Chapter 106: Too Much Moe!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Kyoko and Ruriko would have another chance at becoming friends.

Ren chuckled, closing his phone and storing it back in his bag. He had checked his phone as soon as he had a short break to see if she messaged him about his little gift. He thought he placed it in a spot where she would easily find it. Then again, Kyoko was different from most women her age, often forgetting about her phone. He thought of the genius plan to kill two birds with one stone by messaging her to say hi and helping her notice his art piece.

Mission accomplished. I wish I could have seen her reaction when she read the note. She would have blushed, and her eyes would have glowed a bright gold as if the sun shone upon them. The best part would have been her smile. It probably spread so wide her face ached. Those thoughts stuck with him, so he whipped out his fufu notebook and jotted them down.

Yashiro glanced up from his laptop curiously as Ren scribbled in the notebook again. His charge had been doing that often since he purchased the little thing yesterday. Yashiro thought the pad was for Kyoko and was surprised to find Ren using it. What is he writing? He was sure it had something to do with Kyoko. His professional mask almost always dropped when it came to his girlfriend. The manager was dying of curiosity. He already knew Ren was folding origami for her. Despite his attempts to hide his newfound hobby, it was easy enough to figure out what he was doing when he practiced with scrap paper and napkins at every chance.

Ren secured the notebook in his bag and stood to go to his mark. They were currently in the largest studio at TBM station that was transformed to represent the interior of Ryu's Boss' traditional Japanese home, a couple of apartments, and a nightclub that would be used throughout the series, including his personal space on the Gokudo property. They had this studio booked for the duration of the season and would only leave when a location shoot was necessary and available. He was dreading these first scenes and had a hunch the Director was testing his boundaries under the guise that today was the only availability for his costar.

Yashiro closed his laptop after negotiating a new job offer for Kyoko. It was another commercial/modeling gig with little content regarding acting. He hoped she would still be excited when he handed her the contract. Once she made her debut, he would have more acting roles for her.

With Yashiro in tow, Ren moved to the nightclub set. They would be shooting the bar scene first. He greeted the skeleton crew, doing final preparations, and the extra actors and actresses as he passed. He made his way to the Director who was having a discussion with his lead costar for the day. It was a closed set due to some brief nudity on his costar's behalf later. Once they were through with the bar scene, the extras would be released to limit those on the set. Yashiro would also need to leave.

"Good Morning, Director Aizome, Tsugumi-san," Ren greeted, dropping into a bow. "Please take care of me today."

"Good Morning, Tsuruga-kun. This Onee-chan will take real good care of you," Tsugumi purred while smiling suggestively at him. Ren did his best not to cringe. She was an attractive woman in her own right with her light brown hair and mature curves. He could tell she had professional work done on her nose, lips, and eyelids. Her profile said she was in her thirties but she had the face to pass as someone younger.

Ren ignored the innuendo in her tone and replied with a sparkling smile, "Thank you. With your skills, I'm sure we can finish this part quickly. I'm excited to get this part out of the way and get to the real action of this drama."

Tsugumi's smile faltered, unsure if the actor complimented or insulted her. Judging by his smile, it had to be a compliment, right? She would show him her skill once the cameras started rolling.

The director chuckled and walked away with Ren as they talked, "Yes, you've been training hard for those scenes. I can't wait to capture your ability on film."

"Director, we finished running through the checklist and are ready to begin," the assistant director announced.

"Okay, good, let's get started. We'll start with the hostess club scene. Tsugumi's character, Mari, is a small-time dealer of the same drug that killed Akira's sister. She sells the drug under the table to her colleagues and customers at the hostess club. The PSI drops this tip on Akira to have him investigate as Ryu. It's up to Ryu to engage with Mari and extract information about the supplier from her. In other words, Tsuruga-san, you have to seduce it out of her."

Ren nodded and took his place off-camera, waiting for his cue. He had practiced this scene with Kyoko before, so he hoped this actress could deliver the same caliber of performance as his girlfriend. If he could help it, there would be no retakes needed. Before he channeled Ryu, Ren let his mind reminisce briefly on the bedroom scenes he had rehearsed with Kyoko. They were more heated than what was expected in the script. There would be none of that with this actress, he would have full control of this scene.

The clapperboard was placed in front of the primary camera, ready to start the scene. The director called for order. "Places people….quiet on the set...ACTION!" The sound of the board slamming brought the set to life. Light jazz music, laughter, and voices filled the once-quiet space. On cue, Ryu, wearing his signature black suit, threaded through the patrons and headed straight for the bar for a drink.

Despite the detour to her mother's firm, they arrived with thirty minutes to spare. It allowed Kyoko to familiarize herself with the studio. The first set took up most of the space since it was a mockup of a stage, complete with lights and sound equipment. The other set was backstage, where most of the dialogue exchange would be filmed. It included a holding area for the various artists and dressing rooms. Kyoko walked around the area, imagining Rika performing on the stage. If she closed her eyes, she could visualize the crowd's response to her and her band belting it out on stage.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the whispers of those around her invaded her mind.

It's her, isn't it? Why is she dressed like that?

Is she trying to show off for the Director already?

It must be nice to have such a famous boyfriend. Fuck the right man, and you get things handed to you on a silver platter.

I bet she can't even sing!

Oh good; I wonder what poor singer won't get credit because she's lip-synching to their voice.

Didn't you hear? She's good at karaoke.

Kyoko ground her teeth and clenched her fists in annoyance. She was naive if she thought this place would be different. How could they think I would ever try to take credit for somebody else's talent? She disliked it when people made poor assumptions about her. Her grudges stirred menacingly, wrapping themselves around the dark aura being emitted by none other than her father. He's angry for my sake. That thought of him upset dashed all her dark minions away.

Kyoko pulled on the cuff of her father's jacket sleeve to get his attention. Two pairs of golden eyes blazed at each other with determination.

Her father whispered to her, "Let them eat their words!" Kyoko smiled and gave him a small fist pump.

The assistant director noticed her standing there and came up to greet her. "Hello, are you Kyoko-san?" He asked, looking through the papers on his clipboard until he found her profile. The picture he had on file looked nothing like the girl in front of him. The only giveaway was her large caramel-colored eyes.

"Yes, pleased to meet you. I am Kyoko-san from LME. This is my father and acting manager Morimoto-san," Kyoko introduced, dipping into a formal bow beside her father. The assistant chuckled lightly, having glimpsed the politeness of the girl despite her rebellious attire. He had heard rumors of her impeccable manners and professionalism; it was shocking to see for himself from one so young in the business.

"Please call me Dai. I am the director's assistant. If you follow me, I will show you to your dressing room for the next two days. I hope it will meet your standards."

"Thank you, Dai-san," Kyoko responded with a bow and followed the man down a hallway at the back of the studio to a door with her name in bold letters.

"The door over is Ruriko-chan's room. The plan is to get you situated with hair, makeup, and wardrobe before we go into script reading. You're a bit early, and I'm ashamed to admit that the Director is not here yet. Thank you on behalf of the production staff for agreeing to this role and the schedule change request."

"No worries! It was easy enough to change since this was during school hours. I'm in a special program that accommodates students in showbiz."

"Great, it's good to hear that we didn't disrupt your other work. Kei-san sent us your demo, and we're very excited about your performance with Bridge Rock later. Okay. I'll let you settle in and notify the stylists and makeup artists that you're here. Oh, before I forget, if you require refreshments, there is a break room with food and beverages down the hall. We will be bringing in food for you and your manager of course. Are there any food allergies we need to be aware of?"

Kyoko and her father both shook their heads no to his allergy question and then thanked him.

Tadashi set down her electric guitar and settled into one of the white leather chairs. He sent a message to Sota requesting his help. Kyoko set her bags down and looked at the room. It was spacious compared to her trailer on Sacred Lotus. She had a whole sitting area with two leather seats and a sofa. Did they expect her to do a lot of lounging in here? Why was it so luxurious for a newbie like her? She admired the large well-lit vanity in front of the chair and gazed at her reflection. There was a changing screen in one corner and a door leading into her private restroom.

A hard rap at the door interrupted her inspection of the room. She walked to the door and opened it.

"Hello Kyoko-san, I'm Rin, the lead costume designer on this production. My assistant should be coming shortly. He's in charge of accessories." The petite woman said pushing a large clothing rack into the room. She tried not to be overwhelmed or starstruck by the natural charisma radiating off the young starlet. She could see why the other ladies on set were gossiping about her without having met the woman. Jealousy is prevalent in this industry, especially among women.

"Good morning, Rin-san. I am in your care," Kyoko said with a sweet smile and a slight bow as she held the door open for the woman.

"It's nice to meet you. When I was informed that you would be playing this role my mind erupted with costume ideas for your Rika. It's a shame we have to restrict ourselves to two outfits," she said sifting through the clothes. "I was extremely surprised to find out that you were The Setsuka Heel. Woods-san is truly a gifted artist."

Kyoko nodded vigorously in agreement. It was always wonderful to hear the praises of her Muse-sama among her peers. Ten was indeed a magical witch in the fashion industry.

The room fell into silence while Rin went through the outfits on her rack and pulled out several to hold against Kyoko. She looked at Kyoko again and frowned at her selections. "The Director had a specific style in mind for your character but now that I have you here, I like what I see. I think we can forego this plaid skirt schoolgirl look and black tutus are a definite no. I like this outfit you're wearing so let's try to stick with that.

When another knock sounded on the door, Tadashi stood to open it so the ladies could continue their work.

A foreign young man of average height and honey-colored skin stood outside, pulling two large suitcases behind him. "Hi, I'm Antonio, the assistant designer." Tadashi greeted him and helped with the cases.

"Oh good, Toni, you're here. Come and meet Kyoko-san. We're trying to decide on the outfits."

Kyoko soon felt at ease in the presence of the two designers. They made her feel comfortable with their friendly banter; it reminded her of Fuji and his team. The next half hour flew by in a blur as Kyoko became a dress-up doll for the pair. She tried on countless outfits and paired them with many different styles of shoes and jewelry. It was amazing how just a simple belt or heel height could change the overall look of one outfit. Kyoko had to pose for a Polaroid picture each time so they would have evidence of the outfit combinations and make their final choices using them.

Within that timeframe, the director appeared to greet Kyoko and left her in good hands. He had carved out the morning to perfect Rika's outward image. Towards the end of the session, the hairstylist and makeup artist came to her room to check on the progress of her wardrobe.

"We're just about done," Rin informed them. "I want to get approval from the director first. What do you think of these choices?" Rin marked the blank space at the bottom of the picture with everyone's votes, then left to see the director while Antonio cleaned up the mess and to his dismay, with Kyoko's help.

Once her outfits were decided, the ladies went to work on her hair and makeup. When Kyoko stepped out of her dressing room, her rocker chic look was polished. Smoky makeup lined her brilliant blue eyes, making them pop. They had added extensions to make her hair go from black to blue ombre which Kyoko found exciting.

"Whoa?" Ruriko said, watching Kyoko walk towards her and the director. "Sheesh, it's about time you came out of there." Kyoko smiled and greeted Ruriko.

"Geez, don't smile like that. Are you trying to kill people?" Ruriko warned, gesturing to the men in their vicinity who looked ready to melt.

"Oh, sorry!" She said, covering her mouth to giggle. Kuon had lectured her last night after another round of lovemaking on this very thing. She couldn't understand what had come over everyone at her school and the drama site. He had to spell out the effect she had on men, and maybe even some women, and drilled it into her head that she was highly desirable. She should have been annoyed by him but only found his possessiveness endearing.

"Don't do that either; that's too much moe for people to handle. No wonder that man is so in love with you."

"Kyoko-san, you turned out fantastic," the director complimented her look. "Unfortunately, we're going to break for lunch for the next half hour. Do you think you can keep it together until then?"

Kyoko nodded, "Yes, sir! I won't waste everyone's hard work."

"Good, we'll do a quick table reading of the script and then jump into filming. Refuel, ladies!"

Ruriko groaned as another lovesick sap sauntered to the table to talk to Kyoko. Kyoko engaged every one of them warmly and politely sent them on their way so she could eat her food. She would have to warn her kohai later that her welcoming behavior is how stalkers were made. The girl had already experienced one rough patch with the Morizumis; she didn't want her to experience firsthand another dark side of the industry.

The upside to sitting at the shared table with Kyoko was the presence of her father. Ruriko still found him attractive for an old guy with his refined speaking style, gorgeous smile, and sparkling gold eyes. I need to get a grip. I have to find someone, preferably my age, to pamper me.

After lunch, they sped through the table reading. Kyoko and Ruriko had good dynamics and played well off each other. Although Ruriko's character was a year older than hers in this drama, Kyoko would be the more senior person in the industry. She was supposed to offer advice on how to overcome her performance issues and get along with the rest of her girl group. That group was made up of the girls that were gossiping about her earlier. Kyoko giggled when Ruriko called them "fake bitches."

"My acting skills have significantly improved because I'm able to convince the audience that we get along as best friends. The part of the script where we aren't getting along is one hundred percent just me, no skill is required. You're still too green. You'll learn how to spot these backstabbing bitches soon enough. Well, I guess, you have experience with that already," Ruriko commented.

Kyoko nodded slowly, refraining from talking about the case.

"I never worked with that girl, thank Kami-sama, but I know others that have. Let's just say you did Japan a favor by exposing her…them. Hopefully, nepotism would be frowned upon and give the rest of the little people a chance at shining."

"Thank you, Ruriko-san."

"You have to be vigilant. There are a lot of crazies in our profession, so be careful."

"You sound like Ren."

"He's a veteran. He knows what he's talking about. I'm sure he has to deal with it daily. I bet he gets women sending him their underwear through fan mail. Gahhh! I don't envy that man, and thank goodness LME screens the mail before it's handed over."

What Ruriko said was true. The fan mail she did receive by post through the agency was usually open when it got to her. Ren confessed that he didn't deal with his fan mail at all. There was just too much. If he started with one, he would have to do them all. It was just in his nature to treat all his fans equally. He trusted the staff at LME to appease the fans.

"Okay, let's get started. Kyoko san, Rika arrives earlier than her allotted time. She stops and watches the band before walking backstage. She finds a secluded spot behind some crates after watching Ruriko and her band rehearse on stage. Ready to go, everyone?"

"Yes, sir!" They all shouted in unison and took their marks. The extras took their places throughout the set with most of them playing stagehands.

The director used his megaphone to get everyone's attention. Once he received a thumbs up from his crew, he called, "Action!"

Rika opened the door carrying her guitar over her shoulder. 'Shit, I'm early,' she muttered under her breath as she looked at the band on stage. 'They're not bad, but the singer needs more confidence. Her nerves are overshadowing her performance,' she thought while she walked towards the stage. Her eyes met those of the lead singer, so she nodded and smiled, hoping to be encouraging. The girl ignored her and stopped singing altogether. Soon the rest of the band members stopped and started grumbling. 'Oh boy, time to go. Girl fights are never pretty.'

Rika ignored the girls' bickering and went backstage to kill some time. She walked down a secluded hallway crowded with boxes and crates until she found the perfect spot. She removed her guitar and plopped down beside it. She dug in her fringe satchel for her music player and headphones. Pulling her hair out of the way, she slipped the headset over her ears and thumbed her player to find the track she wanted. Bobbing to the song, she reached for her case and opened it. Rika's eyes widened with shock, and a faint blush crept upon her cheeks.

"Cut!" The director called out. Kyoko jumped up and bowed, apologizing for her error. Rika wasn't supposed to act surprised in this scene.

"I'm so sorry, Director. I won't let it happen again."

"Is everything okay with the guitar? You looked surprised. Was it vandalized?"

"Oh no, no, no, nothing like that. I just wasn't expecting something to be inside it."

"Is it a spider? I'll have Dai-san exterminate it for you. Dai-san?! Take this and kill the thing," the director ordered, rolling up the script he held.

"No, no, no, it's not a spider. It's just um… a crane!"

"A crane?"

"Yes," Kyoko explained, reaching down and picking up the little origami crane from inside her case. "Crane, you see? Their notes of encouragement left by my bo…ugh…friend," she finished, blushing a deeper shade of red.

"Wait? Are you saying that inside that note are words of encouragement from Tsu-Tsu Tsuruga-san?" The director stammered, his body vibrating with excitement.

"Well, I'm not sure unless I open it," Kyoko replied, squirming in her leather booties. Why did I just blurt that out? I'm an actress, for crying out loud! Why didn't I just lie?

"Would you like to check? Maybe it will help you complete the scene," the director encouraged eagerly. He was beyond curious to know what kind of advice Japan's top actor gave his girlfriend.

Kyoko nervously unfolded the crane. There was a collective "aww" by those present. Nobody knew what was written on the paper, but the soft smile on her face was a dead giveaway that it was something sweet.

Your voice is so beautiful and pure; I could listen to it forever. You got this, Babe! Love you always, ~Yours

"I'm sorry," Kyoko said, bowing low in apology for getting carried away.

The wheels in the director's mind started turning. It would add some severe moe factor if Rika found such a note in her case. It would be even better if they could have Ren narrate the note with a voice overlay. The ratings for this episode would go through the roof.

"I want to add this to the scene," the director insisted.

"What?" Kyoko asked, standing straighter with surprise.

"The surprise you showed when you found the note, the smile you had when you read it. I want to capture that in this scene. It would add to why Rika is so confident when performing. Let's take a ten-minute break while I work out the logistics. Kyoko-san, please come here. Could you maybe call Tsuruga-san and ask him if he would narrate a note for us? It would be five minutes of his life if that."

The director knew he was being sly, but connections were connections. If he could get a straight answer from the man himself rather than jump through hoops with his agency, he would take advantage of it.

"Ehhhhhh?!" Kyoko was flabbergasted by his request. She didn't want to interrupt Ren's schedule, but she couldn't outright decline her superior's request.

"Please!" the director begged. "This would improve ratings tremendously."

Kyoko sighed, "It won't hurt to try." This earned her nonsense compliments from the director. She walked off the set to find her father holding her phone to text Yashiro.

Yashiro-san, I apologize for interrupting your work. Can you please have Ren call me on his next break? This is not an emergency. I need to ask his permission on something for the drama! Thank you! PS. This is not an emergency!

Before Kyoko could hand the phone over to her father and give him the details of the director's request to relay to Ren, it vibrated in her hands.

She answered quickly, "Yashiro-san, I'm sorry to disturb you."

"It's me! Is everything okay?" Her boyfriend's panicked voice filled her ear.

"I said it wasn't an emergency, didn't I?" She huffed.

"But you saying it like that makes me think it's an emergency," he whined, making Kyoko giggle.

"I swear you're so silly sometimes. Okay, let me tell you quickly so you can return to work. Your note! I found your note in my guitar case. I was in the middle of a scene and was so surprised to find it that I was NG'd."

"Oops!" he grinned on the other end of the line.

"The director was inspired and wants to include it in the scene."

"The director wants to include the note discovery in the scene?"

"Yes, but that's not all. He would like for you to voice over me reading the note in my head?" Kyoko told him in an apologetic voice.

"I'll do it!" Ren agreed without hesitation. His wish to see her reaction to one of his notes in real time would come true.

"You will? Don't you have to consult with Yashiro-san?"

"Yashiro-san just gave me the thumbs up. He's on board. Tell the Director to work out the details with him. I have one condition, though. I must provide you with a new note to read on camera."

"What? But, but, wouldn't that delay filming?"

"Maybe, but if your director is unprofessional enough to demand favors of you, I can demand this from him. I have a backup plan if it's not doable. Trust me, babe!"

"I will," Kyoko replied softly, gripping the note clutched in her hand and recalling the warm feelings it invoked when she read it.

"Your voice is so beautiful and pure, I could listen to it forever. You got this! Love you always, Yours," he whispered the note's contents into her ear. Kyoko felt steam from her overheated head as her blush deepened from her face to her neckline.

"Foul play, buster," she scolded, trying to calm her beating heart.

Ren's deep chuckle filled her ears, "I have to go, but let your director know." Kyoko hummed in acknowledgment.

"And Kyoko...I love you."

Kyaaaa! He's trying to kill me. I'll need my makeup retouched after this call.

"I love you too, see you soon!" Kyoko managed quickly and ended the call. She took a few steadying breaths to calm her racing heart before she could join the others.

AN: Hi, hi, thanks for sticking with me. I thought this was it. I'm going to fly by these last projects of theirs and whisk them off to LA...then I had 4.5K words, and I was like, well damn.

I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and for leaving the reviews. I appreciate you all!

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^