I do not own the song used in this chapter: Lost by Within Temptation

Chapter Twenty-Six

He sat enraptured by the music and her voice as he watched her beat her fists against the mirror above her in her coffin. He watched as the video switched to her playing the rifts on the electric guitar and then shifted back to her trying to escape her grave. The song sent chills down his spine as he watched her interact with her five, very gruff looking, large, good looking, all male band-mates. He felt a small surge of jealousy in his heart and he didn't know why. If this girl wasn't Kyoko, there was no explanation for the way he felt about this video.

My hope is on fire
My dreams are for sale
I dance on a wire
I don't want to fail her

I walk against the stream
Far from what I believe in
I run towards towards the end
Trying not to give in

She's lost in the darkness
Fading away
I'm still around here
Screaming her name
She's haunting my dreamworld
Trying to survive
My heart is frozen
I'm losing my mind

Help me, I'm buried alive
Buried alive

I'm burning the bridges
And there's no return
I'm trying to reach her
I feel that she yearns

I walk against the stream
Far from what I believe in
I run towards towards the end
Trying not to give in

She's lost in the darkness
Fading away
I'm still around here
Screaming her name
She's haunting my dreamworld
Trying to survive
My heart is frozen
I'm losing my mind

Help me, I'm buried alive
Buried alive

I tried to revive what's already drowned
They think I'm a fool
Can't realize,
Hope plays a wicked game with the mind
'Cause I thought that love would bind
I cannot revive what's already drowned
She won't come around

She's lost in the darkness
Fading away
I'm still around here
Screaming her name
She's haunting my dreamworld
Trying to survive
My heart is frozen
I'm losing my mind

Help me, I'm buried alive
Buried alive

He had almost held his breath through the entire five minutes of the video. It was her. He knew deep in his heart it was her. It was Kyoko and she filled her music with so much pain. Had he done this to her? Had he really caused all of this pain by the one little white lie? There had to be more to it than just him. He played the video over and over, trying to feel what she had been feeling when she wrote the song. He felt it. He had the pain and tears in his eyes to prove it. He had to find her, he hadn't seen her since that day in March on the beach in Guam. He knew he would have to do something that he wasn't sure he was prepared to do. He would have to go to LA and see his parents after Fashion Week in New York. Maybe they knew something.

She was ecstatic. After countless commercials, modeling shoots and a few music singles, she finally found a movie that she was going to be in. She had auditioned on the suggestion of Kuu. She had sent in her screen test and head shots and they had finally called her in for a chemistry test with the male lead. They were absolutely taken by her charisma and talents. This movie was going to be her debut. She was a little more than excited when she found that she would be starring with several big names and a tad nervous. If this movie did well internationally, she would be signed for at least three more in the series. The movie's tentative title was scrawled across the cover of the script that she had plopped down on the kitchen island before sitting to watch Kuu make dinner.

"What is this?" Kuu mused as he turned from the stove and looked at her.

She gave him her best cat-like grin. "My new movie Otousan." She told him in an excited sly voice.

"Tribal?" Kuu's eyebrows raised. He had heard about this one through the grapevine. "Who will you be playing?"

She smiled even bigger, if that was possible. "I will be playing Melanie. Melanie Marrs. She's the lead female in this one."

Kuu gasped. "That's wonderful Pumpkin! I'm so proud of you. I knew my perfect daughter could do it!" He praised her in his typical Oya Baka way. "When do you start filming?"

"We start filming next month, the end of August." She beamed.

"Remember to have Mark rearrange your schedule so you don't get overworked." He reminded her.

She sighed. Kuu had scolded her practically every day since she started working again about it. She just wanted to work to occupy her mind. When she didn't, all she could think about was all of the nonsense that had caused her decision to relocate. "Yes, Otousan... Oh! Don't forget, this weekend Okasan and I will be going to New York for Fashion Week. R-Mandy wants me to model their new Rock Star Collection and Hush-Hush wants me for their Empress of the Evening line." She reminded him.

Kuu narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you sure you're going to be alright with that?" He asked knowing who she may run into while there.

She gave him a confident nod. "I'll be using Lillith for modeling." It was her persona that she had developed to use in case she ever came across men that she didn't want to deal with. Julie had helped her with developing this persona. Lillith was a complete and utter Ice Queen. She would be safe.

Kuu nodded. "Ouch. Are you sure that Lillith will be needed?"

"I'm almost certain. Everyone signed with R-Mandy will be staying at the same hotel and I refuse to change hotels just because I don't want to be near a certain person right now." She told him.

Kuu turned off the burners to the the stove and removed his apron, then walked around the counter and hugged her closely. "I understand. Is Mark going with you and Julie?"

She nodded as she wrapped him in a hug of her own.

He sighed. "Okay... As long as Mark is there with you guys, I won't worry as much."

In the four months that she had been with Kuu and Julie, many changes had occurred in Kyoko. It is astounding the amount of confidence a proud parent can instill in a very self-conscious child. The little flower that Kyoko was had begun to bloom and bloom she did. Hollywood and the fashion world is not a place for people that are average and below and she had discovered this quickly. Her parents and her brothers pointed this out many times, but until she acquired Mark Brody, her agent and bodyguard, she had not fully realized this fact. Mark had kept her schedule packed to the brim with modeling and acting. She had never been surrounded by so much love or, so many pure-bloods of her kind. She was in heaven.

"Lily! Don't forget we're having lunch together!" He heard a familiar voice call across the lobby of the large hotel.

"Okay Mom! I'll see you in an hour." His head whipped around to the angelic voice that had wrapped around his heart over a year ago in a Tokyo nightclub. It sounded like her, but the hair and eyes were not hers and the clothing she wore were tastefully revealing. She turned to the well dressed, tall, red haired, muscled man next to her and said something to him. He nodded, placed his large hand in the small of her back then escorted her to the elevators. At that moment Ren felt his heart shatter. She had never seemed so far away to him, not even when he didn't know where she was.

As his own mother turned away from the stunning little alpha, she saw a pair of familiar eyes. She scowled at him and approached.

"Is that..." He started only to be cut short by his mother.

"Don't..." She warned then finished in a whisper that only he could hear. "She's Lily right now and Lily does not know you. She's never met you and unless I introduce you, she will not speak to you."

"I need to tell her I'm sorry." He plead with her.

Julie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "For you or, her? She doesn't need that right now. What she needs is space and time to mend the damage that's been done to her."

He heard the warning, but he didn't want to listen to it. He had to speak to her, say something to her. He watched his mother walk away and made plans to somehow get close enough to explain himself.

If he had been asked to, he would have been able to pick her voice from the din of a thousand. It was like the musical chime of an enchanted bell that was attached to his heart. His head turned to the table of the hotel's restaurant where she sat with the tall red head and his own mother. She was dressed stylishly in a tan, suede leather miniskirt, with matching platform heels, a flowing, long-sleeved royal blue silk blouse and her hair was spun up into a messy French twist and fastened with a tortoise shell buckle. She had reached to her crossed leg to rub the silver anklet that was tickling her, then casually sat back up straight. Everything she had done, she did with grace. He walked to her table and stood before her and her little party. He cleared his throat to gain her attention. His mother rolled her eyes at the spectacle.

"May I help you?" Mark asked as she sipped her café mocha, not once giving him attention.

Ren looked at her hoping that she would at least glance up at him. "I would like to speak to Kyoko."

"I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. There is no Kyoko here." Mark informed him.

"Then who is this?" He asked as he felt the chill come off of her.

"That would be Lily. She's here for R-Mandy and Hush-Hush." Her agent told him. "And you are?"

"I just wanted to introduce myself." Alright... If this is the game. I'll play. He thought as his mother sighed. "My name is Ren Tsuruga, I'm with R-Mandy."

Kyoko held out her hand while holding her drink in the other, without sparing him even a glance. He took it and kissed the top of it. "The pleasure is all mine."

"I'm sure it is." She said coldly, then smoothly wrapped her fingers back around the cup she had been holding while staring straight at Julie across the table.

"It's nice to see you again Mr. Tsuruga." Julie commented.

"Mother, I'll call you later to make arrangements for dinner. I feel like shopping now." She told Julie as she rose from her seat and gathered her things then kissed her cheek. "I love you." She smiled.

Julie gave her a quick hug and kissed her back. "I'll see you tonight Sweetie. Love you too." She told her as she left.

Julie turned to Ren. "I warned you." She told him as he sat across from her, where Kyoko had been sitting, then dropped his head to the table.

"I know... I just wanted to try." He said in a small, ashamed voice. Fashion Week? It should be called hell week. He thought sarcastically.