Chapter 7: T-minus 3 hours
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Skip Beat, for if I did, Sho would have been placed on LME's stalker list a long time ago.
The fighting was brutal, it was a good thing the enemy had begun to retreat because her strength was waning. Even through her exhausted haze, Momiji sensed an enemy from behind. He had an arrow nocked and aimed directly at Shizuma. She screamed to get her Master's attention as she ran towards him. He couldn't hear her over the chaos surrounding them.
As if time stood still, all Momiji could hear was her rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing as she desperately tried to reach her Master in. Mid dash, she released a kunai at the archer but watched in horror as the arrow was released a second before her knife sank into the side of the man's neck. She threw herself in front of Shizuma to protect him. The arrow pierced so deeply that it actually went through her and lodged itself into Shizuma's shoulder. She coughed up blood, indicating a vital spot had been hit.
Shizuma screamed out in anguish as he took in the limp girl attached to him. By then the fighting had ceased.
"Somebody, help me!" He screamed as his men, other ronin, surrounded him to form a protective barrier. They dislodged the girl from him but there was little they could do to save her.
Gathering her in his arms his voice broke as tears slid down his face, "You baka, you were supposed to stay away and be safe." Momiji reached up and tried to wipe his tears away instead she smeared blood on his face. She gave him a soft angelic smile once she realized he was going to live.
Chidori fell by her other side and grabbed Momiji's hand. She too was in tears. Despite their differences, Chidori was fond of Momiji. She thought the ninja was beautiful, fearless, and loyal; everything she wished to be. Momiji shifted her gaze to the other woman, "Promise me you will take care of him." With difficulty speaking, she started listing all of his bad habits that she thought Chidori should be aware of.
Shizuma let out a melancholy laugh, "My sweet Momiji, forgive me." He kissed her forehead. Momiji reached her hand to caress his cheek one last time.
"I'm glad I was able to fulfill my mission," she said with no regrets and took her last breath. A lifetime of memories flashed through his mind with different stages of their life together. He would no longer hear her calling out to him, "Shizuma-sama!" He felt a piece of his heart die that day.
Director Morizumi yelled "cut" pulling the actor and actresses out of their characters. The room erupted in applause while Koga helped the ladies up from the ground. He grinned at Kyoko for her ability to pull that kind of emotion out of him.
Sho had quietly slipped inside the large room as the scene unfolded. They weren't actually engaged in any sort of battle. There was no running or clashing of swords. It was just reading and yet even the simple movements and their change in voice were enough to pull him onto the battlefield. He watched as Kyoko flung herself in front of Koga to protect him from some unseen arrow. He was in awe at the imagination that these actors and actresses had for just a script reading. It had to be difficult to pull off the raw emotion required for such a scene without a proper set or even props.
His heart constricted when he saw Kyoko's face pale and contort in pain as the "arrow" pierced her heart. He felt the anguish roll of Koga in waves as he held the dying girl in his arms. When the director had called cut, Sho realized he was holding his breath and his eyes were slightly moist.
He laughed feeling a little embarrassed. He noticed that many people, mainly women, in the room felt the same way. He couldn't believe his childhood friend could pull off such a complicated scene. He observed her in the crowd bowing politely to everyone and thanking them for their hard work. He hardly recognized her. She was smiling and exuding confidence he had never seen in her before. She's changed.
Sho snorted when he overheard some guys talking about how cute she was. Who's cute? That boring, no sex appeal woman, please? Sho rolled his eyes at the men that obviously needed to get their eyes checked.
A tiny thought that had been lurking at the back of his mind pushed its way to the forefront, she's out of my league. He quickly dismissed that absurd thought. All he needed to do was remind her of how much she hated him and he would have the old Kyoko back. This plain, no talent girl could never beat him. He was Fuwa Sho, Japan's top-selling musician, Tokyo Dome was within his grasp. Soon, he would be too high for her to even reach that she would feel lucky if he even glanced her way.
He watched her walk over to a man in a gray suit wearing glasses. That's the platform wearing bastard's manager. Why is he here? He scanned the room for Ren and was relieved to find that the actor wasn't there. Could he now be her manager? Sho dismissed that idea quickly, there was no way an elite manager like him will ever represent a talentless newbie like her.
Director Jouji called for everyone's attention, "Before we leave today, I want to introduce Japan's top artist Fuwa Sho. He will be working with the Music Director for the soundtrack of this drama. He will also be writing the theme song so you will be seeing him around the set for a bit."
Kyoko groaned internally when she heard the director's announcement. She watched Shotaro make his way to the front with a smug smile plastered on his face. He cut his hair shorter.
The Okami had mentioned that he stopped by the Darumaya yesterday. Good thing she wasn't home then, she was in no shape to deal with him with all her mixed emotions. In her current state, she probably would have done something regrettable, like kill him.
She frowned, even with that thought her grudges weren't swirling around her like usual. In the past, the mere mention of his name or anything connected to him would send her on a rampage. The last time she saw Shotaro was when she kicked him in the shin for once again stealing a kiss from her. She knew, in his own way, he was trying to help her after the incident with her mother but she just couldn't forgive him. Thinking of that kiss; however, got her grudges fired up.
Yashiro yelped suddenly scared of his charge. He thought they were in the clear when she didn't respond to Fuwa's presence. He wondered why she had such a delayed response. Either way, it was his duty as her manager to keep that singer away from her if his presence interfered with her work. The boy had no business messing with her after the way he had treated her in the past.
The Director wrapped up their reading session but reminded the main cast of their pending photo shoot. Kyoko and Yashiro slipped out of the room before Sho had a chance to bother her. She needed to get to hair and make-up so she could transform into Momiji.
She really didn't want to deal with Shotaro today of all days. She would have plenty of time for that bastard since, apparently, he would be working on the music for this drama. She decided that she would be professional when working with him.
On the other side of Tokyo, Ren entered the building for his taped interview that would be aired in two days. Although it was being recorded, there would still be a live audience.
On his way to the studio, he bumped into Kijima. "Yo, Tsuruga, how are things going? You're looking good; lighter, airier, dare I say relaxed. Better than the way you looked the other day. Soooo did anything good happen between you and Kana-san?"
Ren's happy bubble burst and his mood darkened. It was all this guy's fault! He tried to stamp down his rising anxiety as he glowered at Kijima. He had forgotten all about Kana and that stupid kiss.
Kijima laughed at Ren's expression. "I guess that's a hard no. Poor Kana-san. So if it's not Kana-san that's got you in a good mood, things must be progressing with Kyoko-chan, eh?"
In order to make things perfectly clear to Kijima Ren boldly stated, "I have a date with Kyoko tonight." He hoped this didn't get back to Kyoko
No honorifics, eh. Since when did they make such progress? Kijima clapped him on the back, gave him a good-natured squeeze then offered Ren some advice.
"So where are you taking her? The first date is crucial in a new relationship. Since she's horribly frugal, she would definitely appreciate being spoiled at a five-star restaurant. Something like that would make her putty in yo-…"
Ren increased the brilliance of his smile giving Kijima the hint that he needed to stop talking. Kijima raised his hands in mocked defense, "I'm just saying, I'm pretty much an expert at wooing women."
When Ren made no attempt at hearing him out Kijima laughed and wished him luck. That guy is so easy to read these days. He is obviously smitten by Kyoko so why couldn't he just be honest. I need to find myself a girlfriend. Kijima cast a flirtatious smile towards two young giggling women he passed by in the hall and left, but not before turning his head and checking out their assets.
Ren's run-in with Kijima reminded him of yet one more thing he needed to tell Kyoko; he didn't want her to misunderstand the situation. She already thinks I'm a playboy.
Thinking of his kiss with Kana brought his thoughts back to the photo of Fuwa kissing Kyoko. His control started slipping. It wasn't until he realized he was scaring people in the hall with his deadly aura that he tried to rein himself, Kuon, in. He reminded himself not to put too much stock into that kiss. Look what happened to me and I'm a grown-ass man. He suddenly felt sexually harassed. He really should have unleashed dark Kuon on Kana when she kissed him. His Ren persona was too damn gentle for his own good.
He would bet money that bastard kissed her again without her permission. She was alone and distraught when he found her in the park that night. His heart told him that nothing further happened after that. I hope.
Regardless, for his sake, he needed to ask her plainly if there were any reciprocated feelings towards Fuwa. Her answer didn't really matter because he planned on filling her head and heart with only him. He hoped she was ready because he had waited patiently for her to finally heal her wounded heart.
Ren made it to the studio where he was shown to the green room by an assistant.
"Is what I'm wearing okay for the show?" he asked the producer once he gave his greetings. He didn't put much effort into what he wore today. He normally would wear something more formal to interviews. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, black dress shoes and a dark blue button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
"You look perfect, Tsuruga-san, as always," said the Producer assuring him that he looked good. It was professional but still casual. Even as a heterosexual man he found Ren's look sexy and so would the rest of the female population. Curse you Kami-sama for being cruel and unfair. This man could wear a garbage bag and still look sexy.
The makeup artist puffed some translucent powder on his face and applied moisturizer to his lips. When she tried to mess with his hair, he managed to subdue her with his charm and styled it himself. Ren was called shortly afterward on stage and bowed to the host. They exchanged the usual pleasantries and talked about his upcoming work.
"So this is a common question asked at every one of your interviews. So I'm going to make sure I do my part as a good host for all the ladies in the audience. Here goes! The million-dollar question, are you dating anyone?" The host asked closing his eyes as if he really didn't want to hear an affirmative answer.
Ren chuckled at the host's melodrama and gave a long-winded answer that didn't confirm or deny the possibility of him having anyone significant in his life at the moment.
They had a Q and A segment for people in the audience to ask him questions. One lady chosen was handed a mic and excitedly asked, "Ren-sama, what is your favorite color?" The question was common knowledge. Anyone that followed Ren's career knew his favorite color was blue but he decided to throw a curveball at them. He answered without hesitation, "amber" thinking of Kyoko's eyes. I could stare into them forever, he thought, dreamily.
The host cleared his throat to get Ren's attention making the audience giggle. The host made a mental note of his strange behavior. There was definitely something different about the actor today.
Another audience member asked him about his ideal woman. This was another common question that he was used to answering but today he went overboard. He smiled thoughtfully thinking about everything he loved about her. The host cleared his throat again.
"Someone with a beautiful soul that puts her whole heart into everything she does. Someone that's smart, kind, selfless, nurturing, strong, independent, a good cook, has a huge imagination, a lover of fairy tales, not afraid to show her emotions, able to scold me properly without being intimidated..." He continued on and on about everything he loved about her wondering if he was giving himself away.
Later, those that were close to the pair watching this interview would pick up on the traits he listed and link them to Kyoko, noting that he was getting serious.
The host commented on his detailed and extensive list. He described every man's, ideal woman. The interview ended without too much of a hitch so Ren made his way back to LME to pick up his car.
Once home, Ren texted Kyoko. I'm home. I hope your day is going well. Please ask Yashiro for the key I gave him and let yourself up when you arrive. See you soon! He included another heart emoji before hitting send.
He suddenly felt nervous and decided to fix himself a drink. He hit the remote to turn on his sound system and music filled the room. He groaned at the depressing song that filtered through the speakers. "When you try your best but you don't succeed, When you get what you want but not what you need..."
He left it alone and headed into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of his favorite cognac in hopes that it would loosen up his nerves. He went back to the living room with his drink and sagged into the couch.
Fate definitely has hold of my playlist. He had been listening to more English songs ever since his time as Cain Heel especially on Guam. Although the local people have their own native language, English was the main language spoken since they were a territory of the United States. It was easy to slip back into his American roots there even as the British man Cain.
When the song ended, he gulped down the rest of his drink and stood to take a shower. It's almost show time, he thought, glancing at the clock on his phone. She would be here in about three hours.
AN: Thank you, everyone, for sticking with me! I appreciate all the feedback from the last chapter. BTW I just discovered that line break button in the toolbar...lol...I'm such a noob. I should really be doing my job since I have a deadline on a spec, but I've always been a procrastinator...lol
The song Ren was listening to was Cold Play's "Fix You." This song could apply to either Ren's or Kyoko's POV. For some reason, I can't picture Ren listening to like Rap or Hip Hop.
Until next time, ja ne! ^_^