Disclaimer: The word implies it.

Authoress' Notes: I'll keep it short and sweet. This is the last music video chapter. Yay! We finally move on with the story. What will happen in the future? I know. Do you? Sorry updates aren't as frequent as you or I would like...but it's a lot harder to write in the Summer than I thought. I have so much to do! By the way...no updates in July. I'm working at a Summer camp then without internet access :(

We now return to Kyoko's Fairytale in 3...2...1...ACTION!

"Kyoko-chan, you've been paying attention to everything we do here haven't you?"

Kyoko looked around, surprised to find herself back at the Fuwa's ryokan, Sho's mother in front of her.

This was not where she was supposed to be. Right? Right now, she was supposed to be sprawled out on a couch at the studio where she was filming. Wasn't she? Was this just a dream then, one that she was painfully aware of?

She looked back at Sho's mother and saw that the woman was staring at her with undisguised concern for Kyoko's lack of response in her eyes.

Kyoko nodded her head. "Yes," she answered quietly to put the woman who had taken care of her for so long at ease.

Sho's mother visibly relaxed. "Good, because one day, when you're married to Sho, you'll be helping to manage it," the older woman continued unashamedly, winking at Kyoko.

Kyoko couldn't contain her gasp. This was the future she would have had if she had never left Kyoto - but Kyoko was in control of her own future now. She knew, at least partially, what she really wanted out of life. She knew what she didn't want anyways.

"I don't want to marry Sho!" she exclaimed, and Sho's mother's face took on a look of surprise.

"But Kyoko, isn't that what you always dreamed of?"

"Yes," Kyoko answered honestly, "but I don't want it anymore...I can't want it anymore. I want to be an actress in Tokyo, not the okami of a ryokan, not Sho's wife."

And with that, the ryokan and Sho's mother faded and Kyoko was left in a black void, all alone.

"You aspire to be an actress? What a chancy "career". What a way to waste your life," a contempt filled voice sneered from the shadows, and Kyoko recognized it as her mother's.

"It's not a waste," Kyoko insisted, pleading with her faceless mom.

But she was also trying to convince herself. This wasn't all a waste. She was good. She was getting better. She loved this and it was something she didn't mind working towards. She may never be as successful as Ren, but that didn't matter as long as she could continue acting.

She started to feel incredibly alone in the dark of her dreamworld and she wanted nothing more than to wake up from this nightmare.

Kyoko's face glistened with a thin layer of sweat, and the clothes she wore were rumpled from tossing and turning on the couch. Her bag, on the ground by her head, was buzzing again, and the soft noise had awoken her from her terrible dream. Kyoko lay, breathing heavily for a moment, trying to recover enough composure to answer her ringing phone.

She absentmindedly noted that she had made and received a lot more calls than usual today as she made herself pull out her phone, answering it immediately in case it had already been ringing for a while before she had woken up and noticed it.

"Hello?" Her voice was a little raspy from her ragged breathing.

"Kyoko-san? Are you alright?"

She could always trust Ren to detect when she was not entirely okay. Even when she didn't want him to notice.

"I'm fine. I was just taking a little nap and the phone woke me up," Kyoko covered. Having woken up from sleep could explain away her voice and Ren couldn't see how visibly upset she was over the phone.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko-san," Ren spoke, but Kyoko interrupted his apology.

"No need to apologize. It's already been," and she glanced at the clock on the wall, "two and a half hours. Wow. I should be getting up anyways. Sho's scenes should be wrapping up by now if they're not already done, and I'll need to get back to work soon so we can finish up."

"So you're almost done?" Ren asked.

"Sort of," Kyoko answered. "It depends on how many scenes Asami's divided the last portion of the video into, and if they can get all the angles they want in one take without getting the cameras and crew in the shots like they did this morning."

"Well, I'll be wrapping up for the day soon as well, and I was wondering if maybe you'd like a ride. I believe the studio you're at is on my route home, so it won't even take me out of my way. And we can stop for dinner and you can make sure I eat properly," Ren suggested.

Unlike Hikaru, Ren had his timing on his side, and he knew how to best appeal to Kyoko to get her to consider saying yes.

"Umm, that sounds good I guess. Though I wouldn't want to keep you waiting if you finish earlier than I do," Kyoko murmured.

"Nonsense. If I finish before you I'll simply wait for you. What are friends for?" he asked her.

Kyoko gasped before she could stop herself.

"Kyoko-san, what's wrong?" Ren asked, his deep concern permeating his voice.

Friend. Kyoko had never heard him use that word before in reference to their relationship. Sure, she had started thinking of him as a friend, even referring to him as such when she had wanted to irritate Sho earlier. Still, they had never addressed each other like that...and it was nice.

"Nothing's wrong," Kyoko said, regaining her composure. "If you really don't mind coming to get me, I'd be really grateful for the ride."

"Then it's settled. I'll come by when I'm done," he said, satisfied that he had a pseudo dinner date with Kyoko officially lined up for that evening.

"Thanks, Ren-san," Kyoko said, and then the two of them hung up after Ren confirmed the building's address with Kyoko and she mentioned to him that they may be in the park in back instead of inside.

As Kyoko put her phone down, she smiled in her happiness. Ren was her friend. He had said so himself. And she was elated. Her friendships meant the world to her.

But without the distraction of Ren, her mind drifted back to the horrible dream Ren had unknowingly saved her from. It was as if all her worst memories had come together and melted into one horrible episode in her exhaustion - a little bit of her mother's disdain mixed with a marriage to Sho, with a pinch of being unable to choose her future, and a dash of fear for the success of her current path.

None of that was her reality though. She no longer lived in Kyoto with the Fuwa's, and would never live there again. She would never marry Sho. She would likely never see her mother again. She had already chosen her own future. She had already experienced some success in her choice of career. Her nightmare was just a manifestation of all the shadows that hung over her past, present, and future.

She was saved from her thoughts by the opening door.

"Ah, Kyoko-san," Shoko said as she popped her head into the room. "Asami-san wanted me to let you know that they've finished Sho's scenes and that she'd like for you to go get ready for the last bit of filming."

"Thanks for letting me know, Shoko-san," Kyoko answered standing up. She was suddenly very eager for this day to be done. It had taken a lot out of her emotionally - her dream was proof of that.

"Ah, no problem," Shoko muttered as she watched Kyoko stroll out of the room. She thought that Kyoko looked exhausted.

Kyoko was wearing the same dark jeans, flats, and black tank top she had worn earlier, but with a fitted, white, zip up sweater over top. The purple headband had been removed from her hair, and it had been styled again, this time into two short braids on either side of her head. Also, her makeup had been touched up, and looking in the mirror, Kyoko thought that she looked even lovelier than she had this morning.

As soon as Kyoko was ready, Shoko drove her over to the bridge in the golfcart. Sho was already waiting, having needed less touch-ups than Kyoko.

"Took you long enough," he commented as she stepped out of the golfcart. Then Sho saw how cute she looked and he shut his mouth.

Kyoko didn't deign Sho's comment worthy of a response.

"Good, good. Now you're both here and we can finish up. We're going to try to film this last bit as one fluid scene considering how well everything else has gone so far. If that doesn't work, we'll break it down into smaller scenes. There will be three cameras centred on you to get all the angles we need," Asami explained as she appeared out of nowhere.

Sho huffed and Kyoko shot him a glare as they waited and listened to Asami's further instructions in silence. When Asami was done, Kyoko gulped as she walked away from Sho to take her mark on the centre of the bridge where she would await Sho's approach. She was silently panicking about the kiss her and Sho would have to share in a mere minute's time as the long scene wound down. Her own theory was that she would freak out and ruin the scene time after time until everyone got really frustrated with her.

She waited with dread for Asami to call the magic word that would start the scene. She didn't think that her imagination was enough to help her get through it this time, but she would try her best regardless - and it helped that it looked like she was standing in a fairytale anyways. The lights on the bridge were all illuminated, the moon, high in the early evening sky, was already glowing brightly and bathing the small lake and bridge in its ethereal light, and the trees around the water, in the start of their spring bloom, added to the utter peace of the picture.

"Action!" Asami's voice rang out, and Kyoko turned to lean on the bridge's railing to look out at the moon's reflection on the water's surface.

She heard Sho's footsteps as he approached her slowly, hands undoubtedly in his pockets. When she heard the steps stop, she turned to look in the direction he had come from, and saw him, eyes downcast, hands indeed in his pockets, a mere few feet away from him.

"Well," she said expectantly, her eyes holding a mixture of the heartbreak she had felt when she had learned Corn had to leave her and the anger she had felt when she had learned of Sho's betrayal.

"I'm sorry," Sho said from his spot, finally looking up at her. The words were all too clear in the way his lips moved and the way he held himself. His eyes spoke volumes, filled with desperation and loneliness as they were.

Kyoko was taken aback, but she used that to fuel her next action. She took a few steps backwards, away from him, suddenly looking cautious, tired and sad. She was wary of Sho as she almost always was now, she was exhausted after her long, emotional day, and she was saddened as she remembered parting with her fairy prince.

"I can't. I just can't," she muttered as she shook her head and held her hands out defensively in front of her. Then she turned away from Sho and made as if to leave him.

Sho took a few quick steps and came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to his body.

"Please. Please. I'm sorry," he murmured into her ear.

Kyoko froze as she heard Sho choke on his words. Then she felt a tear fall onto her head.

Sho wasn't this good of an actor. Sure, he was manipulative. Sure, he could put on a persona. But cry like this, sound as heartbroken as this - he wasn't capable unless he was drawing from some real life experience.

'What could it be?' Kyoko wondered.

But even as she was pondering this, she couldn't help but be moved a little by his tears and his choked up voice. She gently pulled enough away from him so that she could turn around and face him in his embrace. The pain in his eyes made her uncomfortable. Why? Why could he still affect her when she was so unhappy with him and the way he had treated her?

As Asami had told her to do, she slowly brought her arms up and wrapped them around Sho, leaning her head against his chest. Kyoko felt herself stiffening up with how awkward the situation was and she immediately made herself think of Corn. She was hugging Corn, she was in Corn's warm embrace. She felt herself relax.

A few seconds had passed since she had lifted her arms to embrace Sho. Now she needed to continue to follow Asami's instructions. She pulled her head back and looked up at Sho...Corn.

"Okay," she said, not breaking eye contact.

And now came the part she dreaded. She couldn't allow herself to tense up as her body automatically wanted to do. It would ruin the take. Sho was already leaning forward, intent on capturing her lips with his.

'Imagine this is a kiss with your fairy prince. Imagine this is a kiss with your fairy prince,' Kyoko repeated her mantra over and over in her head.

A second had yet to pass, and yet Sho's lips were already but an inch from her's. She let her eyes close and tried to focus on staying relaxed and imagining her prince.

'Imagine this is a kiss with your fairy prince.'

As Sho's lips captured her's, Kyoko responded by sliding her arms up around his neck. Sho took this as positive encouragement and wrapped his arms even tighter around her waist, pulling her as close as their two bodies would allow. He wanted to deepen the kiss, but didn't dare, knowing that would upset Kyoko even more - and the point now wasn't to aggravate and alienate her, but to win her over.

After what felt like forever to Sho, he heard Asami yell.

"Cut!"

As soon as Kyoko heard the magic word, she wrenched herself out of Sho's grasp and took a few steps back, pulling the back of her hand across her mouth.

"Perfect!" Kyoko heard Asami's voice echoing out again. "We're just going to review this footage and make sure that we have everything we need, and then you'll both be free to go. I imagine that we're done though."

"Good," Kyoko declared to no one in particular, storming past Sho and off the bridge to where the golfcart was. She climbed into the backseat and pulled her knees up to her chest where she could easily hug them.

She was in shock.

Not because she had kissed Sho - and done it so easily and calmly - but because of who had popped into her head when his lips had touched her's. It was supposed to be a grown up Corn - her very image of Prince Charming. But no. Instead it had been...

"Ren," she muttered under her breath, a deep blush coming to her cheeks.

Why had she imagined Ren? And why, when imagining Ren, was she able to kiss the man in front of her? She couldn't understand it and she was becoming very seriously confused...

"Kyoko-san?"

She knew that voice.

She looked up from the spot on the floor of the golfcart that she had been staring at fixedly.

"Hello, Ren-san," she said, plastering a big smile on her face.

Why did she feel nervous? Why could she feel the blush on her cheeks deepening? Why was her heart racing?

"Are you okay, Kyoko-san?" he asked, squatting down so that he was at her level.

Kyoko knew that Ren would never believe that she was fine since he could see her flushed face and her very fake smile. She couldn't possibly tell him what was actually wrong with her though. That conversation would be absolutely mortifying! Instead she thought of a simple story, that wasn't entirely a lie.

"Not really. I'm just so tired after the long day, especially considering the last scene I just had to shoot. I hated it, but we finished it in one take, and Asami-san sounded very happy with how it turned out. I'm just glad to finally be done," Kyoko explained. It was the truth.

"Then I guess I have perfect timing. Are you free to leave yet?" Ren asked, looking at what he now noticed was a truly exhausted Kyoko.

"Almost. Asami-san wants to review the footage quickly just to make sure that we're all set. Then I can go."

As she said this, Kyoko could finally feel the blush receding from her cheeks. But she knew it was lurking just under her skin, threatening to resurface with the slightest encouragement.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wondered when he would show up," Ren commented to Kyoko before standing up and turning around to watch Sho's quick approach. Of course it was the young singer who had spoken.

Kyoko could sense the fury coming off of Sho in waves - his anger was something she knew well and could recognize from a mile away. But she couldn't figure out why Sho would be so angry. She knew that he had always been jealous of Ren's fame and had long coveted Ren's spot as the number one male celebrity in Japan, but that wouldn't explain his irritation at seeing Ren on his set. Or maybe it would?

She hopped from her seat in the golfcart and planted herself in front of Ren, her embarrassment about her earlier thoughts finally gone, and the thoughts themselves forcefully buried for later evaluation.

"Oh no you don't," she started before Sho could come any closer. "I've worked hard all day long and done many things I'd rather not do. I'm exhausted and I do not have the patience to stand here and watch you get worked up over nothing. You are not going to turn this into some big deal - because it isn't. Ren-san simply came here to give me a ride home."

"So he's your private chauffeur now is he?" Sho commented snidely. "New career path, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko suddenly imagined a dog in his place, with teeth bared, ears flat against his head, and erupting in snarls.

"What he is, is a really good friend! Something you know nothing about!" Kyoko snapped. She wouldn't watch as Sho tried to insult Ren. Ren was a better man than Sho could ever be. "I'm going to ask Asami-san if I can leave," she declared in the same angry voice before stomping off to where Asami was watching the footage.

Ren was wearing a little smile on his face. Hearing Kyoko call him a good friend showed that she had at least moved past their teacher-student relationship. He could imagine that he looked a little dopey right now and less like the cool Tsuruga Ren that Japan was used to seeing. Apparently Sho seemed to think so too.

"Look at you!" Sho began disgustedly. "She calls you a friend and you're happy? Well remember that she once loved me, that she once dreamed of marrying me, that she wanted to stay by my side forever - enough that she came with me to Tokyo."

"She never loved you," Ren replied, the smile dropping from his face. His voice had turned cold. "She just thought she did. When she falls in love for real, she'll realize that too - and then you won't have a hold on her."

"I've kissed her twice. How many times have you kissed her?" Sho retaliated childishly. "She can't forget that."

The word "twice" caught Ren's attention, but in practised fashion, this time he held his composure. He analysed the situation quickly in his head and came to the conclusion that Sho must have kissed Kyoko today for the music video - which would explain why he had never heard from Kyoko about a second kiss.

'So that's why he wanted her for the music video,' Ren thought darkly.

"Kyoko-san's very good at moving past the things she doesn't want to remember," Ren told the younger man.

Sho was about to retort when Kyoko strolled past him, grabbing Ren's arm and pulling him along behind her.

"I'm done. We can go. It's a nice night. Exercise is good. Let's walk back to the studio."

Ren wasn't sure whether he should laugh at Kyoko's clipped sentences, or worry for her.

"Is everything alright, Kyoko-san?" he finally asked after his urge to laugh had been quelled.

"Yes. I just really want to leave," Kyoko answered.

She realized she was being a little more aggressive than usual and she let go of Ren's arm instantly in embarrassment. It was all because of what she had seen on Asami's screens when she had gone over to ask if she could leave. Her and Sho kissing. The sight made her sick. Especially since so many other people would now see it.

"Ah, sorry, Ren-san," she said apologizing to Ren after she had taken a few deep breaths. She ducked her head in a small bow. "I was rude back there. It's just that it really has been a long, frustrating day."

"I understand," he said, a small smile coming to his lips.

They walked on in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes until they reached the studio. Kyoko immediately went to her dressing room to ditch the clothing she had worn while in Sho's arms. Asami had said that she could keep the dress from that morning and the outfit she wore now, but Kyoko didn't want the reminders of the afternoon. She slipped back into her own clothes - a jean skirt, pink t-shirt, and black sweater - and exited the room. She hadn't bothered to wash off the makeup. She liked how it looked, and she could always take it off back at the Daruma-ya.

"Ready to go?" Ren asked her when she opened the door.

He was leaning casually against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway.

"Yup!" Kyoko said happily. Her mood had improved as her distance from Sho had increased.

Luckily, she didn't run into him on her way out of the studio. Though she did see Shoko lounging around the front lobby.

"Goodbye, Shoko-san!" Kyoko said as she lifted a hand to wave at the woman.

Shoko looked up from the magazine she had been reading and offered Kyoko a smile. "Goodbye. I hope I'll see you again soon, and I wish you luck in the future, especially with your new drama."

"Thanks," Kyoko replied. And she continued on her way only to stop suddenly. Ren just watched the interaction with interest.

"And Shoko-san," Kyoko continued turning back towards the other woman, "it was really nice talking to you today."

"And to you," Shoko responded warmly.

And then Kyoko and Ren were really on their way out, Sho's music video already in the past for both of them, just another accomplishment under Kyoko's belt.

"So what do you want to eat?" Ren asked Kyoko as they climbed into his car.

Kyoko was about to say that it didn't matter when she remembered another time Ren had asked her the same question.

"Um, how about sushi?" Kyoko suggested hesitantly.

"Sounds good," Ren smiled at her, "I know just the place."

And a few minutes later, they arrived at a small sushi restaurant. Ren got them a small booth in a back corner where they ordered and ate in peace. Ren told her what he had done that day - some filming for a movie and a few tv interviews that he hadn't had time for recently - and then he even got Kyoko to talk about her day on set with Sho.

He listened with rapt attention as she told him the premise of the music video and what it had entailed. She explained to him the morning's scenes and how they had been, for the most part, okay. Then, she told him about the kiss with Sho that evening. "It was disgusting! But you would have been proud of me," Kyoko said, "I treated it as just another part of my job and got it done in one take. Asami said it looked good anyways." And Ren was proud. She wasn't letting this kiss get to her like she had let the last one.

How was Ren to know that the kiss was in fact getting to her, but for an entirely different reason than he would think? Mentioning it had caused the image of Ren she had buried to pop back into her head as she recalled the event.

She continued on to describe for him her individual scenes, pushing the image away again, and told him how her favourites had definitely been when she had gotten to rip down the pictures of Sho, and then rip up the picture of her and Sho. Ren laughed - half at the gleeful smile she wore as she described tearing up the photo, and half because he was relieved that she was acting so typically like Kyoko.

"So did you come to love this character?" he asked after a while.

Kyoko frowned. "No. But I don't totally hate her. I can understand why she wouldn't want to give up on something she'd lost and why she'd be happy when it returned - even if it was a guy like Sho," she said after a pause.

"You do?" Ren asked. He desperately wanted to know what that something was for Kyoko...and if he could maybe give it to her.

"Yeah. I lost a childhood friend. Do you remember when I told you about Corn? I only knew him for a few days, but I'd be so happy to see him again," Kyoko sighed. "But that's impossible. Anyways, if you're done we should get going. You need to get your rest," Kyoko snapped out of her funk and let her naturally buoyant personality reign - the one that worried for Ren's health endlessly.

Ren agreed with her easily, hiding the confusion that she had created in his heart. He was the only one who could give Kyoko what she had lost, but he didn't think it would make her happy - he thought it would just make her hurt more. Ren insisted on being allowed to pay for her meal, seeing as how he was the one who had asked her to join him, and the two left the restaurant full and trying to put uncomfortable thoughts behind them.

The car ride to Kyoko's that followed was pleasant as they both managed to bury their internal problems, and the two young actors continued their easy conversation.

"Wait! Where's Yashiro-san?" Kyoko suddenly asked, looking around the car as if Yashiro would suddenly pop out of nowhere.

"He got food poisoning last night so I told him not to worry about coming to work with me today. He's at home resting," Ren explained.

"Poor Yashiro-san," Kyoko commented as they pulled up near the Daruma-ya. Kyoko was about to open her door when Ren's hand closed around her's.

"Wait," he said quietly, his eyes fixed on the restaurant.

Kyoko followed his gaze and saw a swarm of people outside the Daruma-ya. People who were undoubtedly part of the paparazzi - there was no other reason for the cameras in their hands.

"What could they be doing here?" Kyoko asked worriedly. Ren had never been one to be stalked by the paparazzi - he was a celebrity of model behaviour who didn't try to hide from the press. There was no need for the paparazzi to bother him.

Ren started his car back up and drove around a corner, thankful for his tinted windows that had prevented anyone from realizing who was in the car. He didn't think that these photographers were waiting for him. If they were, why were they all huddled around where Kyoko lived? More importantly, why did they know where Kyoko lived? Only a few people in the company and her friends were supposed to have that information.

"Kyoko-san, please call Sawara-san. Find out if he knows anything about this," Ren said as he pulled over on the side street, out of the photographers' sights.

"Okay," Kyoko said, still a little confused. She slipped her phone out of her bag and dialled Sawara's cell.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Sawara-san. It's Kyoko. Um, there's something going on outside of my place," she began

"What sort of something?"

"Well there's a bunch of people standing around. A lot of them have cameras," Kyoko continued her explanation

"Where are you right now?" Sawara asked, and she suddenly heard the shuffling of papers on his end of the phone line. She thought he sounded concerned.

"We're parked around the corner from the restaurant," Kyoko told him.

"Who is we?" Sawara asked. The shuffling had stopped.

"Um, Tsuruga-san and me. He picked me up from the music video shoot on his way home," Kyoko told him. "Is that a problem?" she suddenly asked nervously.

"Not at all. Actually, it's good. Can you give him the phone, please?" Sawara asked.

"Of course," Kyoko mumbled. Then she took the phone away from her ear and offered it to Ren. "He wants to talk to you."

Ren took the phone out of Kyoko's hand and held it to his own ear. "Hello?" he asked.

"Tsuruga-san, how many photographers are out there?" Sawara asked getting right down to business.

"A lot," Ren answered simply.

"Okay. I'm very sorry to ask this of you, but is there somewhere you can take Kyoko-chan? I have a feeling I know what's happened, and she just can't go home while those men are out there. She'll be overwhelmed," Sawara spoke quickly in his businesslike tone.

"If I took her to my place would that be alright?" Ren asked.

"As long as you two aren't seen it should be fine. I'll call you when I know what's going on. And tell Kyoko-chan that I'll let the owners of the Daruma-ya know what's happening," Sawara continued seriously.

"Of course. Goodbye, Sawara-san."

"Goodbye, Tsuruga-san."

And with that Ren hung up.

"We're going to my place," Ren told Kyoko as he handed her back her phone and started his car. "Sawara-san will let the owners of the Daruma-ya know where you are."

"Why? What's going on?" Kyoko asked. Her worry was escalating with each passing moment.

"Sawara-san believes, like I do, that those photographers are here for you. Something must have inspired them to develop this sudden interest in you, and somehow they found out where you live," Ren explained.

Kyoko slunk down in her seat. "I'm sorry to cause you trouble again," she muttered as she bowed her head in apology to Ren.

"It's not your fault, and I'm glad to help. What are friends for?"

Kyoko smiled at the reminder that Ren considered her a friend now. Kyoko didn't know that Ren's answering smile was for the same reason - that he was happy because Kyoko now considered him a friend.

"Thank you," she mumbled, "for everything. You always seem to have my back."

They drove on in silence until they reached Ren's building, at which point both Ren and Kyoko scanned the area to make sure they wouldn't be seen as they climbed out of the car and made their way into Ren's home. When the coast was clear, they moved as quickly as they could without drawing suspicion straight into Ren's rooms. Only when the door was shut safely behind them did they both relax.

Kyoko laughed. "I feel like a spy or something," she said as her tension evaporated.

Ren watched her laugh and couldn't help but join in. They were interrupted by Kyoko's phone ringing though.

"That was quick," Kyoko commented absentmindedly as she moved to answer the cell.

"Put it on speaker phone," Ren suggested and Kyoko nodded, pressing the right buttons.

"Hello?" she answered, the phone sitting in the palm of her hand between her and Ren, who had moved closer to hear.

"Kyoko-chan, I've discovered the problem. Are you at Tsuruga-san's place yet?" Sawara asked.

"Yes," Kyoko answered quickly.

"Is there a computer there?"

Ren nodded his head, and Kyoko answered: "Yeah."

"Go to the Celebrity Beat website. You won't be able to miss the article," Sawara-san explained.

Kyoko felt her stomach knot up. She knew this couldn't be good. Ren had already moved to the computer and was pulling up the web page. The very first thing she saw when it loaded was a picture of her from Box "R".

"Oh no," she mumbled.

"Harada Tsutomu has exposed where you live and he's built up enough hype and mystery around you that everyone suddenly wants to know all about you. We expected him to publish an article in their next issue, but not to publish one online and so quickly - and certainly not with your home address," Sawara's voice echoed from her phone.

"Oh no," Kyoko repeated.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan, but you really can't go home tonight. Do you have any work tomorrow?"

"N-no," Kyoko stuttered in her shock - she had never expected to be hounded by the paparazzi.

"Good," Sawara said satisfied that somehow Kyoko didn't have to be on set for Dark Moon, Box "R", Mob Daughter, or Kimagure Rock that Sunday. "As long as Tsuruga-san is fine with it, you should hide out at his place tomorrow until we can think of a solution."

"That's fine with me," Ren spoke into the phone, turning his eyes away from the short article about Kyoko he had been reading online.

"Oh, Tsuruga-san. You heard? Good. Now, I need to get in touch with Takarada-san to figure out how we're going to handle this. I leave Kyoko-chan in your hands," Sawara said before hanging up abruptly.

Kyoko stood, eyes transfixed on her phone that was now emitting a dial tone. Ren was the one who finally hit the end call button.

"Do you want anything to drink, Kyoko-san?" Ren asked hesitantly when Kyoko didn't budge.

Ren's voice was enough to bring Kyoko back to the reality before her.

"I'm okay," Kyoko answered. "I would like to read the article though. I can't imagine what that man could have written that would have generated so much interest in little old me."

She was snapping out of it. She had experienced a shock when she had heard that people wanted to take her picture, but that was not any reason to be upset. It was just something she would have to deal with and overcome, a part of show business. And as for Harada Tsutomu, the man who had found her and then incited everyone else to do so - while giving them the means to do it - ...well, she was furious with him. What gave him the right to expose her like that? She hated people like him who succeeded by exploiting others.

Ren moved out of the chair in front of the computer screen and let Kyoko sit down. Then he watched her face as she read the article:

Her past is unknown, but her future is no mystery. Budding actress, Kyoko, is prepared to take Japan by storm. Already, this LME talent has wowed us with her Kyurara commercial with fellow LME actress to watch, Kotonami Kanae. She's created a brand new Mio who we love to hate in Dark Moon, and a delicious Natsu in Box "R". But her claim to fame does not stop there. Kyoko has also starred in a video for Fuwa Sho's song Prisoner - despite the fact that she is not even linked with Sho's agency.

What is perhaps even more astounding is that Kyoko continues to work, when she has the time, at a small restaurant where she also has a room. It was when I stopped for a meal at the Daruma-ya that I had the privilege to catch a glimpse of Kyoko coming home after a hard day of work, only to reappear minutes later in an apron, ready to help out. She remains charmingly down to earth, even as her name becomes more and more well known.

But who is this young girl? Where did she come from? She's already worked with some of the top names in the entertainment industry - Fuwa Sho and Tsuruga Ren immediately coming to mind. I eagerly await the day when we will all know more about Kyoko, but until then, I urge you to watch her, for we are sure to see bright things from this new shining star.

Kyoko remained emotionless as she perused through the words. The small article contained no false information and nothing directly hurtful. Still, Harada Tsutomu had deliberately revealed her address and turned the world's attention to her by making her out to be some mysterious new celebrity.

Kyoko remembered Sawara-san's words: 'Harada Tsutomu likes to embarrass celebrities, make them look bad, and make their lives difficult'.

He hadn't embarrassed her, he hadn't made her look bad, but he had most definitely just made her life more difficult. She would have to watch herself until the buzz around her died down or else she might do or say something that would embarrass her or make her look bad all on her own. It was frustrating to say the least, but it wasn't as bad as she had feared. The article might even bring some more business to the Daruma-ya, which would be good for the taisho and okami...

And then Kyoko saddened as she came to another realization.

"I can't live there anymore," she said, her face finally taking on an expression - it was one of sadness.