Always With You
Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters
Chapter 16 – The visit
At the same time that Julie and the young ladies were saying their goodbyes, Tsuruga Ren was driving through a standard upper-middle-class neighborhood looking for an address.
He had made his goodbyes with his mother surreptitiously in a private dining room of her hotel. It had been a tearful goodbye, but it had been a wonderful two days.
Unfortunately, while one problem had been resolved, Julie feared that a much more serious problem was looming. "Kuon, I know that you will, but I have to say this anyway: promise me that you'll stay on top of the situation with Choshi Kazu. I've got a really bad feeling about this. So does your father; it was everything I could do to talk him out of dropping his movie and flying here."
Ren nodded and held his mother close. "I promise, mom. You know how I feel about her."
"You just make sure she stays safe. The next time I see you both I want it to be on my doorstep with a ring on that girl's finger. We're both rooting for you."
Ren found the address and walked through the gate. He followed a winding path through a beautiful rock garden and knocked on the door.
A young voice from inside yelled, "I'll get it, Mom!" Ren heard the patter of feet and the door swung open to reveal a young teenaged schoolgirl in the process of straightening her tie. She took one look at Ren. Her eyes widened in shocked recognition and she made an "eeep" sound as the door slammed shut.
Ren stood in bemusement as he heard the girl's voice and another soft, indistinguishable voice, "I'm not joking, Mom! It's him! …I should know who Tsuruga Ren is!! …No, please, it's too embarrassing. …But you're an adult!"
There was another patter of feet and the door swung open to reveal an attractive middle-aged lady. Ren bowed as her eyes went wide and she tried to stammer a greeting. "Ma'am, forgive me for coming to your home unannounced. Is Chief Fujita in?"
"I-it's an honor to welcome you to our humble home, Tsuruga-san. If you will please step inside then I will get my husband."
Ren stepped in and removed his shoes. Mrs. Fujita looked down at his feet in alarm, "Tsuruga-san, I deeply apologize, but I don't have…"
Ren chuckled and waved off her apology, "No apology is necessary, Mrs. Fujita. Not many Japanese homes have slippers for visitors with size 13 feet. With your permission I will remain in my socks?"
"O-of course." She led him to a living area with a traditional low table and kneeling cushions. Ren folded himself gracefully into position at the table. As he was doing this the first girl and then a second, older girl popped their faces around the doorframe. "You see! I told you! Can you believe it!"
The girls were giggling and snatching glances as a Chief Fujita, in pajama's and messed up hair started to walk into the room. He was suddenly grabbed from behind and yanked back around the corner. Two girl's voices whispered loudly, "DAD! You can't go in there looking like that! You're EMBARRASSING us! Here, let me fix your hair. MOM, can you please do something about him?"
Ren tried to maintain a straight face as a dressed, curried and combed Chief Fujita walked in five minutes later. He was followed shortly thereafter by his wife, who brought in a tea service. Her husband had to grab the tray that was being set down with quivering hands. "Thank you, dear. Tsuruga-san, please allow me to introduce my beautiful wife, Fujita Mariko."
Ren bowed from his seated position, "Hajime-mashite, Fujita Mariko-san. They say that behind every great man is a great woman. Now I can see why my friend has been so successful."
Mariko blushed and smiled brightly. She had known that her husband had advised Tsuruga-san on a movie, but she hadn't known that the famous man called her husband "friend."
In the background the trio could hear, "Sumi-chan, I'm telling the truth! He's here right now talking to my parents! You've got to hurry!"
"Sari!" Chief Fujita started to admonish his daughter, but Ren held up his hand.
"Sari-san," He called out in a voice loud enough to be heard, "I need to talk to your father for about fifteen minutes. After that I am willing to say hi to your friends for you. Deal?"
Sari, her face flushed with pleasure, bowed quickly and ran off. Her younger sister moved into view and Ren raised an eyebrow to the Chief, "Nami."
"Nami-san, you can call a friend as well. Fifteen minutes. Deal?" She bowed and squealed down the hall, "He called me by my first name!!"
Ren, the Chief, and Mariko looked at each other and dissolved into laughter. But it broke the ice. Mariko excused herself and the two men became serious. "You know why I'm here."
"Yes, I do. Unfortunately, I don't have any new information. We've spoken with his parents and staked out the house. One of my officers thought that he saw him and tried to give chase, but he lost him on a busy street. Later we found his car abandoned. You know, I'm breaking quite a few rules talking to you like this about an open case."
Ren remained silent. The chief had heard the rumors and he had seen the looks that Ren and Kyoko had thrown at each other occasionally. He sighed and continued, "He comes from a very wealthy and powerful family. Without very conclusive evidence I can't put his picture out on the news services. I have an APB throughout Tokyo and the surrounding area. I have also asked Dignitary Protection to add her to their list. Normally a celebrity isn't added until they debut, but they've made an exception under the circumstances."
"Thank you, Chief. This is… she is very important to me."
Police Chief Fujito met the young man's eyes and nodded. "We will do everything that we can to keep her safe."
* * *
Promptly at 9 am two leather clad motorcyclists pulled onto the lot of Studio 19 and prepared for a day of shooting commercials.
Before Kyoko went to the dressing room she introduced Aiko Mari to Kurosaki. The two talked pleasantly for the hour it took for the costumes and set to be ready.
* * *
Across town, in one of his father's unused warehouses, Choshi Kazu shivered under a this blanket and groaned from a night of heavy drinking. He was laying in the back seat of a car that he had been intending to refurbish for the last two years.
The day before, after watching those idiot punks being beaten by three little girls, he had driven to a lounge and gotten himself drunk. He was still lucid enough to spot the policemen parked in front of his parent's home as he turned the corner. He was also lucid enough to elude the police car that had followed him an hour later. He had abandoned his new, beautiful car on a side-street and walked the next fifteen blocks to this warehouse. On the way he had stopped at a liquor store.
His father had betrayed him as well. When he used his cell phone to call his father he had been advised by him to turn himself in.
He was cold. He was hung over. He was hungry. He was angry. He was scared. And he wanted revenge.
