Whew, I was making a list and realized that I've already mentioned something about most of the contestants (which is a cast of 30 peeps). Kay, glad I did that. Either way, in case you didn't notice, this story is heavy with OCs. Sorry, but there is really no plausible reason for other Skip Beat characters to be here save for wish fulfillment… which is kind of the point of this story so I guess I could have done that. Oh well.

Breakfast took place in one of the smaller dining areas. While obviously meant to be a casual area where contestants could sit and enjoy themselves between the events of the show, there were still a few cameras hovering around in case of drama. None of them were pointed at Kyoko who sat along at one of the square tables, munching on her breakfast as she reviewed her notes.

Due to the number of men she'd crossed off the list after yesterdays gossip round, she'd decided to start fresh. To only cross off those she knew with absolute certainty she did not want to marry. After a quick search in her room, she'd found another pamphlet with pictures and information about each of the contestants on the show. It had helped a little, at least, until Kyoko had read her own short bio.

Hi, I'm Mogami Kyoko, and I'm excited to be here on Crimson Threads. I'm fun-loving, warm and energetic with a soft spot for puppies. I may seem hard to approach, but that's because I'm very nervous to be here on the show. Being an actress, you'd think I'd be used to the cameras, but there's something about the added aspect of opening my heart to love that puts me on edge. Nevertheless, I'm here to find that special someone to fill the space in my life and I won't settle for anything less than true love. I look forward to meeting you all as well as my future husband.

Who the hell wrote this garbage? She sounded like some desperate cat lady sprucing up her online dating profile. In retaliation, Kyoko pulled out a thick permanent marker and scrubbed at the bio until nothing could be seen.

Kyoko grimaced at the list of men staring at her. She didn't trust any of their bios after reading her own. It had made things both easier and harder. Trusting the notes, she'd added her own descriptions in the empty spaces between text to assist her research.

Someone laughed behind her, then she felt a small tug on her head. Kyoko swatted at her hair, staring up at the laughing expression of Daichi. He looked awake. Dressed in a V-neck and hair swept playfully to one side, he was definitely a morning person. Huh. Just like her.

"You've got some fantastic bed-head this morning," said Daichi, taking a seat beside her. "I think half of it's sticking up."

"Is it?" said Kyoko, patting at her hair. She'd passed out with it wet last night. "I thought I'd fixed it."

"Apparently not."

Kyoko smoothed her bangs, only to see part of it stick up from the corner of her eye. Drat!

She struggled with the hair for a few more moments before Sakura appeared. The woman was easy to spot in the small crowd of people, standing taller than most of the men in the room. She'd let her hair down, giving her a sweet casual look complete with a yellow sundress. Daichi let out a low whistle, which Kyoko thought was appropriate, even if slightly annoying.

"That's a fine babe right there," said Daichi, giving a stupid smile in Sakura's direction. The woman spotted Kyoko, a hand hiding a laugh her eyes blatantly showed.

"Kyoko-san, your hair," said Sakura. "What, did you sleep on it wet or something?"

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess. It suits your personality though. Here." Sakura took a comb from her bag, gently pulling it through Kyoko's hair. Daichi cleared his throat, gaining their attention.

"Oh, this is Kiyota Daichi," said Kyoko, introducing the two. "And this is Tanegawa Sakura."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Daichi, doing that stupid grin that he did. It looked more like a leer. Sakura just took it in stride.

"Nice to meet you as well," she said, inclining her head as she continued with Kyoko's hair. "You can just call me Sakura though. There, all done."

"Thanks," said Kyoko. She frowned as she watched Sakura replace the brush in her bag. Her every move seemed delicate and purposeful. Like a spring flower. "You're really feminine Sakura-san. I could learn a few things from you." That's what men wanted, right? A feminine wife.

"I agree," said Daichi eagerly. "Well, about the feminine part. Not about you Kyoko-san learning things from Sakura-san, though she is really cute. Just, you're fine the way you are. Don't change Kyoko-san."

Sakura paused, looking between them with expectant puppy eyes. "You think I'm feminine?" said Sakura. "Not… a delinquent? Because of my height?"

"Your height is cool!" said Daichi. "Super killer. Like a model. I wouldn't be surprised if you were one. Is that where you two met? On set or something?"

Sakura answered with a smile, though it was strained at the edges. She was obviously experiencing what Kyoko had the first-time meeting Daichi. Annoyance. He really needed to stop trying so hard.

"I see you're working on the list again," said Sakura, pointedly changing the subject. "Any changes?"

"Not really," said Kyoko sighing as she flipped through the pamphlet. "This is all but useless considering how terrible my own bio is."

"Didn't you write your own?"

"Nope. I think the assistant director wrote mine. She has it out for me."

Curious at what they were talking about, Daichi craned his neck to see the pamphlet.

"You've marked out men?" he said in disbelief. "That's… kind of terrible. Seems like something I would do- Wait! Why am I marked out?"

"Because I'm not marrying you," said Kyoko. Had he already forgotten that discussion? "I've marked out those that I shouldn't waste time with, such as people – like you – who are here to find true love or already have someone in mind. The women went over the men last night so I was able to eliminate a few."

"Did you really?" said Daichi, rubbing his chin as he looked at the list. "We kind of did the same thing. Don't worry though, I said suuuper nice things about you Kyoko-san." He winked at her. "Though admittedly, a part of me wanted to say nothing, then I could have you all to myself. Can you imagine, Kyoko-sama, famous actress as my wife? Are you sure you don't want to marry me?"

"Yes, Daichi-san, I'm sure," said Kyoko flatly, adding another note to her pamphlet.

"Wait," said Sakura slowly, looking between Kyoko and Daichi. "So, when you said someone proposed to you yesterday… famous actress? You said you're an actress, but I don't recognize you. Have you been in a movie, Kyoko-san?"

It was Daichi-san that answered, and with so much enthusiasm that Kyoko's face turned redder with each second. Okay, so she'd been in a few things, but Daichi was making it sound like she was world famous or something. It wasn't that big a deal. Unfortunately, his excitement bled over to Sakura, whose eyes were sparkling by the time Daichi was done.

"That's so cool" squealed Sakura. "I saw a few clips of Natsu's bullying but I would never have guessed that Kyoko-san played her. That's crazy. Where's my camera? I want to take a picture with us together."

With a common topic (Kyoko) the two hit it off great, twittering away like a pair of birds. Maybe they would get along just fine. Kyoko smiled as Sakura ushered them all together to take a group selfie with her phone. The woman's sweet attitude really was infectious.

"We look so cute," said Sakura happily, scrolling through her photos. "I'll send it to you once we get back online. Ugh, being cut off is so difficult. I miss my internet."

Kyoko honestly hadn't noticed, but now that Sakura mentioned it, she hadn't received any texts or emails since arriving here. The show probably isolated them so info about the show didn't leave prematurely.

As they posed for one more picture. Daichi pitched forward just as the camera went off.

"Photobomb!" giggled a hyper voice. "What are you all doing? Ohhh, Kyoko-san, your list has gotten even stranger." Eri, the red-headed fireball picked up Kyoko's pamphlet, bracelets jingling as she smacked it with a hand. "I see you've marked off Daich-kun. And so shamelessly as well. Too bad Daichi-kun."

Kyoko snatched the pamphlet from Eri. "What's wrong with being pragmatic?" said Kyoko folding her arms in defense. "We don't have much time, and this is my future. I can't be too well prepared."

"Uh huh. Sure," said Eri with disinterest. She had moved on from Kyoko, now eyeing Sakura. Eri stalked forward, somehow making the much taller Sakura look small as Eri bore down on her. "And who are you? Another woman with bad taste in friends? Though, you are sticking with these weirdos, so you can't be anyone with good sense." Poor Sakura looked stuck, unsure what to do as she floundered from Eri's attack.

With two fingers, Kyoko tugged on the backside of Eri-chan's collar, easily pulling her backward away from Sakura.

"Please be more careful with your words, Eri-san," said Kyoko. "You are being rude to my friends."

Eri managed to slap Kyoko's hand away. "Don't touch me. Geeze, what is your problem?"

"My problem is your attitude," said Kyoko. "Sakura-san has done nothing to you to deserve such rude treatment, and neither have I. Apologize for your words right now."

"Wha- why would I?"

"You were being rude, Eri-chan," said Daichi suddenly. "You should apologize."

Eri backed away, attention fixed solely on Daichi as her face flushed. Her bottom lip trembled as she sputtered. "Why do you always take their side, idiot!" She fled from the room.

That had been interesting. In less than a minute the woman had come and trashed their good atmosphere. Kyoko wasn't even that mad. She'd just been trying to help Sakura.

"Sorry about her," said Daichi, evidently embarrassed. "She's always picking on me and anyone I hang out with."

"Does she?" said Sakura, though with a level of significance that implied she understood something. She hummed as she scrolled through her phone, then her eyes flickered to something behind Kyoko. She smiled widely. "I think you have an admirer, Kyoko-san."

"What?" Kyoko turned her head.

"Ah, there you are."

Every hair on Kyoko's body stood up. She was greeted by today's version of Ren's nerd self. His hair was a complete mess, no longer restrained by a cap. He'd traded yesterday's shirt for a today's product placement logo and wore what looked like yesterday's baggy jeans. Even with those glasses, she could feel his stare boring into her.

Shocked as she was by his sudden appearance, she didn't react quickly enough to stop him from snatching her pamphlet off the table.

"Hey!" said Kyoko, jumping forward to take it back. Her insides writhed at the thought of him reading those notes. Why was she always showing him her embarrassing side? Her efforts proved useless as he barely had to hold it at eye level to keep her from taking it, even with that stoop. Japanese people weren't supposed to be this tall!

"It seems you've made something interesting, Mogami-san," said Ren. "But why am I crossed out?"

"A-are you kidding?" puffed Kyoko, deflated now that he'd seen the worst part. She just wanted to curl up and die. "You're… you're you! Just look at who you are. I could never marry you."

Silence met her words. Everyone was staring at her.

"Umm, Kyoko-san, isn't that a bit rude?" said Daichi, giving an awkward chuckle.

"How is it rude?" said Kyoko. She motioned to the nerd, wishing to impress upon them the magnitude of her words. "He is completely unattainable to someone like me. Paring us together, a well-known actor with a newbie would be an insult to Japan. No, to society. The laws of nature must remain balanced lest with our irrationality and hasty actions we threaten the fall of order itself."

"What does nature have to do with this?" said Daichi, looking very confused and a little concerned.

"Everything!"

It was what kept her sane. Tethered to the ground of reality. The second she indulged in such impossibilities was the day she was swept away and lost to her own fantasies. And boy, did she not want to go through the pain of crashing back down to earth again. Just the few tentative gliding steps she'd taken had caused more painful slips and falls than her months staying firmly rooted to the ground.

Neither of her new friends looked convinced. In fact, they looked really confused. How hard was it to comprehend that Tsuruga Ren was completely inaccessible to her?

"That… actually hurts," said Ren.

Ren's shoulders slumped, head falling forward as he gave every indication of a highly disappointed individual. Freaking… this was horrible for Kyoko's now hammering heart. All she wanted to do was reach forward and stroke his silky hair and tell him how wrong she was for saying such mean things and—No! She would be strong. She would be—

"Just what are you using to measure someone's worth?" continued Ren. "And don't say something like awards or recognition, because you should know better than to think those are things that matter. I knew you were upset at me, but I didn't think you were so upset to put me in the category of celebrity icon like the rest of the world. The distance hurts Mogami-san. I'm human, not some intangible object of people's fantasies. I thought our relationship was something more than that."

"But… it's true," said Kyoko, her gaze on her wringing hands. She had to put that distance. For her heart's sake. "Marrying someone like you… It's not possible."

"Why? Because I'm perfect?"

Kyoko couldn't help it. She gave a snort just thinking about some of his trip ups during acting or how childish he could be at times. Plus his terrible habit of bullying and scolding her. No, Ren was far from perfect. But in the end…

"I can't measure up to you, even in the things that matter," said Kyoko, finally facing him with unwavering determination. "You're you. And you're…" Incredible? Impossibly talented? Freaking gorgeous and mature and wonderful? Only one thing really mattered. That he loved someone else.

The scrape of chair legs against tile snapped her from her spiral of self-pity. Ren had taken a seat at their table, politely starting a conversation with the other two. Dang freaking—

"You can't sit here!" said Kyoko, jumping to her feet.

"I can't?" said Ren. Oh no. He used those eyes! The kicked puppy eyes that looked a single nudge from breaking.

"Kyoko-san, you shouldn't be so rude to Ren-san," said Sakura with more patience than scolding. She lowered her voice, leaning toward Kyoko. "You know how shy he is with people. The poor guys worked up the courage to speak with someone famous like you. And after you scolded Eri, I hate to say it, but it's really mean."

Kyoko considered flipping the table. She really did. Her hands were prepped on the edge and everything, muscling acing for her to splatter her breakfast all over Ren's stupid persona. Shy person? Ha! Remove those glasses and let the world see just how 'shy' this manipulative actor really was.

She quelled her inner demons, mumbling an apology and sinking farther into her seat. Fine. She'd be civil. As long as no one mentioned marriage.

"So, Ren-san," said Daichi, sipping his drink. "Do you have your eye on anyone yet?"

Daichi suddenly choked on his drink. It hadn't been an accident. It was a calculated risk, but Kyoko decided to permanently set one of her grudges on Daichi. As Ren scrambled for some napkins (scattering dozens across the floor in his haste) he mumbled something about 'yeah' and 'too scared to say anything.'

Kyoko really didn't like the way Ren's eyes softened when he said that. Or that they slid in her direction. As if it had anything to be scared about.

"You shouldn't be scared," said Daichi, having recovered from his fit. "Don't you know women like confidence? Be bold. Tell her how you feel."

"Not so fast," chimed in Sakura. "Confidence and arrogance are two different things and speaking too early can scare a girl off. I can't tell you how off-putting it is for a woman when a man tells her he loves her and her feelings haven't gotten there yet. Makes things super awkward."

Ren nodded dutifully to their instruction. Kyoko hoped this wouldn't become a regular thing.

She was saved by the high-pitched whine of a microphone. Heads turned to the front of the room where the food had been set out. Ryou stood with a wireless mic in hand, smiling at each of them.

Kyoko knew where this was going. A quick sweep of the room confirmed her theory. More cameras. Assistants holding bulking items. Oh hell. Maria was here as well, wearing her tailored black suit and everything.

"Sorry to interrupt what I'm sure is an exciting first breakfast," said Ryou. "But we at Crimson Threads enjoy keeping you all on your toes. That's why this morning, we decided to play a little game for those here. And I must apologize to the veterans, but this game is for our new birds only. Now, if the woman could come over here and the men over here…"

People stood, moved and talked excitedly about the new game. What sort of madness did they have planned this morning? Kyoko didn't care. Happy to leave the table and get away from Ren, she hurried away. Sakura quickly caught up, slowing before they arrived at the front. She looked troubled.

"What's up?" said Kyoko. "Are you nervous again?"

"No, not that," she hurried to reassure, biting her lip. "What was up with your thing against Ren-san? Do you hate him that much? Especially with that thing about a newbie pairing with a well-known actress… do you actually think you're above us all?"

Her mouth was set, but her arms dangled at her side as if she was unsure what to do with them.

Kyoko pressed her hand against her forehead, willing the sudden headache to disappear. She'd just comprehended what that sentence would look like to an outsider.

"I wasn't talking about him," said Kyoko. "I'm the newbie actor. He's the veteran. He's so much better than I am. I won't say anything because I think he wants it to stay a secret, but I'm trusting you with this much. He is not who he appears to be."

Sakura's mouth formed an 'O'.

"That… makes a lot more sense," she said. "Sorry, I was just… scared that you were actually, um, a snob." She looked embarrassed. "I've seen enough of this show to know that mean women can hide really well, and I was afraid that you might be one of them. Oh. That sounded really rude. I'm so sorry Kyoko-san. You must think I'm awful."

"No, it makes sense," said Kyoko, smiling to reassure Sakura. "I mean, I'm in the entertainment industry. Brats are normal there, but I'm really happy to be your friend."

Sakura giggled. "I'm happy too, but I don't agree with you. He isn't 'better' than you, though he really is a nice guy. I wonder who he really is if not Ren-san?"

A gong like a warning bell went off in Kyoko's head

…No.

Wait.

That was an actual gong.

Maria stood by the instrument holding a mallet as she waved it at her and Sakura.

"Come on you two, everyone's waiting," she scolded. Kyoko really did not like the glint in the Chibi-devil's eyes.

They took their spots at the end of the line, standing again for everyone to see. Looked like all six of the new women were present. She spotted Eri at the end of the line, glaring openly at Kyoko. Eri turned her nose away when their eyes met. All six of the new men were stationed on the other side. Kyoko waited as the assistants hooked up a mic to her shirt and gave her what looked like a hand-held buzzer. The women were giggling again.

"Alright everyone," said Ryou, rubbing his hands together, "Here is the first challenge to win a prize but let me explain the rules first. Since we have so many new faces and everyone is trying to get to know each other, we decided to play a little game to test your memory."

A screen showing the logo of Crimson Threads rolled up behind him. Kyoko could guess where this was going based off last night's gossip session. At a gesture from Ryou, the screen changed to show thirty head shots spaced evenly apart. Kyoko spotted herself in the group.

"We are going to play a Name Game," said Ryou. "We are going to show a picture of one of the participants and you buzz in if you think you know their name. Be wary though. Getting the wrong name will make you lose a point, and you don't want that. Because the prize tonight is getting to chose who you spend your first date with."

I'm winning this challenge, thought Kyoko. Her spirit burned with a passion that others could probably see based on their sudden shocked expressions.

"Don't worry," continued Ryou as he looked at those who seemed disappointed. "Even if you don't win, doing well is a good thing. Because you will get to pick in descending order who you go on a date with. Second place will pick second. Third place will pick third. And so it goes."

"That's… kind of horrible," said Sakura, color draining from her face. "What if you don't get picked by anyone? You're the one singled out as undesirable."

Glasses-san, who was standing by Sakura again, let out a snort. "We don't have to worry about that," she said. "We get to pick no matter what. It's the other veterans that should be worried."

Kyoko tuned them out, concentrating on the screen. The threat from Ren echoed in her head.

I'm going to win, then on our date, we're going to have a long conversation.

I'm going to win…

Over her dead body!

"It's a good thing I studied that pamphlet so hard," said Kyoko, smiling at the screen. "I'm sure to win this."

"Did you?" said Sakura. "Did you study the women's names as well?"

Kyoko's smile slid to the floor.

Oh hell.

Sure enough, the first picture to appear on the screen was a female. Fate must have decided to be nice to her because she recognized the mole under the woman's left eye. It was the woman who had led the gossip session last night. Kyoko clicked her buzzer so hard it was a miracle it didn't break.

Alas, it was not meant to be. One of the other women had pressed their buzzer as Kyoko floundered to remember the name.

"Kimura Kichi?" said the woman.

"Yoooou're right!" said Ryou happily. "A point to you, though, you won't be able to see the points. It will make things more exciting, don't you think?"

Not if you paid attention. Kyoko already had mental zeros below each of the participants save the now lucky first answer. She refused to back down.

The next picture was of a male. Kyoko mashed her buzzer. Yet again, she was too late. Gosh freaking… and she knew that one! All of the men in fact. This should be easy for her to win. Unless… she didn't wait to remember their names. Yes. When she saw it was a male she'd mash the button and get the right answer. The plan was perfect

A buzzer went off. During her thinking, they'd moved on to the next contestant. It was Ren who answered.

"Tanegawa Sakura," answered Ren, fumbling over the words. But Kyoko could see the cocky grin directed at her. Shoot, and he'd gotten an easy one too!

"Aw, even I wasn't fast enough for that one," laughed Sakura beside her. "That would have been an easy point."

Which was why Kyoko couldn't afford any more mistakes. The next person popped onto the screen. She saw the flash of a suit and pressed her buzzer.

"Kyoko-san," said Ryou. "You're up to answer."

"Otsuka Yoshio," said Kyoko, breathless.

"You're right!"

Kyoko beamed as a bell singled her correct answer. She had this in the bag! She sent a triumphant smirk in Ren's direction. Ha! See, it wouldn't be that easy for him to win.

"Ren-san, your answer."

"Yura Narita."

"That's correct!"

Shoot, she needed to get her head back in the game. Kyoko threw herself into the moment, thumb twitching over the button in anticipation. Anytime she saw a male she pounded it. She got it about half the time. The other half, someone else would win. Unfortunately, she was lost for most of the women, and Ren seemed to be doing just fine.

Everyone was watching her and Ren at this point. Even without keeping score, it was clear they had the most points. They were currently neck and neck with eight points each. She pounded the buzzer and happily answered the latest face.

"Kiyota Daichi," she answered happily, and in her euphoria, she sent Daichi a wink. The man erupted into a blush, forgetting his buzzer to tug on the sleeve of the person standing next to him.

Now it was nine to eight. Only two pictures left, one male and one female. If Kyoko just got one of them right she'd win by default. Ren wouldn't be able to catch up.

Ryou was still talking, going on about their rivalry, looking at the camera to amp up the hype. She knew how this worked. Everyone was jittery and the viewers would be bouncing their knees in anticipation. It gave her time to blow out a breath she knew she'd been holding. She could do this.

"Alright, and now for the second to last question," said Ryou.

Kyoko slammed her thumb against the button before the image finished loading. The name rose to the tip of her tongue before it got stuck. All her excitement came crashing down as she stared at the bespectacled picture of Tsuruga Ren on the screen.

"Kyoko-san," said Ryou. "It's your turn. What's this participant's name?"

Oh freaking of all the living hell! She should have seen this coming. His picture had yet to appear, and now here it was, staring at her in all its nerd glory. The lights felt hot and she could feel herself sweating under their scrutiny.

It's just a name Kyoko, it's fine. It doesn't mean anything if you say it. Who the heck am I kidding, I can't speak his first name so informally!

Kyoko swallowed.

"Can… can I spell it?" she said.

Ryou blinked at her, looking stunned.

"You're supposed to say it," he said. "Do you not know his name?"

"No, I do, I just don't want to say it," said Kyoko.

"Why not?"

"I'll be cursed if I do."

The room was buzzing. People muttered to their friends or outright laughed at her. She didn't care. All she cared about was the heat rising to her face under the scrutiny of the participant in question from across the room.

A buzzing sound suddenly went off

"Sorry, but time's run out," said Ryou sympathetically. "Which means you lose a point."

Oh hell.

"Sakura-san. You were the next to buzz in. What is his name?"

"Ren-san," said Sakura, sending Kyoko a sympathetic look. "I don't think he gave us his family name."

"He did not. You win a point!"

Ryou continued on about the last question coming up. Kyoko was inwardly panicking. They were now tied. Even if neither of them answered her fate was likely determined by a coin flip. Like hell she would let that happen. She knew better than to let fate screw her over. She slammed her thumb for the last time on the buzzer just as the last picture came up.

It was one of the female participants. She had a short nose, large eyes and small pursed lips that looked like they were getting ready for a kiss. Her dark hair gathered on the top of her head where it was topped with an extravagant pink bow.

"Kyoko-san, what is this participants name?" said Ryou.

Kyoko licked her lips.

"B-bow-san."

Everyone stared at her.

From the audience, Bow-san herself gave a loud giggle, her sweet voice carrying easily through the silence.

"How did you know my nick-name?" she said, fluttering her eyes at Kyoko.

"…I'm really observant."

Ryou scratched his head. "Well, everyone here does call her Bow-san, so I guess it counts? Maybe?"

"Oh, just give it to her," said Bow-san, waving a hand at the host. "It's not wrong, and I like her. She's funny."

The group muttered in assent, their smiles lighting up the room.

"Alright, then we have a winner!" said Ryou. "With a whopping nine points, Mogami Kyoko-san blows through the first challenge!"

Everyone applauded. Kyoko just blinked. She'd won?... She'd won!

The meaning of that bled into her and she grinned as she soaked up the applause. Yes! She'd taken her first step in making sure Ren didn't win a date with her.

"Now, pick who you wish to go on a date with," said Ryou, sweeping his hand over the audience. "I forgot to mention, but you can only pick from the veterans. So you can't pick any of the men you just played against and visa versa."

…So, in the end it hadn't mattered.

Kyoko wanted to throw her buzzer against the wall.

Thanks for reading!

I hope everyone is still enjoying this fun adventure. Make sure to leave a comment about what you liked or if you have any game/date/prize ideas. I have several, but I'm always up for hearing new ones. A big thank you to those who have left comments. I think I thanked everyone... If I didn't I'm sorry for being a horrible human being, but I promise I love you and appreciate your comments. *hug*

Look forward to the next part! This story is a ton of fun to write.

-Blushweaver