Chapter 193: Share the Moe
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, the LoveMe girls would get more panel time.
Kanae stirred at the sound of what she assumed to be the alarm clock rousing her from a deep sleep filled with wonderful dreams. Under the heavy influence of the sandman, she whimpered. Using the least amount of energy as possible, she rolled...scooted...and shimmied toward the side of the bed where the offending device sat, mocking her. She groaned into the pillow, finally close enough to feel her way to the snooze button, and collapsed back onto the bed, prepared to go back to sleep for the next ten minutes.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Kanae lifted her head with a strangled cry, her long hair knotted from sleep, draping over her face. The bedroom was too dark and eerily quiet for her wake-up time as she strained to listen for another sound. Must be the neighbors. A few seconds passed with nothing and just as her head began to drift back to her comfortable pillow the banging started anew.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kanae stumbled out of bed like a drunk person, her body moving on autopilot through the apartment. She fell once, twice like a newborn fawn trying to take its first steps, but it didn't hurt. Her landing was soft each time, but her brain was too foggy to figure out how that was possible. The incessant knocking stopped once she reached the living room. Kanae could now hear muffled voices coming from beyond the door and horror replaced her sleep-addled mind. Did they find me?
"You rude girls! What do you think you're doing at this hour?" A man scolded.
"Sorry, gramps! We're worried about our friend! She's not answering her phone," a very young female voice apologized in return.
"Gramps?! I'm only 32 years old, you rude brat!" The man yelled.
It took Kanae a few moments to place the little girl's voice, recognizing it as friendly and not one of her siblings. She moved quickly towards the door and realized she had dragged a pillow out with her. Without thinking, she cast it aside and unlocked the deadbolt to open the door.
"Maria-chan, Chiori-san, what are you two doing here?" She asked, confused by their visit.
"Finally!" Chiori exclaimed. "We thought we had to call the police to check on you." Chiori briskly pushed past Kanae to enter the apartment followed by Maria.
She gave her apologies to the neighbor and shut the door after making sure no one else was coming.
"Maria-chan was convinced we were going to find your murdered decomposing body in here," Chirori confessed. The girls kicked off their shoes and walked through the foyer only for Chiori to shout as she tumbled to the floor.
Wide awake now, Kanae rushed to flick on the light and investigate what happened to her friend.
"Are you okay?" She asked, finding Maria helping Chiori off the ground.
"Yeah, I just tripped on…" Chiori's words died on her lips when her eyes landed on the culprit that made her fall. Kanae followed her line of sight, making her face flame red, instantly. Lying in the middle of the floor by Chiori's sock feet was the pillow she had unknowingly carried out with her in her dazed state. Of course, it just had to be the one with Yashiro's sexy image printed on it.
"Oh my God!" Chiori gasped, covering her mouth. "Is that…pfft" Chiori's snort giggle made Kanae turn a deeper shade of red. "Kanae-san, you kinky girl."
"Shut up!" Kanae scowled through her embarrassment and snatched up the body pillow. She ran toward the bedroom, ignoring the ribbing from her friend. On her way there, she could hear Maria's curious questions. She wanted to race back and make sure Chiori didn't fill the young girl's mind with unnecessary information. It was easy to forget how young Maria was with how mature she behaved sometimes.
Kanae was too ashamed to face them right now and shoved the bane of her existence into the closet. Frowning, she switched on the light in the dim-lit room and flicked her eyes toward the clock, shocked when it read 06:03.
Forgetting her embarrassment, she rushed back outside and found her friends in the kitchen making coffee and cooking.
"What's going on? What are you guys doing here so early?" She asked, a little annoyed that they were making themselves at home after an unannounced visit. They had grown used to each other's presence since Kyoko and Yashiro were overseas, but this level of intrusion was too much for Kanae on a good day.
"She doesn't know," Maria replied, nibbling on her bottom lip. Kanae's brows scrunched in confusion.
"Did something happen to Kyoko?" Or Yuki? Kanae demanded, impatiently.
Chiori sighed at her distress. "They're fine," her LoveMe sister replied as if knowing Kanae was thinking of Yashiro as well.
"Grandfather assured me that they weren't hurt, except the news said Cedric Bennett got shot and is in the hospital. Did you know him? He was Onee-sama's co-star in The Sacred Lotus."
"What? How did that happen?" Kanae's eyes bulged out of their sockets, remembering the American actor. Her time in Los Angeles was very sheltered. Knowing she was vulnerable in a foreign city, she never went exploring alone and focused mainly on work.
"It was all over the news when it happened. How did you miss it?" Chiori asked, staring at her friend in wonderment.
"You know I don't pay attention to that stuff when I'm working," Kanae replied defensively.
"Do you want to get cleaned up first before we show you? " Chiori suggested while Maria pulled out a mini laptop from her book bag. "It's a long story and we can have breakfast ready."
"Fine," Kanae grumbled and left them to get ready. She would feel more in control if she was clean and dressed. After taking the quickest shower of her life by foregoing shaving and washing her hair, she threw on a pair of slim jeans and a jade-colored tunic sweater. Not bothering with makeup, she threw her hair into a messy bun. Once she was ready, she walked over to her side of the bed looking for her phone and found the charger empty.
"Not this again," she muttered, searching the room for the phone. Her frustrated cries must have attracted the attention of her friends because they came knocking on the door and caught her crawling on the floor to look under the bed.
"I can't find my phone," Kanae groaned, getting off the ground. She probably missed so many important messages and calls because of its misplacement. The thought of Yashiro or Kyoko needing her while she was too busy sleeping didn't sit well with her. It was so unlike her to be irresponsible with her things.
"We'll help. Where did you have it last?" Chiori asked, glancing around the room.
Kanae searched her photographic memory bank. She had come home with the roses and pillow Yashiro had sent and then messaged him. He didn't return it right away which meant he was busy so she decided to hop in the bath. Exhausted, she had crawled into bed intending to catch up on missed messages from the day, but the comfort of her new pillow lulled her to sleep.
"In here, last night. I was going to browse it before bed, but…" her words trailed off. Walking toward the side of the bed she pulled back the covers and lifted pillows.
"I'll call it," Maria offered, pulling out her phone and making the call. The vibrating sound of Kanae's phone ringing on silent mode barely registered as it went to voicemail. After another attempt, they found her phone wedged between the mattress and headboard. She quickly made up the bed and headed to the living room to eat with her friends.
"By the way, where is Yoshimoto-san?" Kanae wondered about the missing manager as she scrolled through her phone, noticing the many messages she had were from Chiori and Maria blowing up her phone during the day and into the middle of the night.
"At home. Ruto-san brought us here. He's downstairs waiting to take Maria to school and Yoshimoto-san will pick us up so we can head over to LME together," Chiori answered between bites of her scrambled eggs.
"Did you guys get any sleep?" Kanae eyed them as she took a bite of the fruit they cubed up. At least they knew her well enough to get her food preferences right. She asked scrolling past their messages to find a few from Yashiro beyond the one he sent her after she had thanked him for the gifts. There was also one from Kyoko that made her feel guilty for missing it.
"A little," Maria confessed, pulling her attention from the screen. "I needed to know what was going on. Onee-sama and Ren-sama didn't answer my email like they promised me," the little girl pouted.
Kanae hummed and put down her phone. She decided to respond to their messages after she had more answers. "Are you guys going to tell me what happened? I forgot my phone here and didn't need it for work. I've been keeping myself busy while Yuki's gone."
"That would explain the radio silence," Maria said, exchanging looks with Chiori.
"Missing your four-eyed lover boy are we? Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room in the shape of a long, rectangular, fluffy pillow?"
"Oh, shut up!" Kanae groaned, her cheeks heating up again. "Yuki sent it to me yesterday."
"I bet it was the best present you ever received, hmm?" Chiori waggled her eyebrows.
"Are you guys going to tell me what happened or did you just wake me up for no reason?"
"Fine, Maria-chan, show her the video."
Maria tapped a couple of keys on the laptop sitting in front of them on the coffee table and the video of Cedric on stage came on. They were quiet as they listened to his speech. Kanae covered her mouth in shock at what he was essentially telling the world. Holy cow! Is this for real?
"So that happened in Los Angeles Saturday night at a Charity event hosted by the beautiful and talented Mr. and Mrs. Kuu Hizuri to bring awareness to bullying."
"Whoa...is this real?" Kanae couldn't believe that an actor of his caliber would air his dark past like that. A confession like that could ruin his career.
"It really happened, but people are speculating that it was a publicity stunt...but then he got shot that same night. " Chiori commented while Maria clicked to play on another video.
"That's Tsuruga!" Kanae screeched when she identified the looming figure standing with Kuu Hizuri and a petite woman with long wavy hair and a blue flowy dress. "Is that Kyoko?!" She shouted, studying the screen. Kanae listened as the reporter narrated what was going on in the scene, identifying Kuu and her friends talking to police officers after Cedric was attacked.
After the video, Marie clicked an open window that contained highlights of the Charity event. Right smack dab in the front was a picture of the Hizuris, Ren, Kyoko, her boyfriend, looking extremely debonair in his tuxedo, standing next to a beautiful busty angel. In this image, Kanae could see that the petite woman in the video was indeed her friend wearing an elaborate costume. Judging by her makeup, Kyoko had to be some sort of sea nymph. It suited her. If she was being honest, Kanae couldn't take her eyes off her boyfriend and the blonde standing beside him.
"We'll give him a welcome home surprise when he gets back," Maria threatened, making the girls laugh.
"There's no need for that Maria-chan, but I appreciate it," Kanae smiled at the little girl, pushing away the tinge of jealousy she felt for the blonde woman with her man and best friend. She had to be someone close to be in their picture.
"If you change your mind, I have a very realistic-looking pitviper I've been wanting to use," Maria announced, rubbing her palms eagerly.
"You'll be my go-to girl," Kanae promised with a wink.
"Okay, I obviously missed a lot. So wha—" Kanae began but was interrupted by Chiori.
"Ooh, ooh, do you have cable?" Chiori exclaimed, glancing at her watch and pointing to the TV. "There's supposed to be a big announcement about Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san. Everyone has been talking about it on social media. Some gossip rag said they had a big scoop."
Kanae stood to get the remote and turned it on. The television had remained off since Yashiro left and was still on the entertainment news channel he always watched before work. Her heart ached, thinking about how much she missed him and his morning routine. He was so ingrained in her life now, she felt his absence especially at night while trying to sleep. Last night was the first best sleep she had since Yashiro has been
They had caught it just in time to watch the morning program.
"Good morning, Tokyo. As everyone is aware, our darling couple, Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san, are currently in Hollywood for fashion week. Which we had the wonderful opportunity of covering the couple's catwalk for R'Mandy in extensive detail and now we bring you a recap on yesterday's tragic events. The footage shared on social media puts our couple at the scene where our honorary Japanese member, Cedric Bennett, was shot. Unfortunately, there have been no new updates on the actor. Sources say he is still in a coma," the male host excitedly reported.
Kanae listened as the hostess began covering the charity event and used the same group image Maria had shown earlier first.
"We have a few new pictures that were provided by Hizuri-sama's publicist," the hostess shrieked. Because this was the entertainment channel, they had to spend a significant amount of time on their outfits. They gushed over Kyoko and Julie's costumes. Unfortunately for the mean, aside from ogling them in their swoon-worthy tuxedos, there wasn't much to talk about. They spent several minutes commenting on the closeness of the young Japanese couple to Hollywood's royal couple.
"Was Hizuri-sama that friendly with you, Kanae-san?" Chiori frowned staring at the screen and listening to the hosts gush about Kuu's generosity to his fellow Japanese.
"I wouldn't know. I met him by chance and he was gushing about Kyoko the whole time until his agent dragged him away," Kanae answered, then proceeded to finish her breakfast.
"I see. Kyoko-san deserves to have him as a mentor," Chiori commented. "We have to work hard too."
"Tell me about it," Kanae sighed. Kyoko was getting a lot of recognition for being Kuu's protégé. Kanae couldn't fault her or be jealous of her friend's success. After all, prosperity in this business depended on a person's skill (which Kyoko had in spades) and connections.
"Wait! Wasn't there supposed to be an announcement," Chiori protested as the host changed topics to discuss another actor.
"I'm on it," Maria declared, taking control of her computer. She searched for the tabloid that had been boasting since yesterday and couldn't find anything. Maybe they got the gossip column wrong. "I'll check the fansites. There are always reliable sources in there."
LotusLover1: I can't believe there's still no update on Bennett-san. I think it's selfish of his family to not tell his fans what's going on.
KyoRenFan1: Are you fucking serious? They owe you nothing. Give them some privacy.
LostusLover1: Whatever! *rolling eyes emoji* We're emotionally invested in him. It would be the decent thing to do so we could stop worrying.
LotusLover2: I think he's dead and they aren't telling anybody.
LotusLover1: Ugh! Shut up, you jerk. He's not dead!
LotusLover2: Sheesh! What is your obsession with him? Show some loyalty to Ren-sama. Bennett-san was bad news and a bully. I bet he was responsible for those rumors about our idol. As if our Kyoko-san would ever be interested in him when she had a God like Ren-sama all to herself.
LotusLover1: He's a reformed bad boy that deserves a second chance.
KyokRenFan2: I wonder how Kyoko-san feels about him now. She used to be bullied at her last school. This has to put a strain on their friendship.
KyokoMyGoddess: I'll break his legs if he bullied my Goddess! He got her and Tsuruga mixed up in trouble. If anything would have happened to her, he would wish that bullet killed him...just saying.
KyoRenFan3: Whoa, easy with the violence. The man is fighting for his life. Kyoko-san would be ashamed of you right now.
KyokoMyGoddess: You're right! Sorry! My Goddess is not only beautiful, but she is also benevolent too. She would never wish harm on others.
Pfft! If this person only knew about the many ways Kyoko used to try to curse Fuwa. Their image of her would be shattered, Kanae thought
Kanae was starting to get annoyed as they returned to bickering. "Cut in and ask someone," she instructed Maria. The little girl expertly maneuvered through the site and began typing away.
VoodooPrincess1224: Does anyone know when or where I can find that announcement of our OTP? The one everyone was talking about yesterday.
KyoRenFan2: I'm interested to know too. It was supposed to be out first thing this morning, and all of the magazines at the convenience store covered Bennett-san's story instead.
RogueSpetre01: VoodooPrincess1224: I heard it was canceled. The Bennett story took priority.
VoodooPrincess1224: Thank you! *heart emoji*
"That's weird," Maria muttered. "What time is it in California? Is it okay to call?"
"It should be in the afternoon over there," Kanae replied and dialed Yashiro first, thinking he would be with Kyoko. If she couldn't reach him, then she would try her luck with Kyoko. The phone rang and rang until she reached his voicemail. While she left her message, two simultaneous pings echoed in the room. Maria and Chiori snatched up their phones to open the notification that just came through. Before Kanae could ask them about it, her phone began to ring.
"It's Yuki!" Kanae yelped and answered the call.
"Kanae, sorry I missed your call." She instantly relaxed at the sound of his voice and warmth settled over her.
"Oh my goodness!" "Holy mother!" Maria and Chiori exclaimed in unison both girls gushing over their phones.
"Who is that?" Yashiro questioned. "Are you already at work? Is this a bad time?"
"No, no, I'm home. Maria-chan and Chiori-san came to check on me this morning. I forgot my phone yesterday, then last night I fell asleep without responding to their messages so they were worried."
"Oh, thank goodness you have such reliable friends. You made me very worried too. If you didn't answer this morning I was going to give our address to your brother."
"You wouldn't dare," Kanae gasped.
"I would if it meant you were safe."
"We would have to move if you did that. I'm just growing used to living here," Kanae blushed.
"Ew! Stop flirting in front of Maria-chan," Chiori joked, covering Maria's ears.
Maria wasn't paying attention to anything they were saying, since her face was glued to the phone screen.
"What is she looking at?" Kanae nodded to Maria.
"Oh just your bestie having a baby with her future hubby," Chiori shrugged.
"What?!" Kanae screamed. Chiori began laughing and showed her the picture on her phone. The image was of Kyoko and Ren looking cozy holding a baby between them. The caption below read, Our adorable little co-star, Jase...Should we keep him? Yes? No?... j/k
"Goodness, Chiori! You can't say inappropriate things like that. People would misunderstand."
"Ask him about the big announcement?" Chiori prodded, ignoring the reprimand.
"Hold on, I'll put him on speaker." Kanae tapped her screen and said, "Yuki can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I'm here. Good morning, ladies. I hope everyone is doing well," he greeted with Maria and Chiori responding in kind.
"Yashiro-san, are Onee-sama and Ren-sama thinking about having a baby?" Maria blurted innocently.
"Maria!" Kanae exclaimed.
"I wish, Maria-chan," Yashiro replied with a chuckle.
"Oh," Maria responded a little disappointed. Kanae saw a flash of sadness in the little girl's bright eyes that she couldn't quite understand. It was only a second so she could have imagined it.
"I take it you saw the new post. Isn't it wonderful," Yuki gushed, his fangirl switch flipped on. "They did an MV here and baby Jase played a small role as their son. You should have seen them together. If I didn't know them, I would have thought they were a beautiful happy family."
"Yuki, don't encourage it! They are way too young to be thinking about having children regardless of how blissfully in love they are with each other."
"Kanae-san," Chiori called to get their attention. "The site is blowing up. I think they're going to break the internet again with the influx of reactions." Kanae glanced at the post that was racking up "loves'' and comments like there was no tomorrow. Some fans were going rabid, demanding a baby between the couple while others begged to know what they were working on in L.A. that warranted such an adorably tiny co-star and if they were ever coming home.
"Kyaaaa!" Yashiro squealed. "I knew this would be just what we needed to change the tide."
Remembering the point of her call, Kanae asked, "What do you mean? Is everyone okay? The news was very disturbing."
"Everyone is okay on our end just a little shaken up. The doctors said Bennett-san is going to make a full recovery, so that's a relief."
"We're glad to hear that. Could we talk to Kyoko for a minute?" Kanae asked.
"I'm sorry, she's currently inside the hospital visiting Bennett-san. I came out to make some work calls," he informed her.
"And that picture was work-related?" She asked, jokingly.
"Of course, all part of my master plan to boost fan morale and share the moe with my fellow RenKyo shippers," Yashiro responded proudly. Kanae laughed and shook her head.
"Well, I think it was a brilliant idea, Yashiro-san, and there are thousands of fans that would agree with me," Maria said applauding his kind gesture.
"Wow! It's only been a few minutes too," Yashiro commented.
"Yashiro-san, do you know anything about an announcement that was supposed to be made today about Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san in one of the tabloids."
There was a pregnant pause on his end of the line before he spoke. "I wasn't aware of any announcement."
"So aside from the obvious, nothing scandalous happened out there."
"Nope, nothing," he squeaked. Kanae exchanged looks with her friends and nodded. He was hiding something.
"Okay, we have to start cleaning up. Could you have Kyoko call when she's available?"
"Will do. You ladies have a wonderful day."
They said their goodbyes to the manager. As soon as Kanae hung up the phone, the girls were on her. They threw around theories of what the announcement could have been while they cleaned up the mess from breakfast. By the time Maria was picked up, the consensus between them was to make their missing friend confess. They were counting Kanae to extract the truth from Kyoko.
...
"Mooookoooo-saaaaaan," Kyoko screeched when Kanae's face came into view of her screen. The car jerked making the tires squeal on the pavement as Clint cursed and fought to straighten the car back on the road. It was followed by the usual fanfare of annoyed drivers blaring their car horns and colorful language that never failed to include a death threat or two. She was starting to get acclimated to the situation.
"Ms. Kyoko, please don't scream like a banshee again. All the training in the world didn't prepare me for the sound you just made."
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Clint. I won't do it again," Kyoko promised and bowed her head repeatedly.
"Thank you," Clint answered and went back to
"Mo!" Kanae sighed and shook her head. "L.A. traffic is the worse. You always have to stay alert or you could get into an accident."
"Moko-san, you really care," Kyoko's eyes misted.
"Don't be stupid, of course, I'd be worried. Like, let's say my best friend was involved somehow in a gang-related shooting. What were you thinking? You could have been hurt or killed."
Kyoko beamed as Kanae went on her usual rant, not at all disturbed by her friend's outburst. Kanae was just the kind of person that expressed her love by being abrasive. Kyoko couldn't ask for a more perfectly imperfect best friend.
"Thank you, Moko. I missed you very much too," Kyoko smiled.
Kanae huffed exasperatedly at her but soon lost the scowl.
"Mo, I'm glad you're okay. I can't talk right now. Chiori-san is already waiting for me at our next assignment, but this conversation is not over. We're talking later when we have a break."
"Okay, my schedule is open until this evening. Call me when you can. Give Chiori-san and Maria-chan, my best."
"Alright take care and stay out of trouble. All three of you, you hear me. Japan wants you all back in one piece."
The guys laughed and thanked her. After they hung up, Kyoko settled back into her boyfriend and stared out the window, watching the cars go by.
"Do you feel better after seeing your best friend?" Ren asked, tucking her in closer to his side.
"Mmmhmm," Kyoko sighed in contentment. Yashiro's worry for his girlfriend had made Kyoko worry too when they didn't hear from her best friend. It was such a relief to see her as lively as ever and back to scolding her.
Traffic wasn't so bad, they dropped Yashiro at the hotel to pick up the car. The plan was for him to follow us to the Hizuri home. As she mentioned earlier, they rolled up to the grandiose driveway only a few minutes after 3 pm.
"I wonder who's here," Ren said, nervously looking over the unknown cars sitting in the driveway. "That one looks like it could be Damian's."
"Ooh, maybe Tina's here. You guys could make up! Come on!" She cried excitedly, tugging him out of the SUV.
Outside the vehicle, Kyoko heard the distinct music of a Mariachi band playing. It sounded like they were having a party. The music grew louder as they rounded the corner of the garage that would bring them to the front walk.
"There you are!" Julie shouted, pushing through the glass door. She was dressed in a red one-piece swimsuit with a long chiffon kimono-style coverup and a large sombrero on her head. Kyoko didn't have time to contemplate her outfit when Julie engulfed her in a tight hug. "You guys didn't tell me your MV included an adorable baby. I need a little more warning before you overload me with so much cuteness It's been tugging on my heartstrings since that picture was posted. Was that your doing, Yukihito?"
"I'm just spreading the moe," Yashiro grinned.
Julie laughed, "Moe indeed. How was it? Did you like holding the baby?" Julie gushed, directing her question to Ren. Kyoko knew where her questions were heading. If Julie and Kuu had their way, they wouldn't mind being grandparents right now.
"It was definitely an enlightening experience, Ms. Julie," Ren responded, smoothly. Julie's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the formal use of her name. Her shrewd gaze flicked beyond him, finally noticing the pair of bodyguards bringing up the rear.
"Hello, please come in," she greeted them with a dazzling smile. "Thank you for protecting them, today," she said raising her hand for a shake.
"You're welcome, Mrs. Hizuri," Clint answered, shaking her hand.
"Please call me, Julie, and you are?"
"Clint and this is my partner Nicole."
"Badass!" Julie praised, giving Nicole a high-five. Kyoko thought it was cute the way the bodyguard flushed from the compliment.
"We just wanted to make sure they got to the door and we'll be out of your hair. Miles and Tucker will be on rotation this evening to accompany Ren and Kyoko to their party."
"Wait! You guys are off the clock now, aren't you?" Julie asked, confusing their security detail.
Clint shook his head in ascent at her question.
"Good! Stay, eat, drink, relax. We're having a little going away party for these three!"
"You are!" The Japanese exclaimed with surprise.
"We are! Come on, everybody's waiting," Julie told them as they walked into the house. Kyoko rubbed Ren's back to ease the tension that consumed him at the mention of "everybody." The strong aroma of spices and peppers was the first thing Kyoko noticed upon entering. To Kyoko's dismay, Julie bypassed the kitchen and headed straight for the outdoor patio. They found Kuu holding a beer standing next to an unknown man cooking tortillas on the outdoor griddle. Sitting at the table were Tina, Damian, and their newly hired American lawyer, Timothy Moore.
AN: Hiya, lovelies! Thanks for sticking with me. I've been waiting for like twenty chapters for the LoveMe girls to finally wake up in Japan...LOL. Their scene turned out longer than I expected, so I hope you guys enjoyed it!
Thank you for always reading and for the reviews of the last chapter. I HEART you all!
Until next time, ja ne! ^_^