Chapter 104: Metamorphosis

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, somebody would confess to Kyoko at school! XD

Kyoko squared her shoulders and held her head up high as she walked through the school hallway toward her shoe locker. She felt the eyes of the students tracking her and heard the loud whispers. It shocked her that they weren't being malicious at all. People smiled and greeted her as if she was their favorite celebrity. She had psyched herself up to expect the worse, but this behavior was foreign to her. She was almost afraid. Could they be playing a trick on her? Thoughts of the American horror film Carrie flashed through her mind. Carrie's classmates did the same thing to her. They gave her this false sense of acceptance, and then bam! Total humiliation in front of her peers; pigs' blood poured all over her during her Prom Queen coronation, and her King dead at her feet. Kyoko shuddered at the memory of the film Sota and her father had highly recommended. She was lucky her school life in Kyoto was nothing in comparison to the level of bullying Carrie had experienced and was in awe of the lead actress's performance in the film.

"Good Morning," she responded in return to anyone that greeted her. Although she was suspicious, her etiquette and upbringing dictated that she not ignore people.

Kyoko approached her shoe locker apprehensively; the exterior appeared to be undisturbed. She opened the door slowly, just a tad, to peek inside. If full of trash, she could catch it before it fell to the floor. There was nothing inside but her shoes. Kyoko sighed with relief and changed into her indoor shoes. Putting her regular shoes into the locker, she felt the presence of a person standing beside her. She closed the door and found Mimori standing there.

"Who are you?" the girl asked snidely.

Kyoko looked at her oddly, "Nanokura-san, are you not feeling well? Maybe you should visit the infirmary."

"Don't patronize me, Mogami-san! What's going on? Why are you so…so...so like your Natsu character when she's not being a total bitch?" Mimori spouted, trying to find a good comparison to the beauty and charisma Kyoko exuded this morning. It annoyed the idol that everyone was staring at Kyoko like she was some sort of goddess. If Sho saw her, he would fall head over heels in love with her again. She was angry that he had used this girl instead of her for his album cover.

"What? What do you mean?" Though she was flattered that Mimori watched Box-R, she looked up and down at herself in confusion. She was not channeling Natsu at all.

"Are you stupid, Mogami-san? You're practically glowing today; it's an eyesore," Mimori huffed. "I can see the cherry blossom petals falling in the background as you walk." She wasn't about to admit to her love rival that she looked more beautiful today and exuded an air of sophistication in her bearing not typically present in a high school girl. Why do I have to admire her?

Kyoko kept her lip from curling as the girl's voice grated on her ears. Her name was now Morimoto but she wasn't about to correct Mimori. She had no idea what the girl was talking about but everyone's behavior was odd this morning. Could Natsu be taking over her persona without her knowledge? She hoped not.

"I don't know what you're talking about. If you'll excuse me I have to get to class," Kyoko said walking away.

"Just stick with your boyfriend and stay away from Sho!" Mimori called after her. Kyoko walked back to her quickly and got in her face making Mimori shrink back against the lockers in shock.

"Nanokura-san, I want to make something explicitly clear. Sho and I will never be anything of whatever you're thinking. I'm going to give you some unsolicited advice…forget Sho! Find someone that would treat you like you deserve before you learn the hard way. If you can't do that, then at least tone down the naivety." With that said, Kyoko turned on her heel and walked away ignoring the curious looks from everyone. Ugh, I hope this doesn't end up on social media. I have to watch what I say and do.

She entered her classroom and found her desk exactly where it was supposed to be. She smiled as her friends greeted her like usual. She placed her guitar against the back wall of the classroom and took her seat.

Gina leaned forward and whispered, "You owe us some details later." Kyoko ducked her head to hide her blush.

During their break, a good-looking third-year boy from the regular section, came to her classroom looking for her. Kyoko had never seen nor spoken to this guy before but she followed him outside when he asked for her help.

"Is there something you needed from me? Why are we out here?" Kyoko asked suspiciously.

"Morimoto-san, I just wanted to tell you of my feelings. I have admired you for a very long time and have grown to like you. I know I don't stand a chance against Tsuruga-san but I was hoping you could reject me properly so I can move on."

"Ehhhhh?!" Kyoko said jumping back from his low bow. This is a confession, right? Like a school confession in a shoujo manga. She didn't even know this person and here he was expressing his feelings to her a total stranger.

"Umm…please stand up. I'm sorry I don't know who you are."

"Ah, my name is Hosoi," he said, quickly standing up.

"Well, Hosoi-san. I am thankful for your feelings and as you say I am in a committed relationship with Tsuruga-san whom I love very much."

"I understand, thank you for your time. I won't bother you again. Good luck with your work. I'll always be a fan!" He said with a smile and a wave before leaving.

What a weird guy! Kyoko thought as she returned to her class. The cycle repeated itself at lunch. The boys at school had become bolder for some reason. When the third guy came to the room, Gina and Hinami sent him packing.

"What's with these guys all of a sudden? They know very well you are in a relationship," Gina huffed.

Gen laughed, "They're just fans using it as an excuse to talk to Kyoko-san. She's a popular celebrity after all and she's kind."

"Well, I'm just glad you guys are treating me like normal. I thought I'd be hated," Kyoko admitted with shame.

"Why? For kissing your super-hot boyfriend?" Gen asked and Kyoko nodded.

"Careful, Gen. Your man crush for Tsuruga-san is showing again," Hinami teased. Kyoko and Gina laughed at his expense. Kyoko felt at ease as they teased their classmate. She asked her friends to take a picture so she could reassure Ren that everything was just fine.

Yashiro pulled up to the hotel valet where Ren's press conference for his new drama series, Ryu, would be held. This event was initially supposed to happen at Fuji TV, but unscheduled maintenance of the studio had the production team scrambling for an alternate location. The swarm of reporters descended on the pair as they stepped out of the car. Ren pasted on his gentlemanly smile walking through the gauntlet of reporters shouting questions regarding the latest photos of him and Kyoko.

He increased the brilliance of his smile when a reporter had the nerve to shout if they had taken their relationship to the next level. That was none of their business! What he and Kyoko shared in their private time was nobody's business. The reporter recovered quickly from his mistake and shouted safer questions with the rest of the reporters. Ren remained silent. Why couldn't they report on their work? Ren hoped Kyoko wasn't being bombarded by such intimate questions either.

In the relative safety of the hotel, Ren walked through the lobby, nodding in greeting to the hotel staff when an item in the gift shop window caught his eye. He stood looking through the glass at this colorful "vase," standing proudly with flat marbles on the bottom, filled with water to a quarter of the way, holding a floral arrangement. He stared at the stack of flat plastic sheets with the vase's design, wondering how this was possible, and read the product description.

"See something interesting in there, Ren?"

"Yukihito, those sheets there open up to vases!" Ren exclaimed.

"Really? Those are very convenient to have handy. We still have some free time. Why don't you go and take a look?"

"I think I will." Ren wondered if it would be weird to buy a gift in honor of their first time together. If things had gone according to his long-term plan, he would have at least had a ring to commemorate the night, but he got carried away. Ren perused the shelf of crystal figurines until his eye landed on a lotus blossom large enough to fit in the palm of his hand. He held it up and smiled at the way the prism refracted the light, causing an array of colors to pass through. Just like the Corn stone! He placed it back on the shelf and picked up one of the unopened boxes. It was only 2000Y! Kyoko would love this. The sales associate approached him, offering to hold his items at the counter while Ren considered a do-it-yourself candle kit. She always made crafty things for everyone; he wanted to make something for her in return. According to this, I could even put some of the flowers I buy her inside to preserve them. No, wait, that's just like her flower ring. What else can I do? He put the kit back and kept browsing.

The store had a variety of products, from sweet treats to nifty kitchen gadgets and everything else in between. As a child, he learned from his father's experience to never consider gifting a woman any type of household appliance, no matter how much she lamented she wished she had a new one. It implied too much, and none of it was good.

Ren ignored the flashes from outside the store windows. They could take their pictures; he was not embarrassed to be caught spoiling his girlfriend. He finally made his way to the back of the small store with all the stationery and papercrafts. The little origami-folded animals and flowers caught his attention immediately. He picked up the folded butterfly and smiled. He looked at the other designs and wondered, can I do something like this? I could surprise her with a new design every morning! He decided that Kyoko would not think it too childish and picked up several packages of the 25-count variety pack of floral washi paper. He would need the extra practice before he found it acceptable to give to her. For now, this would work until he could figure out something more permanent he could make for her.

Yashiro walked into the store with Kijima in tow as the saleswoman rang up his items. He nodded to them both and tried not to roll his eyes at Kijima when he winked at the saleswoman, causing her to squeak. His colleague was the epitome of a Playboy. Thank God he claimed Kyoko when he did; otherwise, this natural Cassanova would have swooped in and taken his place.

Kijima picked up one of the packages of paper and lifted his eyebrow in question toward Ren. "It's rude to touch other people's things, Kijima-san," Ren scolded, ignoring his friend's silent question. Kijima handed the paper over to the saleswoman with a smile. She blushed, taking the item from him and placing it inside the bag. As Ren pulled his card out from his wallet, another business card fell out. Kijima reached down and picked it up for him.

"Thanks," Ren replied, glancing at the card before putting it back in his wallet. It was the card Kei gave him at the studio. Hit me up if you ever want to put that sultry voice to a song. The music producer's words had Ren's mind churning with an idea. He reached over to the counter's display and picked out a small notebook and pen. He didn't care that it was pink and prissy; he just needed something to write on.

"Sorry, please add this too," Ren told the cashier and handed her a few yen bills to pay for the extra items.

Ren and Kijima kindly took a fan picture with the sales clerk before leaving.

As they continued to the conference room, the three did not utter another word since the media buzzed around them. They didn't want the vultures to misconstrue anything they said among themselves, so they chose silence instead.

Yashiro thought they were attending a funeral with all the black being worn at this press conference. It seemed all the top-billed actors decided to appear in character. Ren himself was in black from head to toe; black suit, black silk shirt and tie, and black leather dress shoes. Kijima, on the other hand, broke up his black suit with a blood-red silk shirt.

Kijima groaned as they entered the room. "Fucking, cock fest," he mumbled under his breath. Ren heard him and chuckled at his distaste for the number of men in the room. There were barely any women in the room save for a few reporters and the highest-billed actress on the cast that would be playing Akira's sister. There would be more women in the series, they just weren't here. These conferences were typically reserved for the main cast, the director, and the producer.

"Ren, I'll take your bags for you," Yashiro offered and sat next to Kijima's manager at the back of the room.

Ren and Kijima greeted the director and producer before taking their seats on stage. Kijima was playing Ryu's "brother" in the Yakuza family. Initially, Kijima only had a cameo in the series for two episodes, so he would not have attended this conference. Kijima's character was recently expanded at the last minute to add comedic relief and perform the few sensual scenes that Ren declined.

Ren was busy chatting with a few other cast members when he finally noticed Murasame Taira walk into the room. They had not met each other since the premiere night and would be working together again.

Taira nodded to Ren when the actor caught his eye and strolled to the front of the room, greeting others along the way. He was still a little miffed that he was passed over for the part of Ryu for Ren. Taira knew that since Ren played a double role as both Cain Heel and BJ he was the perfect candidate to play this role. He had accepted the next best role in the drama as the traitorous "golden boy" detective keen on destroying Akira's effort.

Ren stood when Taira reached him and shook the actor's hand, "Murasame-san."

"Tsuruga-san, I look forward to working with you again," the other actor replied.

"Likewise," Ren told him with a small smile while camera flashes went off around them.

"Tsuruga-san, Murasame-san, can we get a picture of you together? Can you please face this way while shaking hands?"

Ren and Taira both turned in the direction of the cameras and smiled. Ren had nothing against the actor professionally, but if he got too chummy with his girl, they just might have a problem.

"Hey, hey, we can't just focus on brawn here. You are missing the beauty in these photos," Kijima jested, inserting himself between the taller men. That garnered a round of chuckles and more pictures before everyone settled down for the event to begin.

The conference began with the director providing a synopsis of the drama without giving the plot away and provided a date for the pilot episode's airing. Ren would be in LA during that time frame. It would be great to watch that episode with Kyoko and his family in his childhood home just like they did in the past with some of his parents' shows. With that said, his schedule would be packed with rehearsal and filming right up to the day before he was supposed to leave.

The floor was now open to questions, and naturally, as the male lead, most of them were directed at Ren. He confirmed that all the training thus far they had viewed on social media was to improve his skill for the role.

"Tsuruga-san, how does this dual role compare to your time with Tragic Marker?"

"I think this role is simpler. For starters, I don't have to hide my identity on the set; alienating myself from the cast and crew was difficult." He glanced over at Taira and smiled. "I apologize again, Murasame-san. I hope we can start fresh on this project."

"Likewise, I look forward to working with the real Tsuruga Ren," Murasame agreed.

Ren kept his smile neutral. Wouldn't he be surprised? He wasn't sure if Taira would forgive him a second time, especially if he ever found out that he was, in fact, his idol's son.

"Cut! Take a ten-minute break, everyone. We need to get through this last Momiji scene before we transition sets. Please focus on executing your role properly, or we'll be here all night."

The cast and crew replied with a resounding, "Yes, sir!" and scrambled off to prepare.

"This is all your fault, you know!" Koga chided Kyoko as they walked to the refreshments table. They never had such a problem before while shooting, a few NGs here and there usually, but tonight's performance exceeded those.

"Whaaaa? Why me? I'm playing my part fine. The director hasn't said anything about my performance. What do you think I'm doing wrong?"

"There's something different. I just can't quite put my finger on it," Koga replied, tapping his finger on his chin and looking at her thoughtfully.

Everybody keeps saying that! Bridge Rock made a similar comment earlier. During her rehearsal at the LME training school, it took a good twenty minutes playing with the Ishibashi brothers before they finally caught their groove. Things, thankfully, went smoothly for the remainder of their practice. Is it my fault?

She turned away from Koga to hide her heated cheeks. I didn't look any different this morning besides his love marks all over my body. I don't feel different, either.

As a man of his caliber, Koga knew exactly what was different about her; he just refused to say it out loud. She had undergone some type of metamorphosis since the last time he saw her. The problem was she was more attractive today and affecting their costars. It would be a lie if Koga tried to claim that he wasn't affected. A shadow of a looming giant beside her kept his thoughts in check. Koga became suspicious only after he started seeing a pattern. Whenever Momiji was in a scene there were numerous NGs and a few casualties regardless of gender. When she wasn't on set, her father stood close, standing guard. And speak of the devil.

Koga gave Tadashi one of his, look I'm not a threat, lop-sided grins. Tadashi eyed the actor suspiciously, refusing to be swayed by that innocent charm. He saw the women on set practically melt under the actor's sweet boy appeal. Today, he had to keep an eye on everyone. When he picked her up, she looked charismatic, conversing with her friends as they walked out of school. He could see the effect her laugh or smile had on those in the vicinity as heads turned to follow her. All he could think was that her time spent with friends and the love of her life yesterday had done its job. She looked happy and relaxed, which was his aim when he booked the spa date. He figured the progress regarding Morizumi Kimiko would also ease her worries.

He handed a towel to Kyoko and asked, "Is everything okay, sweetie?"

Koga fidgeted.

Kyoko thanked her father and patted the sweat off her brow without ruining what little makeup she had for filming. "Yes, thank you, Father. We're all working hard to get this right."

Momiji didn't have any action scenes tonight except for a silent killing in the dark recesses between the buildings. The set had been transformed into a rural night market filled with food vendors and revelry. Tonight, Momiji and Shizuma were on reconnaissance to smoke out a rat. She wore the outfit of a male youth commoner with a robe over it and a straw hat low on her brow to hide most of her face. Her actions spoke louder than words— a twitch of her head, her hand tightening its grip around the kunai hidden beneath her robe, and sidelong glances with her eyes. She had to interact with a few people in these scenes; a female waitress working undercover for Shizuma, a pair of boisterous soldiers from the enemy camp, and the rat. Somehow, all the scenes she was in took longer than necessary. The other character would freeze when it was their turn to act or forget their lines when they met her gaze. It was frustrating. How does Ren deal with this?

"You all are doing well! I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off in no time," he said, addressing Koga and her. They nodded their thanks in response.

"Okay, everyone, take your marks and let's knock out this next scene," Joji commanded, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention.

Kyoko excused herself and adjusted her clothing before taking her mark. She took a deep breath channeling Momiji as she sat against a wall of a building. Joji went through the rounds of verifying all systems was good to go and called "Action!"

...

After a few hours of grueling filming, Momiji's scenes were done. Kyoko and her father spent the next thirty minutes packing up her personal effects in her dressing room. They would be relocating to a much larger outdoor set to film the last of her scenes; the confession and her death. She would miss the role but was excited to start something new.

Kyoko didn't know that after she left the set that night, a rumor traveled among her peers, dubbing her the up-and-coming co-star killer!

"Honey, I'm home!" He announced cheerfully as he came in through the front door. She had been on his mind most of the day and was excited to be home in time for dinner.

"Welcome home, Ren-kun," came a masculine voice from the direction of the kitchen.

Ren whirled around, surprised to find Kyoko's father standing at the door with an apron over his clothes. He gulped nervously. He didn't think he would have to face her father so soon. He kept the dread from showing on his face and smiled.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm here. We only just arrived. Kyoko invited me to stay for dinner. I hope you like tonkatsu and curry."

"Tadashi-san, good evening! Thank you for the trouble. You're always welcome in our home. I'll go wash up then come out and help. Is Kyoko in the kitchen?" Ren asked, putting her gift down on the table.

Ren had stashed the rest of his purchases in his bag, knowing she wouldn't look in there. A good portion of his break time was spent jotting notes in his pink unicorn notebook and researching on his phone. The little extra time he had would need to be prioritized when he wasn't working or with Kyoko to pull off his plans within the timeline. He came across something special, something he wanted to share with Kyoko when the time was right, and needed to keep it a secret. For now, he could do things on his own, but eventually, he would need the help of their family and friends for it to be considered a success. His plan to create various paper animals for her had already morphed into something entirely different; however, the initial concept was still there.

"She's inside the room changing. I started preparing the ingredients," Tadashi informed him.

"Okay, thank you. I will change as well, err I mean, I'll be right back," Ren corrected himself quickly and made a beeline for their bedroom.

Tadashi laughed, waving him off. It was much too late for them to be acting all innocent around him. They already lived together, for goodness sake. He wasn't the old fashion kind since he spent a good portion of his life overseas. He just wished the boy would hurry up and marry his daughter already. Tadashi walked to the kitchen in La La Land, envisioning his daughter's wedding day. She would be wearing a princess-like gown, with flowers threaded into her hair, and the best part of it all would be the joy radiating off of her person as she walked down the aisle. He hoped he could share her special day. He often forgot that she was only seventeen, judging by her high degree of intelligence and ability to handle complex situations calmly, but he was a firm believer now in holding on tight to those you loved. He had learned from his mistake with Saena. Maybe one day, he would give his own love a chance. For now, he was enjoying his kids.

Ren startled Kyoko as she emerged from the guest room. He fuzed his mouth to her before she had time to scream, wrapping his arms around her and pushing back into the room for privacy. Kyoko giggled against his mouth while he kissed her enthusiastically.

"Welcome home," she whispered when they broke apart for air.

"I'm home," he said, pecking her lips softly and rubbing his nose against hers.

"I hope you don't mind," she whispered.

"He's family."

"He is," she said, returning his warm smile. She tightened her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest, relishing in the comfort of his steady heartbeat. "This feels nice."

"It does," he agreed, kissing her head before letting go. "But we can't leave your father out there. I'm sure he wants to break my legs because of those pictures."

"Probably," she said in a serious tone, laughing when he stiffened.

"I promise to protect you. Now, go and wash up for dinner," she instructed. Kissing him on the cheek, she headed to the kitchen to help her father.

During dinner, they sat around the table sharing their day while they ate. Ren found himself speaking more openly with Tadashi with them. It was easy to be comfortable with the man. There were small things about him that reminded Ren of his girlfriend. They did, however, have to be careful not to slip up and leak out his secret. He wasn't quite ready to share that part of him with others just yet. If anyone deserved to know other than Kyoko, it would be Yashiro.

After dinner, Ren presented her with his gifts. He was excited to show her the innovative vases he found in the store. Kyoko couldn't believe it until she saw it with her own eyes partially filled with water and holding up the bouquet he gave her last night.

"Where did you find this?" Tadashi asked incredulously. He smiled at Kyoko as she watched, anxiously waiting for the thing to fall over. It never did.

"I found it in the gift shop at the hotel where the press conference was held."

"You went shopping while working?" Kyoko asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I had some time," he assured her. "I found something else I thought you might like." He handed her the box containing his next gift.

Both men watched in adoration as her eyes lit up with unmasked delight as she tilted the crystal blossom in the palm of her hand. She was amazed by the way the light created a rainbow effect as it pierced through the surfaces of the glass.

Tadashi pulled out his phone and thumbed through his recent pictures. He saved the photo of them smiling tonight as his wallpaper. Then he sent the same image in an email to Mya just to tease her. He didn't want to break up their happiness with the news of Kimiko nor tell them that he would be leaving Japan as soon as everything settled with her manager. He didn't want to leave but had pressing matters in New York. The faster he completed his business over there, the faster he could return to her permanently.

AN: Phew! I made it! Thanks for sticking with me all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I think I'm coming down with something, so I took nighttime drugs to combat it. I edited this on drugs XD...we'll see how many errors I find in the morning.

Thank you for continuing to read, and I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for the lovely reviews. I appreciate all your thoughts!

For those that celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^