Author's Note: So first off, thanks to my anonymous reviewers Daredevil girl (say, don't you have an account? what's up with that?) and Iff. Secondly, I have been looking around the internet for Natsu's last name, as well as the name for the director of Box "R". If I have misspelled them, or messed up the names of any other characters, please let me know! Lots of Natsu in this chapter (again, this wasn't my intention but I got totally side-tracked) but there is also some Kyoko stuff too! And next chapter... well, I'll let you guess who finally makes an appearance ;)

Information corner: A "love hotel" in Japan is a type of hotel that rents out rooms by the hour. Basically, couples go there to have sex when there is some reason they can't do it at home (like if they live with their parents, or for one-night stands, etc.).

Happy reading, and don't forget to review!

XD

Chapter 2: Exploring the character

"Kitazawa Natsu is an ordinary girl, right? She's privileged, smart, and a born leader, yet she is bored of life. Because of this, she starts bullying other girls. That kind of thing: making others suffer, watching their reactions and fear, is different from the dull normal routine that she felt was suffocating her. In fact, she found the opportunity to control a situation exciting. She starts to like dominance – no, she becomes addicted to it.

"But this isn't a side of her that she wants the world to see. With her standard upbringing, she was taught that bullying was wrong. Only her close friends and her victims witness her [true face]. She pushes her family away. Even if she had a boyfriend, she would hide this side of herself from him. As a result, no relationship would ever be wholly satisfying to Natsu because she wouldn't be able to relax her persona of the "normal teenage girl".

"And that's why, when she is bullying others, Natsu feels free. The combination of being in control and being fully honest – baring her [fangs] to that individual – is the best feeling she knows."

"So… you're saying it's not exactly sexual, but… a [freeing experience]?" asked the director, who was starting to understand.

"Yes. As she is now, there is a lot of confusion about why she likes to hurt others. The truth is she just likes to mix things up and cause trouble because it's interesting – entertaining, even."

Kyoko paused, remembering how she'd used this mentality as Setsu a few times. It was incredible how much she'd learned about character creation and maintenance through her improvisation with Tsuruga-san.

She was confident that she'd conveyed her point to the director properly, as he was now nodding along with her explanation. All that was left was to sell one last idea. It was important that the director understood in order to convince him to change a certain scene.

"Natsu pushes her friends to do worse things than they are comfortable just to see their reactions. And… in the same way, she challenges herself to do things that sometimes don't even appeal to her."

"Alright, that makes sense," conceded Director Kazutoyo. "This Natsu you described fits into the script nicely. But why does Natsu want to be close to Chitose-chan?"

"It's just as I said, she likes the freeing experience that bullying provides. When she finally starts to pursue Chitose-chan as a target, she feels anticipation and begins to open herself to Chitose in a way she can't do with anyone else.

"So in effect, it's not Chitose-chan she's getting close to, but her own [true self]."

The director's eyes widened in amazement. This depth of character study was impressive for any actor, let alone a newbie that had only just started her career.

It was well thought-out, and he really wanted to use this complex character in the show, but…

"Mogami-chan, I love that you've put so much thought into your character," Director Kazutoyo started, his voice apologetic. "And I really want to use your Natsu, but… Well, you aren't the main character in this drama."

His words were like a spear that was thrust directly into her actor's soul.

"To make that kind of Natsu work, I feel like we'd need additional scenes to convey those feelings more clearly to the audience. As it is, the script is tight and we are already cutting out Rumi-chan's scenes to make space for the extended bullying parts. Please try to understand…"

Knowing this was her only chance, Kyoko relied on Natsu's strength once more to talk back to the director.

"Director, I would like to try something, but only if you think it's okay… I think it would help the audience understand Natsu and it wouldn't require more scenes to be added…"

"Action!"

Pulling herself out of Natsu's grasp, Chitose turns to yell at her but… the girl was already walking into the building.

"HEY Natsu!" she shouts, following her inside without paying attention to what sort of building it was.

The automatic door swishes open to the cool breeze of air-conditioning. Chitose's angry footsteps echo over the clean tile floors of the hotel lobby. Natsu is already at the front desk, pressing a button on an automated menu board. As Chitose reaches her, the other girl was handing a 5000¥ bill to the receptionist booth. When Natsu receives a key along with her change, the situation begins to make sense to Chitose – a disturbing sort of sense.

"Natsu," she chastises, turning the girl in question around to face her. "This is one of those Love Hotels, isn't it? As high-schoolers we can't be seen in a place like this!"

"Don't worry, Chi-chan, this will be our~ little~ secret~!"

Every few seconds, Chitose looks over her shoulder, as if scanning the area for anyone that would recognize them.

"Is that your uncle over there, Chi-chan?" Natsu asks lightly, picking up on her uneasiness, and pointing to an incoming group of strangers.

Chitose jumps behind Natsu, cowering.

"Uh-oh, he's looking this way!" Natsu lied.

"A~ah, does he see me?" she squeaks, pressing her body against Natsu's as if willing herself to be absorbed into the other girl's back and disappear.

Natsu pauses. Her shoulders seem to lean back against Chitose slightly and the smile on her face changes from the superior smirk she always wore to something almost… happy, comfortable.

"Natsu?" panics Chitose, who is just about to peek out from her hiding spot.

"Oh, I think he spotted you!" Natsu responds quickly with the grin that Chitose does not see.

Reveling in the trembling she feels against her back, as the frightened girl hides, Natsu takes a few slow steps back in order to press the button to call an elevator. When it arrives, she grabs Chitose's hand and sprints inside. Quickly checking her keycard, Natsu presses the button for the 8th floor and the car begins its ascension.

Though Chitose had been worried about being seen in a place like this by her uncle – or anyone that knew her, for that matter – she didn't plan on following Natsu any farther. It was too dangerous to be found in a place of such poor reputation. If they were discovered, not only would they be punished at school and at home, but they'd also be labeled by others as "those kind of girls". The other girl in question was fiddling with her phone completely uninterested in Chitose's moral dilemma.

Seeing her chance, Chitose snatches back her book bag. Natsu doesn't even look up. Who was she texting at a moment like this?

"Are you texting your… boyfriend?" Chitose asks meekly.

Laughing, Natsu puts her phone away but doesn't answer.

When the elevator doors open to their floor, Chitose hangs back, planning to just ride back down to the main floor and try to hail a taxi outside. However, Natsu grabs the collar of Chitose's uniform and drags her out and down the hallway. No one is around to witness the struggle between the two girls, but Chitose is clearly overpowered by the taller girl.

"Just let me leave!" Chitose begs with tears in her eyes.

Natsu opens the door with the keycard and shoves Chitose into the room. Then, pulling out her cellphone again, she smiles.

"Say cheese!" she says, snapping a photo. Glancing down at the device, Natsu's eyes darken like the sky before a storm. "Now, why don't you stick around awhile? Unless you want to find out what the principal thinks of you visiting a place like this?"

Crying openly, Chitose runs into the bathroom and locks the door behind her. Natsu follows her inside and flops down on the bed. She turns on the TV, turning up the volume to cover the sound of her class-mate's sobs.

The clock indicates that half an hour has passed.

"Let's play a game."

Her captor's voice surprises Chitose after all of this time. After having some time to calm down, she'd resigned herself to staying in the bathroom until Natsu gives up and lets her leave. But the way Natsu said "game" redoubled her apprehension.

"I don't want to play!" she shouts from the bathroom.

"…"

Silence fills the hotel room once more. Natsu turns off the TV and lies back against the pillows. She seems to drift far away in her own mind, absently reaching her hand up to touch her lips.

"Have you ever kissed anyone before Chi-chan?" she wonders aloud.

"Stop this, Kitazawa-chan. I want to go home."

Like flipping a switch, Natsu comes back to the present. She checks behind the couch momentarily before responding.

"I promise you can leave after this experiment."

"…Promise?"

"You have to come out, though," Natsu says, waiting for Chitose to exit the bathroom. As the girl peeks around the door frame, she pats the bed beside her, beckoning her to sit. "All you have to do is sit there and close your eyes."

Chitose settles herself warily on the bed, as far away from Natsu as she can manage.

"Now, close your eyes," encouraged Natsu.

With a deep breath, Chitose shuts her eyes tightly. Natsu places a delicate hand on either side of the girl's face, enjoying how she twitches in fear at her touch. Slowly, she lowers her face until they are just a breath apart.

"Ready?" she asks over her shoulder.

Without waiting for a reply, Natsu kisses Chitose. The girl stiffens initially in surprise, and then blushes deeply. At first the kiss is soft and curious, but Natsu doesn't just leave it there. As she presses her mouth harder against the girl's lips, Chitose tries to pull away, but the hands against her face hold her like a vice. Natsu opens her mouth and bites down, hard. Blood pools between their lips. It drips onto the bed and Chitose's school uniform.

Hysterical laughter erupts from behind the couch.

"Oooh, she's blushing! Does that mean she liked it?"

"I didn't know Chitose-chan was into girls!"

"Did you get it?" demands Natsu eagerly, turning to her friends.

"Yeah, it's all on video," responds Kaori.

"Wonderful," praises Natsu as she watches a replay from the small screen of the smart phone.

Yumika comes up and puts an arm around the horrified teen. "Awe, Chitose-chan's first kiss!"

With a mouth full of blood and eyes streaming with tears, Chitose says nothing.

"Alright, that was a good appetizer," Natsu says, getting to her feet. "But it's almost lunch time. I think we should move on to the main course. Kaori, Yumika, hold her down."

"Nooo!" screams Chitose.

"Cut! It's good."

Sho was walking fast, and by the time Shoko got out of the car he was already half a block down the busy sidewalk. She didn't want to risk shouting his name in public, for fear of swarming paparazzi. Ducking back inside the car, she gathered her purse and the hat that Sho had forgotten. The car wouldn't be moving for a while, but if they ran into Kyoko, she figured they wouldn't make it back at all.

"Take Sho's guitar to Queen Records. I'll call when we need you," she explained to the driver. He nodded in response.

Then she took off in the direction Sho had gone. Whispers of "Isn't that Fuwa Sho?" told her she was catching up to him. Her high heels made it difficult to run, but then, she'd never expected Sho to jog – for any reason. Leave it to Kyoko to get Sho to exercise, she mused darkly, wincing at the burning of her calves. She only hoped he wouldn't make a scene like last time.

Director Kazutoyo seemed satisfied with the last take, and so the actors were on a break for a late lunch while the production team packed up to move to the next location. Rumi-chan was in her trailer, recovering from the last scene. Kyoko was chatting happily with her co-stars Makino-san, Sudo-san and Chiori in the lobby when a loud voice cut across the room.

"What's the point in having a phone if you never plan on answering it?"

"Sho-?" Kyoko asked, completely bewildered.

The other girls gasp, not expecting a teen idol to appear out of nowhere.

"What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question," he said angrily, gesturing all around. "What kind of drama are you acting in, that you have to film on location at a place like this?"

"It's not like that!" an embarrassed Kyoko replied.

Chiori led the other two actresses away, all the while marveling over the strange personal life of her Love ME senpai.

"Don't think for a second that being a two-bit porn star is enough to catch up to me!"

"What are you saying?! I'm not a porn star!"

Sho chuckled sarcastically. "That's right, what was I thinking? It's not like any man would ever want to sleep with a boring girl like you – even if he was getting paid to do it!"

Grudge spirits sprung up from Kyoko like a volcano erupting. Her face disappeared behind the dark shadow of pure hatred. An icy laugh fell from her lips.

"IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?" she demanded ferociously. "Your spiteful words are comical to me, a person so full of loathing that even the devil admires."

Sho glanced around nervously, aware that Kyoko's display was attracting a lot of attention. He'd been so distracted with the notion of Kyoko working in a love hotel, that he'd almost forgotten what he'd come to discuss with her. Now, he was likely to be asked to leave without having said anything.

But Sho was never one to give up. He grabbed Kyoko's hand and dragged her into an elevator that was different from the one they'd used previously for filming.

"Hey-What are you doing now?!" the actress sputtered, wrenching herself from Sho's grasp and taking a step back.

"I wanted some privacy," he replied, selecting a floor. "And speaking of which, are you screening my calls?"

Kyoko tilted her head. Calls? She hadn't received any since… Oh, right. Since Heel-san threw her phone across the room. She pulled the device out of her hand bag and turned it on.

Sho watched her, flabbergasted. "You mean it's been off this whole time?! I've been calling you for four days now!"

The elevator reached the floor Sho had selected and he stomped out and down the hall.

"Huh? Why?" Kyoko called after him curiously. When he didn't answer, she followed him. "Sho, why were you calling me? What was so important?"

In her mind, there was no reason in Heaven or on Earth that could make Shotaro call her repeatedly without getting an answer. He was too proud for that. Unless… unless something happened to his parents? Kyoko wondered, dismally. There was a special place in her heart for the couple that owned the ryokan in Kyoto and had taken care of her for the majority of her childhood. If anything happened to them, she'd have no way of knowing… that is, unless Sho told her. Maybe that's why he wanted privacy… it is a personal matter, after all.

Sho pulled out a gold keycard and opened the door in front of him. Full of anxious curiosity, Kyoko followed him in.

"I'm looking for the set of [Box "R"]. Can you point me to it?"

The stage-hand looked down into the ample bosom of Fuwa Sho's manager, grinning greasily.

"Ah, yeah. They're filming on location right now in the next building over."

"Thanks!" Shoko said, giving the helpful man a sparkling smile.

A Love Hotel?!

Shoko hurried into the building, praying that she wouldn't be too late.

Oh, this was not going to end well.