Chapter 63: Wake-up Call

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Ren would share more stories about his childhood with Kyoko.

"Ow! Don't shout! You'll break my eardrums!" Kanae scolded through the phone.

"I'm just so happy, Moko-san, you called me. I thought you would never speak to me again," Kyoko cried, happy tears welling up at the corner of her eyes and spilling over.

"Mo! Stop crying! I bet your face is getting ugly. Why would you even think like that? Is there something you're not telling me that warrants me not speaking to you again? Perhaps you're living a double life or something and you aren't really who you say you are?"

Kyoko stopped her tears quickly and squirmed under Kanae's direct questioning. She thought about all the press Setsu had been generating. Could it have reached Kanae in the States? She couldn't lie to her friend, but she couldn't tell the truth either, not yet.

"I'm sorry, Moko-san, there is something but I signed an NDA. I can't tell you right now even though I really want to share it with you."

"I figured as much. We can talk about it when you can," Kanae said sounding very understanding.

"Eh, you're not mad?" Kyoko asked hesitantly.

"Of course, I'm mad! I do not doubt that LoveMon President is behind all this but it's work right, so it's fine."

"I'm just so happy. Moko-san called me," Kyoko wailed anew.

"Why wouldn't I? I wanted to make sure you weren't wallowing in the depths of despair like usual! You sound fine considering..."

"Eh?" Kyoko perked up not following.

"The article?! Jeez, Kyoko, have you forgotten already? Mo, forget it. I knew I shouldn't have wasted my time worrying about you," Kanae replied exasperatedly.

"Ugh, that stupid article. Even though the writer adhered to my conditions, I had underestimated the public's need to unravel a mystery," Kyoko grumbled. "But Moko are you not mad at me because of the article?"

"Why? I practically know your background story. The only thing I didn't see coming was you knowing Tsuruga-san when you were children. If I'm mad at anybody, it's him," Kanae said through gritted teeth.

"Ehhhh, why?" Kyoko asked genuinely confused at her friend's anger towards Ren.

"I'm pretty sure that guy knew exactly who you were for a while and said nothing! I'm going to give him a piece of my mind when I return," Kanae's voice rose getting fired up.

Kyoko glanced up as Kuon approached her. He handed her the princess robe and mouthed it's my parents, pointing to the phone at his ear then whispered, "when you're ready, they want to talk to you."

Kyoko's cheeks heated up as she hastily put it on the robe. She had completely forgotten she was practically nude.

"Mo! What's going on? Is that bastard near you? Of course, he's near you. Like a damn puppy," Kanae grumbled, annoyed by the interruption.

"No, he just came out for a second. He's on the phone too. Moko-san please don't be angry with him. He apologized already, and I uh, sort of, kind of slapped him for not telling me about it sooner," Kyoko confessed feeling terrible about hurting him. Kanae erupted with laughter.

"Did you seriously slap him? I would love to have seen that. I bet he was shocked especially coming from the girl he loved," Kanae gasped out between residual peals of laughter.

"Don't laugh! I slapped him so hard the handprint had to be covered up with makeup for a few days. I was so scared after I did it. What if he sued me or something? An actor's face is their life," Kyoko wailed.

Kanae sobered up, "that's true it's our biggest commodity, but he deserved it for keeping that a secret from you. I'm getting mad thinking about it again."

"It happened so long ago I would prefer to leave it alone. It wasn't one of my finest moments. I'm so embarrassed. Please don't be mad at him," Kyoko pleaded with her. "I do appreciate Moko-san being angry for my sake. I feel so loved. It's true, that saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Mo, don't think up weird scenarios all on your own. Anyway, you sound like everything's good. My lunch break is almost up. I'll be home in two days my flight lands in the evening. I'll message you the itinerary."

"Really?! You're finally coming home!" Kyoko screeched enthusiastically.

"Don't forget to pick me up. Got it?"

"Yes!"

"See you then! Keep being you, don't let those haters from the Fuwa camp get you down," Kanae added and abruptly ended the call.

Kyoko smiled at the phone, more tears pricking the corner of her eyes. It was so like Kanae to be sweet and hang up because she was embarrassed. She was so excited her friend was finally coming home and jumped up to tell Ren the good news.

"Hey, Dad! I'm awake. Is everything okay? Is Mom okay?" Kuon asked in a worried tone. He rarely ever got calls so early in the morning, but when he did he anxiously wondered if it would be bad news. Would this be the call letting him know that his mother really did only have three months to live and her time had finally come? Would she pass away to the afterlife without him having seen her once to reconcile with her? He didn't think he could live with that kind of guilt. What if his father was severely hurt on set? Would he find the courage to go home and see him, or would he use work as an excuse to avoid them forever?

Kuon was still working through his anxiety about going home for LA Fashion Week. He still had nightmares now and again, but the warm talisman curled in his arms would instantly chase the shadows away.

"I'm here too, honey. There's no way I'm leaving this world without seeing my baby boy again or holding my grandbabies," Julie's musical voice rang out.

"Hi, mom! What are you guys doing?" Kuon smiled. The thought of having babies with Kyoko warmed his heart and sped it up all at once. Would he make a good father? Given their professions would their child feel lonely if they had to work late or go overseas. No, he would make it a point to prioritize his family. Even if it meant taking fewer roles, he would never make his child feel lonely.

"Kuon, did you hear me, son? Are you still there?" Kuu asked.

"I'm sorry, Dad. What was the question? I was a bit distracted," Kuon replied, tuning back into the conversation.

"Is it a bad time son?" Kuu asked earnestly. He knew how busy an actor's life could be.

"No, I just kinda got lost in the clouds when mom mentioned babies," he blurted his thoughts without thinking. He must still be half asleep if he said that out loud.

Kuu chuckled and Julie squealed. "Made you think about the future, did it?"

He could hear Kyoko talking excitedly with her friend on the phone in the living room. A new wave of warmth flooded his body, he was looking forward to their future together.

"Only if it's with her," he confessed, smiling to himself.

"Oh, my baby! I'm so happy for you! When's the wedding? I have to start planning," Julie exclaimed. She had been waiting for this moment forever.

"Mom, stop! It's too soon. She's only seventeen. Her career is just beginning and she's still in high school." Kuon explained, but he already had plans brewing.

"Semantics! It's just a matter of time. You guys are living together already. Ooh, maybe a shotgun wedding?" Julie said with such hope in her voice.

Kuon groaned. "We aren't really at that stage in our relationship. I want to wait for marriage."

Even to Kuon's ears, it sounded unconvincing. They've touched each other intimately every way they could minus actual penetration. At the rate they were going, he wasn't sure if they were going to make it. He told himself every day just a little taste would be enough to curb his appetite for her but with each passing day, his desire to possess her completely, body and soul grew. It took every ounce of his control to draw the line, especially when she begged for more. Kyoko had seemed in a good mood last night when they danced around the living room, but when they fell into bed together she was more demanding, insatiable even. It was late by the time they collapsed into a peaceful slumber finally sated. I'm not going to make it.

"Sure, how is that working out for you?" Kuu asked wryly. He could hear his parents trying to suppress their laughter. He cleared his throat loudly to get their attention.

Kuu coughed to disguise his laughter and changed the subject. "Is Kyoko still sleeping?"

"No, she's talking with her best friend. I'll go out and let her know you're on the phone." Kuon stepped out of the room with the phone to his ear and noticed Kyoko sitting on the living room floor in just her underwear. He wasn't any better since he was only wearing boxers. She had to be cold so retrieved her robe from the guest room. He handed it to her and told her his parents were on the phone then went back into the bedroom.

"How is she doing by the way?" Kuu asked. "We read the article and the online gossip about the singer. Next time I'm in Japan, I'm going to wring that punk's neck. It explains why she was so dejected by that broadcast of him when she was my assistant. My poor son. If only this lousy Daddy knew the full story. I would have given that punk a taste of his own medicine."

"What are you talking about?" Kuon frowned trying to recall the news during his father's visit. He never paid attention to any of that stuff so he was clueless.

"While I was there, I had the entertainment news channel on when she walked in and that singer was the main topic. His songs were dominating the charts. She suddenly became extremely depressed. So depressed that she neglected to make my food. When she did finally cook something, she piled the ingredients so high, ugh, I was so hungry too. I had to call the concierge to try to salvage it. Her cooking is so delicious and sh-"

"Oi, don't stop in the middle and start talking about food," Kuon scolded. "She seemed fine when I ran into her acting as young Kuon."

"Right, that's because this Daddy learned from his mistakes with you. I intercepted her call to Sawara-san. She wanted to decline all the job offers she received because they were all antagonist roles. She didn't tell me any of her problems with that jerk, but after talking about her feelings regarding acting, I managed to knock some sense into her brain. That's why I gave her that acting homework as Kuon. I hoped it would help pull her out of her slump. You told me you met as kids a while ago, but now that I'm thinking of the time we spent together, I now realize that she acted young Kuon so well was because she had already met you. She just didn't know it."

Kuon chuckled. I was so surprised she remembered so much about me from the few days we played together. She really treasured our time together. I, on the other hand, forgot all about her until we met again.

"It seems your treasured cordierite stone managed to help her over the years." Neither of them admitted that Kuon had lied to him about losing the stone in Kyoto. "I remember the day you bought it. You believed it had some magical powers. I think you were seven."

"No, he was only six. That was when I was in India for a shoot and you guys came along. I was tied up with work so you and Kuon explored the local market and cuisine," Julie interrupted.

The vague memories of that trip wafted through Kuon's mind. Although he had an amazing memory, he couldn't recall the vivid details of the trip.

"It was so long ago, I couldn't remember the details of the stone, so that's what it's called," Kuon commented.

Kyoko walked in as Kuon finished that statement. He pulled back the covers in the bed to let her in. She snuggled up to him and laid her head on his chest.

"Kyoko is here now. I'm putting you on speaker," Kuon announced and switched the phone over.

"Hey, good morning son! How are you feeling? We wanted to check up on you."

"Kuu stop calling her that. She's a beautiful girl call her daughter. I always wanted a daughter and now I have one," Julie squealed delightedly.

Kyoko buried her face shyly into Kuon's chest. She was so overwhelmed by the warmth and outpouring love his parents displayed towards her it made her want to cry.

"Hello Otou-san, Julie-san. Thank you for calling, but I'm really fine. I'm quite surprised with all the love and support I have here from Kuon, friends, coworkers, and fans. If I focus on the positive I feel like the negative doesn't seem so bad."

Kuon tightened his hold around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Dad was about to tell me where your stone came from. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes, please! I would love to hear about Kuon when he was young!"

"Be careful what you wish for," Kuon whispered

"When you're here for fashion week I'll show you my albums, Kyoko-chan," Julie promised.

"Thank you, Julie-san. I'm looking forward to my visit," Kyoko replied. She couldn't wait to see where Kuon grew up.

"Mom, please don't embarrass me," Kuon groaned. He knew just what albums his mother was thinking of too. Kyoko giggled, she envied Kuon a little. The pictures she had of her childhood were taken by Yayoi. The majority of them were of her with Shotaro.

"I wish you were visiting with her, but I understand that you will when you're ready," Julie said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm working on it," Kuon replied. He felt terrible omitting the truth, but he didn't want to spoil the surprise.

"Anyway, the story of the stone," Kuon insisted sensing the subtle change in her mood. He thought a story like that would cheer her up.

"Yes, so we went to a Bazaar while waiting for Julie to finish her work. The place was crowded with merchants and food vendors. The smells were delicious. It was our first time seeing it. Kuon gravitated to a stall selling rocks." Kuu started laughing all by himself thinking about the memory

"Kuon looks up at me in confusion. He stands in front of the booth staring at all the shapes and sizes of the rocks. Then he asks, 'Dad are people really stupid enough to buy rocks?'"

Kuu had changed his voice to fit in the story mimicking his little boy. She imagined wonderful bedtime stories in the Hizuri house. Kyoko stifled her giggle as Kuu continued.

"I was so embarrassed, I had him apologize to the vendor. The merchant looked at Kuon and said, 'young lad, have you ever learned not to judge something for its cover? Even beneath the accumulated dirt of this rock lies something beautiful. Pick one and I'll prove it to you.' Kuon picked a good size rock and the man proceeds to chip and clean away at the rock. The result was your stone."

"I remember now! I didn't have enough money to buy it, but Dad taught me the art of negotiations. I was able to get the stone with my allowance. I had eight dollars saved up," Kuon beamed proudly.

Kuu laughed nervously. He didn't need to tell his son that he had secretly handed over the difference in the amount to the merchant for the trouble. He didn't do it to undermine his son or insult the merchant. Kuu made a lot of money and wanted to always be generous. The man had taught his son a valuable lesson and made him happy.

"I guess it's about time we let you kids go. We've taken up enough of your time. We love you both." They exchanged their goodbyes and ended the call.

Kimiko woke up to find herself alone in bed. She had fallen asleep, safe in Cedric's arms, forgetting her problems. She could hear him clamoring away in the kitchen. For a moment she allowed herself to imagine they were a real couple with him calling out to her to wake up for breakfast. She would apologize for not waking up sooner and cooking for him instead. She had no clue how to cook but that was beside the point. Rolling out of the comfy bed that smelled like her crush, she used the washroom and changed into her now cleaned clothes sitting on the edge of the bed. He had replaced her ripped shirt with one his to wear with her skirt. She picked up the shirt and inhaled the scent of his detergent before slipping it on. She was elated by how fashionable she looked in his clothes. Smiling, Kimiko stepped out of the room to find her new beau but was doused with a cold dose of reality. The couch was upset with a pillow and blanket; evidence that he had left her alone once she fell asleep and slept on the couch instead.

Kimiko felt like such a fool. She dug her fingernails into her clenched fists to keep from losing her temper. Of course, he wouldn't want to share a bed with her.

"Whoa Kimi, I didn't hear you come out. Is everything alright? Your face? Is it still bothering you? Kimiiikooo...helloooo?" Cedric asked waving his hand in front of her. Her gaze was locked on the couch lost in thought.

"Why?" She whispered and slowly turned toward him.

"Huh?" He responded utterly confused. Why is she so zoned out?

"I could have slept there if you didn't want to share the bed," Kimiko said failing to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"I thought it would be better for both of us this way," Cedric replied rubbing the back of his neck.

She smiled and nodded before things got even more awkward.

"I'm going to go. Thanks for letting me sleep here. I apologize for inconveniencing you," she said cheerfully as she slipped on her shoes and left.

As soon as Kimiko left the apartment her problems from last night flooded back into her mind. Being around him does that to me. She walked down the side of the building and fished out the purse she had hidden the night before. Her earlier hurt forgotten as she searched her phone for any news regarding the guys she had propositioned last night. She let out a small sigh of relief as she hailed the first cab she saw. The message she found on her phone had her returning the call.

Cedric didn't try to stop her. It was for the best that he let her go. He knew how she felt about him and she knew how he felt about her. She was a good friend and nothing more. He walked into the kitchen and gazed at the now too much breakfast he had made when it dawned on him that she had no way of getting home. All her stuff had been stolen. He pulled on a jacket, stuffed his feet in shoes, and ran out after her in his pajamas. Running out to the street, he spotted her climbing into a cab talking on her...cell phone? He didn't miss the purse slung over her shoulder either. What the fuck? he thought as he watched the car pull away.

Tadashi had come into the office early to finish the report on the proposal Mya had sent him. It was slow going since every so often his mind would wander to his daughter. Was it dinner time yet? He had to stop himself several times from checking on her. He had already done his morning check-in and received her warm reply; any more than that and she would get annoyed with him. Yashiro would be with her the whole time so there was nothing to worry about. He told Yashiro that if there was any conflict to call him right away and he would be able to assist.

He had stayed up most of the night pouring over the information Sota had given him. The Morizumi family seemed to have their hand in every part of the entertainment industry. He was still trying to figure out the best way to approach the whole situation. Tadashi wanted nothing more than to expose Kimiko for her deception and dangerous actions towards innocent young women; however, if he didn't tread lightly this could all blow up in his face. He may inadvertently harm his daughter's career prospects in the process if he wasn't careful. The devious plan he cooked up was petty, using the teen Morizumi's tactics against her. It would be a matter of time before the teen cracked under the pressure.

Tadashi rubbed his face tiredly. He needed to finish his day job so he could put his plan into action. As much as he didn't want to leave his daughter any time soon, he needed to get back to the States. It wasn't fair to dump all this work on Mya even if she was better than him, in his humble opinion.

Yashiro's eyes bulged at what he just read on his phone. It appeared that Kyoko acquired a loony fan on her site. He would ask the President to have Ruto look into it just in case this person was a crazy stalker. He was scanning the site for any sign of Queen B when he came across the new name. She seemed to be MIA since yesterday and didn't make an appearance on the set yesterday, but her father did. Kyoko had shared with him what little had transpired yesterday concerning Cain Heel.

The manager pursed his lips as a new post popped up taking a shot at Ren.

EmeraldEyedFairy: Did anyone else go googly-eyed over Kyoko-chan's appearance yesterday? She was too adorable; my heart went doki doki for her! If Ren-san's not careful, I just might steal her away to Faerie!

Before Yashiro could defend his friend, a text message popped up on his phone. The President wanted to meet tonight no matter the time. Kyoko's schedule was fine, but Ren's obligations ran late. He sighed and closed the site and went about rearranging Ren's schedule making a mental note to look into this new fan.

AN: Thank you for continuing to read, favoring, and following this fic. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right. I know I'm beating this thing to death, but I had to include her best friend's and in-laws' perspectives on checking up on Kyoko. But seriously, Tadashi's thoughts are exactly my thoughts. I'm buying myself time until I figure out how Kimiko snaps…LOL. I think I'll have one or two more chapters (no promises) of Kimiko set up before the Heel interview so bear with me folks! I gave Kuon a handle!...LOL...I hope Queen B is ready for him.

Thank you for the reviews of the last chapter, I truly appreciate it.

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^