She could not believe this was happening.
She, Mogami Kyouko, eternal enemy to Fuwa Shotaro and sworn to make him taste fear and defeat, was now sitting in that bastard's dressing room, reading the script for the next Box "R" episode she was filming, waiting for him to get done recording his interview so she could accompany him to the apartment he shared with his manager, so she could make chocolates. This was beyond torture. This was an unfathomable circumstance she couldn't even believe she had gotten herself into. The only thing that kept her in the chair itself was the fact that she was too prideful to admit to Shotaro himself that she couldn't stand him. But, Kami-sama, this was intolerable. This was, ladies and gentlemen, hell on earth, beaten only by two circumstances: she being unable to give Reino chocolates and gain her doppelganger back; or Tsuruga-san finding out that she was going to go over to her sworn enemy's apartment to make chocolate for her stalker she had told him she would never see again. Faced with these three options of hell, she would gratefully take this scenario, though. The thought of Reino holding her little orphan hostage and force-feeding it affection was too scary, but the imagined look of Tsuruga-san's face upon finding out the heinous crime she was about to commit was beyond comprehension. This act could probably estrange them forever, and she could never call herself his kouhai ever again.
So, there, sitting and waiting and only half-memorizing her lines, she made a solemn vow, nearly as sacred as her vow to take down Shotaro, that Tsuruga-san would never find out what she was doing tonight. In keeping that promise, she had turned off her cell phone, knowing that if he tried to call she'd probably get a stern lecture later of starlets not being in touch with the world, but it was better than the alternative of Shotaro answering it in a sudden "everything-Kyouko-has-is-mine" moment and confronting Tsuruga-san, and then Kyouko having to take the fall for her decision. She swore she would never talk of this again, not to Moko-san, not to Tashio-san and Okami-san, not to Maria-chan, and if Shotaro ever brought this up after tonight, she'd fake ignorance. Her relationship with Tsuruga-san was on the line here, and she'd have to tread very carefully to make it across this minefield.
This waiting was going to kill her, though. How long did it take to act like a jerk in front of the camera? He was brilliant at it on and off camera, so what was the holdup? She groaned as she remembered that this wasn't live; and if the producers wanted an NG, they would redo the same questions a thousand times over to get what they wanted.
Opening her eyes, she eyed the ingredients leaning against her chair. Shotaro had given her a few thousand yen and told her to go all-out, buying the best ingredients she could for the chocolate. She had rolled her eyes and taken the bills anyway, knowing she would use it to buy on-clearance ingredients and things a few measly days before their expiration date. She wasn't going to waste money on that damn Beagle. But when she had tried to give Shotaro his change back when she arrived back at Fuji TV, he had refused to take it. Damn male pride. Though what was left over was a significant amount of money, money she could use to buy herself a few necessities and pay off a few payments, she was going to donate it to the poor. Odette could wait, cosmetics could wait, cute outfits could wait, everything she wanted to buy could wait. But she wasn't going to buy anything with his money. Maybe a donation to an orphanage could convince the tainted money to do some good in the world. After a ritual cleansing, of course. It would be irresponsible to send his secondhand money out into the world without having gotten rid of the worst of the bad influence first. And Mogami Kyouko was anything but irresponsible. Except when it came to turning on her cell phone (wink-wink-nudge-nudge). That she wasn't too responsible about.
Turning her attention back to the script, she had memorized only half a page more before Sho and Shouko-san came through the door, Shouko-san apologizing to a nearby crewmember of Sho's behavior, and Sho walking in like he owned the place. Who did he think he was, anyway? A guest? Oh, thought Kyouko as she remembered that, yes, he was a guest at Fuji TV, while her own invitation had ended a few hours ago and she was technically still there because she was with Shotaro. Thrusting that notion out of her head, she turned her eyes back to the script, hoping to glean more information out of it while not allowing herself to be distracted by Sho's existence. She failed.
Sho, on his part, was also distracted by Kyouko. When they lived together he would sometimes walk around shirtless, and after Kyouko had accepted and gotten used to it, he had hardly thought twice of it. And Shouko-san had certainly seen him like this before. So why did changing now bother him? He didn't have an answer, so he just abandoned the idea. What was he looking for from Kyouko, anyway? Lust? Admiration? Jealousy of Shouko-san? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Almost amusing enough to make him laugh. Kyouko would never feel any of those emotions, least of all to him.
Still, he angled his body away from her so he wouldn't have to meet her eyes while changing out of the promotional outfit and into his street clothes.
Shouko, for one, was absolutely fascinated by what was going on around her.
Sho had, after disappearing on her for a few minutes, showed up again, asking if she wouldn't mind too much to drive Kyouko-chan to the store so Kyouko-chan could pick up a few ingredients and then allow Kyouko-chan to use their kitchen back at Shouko's apartment and then drive Kyouko-chan home, to wherever she lived. Shouko had been so stunned at the time she could barely articulate her "Yes, of course," response. Was Sho doing something altruistically for someone else, albeit at someone else's expense more so than his own? The very concept was so contrary to the boy Shouko thought Sho was that she had nearly laughed at his request, before she realized he was serious, and very much not joking. Of course she had agreed. It was as much for Kyouko-chan's sake, poor girl, as it was for her own. Shouko could not let this amazing opportunity for them both to get a bit closer slip away. She realized by now that the two had, at one time, been so close that a simple evening of Kyouko-chan using the kitchen wasn't going to change much of their present state, but they might make some progress. And then the chocolates, because Shouko had asked what Kyouko-chan was making against her better judgment, would be for Sho after all.
She felt very much like an Imperial-age matchmaker as she came in, halfheartedly apologizing to a crewmember for the remark Sho had made on his treatment, and saw that Kyouko-chan, having looked up to see what the noise was, had returned to her script with a mixed look on her face. Shouko watched the girl a bit more, but could get nothing more from her demeanor other than that Kyouko-chan was regretting her decision to accept Sho's offer. The reason was obvious: she probably didn't want any of her friends and colleagues, including that Tsuruga Ren, to know she was going to spend the evening in Sho's apartment. With a tiny bit of pride, Shouko wondered just how many times Kyouko-chan had spent the evening at his apartment. It wasn't that she hated the man himself, but that being Sho's manager had, in time, worn a bit of an effect on her. Certainly his manager had never done so much as this to get Tsuruga and Kyouko-chan together.
Leaning against the counter, Shouko reflected a bit on that last thought. Tsuruga and Kyouko-chan; a couple. Thinking back to the girl she had met, for the very first time, dressed in a work uniform, throwing fast food at Sho's head, vowing passionate revenge only to be carried off by security, Shouko doubted it. Could the mannered and genteel Tsuruga love such a hot-tempered, hate-filled, revenge-minded girl as that? Even if he could, could the general public, who loved the gentlemanly Tsuruga, deal with his girlfriend? In this world where your image counted for half your soul, the public's opinion of your lovers was very important. Without their general consent, their careers would suffer, and in turn the relationship would suffer. So a brash and emotional girl would be incompatible in their eyes, and Kyouko-chan did tend to think with her heart.
But then Shouko remembered the PV shooting. Kyouko-chan had walked onto that set in an alternate persona, becoming "Kyouko" the stage artist, but not "Kyouko," Sho's childhood friend. It would have taken more self-control than Shouko, in Kyouko-chan's shoes, had to face an ex in that scenario and deceive him like that. And certainly the actor who was the very face of self-discipline could respect that. Who knows, maybe even the masses could grow to love it as well.
Smiling, she also remembered that time at the baths in Karuizawa, when Kyouko-chan didn't treat her as Sho's manager, but as another woman, a completely separate entity than the star she looked after. Talking with the girl, Shouko had quickly realized that Kyouko-chan never thought of Shouko in relation to Sho, as an ally of Sho and therefore enemy of Kyouko-chan. She thought of Shouko as someone unconnected to Kyouko-chan and Sho's mutual struggle and only a witness, not an active player. That was the reason why Kyouko-chan was able to talk to Shouko so casually, and be so concerned at Shouko's abandoned dream of theatre. Because Shouko wasn't someone to be wary of, or hostile to. That was for Sho, and Sho alone. And for that ability to separate people, and be able to read them so clearly, for Shouko knew that many young girls would have lashed out at the manager just as much as against the star, Shouko knew any man, Tsuruga Ren included, could fall in love with. Who knows, maybe even Sho was intrigued by that quality.
Coming out of her reflections and thoughts to check up on her star and his childhood friend (and potential lover, maybe?) she nearly chuckled before catching herself. Kyouko-chan was resolutely staring at the page, probably not even taking any of the words in, while Sho, in a strange onset of modesty, was turned away so Kyouko-chan couldn't see anything even if she looked up, which Shouko doubted she would do. Were these two…embarrassed? That Sho was undressing before Kyouko-chan? Surely Kyouko-chan had seen him like this before…or maybe she hadn't. Shouko didn't know the extent of Kyouko-chan and Sho's previous relationship, as both were rather reticent to talk about the past, and so didn't know if Sho had changed clothes in front of Kyouko-chan before. Maybe this was the first time Kyouko-chan saw this much of Sho…or of any man, for that matter. What if this was a "first" for Kyouko-chan? And what of Sho? What was he thinking of right now? Was he as painfully aware of Kyouko-chan's presence as Shouko thought he was?
Turning her face so neither of them could see her smile, Shouko briefly considered stepping out to "make arrangements." When she looked up again, the words on her lips, she couldn't speak them. The moment was broken, and Sho was shrugging on his jacket. Kyouko-chan didn't move, but Shouko thought there was something more relaxed in the girl's straight back and crossed legs. And Sho himself looked much more at ease than he had a few moments ago.
Oh yes, agreeing to this was the right thing indeed.
Did he have no shame?
You would think, a boy growing up in an old-fashioned inn, one of the greatest in all of Japan, with values being instilled in him from an early age, would not strip in front of two women, neither of which his wife. Even if he had scorned his upbringing and ran away from his parent's home, you would think he would still not be so free with his body in the way he was. It was one thing to wear a tight outfit on stage, but it was quite another to remove clothing in front of two unmarried women. There was no excuse for it at all, unless Shouko-san was his lover, which could very well be, for all Kyouko knew or cared, and if Shotaro still, even after her transformation for his PV, still saw her as a childhood friend and therefore not-female. And that even wasn't a real excuse. By the bored look on Shouko-san's face, this was obviously not a solitary event, and she was quite used to it. Maybe the two were lovers after all. Shouko-san certainly had the cleavage.
In any event, Kyouko was even more unhappy than she had been before Shotaro had walked into the room. Which was quite an accomplishment.
"Hey, Kyouko," came that dreaded voice.
"Yes, Sho?" she said without looking up, trying to keep control over her grudges.
"Have you eaten anything?" Shotaro said, looking hungry himself.
"…No," said Kyouko, feeling defeat, "Have you, Shouko-san?"
"No, I haven't. There's been no time today," she said, looking a bit sheepish, "And Sho hasn't had much either."
Despite her normally polite and considerate attitude, Kyouko barely heard her. She had chewed Tsuruga-san out numerous times trying to convince him to eat all three meals a day, of proper nutritional value, and so to go back and skip this next meal, even if it was just dinner and she wouldn't do much until morning, after breakfast, got under her skin. It would be a disservice to her sempai if she said one thing to him and then turned around and became a hypocrite, even if it was only one meal. Plus, she knew that was probably how Tsuruga-san had started; one meal here, one meal there, what did it matter? Except it did matter in the long run, and she was determined to not end up like Tsuruga-san, having to rely on a greenhorn in the entertainment industry to remind her to eat regularly.
So the prospect of eating with Sho was looking more and more acceptable, until she realized that it was exactly that: she would eat with Shotaro. Just like in the old days, before she cut and dyed her hair. God only knew what memories that would dredge up. And the compulsions and reactions she had had trained from years of sitting down to dinner with him every night would surface, embarrassing herself to no end. No, no, no, she'll apologize to Tsuruga-san later. She just won't eat tonight.
"Maybe a restaurant?" said Shouko-san, "There's that new one that opened last week that everyone's raving about. What about there?"
Sho shrugged, and looked away.
No! There was no way Mogami Kyouko was going to eat at a restaurant with Sho, where there were plenty of fangirls waiting to take pictures with their cell phones, and the pictures making their way to the Internet, and then somehow Tsuruga-san finding out about it! There was no way Kyouko was going to stand for this! But she couldn't very well point that out in front of Shouko-san. So there was only one choice left; lie, and lie well.
"Uhm…," said Kyouko, trying to look for a way out, "I'm not all that hungry. I had a lot at lunch."
Liar, Sho's face accused, though he didn't say that out loud.
"Really? But you said you hadn't eaten yet," Shouko-san remarked.
"Yeah, well, there was a lot to eat at the buffet…" explained Kyouko, hoping she wouldn't be caught in the lie later.
"You could cook then," Sho said, his face and body telling Kyouko that he knew she was lying about having already eaten, but was also not thrilled with the possibility of pictures of them eating together surfacing on the Internet. He was also avoiding that development, and was giving her a way out.
"Me?" Kyouko said, taken aback, "But that would be rude to Shouko-san for me to use her kitchen like that. She's already doing a lot for me."
Shouko laughed. "I think if it would be rude to anyone, it would be you, Kyouko. You are the guest here, y'know. But if you don't mind that, then I don't mind if you use my kitchen." Obviously not, she added in her head, otherwise I wouldn't let you make chocolates.
Kyouko looked from Shouko-san to Sho, wondering if this was better. On one hand, she wouldn't have to worry about any pictures if it was a private apartment. On the other hand, she didn't want to fall into the trap of preparing meals for Shotaro again. But how could she? She was a very different girl than the one that had woken up at 5 AM to make his bento for the day. The chances of a relapse were so far below zero it was kissing oblivion. Directing a quizzical glance at a nearby demon, (she had forced most of them back inside her body, out of politeness to Shouko-san, but kept a dozen or so floating, firmly chained to her side) she asked its opinion. Stunned by being asked this by the master, the demon froze for a second before recovering itself. In that moment, though, the other demons clamored around her, trying to get their opinion aired. Realizing that Shouko-san was waiting for her answer, Kyouko silenced them all and beamed, a la Tsuruga Ren-style, saying the first words that came to her mouth:
"I'd love to cook for you."
What was she trying to do?
Murder him? Admittedly, with her cooking skills and training, she could make Sho's food lethal and no one would ever be able to pin it directly on her. But Sho had always though Kyouko would have never gone for the jugular like that. To do that would be simple, blind retaliation to his rejection of her, and very unlike Kyouko. She wanted his fall to be gradual, a calculated descent, slowly losing his fan base and tumbling back to anonymity, blinded by her light. That's not what would happen, of course, but he may one day be forced to acknowledge her, which would be revenge enough, in Sho's mind. But he never thought she'd want to actually kill him. Drive him to suicide, well, that's always a possibility. But be his murderess? Was that really what she wanted?
Sho took a step back from the brilliant smile she put on, thoroughly confused by her radiance, the happiness that was in every millimeter of that smile. Shouko looked a bit flustered as well, as if she hadn't thought of this response, and agreed to let Kyouko stop by the corner store one more time to purchase groceries. Sho had merely followed the two women, trying to keep his steps in a straight line. Since when did she have such a lovely smile? He couldn't remember a time when she was that outwardly luminous. She had always had a quiet passion, burning in the back, the only way to be aware of it was if you knew her. But this was so…obvious. You didn't even have to know her to know she was happy. But why?
There was no reason for her to be happy about cooking for him. Absolutely none. He wasn't an idiot, he didn't believe she had changed her mind about him and was now in love with him again. No, of course not. She was hostile towards him a few hours ago, and her attitude hadn't changed until that moment when she had smiled. So the only logical explanation Sho could come up with was that she had somehow managed to plot his demise in that second she had looked to the side, as if seeking the answer. He had seen the ripple of hatred from the spot she had stared at, but was used to these phenomenons around Kyouko. He had accepted that her hatred for him was so great it had taken on a different form and could be projected outwardly. That did nothing to explain why she had such a large smile on her face when she agreed to cook for him (admittedly for Shouko as well) when she was supposed to hate him.
Sometimes, the girl still confused him. Sometimes, he wanted nothing more than again to make those great gold eyes look at him with such awe that the soul behind the eyes had no choice but to spill every secret. Sometimes, he wanted her trust again. Only so he could figure out what the hell that smile meant and who the hell taught it to her.
They made it to the car, and Kyouko slipped in the backseat, aware that Sho was probably going to claim shotgun, and Shouko would drive. Her eyes widened as she realized that Sho was sliding in next to her, in the backseat. She looked from Shouko to Sho, uncomprehending. It nearly made Sho laugh, that such an innocent and torn expression could be made with the same face that could make such horrible faces of hatred and fury. He hadn't forgotten her many challenges to him, nor her face she made to Reino in Karuizawa. It was just hard to remember when she looked so close to the girl he had known for more than a decade of his life.
"He never rides in the front," Shouko explained, sensing Kyouko's question even while it remained unspoken, "The tinting on the windows is too light for him to not be recognized."
"Oh. Is that it?" Kyouko said, comprehension dawning on her face. Now that she thought about it, Tsuruga-san's car windows were extremely dark. Small wonder, now that she was confronted with this reality of show business.
"Yes," said Shouko, putting the car in reverse. Of course, Shouko continued in her mind, usually he has a lot more room to stretch his legs because no one is with him back there and he can lie down…but this little experience may be good for him. Besides, after saying famous stars can't ride in the front seat of this car, it would be rude to invite her up here. Sorry, Sho, she added, not feeling "sorry" in the least.
She glanced in the rearview mirror, only to smile slightly at their twin expressions; neither looking at the other, both looking out the window but neither really seeing the parking garage. Shouko looked back and forth between the two faces, wondering if maybe agreeing to this wasn't that great of a plan after all. What could they accomplish if neither of them tried anything?