Author's Note: Because it's not obvious to most English-speaking cultures, I wanted to explain why Kyoko doesn't call Ren by his first name. In Japanese, people generally call each other by their last name (with an honorific like "-san") unless they are close friends, family or in a relationship. Kyoko Mogami is a super polite girl who wouldn't dare offend her very special sempai Tsuruga-san, and she finds it hard to change her attitude towards him now that they are dating. Ren knows this and doesn't want to make her uncomfortable, so he usually calls her by her last name as well. Meanwhile, with Shou, Kyoko has known him since they were children, so she doesn't find it weird or rude to call him by his first name with no honorific.

Also, thank you everyone for reading my story! Please enjoy it!

Chapter 2: And I gave in...

When she knocked on his door, she was out of breath. Hoping for a moment to compose herself before he answered, she started combing her fingers through her short orange hair. She knew it wouldn't matter to him what she looked like, but she had an odd sense of pride to uphold. As his girlfriend, she felt she should look the part.

"Mogami-san!"

"Tsuruga-san," she bowed, quick in her apology. "I'm sorry for what I said last night."

It was sad that Shou's apology reminded her that she hadn't properly spoken to Tsuruga-san since their phone call the night before. She didn't want to cause problems so early in their relationship, especially over something so stupid. He'd only been trying to help, after all.

Wiping the shock off his face, and thanking his lucky stars that he was already dressed for work, Ren led her into his apartment. "Don't worry about it, Kyoko."

Her face turned bright crimson. He knew that using her first name would have this effect on her, and he used it to change the subject.

"I'm not due on the set until 1, if you would like to join me for lunch?" He gestured to the frozen dinner he was going to microwave for himself.

Though his eating habits were still lacking, Kyoko tried to remind herself that this was a significant improvement from eating nothing at all. She smiled.

"Sure."

She sat herself on his couch while he fished out a second entree from the freezer. He placed both of them in the microwave and started setting cutlery out on the table. Kyoko fidgeted on the couch, uncomfortable with not helping in some way.

Peeking her head over the back of the couch she asked, "Did you read the directions on the package?"

Ren scoffed at her. "Don't they all take the same amount of time anyway?"

Kyoko jumped to her feet. "Each product has specific instructions! If you don't pierce the film it could -"

As if on cue, there was a loud popping sound from the microwave.

"...explode."

Ren shrugged sheepishly.

Later, after Kyoko prepared them a new meal from scratch and Ren cleaned the microwave, he cautiously asked her if she'd heard anything else from Fuwa.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Kyoko exclaimed. "Could you find out how his latest album was received?"

Surprised by her enthusiasm, Ren agreed to look it up. Searching "Fuwa Shou" on his laptop, they both learned that not only was his latest album a total flop, but that he'd had to end his world tour prematurely because the stadiums weren't selling enough tickets.

"How could Moko-san have missed this?" wondered Kyoko aloud, her face much too close to the screen.

Well, that explains who "everybody" was last night, thought Ren.

He insisted on driving Kyoko home before he headed to work. In part, he did it because it was the gentlemanly thing to do, but another part of him wanted to make sure she went straight home. When it came to Fuwa, there was no point in sugar-coating it, Kyoko was totally blind. At first, it was because of her desire for revenge. But lately, her attitude had changed. Since she'd reconciled with her mother last summer, she'd become more calm and collected. It seemed like she wanted to make amends with everyone from her past - all at once. If she were to see Shou now, with good intentions in her heart and no hatred to protect her, Ren was sure he'd hurt her worse than before. That was just the kind of guy he was - spoiled, selfish and sadistic.

As Kyoko let herself out of the car, Ren put it in park so he could step out and lean over the roof. "Kyoko," he called, getting her attention. He wanted to warn her not to go looking for Shou. But when she turned around with a brilliant smile on her face, he lost his nerve.

"Have a great day."

"You too, R-re-re-..." Kyoko grew progressively redder as she struggled with his first name. "Ren-san!"

"Pfft!" Ren covered his mouth with his fist to conceal his laughter. So close!

On the few days off Kyoko had, she often helped Okami-san around the Darumaya. Usually it would be something like scrubbing the back porch or dusting the ceiling or other jobs that the aging couple found to hard to do themselves. Lately, though, Kyoko noticed that the chores were fewer and less strenuous than before. When she rolled up her sleeves and asked Okami-san for something that would take her mind off things, the landlady smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, Kyoko, we've hired a young man to do those chores. Please don't trouble yourself."

"Are you sure? I can even help out in the kitchen!"

"Dear, why don't you want to enjoy yourself on these precious days of your youth?"

With that, Kyoko was sent off into the city with a small list of (probably random) items to buy for the shop. She decided to make the best of her free time and use it as an opportunity to improve her acting skills. Lately, whenever Kyoko found herself in a crowded place, she'd carefully watch the people around her, studying their mannerisms and facial expressions and then, later that night in front of the mirror, she would test herself to see how many strangers she could reproduce. She'd gotten the idea from the President. So far, her little game had helped her act more naturally on set - and even in everyday situations. Slowly, her stiff and formal mannerisms were relaxing.

While observing a young couple buying crepes from a road-side stand, Kyoko felt a pang of guilt. The way their hands were always reaching for the other, touching shoulders, waist, wiping her cheek, flicking his forehead… They seemed so intimately connected at all times. It made her feel ashamed that she even considered herself "in a relationship". The difference between the couple in front of her and herself and Tsuruga-san was like comparing apple pie to ice cream: sure they were both desserts but while one is warm and inviting, the other is ice cold. With Tsuruga-san, she still wasn't comfortable. A lot had happened between them (they'd even kissed!) but when they went out together there was always a distance between them that her hands had never crossed. He just seemed so untouchable to her, even now. Just thinking that made her heart ache.

Maybe it just takes practice, she thought, stretching her fingers out in front of her. She wiggled them foolishly, trying to imagine holding Tsuruga-san's hand.

If Setsu can do it, so can I! she asserted fervently. I owe it to him to at least try.

The breeze whispered by, becoming ever cooler, and Kyoko noticed that the sun was dipping behind the skyscrapers. She had been aimlessly wandering for a while now. Her observation game had lost her interest an hour ago but she didn't feel like going home yet.

Thinking about Shou wasn't really painful to her anymore, she decided. It was like he'd done all of those horrible things to somebody else: a poor naive girl who knew nothing about love or the ways of the world. It seemed crazy to think that, until just recently, she'd believed that love was nothing but a foolish emotion! Maybe it was that sort of ignorance that led her to be hurt so badly. In her fairytale delusions, she'd convinced herself that Shou had been someone he wasn't. That was all there was to it. It was all a pathetic fantasy. There was no way that what she felt for Shou was love.

No way in hell.

But then, if I didn't care, she asked herself while gazing up at the impressive hotel, why am I here?

No, he was nothing to her. That jerk had called her "unappealing" and "boring" to her face more times than she was willing to admit. The way he treated her, she'd started to believe him. He'd destroyed her self-esteem and it had taken years to build it back up again. Not to mention he'd used her for start-up money, ruining her high school years with fast-food jobs, and then tossed her out of his life as soon as he made a name for himself. Never once did he thank her - never mind admit to having any feelings for her. Right now, maybe he was in a low point in his career but that wasn't her concern. She knew that feeling all too well and it had been his actions that had thrown her into her own pit of despair.

Kyoko turned on her heel and walked home, but not before buying some Shou's favorite Kurigo pucchin purin from the convenience store. She thought of it as a little victory over him because, to keep his cool image, he'd pretended that he didn't like sweet things and could never eat it. However, as she was about to dig in to the custard pudding, she lost both interest and her appetite for petty revenge. She threw the pudding into the garbage hard enough to knock the can over. He wasn't worth the extra calories.

The next week brought an end to her fantasy/action movie adaptation of a popular anime "The Ancient Forest". It was a story about power and greed, in which two high school students discover a magic wand. The last scene to be filmed was of the girl's confrontation with the boy who selfishly kept the wand all to himself. After molding the world to his preferences, he'd placed himself in power as "King of Earth". Kyoko played the girl, and enjoyed this scene the most.

. . .

The boy sat on a massive marble throne in the center of Tokyo, lording over his subjects with callous threats and the waving of his magic wand.

The CG would later add the mountains shaking, and an earthy growl would be added to the audio track. The people cried out in fear of something bigger and more dangerous than their self-proclaimed ruler.

Kyoko jumps from a hidden springboard and lands on her mark, crouching in front of the boy. She wears a rough and worn tunic, ripped in strategic places to "up the sex appeal" according to the costume director. Her hair is long, black and braided, though her whole look was messy, suggesting she'd been training in the woods.

"Hiyori!" the boy shouts, surprise evident in his voice. (Kyoko was always so impressed with how much expression Nobiyuki-kun could put in a single word.)

"Why, Kaito?… Why do you need so much?" Her voice is sad but angry. She lifts herself up to full height and looks down on the seated boy.

He snarls at her, gripping the wand tightly. "I have everything I need right here!" Raising the wand menacingly, he expects her to cower like they all do.

But she doesn't. Hiyori stands her ground, taller than Kaito. "Wasn't a little magic enough to make our lives special? Why couldn't you be happy with that? Why hurt innocent people?"

"Innocent? Hah," he barks. "No one is innocent! The reason this wand exists is for someone to rule over others. If it wasn't me then it would have been someone else.

"Besides, I always knew I was destined for great things, and this wand was a sign!"

"But we found it together!" Hiyori cries, begging him to see reason.

Kaito smirks. "It chose me."

At this point the camera pulls in close to Hiyori's face. The director described this moment as "Hiyori's awakening". For the first time, she sees that there is nothing left of the friend she once knew. Kaito has been so corrupted by power that he doesn't realize that what he's doing is wrong. Kyoko struggled with the face she was supposed to make - a combination of disappointment, giving up and determination - and they'd had to postpone filming this scene a few times because she hadn't grasped the emotion.

Today was different. Maybe it was because she'd been thinking about Shou. Reliving the memory of how he'd changed from a prince to an enemy - that moment when he'd shown his true colors, the humiliation that she was entangled in a one-sided love, and the icy realization that he mocked her when she wasn't around - gave her the fuel she needed for "determination".

But the "giving up" part and "disappointment"... to act that out, she needed to care. Without an emotional connection, this moment would be like any hero facing a nameless villain. Finally Kyoko understood what it meant: Hiyori loved Kaito. That was why this scene was so important. Giving up on someone you love breaks something inside of you. It takes so much strength to let go, when clinging to the past feels so much better. If she was honest with her feelings, Kyoko found that it was the same with Shou. With that discovery, she finally found Hiyori's face.

"Do you even know where its magic comes from?" Hiyori asks, drawing on her own inner magic she'd been training for months. A vine sprouts beneath the throne and climbs up the armrests to bind Kaito's wrists. (They used rope for the scene, but it would be replaced in the final edit with CG.)

Complete shock replaces the cockiness on Kaito's face. "How did you...?"

The vines grow tighter as Kaito struggles to break free. He shoots a wind spell at her which she narrowly avoids, though it slices the edge of her cheek.

. . .

"Cut! It's good!" shouts the director. "We'll break for five minutes so Mogami-san can get her scar make-up applied."

Kyoko rushed to her prep room and three make-up artists swarmed on her. It really was amazing how quickly they worked. It wasn't Mio's scar, but the thin cut did cover a lot of her face: starting at her left cheekbone, it travelled all the way down to the edge of her chin. Trying to sit perfectly still, Kyoko recited her lines in her head.

. . .

"You think you deserve to be king? Have you ever tried to imagine what kind of life your subjects have been leading?

"No, you never tried! You have no idea of suffering you have caused. The only thing you were ever good at was building yourself up on the backs of others!"

. . .

I bet He had no idea how hard it was to hold down 3 jobs right out of junior high. Kyoko added to herself. Not that He cared to ask.

Actually, now that she was thinking of him, she found a lot of similarities between Shou and the fictional Kaito. If only she could be more like Hiyori and call him out on his greed and selfishness. To give Shou a piece of her mind…

"Kyoko, there you are!" exclaimed Kimura-san, barging into the small room. She was holding a paper in her fist and waving it around angrily. "How many times have I warned you about going out in public on your days off?!"

The make-up artists finished up quickly and left the room. One of them patted Kyoko reassuringly on the shoulder before she hurried out.

"Um…" was all Kyoko could think to say.

Kimura-san slammed the magazine she was holding onto the counter in front of Kyoko. Her finger jabbed at a picture of her leaving a convenience store. The caption read: "Even Kyoko can't resist nighttime pudding cravings!"

Confused, Kyoko tried to make it better, "Well, at least it's nothing… scandalous… right?"

Her manager threw up her hands. "Why can't you get it through your head? You. Are. Famous. You can't just do whatever you want anymore!"

"But, Kimura-san, why does it matter if people think I like pudding?"

"It's not about the pudding! It's about being self-aware! Did you even notice the person who took this picture?"

"Well… no, but isn't it their job to stay hidden in order to get the most natural shots?"

There was a knock on the door, and the Assistant Director called "Two minutes 'til camera!"

With a sigh, Kimura-san leaned her hip against the counter and rubbed her face. Kyoko admired her style silently, especially how sophisticated the beige skirt and blazer suit made her look. Glancing back at the photo, Kyoko realized that she'd been wearing her usual jean skirt and a tank top she'd bought as a souvenir in Guam - an outfit that was a far cry from being fashionable. Compared to her manager, she looked like a little kid.

"I'm sorry if I've offended you with my careless appearance," Kyoko apologized, even getting up to bow.

Kimura held her shoulders, stopping her. There was a frown on her face that said that Kyoko had, again, missed the point. Between them, there was a fundamental misunderstanding that Kimura-san needed to clear up, but she found it hard to put it into words.

"Kyoko… I know you think that I'm fashionable…"

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically.

"But," she sighed again, "You are the star here. I'm just your manager. When I tell you to be self-aware, I'm trying to look out for your well-being. It's not about the pudding or your outfit, my concern is that you are leaving yourself completely unprotected. What if that paparazzi had been a stalker? You have to be more careful."

"Oh…" The young actress hadn't expected that kind of outburst.

It had been so long since Reino from Vie Ghoul had attacked her in Karuizawa, and because it had been all Shou's fault that he'd been interested in her, she'd kind of forgotten how horrible it felt to be stalked. It was so hard to keep track of all the terrible things Shou had done to her that this offense had actually slipped her mind. No wonder she had given up on revenge, there was nothing she could do to him that would amount to the suffering he deserved. The worst part was that he didn't even know the full extent of his sins. If the JMAs had been any indication, he must be completely clueless on how his actions affect others. Just like Kaito, someone needed to put him in his place.

Seeing that Kyoko was re-thinking her actions in a new light, Kimura-san felt a little better.

"Just… let me know next time, ok?" The young actress nodded solemnly.

Kimura-san's watch told her it was showtime. The final scene of "The Ancient Forest" was one of her favorites. Having read the manga in her teenage years, she was more than excited when Kyoko was offered the part in the movie. Just to be involved was like a dream come true.

She straightened her blazer and held out her hand. "Well, Kyoko, are you ready to show the world the meaning of true strength?"

Taking her hand, Kyoko gave her a complicated smile. "More than ever."