Chapter 68: Glasses Magic

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Yashiro would cause Kanae to have palpitations.

Tadashi followed Sota into the backroom of his club. It reminded him of a small meat locker; however, instead of meat powerful computer servers lined two walls. The equipment required a lot of cooling; hence, the low temperature in the room. A large desk stood in the middle of the room facing a wall of screens. Each screen had something different displayed from news stations to business databases. It looked like the lair of an evil genius plotting to take over the world. Sota handed Tadashi a thick coat to wear and introduced him to the master of this domain. The lanky college-aged man had thick coke-bottle glasses and a bent posture from years of slouching behind a computer desk. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose before letting his fingers fly across the keyboard.

"What is he doing?" Tadashi asked Sota.

Sota turned his question over to his hacker, Spectre.

"I'm uploading the files you brought in earlier and putting it in a location for quick access," Spectre explained without looking away from his screens.

"Please send that information to Mogami-san at the Viride law firm too."

"No problem," Spectre assured him.

"When was the last message sent to Morimoto-san?" Tadashi asked to no one in particular, but Spectre answered.

"I've been alternating between the picture and the dispatch recording every two hours as instructed. Even if she turns off her computer the piled-up messages would be waiting to bombard her once she turns it on again."

The sound of a door opening filled the room. Tadashi glanced back at the way they entered then back at Sota confused. His friend pointed to the speakers mounted on the ceiling.

"It's his surround sound. He likes to play his video games and hear all the sound effects," Sota told him with the air of an annoyed father.

"That's the notification to let me know when Morizumi is back online," Spectre told them. "Let's see what she's doing." With a few quick keystrokes, a screen on the left acted as a repeater to Kimiko's computer. They could see exactly what she was doing on it.

Spectre rapidly clicked the mouse and entered commands on the keyboard to make another large screen light up. All three men gasped. The illumination from the computer screen was all that lit the room. Spectre had successfully hacked into her computer's camera. The ghost of a young woman stared back at the screen as all the timed messages flooded her monitor. She kept glancing over her shoulder as she clicked feverishly to close the pop-ups.

The lighting wasn't very good but Tadashi frowned at the glimmer in her eyes. He couldn't be sure if it was insanity or hope, but he wasn't giving up. He knew something was going to happen soon.

"Send the scan of the incident report on Sacred Lotus then proceed with alternating between the information I got from the detective of the other girl and disconnect from her camera. Don't do that again. It was disconcerting to know that with the right skill set anyone can access a camera from a personal computer. Tadashi's first thought went to Kyoko.

"Can you show me how to enable and disable the camera from the computer I bought my daughter?" Tadashi asked Spectre as they watched Kimiko's screen log on to her blog then moved on to the fansites.

"It's really simple," the hacker replied and proceeded to demonstrate how to turn off the camera.

"Have you given any more thought to your daughter's boyfriend posing on her fansite?" Sota asked.

"He's fine, let him quietly support Kyoko like this. It will only help our cause if she sees that so many people love her," Tadashi answered. He thought it was cute that Ren would use a name that would spark Kyoko's fancy. He did not doubt that there was more meaning to it, but he would let it go, trusting the young man.

Yashiro had just finished fielding press calls following the interview with Fuwa. Most of the time he had to tell them that he didn't represent Fuwa and those questions should be directed to the musician's agency. He could only speak on behalf of Kyoko and Ren. Japan was probably really confused with Fuwa's actions today. First, he insulted Kyoko about her work, then he wrote and sang such a heartfelt song to her in front of a live audience practically implying that they were once a couple. He hoped that it was clear to Fuwa and the rest of Japan that Kyoko and Ren were solid.

He glared at his desk phone when it rang and decided he wouldn't answer any more calls unless they were from the President, Kyoko, or Ren. Everyone else would have to wait until tomorrow. Think of tomorrow had him deep in thought for a whole other reason. It was going to be another long night; however, for a few hours in the evening, he would shut off work and enjoy the company of friends. He flipped open his schedule book and absentmindedly circled the appointment reminding him to pick up Kanae. Blinking at the page he noticed that the circle he was drawing closely resembled a heart. He blushed furiously and quickly tried to hide the shape by circling it furiously over and over. Much better.

Still wearing his gloves, he turned on his computer to see the damage today's events had done to his favorite couple.

KyoRenFan1: Help, I'm torn! I don't know if Sho-san is good or bad. I saw the video of him dissing my girl and then he follows it up with that amazing performance on the Reina-sensei show. Confused!

DiabolicalPen666: He's on my shit list for that comment he made about her to Boh. It just goes to show the way he treated Kyoko-san when they were supposed "friends." He's still an egotistical snob. I don't buy his apology with that song.

KyoFan1: So hear me out, everyone! Please don't hate me. What if that's Sho-san's immature way of showing he cares? He's obviously worried about her reputation. He's also acknowledging that she's talented and should be using her time more wisely.

KyoRenFan1: That's the kind of feeling I got. Like he was being intentionally malicious to hide his true feelings of wanting to support her.

DiabolicalPen666: That's seriously reaching!

KyoFan1: He did apologize properly so I can't stay mad at him, especially after watching their interview. It's so obvious he has feelings for her and is just hurt.

It was as Yashiro thought, Fuwa was dominating the discussion.

RenKyo#1fangirl: How cute was it to know that as kids Ren-san and Kyoko-san played pretend? I bet they didn't realize they were already acting at such a young age. I can see Kyoko-san playing a chef while Ren-san was her customer with all that talk of hamburger steak!

KyoRenFan2: Yup! Yup! Now I want to know even more how adorable Ren-san looked like a child. He probably had chubby cheeks and talked with a lisp. Kyaaa! Kyoko-san is so lucky.

KyoRenFan1: Yes, Ren-san has adoringly talked about Kyoko-san in pigtails and how cute she was then and still is. I liked how she said he was talented even at ten. I can picture him doing his best to show off to the girl he loves.

Yashiro snickered as the other members immediately took the bait. My work here is done. He scrolled through older posts. There had been no sign of that person he had asked Lory to investigate nor were there any posts by Queen B. He wondered if Tadashi had scared her off for good. At this rate, tomorrow was going to be a good day, particularly because a blue-eyed beauty would finally be coming home.

"Good Morning, beautiful," Kuon murmured as he wrapped his arms around Kyoko from behind. He nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, knowing how sensitive that area was to her. Kyoko shivered and tilted her neck giving him access to pepper soft kisses on her skin. She put down her knife and twisted in his arms, sliding her palms up his bare broad chest and lacing her fingers behind his neck.

It was his turn to shudder as she buried her face in his chest and inhaled. "Mmm," she moaned. "You smell so good." She loved the intoxicating smell that the mixture of his aftershave, soap, and personal brand created. Kuon groaned, his arousal imminent or occurring. Any other morning he would have thrown her over his shoulder caveman-style and hauled her into their room for a comment like that. He stepped back from her, his expression filled with lust and deep longing. Kyoko giggled sexily, thrilled that she was the cause.

"Do you have time for breakfast? I made enough for everyone."

"Yeah, Yashiro-san texted me. He should be up soon. Is your father coming?" Kyoko nodded as she started plating their food. The doorbell rang a few minutes later.

"Good morning Ren. I ran into Morimoto-san in the parking lot," Yashiro greeted.

"Good morning, Ren-kun," Tadashi bowed slightly.

"Good morning, come in. Kyoko is getting breakfast set up." Ren held the door open to let them inside. "Can I take some bags?" He asked gesturing to the groceries they carried.

"Sorry for the intrusion. Yashiro-san was kind enough to help me out. If you just direct me to the kitchen I can put some of this away," Tadashi said, stepping inside and removing his shoes.

Kyoko stepped through the kitchen door with the last of the plates and greeted them both. She took the bags from Yashiro and told them to start eating while she and Tadashi put the stuff away. After putting the cold food in the refrigerator, they finally sat down to eat breakfast.

Kyoko had prepared a traditional Japanese breakfast for a party of ten that consisted of grilled salmon, tamagoyaki, miso soup, rice, fresh fruit, pastries, and pickled vegetables.

"I feel so blessed right now to have Kyoko-chan's delicious cooking so early in the morning," bubbled Yashiro blissfully as he took another bite of his egg roll.

"If Kyoko-chan wasn't spoken for I would ask for your hand right now," Yashiro continued. "Did I say that out loud?" Yashiro asked when he heard Kyoko's giggle.

"Yes, yes, you did!" Ren glared at his manager.

"Please forgive me, oh great Ren-sama," Yashiro begged. "You can't blame me for thinking with my stomach. Kyoko-chan's food is very delicious. I'm so jealous you get to eat like this every day."

"Yashiro-san, you praise me too highly. It's just simple home-cooked dishes. Maybe if Yashiro-san found himself someone special, she could cook like this for you every day," Kyoko teased. She had a certain special girl in mind too. Even though she acted cold and insincere, Kyoko saw firsthand how much Kanae cared for her family. She also noticed the slight changes in her friend around her manager the day they had dropped her off at the airport. It didn't even phase her that Kanae might hate her after today.

"Don't discredit your abilities, Kyoko-chan. Your food is very tasty. I have eaten in a lot of high-quality restaurants. In my opinion, you can be head chef for any of them," Tadashi complimented while continuing to eat.

"Thank you, father, but I have a feeling you would have said the same words even if my cooking was terrible," she laughed. Tadashi winked at her. She thought about how Kuu praised the lousy breakfast she had made when she was acting young Kuon. This breakfast she made was not even close to being as horrible as the meal she served Kuu, but she had a feeling that Tadashi would have reacted in the same manner if it was him at that time. They were both Oya- bakas.

"Kyoko, although I love and appreciate your cooking, we have to work on your portion control. You made entirely too much," Ren grumble rubbing his already full stomach. He couldn't eat another bite and there was still so much leftover.

"Silly! I wanted to make sure we had enough. I can wrap whatever we don't finish for tomorrow," she told him. Ren nodded and smiled in relief. He was glad she wasn't going to force him to eat more. Ren stood to clear up his dishes. Kyoko got up when she heard the water running in the kitchen.

"Ren, please leave it. You can't be late because of dishes."

"But you cooked I can't let you clean also."

"How about this, tonight you can help clean up? Deal?"

"Deal! I'll see you at Jelly-san's then. Will you be okay? I'm sure the Fuwa thing will be the hottest topic this morning."

"That's the easy part. It's facing the people after they all find out I'm Setsu that's terrifying. What if they feel let down or disillusioned? Setsu became a sensation overnight. Fandoms have popped up for her. Young girls are already copying her style," Kyoko wailed, suddenly overwhelmed. The calm she had while cooking (which resulted in too much) was lost.

"Hey, hey, I will be right there with you." He said pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. "You just need to remember that Setsu is a part of you. You created her; therefore, her fans are your fans."

Kyoko relaxed in his embrace as his soothing words washed over her, calming her down.

"We're going to shock them, aren't we? Your fans are going to faint when they find out that Tsuruga Ren is the actor behind not only BJ but Cain Heel. I'm so excited to experience this moment first hand."

"We're going to make headlines, baby!" He teased squeezing her tighter.

"Ren, we have to go," Yashiro announced, knocking on the kitchen door. Tadashi and Kyoko cleaned up the breakfast dishes then prepped for tonight's dinner party. Afterward, they had just enough time to make it to the Sacred Lotus set.

"Kimi, you're coming with me to work today. If you say you're still unwell I'm taking you to see your doctor. I don't want you cooped up in this house another day," Jiro told his daughter.

"Okay, tou-san. Do we have time to stop by the cell phone store? I think there's a problem with my number and would like to get it changed." She had already changed her email and login information in hopes to thwart her cyberbully. She put a hiatus status on her blog, no longer inspired to write about her perfect false life.

Jiro was surprised at how cooperative his daughter was being. She had them worried for the past two days that he thought she would put up more of a resistance.

"Sure, sweetie, that would be no problem," he said patting her hand with a warm smile. He was glad she seemed like her old self again even if she didn't look like it. "Please take a shower and get yourself ready."

Tadashi was reluctant to leave Kyoko behind. He couldn't accompany her while she was Setsuka Heel. He had been seen with her too often over the last few days that it would blow their cover. When they arrived at the location of Ten's trailer, Tadashi formally introduced her to Sota.

"Kyoko-chan, this is my friend Sota. I got permission from Takarada-san before bringing him in on this secret. He will be escorting you in my place. I trust him with my life. I know you will be with Ren-kun, but it will be good to have another set of eyes assessing the situation."

Kyoko eyed the man that had the bearing of a Yakuza boss in his black suit, slicked black hair tied in a ponytail at his nape, and dark sunglasses. She greeted him and bowed before entering the trailer. This will be a great opportunity to ask about her father. They had to be really good friends if he was going this far for her.

"Muse-sama, it's good to see you again. I am in your care," Kyoko said with a bow.

"Hi, Kyoko-chan. I'm sorry, I've been overseas and didn't realize what was going on. From the look of things, you seem to be holding up well, but how are you really doing?" Ten asked as she draped a cape over Kyoko's shoulders. She started with expertly twisting Kyoko's long hair into a low bun so it wouldn't show under the wig.

"I'll be honest, I'm very nervous but also a little excited. Not all of it is positive and I'm aware that most of it stem from jealousy. So I'm trying to focus on the outpouring of love and support that everyone has shown me. I just hope I'm not ruining Ren's reputation in the process."

Ten hugged her. "You sweet girl. It sounds like you have the gist of it. Are you sure you're only seventeen? But don't worry about Ren-chan, he's a big boy."

Kyoko sighed. Everyone was so supportive and encouraging. She needed to try harder and take their advice.

"Now let's put on Setsu's armor," Ten smiled warmly as she organized the makeup she wanted to use on her.

Kyoko giggled. "That's similar to what Fuji-san said to me the other day. Your both true professionals."

"With age comes wisdom. You'll get there. So Fuji-san was behind your adorable look the other day?" Ten asked as she wiped Kyoko's already bare face one more time before starting with moisturizer. They made small talk throughout the process of her transformation from makeup and hair to nails.

When it was finally time to dress, Kyoko felt the last vestiges of herself fall away as she zipped up the thigh-high patent leather boots over fishnet stockings. Setsu smirked back at her in the full-length mirror. She exited the dressing room in the back just as Ren entered the trailer and leaned against the wall picking at her nails.

"Nii-san are you acting a boring guy again? Hurry up and change. You know what happens when I get bored," Setsu snapped in her heavy British accent.

"Forgive me, Setsu. Give me a minute to get ready," he replied with a husky tone and dropped into the seat at Ten's station. He gazed at her in the mirror as she sat in the white leather chair behind him. She expertly crossed her right leg over her left causing the poor excuse of a skirt she wore to ride up on her thighs. He shifted in the chair as his throat went dry. The long sleeve sheer overlay worn over the patent leather bralette left nothing to the imagination. She's going to be the death of me, he whimpered inside.

Ten laughed understanding Engling. "It's great watching you two in action. Japan is going to have quite a shock!" She said excitedly as she got to work on him.

Kanae made a beeline for the nearest ladies room after disembarking the plane. She fussed with her appearance for a while until she scolded herself for wasting time. She didn't know why she bothered to make herself look presentable after such a long flight. Her friend was just giving her a free ride after all. Her heart rate increased, drifting to thoughts of the man that would be driving. Realizing that she had done so, she shook her head and told herself to focus. Her only goal for the future was to become Japan's top actress. This last project allowed her to get one step closer to her goal.

Kanae exited the last security checkpoint for passengers and braced herself to be pounced on at any moment. When a minute passed and she was still safe, Kanae glanced around oddly when Kyoko didn't come shouting her nickname immediately. She had confirmed before leaving that they would be here to pick her up.

"Kotonami-san, welcome home," Yashiro called out, attracting her attention as he walked up to her with a gorgeous smile plastered on his face. Kanae blinked several times when she realized what was happening. Somehow, he had removed her small carry-on luggage from her shoulder and started walking away from her. He turned around wondering why she wasn't following.

"Are you okay, Kotonami-san? Do you need anything?" He asked with another charming smile that made her heart flutter.

Kanae shook her head in response to his question. Seriously, was she in some cliché Shoujo manga where glasses magic exists? She wished he was wearing his boring gray suit and glasses right now, acutely aware of the ladies taking second glances at him. He was dressed casually like the night they went clubbing wearing dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a blazer with his hair styled like he only used his fingers to brush it back. Kanae quickened her pace to stand next to him.

"Then shall we collect the rest of your luggage?" He asked, proceeding only after she nodded.

"No, wait! I can carry my bag," she said a bit flustered reaching for her carry-on.

"Nonsense, I'd like to think my mother raised me to be a gentleman," he grinned and proceeded towards the baggage claim area with her large tote slung over his shoulder.

Kanae wasn't expecting to be so flustered and hurried after him. Chasing him allowed her to notice that he was quite tall when he wasn't standing next to Ren. She had to take three steps to his one drawing her attention to his long legs.

"Yashiro-san...um...where is Kyoko? Is she in the bathroom?" She asked, suddenly remembering that her friend had yet to accost her.

"Ah! Did Kyoko-chan not tell you? She had a job to do today."

"Mo! She never told me a darn thing! If I had known I would have just taken a taxi or the train home," Kanae said feeling irritated by her friend's lack of decorum. What was she thinking letting Yashiro be her lackey.

"It's okay. I insisted to pick you up. I have some free time after all and I did promise."

Kanae observed him from the corner of her eye. The fact that he was picking her up on his time off wasn't lost on her.

"I'm sorry you had to waste your free time on me. I'm sure you had better things to do, but thank you for picking me up," Kanae said as they waited for her bags to come out.

"It was my pleasure," he said flashing her another dreamy smile. His inner fangirl which was usually reserved for Ren and Kyoko was doing somersaults again. Stay cool Yashiro!

"Do you see how cute that guy is over there?" Kanae overheard a young female passenger ask her friends as they giggled.

"His girlfriend is beautiful too. They could be models," another girl commented.

Both Kanae and Yashiro flushed slightly, realizing the gaggle of girls was talking about them.

"Ah, that one with the blue ribbon is mine," Kanae said moving forward to grab her large suitcase from the carousel. Yashiro reached out to stop her and moved forward to retrieve her bag when it came around.

"Is this all of it?" Yashiro asked to which Kanae responded with a nod.

"Kyoko was hoping I could bring you to her worksite, but worried you might be jet-lagged," Yashiro said making conversation as they headed to the car.

"No, I slept plenty on the plane. I wouldn't mind meeting up with her," Kanae replied. I'll give her a piece of my mind while I'm at it. I'm throttling her as soon as I see her!

"Great, we'll head there then. They would have already started by the time we arrive, but I'm sure we can still catch the best part."

Cain and Setsu stepped out of the black town car with Sota acting as a bodyguard. The man was quiet. Like those bodyguards on TV, he wore his sunglasses indoors so it was difficult to get a read on him without seeing his eyes. She had hoped to ask him questions about her father, but she was Setsu now and couldn't break character.

Sota's corner of his mouth twitched in an attempt to hide his smile at the girl. He was floored by the transformation that overcame the two youngsters as they exited the trailer. These two were scary and would probably make excellent infiltrators. He heard the banter between the "siblings" and had to keep from laughing most of the time which is why he had to keep his mouth shut. Their characterizations of a brother and sister were completely fucked up. If he didn't know it was them, he would find it uncomfortable. Tadashi had told him it was meant to make people so uncomfortable that it kept others from getting too close. He wanted to meet the mastermind behind this plan. It was pure fucking genius.

When they pulled up to the Fuji TV station, the usual small crowd of reporters lurking at the entrance was there in hopes to ambush celebrities frequenting the building. The paparazzi turned their attention to the car as Sota opened the back door to let the siblings out. It didn't take long for them to be swarmed by reporters when they were finally spotted.

It lasted a whole millisecond. If Sota was any other person, he would have flinched from the anger and hatred exuded by the siblings. Their superpower kept the reporters from getting no closer than 2 meters. Sota wondered if he was even needed here.

"Heel-san, will you be doing another project in Japan?" A reporter shouted over the crowd.

"Setsuka-san, please smile and look this way," a photographer asked, his camera rapidly flashing as he took pictures of the pair.

Setsu snarled at the reporter and flicked him off with her free hand as she kept walking hand in hand with her Nii-san. Sota couldn't believe this was the same sweet girl he had met only a couple of hours earlier. She was brilliant.

"Heel-san, can you put your hood down so we can see your face?" The same photographer demanded.

Cain snarled at the request which had the man backing down. Ten had put him in his signature black leather pants tucked in combat boots, a shredded black tee, and a hooded leather jacket. The hood was used to conceal a good portion of his face. Underneath it, Ten had styled Ren's brown hair to fit Cain's bed-head style. It hung over his eyes to cover as much of the brown of Ren's colored contacts. This would make it easier to change from Cain to Ren in front of the live audience today. It was up to him to keep people from discovering what was under the hood through Cain's carriage and attitude.

Director Konoe was already waiting for them in the green room and turned surprised eyes towards the duo when they walked in.

"Heel-san, Setsuka-chan what a wonderful surprise. I was worried you two would be late," Director Konoe exclaimed excitedly.

"It just happened to be this way through no fault of our own. I'd rather have Nii-san all to myself than waste our bloody time with you lot," Setsu snapped plopping herself on her brother's lap when he sat down. Cain's hands instantly wrapped around her hips and he buried his face into her hair while they waited.

AN: Gomen everyone! I'm getting there! XD. Thanks for sticking with me and continuing to read. I hope you enjoyed it.

Big thanks to those that left me a review. I truly appreciate it.

Shoutout to BrennaKai for awesome ideas and for helping me flesh out the Kimiko aspects of this chapter! You rock!

Until next time, sayonara! ^_^