Chapter 218: Exchange Student
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Kuon coming clean to their friends would be a whole production.
"Onee-sama," Maria called apprehensively, looking up from her phone.
"Yes, Maria," Kyoko turned her undivided attention to the little girl while the director and the others discussed the progress of her debut film.
"Will you be free after this?"
"Yes, I was going to stop in the LoveMe room to check on Moko-san and Chiori-san," Kyoko responded. "I have a virtual meeting with my friends from school to discuss what events we will be participating in at the sports festival, but that's not until later," Kyoko explained for their benefit.
"Can I accompany you to the LoveMe room?" Maria asked, hope shining in her eyes. Kyoko smiled and agreed. She recalled how distraught Maria was the night of their sleepover because she and Kuon would be flying on an airplane across the Pacific Ocean. Because of the loss of her mother, Maria feared something similar would happen to them. Thankfully, they could keep their promise and return safely to her.
"Will you come too, umm…" Maria nibbled on her lip with a frown. She had been taking the reveal of Kuon's true identity in stride. The little he shared about his reasons appeared to be enough for the little girl to understand why he kept the secret.
The fact that Maria had caught them in such a compromising position earlier was something Kyoko planned to pretend never happened. It was why they weren't supposed to get frisky at work. Kyoko decided she would pretend it never happened if everyone else did.
"You can call me whatever makes you comfortable, Maria-chan," Kuon offered, realizing her dilemma immediately. It was sweet how attentive he was always toward her.
"Kuon-sama, Kuon-sama, Kuon-sama," Maria murmured, testing out his real name and smiling.
"Will you come with us to the LoveMe room, Kuon-sama," Maria asked, beaming that she was able to say his name without fumbling.
"How likely would it be for Kotonami-san and Amamiya-san to want to plot my demise?" Kuon's tone turned grave as he asked the serious question.
Kyoko shared a look with Maria and they both giggled, making Kuon slump into the couch. Her friends could be frightening when they wanted to be. She had no idea how the other LoveMe members would take the news.
"I think I should go and introduce myself," he nodded with conviction and took a deep steadying breath.
"Don't worry, Kirby will protect you," Maria assured him.
"Kirby?" Kyoko smiled at the little girl knowingly. Maria loved Kanae and Chiori; however, she loved her Ren-sama more. She would not tolerate anyone hurting him, even her friends.
"This is Kirby," she smiled and pulled out a large hairy spider from the folds of her dress. "I already introduced him to Fuwa-san," she confessed with a giggle.
"Please tell me he panicked," Kuon asked, inspecting the spider.
The mention of Shotaru had Kyoko's pulse racing again. Kuon didn't appear upset at the moment, but since he was an incredible actor it was often hard to judge his moods.
"He screamed and jumped," Maria answered proudly, distracting further as Kuon chuckled.
"That's my girl," Kuon beamed, high-fiving Maria. He continued to turn the spider over in his hand, fascinated by its realism.
"Which reminds me, Onee-sama, is he really going to be a part of the film?" Maria inquired.
Kyoko glanced furtively at Kuon again for a reaction. He handed the spider back to Maria and stared at her expectantly, appearing eager for the answer as well.
"The director and your grandfather seem to believe he was the best fit for the part after his audition. They did give him a few conditions before offering him the role. You might be seeing him here more often," Kyoko explained, sharing a little of what she was told earlier. She gave Maria a stern look that said under no circumstances was she to disrupt working hours.
Maria smiled mischievously and exchanged a look with Kuon. Kyoko could only shake her head at their scheming. She almost felt sorry for Shotaro once the director wrapped up the day.
"Grandpa," Maria interrupted his discussion. "Could I borrow Onee-sama and Kuon-sama? We'll be in the LoveMe room."
Lory gazed upon his granddaughter adoringly and readily agreed, motioning his head to their managers.
"Kuon," Yashiro called for his attention. He spoke to his manager quietly, nodding his head in understanding and looking at his watch. They had to be discussing the rest of his schedule today. It worried Kyoko that he would push himself too hard with so little rest to recover from jet lag.
Linh also broke from the group to exchange a few words with Kyoko. Her sterner-than-usual expression made Kyoko realize she was upset with today's revelations.
"Linh-san," Kyoko bowed to make amends. "I apologize for the surprise."
"You don't owe me an apology, but I have to ask, does your father know? I'm obliged to inform him of any major changes affecting your life," Linh admitted unapologetically.
Kyoko's eyes widened, and a warm feeling spread to her chest. She had no idea her father and Linh had such an arrangement. Any other person would have seen this controlling behavior as a bright red flag, but Kyoko only felt the love of a father who cared. It didn't bother her in the least.
"Yes, he is aware," Kyoko replied, making the corner of Linh's lips tilt. She didn't appear angry anymore.
"Then everything is fine. I have a few things I need to finish up here, but let me know if you're ready to leave before then."
"Thank you, Linh-san," Kyoko bowed. Linh returned to the discussion as Kyoko and Maria waited for Kuon.
"Are you good on time," Kyoko asked when he rejoined them.
"Yes, I just have a couple of minor things to wrap up before meeting Ten-san," he responded.
"You're changing your hair back?" Maria gasped.
"Yes, it will be easier to film Ryu," he replied by way of explanation. Kyoko squealed and vibrated with excitement. While she would miss his beautiful golden hair, she was excited for him to have long hair again.
"And the tattoo," Kyoko asked, unable to contain herself. The thought of him having the large tattoo, albeit temporary, on his back had her mind spiraling into dirty territory once again.
Kuon chuckled, shaking his head and biting his bottom lip in a way that made Kyoko hot all over. Heat burned her cheeks.
"Kuon," she hissed, chastising him while he laughed harder. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.
"Shall we go," Maria suggested, staring at them skeptically. Kyoko and Kuon nodded, taking her hand in his.
The walk to the LoveMe room had Kyoko in a bundle of nerves. If it weren't for Maria's quick thinking to keep her pet on full display, they would have been bombarded with colleagues. If a passing employee thought to get too close, Maria only had to hint in their direction with the spider, and they went scurrying off, their original plan to greet Kyoko or get close to Kuon abandoned.
"Ready?" Kyoko asked, glancing at Kuon. She paused in front of the door, giving him time to flee.
"Should I put on my glasses?" Kuon pulled the pair of spectacles out of his pocket.
"No," Kyoko gasped and snatched the glasses from his hands. She blushed as Kuon and Maria gaped at her reaction.
"S-sorry," she stammered. "I mean, there's no point, right?" She explained, attempting to cover up her embarrassment. Kyoko couldn't tell him the real reason she didn't want him wearing the glasses. She was worried seeing them on him again would conjure all the naughty visions she had earlier. It was one thing to hide it from new people around her, but her friends were incredibly intuitive. They would sniff out her odd behavior without any qualms.
"You know best," Kuon smirked, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Maria moved forward and knocked three times on the door. Kyoko and Kuon stared at her for a moment.
"What was that for?" Kyoko asked curiously.
"Just in case. I don't want a repeat of earlier. My innocent eyes can't handle such things," Maria smiled angelically at them.
Kyoko sputtered, and her face heated up while Kuon coughed into his hand, unable to hide the blush dusting his cheeks.
Maria giggled and opened the door for Kyoko to enter first. Kyoko was so embarrassed she didn't notice that the room was dark and quiet until the lights flickered on.
"Surprise!" A chorus of voices penetrated the silence. Party poppers exploded, and streamers and balloons rained down upon her.
"Welcome home," the voices shouted again.
Blinking away the sudden brightness, Kyoko couldn't believe her eyes. Streamers hung from the ceiling, balloons floated and littered the ground, and a Welcome Home banner hung across the ceiling. It took her a moment to realize that she had just walked into a party. A surprise party to be precise, hosted by her friends.
"Mooooookkkkooo-san," Kyoko screeched, launching herself at her unsuspecting best friend.
"Mo! Mo!" Kanae panicked, desperately trying to pry herself out of Kyoko's death grip.
Kyoko heard laughter and cheers mixed in with Kanae's pleas for help, but it didn't stop her from getting her fill of her best friend. She had missed her.
"Who's the foreign exchange student?" Chiori asked curiously, bursting through Kyoko's happy bubble. Kyoko's attack on Kanae ended abruptly, remembering Kuon was behind her. After reluctantly peeling herself away from her best friend, Kyoko turned to assess her boyfriend's mood.
She squeaked. They had a larger audience than expected. She had been too focused on Kanae to realize that the Ishibashi brothers and Koga were a part of the welcome committee that was now circulating Kuon like he was some endangered species to be gawked at. Kuon stood his ground and let them have their fill, amusement sparking in his green eyes.
"Did you trade Tsuruga-kun in for an American model?" Koga asked, rubbing his chin and narrowing his eyes. It was like he was on the cusp of trying to figure something out. Did he recognize Ren? It amazed her how people couldn't tell it was him.
At the mention of his alter ego, Kuon glanced at Kyoko, grinning mischievously. At that moment, Kuon's expression reminded her of the naughty fairy character, Puck, she had once read about for an English lesson. As her eyes narrowed, she thought her fairy prince would be perfect for such a role. He looked so pleased with himself.
"Who is this Tsuruga?" Kuon asked in perfect Japanese with a teasing smile. Kyoko choked while everyone in the room was impressed by his fluency in the language and complimented him.
Without waiting for an answer to his question, he introduced himself, "My name is Hizuri Kuon."
"Oh, you're Japanese," Hikaru replied.
"Well, my father is half-Japanese," Kuon clarified.
"No wonder you're so tall," Hikaru grumbled. The singer's height had always been a sore sport for him.
"Why does your surname sound familiar? Any relation to Hizuri Kuu?" Koga contemplated, continuing to observe Kuon shrewdly.
"He's my father. He was just here several months ago," Kuon provided without hesitation. Everyone gasped, including Kyoko. She understood he was willing to come clean about his identity to her friends, but she didn't expect him to rip the band-aid off completely about his parents.
"You're serious?" Koga folded his arms skeptically. "Hizuri Kuu is your father."
Kuon nodded.
"We're sorry." "Please excuse us. We need her for a minute!" Kanae and Chiori interrupted as they pulled Kyoko outside the small room, wanting a word with her. The room wasn't big enough for privacy, but her friends didn't look pleased to see her anymore.
"What's going on," Kanae demanded as soon as the door shut behind them. "What happened to Tsuruga-san?"
"Did you guys break up?" Chiori chimed in, demanding an explanation.
"Nothing happened with Ren and no we didn't break up," Kyoko answered truthfully.
"So you and Tsuruga-san are still together," Kanae clarified.
"Well, um, I think so," Kyoko gnawed on her bottom lip thinking about her predicament with Kuon. It was the truth. She just had no idea if she was now going to be with her boyfriend Kuon or Ren. Kyoko didn't have any solid answers to tell her friends.
"What do you mean? Did you guys fight?" Kanae rubbed her temples.
"Did you fight about him?" Chiori asked, pointing her thumb at the closed door. Kyoko could hear some of the conversation and laughter from the guys coming through the door. There was some shouting, but it didn't seem out of anger. She could only imagine what mischief Kuon was up to in there.
Kyoko tilted her head, unsure about what her friends were implying. Her confusion must have scared them.
Kanae threw her hands in the air. "Oh, Kami-sama. You were too new at this. You jumped into your first relationship, head first, and now you met someone new. Someone that can rival him." Kanae's expression was filled with trepidation as she paced before Kyoko.
"Okay, okay, no need to panic. Does Tsusurga-san know about Hizuri-san?" Chiori asked, trying to calm herself and Kanae down.
"Yes, you can say they grew up together," Kyoko responded, answering in a way that didn't tell them his secret, since it wasn't hers to tell.
"Okay, that's good, right, Kanae-san?" Chiori sighed with relief.
"Maybe, but it depends on what Kyoko plans to do with her feelings. We'll help in any way we can," Kanae promised. She was still pacing in front of Kyoko with her hand on her chin, contemplating deeply.
"What do you mean?" Kyoko cocked her head, still not following the conversation.
Chiori sighed in exasperation. "What she means is, what do you plan to do about the feelings you are obviously harboring for Hizuri-san? We'll support you either way."
Kyoko flushed, finally understanding her friends' worry. She didn't realize the brief time they were in the room together had given away so much. It wasn't something she was trying to hide, considering Kuon had chosen to come clean with them. Granted, they had a larger audience now, but she had no idea if he still wanted to continue with his confession.
"I don't want to play devil's advocate here, but if you choose Hizuri-san, you must prepare for your career in Japan to be over," Kanae explained.
"The fallout will be brutal," Chiori nodded sadly.
Kyoko's mouth fell open in shock. She could see that her friends were nervous for her, and it warmed her heart to know how much they cared; however, they had it all wrong. She had to correct them before their thoughts spiraled out of control further.
"It's good that he's the son of your mentor, Hizuri-san, but you hardly know him," Kanae stated and began pacing again.
"Hizuri-san will be able to get her career back on track if she goes to America, though," Chiori cheerfully suggested to Kanae.
Kanae stopped, nodding in agreement.
Whaaaa? There was no way she would ever think of using the Hizuris for her personal gain. They had been nothing but welcoming and loving, treating her like their very own daughter during her stay. She would never take advantage of the kindness they've shown her just to boost her career.
"Umm, Moko, you see the thing about Kuon…" Kyoko began, ready to explain the relationship between her and Kuon to clear up the misunderstanding.
Kanae whirled around to face Kyoko, grabbed her hands, and interrupted, "I know I wasn't the most accepting of your relationship with Tsuruga-san initially, but he won me over. The love and care he has shown you are the stuff of, of…"
"Fairy Tales," Chiori blurted when Kanae struggled to find the right word. Kyoko's eyes were wide as saucers, trying to comprehend what her friend was saying. Her best friend had never voiced her feelings so openly before. It was shocking.
"Yes! You love that stuff, and he knows you love that stuff. He treats you like a princess. It's kind of sickening really, but you do you. Are you willing to throw away that kind of devotion? You've known this Hizuri-san for what…like a minute," Kanae ranted.
Kyoko beamed at her friend. Kuon would be pleased if he heard Kanae defending him this way. He always thought she tolerated him for her sake. Overcome with gratitude, Kyoko threw her arms around her best friend, once again attacking her with a bear hug.
"Mo, this is a serious matter," Kanae huffed in defeat.
After several seconds, the door to the LoveMe room swung open, revealing Kuon and the others.
"Is everything okay out here?" Kuon asked curiously, his gemstone eyes twinkling beneath raised eyebrows.
Kyoko pulled away from her best friend and smiled at her boyfriend. She moved closer to him and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "Did you change your mind?"
Kuon's hands instinctively wrapped around her waist to steady her against him.
"Don't worry," he kissed her forehead, making everyone gasp.
"What's going on, Kyoko-chan?" Hikaru demanded, apparently confused by their closeness. "What happened to Tsuruga-san?" Everyone nodded, agreeing with him, while Maria hid her giggles.
Kyoko blushed and tried to pull away, but Kuon held her firmly to his side.
"I was going to have a little more fun teasing all of you, but I can't allow anyone to think poorly of the woman I love," Kuon glowered. Kyoko's grudges stirred, happily basking in the dark aura emitting from her boyfriend.
His words only managed to confuse them further as they looked to Kyoko for answers.
"I planned to go public with the truth, but I thought I owed Kyoko's best friends the decency of hearing it from me first with an apology. I wasn't expecting more people to be here."
"Holy Shit! You're Tsuruga," Koga exclaimed, clapping his hands in celebration. Disbelief rippled through the others in the room.
Kuon nodded.
"Is this for a role," Kanae questioned, motioning to his appearance and waving her hands around her head. Kyoko could feel her best friend's eyes bore into her.
"I guess you could say that. I just auditioned for the part to play Kyoko's male lead in her debut film."
"You what?!" Kanae and Chiori shouted together, exchanging glances that Kyoko couldn't decipher.
"So you changed your appearance for a role," Koga nodded with approval, aware of the sacrifices needed to secure the job.
"Kyoko always said I looked younger this way. I figure I'd have a better shot at getting picked to play a third-year dressed like this," he explained. The arm still at her waist gave her a small reassuring squeeze.
"Wait," Kanae rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You've looked like this before?"
"So it's another disguise, like Cain Heel?" Shinichi clarified.
"Actually," Kuon rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Tsuruga Ren is my disguise," Kuon confessed.
It was silent for a long moment as they let his words sink in until a cacophony of shouts and expletives erupted all at once.
"What?!" "Holy Shit!" "No way!" "Are you fucking shitting me?" "You Asshole!" "Unbelievable!"
Kyoko's eyes bugged out at the suddenness of everyone speaking their surprise in English. They all started talking over one another, demanding answers.
"Oiiiii!" A loud shout from behind them quieted everyone down. Kyoko turned to find Kijima standing at the open door, exaggeratingly rubbing his ear with a pinky finger like an old man would when things were too loud.
"Why wasn't I invited to the party," he lamented, looking down at the floor and kicking confetti and balloons out of the way as he stepped into the room to close the door behind him.
"Kijima-san," Kyoko exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
Kijima turned and flashed her a charming smile which soon lost its luster when he noticed Kuon attached to her side.
"I came to welcome you home, but clearly I stumbled into something more entertaining," he frowned. Kyoko squirmed against Kuon under Kijima's disappointed stare. She never felt so little and disgusted with herself even though she was doing nothing wrong.
"Now," Kijima stepped up to Kuon menacingly. The fact that he was shorter than Kuon did not deter him. "I don't know who you are or where you came from and normally I wouldn't get involved in situations like this, but you better let her go." Kijima stabbed Kuon's chest with his index finger. "You're lucky I was the one that walked in here. Her boyfriend wouldn't appreciate the way you're holding her. In fact, I'd bet you might even lose that arm, pretty boy."
Kyoko let out a choking sound while the others in the room snickered and made various wheezing sounds to conceal their laughter. Their reactions weren't lost on Kijima, who whirled around to confront them.
"What's with you guys? Ren-san is your friend and you just let this guy disrespect him in front of you," Kijima scolded. "What's the point of having enemies with friends like you?"
"Mo, shut up. It's your fault for interrupting. You weren't invited so get out," Kanae reprimanded him, somehow managing to look down her nose at the taller actor. Kyoko nearly swooned at how regal her best friend looked, ordering Kijima around like a mere peasant.
"Kotonami-san, you wound me," Kijima pouted, clutching his heart. It was his go-to line whenever he felt slighted, and wanted to keep things lighthearted. "Surely, you don't mean those words. Koga-san is not even part of this agency, why does he get to be here?" He asked with an unbecoming pout.
"I came to welcome my friends home. The kind ladies at the reception desk escorted me here to wait and Kotonami-san and Amamiya-san were sweet enough to host me." Koga flashed him his million-dollar smile. The other LoveMe girls rolled their eyes. If given the chance they probably would have thrown him out too.
Kijima scoffed at Koga.
"Well then, who the hell are you?" Kijima asked, turning his attention back on Kuon.
"Kijima-san," Kuon acknowledged with a friendly smile.
"Why do you sound so familiar?" Kijima reared back, studying Kuon.
Kuon chuckled and shook his head. "Thanks for having my back, but if you ever so rudely imply that Kyoko could be capable of such deceit. I won't hold back."
Kyoko's grudges barely swirled, already drunk on his darkness.
The actor's eyes widened with realization. "What the fuck?" He exclaimed, covering his mouth for swearing in front of the ladies. "Sorry, ladies," he winked and received several eye rolls. "Is that you, Tsuruga?"
"It's me," Kuon admitted.
"Holy shit!" Kijima muttered in disbelief. His gaze darted to everyone in the room. "I take it there's an excellent reason for you to be dressed like that."
"We were getting to the heart of it when your big mouth walked in," Chiori scolded, glaring at Kijima.
"Easy, beautiful. I didn't mean any harm. I was just upset and confused by the situation. I'll be quiet now," he apologized."
Chiori rolled her eyes and folded her arms, not giving the playboy any more attention.
"Mo! Let him explain, please," Kanae huffed.
Kijima raised his hands defensively and moved to stand with the others while they all faced Kuon and Kyoko. "I don't know what's the big deal," he grumbled. Kanae and Chiori both shot him a death glare that shut him up completely.
"As I was saying before Kijima-san entered. Ren is my stage name. My real name is Hizuri Kuon. This is my hair color if I didn't dye it. These," he pointed to his eyes, "are my natural eye color. I wear brown lenses and dye my hair to be more Japanese."
"I'm sorry, what?" Kijima asked, stunned by the revelation. The others had the liberty of hearing his confession earlier, so they were calmer as they processed the information.
"So this whole time, you've been hiding your natural features," Kijima marveled. Kuon nodded. "But why? People would kill for this look. The ladies are going to love you even more," he groaned.
"I had my reasons. The biggest one was getting out of my father's shadow."
"So that part was true. Hizuri Kuu-san is your father," Shinichi reiterated.
"What?!" Kijima shouted, his head swiveling between the group and the couple. "Are you serious?!"
"Yes, it's true. Kuu is my father. I wanted to act. There was just too much pressure being his son, I ended up failing. But when my best friend died, I went to a very dark place, and my parents got worried. Takarada-san offered to help. A new beginning under an alias, thus Ren was born."
Kyoko could see the understanding in each of their faces. Because of their culture, they didn't press him for details about his past.
"So you've finally decided to go public with your true identity?" Koga asked.
"My trip home helped me gain some much-needed closure. I think I'm in a good place mentally to open up to the public. And I think my career is stable enough to come clean about it. Today, I look like this because I crashed Kyoko's audition. I needed to look like a high school student. Call me crazy or possessive, but there's no way I'm not going to be in her debut film. I'll take whatever part I can get."
Kanae sighed and shook her head in disbelief.
"That's creepy," Chiori blurted, covering her mouth as her cheeks blushed with her unexpected outburst. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud."
"It actually doesn't surprise me," Kijima admitted.
"Me neither," the Ishibashi brothers answered in unison.
"Same," Koga answered, nodding his head.
"So I take it you're keeping this look?" Kijima gestured, waving his hand up and down.
"Actually, no. For work purposes, it will be easier if I transition back to my darker look. I'm leaving it up to Takarada-san and the PR people to handle how I come out."
An ominous knock sounded in the room, descending them into silence as they stared at the door. Kyoko bit her lip, wondering if whoever was outside had eavesdropped on their conversation.
"It's just Yuki," Kanae explained, walking to the door and pulling it open. As mentioned, Yashiro and Linh entered the room. One manager was all smiles, while the other's expression remained impassive.
"Wow, there's a party going on in here," Yashiro turned to Kanae, giving her a look.
"It was meant to be a girls-only event, but somehow the men keep showing up," Kanae grumbled, throwing her hands up exasperatedly.
"Did you know the truth about him?" Kanae asked, pinning her boyfriend with a glare.
"I just found out last week," Yashiro smiled sheepishly, making Kuon tense beside Kyoko.
"Please don't tell me that's when you found out too," Kanae spun on Kyoko, irate on her friend's behalf.
Kyoko explained to everyone in the room that Kuon had confessed at the start of their relationship. Her answer seemed to assuage some of Kanae's anger, but she could tell her friend had more to say.
Kyoko knew the discussion wasn't over, but Kanae was willing to let it go for now. She and Chiori began to play hostess. While they had not planned to have so many guests, there were still enough sweets and drinks to share. As they ate, the topic of their time overseas consumed a majority of the discussion. They kept their questions revolving around the activities and work they did in LA. Kyoko described her experience at fashion week and even had them all in disbelief when she told them about Vlad, her bodyguard. Kuon had them rolling in laughter as he knew exactly how to imitate his father playing a member of the Russian mafia. Kyoko beamed with pride, her heart at ease watching Kuon enjoy himself.
With the discussion focused on Kyoko's experience with Kuu, Kijima appeared to have a eureka moment. "Murasame is going to be so jealous tomorrow when I tell him about this."
"Shit!" Kuon cursed under his breath. Murasame had taken their deceit as the Heel siblings pretty hard. With Kuu being his idol, he just might not forgive them so easily a second time.
AN: I'm still alive! I have been sitting on this chapter for weeks and barely found the time to clean it up. It was Leeloo's review that kicked my ass in gear to get it posted. Real life has been busy, but I'm not giving up. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
And thank you for the reviews, I appreciate all of them.
Until next time, ja ne! ^_^