Disclaimer: Fanfiction. Really.

Chapter Eleven

The next few episodes that they were filming aimed to explore each character more fully. The first episodes of the season would be dedicated to one character each episode, mainly to explore their separate pasts. Kanae had thoroughly not enjoyed her episode exploring her uptight personality as much as Kyoko had thoroughly enjoyed her episode exploring her caring and loving nature. Mitsu had given a surprisingly touching performance in his episode, which touched upon the reasons why he had decided to study psychology. Nanami had lovingly added that no one ever knew why others studied psychology, or what the course was even about. Ren simply cursed the President once more – his character seemed to mock him at every line.

"Is very sensible to the point of being slightly boring," Yashiro said sceptically, picking up his script on which he'd scrawled quick notes about the drama. "Tends to distance himself from others although he is genuinely kind-hearted. Tenacious and has a tendency to open up to Nanami more than anyone else even though she's so unlike him. Doesn't think that she'd be interested in someone like him. Sounds very familiar, Ren."

Ren sighed, and took the script from him before he could read further, and come to any unpredictable conclusions. His entire character was basically the President telling him off for being boring and unromantic. His character's introductory episode had focused on a flashback to the only girlfriend he's ever had. She had broken up with him, giving him some careful words of advice to never date anyone he's not in love with, because he's just wasting his time and hers. He's kept this in mind ever since, and has never dated anyone else, or considered it, until he meets Nanami. That Kyoko played her character was just too convenient.

Ren had just arrived on set after a photo shoot, and was watching Mitsu, Kyoko and Kanae film one of their scenes together. The next episode was of a goukon, a group blind date that Nanami had arranged to encourage Rina to come out of her shell. She'd also invited Ryou and Hachiro, as well as a few other female and male friends to fill out the numbers.

/ Hachiro is playing a role-playing game on Nanami's laptop, while Nanami tries to persuade Rina to agree to come to the goukon that she has organised for that evening. Nanami sits on the kitchen bench, her legs swinging rhythmically as she speaks to Rina, who is sitting on the couch with her arms crossed tightly against her chest, closing herself off.

"Come on, it'll be fun! You're always studying. It'll be good to go out and get some air and meet some new people, won't it, Hachiro?" Nanami looks at her friend, appealing for support, but receives none as Hachiro concentrates on the laptop screen. She continues nevertheless. "The people I've invited are all really lovely, and one of them is studying law just like you. It'll only be for a few hours and we'll come home before eleven, I swear. In fact, if you don't like it, you can leave early, but please promise me you'll come and see if you like it first?" She clasps her hands together as if she's begging Rina, and Rina blinks, fidgeting awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with her pleading.

"Please?"

"I guess...I guess I could go out for a few hours," Rina says quietly.

"Great!" Nanami pumps her fist in the air triumphantly and grins smugly in Hachiro's direction. "I can help you get ready, if you want." She slides off the counter and onto the floor, heading towards Hachiro. Bending down, she whispers, "See, told you I could get her to come. Now be nice."

Hachiro raises his head distractedly, and nods at Rina. "Good on you, Rina-san. You just need to get laid and you'll soon be back to normal! All that studying isn't right," he says, shivering.

Nanami raises her right hand and whacks Hachiro on the back of the head. "Excuse him. His mouth isn't attached to his brain. But really, Rina-chan, we just want you to come out and have fun with us. Come on!" She quickly drags Rina into her bedroom, shooting one last glare at Hachiro, who has already turned his attention back to his game. /

"Have you found the chicken yet?" Ren asked offhandedly, as he watched Kyoko walk off the set. God, she's beautiful. He clenched a fist unconsciously, unable to suppress all the possessiveness and jealousy that had arisen when he saw her with Hikaru.

"I've made a few calls," Yashiro said evasively.

"And?"

"Well," Yashiro said, suddenly inspired, "They don't want to reveal the identity of their mascot because the basis of his appeal is his anonymity. Or something like that..."

"Yashiro, you know who it is, don't you?"

"Well, yes. I know! How about I arrange for you to meet with the actor? Just one-on-one?" Yashiro rubbed his hands together gleefully, eager to set them up on a date without their knowledge. The best part would be that Ren wouldn't even be able to be angry at him for it, because he had expressly requested to contact Bo. It just so happened that Kyoko was Bo. Although it would have been fun to continue keeping it from him, the temptation of getting the two of them together on a date was just too great.

"I don't particularly want to know the identity of the actor, but I suppose it makes no difference since he knows who I am. I guess it's the same person, regardless of whether I'm talking to a chicken or a man."

Or a girl, thought Yashiro. "Very well, shall I arrange it for sometime this week then?"

"That's fine," Ren said, nodding. A part of him wanted to back out – it suddenly seemed as if he was making a big deal out of nothing. To go so far as to find Bo? But upon further reflection, he realised that he honestly didn't know where to go from here. His relationship with Kyoko was going around in circles, and he was still stuck on that damned pedestal while men like Ishibashi Hikaru went out for dinner with her and drove her home. The chicken had helped him before, so why open another door when one was already open?

/

Finally stepping off the set, Kyoko heaved a sigh of relief, and quickly made her way over to her bag to get some water. Before she could reach for it, however, a disembodied hand thrust a bottle in her face. Taking the bottle gratefully, she looked up and found the President's aide, Sebastian. He was dressed as an Egyptian god, complete with a jewel-encrusted and heavily embellished traditional headdress. In one hand, he held a stone tablet, carefully stained and chipped with stylised markings of age and deterioration, which were at odds with the modern Japanese engravings.

"This is for you," he said, placing the tablet in the hand that wasn't holding the bottle of water. "If you have any questions, please let us know." With that, he bowed, and slipped away as quietly as he'd arrived. Kyoko scanned the words on the tablet quickly, her eyes widening in shock and horror as she did so. Wailing in indignant protest, she slumped down onto the ground and laid her head to rest on a nearby chair. The President could not have made a more difficult request of her. What's more, not only was it a LoveMe task, but it was also vital to the development of her character that she fulfil this task. But this...this was too much.

Kanae had followed her off the set, but had wisely stayed out of the way during Kyoko's brief exchange with Sebastian. She now walked over and bent down beside her, plucking the tablet out of her limp hands. Kyoko didn't put up much of a fight, as she still busy wallowing in depression and horror. As she read, Kanae could only chuckle at the President's assignment.

"Well, who are you going to ask?"

Kyoko raised her head and blinked at her pitifully. "I don't want to ask anyone! It's too shameful and embarrassing to do something like that."

"It's normal for Nanami," Kanae pointed out, appealing to her professionalism. "What kind of actress are you if you can't embrace every aspect of your character? This is your biggest hurdle, and the President has suggested a way for you to overcome it. Besides, it's a LoveMe task so it's not like you can turn it down."

"Fine. I'll do it as Nanami. He didn't say I couldn't – he wasn't very specific after all," Kyoko said, a flicker of defiance entering her amber eyes once more. She raised herself from her prostrate position, and took the tablet from Kanae. "I'll ask someone out on a date. As Nanami."

/

It's been a while. I don't really have any elaborate excuses (I used them all up to explain why I was 5 minutes late for work yesterday...) but either way, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. If there are still any of you left after all this time. :D

- Interficere