Always with You
Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat! or any of its characters.
Chapter 26 – Remorse and recovery
Tests, and then more tests; x-rays, cat-scans, probes… Kyoko thought that it would never end! The doctors were wonderfully professional and courteous. The nurses were marvelously kind. But if Kyoko never saw the inside of a hospital again for the rest of her life, she would count herself blessed.
Doctor Ogata finally decided that there wouldn't be any surprise brain aneurisms, "Remarkable, considering the nature of your accident." Kyoko almost felt like he was disappointed. But she knew that was an unkind thought.
The bruises changed slowly through an interesting range of colors. Her leg was mending well. The ribs were also healing well, but she still felt them every time she tried to twist or turn. Basically, she was healing. And today she would be going home.
Ren and Yashiro would be here in an hour. Ren was a brunette again; all of his current projects called for that. But he also had to sort through a myriad of offers that wanted him as a blonde. Kyoko didn't care: blonde or brunette, he was hers. There were days when that idea seemed so ludicrous and presumptuous that she began to fear it was all a dream. But then he would arrive, passing all of his female fans and the fawning nurses and walking straight to her.
This afternoon Kyoko sat on the chair next to her bed and counted the minutes. Her left leg was in a cast up to her knee. Her torso was hugged tightly in a wrap-around dressing. Her head was thankfully unencumbered. She saw a shadow in the door and looked up, hoping Ren had arrived early.
A fifty-something couple stood in the doorway. Kyoko gave them a friendly smile. They were strangers, but the man seemed slightly familiar, as if…, as if… Kyoko's expression became alarmed and the man quickly fell to his knees. "Please Mogamai-san? Please allow us to speak with you? We mean you no harm."
Kyoko relaxed at the sincere desperation of the man's face. She looked at the woman who had tears in her eyes, "Are you the Choshi-san's?" They nodded, "Please stand, sir."
She looked around her room, "There is really no room in here. Perhaps we could go to the little waiting area around the corner?"
The Choshi's nodded and Kyoko called the nurse for a wheelchair. Once they were all seated in the waiting area, Kyoko spoke, "I'm sorry for your loss. I… I don't know what else…"
"Please, Mogami-san, allow me to speak." Kyoko nodded to the sad man, "I… we are sincerely sorry for what our son tried to do to you. I won't make excuses. I thought that we had raised him correctly, but in the past few years he became such an angry young man. I thought that acting would give Kazu a chance to use his looks and energy for something productive. I know now that it was wrong to… to use my influence to advance him past what he was ready for.
"We want to make amends. We have already told Producer Shino that we will pay the expenses incurred from the delays in filming. We also want to compensate you."
Kyoko waved him off, "Choshi-san, please. My insurance from my talent agency has taken care of all my expenses. Producer Shino has already replaced my motorcycle. I wouldn't feel right…" The plea in the couple's eyes gave her pause.
"Isn't there anything?"
Kyoko wracked her brain for a way to allow them to feel better; and then she had it. "A scholarship!"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"When I first started working for LME I was living hand-to-mouth. I wanted to go to the LME acting school, but I had to get a special dispensation to spread the payments out over a long period. Even then it was difficult. What if… would you be willing to fund a scholarship for promising young talents who need training but can't afford it?"
The Choshi's looked at each other and communicated silently. For the first time in probably many days, they smiled. "Mogami-san, you are as wonderful as the producer said you were. Thank you for listening to us and for being so gracious."
He stood up, "Shall we call it the Mogami Kyoko scholarship?"
Kyoko's face froze and she almost choked, "No! I mean, please no. How about…" her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, "How about The Ronin's Children Fund? Your son and I were both part of the movie by that title, and a Ronin was somebody cast aside; on the outside looking in."
For the first time Kazu's mother spoke, "That is a wonderful name, Mogami Kyoko-san. I… I loved my son; even though I didn't understand him. In this way maybe he will leave something good behind."
* * *
Ren and Yashiro arrived a half-hour later. This time Yashiro finally won, Kyoko was placed in the front seat beside Ren. The emotions of the previous hour were still lingering; she needed to tell Ren about it. When she was done telling her story, Ren smiled his "Emperor of the Night" smile at her. It didn't frighten her now, she longed to see it often. "My parents will be very proud of your solution. That is exactly the type of thing that my mother would think of."
Kyoko beamed. For her there could be no higher praise.
Their first stop was to meet with Director Kurosaki and the President of Kamisake Enterprises, Inc. Ren had wanted her to spend a few days relaxing, but she reminded him of his own words to her so long ago, "The showbiz world is harsh. Enough that it's said 'even if a parent has died don't drop the job.' No matter how badly you're suffering, when it comes to your work, there will be times when you need to laugh and joke around. At those times, it is your ability to be able to change your feelings in an instant and get over it that makes you a "pro." To not even let someone's death affect you makes you 'first rate.'"
Yashiro had enjoyed teasing him about the way his words were now coming back to haunt him.
They arrived at the studio to be greeted at the door by an enthusiastic President Imada. To his credit, he never even considered replacing Kyoko as the female lead. Still, he was grateful that she was up and about; and that she was willing to make this one commercial before she had fully recovered. It had been Director Kurosaki's idea, and Imada believed that it was a good one.
It took an hour to carefully dress and prepare Kyoko. Aiko Mari was there to help her. Even though her protection was no longer needed; her friendship was deeply appreciated.
[(The following scene was shot in the same restaurant set where Suzuko Nanami introduced her parents to Matsakura Kenji as her boyfriend) Suzuko Nanami sits across from her parents and beside Kenji. They are dressed exactly as they should be for the scene, except that Nanami now has a casted leg sticking out from her chair. While the other three appear to be enjoying a dinner together, Nanami turns to the camera.
"Hello, my name is Kyoko, and I play Suzuko Nanami in the commercial drama Always with you. Many of you know that I was recently in a serious accident. Today I have finally been allowed to leave the hospital. I would like to thank everyone who is watching for your emails, your thoughts, and your prayers."
President Imada, looking dignified in his three-piece suit walks up behind Nanami's chair. "My name is Imada Kure, and I am the President of Kamisaka Enterprises. According to our original time schedule, we should have released the eleventh episode of Always with you yesterday. Due to our young star's injuries, the filming has been delayed.
"Now, we could find another young lady to play Suzuko Nanami; but I think that you will agree with me that it just wouldn't be the same."
Tsuruga Ren now turns to the camera, "Which is why we ask for your patience. Mogami Kyoko is healing quickly and we will soon be able to resume filming." He laid his hand on Kyoko's, "I'm Tsuruga Ren, and I play Matsakura Kenji." As he spoke the other cast members and those of the crew who weren't filming stepped up behind the table.
Director Kurosaki stood next to President Imada, "I'm the director, Kurosaki Shio. I promise you that we will make the rest of this drama something worth waiting for. Just like Kamisaka Enterprises, we're (everyone onstage speaking in unison) Always with you!"]
Director Kurosaki said, "That's a wrap. We'll look this over and see if anything needs work."
* * *
"Surprise!"
Kyoko was honestly surprised to enter the Darumaya and find all of her friends and many of her co-stars filling every corner of the restaurant. It was even more embarrassing because she was being carried into the Darumaya in Ren's arms. Okami-san rushed forward with a wheelchair that LME had provided. Once seated, she enjoyed an afternoon greeting everyone.
At one point the Ishibashi brothers requested a moment alone with her. "Mogami-san," Hikaru began sheepishly, "May we please tell people who Bo really is? Without you wearing the suit for the last two shows people are beginning to send mean messages. We haven't found anyone as animated and funny as you are. Our last Bo read the messages and quit. We think he may need therapy." (Note: the last part was Hikaru's idea of a joke).
Originally Kyoko had kept her work as Bo a secret because it might harm her job offers. Now that she had a flood of offers, and now that Ren knew, the secret was no longer necessary. "Go ahead, Ishibashi-san. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep playing Bo. Sawara-san tells me that I have to sort through a lot of different offers tomorrow. I really have loved working with you guys, though."
Hikaru sighed as she was rolled back into the main room. He really had hoped that she would respond to his feelings someday.
* * *
It was several hours later when the last well-wisher departed and Ren carried her up the stairs to her room. Yashiro followed with the wheelchair, which he left at the door before quickly departing. As Ren sat the exhausted young lady back into the wheelchair he looked deeply into her eyes. "Kyoko-chan, may I kiss you?"
Kyoko didn't trust herself to speak; she only nodded. And their kiss was everything they had both hoped it would be.
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Notes: From reading several recent submissions I suspect that Kyoko unwillingly received her first kiss from Sho in ch. 145. I also suspect that Ren isn't far behind. But in this story, since neither of those things has happened yet, I'll let this be Kyoko and Ren's first kiss.
For those of you who have already read the other 25 chapters I'll add this note: * * * Songstress of the sea emailed me and asked for permission to put the lyrics of Sho's song to music. She posted this on YouTube if you would like to hear it: /watch?v=5WDzqF8jDFM thank you, Songstress.
