Always With You
Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters
Chapter 15 – Julie returns home
It would be beneficial at this point in the narrative to take just a few lines to point out pertinent observations.
The reader may have been surprised in the previous chapter that Kyoko did not burst into medusa-mode (imagine little demon faces in place of snakes) with the arrival of Fuwa Sho. The fact was, surprising even herself, she felt no anger at all. I will not suggest that she was touched by his concern… that would be taking her past feelings too lightly; she simply didn't feel a thing. Fuwa Sho was the past. Please don't feel sorry for the boy, he made his own bed.
Secondly, Kyoko was actually cognizant of the idea that Yamada Genjo was at the police station because he was interested in her. The reader will note that her awareness was only clinical; she felt neither butterflies nor any particular chemical reaction. But she was able to accept the fact that men found her interesting.
Thirdly, she was also aware that Kurosaki had driven across town for the same reason. Toward Kurosaki Shio she felt a friendly tenderness and possibly even a little regret. She appreciated his feelings but could not return them. She was determined to introduce him to Mari-chan as soon as there was an opportunity.
And most important of all, Kyoko was able to admit to herself that she needed Tsuruga Ren. Please note that this writer has not used the words "like" or "love"; she was not ready to admit that even in her most subconscious level. But she did understand that, whereas she was agitated for the first fifteen minutes she spent at the police station, she felt completely at peace as soon as he arrived. As chaotic as the afternoon became, she remained calm through the simple utility of an occasional glance at Ren.
I will burden the reader with one final note of importance: Kyoko had acknowledged the romantic interest of Yamada and Kurosaki. She did not acknowledge or even recognize the possibility that either Sho or Ren held similar feelings. Kyoko may have forgiven Sho, but she would never be able to think of him romantically. Kyoko thought that Ren came to protect his kouhei; she could not even entertain the idea that such a man could have a romantic interest in her.
Now back to the story.
Aiko Mari liked Kyoko. She thought that the girl was incredibly nice, unaffected, and brilliantly talented. But even Mari had been surprised at the caliber of men who had flocked to Kyoko's rescue. She was girl enough to be slightly miffed that nobody had flocked to her rescue. She had heard the same rumors as everyone else in Japan about Tsuruga Ren and Kurosaki, thanks to the Rumiko Show. But she had accepted Kyoko's sincere assurance that the stories were all smoke-and-mirrors.
She thought differently now. As a stunt person she had become used to working close to attractive stars. But it was a heady experience for a nineteen year old girl to spend an afternoon in a room with four of the most handsome men in Japan (she definitely included Kurosaki in that list). And the funny thing was, Kyoko had seemed oblivious. At one point, while Mari was getting a neck-ache from trying to look at the four men at once, Kyoko was discussing proper police lingo with an entranced young male officer.
Mari turned to Chiori, who was rubbing her temples, "Is she always like this?"
Chiori looked confused for a moment, saw Kyoko, understood, "You get used to it. The director of Box-R kept forgetting to say "cut" at the end of a scene; he was too fixated on Natsu."
"And Tsuruga Ren?"
"Judge for yourself." The two girls looked over at Ren. He had taken a place within easy reach of Kyoko. His face was currently unguarded as he watched Kyoko pump the poor defenseless officer for information.
"Wow. It's kind of obvious."
Chiori Amamiya snorted, "Yeah, to anyone but Kyoko."
* * *
The afternoon was pretty much shot as far as the director of Ronin's Children was concerned. Kyoko was ready to go but the rest of the cast and crew were frazzled by the attack.
The producer, director, and Hizami Saki, the stunt coordinator, sat down with Kyoko and Mari to discuss arrangements. As her employer, Hizami-san had to approve the assignment of Aiko Mari to the role of protector.
"I know that Aiko-san can easily take care of herself, but that's not the same thing as being a bodyguard. Aiko-san, I will want to sit down with you and go over some important details."
Mari nodded. She was excited about this new adventure. She was also circumspect enough to understand the seriousness of the situation.
"I also insist on both of you continuing with your martial arts training. Sparring with each other isn't enough. I want you both to regularly spar with big, strong men. We don't know what that… um, person is going to throw at Kyoko next."
"And then there's the issue of transportation. Aiko rides her motorcycle everywhere. Is there a car available?"
Kyoko spoke up, "I could start riding the Yamaha again! That way Mari-chan wouldn't have to refresh her driving skills…" (Yes, even Kyoko can be an opportunist).
The three men regarded the two hopeful young ladies speculatively. Finally, Producer Shino chuckled. "May as well. I was thinking about deeding you the Yamaha after the movie anyway."
The two young ladies grinned at each other and did a high-five.
* * *
Leather had to be put away to make room for silk that evening. In the morning Julie would be boarding an airplane to fly home. Tonight she wanted to show off her young ladies to her fashionable friends. Obeying Julie's orders, Mari and Kyoko went straight to Julie's suite after leaving the set. Kanae and Amamiya were already there. Kanae and Mari were introduced, and without further ado the four girls were whisked off in Takarada's limo. The limo stopped only four blocks away at the same design agency that had helped to redesign the LoveMe uniforms. With much "tutt-tutting" and fussing, the girls were transformed. Kyoko was in seventh heaven.
Julie had carefully chosen from among her best designs to perfectly suit each girl. She had already altered three of the dresses in the morning. The addition of Aiko Mari to the fold had forced her to do a last-minute scramble. It was all worth it when she escorted the four beauties proudly down the long staircase of the Tokyo Imperial Ballroom to attend a gala fashion event.
Kyoko was enchanted by all of the beautiful women, though she didn't think that any compared to Julie and Moko-san. All of the girls were promptly surrounded by designers, fashion reporters, and of course, men. But while many handsome young models were competing for the attention of three girls, Kyoko was promptly and unquestionably claimed by Tsuruga Ren. The reader will please forgive Julie's motherly interest in making sure that her son was at the event; he was a model, after all.
The planners had arranged for band, so after many introductions and much small talk, Ren whisked his glowingly pretty kouhei out onto the dance floor.
"Tsuruga-sempai! I don't know how to dance."
"Just follow my lead, Mogami-san." And with that he whirled her across the floor. Perhaps it was Ren's skill as a dance partner. Perhaps it was Kyoko's natural talent. Perhaps it was the couple's natural chemistry. Whatever the reason, Kyoko's awkwardness quickly faded away and the couple was soon drawing the attention of everyone in the room. A photographer who was there that night snapped two rolls of film on the charming couple. One of those photographs would appear in all of the major newspapers the next morning. It also became the cover picture for the gala booklet for the next three years.
The Moko-san fans among my readers may be feeling that I have unconscionably neglected the beautiful girl with the long, raven hair up to this point in the story. In fact, Kanae was feeling out-of-sorts, but it wasn't my fault… honest! Kanae was frustrated that she had been stuck out of the city on a shoot when her best friend was attacked. She was frustrated that this new girl, Aiko Mari, was there to save Kyoko. She was frustrated because Tsuruga Ren was clearly making deeper and deeper inroads into her friend's tender heart. And she was frustrated because she had finally been offered a wonderful lead role for her own movie debut… but it would be filming in Australia.
Although Kotonami Kanae would have never admitted it to anyone else (except maybe Julie), she valued Kyoko's friendship as highly as she had ever valued anything in her life. If she took this job then she would be gone for three months. And when she returned things would be different. Their debuts were the signal for the end of their days in the LoveMe section and the true beginning of their careers. It was also a signal for the beginning or their rivalry as actresses. Kanae never doubted Kyoko's unending loyalty; it was her own competitive nature that she didn't trust.
Julie saw the young lady's distraction and, true to form, was able to get Kanae to talk. At the end of Kanae's explanation Julie laid a gentle hand over the girl's own. "You don't need to worry, Kanae-chan. There are precious few true friendships in this business. You learn to hold onto the ones you have tooth-and-nail. I have the feeling that she'll still be yelling 'Moko-san' in public places when she is eighty. And you'll still pretend to be annoyed. Now take your drop-dead gorgeous self out onto that floor and go steal a few hearts."
Feeling surprisingly comforted, Kanae did just that. Before the end of the night she had three modeling offers and two proposals.
Aiko Mari had her share of male attention, but her mind was fixated on a tall, goateed man who she would meet on-set the next morning. Of course this didn't prevent her from having fun.
Chiori Amamiya met the man of her dreams. But that story will also have to wait until later.
* * *
"Now remember, daughter of mine, I would be greatly disappointed if I didn't get the same treatment as my husband on my departure. I fully expect to hear you yelling 'Okaa-san' as I walk away. Don't disappoint me." Julie was trying to inject some humor and stop the tears as all four girls rode with her to the airport. Kyoko was doing her best, but she really didn't want to let her 'mom' go.
Julie told the story of her husband's departure and how a teenaged girl in a bright pink jumpsuit had shocked the crowds by yelling "Otou-san" to Kuu. The girl's laughed as Kyoko and Julie tag-teamed the story of the girl's portrayal of their son (Julie had heard it so many times that she had it memorized).
The crowds were surprised once again as Julie made her tearful departure and walked toward her gate. Only this time there were four voices yelling "Okaa-san." And they all meant it.
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Notes: If I have spent too long on Julie's visit, I cannot apologize. She was just too much fun to write about. On the next chapter we will return to the set of Always with you.
I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy. I'm sure having fun writing.
