Kyoko's Secret
So first off, thanks for all the positive feedback and reviews that everyone gave me. I really appreciate it ^v^ Yori's a little bit of a cruel person :3 but that's what makes her fun. Besides, there's much more to this story then meets the eye ;).
Ren's in for a lot of strife though…Poor Ren.
Hope you all enjoy this next chapter
Don't own Skip Beat by the way
-Kate
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Chapter 2: Ren VS Yori
Ren trembled in shock as he tried to rearrange his face into a simple smile. He gave a cough and tried to speak, fighting to keep his voice from wavering.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat that one more time?"
Kyoko turned to her sempai and Yori jumped in before she had a chance to respond, a smirk playing at Yori's lips,
"didn't you hear her? She said it was…"
Ren tried to keep from childishly covering his ears as Yori slowly enunciated the dreaded company name,
"Victoria's Secret."
A shriek resounded through the air. Yori swung her head toward the noise in shock as the man next to Ren was in tears grabbing the young manager by the shoulders and shaking her. Yori's head bobbled as the strange man shook her back and forth, crying out in large watery eyes,
"NO! POOR KYOKO'S INNOCENCE WILL BE LOST! SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO…"
Yori snapped and brought her hand over the managers mouth. She growled dangerously,
"I believe it was the President who said, anything this girl does she will excel at. I believe your client said the same thing. Am I to assume they're wrong and that Kyoko has no talent? I don't work with people that have no talent."
She stared at him with cold blue eyes. Yashiro's words froze in his mouth as he realized anything he said would affect the young woman standing just behind Yori. His eyes fixed on the orange-haired woman, that seemed to be nearly in tears,
"Yashiro-san?"
She asked. A pang rung through his heart at the sad chime in her voice and Yori's eyes fell dead before she grasped his shirt in her hand and tugged him closer, laying his head down in the crook of her neck and nape of her ebony hair,
" We don't want to hurt her. We're friends right?"
She whispered quietly in his ear. Yashiro could do nothing but nod, not wanting to break the fragile strand of trust he held with Kyoko. Yori smirked before whispering in his ear once again, her voice this time taking a much more playful tone,
"I'd suggest you let go of me now, before I call security on sexual harassment."
Yashiro was paralyzed with shock. If anyone saw them like this, it would certainly seem like Yashiro was monopolizing her. The way she had his shirt, it was almost like she was trying to pry him off. any similarities he thought previously she held with Kyoko, vanished. This girl was cruel, worse, she was clever.
Nevertheless, he released his hands from her shoulders and backed away, his eyes firmly locked on the ground to keep from meeting her demonic blue ones. Quietly he muttered.
"you're right. I'm sorry."
Ren stared in bewilderment at his manager. The only person Yashiro had ever apologized to was him (and it was only in the instance of Karaizawa). To get Yashiro to apologize to Yori…well that was quite a feat. Then he turned and saw Kyoko staring at the threesome with wide gold eyes. Ren had to turn away, her innocent gaze was just so cute. He assumed, she had been too preoccupied with her offer to see any of what had truly just happened.
"is everything okay?"
She asked. Ren turned to Yori and glared at her, dangerously challenging the conniving woman to say anything that had just occurred. Yori smiled a gentle smile, understanding Ren's unspoken threat and turned to her friend,
"of course Kyoko. I'll catch up with you in a minute okay? I think Tsuruga-san wants to speak with me."
Kyoko raised an eyebrow in question (and Ren hoped a little jealously) before Yori smiled and continued,
"well, I'm obviously taking care of his beloved kuohai now so he probably just wants to give me some advice."
Ren didn't like the way she enunciated the word 'beloved' and how she stressed the word 'kouhai', but nevertheless, he gave a sparkling smile and looked at her,
"go ahead Kyoko. Don't you want to tell Kotonami-san about your new job?"
That lit up Kyoko's face. Both Ren and Yori smiled genuinely as the amusing young girl skipped off, a blur of bright pink singing,
"I'm going to go see Moko-san…"
Ren chuckled at her antics before turning to his manager,
"make sure she gets there safe. I'll catch up with you when I'm done here."
Yashiro nodded, understanding what was about to happen and swiveled his head to look at Yori one more time. Yori noticed this and placed one hand under her eye and stuck out her tongue playfully. Yashiro turned a little pale before turning to Ren, his body quietly trembling from a mixture of fear and anger,
"just Ren? Be careful. She seems a little odd."
Ren eyed the young woman and nodded to his manager, before Yashiro took off like a rocket following Kyoko. Yori chuckled, her arms crossed over her modest chest,
"you know, you guys don't have to be so wary of me. I don't bite…much."
She smirked in Ren's direction, who gave a glare at her, his dark nature starting to come forward with no witnesses around to see it.
"why'd you give her this job?"
Yori feigned an innocent gaze,
"what? I thought it would be the best opportunity for Kyoko-chan."
Ren growled and clenched his fists,
"no. that's not it. You had some other reason to do this."
Yori got closer, her blue eyes narrowed at him,
"and what, pray tell, is my ulterior motive? What could I possibly gain from letting Kyoko model for Victoria's Secret?"
Ren grit his teeth as he heard the foul name once more. A vision of Kyoko in wings and a pure white bra danced in his head…he cleared his head of thoughts and refocused on the woman in front of him,
"there are other ways to make her noticeable Matsua-san. Especially for an actress of her caliber."
Yori smiled and wagged a finger,
"but you know better than anyone Tsuruga-san. In order for an actor or actress to be popular, they need to be attractive. If she pulls this off, she's affirmed as one of their…"
He held out a hand to cut her off,
"don't say it!"
Yori smiled a twisted grin, enjoying the man's uncomfort and whispered as slowly as she could,
"Victoria Secret Angels."
Ren growled as more images emerged in his head. Even worse, were the images of all the male admirers she would have after this.
'that's good for her career…but bad for me…'
Then it hit him,
'bad for me…'
Yori noticed he was quiet, as though he was lost in thought. She turned to the empty hallway and casually remarked,
"well, if that's all you wanted to say, I guess I'll be going now."
She turned to leave when she heard Ren's voice echo in the quiet halls,
"you know don't you…"
She spun around and saw the look of genuine surprise on Ren's face. Yori had to stifle a smile, she didn't think this boring man could make an expression like that. Once again, she chose the more interesting route to feign ignorance,
'actually I have no idea what you're talking about. But if you're so scared about "what I know" might as well use it to my advantage.'
"know what Tsuruga-san?"
Ren glanced around the hall before beckoning her into one of the empty conference rooms. When the door was shut and the blinds were down, Ren turned to Yori, his voice trembling at the fear that this woman could know,
"you know I…how I feel about her right?"
A blush began to creep up his cheeks but Yori seemed unfazed as she flipped her hair and gave the same sly grin, hiding her true surprise beneath,
'WHAAAT?! so that's it huh…I thought he seemed a little friendly with her. Hmm, I wonder if I could extort any more info about this.'
"know it? I could practically see it! for an actor…sometimes you're not good at hiding emotions."
'liar.'
She scolded herself. Even though the President had told her about it and shown her the videos, she never even believed it (the President was all about love anyway, and she never thought a man like Ren would fall for a pretty, yet odd girl like Kyoko). Now that she heard it from the source himself, she had no choice but to believe it. And looking at the man now, she wondered how she could've missed it.
'well this certainly changes things. Looks like completing my mission will be more interesting than I thought with this new variable in the equation. For now, I have to let him still think I knew about it all along. If not, then the ball is in his court and his favor.'
It wasn't about making herself believe her lie, but making him believe it. And she gave a little leap of joy in her mind as she saw that by his reaction? He did.
Ren's eyes were wide with shock, his hands drifting up to his face unconsciously
'Yashiro told me my face gave away how I truly feel, did this girl happen to spot it?'
She smiled amused at this man, whose thoughts seemed to now flow off his face whereas before, she couldn't understand I thing about him. She gave a dismissive shake of her head,
"don't worry. It wasn't your face that gave it away."
Ren turned to her and Yori pointed at her blue eyes,
"it's all in the eyes. Your face can hide everything, but the eyes of every person is honest."
'which is why I cant look in yours, you'll know how much of a liar I am.'
She thought sadly. But she hid that as she smiled and Ren felt a pang grip his heart,
'if that's the case, why hasn't Kyoko seen the truth?'
But he dismissed that thought and turned to Yori, more pressing matters were still at hand,
"so if you know, why are you doing this?"
Yori turned to him, her eyes were cold and dead as she stared at him, her face losing all trace of a smile, and becoming a stoic glare,
"for her. Everything I do is for her."
She grit her teeth as she thought,
'everything is for her…everything. But she doesn't even…'
She stopped as her face grew flushed and cleared her thoughts before she heard Ren ask,
"so if that's the case…why are you making her do something she's uncomfortable with?"
Even with such an innocent question, Yori felt a shot of guilt snap through her.
'if she could learn any other way…tell me!'
She screamed inside her mind. But she didn't say that. Her anger was too high, she childishly snapped,
"is it her that feels uncomfortable with it? she seemed pretty excited about it to me!"
Then she stopped and stared at Ren who was furiously staring at her. Yori's new revelation about Ren and her observation of his reaction to the news clicked inside her mind. Yori's eyes widened before quietly saying in a soft voice,
"it's not her that you're worried about is it?"
Ren's eyes widened and he tore his gaze from her. Yori's thoughts strung together and she finished quietly,
"it's the guys she's going to meet. You're uncomfortable with the fact that Kyoko is going to be standing on stage, in front of the entire world in nothing but a pair of angel wings and a…"
Ren covered her mouth before she could say anymore.
"don't say it."
Yori smirked with amusement at the blushing young man, before catching herself and rearranging her face, staring at him, her eyes dark and cold,
"you know. It's not like you have a right to be worried about that anyway."
Ren turned to her but Yori turned away from him, her face hidden from his sight. She continued in an antagonizing tone,
"it's not like you guys are dating or anything."
That sent a barbed spear through Ren's heart. He could almost feel any progress he had made with Kyoko slip through his fingertips with just this woman's words. He was speechless. There was nothing he could say that wouldn't sound like a confession or a horrible denial, which would only break his heart more. He could feel the control he had slipping from his grasp, and another side of him coming in to take over as his heart pounded with anger.
Yori could feel it too. In all her years of business, she knew when she had cornered someone and pushed them to their breaking point. She turned to leave when she heard Ren's voice echo through the dark room, in a low, dangerous undertone,
"what's it to you?"
She swung around and her eyes widened in shock. The man that was before her…was not Ren Tsuruga. He stood at a slumped posture, but still retained that elegance. His hair fell over his now shadowed eyes, so she couldn't read them anymore, and though she didn't want to admit it…that scared her. But she couldn't say that. So she took a deep breath and drew up a haughty smile,
"that sounds like a denial to me Tsuruga."
"Tsuruga" didn't answer. His mouth curved down in a larger frown then he already wore, his eyes still hidden behind the walls of brown hair that covered them.
"I could never deny how I feel about her."
Yori's eyes widened and she felt all power from her legs sap away as Ren glided up to her like a phantom. He towered over her, his much larger frame swallowing her small shadow. Even as tall as she was, she couldn't match his height. Yori tried to keep up her brave face as she glared challengingly at the actor, but she couldn't find the strength as the silent man before her continued to eerily glare at her with his shadowed eyes.
Fear, indignation, and a slight hint of jealousy crashed through Yori. She couldn't take the charade anymore. All the videos she had seen of the two people came spiraling through her mind. She couldn't help but remember her initial feelings when she saw them. The words came bursting through her chest, breaking the haunting silence,
"you don't accept how you feel about her either! Is she honestly like a toy that you can play with anytime you want?!"
Kuon was shaken by the blunt honesty and Ren was back in control, staring at the woman who stared up at him with clear blue eyes. She narrowed her brow in hatred as she growled,
"I wont let you treat her that way."
She stared at him, the silence echoing their thoughts. Ren quietly spoke, his brown eyes softening,
"do you honestly think I do that? I thought you knew how I felt about her."
Yori stared at him, her gaze never wavering,
"I can't believe you, even if I know how you feel I don't believe it. Not when I've seen the way you play around with her."
"When?"
"Many times."
Then it clicked. Ren stared at Yori's blue eyes, which hadn't left his face, still throwing daggers of hatred at him every second,
"how-how long have you been in Japan?"
Yori gave a cold grin,
"I've been in Japan, watching over Kyoko, for the past few months."
Ren paled. This girl had been around when Natsu was going on. This girl had been there when Valentines had happened. Trying to keep the hesitation from his voice, he asked,
"so you've seen everything?"
"Everything. It's my job to watch over her and make sure she's happy."
A pained smile came to her face and she repeated, just to herself,
'that's right. Her happiness comes first. It must always be like this.'
Ren was curious. This girl seemed like she said those words out of duty, not out of desire, and the look on her face seemed like she couldn't stand it,
"why? Why is that your job?"
He asked, trying to understand. Yori opened her mouth to speak before shutting it and glaring at him,
"I see no reason to tell you."
She sighed and closed her eyes briefly, before opening them and glaring at the actor,
"in any case, I'm done with you playing with her. I'm here now, I'll take care of her. You're no longer needed."
She turned to leave and felt a hand grasp around her wrist. She wrenched it from his grasp and saw his sad eyes staring back at her. She was shocked as guilt flooded through her.
"why are you so against me being with her?"
Yori was speechless and she began to stammer,
"you….you u-use her. That's why."
That irked Ren. The way she stated that like it was a fact. Like she knew it to be true and she knew his motives and reasons. He released her and gave a dry chuckle,
"how arrogant. You made that accusation by yourself. Did I ever once agree with you?"
Yori was frozen with anger. She hated being called arrogant. She couldn't stand this man in front of her. She coldly replied,
"words are just words. Actions prove them to be true. I don't need your agreement, because your actions have proven to me what I needed to know."
She came closer and growled in his ear, letting every spark of hatred for him show through,
"you. Use. Her."
She said softly. Ren clenched his fists, and clasped them one over the other to keep from hitting this arrogant woman. He turned to her and grit his teeth, retorting coldly,
"I don't."
The absolute certainty in his voice shook Yori to her core. She turned away from him and muttered,
"you wont leave? You wont stop hanging around her?"
Ren sighed and gave a small smile just to himself as he admitted what he always knew,
"Matsua-san, I couldn't leave her. I wouldn't be able to get through one day without seeing her. Whether you approve or not…I…I love her."
A pressure that had built on his chest had disappated. Those words had crashed inside of him for the longest time, now they were out. Granted, he'd rather them not be first said to this cruel woman, but…he couldn't help but feel the smile that crossed his face because of his admission.
Yori sighed as jealousy flooded her mind,
'Kyoko doesn't realize how lucky she really is sometimes'
her back was still towards Ren, and she held in her true emotions to keep from the bitter tears of jealousy from seeping out. Then her voice returned, cold and dark,
"I see. Then there's no other option."
She swung around towards him and gave a challenging smirk,
"then we're enemies."
Ren was surprised and astonished.
"huh?"
Yori gave a dark chuckle and turned from him, flipping her ebony hair over her shoulder,
"you wanted to know my ulterior motive for this right?"
She turned her head and wagged her finger in a taunt,
"it's to make sure you don't get Kyoko. So you better be prepared to fight for her. Because now that I know…I won't let you win her so easily."
"where do you have the right to say that?"
Ren asked, irritation and frustration boiling beneath the surface. Yori smirked and cocked her head in fake innocence,
"I see no reason to tell you."
Ren looked like he was about to say something else when Yori cut him off, looking at her phone,
"wow, looks like I gotta get out of here! We'll be late if we don't get out of here now."
Ren stopped and stared at the retreating woman, and as she turned to run down the hallway, he asked,
"wait, what are you going to be late for?"
Yori turned to him and gave a smirk and playful wink,
"Kyoko's underwear fitting, what else?"
She laughed as Ren's face paled and sprinted down the LME halls toward the Love Me room. Ren put a hand to his mouth as images danced in his head. Kyoko was posing in long white angel wings and pure white…he stopped there, his thoughts going much farther than any T story could illustrate. A blush grew up his cheeks and he tried to avoid looking at people as he sought out his manager, who was (hopefully) still with his young kuohai.
He swiftly (but still gracefully) walked down the marbled halls of LME before reaching the small corner of the Love Me room. he glanced down each of the halls, searching for the ebony haired vixen attempting to keep him away from Kyoko, when he didn't see her, he smiled and turned to walk in unaware of the trap that lay inside.
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So same song
Same rule
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-Kate ^v^