First of all, thank you for everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed the previous chapters! I'll strive to do the best I can!
Special thanks to muchachomomo for the cosplay idea used in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Skip-Beat!
A/N: Edited because of the biggest, crucial typo
Chapter 3: Another Beginning ~Farewell, Daruma-ya~
Uehara Kento was finally home.
Well, not exactly home. But he felt like he was.
Although he had been born and raised in Tokyo, he just could not help but relish the feeling of standing on the soil of his homeland. It had been so long since he last had been in Japan, and he had never been back ever since.
The golden-eyed man was now waiting for his luggage at Kansai International Airport after getting off the flight he had caught from Singapore, and before that he had stayed several nights in New Zealand. He had been thinking of visiting Indonesia for a few days, but the faes he had met at Mona Vale had urged him to go back to Japan as soon as possible.
What exactly was on their sharp mind, he did not know.
But as always, he had decided to believe in them – the faes had never betrayed him so far – and sent a letter to his dear cousin, Akatoki Marina. While he had been in the middle of writing his letter, an elf had whispered to him with a big smile that perhaps he should write about granting guardianship of his child.
They even had made a notion about the child being a beautiful female princess.
A thought of the fairies had gone crazy had crossed his mind that time, but as usual, he had just dismissed it as their urges to play harmless pranks on humans.
Not that they had known that the mention of his beloved or his child hurt him more than physical injuries.
Kento spotted his simple brown luggage on the conveyor belt and quickly grabbed and steered it to go through the custom. Along the way, he saw an elderly man reading a newspaper. The artist smiled at the older person's tranquil expression as he flipped the papers.
He suddenly felt blood draining from his face as he noticed one of the two big pictures with big headline on the newspaper. It was a girl with striking resemblance with him; black hair, small pixie-like face, and most important of all, golden eyes.
The fairies may have been right after all, he thought, not knowing whether to be happy that his most loyal friends had never lied to him or to be distraught over the thought of that woman and their child.
Kyoko spent the rest of that day with the people from both LME's and Akatoki Agency's Public Relation Department, being briefed for the upcoming press conference as response to the rather disturbing article.
Before the meeting at Lory's office had been dismissed, it had been decided to hold the press conference at one of Lory's houses for convenience. Aside from Kyoko, Lory as the president of LME would be present, together with Seijuro as the president of Akatoki Agency and, much to Kyoko's and Ren's dismay, Shotaro.
Because the article had mentioned the issues of Kyoko's abandonment by her mother during her childhood, Lory saw it appropriate for Kyoko to tell the PR as much details about it as what she saw fit. This, of course, did not sit really well with Ren.
"You don't have to tell them everything," he said to Kyoko before they had parted.
"I know," Kyoko had replied, squeezing his hand gently. "But we really have to know which part of my childhood is beneficial to us and which one is not; for that, I have to tell them almost everything. But of course, I won't tell them about you."
He had smiled gratefully at her before leaning in to press his lips against hers for a chaste kiss.
When the PR was done with Kyoko, it was almost dinner time. She got out of the room only to meet face to face with Sho.
A vein popped out on her forehead. "What do you want, Shotaro?" she asked, not trying to hide her anger.
"Nothing," he replied nonchalantly. "Just wanna say that I'm not sorry. You're still mine and will always be. You'll be back by my side in no time, we'll see."
And with that he walked away, leaving her speechless.
"He said that, huh?" Kuon repeated in a dangerous low voice.
Kyoko grimaced in her seat. He scoffed. "I'd like to see him try."
"Kuon," she warned. "Don't even think about it."
"Think about what?"
"You want to beat him to death, right?" Kyoko asked sharply.
He raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to do that?"
"Of course not!" she snapped. Her irritation grew when Kuon chuckled. "And don't laugh as if it's an idle matter, Mister! This is really serious!"
"I know," he said with a small grin, trying to tone down her temper. "Alright, I promise I won't do anything unless he does something to hurt you in any way. By the way, we're almost at your place."
Kyoko glanced at the windshield and realized that he was right. From a bit afar, she could see the back entrance of Daruma-ya. She clenched her fists nervously on her knees.
Kuon looked at her fidgety body next to him in sympathy. "You're telling them tonight?"
"I have to. We can't stall it," she replied with determination in her voice. "The President's right; as long as I stay here, reporters will hound the restaurant, even after the rumors die down. I can inconvenience them further as it is."
He reached for her hands and squeezed them slightly.
"I'll go in with you."
The elderly couple was more than surprised when their Kyoko, holding hands with Tsuruga Ren, told them that she was moving out.
The Taisho was the first one to speak after their young lodger had dropped the bomb. "Did you sleep together?"
Much to his relief, Kyoko's face blushed a deep red as she shook her head rapidly and flailed her arms around in denial. "No, Taisho, that's impossible! There's no way Ren-san and I–"
"But aren't you dating?" Okami asked. "And it's not impossible with youngsters nowadays–"
"It's not like that, Sir, Madam," Ren cut in as he could see killing intent on the older man's face. "I can swear and promise you that we're going to wait until marriage, which will still be in a long time. I love and respect Kyoko so much I won't do anything to bring shame to her."
"Then what's with the reporter?" Taisho barked angrily. "They spotted you together, didn't they?"
Kyoko decided to step in before Ren could say anything. "Taisho, it's not about Ren's and my relationship. It's just that someone has spread a rumor about me regarding the latest work I did."
Her foster parents let out a sigh, but she could notice that Taisho was still uneasy.
"Then, Kyoko-chan," Okami called her, "when you said that you were moving out from here, are you going to move in with Tsuruga-san?"
Kyoko shook her head slowly. "I also want to talk about that. This morning I found out that I have a legal guardian."
This perked the couple's interest. They had known that Kyoko came from Kyoto, so they had thought that her parents and guardians resided in the ancient capital. But as far as they recalled, those people were never mentioned by the girl.
"Ah," Kyoko gasped, taking in their puzzled expression. "This one is appointed by my father. She's my father's cousin, and has agreed to take complete responsibility over me. I'm going to take her offer on moving in with her."
"But, Kyoko-chan," Okami spoke again, "didn't you say that you didn't have a father?"
Ren answered for his girlfriend, "We just received a letter from him yesterday."
The room was silent again as Taisho and Okami looked at each other with contemplation. Ren could understand their worries; Kyoko was like their own daughter. It suddenly pained him when his thoughts wander to his parents. His father had mentioned that his mother had missed him so much when they last met face to face on the end of last year, and he still felt guilty over the fact that he had saddened them a lot.
"Kyoko-chan," Okami said. "If you think that this's the best we all can do to make sure you're safe, then do it. But just remember," she paused to sniff and hold her tears back, "you're always welcome whenever you want to come back."
Kyoko could not hold back her tears as she hugged the plump woman who embraced her lovingly together with her husband.
"So when are you going to move in to Marina-chan's place?" Lory asked, only to see his favorite LoveMe member gawking at him.
In confusion, he stared down at his metallic purple shirt, pants, and tailcoat. His shoes were shiny black. A purple silk top hat was on his head. So far, he found nothing weird from his attire-of-the-day. He once again tried to trail Kyoko's sight and immediately noticed the presence of one Oompa Loompa beside him, serving his tea.
He turned back to the young girl and asked innocently, "Do you want to hug him?"
That quickly snapped Kyoko out of her trance. She shook her head as she answered in panic, "No, Sir! Absolutely no, Sir!"
"Aw, that's cruel," Lory faked a sad expression on his face, making Kyoko fall into instant guilt. "You hurt this guy here, you know."
"I'M SO TERRIBLY SORRY!" the girl launched herself into a dogeza. Lory was not the least bit surprised. Working together with her and watching her growth in the showbiz for about one and a half year had made him used to her amusing antics.
Well, he enjoyed it anyway.
"Apology accepted, Mogami-kun. Now if you'll just get back to your seat, I believe we have something very important to discuss." He picked up his cup of tea and sipped from it as Kyoko got up from the floor and sat back onto her chair.
Sure that the girl was calm and gave all of her attention to him, Lory repeated his question. "So when are you moving in to Marina-chan's place?"
"This afternoon," she replied. "I have discussed this with Aka– Marina-san, and she said that she would be available today. She's going to help me with packing all my things and then we'll go to her place by her car."
Correction, Kyoko grimaced in her mind, Marina-san's helping me with the packing and then we'll load everything into Ren-san's trunk before going to her place.
"Do you need any other help?" the flamboyant man asked with sincere concern.
Kyoko could not help but smile. "Everything's under control, Sir."
"Are the reporter's still there?"
"There were still some this morning, but the number was lesser compared to yesterday."
"That's good," Lory sighed, leaning back on his chair. A knock on the door was heard, and he said loudly, "Come in!"
Two Oompa Loompas opened the doors to reveal a man about Yashiro's age, dressed in a simple beige suit and white shirt. His hair was chocolate brown and short-cropped, ending around his nape. For Kyoko's standard, he was good-looking in overall.
Not that this man could defeat Kuon in any aspect.
Lory stood up to shake the stranger's hand in a professional manner. "Great timing, Yoshimoto-kun," he grinned. "Come sit down while I introduce you to your new charge."
Kyoko stared at the man as he took the empty seat beside her. His new charge? But there's no one else but me and the president here. Don't tell me…?
"Mogami-kun," she heard Lory's baritone. "May I introduce you to Yoshimoto Tsukumo-kun. He will take responsibility over your schedule and safety when you're on set."
They finally looked at each other's face for Kyoko to see his rather silvery eyes. He stood up from his chair and offered her a hand. "Yoshimoto Tsukumo," he said, bowing a little. "I hope we can work well from now on."
Kyoko hurriedly stood up as well and shook his offered hand. "Mogami Kyoko. I'll be counting on you."
"Now that introduction's over," Lory spoke, "Let's go over some details first. Yoshimoto-kun's duty is to arrange your work schedule and act as your bodyguard when you work. He will be driving you to and from work as well."
"I understand," Kyoko said.
"And Yoshimoto-kun, after this, you'll go to Sawara-kun's office to take over the details of Mogami-kun's works."
"Yes, Sir," Yoshimoto replied curtly. "Is there anything else, President?"
"You'll also go to PR after that to take the details of the press conference two days from now."
"Understood, Sir."
Lory turned his gaze towards Kyoko. "Don't forget to exchange phone numbers and email address, okay, you two?"
"President!" Kyoko yelled, blushing deeply. Lory just chuckled, while Yoshimoto looked unfazed by the suddenly awkward situation.
"Alright. You're dismissed."
Ren was more than happy that it was his day off. After the whole fiasco caused by the d***** excuse of a brat he so passionately hated, all he needed was just a moment of peace with his beloved sweetheart.
He arrived at Daruma-ya's back entrance earlier than expected and went in to greet the Taisho, who apparently was in the middle of sharpening his kitchen knives. He smiled warily at the restaurant owner, fearing for his life, and strode upstairs unnoticed by the restaurant patrons to Kyoko's room.
There, he saw Kyoko and Marina sealing boxes with tapes on the floor. The posters – his and the prick's – were already down, and the futon was already stored inside the wardrobe, leaving the room very bare.
Before he stepped in, he could catch Marina's voice. "Takarada-san has found you a manager? That is fast."
"Yes," Kyoko replied. "His name's Yoshimoto Tsukumo, and… I don't know. I haven't spent much time with him, but he was rather… Stiff?"
Yoshimoto Tsukumo, Ren repeated in his mind, raking his memories for the familiar name. He quickly remembered that Yashiro had once mentioned a 'Yoshimoto Tsukumo' as one of his classmate during his college time, and that they had been good friends.
Although the fact that Yashiro and the new manager were acquaintances and Yoshimoto thus could be trusted, it still left an unsettling feeling in Ren's chest. Oh great, he thought, now I'm jealous of somebody I've never met before.
He decided to just stop with his own thoughts and walked into the room, gaining the attention of the two ladies. "Good afternoon, Akatoki-san, Kyoko."
"Good afternoon to you, Tsuruga-san," Marina replied with a gentle smile. "I do think it will be good if you address me with my given name, though. You also know my older brother, and it will be troublesome when the two of us are in the same room."
"That's true," Ren mumbled, contemplating it. "Well then, Marina-san. Kyoko, is everything ready to be brought downstairs?"
"Let me check," the chestnut-haired girl scanned the room once again, making sure that she did not leave anything. She sighed sadly, "I guess that's it. I'm going to miss this place."
Marina put her hand on her niece's shoulder. "I'm sure you will, and they will miss you too," she murmured sofly.
Ren looked at Kyoko with a small, sad smile of his own before getting to lifting the boxes out of the room to his waiting car. "I'll start with the boxes, Kyoko. Take your time to talk to them."
The girl nodded and walked downstairs towards the small dining room near the kitchen, where Taisho and Okami were having their break. The couple stood up and hugged her gently.
"Thank you for everything," Kyoko choked, not able to hold her sobs and sniffles.
"It was our pleasure to have you with us here, Kyoko-chan," the kind plump woman whispered. "Don't forget that you can come back here anytime you want."
Kyoko nodded, still sobbing. The three of them walked outside to meet Ren and Marina who were in the middle of fitting Kyoko's things into the trunk. Ren noticed them from the corner of his eyes. "Ready?" he asked Kyoko, who only nodded as an answer.
Marina walked towards the elderly couple and bowed to them. "I, and also on the behalf of my brother and cousin, would like to express our greatest gratitude to you for taking care of Kyoko-san. I assure you that she will be protected and treated with utmost care."
"You'd better do," Taisho told her sternly, earning a wry smile from the woman who usually held the aura of superiority.
After Kyoko said another good-bye to her foster parents, she got into the back seat, while Marina took the passenger seat. Ren slipped in into the driver's seat. "So, where're we going to, Marina-san?"
"2-1-35 Kaneda-dori, Chiyoda-ku."
Ren and Kyoko stared at Marina speechlessly. The older woman asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Err… No," Ren said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's just… I also live there."
A woman strode quickly towards LME's receptionist, her heels making clicking sound against the marble floor. The two ladies behind the desk looked up to see her surrounded with an aura that was somehow familiar and brought a sense of déjà vu to them.
"Good afternoon," she said in a venomous voice. "Do you think I can see your President?"
The receptionist women glanced at each other warily before one of them asked the visitor. "Do you have any appointment, Ma'am?"
"No." The answer came in clipped tone. "But this is urgent. Please tell him that."
"Your name, please?"
"It's Mogami. Mogami Saena."
A/N: The address of Marina's and Ren's building is a complete bluff. If it really exists, then the similarity is completely not intended.
As this is only a filler chapter, the OC Yoshimoto Tsukumo's role isn't really put in detail. But he'll make a lot of appearance as the story goes on.
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