Kyoko rapped her knuckles against the door with all the frantic insistence of a hummingbird's wings. The whole hall could probably hear the distress in her knock. Even after the first five, ten and thirty seconds didn't produce the occupant - though it did produce curious looks from heads that poked out of other doors - her frequency didn't falter. She needed help. Now.
Eventually, someone approached, though it wasn't the person she wanted it to be. They pushed out of their room, half their A-line hair curled with the other half straight. She squinted at Kyoko with obvious effort.
"Oh, it's you." No-glasses-san sniffed at Kyoko with obvious disdain. "You gave me a heart attack. Who knocks like that?"
"Have you seen Sakura-san?" said Kyoko.
No-Glasses shrugged. "I don't know? Do I look like one of the staff? Go ask one of them, they're all over the place."
She slammed the door shut.
Right. It looked like Sakura was either still talking or in the shower. Or already ready and waiting in the foyer for the next dinner date event. Kyoko might have braved wandering out of the woman's hall to look except she couldn't. Not without seeming even more spastic. It was a good thing Glasses-san hadn't been wearing her glasses or she might have noticed the distinct lack of shoes on Kyoko's feet.
Disheartened, she turned to dredge back to her room when the door to Sakura's room suddenly opened. The woman wore a long dress with a burgundy gathered bodice. From her waist, it dripped to the floor fluctuating from different streaks of lavender, pink and eventually white. She'd let her hair down, gathering it to one side of her face. It gave Kyoko a good view of a long thin cable reaching up into her ear.
Sakura started, popping the headphone from her ear to wind the cord around her music player.
"Kyoko-san, you surprised me," she said with an innocent smile. "Did you knock? I'm sorry, I must not have heard it over my music."
Kyoko's eye twitched. "All is forgiven. I need your help."
Without any preamble, Kyoko grabbed Sakura's wrist and dragged her to her own room. Once inside, Sakura's mouth fell open.
"This is… um, I thought you said you needed help buying a nice dress," said Sakura. Her eyes focused on the layers of fabric strewn across Kyoko's bed. Almost every dress and outfit inside Kyoko's closet had been removed and flung without care onto the now teetering pile.
"What? Oh, that's a different problem to address at a different time." Now was not the time to get into the eccentricities of Maria Takarada. Or the number of outfits that kept appearing in Kyoko's closest. She stepped over a pile of blouses to round the side of the bed. "I need your help finding shoes."
"Shoes? You need help matching your outfit?"
"No, I need help finding a pair."
Sakura eyed the monstrous pile with obvious trepidation. It took her a second to answer, her voice strained. "What do they look like?"
"I don't care. As long as they're shoes I'll be happy to wear them."
Kyoko dropped to her stomach, shimmying under the bed for the fourth time in the last twenty minutes. After her encounter with Ren, Kyoko had hopped into the shower to restart her mind and clean the sweat from the morning date. She'd ended up in there for forty minutes, dazed and thinking of little else but the expression on Ren's face as she'd fled the hall.
Kyoko growled as her mind threated to wander back down that path. Dang, that's probably what had gotten her into this predicament in the first place. If she'd been paying attention she would have heard someone entering the room. After dressing in a plain shirt and shorts, Kyoko had started prepping for the evening's party by putting out her outfit. That's when she'd discovered that every pair of the shoes she'd brought from home – including the pair she'd worn on the date—were missing.
"I'll get you back for this Maria," muttered Kyoko, suspecting the little chibi-devil was the cause of this. "I'll sneak into your house and steal all of your Ren doll shoes. Let's see how you like it when someone does it to you."
When the catacombs of the under-bed yielded no new results, Kyoko wiggled out and smoothed down her feathered bangs. She spotted Sakura still standing where Kyoko had left her, looking at the floor as if it were lava.
"Is there something wrong?" said Kyoko.
"No, not really." She gingerly stepped through the piles of clothes, taking greater care than Kyoko had as she sifted through the mess. "How did you misplace all your shoes?"
"I didn't misplace them. They were taken."
"Oh." Her brow wrinkled. "That's scary and wow, not good at all. We need to let the director know. If someone's picking on you I'm going to have some very choice words for them."
The touch of anger in Sakura's words warmed Kyoko's heart. "It won't do any good," said Kyoko, "I'm sure it's the assistant director who did this."
Sakura's frown deepened. Whatever her thoughts were on the matter she kept to herself. She was soon distracted by something. Her face lit up as she pointed to a chair across the room. Resting on the cushion was a pair of shoes.
"What about those?" said Sakura. "Why can't you wear them?"
Kyoko gave her a flat stare.
"No," said Kyoko. "I'm not wearing those shoes. Any shoes but those."
"But, why not?"
"Are you kidding? Have you looked at them?" Kyoko snatched the pair and thrust them into Sakura's hands. The woman fumbled before getting a good look.
Pure white satin clothed the main body, the entire base coated in bedazzled gems. The detail grew around the heel into swirling patterns of woodland leaves and fabric flowers. Most extravagant of all was a pair of enormous transparent butterfly wings that sprouted from the heels and flanked the back. Kyoko was sure that with each step, the delicate appendages would flutter with ethereal beauty giving her the appearance of an enchanted fairy princess.
"They do seem a bit much," admitted Sakura. "These are the only pair you could find?"
"Unfortunately," sighed Kyoko. They only had only minutes until the event started. She didn't have time to go buy another pair or hunt Maria down.
Sakura shared in her defeat for a moment before her face lit up. "I know! You can wear one of mine." She slipped off one of her shoes and tossed it onto the ground at Kyoko. "Try it on, see if it fits."
Kyoko could have kissed the woman. She beamed as she took the shoe into her hand. "Thank you!" said Kyoko. "You have no idea how much you've saved me." She took the shoe—a simple strapped black flat—and tugged it onto her foot.
Except… it didn't fit. No matter how she jammed her foot into the straps they wouldn't yield to her bulging toes.
No, no, no! Kyoko inwardly cursed, wondering for a crazy moment if she needed to take a leaf out of the evil step-sister's book. Surely she could part ways with one toe. Or a part of her heel. People didn't look at celebrities' feet anyway.
She eventually gave up, tossing the shoe back to Sakura.
"How are you so tall and yet have such dainty feet?" said Kyoko.
Sakura gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry. They do make me pretty unstable at times. It's one of the main reasons I usually wear flats. Well, and because most men don't like the idea of their girlfriend's or dates being taller than them." Kyoko grimaced in sympathy. At her expression, Sakura horridly waved a hand. "Don't worry, it doesn't bother me anymore. I mean, I get some great shots that most photographers can only get using a chair. I don't have to bother because I am very helpfully tall."
Kyoko smiled in response to Sakura's playful tone. "Plus, you can reach all the tall cabinets," she added.
Catching on, Sakura responded. "My friends can always find me in a crowd."
"You look naturally elegant."
"If I'm in a scary situation with my friends and I scowl, they feel naturally safer."
Kyoko blinked at that one. "Seriously?"
In answer, Sakura stood and scrunched her face into an exaggerated pout. Her delicate features turned sharp as a lioness's soul seemed to take possession of her body. That, combined with the height gave a very powerful impression. It broke a second later as Kyoko burst into laughter.
"I can totally see it!" said Kyoko. "I'm bringing you with me on the next test of bravery."
Sakra's scowl disappeared as she scratched the back of her head. "Yeah… except I'm a huge scaredy-cat."
Kyoko's laughter left, her eyes now drawn back to the butterfly shoes. Sakura noticed her sudden dip in mood.
"They're very pretty shoes at least," said Sakura hopefully
"That's the problem," Kyoko said.
They were gorgeous. Beautiful. Worthy to be worn under a wedding dress as she marched down the aisle. She couldn't imagine a more beautiful pair of shoes.
Resigned, and happier than she'd like to admit even to herself, Kyoko grabbed the shoes and slipped them on.
They fit perfectly like Cinderella's glass slippers. Sure enough, as Kyoko walked, the wings fluttered and flapped with each step. By the time she'd taken a turn around the small patch of uncovered ground, she was full of flowers and magic and all sorts of happy feelings. Dang you Maria. She'd won this round.
Sakura clapped happily, her eyes sparkling as much as Kyoko's surely were. "Would you like my help finding a dress to match?"
It was very hard to concentrate as Kyoko waited with the other women. She kept glancing down at her shoes, her face slackening as she caught sight of the beautiful wings protruding from her heels. With Sakura's help, they'd managed to throw together an outfit in ten minutes, arriving just as they called for the women to gather round. None of the men were present, not that Kyoko cared. She was too happy with her shoes.
No, she should care. She needed to concentrate. She had to avoid Ren and get a husband and look at her shoes. Look at how nice they were and how well her pink knee length princess dress showed them off. Or that it matched the pattern on her illusion neckline.
Wait. What had she been thinking about before?
"Kyoko-san, this is for you."
That mystical looking worker was back. She held out a white headband, vines trailing from end to end with a single butterfly on one side. A perfect match to top her overall outfit. Kyoko stared at it, resisting its alluring pull with all her might. No. She would not let Maria manipulate her so easily no matter how beautiful all the nice things looked.
"You need to hurry," said the woman.
"Huh?" Kyoko looked around. Everyone else was already entering, Sakura at the back of the line ushering her with a hand.
Without thinking, Kyoko snatched the headband and jammed it onto her head. She met Sakura at the end, the brunette briefly flattening some stray hairs. Hime was beside her, silently ushering Kyoko and Sakura to hurry as well. With one last check over, they strode into the light behind the others.
It was much like the first night. Large stage, several rectangular tables and lavish silverware that glistened under a chandelier. The biggest difference being that only men made up the audience. The women all walked onto the stage to the accompaniment of applause. She caught Daichi's eye, the man puckering his lips to let out a loud whistle. She dipped her head in embarrassment at the chuckles it incited. Then her eyes lifted again to meet a different pair of eyes.
Ren.
His attire hadn't changed from the morning. He was still in an overlarge logo shirt. Still in a cap with messy hair. Still wearing glasses. Still staring as his eyes slowly trailed down to her feet. His smile was impossible to miss, and she swore she could see something twinkling from here. Trust a single smile from that man to undo all her confidence. She was suddenly five times more self-conscious about her shoes. He always did tease her when she went into one of her fantastical rants. He was sure to tease her over this as well.
Ryou walked the stage. He addressed the future audience through a camera as he flashed his teeth and ridiculous leisure suit. He addressed past dates, the newest engagement, future games and questioned if anyone here today would walk out with a new fiancé after tonight. He stopped at the end of the line beside Kyoko as he started his second spiel.
"Now tonight, we have an extra treat," he said. "The men will be the ones picking their dinner partners. We will first separate everyone into pairs, and then into groups of six. The men have already picked their table numbers so hold them up. There we go. We can see that they have their tokens."
The men held up their round tokens, different numbers written on them. That didn't matter to Kyoko so much as Ryou's reveal that the men would be choosing their dates. She could feel two pairs of eyes trained on her person; Dino and Ren.
While she'd initially considered pursuing Dino as a possible husband, his overt interest made her feel uncomfortable, as did his stare. She did not want to be picked by him. But if he didn't pick her, then Ren surely would. Or maybe she could catch Daichi's eye again and send him a mental command to pick her for a date.
Nope. He was too busy making eyes at some woman at the opposite end.
Hime let out a giggle, leaning toward Kyoko around Sakura.
"I'm really excited," she said. "It's always fun when they do this. The men usually have to find the ones they want to go on a date with in some way or the other."
"I wonder if your new fiancé will be able to pick you," said Sakura.
Hime pushed out her chin in pride. "He always could when he wanted to."
That…. did not bode well. If Suzuki could find Hime after only knowing her for a few weeks, then surely a man who had known Kyoko for years would have no problem. And just how were they going to do this anyway?
"To make it a little more fun," said Ryou. "We're going to play a little game to help randomize the dates. So men, I hope you were paying attention because here they go!"
Ryou waved and a curtain began to fall in front of the women. As it lowered, Kyoko had one last glance at Ren's face. His attention on her shoes.
Then it all clicked.
The shoes. Men choosing their dates. The curtain. Maria trying to put her together with Ren… Oh, shoot.
The second the curtain had completely covered the women—both top to bottom—Kyoko was ripping her shoes off her feet.
"Sakura-san, give me your shoes," said Kyoko.
"What?" said Sakura.
"You're shoes! We need to trade. It doesn't matter if they don't fit."
Obviously still confused, Sakura listened with no explanation, slipping off her straps with a flick of a finger. As they did this, Kyoko could hear Ryou on the other side of the curtain explaining what Kyoko had already figured out.
"Men, tonight you will be choosing your date based on their shoes. That's right. I hope you were paying attention to what your interest or beloved was wearing because that is your ticket to finding them. In a few seconds, these curtains will lift only revealing the feet. So ladies, if you would, please shuffle your position to give the men a little challenge."
Stupid, stupid Maria. You did this on purpose! You knew this was going to be the way they selected dates so you stole my shoes so there was no way Ren would miss me.
And it would have worked brilliantly if Kyoko hadn't made a close friend to trade shoes with. At this point Kyoko was halfway through one of Sakura's shoes, undoing the clasp as far as it would go. Her heel hung off the edge visibly, but she didn't care. Sakura was having a better time at least. Though too big, she managed only a little teetering before finding a balance. In the meantime, the other women were shuffling around, giggling as they chose a new spot.
"Hurry," whispered Sakura. She had her dress hiked up to reveal the butterfly shoes without letting her dress show. "They're lifting the curtain soon."
"I know, I've almost got—it! Yes."
Kyoko managed to secure the final strap just as the curtains moved. She quickly straightened, heart hammering as she realized how close that had been. She and Sakura hadn't even had time to change positions.
The curtain rose, revealing only their their feet. Kyoko herself couldn't see anything past the sliver of light spilling from under the curtain. On the other side, Ryou urged the men forward, instructing them to stand in front of the woman they wanted to choose. Despite the instructions to keep quiet, there was a lot of tittering among the women. It escalated when one man –either very brave or very stupid—prodded one of the woman's toes. Someone shrieked, dissolving that whole section into gleeful giggles.
Kyoko concentrated on not destroying Sakura's shoes. She dreaded taking a single step, aware her feet might destroy the delicate straps. Sakura's hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder for balance, sending Kyoko an apologetic smile. If she made it through this alive, Kyoko was going to buy Sakura five new pairs of shoes as a thank you.
Then she sensed it more than heard it. Someone stepped in front of her. They'd chosen her as their date. She could almost see the black of their shoes through the slim sliver between stage and curtain.
Please, don't let it be Ren. Anyone but Ren.
Dimly she was aware of a camera pointed right at her face. Not a good sign.
"Alright Ladies and Gentlemen," said Ryou. "I hope you're ready for the curtain to rise. And Here. We. GO!"
The curtain rose along with the voices. People cried out, laughed and exclaimed in surprise as they saw their dinner date. A few let out audible "awws" only to cover them with a polite cough. Kyoko gave no sound whatsoever. She just stared, horrified at what she saw.
"How…" she said. "I switched my shoes!"
Ren grinned, allowing the chaos of the moment to cover up his true personality. Tsuruga Ren shown through in predatorial triumph. "It was easy to guess you would do something like that," he said.
It was both humbling and flattering that he knew her so well he could predict her actions. But mostly it was inconvenient.
A groan came from her right and she finally noticed the person who stood in front of Sakura. It was Dino. The man was rubbing his face in irritation, smile strained as he looked at Kyoko.
"I thought for sure you were wearing the butterfly shoes," he said. "Wait… did you two switch?"
"Unfortunately," Kyoko muttered. She should have just kept those beautiful monsters on her feet. She could hit herself for being so stupid. Of course Tsuruga would anticipate her trying to avoid him. The best thing she could have done to avoid him was to not avoid him. If that made sense.
"I believe I have kept my end of our promise," said Ren, looking as happy as a kid stealing candy from a candy store. "The rest of tonight will be your turn to keep yours."
Kyoko had lost, and as she stood there she felt acceptance sinking in. Anticipated their talk. She'd take that hand and step toward an event that would surely send their friendship down a new road. She just wished she could see where that road led.
Could it be a good thing? Ren's expression certainly gave her reason to hope. Gave her reason to not be afraid.
Tentative, Kyoko raised her hand to take his.
"Wait just a minute everyone!" cried the host. His voice stopped Kyoko in her tracks, hand still poised to take Ren's. "I know you're all excited, but we're not quite done. Everyone say goodbye to your partner."
Goodbye?
Ren's face froze.
"Men! Take one step to the left!" said Ryou. "That new woman in front of you is your official partner for the night."
The reality took a couple seconds to sink in. When it did, Kyoko dropped her hand, face flushing as she realized how willing she had been to admit defeat. She covered her feelings with an inhuman chortle. Her lips curled into a demonic smile twisted by contradicting emotions.
"Did you hear that?" she said. "He said take a step to the left."
Kyoko's delight suddenly shorted. Something didn't feel right. Ren pulled his hand back, stuffing it into his jean's pocket.
"Next time, Mogami-san," he said, head bent.
Ren carefully took the place Dino had once occupied, his nerdy persona back in place. He gave Sakura a shy smile, bowed, and started a nice – if a tad nervous—stream of small talk.
Kyoko watched all of this with a heavy heart. That… had not felt like a victory. She opened her mouth, ready to call out to him and ask what the heck had been with that sad atmosphere. Was he that intent on speaking to her?
She was stopped as a man stepped in front of her. It had taken him a while to get there, having been at the opposite end of the line. The sight of him was the jolt she needed to recover from her confused feelings.
It was Maeda Tetsuya, the last possible man on Kyoko's spreadsheet of potential husbands. The reason for his low ranking had nothing to do with appearance, hobbies, or anything else listed on the pamphlets. It had to do with rumors, plain and simple. Known as an insufferable rude and misogynistic A-hole, Kyoko had yet to hear a single positive thing about him from the other women. Well, besides his looks.
He wore the most expensive looking suit and vest in the entire room, the cut complimenting his lean figure. Feathered short black hair parted in the center hinting at the young age. His perfect unyielding posture didn't scream inviting, and neither did his face. It was devoid of any emotion save a perpetual downward tilt of his eyebrows. He fingered his silver cufflinks, eying Kyoko's shoes with obvious disdain. No doubt he was observing the way her heels hung off the soles.
Handsome? Yes. Rich? Wildly. Yet not a single woman in this show wanted him. Kyoko wasn't that bad at seeing red flags.
Thanks for reading!
Also, for those that keep wondering "when will the next chapter drop?" First, reviews are not the place to put that. Second, as I have stated, this is last on my list of priorities. Third, I now have a twitter for these exact questions. (Blushweaver)
Poor Ren, he just can't get a break, can he? It's okay, next chapter is going to be a fun mess.
Also, to the person who said they wanted Sho to jump in… WHY WOULD YOU PUT THAT EVIL ON US!? AHHHHH!
…it's a good idea.
-Blushweaver