The pretty scene had stunned her - it looked so natural and easy, like the two didn't need to try at all to be civil with each other. It had been eery. To see Kyoko jumping away from Sho in a typical fashion somehow oddly soothed the woman and brought her back from the edge she didn't know she had been waiting on with bated breath.

"That was perfect, and we have more than enough footage. Good work you two," Asami declared, revelling in how well the first scene of the day had gone. She started praying that it was an indication of how well the rest of the day would go. "Now let's set the cameras up so they're pointing towards the climbing equipment people. And do it quickly!" she continued. She didn't want to give Sho and Kyoko a chance to get worked up with one another. She wanted to keep whatever magic had brought her that perfect, cute scene going for the rest of the day.

Asami was already involved in directing the cameramen in their setup, so Kyoko decided to go sit in the director's chair that had been brought out for her. Sadly, it was next to Sho's, and he came to join her a mere moment later.

"You looked like you were having a good time," Sho commented, not entirely unfriendly.

"It's called acting," Kyoko quipped back, shutting her eyes and trying to relax a little.

"So you reached for my hand because?" Sho asked smugly.

Kyoko was easily angered by his tone. It grated on her nerves and bugged her to no end. It was the same tone he had taken when he had told Shoko that he had only taken her to Tokyo with him to play maid.

"Because I'm good at knowing when and what to improvise. The best actors are," she answered sharply.

"Really? Because I thought you were just enjoying my company," Sho continued, watching her intently, trying to gage her reactions.

Kyoko twitched.

"You're kidding me. Right?" Kyoko asked, opening her eyes and staring at Sho. "Me? Enjoying your company?" She laughed.

"And now you're on the defensive. See? I'm right!" Sho said confidently. "You can't get enough of me."

"It's not even lunch time and I've had more than enough of you to last me the rest of my life," Kyoko mumbled, turning her head away from Sho. She would have dragged her chair away from his if it wasn't an incredibly childish thing to do. As it was, she was poised on the edge of her seat, ready to make a break for it.

Sho didn't have anything to say in response to Kyoko's comment, so he started searching for something else he could say. That was when he heard the buzzing sound near his feet. He looked down and saw Kyoko's backpack shaking on the ground, propped next to her chair.

"Are you going to get that?" he asked, the sound of the vibrating phone starting to get on his nerves.

Kyoko, who had been wrapped up in her decision whether or not to hop from her chair and run, shook her head as she processed Sho's words. Then she hopped off the tall chair and opened up the pocket she had tucked her cell phone in earlier after listening to her message from Ren, answering the call just as quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Kyoko-chan! I was just calling to see how everything was going for you today."

Kyoko recognized Sawara's voice and immediately felt cheered again. Even if he was for all purposes her manager, he also managed a department at LME - he didn't need to call her, but he did. He was always checking up on her, always excited when another opportunity opened up for her, and was always worried about her.

"We only just started filming, but so far things are going fine. We should have no problems finishing everything today on schedule," she replied happily, actually believing the words she spoke after her success in the first scene. She was going to be optimistic she decided - it could only help her.

"That's great news!" Sawara said enthusiastically. Then his voice lost the cheery tone: "I also have some...other news. I received a call early this morning from a Harada Tsutomu. Do you know who that is?"

"Yes," Kyoko started, having noticed the change in Sawara's voice, "he approached me asking for an interview for Celebrity Beat. I told him to call you."

She heard Sawara sigh in relief. "Good," he said after he had exhaled. "If something like that ever happens again you should do the same thing."

Kyoko was confused. "Can I ask why that's good?"

"Harada Tsutomu likes to embarrass celebrities, make them look bad, and make their lives difficult. There are others like him. LME knows what journalists and talk show hosts we can trust to work with us, so you should always make sure that I approve of any interviews you're asked to give," Sawara explained.

"Oh." It was an "oh" laden with the weight of the cogs turning in Kyoko's mind. The press was something completely new to her. Navigating journalists and tv show hosts was something she would have to learn just as she was learning to act.

"Don't worry, Kyoko-chan. You have all of LME behind you, and you have me to deal with things like this. Go finish your job. We'll talk later."

"Okay, Sawara-san. Goodbye," Kyoko told the man before hanging up.

The conversation had been short but enlightening. Kyoko was glad to know though that she had done the right thing according to Sawara and that he seemed to be very pleased with her and her behaviour.

"Who was that?"

It might have only been the second time that he had asked her that today, but Kyoko was really starting to get tired of that question.

"Once again, it's none of your business," Kyoko told Sho, bending down to put the phone back in her bag. When she straightened, she contemplated getting back on her chair, but decided against it, opting to head back towards the swing set and take a seat there.

She started pumping her legs, allowing the swing to carry her higher and higher until she had reached the limit. Then she stopped moving her legs and let the momentum of the swing carry her backwards and forwards.

As the swing finally slowed down to a near stop, Kyoko took notice of the woman who had moved to stand in front of her.

"You can sit down next to me if you'd like," Kyoko said warmly, looking up.

Shoko blushed. "If you're sure," she murmured, taking the swing next to Kyoko's.

Shoko began to kick her legs back and forth a little to get the swing moving the bare minimum and Kyoko did the same.

"I'm sorry," Shoko finally said.

"For what?" Kyoko asked confusedly glancing next to her to see that Shoko looked truly sorry.

"For Sho," Shoko replied quietly. Having learned that Sho had kissed Kyoko without the girl's permission, she felt like she had to say something - Shoko could definitely understand how that would hurt.

"He's not your responsibility," Kyoko quickly responded. Then she remembered that Shoko was Sho's manager. It was Kyoko's turn to blush. "I mean, he is your charge, but you can't control what he says and what he does. You can't change his personality and the way he treats people. What he did to me...what he does to me...none of it's your fault."

Shoko didn't say anything for a second. "Still. I'm his manager. I can't help but feel a little bit responsible for how he's acting."

"Shoko-san, not even his parents could control him, or else he wouldn't be here right now," Kyoko replied.

Shoko pondered that before she opened her mouth again and spoke hesitantly. It was a question she had been wondering about for a while now. "Kyoko-san? Do you wish that Sho's parents had been able to control him? That they had stopped him from leaving for Tokyo? Everything would be so different now."

Kyoko had asked herself the same question. Did she wish that Sho had never left for Tokyo? If he hadn't, she would never have had to stop going to school, she would have continued to work at the Fuwa's ryokan, eventually Sho's parents would have pressured him to marry her - and she would have been happy enough having known nothing else. But if all that had happened, she wouldn't have seen what a jerk Sho could be, she would never have met any of the wonderful people she had worked with, the okami and taisho of the Daruma-ya, Kanae, Maria, Ren, Yashiro, Chiori, Lory, Sawara, and Kuu, she would never have found a love and talent for acting, she would never have felt so free to choose her own path in life.

"No. I don't," Kyoko said softly. "Before I came to Tokyo, my life was scripted for me. I would have ended up working at the Fuwa's ryokan because there was no where else I could go. I would never have realized that I loved acting, I would never have had the opportunities I have now, and I would never have met the wonderful people I know now."

"I mean, the way it all happened wasn't exactly painless," Kyoko continued with a little laugh, "but the fact is that I'm happier now than I was back in Kyoto."

"You never cease to amaze me, Kyoko-san," Shoko commented, bringing her swing to a stop.

"I hope that's a good thing," Kyoko said, a smile coming back to her face.

"It is. I should go see if Sho needs anything. I'll see you later," Shoko spoke as she stood up, leaving Kyoko alone again.

Kyoko sighed. She couldn't believe that it wasn't even lunch yet. This was going to be a long day.

"Wow."

Kyoko had to agree with the sentiment. They were sitting outside around a computer, watching the scenes they had filmed that morning in playback. Kyoko's strategy had worked. She had thought of Corn, the only boy she could think to imagine in place of Sho, and they had actually managed to film each scene in one take.

First, she saw herself running from Sho and laughing as he chased her, trying to get away by climbing up a ladder that was part of the climbing structure in the park. Sho grabbed her off of it by the waist though before she could reach the top and spun her around before putting her gently on the ground.

Then, Kyoko saw herself sitting on a blanket with Sho, two bento boxes in front of them. She was holding an egg roll (one that was not sweet of course) up to Sho's face and shoving it into his mouth as he went to take a bite. While he chewed, he picked up some rice from his box and tossed it lightly at Kyoko who swatted at him and took his bento box out of his reach while Sho pouted.

Next, she watched as her and Sho walked hand in hand under the sakura trees that had just started blooming in the park, shooting glances at one another. And finally, she watched the last scene they had shot of her and Sho. They were lying next to each other, on the same blanket that had been used for the picnic scene, staring up at the clouds. At one point, Sho rolled up on his side and was watching Kyoko instead, who appeared to be oblivious to it as she kept her gaze fixed on the sky. When Sho stretched out his hand and grabbed her's, she just grabbed his and kept her eyes facing upwards, a small smile on her lips.

These scenes had been a lot more difficult for her to film, despite thinking of Corn. The swing scene had been something childish - easy to imagine her childhood friend in. As the scenes began to be more tinged with romance, she had started imagining Corn, the fairy prince, as the prince in her childhood fantasies and her as the princess. It had worked better than she could have hoped - she had spent a lot of time fantasizing as a kid. The scenes had come naturally enough and easily - and had apparently turned out wonderfully if Asami's appreciative muttering was anything.

"Fabulous. Just fabulous. We're ahead of schedule and we just have to take a few pictures before we can break for lunch. Good work Kyoko-san, Sho," Asami said as the playback finished. Kyoko thought that the director sounded relieved.

In fact, Asami was very relieved. She had expected disaster, but she had forgotten how good Kyoko was when she was able to keep her focus. And Sho had just gone along with Kyoko without trying to bug her or anything. It had been better than the best morning Asami could have hoped for.

"We'll use the natural lighting back by the sakura trees for the pictures. We just need to get one good shot of the two of you together," Asami said, already walking away to grab the photographer.

"Come on, Sho. Let's just get this done," Kyoko said, walking towards the sakura trees that were visible from where they had been sitting.

Sho actually started walking with her without complaint.

"So. I saw you with Shoko earlier. What were you two talking about?" he asked.

Kyoko was surprised that he wasn't demanding it of her. But then again, he could just as easily ask Shoko. And Shoko would tell him to keep him happy.

"She asked me if I wished that you hadn't left for Tokyo," Kyoko told him, looking down. She wouldn't have told Shoko if it was something she felt like she had to hide. Now she watched Sho out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to see what reaction he would have.

Sho stilled momentarily, but then started walking normally. His face maintained a somehow stunned yet thoughtful expression though. He had wondered the same thing himself sometimes when he thought about Kyoko. How could he not? And of course he could only think that she did wish that he had never left Kyoto. Or at least that he had not asked her to come with him or that she had not accepted.

"And what did you say?" he asked quietly.

"I said that I didn't. Wish that I mean. As..." and she searched for a word that wouldn't sound angry since the conversation wasn't antagonistic so far and she didn't want to make it so. "As uncomfortable as the push towards my future was, I'm very happy with how things are now. I've found I love acting, I'm making friends, I have people who care about me, and I have a chance to make my own future."

Sho was quiet.

He had started off this day cocky, planning to weasel himself into Kyoko's thoughts, especially to keep Ren out of them. But as the morning had gone on and the two of them had completed the fun scenes, he found himself remembering and missing their childhood and the time when they had first come to Tokyo. And then he found himself thinking of her in more than a possessive sense. He started thinking that he didn't want her just to be devoted to hating him or to loving him once again. He wanted this animated, opinionated, successful, confident, caring Kyoko to be a part of his life. This morning had actually been enjoyable... And as long as he was being honest with himself, he had to admit that he wanted her in his life.

"We're ready for you two," Asami called out from underneath a sakura tree with particularly low hanging branches. The pink blossoms came down as far as Kyoko's waist. "Sho, you're going to stand behind Kyoko-san with your arms around her. Kyoko-san, I want you to place your hands overtop of Sho's. Just look straight at the camera and smile happily, like you guys were walking together and asked someone passing by to take your picture by the tree."

Kyoko said nothing as she walked over to the point Asami indicated. She tried to relax as she felt Sho come up behind her and wrap his arms around her stomach. She crossed her arms and held them low, so they settled over Sho's. Then she made herself think she was in the safe embrace of her fairy prince and smiled for the camera.

As the camera clicked away, Sho decided he was going to ask Shoko to get him a copy of the photo.

"Hey, Moko. It's me, Kyoko. I just wanted to let you know that this morning went okay. I managed well enough - the director was really happy anyways and we did everything in one take...which is good, you know, for my sanity. Anyways, my lunch break is almost over and they're going to shoot some scenes of just me. I hope your day is going great. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

Kyoko hung up, having finished recording her message for Kanae. She still had another few minutes before Asami wanted her on set and she debated calling Ren to thank him for thinking of her and his message earlier. She had the time - she was already dressed and made up for her individual scenes. Black flats, dark wash skinny jeans, and a black tanktop made up her outfit, her makeup had been left the same, and they had put a dark purple headband with a bow on it in her hair.

Even though it was a Saturday, Ren was even busier than her, and she doubted that he would be able to answer his phone right now. She would just leave a quick message.

That decided, she went through her contact list and pulled up Ren's number, hitting call. She waited as the phone rang, expecting the answering machine to pick up any second. And then...

"Hello?"

"Uh...hi, Ren-san," Kyoko mumbled, her cheeks picking up a blush. Now that she was actually speaking with him, it seemed silly to call him to thank him for calling her.

"Kyoko-san." Kyoko couldn't see the big smile that had lit up Ren's face, but she could hear the kindness in his voice and she didn't feel quite as silly as she had a few seconds ago.

"I was just calling to thank you for calling earlier and remembering that I was filming today," she said. "I thought I would just leave a message, I didn't expect you to be by your phone," she started babbling, unsure what else to say.

"You're very welcome," Ren said and Kyoko relaxed even more. He didn't sound at all like he was making fun of her. In fact, he seemed genuinely happy that she had called.

"So how did this morning's work go?" he asked before Kyoko could say anything else.

"I didn't try to kill him and I didn't screw up, so I consider that a success," Kyoko replied honestly.

Ren laughed. "That sounds like a success to me."

"Yeah, well, we still have the afternoon and evening ahead so I won't start counting my chickens yet. There could still be a homicide," Kyoko continued happily. This conversation with Ren was just lifting her spirits and she couldn't even explain why.

"As long as you don't screw up I think everyone will forgive the homicide," Ren teased.

"Of course," Kyoko laughed.

"Kyoko-san, we're ready for you on set."

That voice was not from her phone.

"Umm," she started to say into the phone, but Ren's laughter interrupted her.

"I heard that. I'll let you go. I'll talk to you later, Kyoko-san," Ren said.

"Bye, Ren-san," Kyoko said before hanging up.

When she strolled onto set a minute later, she was still wearing her smile.

Sho watched from a chair parked next to Asami's as the woman directed a series of short scenes that Kyoko acted out perfectly.

First, Kyoko lay on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling. Then, they had her pick up a phone, one that was buzzing and lighting up and moving around on the night stand next to the bed, look at the caller ID, and toss it into a corner. Next, they had her contemplate the board above the bed and then rip down the photos of Sho that were there, balling them up and tossing them in the general vicinity of a trash can. Then, they had her rip down the photo of her and Sho together and tear it up into little pieces, letting them fall to her bed and the ground without care.

Sho thought Kyoko might have taken a certain glee in those last two scenes.

They proceeded to shoot another thirty seconds of her just lying in bed. Then her checking the ringing phone again and putting it down on the table.

Finally, they had her sit up, clutching one of the many pillows on the bed to her chest, and stare at the wall, tears running down her face. Asami had offered Kyoko some eye drops to help her cry, but Kyoko had said she would be fine, and sure enough, moments later, tears were leaking from Kyoko's eyes.

Sho wondered what she was thinking about.

For Kyoko, the tears came easily. She thought about losing Kanae's friendship and her eyes welled up.

When Asami was sure they had enough footage of that, they shot Kyoko's last scene in her room. Someone called the phone on her night table again and it started buzzing and moving around. Kyoko picked it up, held it in her hands, and finally answered it, saying hello so that the act would still look natural when they removed the audio and put Sho's track overtop all the scenes.

"And we're done. Thanks, Kyoko-san. That went great. I think we even have time to get all of Sho's scenes done before the sun sets. Then we can move out to the little bridge over the small lake in the park," Asami said. "Anyways, you're free to relax for a while Kyoko-san. Sho has quite a few more scenes than you to film, and they'll take a little longer since we have to make sure the scenes where he's playing guitar and singing match the speed of the track exactly. Just don't wander too far. As soon as it's dark enough, we'll head outside to film your last scenes, and then you'll be free to go."

"Thanks, Asami-san," Kyoko murmured, suddenly feeling exhausted. She decided to go take a nap in the room where the couches were. Nothing could be more relaxing than a nap. Right?