Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now.
Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)
Rated Teen for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes.
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Catch Me If You Can
By: Swanna
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Chapter 4: The Reunion
"This is it - LME Agency," Kyoko muttered under her breath as she looked up at the tall company building that stood proudly before her.
To be honest, she was expecting the thief to be a founder of a company of some sort but definitely not an owner of a remarkable building that rose ten floors over a beautiful garden-like setting nearby. There were many other neighboring commercial buildings and shops located on the same bustling street but they all paled in comparison to this massive structure ahead of Kyoko.
"Compose yourself, Kyoko! This is not the time to be impressed by your enemy's territory," she declared angrily with a mental shake and dismounted her bicycle with one swift swing of her leg. "You are here to retrieve your pocket watch and you are not leaving the premises until you get it back at all costs!"
Ever since yesterday's morning, Kyoko had started showing high anxiety throughout her day job. At night she was losing her appetite and sleep, unable to enjoy anything and this was all thanks to the wealthy freak who had stolen her precious keepsake for some unknown reason!
But she knew she would soon find out his ulterior motive for luring her to his domain, and if he dared to try anything funny then she would…
Crap! I was so consumed by anger that I'd completely forgotten to come up with a backup plan in case things go south! What should I do?!
Kyoko began pacing at the building's entranceway while rubbing her chin, mulling over a promising escape plan and agonizing over the possibility of carrying it out in the face of danger. In the end she failed to come up with an achievable course of action and decided to still go along with the meeting and be done with it.
It would probably be one of the stupidest decisions that she had ever made, almost like a hare walking into the fox's den to become his feast willingly. At this point she was really left with no other choice but to move forward as the pocket watch was too important to her to let go.
That's right, I will scream at top of my lungs and make a run for it if anything happens! As long as I stay in public areas, no one is going to try anything and I will be fine.
Somewhat more confident, Kyoko braced herself and entered the building through one of the dual glass doors.
She was pleasantly amazed by the sight before her the moment she set foot inside. The ten story high lobby ceiling created an open space infused with natural sunlight through the transparent glass, there were designer sofas for visitors to rest, and the marble flooring, columns and receptionist counters all integrated seamlessly in the design. If Kyoko had found the exterior of this building impressive, then the interior design was certainly jaw-dropping.
As Kyoko was preoccupied with her admiration of the building's layout, she unknowingly walked into a passing individual. The straps of her white open tote bag slipped off her right shoulder from the impact and it dropped to the floor, a few of her personal items were once again scattered around.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" The man shouted angrily as he stormed off towards the exit before she even had the opportunity to give him a proper apology.
With a dejected sigh, she kneeled down to gather her belongings and mumbled to herself, "That's it. I'm buying myself a new bag with zippers on my next paycheck. My luck couldn't get any worse…"
Once again, she wouldn't have been in this troublesome situation if it wasn't because of that freak! The more she thought about it, the more her fury rose. Kyoko needed to get this over with quickly so she could get back to her life before this whole ordeal had happened!
With a renewed determination, she quickened her pace and hastily threw everything in front of her back into her bag. As she turned around to make sure she hadn't left any objects behind, she saw a man crouching next to her with the gold business card in his hand.
"That's mine, thanks," she hurriedly grabbed the card from the man's hand without sparing a glance at his face and rushed towards the front desk.
She slammed the gold business card on the counter harder than she had meant to. If the receptionist was bothered by it then she did one hell of a job hiding her reaction.
"Tell this Lory Takarada guy to come out and see me immediately!"
The brown-haired woman paused for two seconds while giving Kyoko a dirty look. "Your name?"
"Kyoko."
She clicked her tongue in irritation and asked again. "Your full name."
Kyoko hesitated. She figured it wouldn't be wise of her to state her full legal name as Kyoko Misonoi in case there would be an off-chance that it would somehow get traced back to her. No matter how unlikely it was, she refused to risk letting Murasame find her whereabouts.
"Kyoko…" she was almost reluctant to use her mother's maiden name. "Kyoko Mogami. Just tell him to come out right now! He stole something very valuable and irreplaceable from me! So you go and tell him that he better not try to avoid me because I will go to the police and report him if I must!"
Kyoko watched as the receptionist dialed a number on a console, waited for the line to be answered and said, "President, a girl who claims the name Kyoko Mogami is at the receptionist desk requesting your presence."
The woman listened for second and said, "Yes, President."
She hung up and turned her attention to Kyoko again. "The President will be down in a moment or two."
Kyoko's eyes were already locked on the elevators as one of the doors glided open and her target finally showed up.
Today he was dressed in a black silk velvet doublet with heavy gold bullion embroidery and brass embellishments, with a pair of matching black wool pants. For some reason his current appearance reminded her of the character, Romeo from the tragic play. One thing Kyoko was certain of though; he would definitely meet the same fate as Romeo if he refused to return her pocket watch today.
"Kyoko! I've been waiting for you the entire morning," he said with an idiotic grin plastered on his face as he walked towards her, spreading his arms out wide. Was this freak seriously asking for a hug?!
"YOU!" Kyoko rushed up to him in rage, pointing her finger at his chest as she scolded him. "You said that if I met you here today you would return my pocket watch! I'm here now so give it back!"
"Rest assured, I will return your watch but there is something that I'd like to speak to you about in private first. Why don't we continue our conversation up in my office?"
At last, the fox was trying to lure the hare out of its protected area so he could go in for the kill.
"Oh no, no, no. You are not going to trick me that easily, you devious beast! We are going to talk right here," Kyoko declared stubbornly, planting her feet on the ground as if she was about to be dragged away by force. "Whatever you want to talk about, just say it here! I refuse to go anywhere with you!"
"De-devious beast…?" Instead of being offended, he chuckled softly and he let out a resigned sigh. "Looks like this conversation really isn't going anywhere until I give you back your watch."
Kyoko suddenly saw a small ray of hope as she watched him retrieve something from the inside of his jacket's pocket.
"Here, I am returning this back to you," he said as he held up the watch by its chain.
A rush of pure relief washed over her as she reached for her possession. Finally the watch had returned to its rightful owner and Kyoko couldn't stop the smile from lighting up her face.
It was at that moment however that he also pulled out another identical watch, and instantly caught her attention. She was shocked to see the matching accessory while he simply continued to give her the same genial expression that he'd had the entire time. This couldn't be…Her father had once mentioned to her that the watch was custom-made and she wouldn't be able to find another one with the same design, so she was told to take really good care of it.
So then why would this man have the same watch too? Unless…
"No way…" She murmured silently, tears already welling up as she couldn't believe who was really standing before her. "Uncle Caterpillar…?"
His smile softened at the mention of the name. "I almost forgot about that nickname. It's been years since I've last seen you, Kyoko. Look at you all grown up now."
Kyoko let her tears fall freely for the first time in the past six months as they embraced. Although she had very vague childhood memories of him, she still remembered that he had been the one and only elder who had showered her with unconditional love in her early life, even though they had no blood relation.
"Uncle Caterpillar, is that really you? Please tell me so that I know I am hugging the right person."
Chuckling again, he released his arms and started wiping away her tears with his fingers. "Yes, it's me. Now let's go back up to my office first so we can catch up properly. I have many questions that I want to ask you."
Kyoko knew perfectly well the questions that he had in mind for her and she wasn't so sure that she would be comfortable to answer all of them. But at the same time she really wanted to spend more time with her Uncle Caterpillar whom she'd lost contact with since her parents' separation. She nodded in response and allowed him lead the way as they headed towards the elevator.
X X X
"This is my office, come on in and make yourself comfortable," said Lory as he held the door open for Kyoko to enter. "Can I get you anything? I have water, juice or cappuccino."
He watched her mouth gaping in silent astonishment as she glanced around, evidently fascinated by the size of the room.
"Kyoko?"
She jumped out of her trance and turned to him. "Y-yes?!"
"Why don't you have a seat over there and I will bring both of us something to drink?" he offered.
"Yes, sir!" Kyoko bowed at him and complied immediately as if she was given an order before walking towards the leather sofa. He could tell that she was becoming more nervous after her initial excitement over their unplanned reunion.
"Don't call me sir, it makes me sound old and I don't like it," he waved his hand in the air dismissively as he went to the mini liquor bar against a wall. "Just keep calling me Uncle Caterpillar like you always do."
"Please forgive my rudeness for giving you that nickname, uncle!" She bowed at him again, only it was a deeper and longer bow this time. "I was too young to know any better and it was very wrong of me for being so impolite to my elders!"
Lory arched his brows. "What's so bad about that nickname? I like it. I refuse to be called anything but Uncle Caterpillar by you."
"Bu-but…" She lifted her head and her brows were knitted together. "I don't think that's very appropriate…"
"Who said so? If I say it's fine, then it's fine," he reassured as he joined her at the seating area. Lory handed her a bottle of water while he poured himself a glass of Cognac. He patted the spot next to him on the sofa gently, motioning for Kyoko who was still standing to come over and join him.
Lory heaved a sigh as he studied the girl's face. The last time he'd seen her was when she had still been a little child with two pigtails. Seeing that the sweet child had now become a young adult certainly made him feel old.
"You really have grown, Kyoko. How long has it been since I've last seen you?"
"It has been about ten years," she replied as she sat next to him with a straight back, not touching the back of the sofa and she folded her hands quietly in her lap.
"Ten years?! Time certainly flies, doesn't it? I still recall your height was just up to my knees and look at you now, you have grown into a beautiful young woman. You really take after your mother."
Lory remembered Saena was quite a beauty and he had always teased his old friend for having good taste in women. However instead of feeling praised, Kyoko had grown quiet as though he had hit a nerve at the mention of her mother.
"How are your parents doing now?"
"They're divorced."
"I've heard…" Lory took a deep breath before he began again. "I tried contacting your father once years ago, and when I couldn't reach him I became worried and came to visit in person. When your family wasn't there, I discovered from your neighbors who own the inn next door that Kazushi had sold the property. They said that he had moved away with you shortly after your mother left the family."
Kyoko remained silent as he continued. "I tried contacting Kazushi but to no avail. I have even hired someone to search for your father's whereabouts and found out that he'd actually moved to America. But when I went to the New York address, you were both gone and there have been no further updates about your father ever since."
"Because of my father's debts, we tended to move around a lot. We never really stayed at the same place for more than six months."
"Debts?"
Kyoko paused for a moment, unsure of how much she should divulge.
"Father started gambling soon after we have moved to New York," she began slowly, trying to think of how best to explain what she was about to tell him next. "At first it was his savings from the house that we had sold back in Japan, then he went through credit cards and loans from banks. When banks would no longer approved any personal loans to him, he went to his colleagues at work and even loan sharks for money to gamble."
Lory was speechless. The Kazushi that he'd known since high school would never resort to such compulsive behavior to escape his marital failure. Even worse, he had impacted his only daughter as a result.
"Because of all the outstanding debts, he's never secured a job for long and so we have to move away frequently to avoid the debtors."
"Kazushi, you idiot!" Lory slammed his glass down on the table out of frustration. "Where is he now?! Bring me to him so I can knock some sense into him!"
"I don't know…"
Lory frowned. "What do you mean you don't know? Didn't he come back to Japan with you?"
"I came back by myself."
Lory knew he would not like the answer but he asked anyway. "How come?"
"Because…" Kyoko hesitated for a moment. "Because the debts were getting too much and to avoid father's debtors, I've decided to return to Japan for the time being."
That did it for Lory. "How could Kazushi let you come back all by yourself?! You're still too young to be on your own! What about Saena? Have you tried contacting her?"
"She wouldn't care."
"Of course she cares, Kyoko," said Lory quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "She's your mother after all. I know it's hard to forgive her for leaving you and your father but you're still a child, you need an adult to take care of you."
Kyoko looked ahead as she spoke softly, "Father left many voice messages on her cell phone but she's never answered. He even asked our neighbors to pass on our New York address to her, just in case she ever decided to return to us. Day after day, he waited for her to reach out but the only thing he ever received from her was divorce papers."
She finally looked up at Lory, her smile was sad. "So why would someone like that care about my well-being now when she hasn't made the effort in the past ten years?"
If his memories served him right, Saena was a very single-minded and purposeful woman. Nothing could ever make her change her mind once she had decided on something. He realized there were marriages that were truly unsalvageable and he could understand why she had made the choice of leaving Kazushi. But he just never expected her to have the heart to abandon her only child as a parent. That was something Lory could never relate to even if he tried.
"Kyoko…" Suddenly he felt a lump in his throat and the sting of tears in his eyes.
"Un-uncle Caterpillar?" Kyoko move closer to him, obviously panicking at the sight of him tearing up.
"It's too heartbreaking to know a child like you has to go through so much hardship because of her parents' marriage."
"It's…It's really not that bad," since there was no tissue box nearby, she started wiping his tears with the sleeve of her shirt. "It may sound bad but it's really not that bad, uncle."
"What about your father? Does he even know that you left New York and came back to Japan by yourself?"
She shook her head.
"That is unacceptable!" Lory felt a cold fury sweep through him once again. "Why don't I send people to look for your father? We should at least let him know that you are here with me so he won't get worried."
"No, don't do that!"
Lory found it suspicious that she didn't want him to look for her father. "Why not? I can also help him with his debts too."
"Th-that's exactly what he doesn't want you to do. Father doesn't want you to know about all of this and what we've been going through all these years. Think about it, there's a reason father hasn't contacted you even once since we have moved away."
He thought about it for a moment and it somewhat made sense. It explained why Kazushi had never once came to him for advice or help during his difficult times. He wasn't even aware that their marriage had been in danger until it was all too late.
"That Kazushi and his pride! He hasn't changed at all since high school." He turned back his focus to Kyoko. "But how are you managing on your own? What about school? And where are you living now?"
"I…I dropped out of high school last year," she said with the guiltiest expression on her face.
"What?! This is getting ridiculous! And Kazushi allowed you to drop out of school just like that?! How are you going to have a future without a proper education?!" Lory's fatherly nature kicked into high gear now. No child should have to suffer so much because of a parent's poor decisions.
"Well someone has to work and pay down the debts," she tried to joke with a nervous laugh.
"Where are you staying now?" he asked. "You know what, it doesn't even matter at this point. I will find you a suitable place to stay. As a matter of fact you should stay with me and my granddaughter at my villa for the time being until Kazushi comes to get you. That would also be easier for me to watch over you too."
"No, that's not-"
Lory took out his cell phone from his pants pocket. "I'm going to call my assistant, Sebastian to pick up your luggage now. Give me the address of the place that you're staying at and he will go and retrieve your belongings for you now."
Just when he was about to press the speed dial on his phone, Kyoko pounced on him and her stomach landed on his knees as she tried to wrestle the device out of his hand. He was surprised by her sudden outburst.
"Uncle Caterpillar, that's not necessary! I'm currently renting a room from this really nice old couple and they are taking care of me. They even have their own restaurant too and I work for them in the evenings! Have you heard of Darumaya? Have you been there before? The food there is quite delicious and cheap, if you haven't been there before then you really have to tr-"
"Kyoko!" He interrupted her longwinded explanation, with sternness evident in his tone.
"Y-yes?"
Sighing, Lory tried to rationalize with her in a softer voice and said, "I haven't seen you in ten years and by fate we were able to meet again. How can you expect me as your elder to not do anything for you after knowing what you have gone through all this time?"
"Uncle Caterpillar, I'm fine, really." Kyoko sat upright again and gave him a reassuring smile. "I understand that you are worried about me but I'm old enough to take care of myself now. You've always been like family to me and I am very happy that we can meet again too."
"But as your elder, I should still do something for you."
"It's really not necessary, uncle. I mean I have a steady part-time job at a fast food restaurant during the daytime. In the evenings I help out at Darumaya and the couple charge me really cheap rent, so I am financially stable."
Suddenly an idea occurred to him, and a rather clever one at that. "That's right! Why don't you come work for me here at LME instead?"
"As a secretary?"
He chuckled at her naivety. "That would be a waste. You have blossomed into a fine young woman, I shall hire you as an actress!"
"Me? An actress?" For the first time, he heard her laugh out loud. "Uncle Caterpillar, there's a limit to flattery you know, but I do appreciate the compliments."
"Beauty is what you feel about yourself and not about what you see in the mirror, Kyoko."
"That's a very inspiring quote, I will keep that in mind," she said while trying to suppress her laughter.
"A strong-willed girl with unwavering determination is rare, you are like an unpolished gem waiting to be polished; to show your inner beauty that is always shining ever so brightly and dazzling! And I will be the one to polish you and make you the most shining gem of all time!"
"Un-uncle Caterpillar…?" Suddenly she didn't find this so amusing after all.
"It has certainly been a while since I have personally promoted a talented person into a rising star. Even I am getting excited about this!"
Kyoko lifted her hand trying to get his attention, "I think we're getting a little too excited over something that is not-"
"Alright that's decided then. The first step is to enroll you in a good drama school," Lory rose from the sofa and started pacing around as he spoke.
"Uncle Cater-"
"And once you have sufficient understanding of how to act for the camera, I will have a marketing team focus solely on your big debut."
"Uncle-"
"However, I will not give you a leading role immediately as I believe all actors and actresses should start from the bottom to gain acting experience but once you've mastered-"
"UNCLE CATERPILLAR!"
Lory jumped at the unexpected shout of his name.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice but you seem to be getting overly excited on this one-sided conversation. Listen, again I really appreciate the good intentions but I'm sorry, I can't be an actress."
He wasn't sure if he heard her correctly.
"Kyoko," he began slowly, making sure she would not miss a single word of what he was about to say. "Do you even have the slightest idea of what I am offering you right now? And do you know that you are about to turn down this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will define your future, which many girls could only dream of?"
Hesitation showed on her face before she spoke again, choosing her words carefully. "I understand, but I really have no interest nor passion for acting. On top of that I can't afford to be seen on TV because of father's debtors, remember?"
"Hence I've offered to help Kazushi with his debts."
"I know but we don't want to get others involved in our family problems. We just need some time to sort everything out on our own. So please don't trouble yourself any further than you already have, Uncle Caterpillar."
Lory sighed again, and he noticed that he had been doing that a lot today. "You are way too stubborn for your own good, Kyoko. Like father, like daughter. Alright, I've heard your opinion and I respect your decision. Perhaps we will discuss this matter at another time. Do you have a cell phone, Kyoko? I would like to keep in touch with you if possible."
She smiled at him sheepishly and replied, "I'm sorry, I don't have one but you can give me your contact number so I can contact you instead."
"Good thing I planned everything in advance." He walked over to his desk and picked up the box that had been sitting on top of the table. "Here, take this."
"What is it?" Kyoko walked up to him and took the box from his hand.
"A new mobile phone. I've already added my personal cell phone number in it and I have also added yours on my phone as well. This way we can reach each other more conveniently."
She shook her head. "But that's too much, I can't take th-"
"Kyoko, you've said no to me today more than anyone I've ever met before. I will have you know that I don't like to take no for an answer," he had used his LME President's tone on her.
"I'm sorr-"
The stern look that Lory was giving her now stopped her in her mid-sentence and she decided to correct herself.
"Thank you…"
"That's a better answer. It's getting late. Shall I have Sebastian take you home?"
"No, it's fine. I rode my bike here but thank you," she answered as she placed the box into her white bag.
"Make sure you keep your phone on at all times so I can call you, okay?"
"Okay."
Lory walked her to the door and he would have seen her out. but Kyoko insisted on leaving on her own. What a stubborn child.
"It was good seeing you again, Kyoko," he said sincerely.
His heart felt heavy as he looked at her smiling face. As her elder, he hadn't been able to do much for her and he regretted not being there for her when she needed him the most.
Kyoko bowed politely and turned to leave.
"Wait Kyoko." She turned around and waited for him to finish.
"Out of curiosity, why did you give me the nickname Caterpillar?"
Her smile grew. "I honestly couldn't remember why until I saw you again. It was because of your mustache. It looked like a caterpillar on your face."
He laughed, absently rubbing his mustache. "I guess in the eyes of a child, it does look like hairy Caterpillar."
"Hence the nickname," she let out a small giggle and then looked up at him once more before stepping into the waiting elevator. "I have to go now, Uncle Caterpillar. I will talk to you again soon."
X X X
AUTHOR NOTE:
To all the readers out there who have been following this fic, I sincerely apologize for the long wait time. I know it has been six months since the last update but I've actually moved to a new place in June and there have been so much to do around our new home like furniture shopping, re-painted my bedroom (to the color blue!), and home decoration – you name it.
After we have finally settled down, I've lost my muse and motivation to write until now, and I'm very sorry! But since I'm back again, I will definitely try to update more frequently! Thank you all for your patience and understanding, hopefully I will be able to post the next chapter by next weekend (but no promises lol).
I will see you all soon, Merry Christmas to you all!