Archive of Our Own

Work Text

155 AG.

Agni Kai Triad Territory. (16, 6)

The very first time he sees her, she's sobbing, utterly inconsolable.

He's out with a Beifong Police patrol at the time, because his father had wanted him to intern with the police force. The man believed it would do him good to garner a better sense of responsibility and maturity and well, Kuon couldn’t really disagree when he’d been suspended for brawling in the school corridors. The detective in charge of the patrol he's on is staking out an apartment complex for a potential drug bust, and Kuon had been commanded to check out a potential drop site, then report back.

And this is how he comes across the alley he finds her in. She's wearing rags, and is so dirty her feet look more brown than the lightly tanned color of the rest of her. She's clutching at her face, and her sobbing turns into full on wails, and Kuon realizes he's very much out of his depth.

He steps closer, keeping quiet so he doesn't startle her into fleeing, and sees a dark bruise across her cheek. A fierce anger surges through him. He shoves it down deep, and holds out a hand.

“Little one, shhh, shhh, what's the matter?” he makes his voice as soft and as comforting as he can.

She peers up at him with bright, gold eyes, from underneath a fringe of dirty, black hair, her chest heaving as she tries to speak between sobs, “My… my mom. She… Sh-She said I can't go back.”

Fresh tears run down her cheeks as her face crumples, “I’m sorry mommy!! I didn't mean to do it!!! I didn't mean it!!!!”

Kuon winces as she starts howling anew. He gets closer, and gently touches her balled up fists. The poor thing couldn't be older than six or seven.

“I don't understand. What did your mommy not like?”

“That old guy showed me how to do the candle trick, so I did it for her. I thought she’d like it, tha-that'd she’d say good job. But she just got mad!! She got so maaaad!!!!”

She reaches out blindly and Kuon tugs her closer so she can wrap her small hands around his neck. He makes more soothing noises, but his heart drops to his stomach when she just keeps crying and saying sorry.

Footsteps echo throughout the alley behind him, and Kuon whirls, pulling up blocks of earth for defense as he tucks the little girl in closer to him. She gasps, her tears suddenly stopping as she stares at him, then at the detective that’d come across them.

Ping puts up both hands, “Hey, woah, chill out there kiddo. Me and Mo just thought they’d gotten ya. What’s happenin?”

Kuon sighs, dispersing the blocks of earth. The little girl stares with her mouth hanging open, as he releases his hold on the earth and stands back up. “Found this little munchkin here. We need to help her.”

“Ah shit,” Ping groans, and rubs the back of his neck, “Alright, alright. We can end this stakeout early tonight; that’s what we were probably gonna have to do anyway. We can take her back to headquarters, see what we can find out.”

Kuon lets out a small sigh of relief, and the little girl curls her fists tight into his jacket. She shivers in the cool evening air, and curls into him tighter, her wide eyes blinking up at the pair of them. Ping offers a small smile, which at least makes his wrinkled face appear a bit more friendly. This seems to go over well, and she relaxes, one fist uncurling from his jacket collar to give Ping a wave.

“And what’s your name, munchkin? We can’t keep callin ya that anyhow.”

The girl blinks at Ping as he asks that, then says quietly, “Kyoko. I’m Kyoko. Will you take me to my mommy?”

Ping’s gaze darts between the two of them, his brow furrowing as he takes in her ragged state, and Kuon’s troubled face.

“Well, we’re Republic City’s finest. If we couldn’t help ya, that wouldn’t be our motto.”

…

155 AG.

Fuwa Family Inn and Restaurant. (16, 6)

The second time he sees her, she’s much cleaner, and she’s laughing. Her hair is even pulled back into a bun with a pretty butterfly clip, and she's wearing a matching skirt. An involuntary smile crosses Kuon’s face when he looks over at where she’s playing, in a corner of the Fuwa Restaurant where she isn't disturbing the guests. He’s distracted from watching her when Ping claps him on the shoulder as they settle in to eat their dinner.

“Thought it might perk you up to see how that little munchkin was doin. What better place to celebrate our awesome arrests of those Agni Kai Triad jackasses, than at the place of the family that took her in?”

Kuon has to agree, “Yeah, you’re right. I’ve been worried about her since that night, and this was a nice surprise.”

It

is

awesome to have finally arrested the jackasses that had been peddling the fire-poppy drugs, and seeing Kyoko way better off than when they’d first met, is icing on the cake.

“Any word of her mom though?”

Ping’s cheerful countenance darkens, “Mo searched like a madwoman, but all she found in our files were some references to Saena Mogami being called in as a lawyer for some clients. Seems she was involved in some take-downs of Terra Triad perps. That’s all Mo found... except for one other arrest report.”

Ping swigs some of his drink and then folds his arms over the table. Kuon looks over at Kyoko, then back up at the detective, “Her mom in jail?”

“Nope,” says Ping, a discomfited look crossing his face, “But seven years ago, an arrest report was filed for aggravated sexual assault. Saena Mogami was the victim.”

Kuon hisses out a shocked breath, and his gaze swings back to Kyoko. She’s now happily playing with a little boy, and appears to be making up a story by using shadow puppets. That information...that makes things a lot more difficult.

“We’re not going to be able to find her mom, are we?” asked Kuon.

“We’re trying to be optimistic, but...this is a big city. And that’s just assuming that her mother stuck around. Kyoko said she couldn’t ever go back, but we went back ourselves just to try to find her mother, and their place was empty. Just...barren. Either Mogami found work elsewhere, or she can hide really, really well. I just... knowing what I know about people in Mogami’s situation, my instincts are telling me that Mogami flew the coop. She waited just long enough...and then she moved on.”

“Spirits above,” Kuon mumbles as he watches Kyoko. He pays her more attention when a sly look crosses her face. The little boy has blown out the lamps they’d been using to do their shadow puppets, and as Kuon watches, Kyoko shakes her hands, then snaps her fingers.

The lamps flare to life again, and the little boy yelps, and scrambles away from them. The diners that had watched the display laugh, and politely clap for her efforts. The boy though, scowls and stomps off. Kuon laughs with the rest, as it was an entertaining show. But, what he finds most impressive, is Kyoko’s control over her firebending. That move must be the candle trick she’d mentioned. He knew a certain school in the outskirts of Republic City that taught that. It could be where she’d gotten it from.

When Ping speaks up again, his tone is carefully measured, “Hey, kiddo, don’t let this get you down, alright? This kind of thing happens. The Fuwas were able to take her, and she seems happy here.”

Kuon sighs, but acknowledges that Ping is most likely right, “I know...I get it. I just don’t like it.”

But what he does have, is an idea.

…

161 AG

. Republic Bay Academy for Bending. (22, 12)

The third time he sees her, he can barely recognize her. He’s visiting his father’s office at the academy, and had gotten distracted by the bending practice in the courtyard, as he typically did. The Bay Academy is famous because all forms of bending are taught within its walls. Though the Airbending Acolytes could only learn the martial forms and the spiritual aspects, it’s still a well-regarded path of the academy. Tenzin himself visits to tutor them and recruit acolytes to the Air Temple island upon their program completion.

On this particular day, Kuon and his father are discussing some of the newest pro-bending rules over lunch. This is really just a ruse for Kuu to harp on his favorite thing that bugs him about Kuon being a pro-bender, which is the fact that Kuon's team manager demands that he and his teammates have stage names.

"Dad, I promise you, Yashiro just wants us to be known for our pro-bending, and judged accordingly. It's not a slight to the Academy or the Hizuri name."

Kuu grumbles some more about upstart managers, and Kuon sighs. When the windows of Kuu’s office rattle as a fireblast goes by, Kuon and Kuu pause, blink at each other, then set down their chopsticks.

“Does that happen often?” Kuon asks.

His father sighs, “More than I would like. Damn that Toza for stuffing me next to the courtyard.”

Kuon snickers, and gets up to look out the window. As he does so, he catches sight of a group of young teenagers sparring. One lithe individual jumps into the air and flips, a plume of fire exiting from their feet as they kick out. The earthbender that’s defending has no chance, they’re far too slow, and the blast knocks the poor guy clean off his feet.

Kuon winces in sympathy. The slowness of his own earthbending reaction time is what drew him to pro-bending styles in the first place. He’s lost one too many fights to firebenders himself, to ever be satisfied with the slower, traditional earthbending styles.

Kuon watches in admiration as the group of firebenders coordinate quickly, and hem in the defenders. To his trained eye, it’s clear that the earthbending group has too little leadership to keep up with the deftness of the firebending team. When the firebenders next attack, the earthbenders go hard on the defensive in response. He

tsks

in disappointment, and is startled by his father’s chuckle.

“If you were part of that earthbending team, what would you do differently?”

Kuon ponders that for a second, internally cheering as the same lithe individual ducks a boulder, and sweeps their leg low. The resulting flames that flare out across the ground are precisely controlled, and powerful. He smiles a little as the opponents duck out of the way, yelping as they're singed.

“I’d use small, powerful jabs. They’re wasting too much energy on big boulders and big movements. The firebenders are too quick, especially that little munchkin that has those nice, controlled kicks.”

“Ah yes, that’d be that girl you recommended.”

Kuon doesn’t register the comment for a long moment, as he’s still focused on the match in the courtyard. Said munchkin had just fallen to the ground, twisting on their back to pop back up, flames incinerating chunks of earth in a protective maneuver that Kuon is honestly surprised to see in someone so young. He’s watched pro-benders pull it off in his matches before, but this is a young group, not even out of their teens.

Then the words hit him, “Wait...that munchkin, that’s Kyoko? From way back?”

He stares at his father in disbelief, but Kuu only smirks, “It sure is. You’ve a good eye, my boy. She’s never missed a day of lessons. And she often wins scholarships, so she’s never had to pay full tuition. She’s determined, that one. And a helluva hard worker.”

Kuon stares back out at the courtyard blankly, barely realizing that the match has ended. Sure, she'd left a lasting impression, as that experience had been one of the few things he'd personally been involved with, as an intern for Beifong's Police Force. After learning what he had back then, he’d recommended her to attend the academy. But other than making sure she’d actually taken the entrance exam, he'd not thought of her since. He’d just wanted to give her a place to practice - one free of judgement where she could flourish.

”Spirits above,” he mumbles, admiring.

He sees the resemblance now though, as the group passes by the window, heading down the path to the locker rooms. They're young and carefree, laughing and chatting with each other as they walk. And sure enough, there she goes, with those brilliant gold eyes, black hair pulled into a bun, with the same dainty features.

Kuu smacks his back, startling him, “What d’ya say we go spar, hm? I’ll knock ya flat on your ass, just like old times!”

Kuon is thoroughly distracted from staring out the window by this challenge.

“You’re on, old man!”

…

165 AG.

Republic City Pro-Bending Arena. (26, 16)

The first time she sees him, it’s during the Pro-Bending Championship Tournament Quarterfinals. The Fuwas had won tickets, and Kyoko had never been so excited as she'd been when they'd said she could go. They'd first offered to take Shotaro with them, but as was typical, he’d blown them off for some rally or the other.

The announcer had been spitting out the play by plays of the Golden Temple Tigerdillos versus the Bau Ling BuzzardWasps, when Kyoko had felt the people around her tense in anticipation. She's mostly ignored the announcer, trying to keep her eye on the action below, but a big dustup from the two earthbenders just then disrupts the view, and she strains to hear what's going on.

When she hears the announcer say it’s going to tiebreak for the last round, she lets out a sigh of relief. The two teams had been really evenly matched, and she'd not wanted the match to end just yet. When the dustup clears, she sees the earthbenders step onto the middle platform, and Kyoko hurtles herself to the railing in front of her seat so she can get a better view.

There’s something about that Tigerdillo earthbender, something so familiar… When the bell rings out, she keeps her eyes glued to him. The words of the announcer fade in and out as she watches.

“And Ren, in his trademark move, creates a shield of revolving discs, can Shan of the BuzzardWasps get past his defense?!”

Kyoko watches Ren fling out discs as he keeps on his toes, continuously pulling in more discs so the shield is able to maintain the coverage he wants. Kyoko studies his footwork and is reminded of the boxing style that had been part of her training when she was younger. The Bay Academy employed all sorts of martial artists and fighting instructors, so each pupil could figure out their best fighting style, and Kyoko is unused to seeing a boxing style being utilized by an earthbender.

Ren’s opponent in fact, is hurling more discs, more frequently, trying to catch him off guard. But Ren stays calm under the pressure, twisting and turning to avoid them, and it's his fantastic footwork that's slowly gaining him the upper hand. Shan tries to trip him up by pulling up earth from the platform and shoving it at Ren, instead of throwing discs. But Ren avoids that as well, and so smoothly that it looks effortless. Kyoko has never before been so jealous of someone else's skill.

“Shan is looking more and more tired, and oh would you look at that! Shan pulls off a desperate barrage that has Ren scrambling to maintain his cover!!” bellows the announcer and almost as one, the audience gasps, as they watch Ren lose disc after disc of his shield.

Quick as can be though, Ren ducks the last of Shan's barrage, and Kyoko stares in open-mouthed amazement as he narrowly pulls up and balances himself, legs spread wide in a sturdy stance. Ren pulls multiple discs from the platform from either side of himself and in one deft movement, pulls them back in tight, mimicking body armor. With a loud shout, he rapidly begins firing them towards Shan.

“Shan ducks one! Two! Three!! And heeee's off the platform!!! Shan is knocked off, unable to escape Ren's last attack! What power!!! What persistence!!! Match to the Golden Temple Tiiiigerdiiillos!!! By way of one breathtaking tiebreak, the Tigerdillos advance to the semifinals!!!!” The announcer can't seem to stop himself from listing off all their many accomplishments as the Tigerdillo team congratulate each other.

Kyoko is surrounded by a ferociously cheering crowd, children are screaming, and Kyoko finds herself chattering excitedly to the Fuwas.

“Did you see that?! Did you see that footwork?! Sifu Tenzin couldn't have done better! Oh spirits, that was fantastic!!! Did you see-?!!”

She babbles the entire way home, awed and amazed at the skill of the pro-bender named Ren of the Golden Temple Tigerdillos. She is so utterly amazed in fact, that when there's a chance to meet the Tigerdillos after their semifinal match (that obviously, they win), she jumps on it. She waits eagerly for the others to be preoccupied by their fans when they are all outside the arena for a meet and greet, so she can speak to Ren alone.

He raises an eyebrow when he catches sight of her, the rest of his features stoic. Kyoko shoots him her best smile anyway. (This was the smile that had more than once gotten her out of trouble with her teachers). When this inspires no reaction, Kyoko's enthusiasm takes a nosedive. Ever a staunch fan of pro-bending, she muscles past it, and speaks up.

“Your footwork is some of the best I've ever seen. Your quickness?! It’s so cool!!”

“Thank you for the compliment,” he replies, and begins to turn away.

She grabs at his jacket sleeve to stop him, “Seriously! Were you taught at the Republic Bay Academy?! You remind me so much of Sifu Kuu's style! Well, you're way quicker, but that stance, in the quarterfinals, with the knockout! That was totally something he would have done!”

He pauses, and looks back at her thoughtfully, “You have a good eye. Not even my team members caught that.”

Kyoko laughs, a little embarrassed as she releases his sleeve, “Ah, I like to study a lot of styles. You transition so smoothly between them, I just found it incredibly impressive.”

He shrugs, “Practice makes perfect. Pro-bending is great for it. You could always find yourself a team, if you're really so interested.”

Kyoko blinks, never having thought of that, “Really? I could?! Really?!!”

Ren's face grows amused, “Yes, really.”

“Even the Tigerdillos?!”

“Ah…” Kyoko studies him eagerly, not realizing the apprehension on his face.

“Because I would love to be on a team with you!! I'd learn so much! That'd be the best! We could-”

Ren scoffs, cutting her off, “Look, you've got great enthusiasm, you've got guts. But, please. Us Tigerdillos, we're not just playing a game here. If you want to be champions, it takes a lot of focus, a great deal of energy, and some serious commitment. Don't look to join up with us, you wouldn't suit; you're ten years too young to take this seriously.”

He walks away, and Kyoko is left standing there, staring after him. She can't remember the last time someone was so dismiss-no wait. Yes she can. This was like Shotaro all over again. Shotaro had

never

believed that she was serious about pursuing bending. He was

always

so infuriatingly dismissive.

A scowl crosses Kyoko's features as her blood boils.

Ten years too young?? Hah.

They'd see. She'd show them. She

would.

Even if it took her putting her own team together, she'd be damned if she'd let jackasses like those two dictate what she could do.

Just watch me Ren. Watch me.

He'd regret ever saying those words.

…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Tsuruga-san’s Katsuki-”“I can do it.”“I’m so glad!”Kyoko and Ren shared a relieved smile, before she turned her attention back to the boiling pot on the stove. Ren watched her as he leaned against his kitchen counter, enjoying the feeling of sweet domesticity that swept over him and made his breath catch in his throat. She was humming softly as she worked, all signs of her previous agitation long gone.On the one hand, Ren was glad that she was that comfortable in his presence. But as a hot-blooded young man (or so LME’s President had called him on occasion), he did wish for...well, any sign that she was as affected by him as he was by her. In all fairness, he at least acknowledged that he was attracted to others. Kyoko didn’t so much. With the exception of one...idiotic boy, Ren had no idea what she liked or what attracted her.His contented mood disappeared as his mind turned to Fuwa Sho. How could she have possibly liked such a jackass? They said young love was dumb, and blind, but having witnessed the fallout himself, Ren couldn't help the concerns he had over that relationship.Ren, since he'd remembered what he had about his days in Kyoto when he was younger, had begun to think that Kyoko must have been pretty isolated as a kid. Who else would return to a riverside in a forest day after day, just because they’d found a friend there? Most kids would have forgotten a couple times, at least. But they’d not missed seeing each other for even a single day back then. Ren could understand now that it must have been because the both of them had been desperately lonely.His thoughts drifted back to the present when Kyoko smiled at him and held out a couple bowls filled with food.“Dinner is served, Tsuruga-san!”He smiled back at her and they settled in to eat how they had the day before, in his living room while they watched TV. His curiosity about her, and about how her issues conflated with her trouble with Fuwa and his betrayal, didn't leave him alone all throughout dinner. How much had those issues actually affected her own perception of simple things like romance and attraction? Was that part of the Fuwa problem? Or was it something simpler?These thoughts bothered him, and bothered him, until they grated on his nerves. His mind kept going back to the moment where she’d been in his arms, despite the mantra of leave it alone, leave it alone he was forcing himself to focus on. It was beyond aggravating.But she’d never even been kissed! She was sixteen for God’s sake. How had she never been kissed? He groaned softly as he dried a dish while they stood at his sink, cleaning up after they'd eaten.“Tsu-Tsuruga-san? Is everything ok? There’s not that many dishes left, if you want to go rest up, I can finish this.”“Oh, this is no trouble. Actually, I was just remembering a silly reaction of yours from earlier, when you fell and I had to catch you. It distracted me,” he sent her one of his best smiles, and had to smother a snort at her affronted face.“But of course I'd react differently than what you're used to,” she countered gracefully, “You were acting so strangely, and being so forward. That type of behavior is inappropriate you know.”“I’m surprised to hear you say that Mogami-san. You’re a teenager in high school. Wouldn't it be more likely for you to have seen couples behave like that, rather than in a more mature and reserved manner? Or do you think it’s inappropriate for couples to show affection or attraction to each other?”Kyoko’s face flushed and Ren suddenly realized that maybe he should have stopped while he was ahead.“Of course I don’t! If people like each other, that kind of thing is fine! You’re twisting my words! Katsuki just shouldn’t have acted like that with Mizuki; it was inappropriate!”“Ah, but they do like each other. They are attracted to each other.”“You're deliberately being difficult now. They’re supposed to be more reserved is the point!”Ren bit his tongue on his first response. This was going nowhere. Clearly, a different strategy would be required.“Sure, that’s true. But your reaction shouldn’t have been what Mizuki did either. It was overdone, even melodramatic one could say. It was like you’d never even experienced attraction or something,” he baited her.Kyoko was beautiful when she was riled up, he observed, as she hurled her sponge into the sink and turned to face him directly.“You’ve no idea what she’d do! You’ve never been a teenage girl around a man she likes, or, or is attracted to! You’ve no idea how that makes us feel,” Kyoko’s breath huffed out of her in a clear sign of exasperation.Ren sat down the silverware he’d been drying, and tossed the towel onto the counter in an effort to keep his focus on the point he was trying to make.“Fine then. You’re a teenage girl. Fuwa approaches you, what do you do?” He raised an eyebrow when she just gaped at him. She sputtered for a second, before she snapped back.“That’s got nothing to do with this!”“Doesn’t it? Didn’t you like him? Weren’t you attracted?”“The point is,” she hissed, “That if he even dared to try it now, I’d spit on him if he did! That playboy!”Ren studied her for a second as her fists curled and uncurled as she tried to gather her composure.“Alright, fine. You’re in school and someone approaches you. They say you’re pretty, or that they’re attracted to you. What do you do?”“Frankly, I’d wonder if they had eyes,” Kyoko replied matter-of-factly. Ren groaned a little and pinched the bridge of his nose.He turned to face her fully, “Mogami-san, I assure you, I have eyes. You're pretty.”She let out a small scoff, and looked away back to the dishes in the sink, then said, “We're not playing Mizuki and Katsuki anymore, you don't have to waste such sweet words on me.”Ren’s sharp eyes caught her white-knuckled grip on the cup she was rinsing, and it clattered onto the countertop when she set it down. His lips curled slightly, but he quashed the satisfaction that flared within him as he noticed her departure from her typical meticulous care. Instead, he affected a more light-hearted tone of voice.“I'm well aware that we're not currently playing those silly roles. That's not how true, real-life attraction and romance works in any case.”He paused as he noticed she had stopped rinsing her dish. Aggravatingly, he found he couldn't pull his eyes away from her prettily manicured fingernails for a long moment. He loudly cleared his throat as he watched soap suds drip down her hands, and forced himself to look away.“In reality, no teacher worth their salt would ever seriously consider a romantic relationship with a teenager,” Ren said, unable to stop himself from glancing at her again from the corner of his eye. She stayed silent though, so he continued.“Isn't that the truth, Mogami-san? And even without taking into consideration the practicalities, what teenager could genuinely appeal to someone so much older than them? Makes no sense, right?”She had a ferocious scowl on her face as she stared down at the little pile of dishes in the sink. Her voice was tart when she replied, “I didn't expect you to be so close-minded Tsuruga-san, just yesterday you said-”She stopped abruptly, and tightly pressed her lips together. Ren prodded her some more; he couldn’t even stop himself at this point.“What's that Mogami-san? You don't agree? Now that's surprising. You of all people, you who’s cursed such things before, you don't agree?” Something in his tone of voice must have indicated that he wasn't being sincere in his questioning, because she shot him a nasty glare.“Tsuruga-san, as the both of us are aware that you're just poking fun at me, at least do me the respect of not being two-faced.”Oh, this was too good. She could dismiss the topic however much she liked, but she clearly cared enough about it to get riled up over his questioning. Ren perhaps should have held back some, and been a little nicer, but this was way more entertaining of a reaction than he'd ever anticipated. “Mogami-san, how did you jump to that conclusion?”She huffed, shooting him an incredulous look. “If teenagers don't appeal to those older than them, then it’s ridiculous for you to say I'm pretty and actually mean it.”“Mogami-san, I wasn't talking about us. Katsuki and Mizuki are unrealistic. I wasn't commenting on us.”Ren bit his tongue so the amusement he felt didn't betray him, when she just stared at him, speechless. He must not have been successful in hiding that, because after a moment, her eyes narrowed.“Don't think I don't know what you're doing.”He raised an eyebrow, showing blank surprise as best he could.“I've no idea what you mean, Mogami-san. I was talking of Mizuki and Katsuki, and highlighting the fact that we’re different from them. With such a comparison, surely my honesty in complimenting you is apparent.”“You’re trying to fluster me. You think what happened earlier when I fell was funny, and you want to provoke a similar reaction,” Kyoko said, her tone of voice teetering on the precipice of true fury.Ren wasn't going to have that; not if he could help it. “That would be cruelly calculating on my part. Do you truly believe I'm capable of such a thing?”There was a loaded silence.“If there’s one thing I can always trust myself to believe, it’s that men will always use women to boost their own egos,” she said curtly, turning to face him as she wiped her hands dry on her skirt.The silence between them turned icy, as Ren did his best to bite back furious words and Kyoko stared him down, daring him to object.Ren cracked first. He rolled his shoulders, trying to shrug away his anger, but that didn't really help. The fierce look on Kyoko’s face made it feel like all of his pent-up frustration might crush him under its weight, if he didn’t respond to such a bold accusation. He stepped closer to her, not able to help himself.“My ego? You think this is about my ego?” He asked her softly.Kyoko stepped back, and the first signs of unease crossed her features. Before she could scurry away, he placed his hand on the counter next to her, and leaned in. She threw him a dirty look as she realized she couldn't duck away from him, crowded as she was against the counter now.
“If this was about my ego, I wouldn’t have brought up how Katsuki and Mizuki were different. My proof, Mogami-san,” he drawled her name, mocking her typical politeness, and she flinched.“My proof that this isn’t about my ego, is that you betrayed how you felt when you let that cup clatter onto the counter.”Kyoko stiffened, and tried to pull away again, but Ren just crowded in closer, “It surprised you that I said something like that, and you tried to brush it off. But it excited you too.”“That’s your ego talking!” She snapped back. Ren smirked.“Liar.”She went to protest again, but Ren talked over her, “You know, I would have just let it go if not for that little tell of yours. Most girls are at least used to being complimented, and brushing it off if it comes from someone that’s just a co-worker, or a senpai. And I would have just let it happen too.”He paused, letting the implication fully sink in. A deep blush crawled across her face, and Ren watched with keen interest as she looked everywhere but at him. He wondered again what could possibly appeal to her, what she could possibly find attractive in another. Even as he thought this, he realized just how much his temper had gotten away from him, and shame washed over him.Kyoko stared back up at him in surprise as he stepped back away from her.“I'm so sorry. That was… I mean, well. I'm really sorry for being such an ass just now,” Ren said softly.“I...I apologize as well, Tsuruga-san. I shouldn't have overreacted,” Kyoko replied, her voice halting and unsure. Ren winced.“No, you were right to. Even though I knew you were inexperienced with this, I still acted like a jackass.”She was well within her rights to take him to task for his behavior-he deserved it in fact, but instead there was another long silence. Ren dared to glance back at her, and saw her clutching at her skirt hem, her fists curled tight as she scowled at the floor.“Inexperienced? Well excuuuuse me for having other priorities,” she muttered darkly.It was such an honest reaction, Ren couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped him. She transferred her scowl to him, and he held up his hands in an apologetic fashion.“No really, I’m very sorry. Even when I tell you you’re pretty, and mean it, you’ve every right to handle that as you like. I shouldn’t judge.”She blinked at him, her scowl disappearing, then wetted her lips nervously.“Tsuruga-san, I promise, I don't need silly words like that. I know I'm not attractive.”“Mogami-san, I dare you, in fact, I double dare you, to prove to me that you’re right and I’m wrong.” Clearly she wasn't going to take him at his word that he thought she was pretty.“Tsuruga-san!!” she screeched, “That’s! That’s improper! No senpai should-!”He stared at her, unimpressed as she floundered about, and his fingers tapped a staccato beat on the counter as he waited her out. When she just stood there, sputtering, he shook his head, “You know, that does make more sense. Even when you’re at the age you are, when you prioritize other things, of course a discussion like this would make you uncomfortable. It might even be scary. That’s alright too, you know.”Oh that made her angry. Ren's lips curled as he saw her eyes sparking with her temper. Her anger was better than her being uncomfortable. He’d take that over her discomfort any day.“You want to prove to me that I'm wrong?” She pulled her school shirt up, stopping at her midriff. She pointed at her hip, then snarled, “I dare you Tsuruga-san. Touch my hip. Wrap your fingers around my hip, and prove it.”Ren's jaw dropped in shock, blindsided that she’d called his bluff. He pushed aside his rather telling reaction, and his eyes narrowed in thought. He had a feeling she wasn't nearly as unaffected as she was trying to appear. He stepped closer and when she took a half step back, he sighed, and shook his head.“You are scared.”“No I'm not!” Her voice rose in pitch, and Kyoko hastily cleared her throat, and then put her nose in the air.“I'm proving you wrong is all; I'm not attractive. This silly nonsense is just that, silly and-”Honestly, there was only so much self control he had left, and that was a very dainty and attractive hip bone. Before she could rush off screaming about impropriety, he reached out and grabbed hold of her left arm, pulled her close, and wrapped his fingers tight around her right hip bone. He hadn't expected it, except he had, and sure enough, she squeaked when his fingertips dug into that fleshy part of her.“What did you want this to accomplish Mogami-san? Really? The hip bone of all spots? When it’s such a… tender and delicate part of you?” Ren asked softly, his thumb digging in a little harder. He lost his last shred of dignity and good sense when his thumb slipped beneath the waistband of her school skirt. He inhaled sharply through his nose when he realized his thumb rested right on the waistband of the undergarments she was wearing beneath it.They were both surprised at the sound that came out of Kyoko's mouth then. She let out a soft exhalation from deep in her throat, and Ren’s gaze snapped to hers, a shocked breath leaving him. They both froze, this dare having gone incredibly further than either had anticipated.“I believe I’ve proved my point,” Ren said with remarkable aplomb, in his opinion. That his voice shook a little bit meant nothing. Nothing. They blinked at each other dumbly, and Ren had no idea why she wasn’t shoving him away yet, and scolding him about inappropriate behavior.Kyoko swallowed, her voice raspy as she spoke, “Nothing’s been proven, other than that I might be a little ticklish there.”Was she seriously just going to stand there and pretend this wasn't affecting her like it was him? Ren felt another swell of frustration wash over him about this, but didn't dare say anything to bring it to her attention. He instead reinforced his earlier point.“I didn't say that you were pretty because I wanted your reaction to boost my own ego. And I didn’t say it to fluster you. I was highlighting that your overreaction from earlier might be a little off base, and wanted to use your own reaction to a sincere compliment as an example. So it’s because you’re inexperienced. So what? There's nothing wrong with that!”She glared at him as she shifted some, and Ren realized abruptly that whatever kind of undergarments she was wearing, they were incredibly silky. Damn it, damn it, damn it, he began to chant to himself as he cursed the ludicrous situation they’d put themselves in. The fleeting thought that they were playing a curious game of chicken ran through his mind, and he released an aggravated hiss of breath.Then she shifted again, and his fingers reflexively tightened on her hip bone and she made the sound again. A fierce want surged through him, and he ached to replace the thumb currently digging into her hip with his lips and tongue, so he could suck a mark into her skin. What sound would she make? Would she squirm? Would she bruise easily enough that she'd be reminded of it every time the waistband of her skirt would brush against it? He pressed his tongue hard to the back of his teeth, his pulse pounding in his ears. Damn it, damn it, damn it, this mantra swirled about in his head as soft, warm skin trembled beneath his touch. Ren didn't even notice the reflexive squeeze of his hand on her wrist when he noticed Kyoko was staring down at his hand on her hip, mesmerized. He pressed just a smidgen harder, and she squirmed.His ironclad self-control nearly broke right then. Instead, with great effort, Ren peeled his fingers off of her, one by one, and stepped back. This had gotten entirely too out of hand. It was time to reassess, and think up an escape plan. Damn it, he was behaving precisely like the people he'd warned her against. He took another step back, inhaling deeply to get his brain to start working again.“Clearly, we aren’t going to leave here in agreement. Shall we shelve this discussion and reopen it at a later time?”Ren thought his question was reasonable, but Kyoko simply gaped at him in astonishment as she gently tugged her shirt back down. He absently rubbed his fingertips together from where his hands had fallen to his sides, still feeling the sensations her soft warmth had inspired. Her gaze slowly traveled downwards, and he stopped what he was doing to stuff his hands into his pockets.Her eyes flitted back up to his face, and caught his. Sparks of realization flared to life between them, and Ren hurriedly took another step back away from her. All it would take from her was the right question and-“Clever, very clever Tsuruga-san.”Ren swallowed hard at the huskiness of her voice as she studied him, her eyes blazing with a fierce determination.“You apologized earlier, called yourself a jackass even. But you didn't just now,” she said softly, “Are you trying to play this off as us just getting a little worked up over a disagreement?”Ren stepped back as she stepped forward, feeling abruptly off-balanced at the look in her eye. She knew. She had to know. She'd only gained an inkling of understanding of exactly how much power she could wield over him, but that knowledge gave her a confidence that was evident in just the slightest curl of her lip.Kyoko stepped closer, then asked, “You were telling the truth, weren’t you?”Ren froze, the hairs on the back of his neck lifting as cold dread trickled down his spine.“You...even your behavior earlier makes sense now. You were trying to brush it aside, and bury the truth. You are attracted to me, aren't you? You goading me like this, you just couldn't help yourself, could you? Anytime I tried to dismiss what you were saying, you deliberately tried to bait me into proving you right.”He swallowed hard, and looked away.“Mogami-san, really, I was just being an asshole and-”“Tell me Tsuruga-san, which bothers you more? That you're attracted to me? Or that you don't want to be?”His mouth went dry as her measured gaze demanded honesty from him. He wanted to speak, to respond, but he knew she'd turn away, dismiss him outright, if he couldn't find the right words. She would weigh him, weigh what he would say, and find him wanting, and damned if he knew if he could withstand that.“Mogami-san, I,” he wetted his lips nervously, “Mogami-san, I apologize.”Ren shifted his gaze to the kitchen tile, the heavy silence making it hard to even think straight.“I asked you a question,” she said, and he flinched as her voice broke the quiet of the room. Ren wondered where she got the confidence that he would answer.“If you're dishonest now, it will be truly cruel of you.”Her soft reproach made Ren look her way again, and his heart leapt into his throat at the bitter set to her mouth. He wondered if his silence was as damning as it actually felt. When she stepped forward, and stared him down, he found his words again.“You're right, about everything.”He tried to say something else other than that, but it was like his throat closed up after that singular, damning confession, and there was nothing he could do about it. When another heavy, oppressive silence fell, and she said nothing, Ren felt the first stirrings of true panic. He had to say something, he had to.“Look, attraction just happens sometimes, alright? If it makes you uncomfortable, you've every right to completely disregard what I just said. I’m not going to do anything that you’ll consider inappropriate, or improper. I mean, things got out of hand just now, but that’s totally my fault. I’m so sorry.”He cleared his throat when she just studied him, her face unreadable.“I, of course I shouldn't have brought any of this up, and that's my mistake. My… Of course if you're uncomfortable, I don't want my attraction towards you, to be the cause behind that discomfort. It’s not, precisely, that I wish to not be… attracted exactly… “ he fumbled for words as he tried to explain.“It’s alright.”Ren looked over at her, surprised by her soft tone of voice. Her face was somewhat down-turned, but he caught a small, pleased smile that turned up the corners of her mouth. He tightened his hands into fists in his pockets so he wouldn’t give in to the urge to hug her.“It was um, very sweet of you to pay me a sincere compliment, Tsuruga-san. Even if… things got out of hand.”“I was still a jackass. That doesn't exactly make me sweet,” he muttered, looking away again.“Well, you apologized for that. And, and you weren’t wrong.”He couldn’t avoid her when she stepped closer, pulling at his shirt a little. Her head thumped softly onto his chest, and despite himself, he found himself folding her into his arms for a hug. He felt a curious sense of contentment when she just hugged him back.“Wrong about what?” He asked quietly.“I did overreact due to a lack of experience. Now having...experienced something like that, I’ll be able to react better in the future,” she mumbled into his shirt.Embarrassment leaked into her voice when she spoke again, “I’ve always been…um, curious, about uh, how hands on that part of me would feel, and I really need to apologize for being, being so shameless, Tsuruga-san. It felt so nice and, and, I’m sorry for being shameless!”Her brutal honesty left him as dazed as her bold confidence from earlier. Some other, more coherent part of his brain filed that tidbit of very important information away for later use, while she kept apologizing into his chest. He dared a quick look down, and saw that her poor face was bright red. No wonder she was trying to hide her face. They stood there for a long moment, both attempting to regain their composure.She stepped away some time later and said, “Thank you for being nice Tsuruga-san. And for...um, well, not making fun of me. If you wanted to know, you've successively made me flustered.”He certainly hadn't planned to have that happen. She'd surprised even him with her own bold behavior. Ren stared as she blushed again, and tried his best to force words past his uncooperative lips, “Thank you for putting up with me this evening Mogami-san. I admire your fortitude.”A small, amused snort escaped Kyoko, and Ren swallowed hard.“Well, shall I get you home?” He did his best not to croak out the words, but he was pretty sure his voice failed him there in the middle.“Oh, but the dishes-”“No need to worry!” He hastened to assure her, “They'll be dealt with. We need to get you home. You need to rest well for tomorrow. We’ll be on set again together, right? You wanted to see Katsuki after all.”She blinked at him, seemingly befuddled by his rushed explanation.“Yes, you’re right,” she said with another sweet smile, “As usual Tsuruga-san, you think of everything. I’ve got lots more to learn, huh?”“Whatever you say, Mogami-san,” he replied.He certainly wasn't going to argue. His nerves were raw beyond imagining, and he could only feel pathetically grateful that she was allowing him to take her home. Kyoko's fierce, demanding expression from just a few moments earlier struck him again just then, and he squeezed his hand into a tight fist to stop himself from reaching out towards her, as she brushed by him to pick up her shoes. Dangerous , his mind whispered, even as the rest of him only wanted her more, and more, and more. Dangerous , his brain helpfully repeated itself. And Ren, hating himself even as he agreed, ever so carefully, rebuilt all the walls she’d just smashed through.As Kyoko turned back to look at him, a cheerful smile on her face, Ren smiled back at her. Regardless of the rest of it, Ren wondered if she knew she'd won their curious little game of chicken.
fin.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once upon a time, deep in the Fae Realm, the Light Queen and the Dark King created Dawn and Dusk. Dawn and Dusk didn’t often meet, as their duties kept them busy and neither often needed the other’s help. However, twice a year, they held gatherings. Dawn’s gathering got the name The Shortest Night, for her exuberance in arriving. Dusk’s was named the Longest Night, for the long, fervent speeches that Dusk spouted that made his courtiers wonder if the night would ever end.

The fairies and spirits that attended these events came from all over, and from all disciplines. The Water Spirits were always moving, their clothes glittering like droplets in the light. The Wind Spirits roamed about freely, dashing hither and yon as their impulses took them. Earth and Fire Spirits remained more grounded, and danced about, intermingling with whoever were interested in joining in. Spirits and Fairies alike could be winged or not, but as they all moved and danced, each had their own, distinctive ways of doing so.

The Animal Fairies often came with their four-legged companions, and let the young ones play as they wished. The Scholar Fairies could be seen in the crowd, postulating theories of how things worked, or speaking of things that happened in the past, often to entranced children. The Fixer Fairies talked to anybody who would listen about how enormously important their jobs were. The Twilight Fairies wore woolen garments, often in muted colors, and could be spotted easily in the brightly colored crowd. The Starlight Fairies were a little harder to spot, except their garments often shimmered with an ethereal, otherworldly light. And on, on, different fairies intermingled and played, and listened to the Very Important speeches from Dusk and Dawn.

On one such Longest Night Gathering, the novice Twilight Fairy Ren, came across a younger, smaller Starlight Fairy. His Guide, Lory, had told him to sit silently while Dusk made his speech, and that he could go exploring only afterwards. Privately, Ren thought this silly, as many other fairies were only barely paying attention. He didn’t think it mattered if he listened or not. This train of thought was broken by one, very loud girl.

“No!!! Daaaaru-san!!! I want to stay with you and Maya-san!!!! Pleaaaase!!!!”

He turned his head to see a burly Starlight Fairy struggling to keep a hold of a little girl. She was twisting and flailing, her wings beating frantically-small though they were yet, and he was trying to ensure she wouldn’t escape his grasp.

“Be still Kyoko-chan. Settle down. Maya-san needs to look after Maria-chan tonight. She’s just been born. You keep riling up the poor thing by dropping bugs on her, and her crying is making the rest of the kids cry too. You’re big enough now to almost need a Guide, I know you’ll be fine.”

The girl pouted, “Maria-chan likes bugs though.”

Even as she said this, her flailing stopped enough for the other fairy to put her down. The girl sat near the bench Ren was using, and Ren studied her discreetly, out of the corner of his eye. Her hair was a deep black and unruly, but her eyes seemed to be made of molten gold. Mesmerized, Ren wondered absently if all Starlight Fairies had eyes that shined like supernovas.

“Thank you for settling down Kyoko-chan, it won’t be long now until we head out. Just be patient for a little while longer please.”

“Alright Daru-san. But only if I can help you in the kitchen tomorrow.”

The bigger, burlier Daru-san smiled down at her and ruffled her hair, “As you like Kyoko-chan. But only if you behave. And no more bugs!”

The Starlight Fairy strode away and silence fell. Ren tried his best to adhere to his Guide’s words, but he found himself too curious after a while.

“How are you fairies born?” His voice startled the girl, and she whipped her head up to look at him. Ren was just as distracted by her gaze as he’d been when he first caught sight of it, and he couldn't help but stare. How could eyes glimmer so? It didn't make sense. Color was supposed to be quiet, and peaceful. Color wasn’t supposed to shine like that.

“When starlight makes a flower blossom,” she said, her eyes staring at him curiously, “When starlight makes it blossom, another one of us appears in the Nursery.”

Ren slid off his bench, kneeling down to get closer to her, “I’m a Twilight Fairy. Each time twilight falls, when both the sun and the moon are out, one of us appears in our Nursery.”

“Wow,” she said, amazed.

“I’m Ren.”

“I’m Kyoko-chan.”

He put a hand out, but she just stared at it.

“Oh, uh, we shake when we meet new people.”

She shook his hand, “How interesting, we only wave, at a distance.”

They waved at each other next, smiling. Ren was still curious though, and asked another question.

“Was that your Carer?”

“Yeah. Does your Nursery have Carers too?”

“Yeah. I’m too old for the Nursery though, I’m being Guided now.”

Her face brightened, “I’m about to meet all of ours and get a Guide too! I hope it’s Muse-sama!”

“Who’s that?”

“She goes exploring to find new places for Starlight to shine!”

“Wow! My Guide discovers new places that need Twilight. I’ve learned a lot from him. I hope you get to be with Muse-sama.”

“I hope so too.”

They shared another smile.

Ren and Kyoko chatted eagerly about all sorts of things, all the way until her Carers came to get her. He smiled and waved as she left, and she shouted back,

“Let’s meet again, ok?! Promise!”

“I promise!”

Ren wasn’t able to meet her again, until six more gatherings, and three full seasonal cycles had passed. When he did spot her in the crowd, her smile was bright and her clothing was a shimmery lavender silk, and he thought the quiet color suited her very well. She seemed to be with a few other girls this time, all appearing to be roughly the same age.

“Kyoko-chan,” He called out, hoping she heard him. She turned and looked over shoulder, and when she caught sight of him, her smile seemed, impossibly, to shine even brighter.

“Ren! Ren-san! Finally! We meet again! I’m so happy,” she said, her tone bubbly in a way that Ren had never heard before. She hurried over to him, saying quick goodbyes to the other Starlight Fairies with her.

“Are you well Ren-san?”

“Yeah. Are you? Are you being Guided now?”

“I’m good! And yes! Muse-sama was able to be my Guide. I’m so happy! I have fun every day!”

He smiled down at her, “I’m glad to hear it. What have you explored so far?”

They sat down on a bench, getting comfortable as they exchanged stories about what they’d explored or what they’d discovered. Kyoko had explored a cave, with holes in the ceiling for Starlight to shine through. Ren had found a type of flower that bloomed only under Twilight, and only briefly. Kyoko had witnessed tsunamis, and Ren had experienced the quaking of the earth beneath his feet.

He felt regret that they could not talk longer, when her Guide and the other girls in her Guide group came to gather her.

“Let’s meet again! Promise!” He called out after her, and she turned and waved, smiling.

“Promise!”

Ren didn’t see Kyoko the Starlight Fairy again, until he was an established Discovery Leader for the Twilight Fairies. Even then, the odds that they met under those circumstances were so astronomically low, he couldn’t help but thank the Light Queen, the Dark King, and Dusk and Dawn profusely that they’d managed to meet again.

He had been out on an expedition, his team back at the campsite while he gathered water, when he saw the shimmering glow of a sapphire-colored dress against the Twilight sky. He stared, put down his canteen on the riverbank, and took off into the sky, his wings beating hard and fast to catch up. Twilight and Starlight Fairies so rarely came across each other that his heart was racing as he wondered if it could be her.

“Kyoko-chan!” He called out. When the fairy stopped and hovered, then turned, his heart thudded hard in his chest. Her hair was longer, and still black, and her eyes still seemed to be made of molten gold. But her wings had grown. She could fly with them now. They were multi-colored and radiant. The glow he had thought came from her dress, actually seemed to be radiance from her wings. She’d grown so beautiful, and she still shone so brightly with color, that he couldn’t look away.

“...Ren? Ren-san?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s me,” he managed to get out, his voice hoarse, “You’re out early. Should you be? Were you exploring?”

She looked down, noticing a field of wildflowers, and then looked out at the horizon, where the sun still hung in the sky.

“I...I think I may have accidentally stayed out all day.”

“Oh. Find something interesting?”

“Ah...I heard this music...it was beautiful...but...I don’t...I’m sorry,” she laughed, “I must be tired. This is coming out all disjointed.”

“It’s ok,” he hurried to reassure her, “I just can’t believe it’s you. I’m so happy we met again.”

“Me too Ren-san,” she smiled. His mind raced with possibilities of how to make this encounter last just a little longer. He then thought of what they’d discovered that day, and he caught her hand with his.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you with you so tired, but there’s something you should see. It’s back at my campsite. You can rest there, after.”

Her face grew more intrigued, “What is it?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you.”

He pulled her along, feeling exhilarated as their flying synchronized perfectly, until they landed gently at the site of where his team was camping out. The others were startled at their approach.

“Ren-san? Who is this?” Yashiro-san asked, curious. Kijima-san stared a bit, obviously just as interested. And Hiou-kun, who Ren had been Guiding for a while, set down his rice ball, blushing as he stared at her, and discreetly tried to wipe away the left over rice on his face.

“Her name is Kyoko-chan, we go way back,” He turned to her, having just thought it, “Are you a full-fledged Explorer now?”

She nodded, smiling brightly, “Yes! I’m still on Muse-sama’s team with my friends. We didn’t want to take separate paths, not just yet.”

The others piped in with some other questions, but Ren waved them off,
“Ask later you lot, come on Kyoko-chan, we have to see this before the last of the sun sets.”

He crouched down to grab at his belt pouch, which had been laying next to his dinner plate. He stood swiftly once he had it, and tugged at Kyoko’s hand again so she followed him to the river, where you could still see the sun past the forest of the trees. He turned to her, upending the pouch into her cupped hands once they reached the riverbank.

She stared at it for a second, “...it’s a rock.”

“Yes, yes it is.”

“Does...does it float or something?”

He laughed, “Hold it up to the light Kyoko-chan.”

She sent him a skeptical look, but did so.

“...It’s a very pretty blue rock,” said Kyoko.

He stepped behind her, smothering another laugh, and held her hand with his own, so he could adjust the tilt of the rock himself, “Yes. It is. And then, when the light hits juuuust right, and there!”

Kyoko gasped, amazed, “It changed color!”

Ren stepped back, smiling at the delight in her features.

“How is it doing that?!”

“Magic,” he replied, grinning as she turned to him, bright-eyed and enthusiastic.

They strolled back to the campsite a little while later, once Kyoko was satisfied with making the stone change color five more times, and exchanged stories of discovery and exploration long into the night. When everyone had fallen into slumber aside from them, Ren carefully reached out and tangled her fingers with his. Kyoko watched this carefully, then looked back up at him.

“I need to return to my team soon,” she said, her face showing her regret as she said it, “They’ll be so worried if I go two days without checking in.”

“That’s fine,” said Ren, absorbed once more in wondering if all Starlight Fairies had eyes that shone like hers.

“You’re lying, it’s not fine.”

Ren had worked for years, discovering things and places, but he still thought that meeting her might have been the luckiest thing to ever happen to him.

“I’m not lying,” he said.

“Then I’m saying, it’s not fine. Do you have messengers? We do. I can’t believe we never thought to do it before, but surely we can do that? That way we don’t go so long without meeting again?” She studied him and Ren could only smile, helplessly enchanted by her fierceness.

“Yeah, we have those too. Whatever you want. I promise.”

Her cheeks pinked and she cast her gaze downwards in embarrassment, her wings rustling behind her in a nervous twitch. Ren thought that was cute too.

Ren had worked for many a long year, and often in quiet contemplation. The one thing he had looked forward to, every night, after the world had been painted in Twilight, had been watching the stars as they came out, one by one. The times the nights were dark, clouds covering the Starlight, he had thought of her. He had thought of her shimmering dresses, the bright smile she so often wore, and the shine of her eyes.

What they had experienced together since he’d caught sight of her in the Twilight Sky, had only proved to him that she was the brightest, most colorful thing he would ever experience. As they settled in to sleep, he thought it over, and over again.

When they went to part ways again the next day, Ren made sure to curl her fingers over the stone he and his team had discovered.

She looked at what he was doing curiously, then looked back up, “What’s this for?”

“For you,” he said.

Kyoko cocked her head wonderingly, “Why?”

“Because it made you smile. And I always want you to smile. Your smile, it’s the brightest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Her cheeks pinked again, and his team was loud in their obvious silence as they listened in. Ren didn’t care though. When would this happen again? They didn’t know, and Ren didn’t want to regret not speaking his mind.

“I’ll keep it safe then,” Kyoko replied softly as she looked back up at him.

“Promise?” Ren asked.

“I promise.”

Ren smiled, and Kyoko thought that was the brightest thing she’d ever seen too.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kanae had grown up hearing the stories of course. Having grown up on the streets of Crescentia instead of Montressor proper, there weren't many myths and stories she hadn't heard. When she'd first overheard the ship crews talking about it in whispers at the diners when they were in port, she'd been a kid. Back then it'd been scarier.

Don't sleep near the windows while yer out there. The starmaids will get ya. They'll lure ya out into the black, and there'll be no way back.

Her siblings had laughed it off when she'd talked about it, and had told her to pay it no mind. They'd said she should pay more attention to the wages they needed to earn that week, and to go out and sell some more ship parts. Kanae had listened, if grudgingly. She needed to eat after all.
But as a teen, having earned her place and her keep at Lory’s Space Exploration Academy as a mechanic, she grew more and more curious. She delved into the old texts in between classes where she learned ship maintenance, and searched the archives and the libraries wherever she went. She did her best to learn as much as she could about the stories the spacefarers told. Her classmates told her it was a silly past-time, and a waste of energy. But Kanae didn't care. The legend seemed as if it was burned into her mind.
Why were there stories? People would get scared of the black while they were out there and tell tales, it was only natural. And of course the sounds could be explained away as the solar winds pushing against the metal of the ships as they sailed, or the ship exteriors being hit by floating debris. But where did the stories come from? Where did they begin?
Kanae was on the RLS Legacy, sailing under Captain Amelia, when she first thought she found a clue. There’d been a mutiny, the ship diverted for Silver’s purposes, and she was stuck in the brig with the others who were loyal to the Captain. And that's when she heard it, the scratch against the window, and a soft sigh. So soft, like leaves rustling in the wind.
She snapped her head around, searching the space outside of the port window near her, her eyes straining to see whatever she could. All she saw was the fading of a comet tail in the distance. She blew out an aggravated sigh, and knocked her head back against the metal of wall.
“Did you… You just saw it too, right?” the whisper came from next to her, to the other side of the port window.
“Don't know what you're talking about,” Kanae muttered.
The other girl snorted, “Whatever. You totally saw it. That old myth you know, there's starmaids out there, but you can only tell they've been once they're gone, because they leave behind a trail that looks like a comet.”
“You're probably tired and stressed out, it was just a comet,” Kanae replied.
“You can keep pretending you didn't hear it, but I saw you. I know you did.”
“Whatever,” Kanae said,“You should get some sleep before the mutineers come back. Captain Amelia will need us to retake the ship as soon as there's a chance.”
The other girl huffed, but said nothing more.
Once the ship was retaken though and everything sorted out to rights, the incident kept bothering her. Something about it stuck out in Kanae’s mind.
The sigh that she had heard… It had felt...lonely.
…
A few years later, Kanae was out spacefaring again, Bosun on the RLS Lightning, working under the command of Captain Kurosaki. She'd long since graduated from her ship mechanic days, and was now more often Bosun on the ships she was contracted to. Having known all the differents parts of ships since she’d learned them as child, she finally felt like she belonged when she walked the decks, learning how they ticked and fixing what needed fixed.
This expedition was a little different than most. It was exploratory, rather than a patrol route against the Ironsides, who were the Royal Navy’s long-standing enemy in this sector. Another unusual factor, was the girl that had approached her in the dining hall at the end of their first week.
“I'm Chiori,” she said as she held out her hand for her to shake, “We once were under Captain Amelia together.”
Kanae studied her, trying to place the face as she put her silverware down. She shook the girl’s hand.
“Ah, Silver’s mutiny. The-”
“Port window in the brig,” they said together. Chiori smiled.
“That was me. You're Kanae right? I saw the listing of crew for the RLS Lightning at Montressor Spaceport, and thought it'd be interesting if I joined up.”
Kanae hesitated, but was curious, “Interesting how?”
“Where we're exploring, the sector we're in. It's where that old myth started you know. With the first exploration fleet sent out there. It gets forgotten these days, and is typically only known for Ironsides attacks. But I looked it up. Didn't you?”
Chiori studied her as she asked this. Kanae, for a split-second, thought that maybe the girl in front of her with her razorsharp smile and the curious glint in her eye, was used to being underestimated. Kanae knew how that felt. It had been a long, arduous process, for her to reach the position she was currently in.
After a long moment, Kanae replied, “Yeah, yeah I looked it up. You're in good company.”
Chiori smiled.
“I thought I might be.”
…
Kanae and Chiori didn't become friends exactly, not really. They were too guarded, and too jaded. But they became… colleagues of a sort. They had a shared interest in old tales from the very first spacefaring age.
“This one text says they lure only men. That's who they'll appear to,” Chiori said, leaning over Kanae’s desk and pointing out the words on the tablet they were sharing.
“Well that’s rather sexist,” Kanae mumbled, squinting at the words as she sipped her tea.
Chiori giggled, “Obviously it can't be confirmed. But, how could it be true? There's so many genders and I heard the Slitheens, for example, only reproduce symbiotically. They have no gender, as we know it. So obviously, that was probably just added by us humans.”
Kanae was nodding along, before she thought of something, “Wait, this is a really old text. This was written by humans. That means humans must have been part of the first exploration fleet.”
Chiori straightened, tapping her lip thoughtfully, “You know, I think I might have something on that.”
But Kanae was already flicking through her library in her tablet, pulling up and looking through some of her old sources, “Yes, yes they were. We've lost some of the old archives, especially when they were destroyed by our enemies during the War of First Contact, but, but! I did a paper on the RLS Hizuri. Their First Mate Yashiro, he became a Diplomat and historian later, and went around to all of our Spaceport Libraries and Academies, making sure they had a copy of the RLS Hizuri’s Captain’s Log. He said it was important that it never be forgotten.”
Chiori looked through the pages, fascinated by what Kanae was saying.
“It did get forgotten though, right?” asked Chiori.
“It did, but when you're as inquisitive as I am, well, you go looking. It helps that I have an eidetic memory,” Kanae said, her lips quirking up in amusement.
Kanae flipped to one of her bookmarks, “Here, this right here, their Captain speaks of what's called a ‘siren song’, like the old, old stories from planet Earth. Their sailors, they talked about being lured to their death.”
Chiori mumbled to herself for a couple minutes
as she read through the log, “This captain… He keeps talking about hearing things, his first mate always tells him that he needs more sleep. But… Oh wait, that fades away. He keeps talking about dreaming of a beautiful woman, with golden eyes. Oh funny that...What do you make of it?”
She turned to Kanae, but Kanae was focused on the inscription at the beginning.

To those lost to comets, to the stars, and to the black. You'll never be forgotten, your song will last, and be a reminder to all of us that did make it back.

“The RLS Hizuri’s Captain…,” Kanae said, inexplicably saddened by the inscription, and finally remembering why this Captain’s Log had always stuck out to her, “He never made it back.”
Chiori sighed, “That's… That's a bit heavier than what I was expecting to learn today. Are their travel routes logged in the archives too?”
“Should be.”
“Think the Captain will let us follow the route?”
“Mmm, we can ask the navigator if we can adjust. Our Captain Kurosaki is focused on the what, not the where.”
“Well.. It’s not much, but it’s something,” said Chiori.
Kanae couldn't help but agree.
…
Their navigator, Matsushima, agreed to the adjustment in route with little complaint. Like the captain, he was more curious about what they could find, nebulas, supernovas, new solar wind routes for better fuel efficiency, and etcetera. Their expedition was a long one. They'd been contracted for up to three years, and no specific routes had been demanded by their patron, the Royal Naval Academy. The Academy simply wanted information and discoveries.
That had been part of the appeal of joining up, to Kanae. She had thought she could conduct a fair amount of research for her own personal reasons while out in this sector. So far, she was making great headway. And having Chiori around, someone who saw what Kanae missed, was a great boon.
It helped that Chiori and she had a similar sense of humor, and that they got along. They were like-minded individuals with a quietly burning passion. As much as Kanae and Chiori had been motivated though, some of that fizzled out with no new discoveries or incidents within the next few months.
They were into month eight, again in Kanae’s office, when they heard it again.
A scratching like a fingernail on glass, and then a soft sigh, like leaves rustling when wind blew through them. They whipped around, staring out the window, only to see the fading trail of a comet. Kanae stared, and stared, her heart in her mouth. But, nothing else came. She sighed, her hands burying themselves in her hair. Chiori slammed a hand against the wall, and cursed.
“What's that old saying? It’s the journey? Not the destination?” remarked Kanae dryly as she rested her chin in her hand.
Chiori huffed out a small laugh, and collapsed against Kanae’s desk.
“A damn siren’s song,” she muttered, “Are we chasing after something impossible?”
“I don't even know anymore.”
Kanae caught sight of Chiori staring out the window, yearning clear on her face. It plucked at Kanae’s heartstrings.
“Why did you start chasing after this?” asked Kanae.
“A long time ago,” began Chiori quietly, “A long time ago, I saw this old, old painting. A beautiful woman, looking like she was bathing in stardust and light, surrounded by a glittering blackness. But she herself, it was like she had this brilliant radiance, and it was like she was keeping the darkness at bay. It was so… it was...it was,”
“Transcendent?” offered Kanae.
“... Yeah. Yeah, that's a good word. It was called Starmaid ,” Chiori said, “And you?”
Kanae shrugged, even though Chiori was still just looking out the window.
“I was fascinated when I heard the stories. I'd heard them my whole life. And then, then I began to wonder where they came from.”
The sat there in silence for a long while that night, wondering if what they were looking for was impossible to find.
…
They were a year and four months into their expedition when they dreamed of a woman with golden eyes. Kanae woke up, her heart pounding, and headed straight for Chiori’s cot.
They said it together, “Did you? Yes!”
They stared at each other, beyond thrilled, as their crewmates stirred from their own slumber because of how loud their exclamations were. They hurried back to Kanae’s office, rapidly talking over each other in their excitement.
“The Hizuri Nebula, the one we just found yesterday that the RLS Hizuri first found ages ago-
“Yes, yes! The captain’s log, it said that the Hizuri captain had his first dream after they found that Nebula-
“Right, right, we have to try to get closer-
“If we get closer, we just might…”
Their voice trailed off as they realized they were still holding hands and talking to each other. Kanae stepped back and released Chiori’s hand, embarrassed and cleared her throat.
“Ahem, yes, well, we must inform Matsushima.”
Chiori nodded, similarly embarrassed, “Yes. Good idea.”
Chiori departed from Kanae’s office, after nodding once more.
She mumbled to herself all the way back to her cot, “Dumb, dumb, keep focused, focus …” she groaned a little as she rolled back into her cot. Ruri, in the cot below, slapped a hand on her railing.
“Mack on her yet?” she asked slyly.
Chiori slapped her hand away, “Shut up. No one asked you to stick your nose in it.”
“Yeeeah, sure, whatever you say, Chiori and Kanae sitting in a tree…”
Chiori rolled back over and slammed her pillow into Ruri’s face while the younger girl laughed uncontrollably.
…
Despite the dream, and despite their hopes, their search was halted unceremoniously by an attack from the Ironsides a day later. It was a fast little Destroyer Class ship, and must have a been a scout too far from home. It had been hidden on the outskirts of the nebula, and it blasted the RLS Lightning with every weapon it had once it appeared in their line of vision.
“To arms!!! TO ARMS!!!” bellowed Captain Kurosaki, and Kanae rushed to get to her gunner and command her squadron.
The RLS Lightning wasn't named Lightning for nothing. Her squadron was in charge of the plasma guns, and they did serious damage. Her team was quick to scramble behind their guns, and Kanae felt a surge of pride at their training. The attack had come mid-morning, and many of them had been amidst a shift change.
“Fire!” Kanae shouted, and her squadron did so, amongst loud cursing and hollering.
The RLS Lightning was an exploration vessel, but in this sector, they had been given free reign to defend themselves. And Kurosaki was not a captain afraid to do so. The Ironsides came around again for another try at hitting their ship, their engines clearly failing, and their solar sails nearly destroyed.
“Fire!” yelled Kanae again.
The blast from the ammunition meeting from both ships set almost her whole squadron back on their heels, and they covered their faces from the heat wave.
“They caught the med bay!” the First Mate shouted across the topdeck when the Ironsides unleashed another volley. Kanae cursed. They were quick to fire. Their guns must have had less recharge time.
“Get Engineering crew to the Medical deck!” roared Kurosaki.
Kanae’s heart leaped into her throat as she caught the order. Chiori.
“Fire!” she screamed, “Take out their engines!”
She heard Kurosaki yelling out orders to the rest of the crew, and she swore to herself right then that if they made it through, if they took out the Ironsides ship-
Her gunners swiveled in their seats to follow the order of the direction, and locked on to the engines of the other ship. She could only stare, her heart racing, as the blue-white color sparked and discharged.
In another second, it was over. The engines were gone. The other ship floated, dead in space, with no power. Kurosaki bellowed for teams to gear up to take prisoners, and Kanae took a deep breath to steady herself.
It was always quiet on the gunner deck, but Kanae felt the silence, like she never had before. Her pulse was pounding in her ears, and she felt herself trembling.
“Bosun?!” she heard Kurosaki yell.
“All clear Captain! No casualties here, and no damage! Gunner Deck is clear!”
She heard faint cheering from the other decks, and her team looked at each other, shaken. It'd been the first attack they'd had to pull their guns out for, but they'd finished it. They'd won.
“Good work everyone,” said Kanae, her voice trembling as she stood and stared out at the viewing window.
“There’s something I have to do, I release you from my command for the moment. Get to the Second Mate, and help the other teams if you can.”
With that last order, Kanae rushed to the medical bay deck, and arrived with a wave of maintenance and nurse personnel. Her eyes searched and searched for the black-haired girl with the pink butterfly necklace, but kept coming up with nothing. After ten minutes of this, she pulled aside a nurse.
“Nurse Chiori, where is she?” Kanae demanded. The other nurse just stared.
“I'm…I'm sorry ma'am, she was in here when it happened…they haven't found her yet.”

No. No. Unacceptable.

Kanae grit her teeth and shoved away from the nurse and started for the hull breach of the deck. A laser grid was already up along the breach as the ship’s AI deployed drones to start patching it. She kicked aside rubble and tossed it away where she could, falling into the ranks of the maintenance crew, and kept her eyes peeled for black hair and a pink butterfly necklace.
As she got nearer to the breach, she caught sight of a glittering pink necklace dangling from a piece of rebar. Her heart dropped to her stomach. She plucked it off, and the chain pooled in the palm of her hand, and she pressed her other hand to her mouth to stifle the sound of sobs.
The butterfly shined up at her, and Kanae couldn't help but cry as she looked at it.
Her eyes searched for any other sign, any at all as she hurriedly stuffed the necklace into a pocket. It took her several more minutes to realize, that light was shining past the laser grid. A golden light was shining through the pale blue of the grid. Kanae set her jaw, and kicked on her rocketboot propellers. She didn't need an exploration suit just to take a peek past the grid. The atmosphere shield of the ship was good enough that she could chance it.
She slipped in between the laser grid, and made sure her hands touched the safety chains that lined the outside of the ship. Maintenance teams always hooked into them when doing work on the ship’s exterior, and they were sturdy enough for her to hook into with her utility belt hook.
The golden light seemed to pulse. When Kanae had first caught sight of it, she had thought it might be a malfunctioning homing beacon. Everyone was required to keep one of them, so they could be more easily found if lost. But this golden light… It seemed to permeate everything, and in the cold vastness of space, it seemed…Warm.
“Who's here?” Kanae demanded. The golden light pulsed again, and began to take shape. It was a form, three times the size of Kanae herself, and seemed slightly feminine in the curves that began to appear.
It took Kanae a long moment to realize a pair of golden eyes was staring back out at her. Tendrils of light, or of smoke, or maybe even of hair wafted around the eyes. And then Kanae realized a cautious curiosity was surging within her that wasn't a feeling that belonged to her.
“I'm looking for someone,” said Kanae, growing more desperate as she saw the flickering of the atmosphere shield. She was almost too far out. She pulled back a little.
And again, feelings rose in her she couldn't call her own. Then, more clearly, a voice came through. Like something that could be heard through the old radios in the diners Kanae grew up around. Faint, and staticky.

Human. You are human? I know this?

“Yes, human. I'm human. I'm looking for another of my kind.”
Images came next, and Kanae managed to make out the image of Chiori. Chiori dangling from the safety chains much like Kanae herself was doing. It must have been right after the breach, she must have managed to have grabbed onto a chain with one of her hands. She saw Chiori’s panic-stricken face and Kanae clutched at her chest as her heart spasmed with pain.
“Yes!” Kanae said, “Please, I must find her! Please!”
Other images came to her mind, and Kanae saw another round of weapon fire, and Chiori was knocked loose, and she began to float further away from the safety chain and the ship itself.
“No! No please!” Kanae cried.
Then the voice again, but different.

If this is it, then please, let me be right. Let me be right. Please, if you're out there, save me Starmaid. Save me.

Kanae stifled her sobs and the words played again, more clearly sounding like Chiori’s voice.

Save me. Save me Starmaid.

The golden eyes looked at her in curiosity as Kanae sniffed.
You are sad? The voice rang through her brain and Kanae winced.
“Did you save her?” Kanae whispered, terrified of the answer.
The light flickered and Kanae got the distinct impression that the being in front of her had giggled.

Of course. I always save those that call out to me.

“Then, please, give her to me. She needs to be inside of our atmosphere shield to live. She needs to breathe our air.”

She is sharing my air.

Kanae tried to wrap her mind around this for a moment, then tried again.
“Give her to me please. I need her back.”

But she called to me.

“And you saved her, and I can't thank you enough. But I need her back. She belongs with me,” Kanae said, trying desperately not to think of the alternative.

Belongs with you?

“Yes. She needs to be with me. Surely you understand. You can't keep her. If you keep her-”

You will be alone?

Kanae stopped, and the golden eyes studied her. Then the being in front of her sighed, and it felt lonely.
“You understand right?” asked Kanae softly, a sympathetic heartbreak surging within her.

We need to not be alone. Yes. I understand.

Kanae got the impression of hands being cupped together, and before she could understand the mechanics behind what was happening, the being in front of her seemed to be holding a sleeping Chiori in her hands and held her out to Kanae, passing her into the range of the atmosphere shield.
Kanae tugged her close, clipping her belt hook to her own to secure her.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Kanae wrapped her arms tight around Chiori, cradling her head so it rested on Kanae’s shoulder.
We need to not be alone, said the golden eyes again.
With Chiori now safely secured, questions erupted from Kanae.
“Are you a starmaid? Is that right? Did you come across the Hizuri ship? Do you venture out past this sector? Where do you come from? Why-”
Kanae stopped talking again as the light flickered and it seemed to giggle again.

I… simply am... I will always be. I have many sisters, however. We go everywhere we can. We are always searching.

“Searching? For what? What do you look for?”
We search for those that call to us. Because we do not want to be alone. It, the being, she? She seemed to lean in close then.

Do you like my home? The one before you, he named it Hizuri.

Kanae stared out past her, to the orange and blue shimmering light of the nebula.
“It's beautiful,” Kanae said softly.

I like to think so. I stay here, for him.

Kanae’s heart ached, and she didn't think it all came from her. She blinked tears out of her eyes, and spoke up.
“You are familiar with our kind.”

Yes. Your souls sing to me.

“We don't live very long.”

No.

“I...I’m...sorry,” said Kanae, tears falling down her cheeks.
The light flickered again.

What is, is. We were happy. He called to me. We sang together. We explored together. We were happy.

“ And now? You will still stay, even now?”

It is my home, after all.

“Aren't you… don't you want to see other places?”

Maybe… Maybe, maybe one day I'll keep going. But my home is beautiful. Don't you think so? We found a beautiful home.

“Yes, yes. It’s beautiful,” said Kanae softly, her voice thick with unshed tears.
She felt Chiori stirring and she woke with a quiet moan. She blinked up at Kanae, and as Kanae looked down at her, she thought she might get it a bit better then.
“I found her,” Chiori whispered.
“You did. Good girl, Chiori. Good girl,” Kanae hugged her tightly to her once more. Chiori smiled, and looked around at the golden eyes again.
“Thank you Starmaid.”

You are welcome.

“We need to help the Captain, and we need to get you back into med bay. Make sure you're alright,” said Kanae firmly, refocusing on what mattered more, which was making sure Chiori was ok.
Kanae tugged them back, her boots helping to propel them, and the golden eyes stared after them.
Chiori piped up before they could reenter their ship.
“The Hizuri’s captain. He named your home. Did he name you too?”
The being seemed to smile at them again.

He named me Kyoko.

…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was one of those nights where Ren had gotten tired of sitting around a cold, barren apartment, and had ventured forth to try his luck with one of the more private bars he knew. Sunset had long passed him by, and he was trying to head off the poor mood he felt coming on. Sometimes he was able to trick his temperament into leveling out if he did something outside of his ordinary routine. As much of a workaholic as he was, he could be just as much a homebody, so going out rather than staying in, tended to be helpful.

Not for the first time, did he regret his unmistakable features. As soon as he entered the establishment, followed by a blast of chilly autumn air, he had to explicitly instruct his hostess to seat him in a discreet corner. And, as soon as Ren acquired his beverage of choice, he made sure to request that he not be bothered.

Bars had people in them. They had music playing, and sports matches on silenced television screens, and people laughing and talking. They had

noise

. Even if Ren sat alone and unbothered, he could observe, and not be stuck with the melancholy of his own thoughts.

It did appear to be working in that regard. Ren was diverted from his own internal bullshit as he watched a nearby couple lean towards each other and speak in hushed tones, their faces alight with fondness. He smiled as he witnessed such a sweet thing, and noticed a group of guys razzing each other and hollering about whatever soccer match was on the tv on the opposite wall. But what made him pause in his observations, was the older, elegantly dressed couple across the bar, whose heads were close together, who appeared to be video-chatting with someone on the phone. Ren's interest was piqued, and he strained to hear what they were saying, but only caught a few words.

“...it’s ok! We’ll meet…”

A pause, then the older man responded, “Your mother’s right! We can skip tonight, and meet when…”

His words faded out, and there was another lull, and then the woman spoke up, “You’re our son! Of course we’ll do what…”

Ren sat back in his seat, an aggravated breath blowing out of him. Lips pursed, and frowning down at his drink, he deliberately ignored that couple, and downed the drink. He turned his attention back to the younger couple nearer him. But when the young woman shifted under the bar’s lighting, her hair turned a little too auburn for him to continue to ignore what was actually on his mind.

Ren bit his tongue on an expletive before he let it leave his lips. He stood and exited, tossing a tip down on his table as he left. The bar

had

been a good idea. Not so much now.

He wandered through the city streets for a while, doing his best to shake himself out of his mood. It was a crisp, clear night, and he inhaled deeply, catching the scent of fried meat and sweets mixed with the musty smell of dry, fallen leaves. The streets were quieter than he expected, and Ren realized that he’d gone out at a far later hour than he’d originally thought.

Ren regretted it for a moment before he scoffed to himself. Who was he kidding? He’d be tossing and turning if he’d tried to get to bed at a reasonable hour anyway.

A sharp yowl diverted his attention away from the trees and the night sky, and he caught sight of a shadow darting out of an alley, followed by the sound of scrabbling claws against the pavement. He blinked, and looked closer. There was a black cat in the alley, and as he looked back at what had darted out, he saw the fluffy tail of a squirrel darting down the street towards another alley a block away.

Ren found himself snickering at the picture of a cat defending its territory from something so harmless. Still chuckling, he stepped closer, as casually as he could, and leaned his back against the brick of the building behind him. Very carefully, he didn’t look over to the cat for a good two minutes, letting it lick its paws and clean its whiskers. The irony of his caution in this moment did not escape him, and a rueful smile passed over his face.

“Always so careful, aren’t you?” He muttered to himself, and dared to glance back at the cat.

To his surprise, the cat simply stared back, its big gold eyes studying him, head cocked to one side. Also to his surprise, he saw that the cat wasn’t entirely black. A big white patch covered the right side of its face, and there was a patch of white on its chest. It was, Ren thought in amusement, not unlike a mask that would be made for the lead in Phantom of the Opera.

“Sorry cat, you’re officially Phantom now,” he murmured down at it. He knew Kyoko would undoubtedly agree should she hear about it, and resolved to let her know.

He slid down the wall, simply looking at the cat out of the corner of his eye, and saw an ear twitch. He snorted and tapped his fingers quietly against the paved sidewalk to distract the cat, while he carefully fished his car keys out of the pocket of his blazer.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he lifted the hand with his car keys, and raised it above the cat’s eye line, then let them drop so they jingled as they dangled from his grip. The cat immediately popped back up on all four paws and stepped closer. Ren smiled, and shook them again, so they would make more noise.

The cat crouched, whiskers and tail twitching, and moved a little closer. After a long moment, Ren shook them again, chuckling as the cat jumped closer, front paws raised to bat at the keys.

“Hey, you’re not that scary, are you little Phantom?”

The cat cocked its head as he spoke, the gold eyes darting between the keys and Ren. Ren moved the keys again, and a paw flashed out, catching it. Ren snickered and raised them higher, and both paws came out to bat at them again.

“Nah, you’re not that scary at all. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Ren.”

Ren thought it might have looked a little dumb, talking to a cat and shaking its paw, but sometimes, well, sometimes it was okay to be a little dumb. And maybe, considering its friendliness, maybe the cat was a bit lonely too. Ren sighed as the cat twitched its whiskers, and spread out the pad of its paw in the palm of his hand, the claws digging in, then releasing.

“Hey Phantom, want to spend a night somewhere nice and warm?” Ren asked, his heart melting as the cat stood on its back paws to nose around his hands.

Ren waited a moment, wondering if the cat was just hungry and could smell the dinner on his hands. But then it butted its head against his hands again, and when he went to scratch it behind its ears, a soft purr began to emanate from its body. Ren scooped up the cat, and stood, rubbing his face against the cat's.

“That answer is good enough for me little one.”

And he walked back the way he came, a new friend safely tucked into his arms.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When I fall for you, because inevitably I always do, I wonder if you will do the same.It is always different, because we are always different.And it never happens because of something big.No, it happens always, always because of the little things.The first time, I remember horses, and riding to your rescue. You did not fall for me then. I could not fault you for that. You had been embarrassed-you only fled. I fell for a sad, short-lived expression on your face before you masked it with righteous anger. I fell for the precise shade of burnt orange your mark flared as you left, the same one I had always dreamed of. I wondered for the first time then, what color you dreamed of, and if you had noticed it on my mark beneath my armor.In the second, I remember fire. A great swelling of the earth, and spitting, flaming chunks of rock. That one is always disorienting to remember. But I am always reassured-saved-by your hand reaching out to mine as we flee, even as the color of the fire drowns out the glow from your mark. I fall for that strength, during the depths of my terror.In the third, there is war. I stand against you, fighting you, and you are crying, like you already know our destiny. I hesitate, captured by the tears trickling down your cheekbones. But then, quick and brutal, it is over. I hate that one the most. I am always relieved to remember that I fall to the battlefield, heaving my last gasp, almost as soon as you do.In the fourth, there is a village. A quiet, peaceful thing. We are often hungry, and work hard to put food on the table. But we do that together. And we are at peace. And I fall for you every time you link your fingers together with mine, with the shine of our marks reminding us of the brilliant colors of the sun setting.In the fifth, there is a loud, big city. There are blaring car horns, jangling doorbells over stores, the smell of deep fried foods, and alleyways too dark to safely go down. Still, a sly smile curls at the corner of your mouth, and I am enraptured by it. It is a fleeting interaction, and later I find my wallet is gone and do not care. I search for you, but you're never there. My dreams always taunt me in that life.In the sixth, we grow up together. Best friends, almost lovers, but I am promised to another. It is a hard time. I always reach out to you, but you always back away, concerned for propriety. We know the marks and colors we dream of-talk about it often-but in this life, that doesn’t matter. My parents are pleased that I adhere to their promise. But in that one… it is only because of you that I'm stopped from doing something beyond shameful. I have said that it is the little things that make me fall for you. But it is also the big things. I cannot help it, you see.This is the seventh. We are again in a big city. We have met again. We did not grow up together-not really. Mostly forgotten memories don't count I don't think. But I cherish them all the same. Of course we're different, again. And of course I'm still wondering how it'll play out.Because for me, it was the little things again. The kindness of you worrying about me. The brightness of your smile when I've made you laugh. The sweetness of your personality as you strive to help where you can. The viciousness of your temper, when you're anger is truly roused. The darkness of your heart, that I can see because of how others have hurt you like they've hurt me. The familiar, comforting glow and mark that I dream of. Of course I would fall for you, again.Others would call this fate.What would you call it?Do you wonder about your dreams? Did you remember? Are you falling?I do. I did. I am.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kyoko and Kanae were eating a brief lunch at a table in the amusement park when they heard an earth-shattering squeal of excitement.
"ONEEEEEE-CHAN!!"
Kanae's food almost came back out as the taller girl hacked, and coughed in surprise as a blur of curly hair catapulted in their direction, and Kyoko barely managed to wrap Maria up in a hug without toppling onto the floor.
Kanae's eyes darted around wildly, hoping no one noticed her embarrassing faux-pas. She glanced past a tall, dark-haired individual, then froze, and looked back at the figure. Tsuruga Ren was watching the hugging pair of Kyoko and Maria with a bitter twist to his lips. He then shoved his sunglasses back up and pulled the brim of his cap back down, to hide his features, as people around the cantina craned their necks in their direction in confusion, due to Kyoko and Maria's loud squeals of happiness.
Kanae frowned, and finished wiping her face clean, before she stood, and strode in his direction.

"Why are you

here?!”

she hissed out, frustrated that her and Kyoko's day was about to be ruined. There wasn't anything she was going to be able to do about it either, because Kyoko's mood had been swinging in-between severe extremes in regards to Tsuruga lately. She was either going to blow up at him, again, or get deeply depressed for the rest of the day.

His lips tightened, a look of frustration crossing his face, before a more neutral mask fell over his features.

"I was simply told the day and time. Yashiro cleared my schedule to finish my White Day Gift to Maria-chan, and I'm positive this… chance meeting is actually his fault."

His terse voice didn't leave any room for argument. Kanae scowled, and looked back at the other two girls, who were still ignoring them from ten feet away. Kyoko's tense set to her shoulders, and her creepily loud and enthusiastic responses to Maria, made Kanae more unnerved than anything else had.

"Oh for heaven's sake," she muttered to herself when the thought came to her, "Don't tell me you

also

got Maria-chan amusement park tickets for White Day?!"

"Of course not!" Tsuruga snapped back, his gentlemanly demeanor nowhere in sight in the face of this new, presumed insult to his dignity. "Maria-chan only ever wants me to take her out some place for White Day. I had no idea that she would pick this park!"

Kanae's eyes narrowed on the nine year old. Maria was just devious enough to have had a hand in this, she had no doubt. Unwittingly, a smirk pulled at the corner of Kanae's mouth. If that was the case… then well played. Kanae had been, though she was loathe to admit it, worrying over how Kyoko would get by once Kanae took off to the States for her job.

Kanae would only be there a few weeks to a month, but that was a long time for Kyoko to be without her professed best friend. Perhaps she didn't have so much to worry about, if Maria was keeping a sharp eye out.

With another contemplative, “Hmmmm…” Kanae decided to rejoin her LoveMe comrade, to the left of where Maria had plopped herself down beside Kyoko.

“Enjoying your day with Tsuruga-san?” Kanae asked the girl quietly. Maria only nodded in response, studying the tension between Kyoko and Ren with a careful gaze. Tsuruga looked as stiff as Kyoko did-who was currently stabbing at her udon with her chopsticks with more force than necessary-and settled in to sit to the right of Kyoko.

Maria tugged at the sleeve at Kyoko’s elbow, distracting the other girl from her rage-induced strikes on the poor noodles.

“Have you done your princess picture yet?! I can’t wait to get mine!”

Kyoko blinked, and looked down at her, smiling softly, “Not yet. The line was too long.”

“Can you do it together with me?!”

“Of course!”

Their giggles of delight were promptly interrupted by the so-called gentleman to the right of Kyoko.

“Careful of showing your face Mogami-san. Who knows what might be misconstrued by passerby. They could turn Maria-chan into your daughter and Kotonami-san into your paramour.”

‘Paramour?’

Kanae mouthed the word to herself, stunned. But surely.. she’d just be a regular old girlfriend?? Heaven and earth would have to turn upside down for anyone to get a different idea-

Kanae’s thoughts were abruptly cut off by furious words that Kyoko hissed at Tsuruga as she stood, and grabbed her lunch as if to leave and throw it away.

“Keep calling me foolish if you like, I don’t care! I’ll have you know that the girls on my shoot right now have demanded and demanded me answer questions about your godforsaken love-life as if I even care about such idiotic notions! Go on! Why don’t we hash this out, again, right now?! I’m sure Yashiro-san wouldn’t mind at all if more pictures were released of you in a compromising position.”

Maria and Kanae stared, still paralyzed with indecision at how to handle such tempers, while Kyoko and Tsuruga glared at each other. Before either Maria or Kanae could disrupt the potential scene from forming, Tsuruga spoke up.

“

Sit. Back. Down.”

The cardboard tray Kyoko’s bowl sat on crinkled alarmingly in her hand as she didn’t move.

“This is ridiculous,” He continued between clenched teeth, “What are you going to do if we have to work together?”

"Fall over myself just right at your feet. I won't be able to help it, I'm sure, I'll be so in awe. You can never do

any

wrong, right?" she smiled back, her sweetly vicious tone causing dread to creep up Kanae’s spine.

Tsuruga’s chair scraped loudly against the concrete, as he shoved himself back up, "Maria-chan. There's the cotton candy stand we were looking for. Let's go."

There was a muscle twitching in his jaw, and his icy tone as he and Kyoko exchanged looks of barely-disguised resentment fascinated Kanae, as she watched the spectacle that was the rarely-furious Tsuruga Ren.

"I don't want to go. You're scaring me,” the small, teary voice to her right piped up, and Kanae hid a wince. There was a long, cold moment, as Kyoko and Tsuruga stood at an impasse, before his lips twisted in a familiarly bitter fashion.

"Fine."

The girls watched him go, and Maria's sniffles got louder, as she turned to Kyoko.

"You were so mean! Again! Why?!"

"Maria-chan…" Kyoko sighed. Kanae studied her hunched, regretful shoulders before she sighed as well.

"Look, you're an only child, so I get this is confusing," Kanae interceded, stopping herself from rolling her eyes when Kyoko threw her a grateful look.

"But siblings, friends, coworkers, even when they're adults, they just get into tiffs occasionally. Sometimes it lasts a while. Case in point."

Kanae gestured theatrically towards Kyoko.

"She's still mad. So she isn't going to respond nicely when he's being rude."

Maria ducked her head at the mention of Ren being rude, "Ren-sama isn't ever like that either, 'cept around you. And grandpa I guess."

Kyoko stared at Maria, her brows furrowed.

"What?"

"You guys must be real mad at each other, huh?" Maria continued on, oblivious to Kyoko's response. Kanae bit her tongue on a sarcastic remark, knowing that her sarcasm would only further confuse Kyoko.

"Doesn't… Doesn't he get mad pretty easily though? Isn't he rude just… whenever he wants to be??" Kyoko croaked out, "I mean at the gym the other day, all he did was walk in while Koga-kun and I were spar-"

Kyoko abruptly stopped talking as Tsuruga materialized next to them again, holding a big fluffy bag of cotton candy, and a smaller stick of blue cotton candy.

Kanae could finish Kyoko's thoughts easily enough however; she remembered their last incident well. She, Koga, and Kyoko had been using the training facilities, when Tsuruga had stopped by for his archery training presumably, for a recent role he'd taken on. The almost… irritation that had flitted over his features when he'd noticed Koga and Kyoko, had confused Kanae. But then he’d immediately gone and picked on Kyoko, to the point where Kyoko had thrown down her headband after a moment, conceding the sparring match, and stormed out.

Koga had fired some remarks back at him, but Tsuruga hadn't once responded to them, and had promptly exited as well, towards the archery range. Koga had been left behind, stewing in his anger, and Kanae had been left understanding with precise clarity, exactly how wrong everything between Tsuruga and Kyoko currently was.

She'd thought Kyoko had been hiding something. But, she hadn't realized until then, exactly how much Kyoko's trust in Tsuruga had been broken, and how furious Tsuruga was that Kyoko seemed to want to be nowhere near him.

You could have said you were coming here! You know it would have been fine to carpool! Why are you being so stubborn?!

I can take the bus just fine! I don't need to depend on you! You have better things to do right?!

Kanae winced, remembering how badly it had degenerated from there that day at the gym. The weird tableau of Tsuruga standing there with cotton candy, while Maria and Kyoko stared back continued for another second, before he broke the silence.

"A… peace offering."

The words were curt, but softer in tone, and Tsuruga held out the big, fluffy bag to Maria, and handed the stick to Kyoko.

Maria immediately brightened, giving Tsuruga a big hug, and a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you very much Ren-sama!!!"

Kyoko stared down at the blue cotton candy.

"You… you remembered my favorite."

Tsuruga slouched back down in the one remaining chair, deliberately not looking in her direction.

"How on earth do you think I would have forgotten?"

It was quietly stated, so quiet Kanae almost didn't believe her own ears. But then she saw with her own eyes, the spread of a pleased, pink blush over Kyoko's face. Then, a twitch of a small, embarrassed smile curled at the corners of her mouth. She ate a bite of it, then mumbled in his direction:

"Thank you Tsuruga-san."

Maria studied them, face full of pink cotton candy, and then glanced at Kanae. A knowing look passed between them, before they glanced away. And even softer, where they had to crane to hear over the noise and business of the cantina, he replied.

"You're very welcome Mogami-san."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Surprising no one, Lory was the first to bring it up."You might as well ask Mogami-kun. Both of you were a big part of this, and half the cast think you're dating anyway.""President, I assure you, they do not.""Coulda fooled me, what with how much they fawned over the scenes you two shared."Ren spluttered, "What? They-that is not true. That-no. No, they absolutely did not! President, that's ridiculous!"Lory raised an eyebrow as he took in the boy's flustered state. Yashiro darted a glance between the two, eager to see the outcome of such a discussion. Ren had so determinedly ignored such things, that he'd almost elevated his denial into an art form."So this article then," Lory started, "About reuniting the darling LME duo Ren and Kyoko, of
Don't Love Me Any Less
fame, that includes several quotes from the director and cast, is made up then? They falsified quotes and the like?"Yashiro smothered a smirk, while Ren spluttered some more, then let out a deep sigh and regained his composure."No president, I'm sure they didn't falsify quotes. But you
are
overstating the actual facts in regards to this article in particular."Lory frowned at Ren aptly pinpointing his exaggeration. This man was far too down-to-earth to ever incite drama. How depressing. Yashiro felt that pain. There'd only been a few blips here and there in the news, during Ren's decade-long career in Japan.He had clinched the title as the most dreamy and romantic, but most boring male idol, to ever come out of LME. He'd held that title for a few years now, what with his string of nuanced roles as romantic leads in several TV dramas and feature films. Though, he always performed his more villainous roles under a pseudonym. Yashiro had no idea why on earth that was the case, as it was an open secret amongst the industry. Ren always explained it away as not wanting to frighten his younger, more innocent demographic in the audiences his romantic roles pulled in.Yashiro was suspicious of that explanation, but had no real proof to back up why he thought it so suspicious. Ren could be damnably introverted at times. Kyoko had no problem keeping her name attached to every single role she did. His other client was incredibly proud of how varied her acting career had become.
I have to do it all to be Japan's best actress right?!
She so frequently asserted to Yashiro."Yashiro-kun," Lory addressed him directly, breaking his train of thought."Yes sir?""Ren
must
have an escort to this event. Its entirely too high-profile for him to attend it alone. Any ideas?"Yashiro glanced guiltily away from the pair, as he hunched his shoulders beneath the weight of their challenging stares. In truth, Yashiro had actually kept Kyoko's schedule free. And, if he was being entirely honest, he had done it because Kyoko could use the red carpet shots with Ren to lend some gravitas to her image for their most recent film.The film in question,
Until Dawn Lights the Earth,
was their first film together where both of them had had the lead roles and had carried the movie to its finish line, without the help of a more experienced ensemble cast.
Don't Love Me Any Less,
from years ago, had been but a miniseries streamed online, amongst an ensemble cast. More experienced, and more internationally recognized actors and actresses, had certainly had cameos in this film, but Kyoko's and Ren's appearances and dialogue had filled three-fourths of its running time. With their characters' relationship being primarily front and center, one of a behavioral psychologist analyzing a manic serial killer, this was only to be expected.The weight of the stares only got heavier, and Yashiro reluctantly admitted the truth."I… kept Kyoko-chan's schedule free so you two could attend together. I'm sorry Ren, I thought you'd understand."Yashiro darted a glance up at his client, as Ren sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose."No… it's alright, I understand why you would do this. No, it does makes sense."Ren blew out another breath, and rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. Yashiro nodded definitively back at him, and pulled out his mobile."Pardon me you two, I must go let Kyoko-chan know when Ren will be by to pick her up."Yashiro hurriedly bowed, and then scurried away, knowing the president was about to subject Ren to probably a solid ten minutes of ribbing if the look of delight on his face said anything.…Lights flashed brightly from cameras, and reporters shouted out questions, trying to get their attention as he and Kyoko strode toward the theater entrance on their red carpet, and Ren ducked his head to murmur in her ear."I know you said this was fine, but I promise, I can answer any awkward questions if they come up.""That's silly Tsuruga-san. What would be awkward about them? We
are
the leading roles, even if your credit is under your pseudonym. Of course we would appear at the premiere of it together."Ren pressed his lips tightly together, biting back a frustrated noise."If you could just
consider
the position this puts me in-""Tsuruga-san," it was disorienting how stern her voice got, even as she smiled and waved at the crowd, "We're the leads. No one will
seriously
believe we're dating.""Oh that's bullshit and you know it! We're the leading roles, we're in our prime in our mid-twenties, we're from the same agency. You can't be that naive, surely? Even the president was making fun of me for it just this morning.""As well he should. He knows everything there is to know-""Except he doesn't!"She sent him an exasperated glare and it took everything in him to not grab her chin and kiss that look off her face. He breathed in slowly, and then let out a quiet, calming breath before he completely lost his head."Tsuruga-san, our behavior has been above any reproach we could garner-""Oh wow!" Kyoko stopped as she was interrupted by Sudo-san, who had finally rejoined Kyoko in a cast for the first time since their Box'R' days.Kyoko cocked a curious eyebrow at her, but Sudo-san just looked pleased as punch to see them."I thought rumors were just that-rumors. But are you two actually dating?!""What?" Kyoko croaked out. Ren went still beside her, as Sudo-san caught up to them near the entrance of the theater."Surely you two have been aware of the rumors flying around set, right?" Sudo-san sent them both a look that was half amused, and half disbelief."Rumors?" Kyoko repeated faintly, glancing up at the side profile of Ren's face. He didn't dare glance back at her, his hand on her waist slowly releasing its tight grip he'd had in his panic at being addressed on the topic."Well, yeah," continued Sudo-san, "Kijima-san for one, when he was on set one day, said Tsuruga-san here has wanted to date you for ages. Like… back since your Dark Moon days. He said it must have been a relief for Tsuruga-san to have finally managed it."Ren was going to murder that man one day. Kijima had gotten him into so much goddamn trouble over the years. Damn that man. Sudo-san cocked her head, studying Ren's pale face and Kyoko's thunderstruck expression."Since Dark Moon?!"
Kyoko's squeak pierced the thundering panic in Ren's brain, and he hustled the pair of them inside, Sudo-san hot on their heels."What is she talking about Kuon?!""No idea Kyoko-chan. Kijima's pisspoor jokes usually happen just because he thinks they're funny."Kyoko halted the pair of them, as she dug her heels in, unwilling to be dragged further into the theater. Sudo-san looked back and forth between them, apparently fascinated. Kyoko had something a bit more important on her mind though, and so ignored her old friend."Did you know that when you lie, your ears burn red Tsuruga-san?"Ren stopped in his tracks, his hand flying to the side of his face without him able to stop himself from checking. He cursed himself as he realized what he had just done.
Damnit!"I'm not lying Kyoko-chan.""Seriously?!" she stared at him in disbelief, and he winced as her voice got louder, as it seemed that she was just now putting all the pieces together, "We've been carpooling, and having dinners, or lunches, or breakfasts, and we always make sure to hang out on our birthdays, and you've never dated even once all these years, and you've always attended events alone unless you've attended them with me. And what about those times we've taken weekends off together to Kyoto when our schedules have allowed?! How can you… why…"Kyoko's voice trailed off as she stared at him, her face pale. He dreaded the words even as she asked them."Have we been dating
this entire time?!""Kyoko-chan, wait-""Wait, since when do you call her anything other than Mogami-san?" Sudo-san interrupted.Ren and Kyoko paused in their tiff, and Ren let out a small groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose.There was a look of dawning comprehension on Sudo-san's face."Oh my God. You
are
dating! Except you were so subtle about it, she didn't even notice!"She started snickering, as a bright red color blossomed over Kyoko's face."Oh Tsuruga-san, you poor, poor bastard."…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

My mind's electrified with thoughts of one day rectifying everything that made these months so bleak.

I probably oughta just pretend like we never did meet.
Kyoko felt beads of sweat forming beneath her shoulder blades and swore internally to herself. She'd hoped the summer heat would have cooled off by this evening, but she should have known better. She could only hope that the sweat stains would go unnoticed through the fabric folds of her pretty, teal chiffon dress.Kanae settled directly across from her at the table, and her sharp gaze made Kyoko freeze, as those blue-gray eyes seemed to dissect every single one of her worries."Quit fidgeting," the taller girl muttered, stowing away a gleaming, silver purse with a sheen to match Kanae's own sleek cocktail dress."Sorry Moko-san.""No apology necessary. Just remember we're at an LME charity event. If need be, don your best facade of proper adult, and act your little heart out."The two of them shared a small, exasperated smile. This was a last minute event for both of them, and they had shared their frustration over it with each other while dress shopping for it. The LME president had commanded them to appear when a couple of his other notable actresses had called off, due to needing to attend to other matters."Do you suppose it'll go on for very long?" asked Kyoko, as she glanced around at the big crowd, and the overhead fans working double-time to keep the event center cool."I sincerely hope not. I've an early call time in the morning."The LoveMe pair exchanged another exasperated look before Kanae spoke again."Seen…
him?"Kyoko stifled a scowl, "Nope.""Remember what I told you.""I keep repeating the words like a mantra, don't worry.""Good," Kanae nodded in satisfaction. "How's shooting gone with
Sacred Lotus
since I've seen you last?""As well as it could, I think. Long days, long training sessions. The usual."Kyoko was interrupted from speaking further on the topic by a bustling crowd that dropped off some older, more experienced actors to their table, and the Ishibashi trio to a table adjacent to them. Kyoko did her best to follow all the introductions, chatting cheerfully with Shinichi, Yuusei, and Hikaru while Kanae was absorbed into a conversation with the others at their table.The light music that filled the room got the Ishibashis into a tangent about jazz and its influence on modern pop music, of all things, that Kyoko didn't quite follow. But she laughed along with the jokes, and enjoyed catching up with the boys. They were as eager to ask about her new work as she was to talk about it and ask them about theirs. That carried the conversation on for about the next ten minutes, before Hikaru suddenly stopped engaging, and appeared to be carefully watching the side of the room where the exit and water fountains were located."Hikaru-kun?" Kyoko asked, and followed his gaze.She frowned as she caught sight of the man she'd been avoiding for weeks."Why is he headed over here?" Hikaru mumbled, "Shouldn't he be with the acting department?""I think seating has been fairly well mixed up and spread out actually," replied Shinichi.Most of the people at the table with the Ishibashis, and at Kyoko's own table, also hushed their conversation as Tsuruga Ren strolled up, and bowed in greeting.
I always listen to the optimistic spirit in me.

But now I'm wishin' that the devil on my shoulder took the title in a best out of 3.

My mind's electrified with thoughts of one day rectifying everything that made this month so rough.

I'd give you everything but somehow I don't think it's enough.
"Good evening."Several individuals from both tables replied almost at once, their murmured greetings overlapping each other in an awkward dissonance. Kyoko hid a wince at the reaction, while Ren's gentlemanly smile never once wavered. Clearly, most of the people seated with them must have held some curiosity about the recent news of his personal life that had appeared in the gossip rags, but that didn't seem to faze him one whit.He nodded once more to those assembled, then-and Kyoko realized this with dawning horror- sat at the last seat left at Kyoko's table. The one situated right next to her."Mogami-san, nice to see you.""You as well," she mumbled back, wrapping a loose thread of her fabric belt so it was looped and pulled taut around her pinky finger. She tugged at it, making sure to not dislodge the belt from her dress' belt loops. The thread didn't budge, and she swore internally to herself again."Been busy?" came the soft question of the man to her left, after the other people seated at their table stopped studying him like an insect under a microscope, and turned their attention to other matters.The thread snapped, stinging her finger, and she hissed out an aggravated breath, before she inhaled slowly to calm herself, and replied just as quietly."Yes. Very much so. How about you?""A bit. Nothing like the Dark Moon days. Or the Guam shoots."Ren glanced at her, as if inviting her to share in on the joke, but Kyoko only stared back blankly. The only thoughts that she could muster up weren't at all appropriate, and were along the lines of:
Guam. Hotel. Hotel bed. Angry Tsuruga-san. Pinned to bed.
Or thoughts like:
Dark Moon? Dark Moon Wrap Party? V-Day. Acting test. Pinned beneath-She forcefully cut off that train of thought before she started to spiral, and began rebuilding her 'proper adult' facade."So a bit more relaxing then?""You could say so."He cleared his throat, and shifted in his seat, and Kyoko hoped to all the higher powers out there that he was as uncomfortable as she was."They're sure taking a while to get this started," he tried again a couple minutes later, after she continued to stay silent.She looked at the clock on the far wall. It was an ornate, gold-leafed thing that a younger Kyoko would have found unbearably gaudy, even for her. The 'proper adult' Kyoko, distantly admired the effort of the intricate detailing, even as she also marvelled over its pointlessness. It was going to be another fifteen minutes until the event even began, and she despaired.More silence went by, as to the right of Kyoko at the adjacent table, the Ishibashis cracked jokes with their tablemates, and Kanae continued networking with their own tablemates. Kyoko let a small sigh pass her lips, and she sipped her water before Ren tried again."Yashiro-san was telling me that shooting for
Sacred Lotus
is going well. He says you're enjoying working with… erm… Hiromune Koga, was it?"Kyoko groaned in the confines of her own mind, but didn't dare let it escape out loud, "Are you even aware of the scope of his work and filmography?"Ren looked at her, startled, presumably, by her miffed response."Ah… I suppose not?"
Unbelievable.
"Tsuruga-san, while I appreciate the attempt at conversation, I don't mind if you just let it drop. We'll just pretend to get along since you have to sit next to me, and no one will think anything else of it."His nostrils flared, and he threw her an annoyed look that she did her best to brush off, like any other 'proper adult' would. Their voices had grown a little louder, and more than one of their tablemates darted a curious glance their way, and he lowered his voice to almost a whisper when he replied."Unacceptable."Kyoko's fingers tightened around her water glass, as her temper began to rise."Why?!" She threw back at him in a harsh undertone."I am beyond fed up this nonsensical, dismissive behavior. How have I earned such a cold shoulder from you?"Kyoko eyes fell closed as she inhaled deeply, remembering back to her conversations with Moko-san about this very problem. His 'apology text' and their resulting… discussion, certainly hadn't been their finest moment.
I apologize for upsetting you Mogami-san. Of course that wasn't something we needed to discuss right then, on the way to work. Work certainly does come first, and if what I've said affected your work, let me apologize again.

I appreciate that Tsuruga-san. It was an inappropriate time, place, and subject. But I shouldn't have gotten so worked up. I suppose I did get so worked up, because none of that I expected to come from you, the ultimate professional.
And she'd been incredibly hurt when he'd assumed the absolute worst. But she wasn't about to bring
that topic
up again. But then he'd replied to her text with another.
Well, hopefully, outside of the bad timing, it's something that you can take into consideration next time, if the… subject matter makes himself known again.
She'd just stared at that text for what seemed like hours-though it was only a couple minutes in reality-agog at his presumptuousness that he should ever broach the topic again. The more and more she'd turned it over in her mind, contemplating their debacle of an argument in the car, she'd determined one thing. Her issues with Sho weren't, and had never been, his business. And she'd sat there and stared at that text, beyond baffled, and pondered all the many incidents of similarly baffling behavior that would happen whenever Ren had been around her at the same time Sho had been.Such as: the V-Day incident and his reaction to her gift, or that time in the hotel room after Sho had called her while she'd been acting as Setsuka, or the incidents in Karuizawa that happened because of
both
Sho and Reino. She thought about those times, and about the times like Ren's downright contrary behavior at the Dark Moon Wrap Party, which didn't even have to do with Sho. And she just couldn't help but get more and more frustrated, the more of those incidents that she recollected.She'd eventually taken all her frustrations to Moko-san in an attempt to unpack them. She did so of course, while using the vaguest terms possible, and phrases such as, 'Why would B-ko have done x, y, or z, at this time?'.Finally, Moko-san had held her hand up, stopping the flow of questions, and had studied her with one of the most serious looks she'd ever given her. And then she'd said:
'If this B-ko has a problem with A-ko, and A-ko's feeling like she doesn't deserve B-ko's harsh criticism, then there's a couple things available as solutions. Number one. Hash it all out. Just let it all out.'

'What?! All of it?!'

'Yep. Or...option two. A-ko ignores B-ko and doesn't reply to any of their prodding. If B-ko has legitimate concerns or queries, they need to not be passive aggressive about it.'
Kyoko may have left out some of the more worrisome details of Ren's odd behavior in her recounting of concerns to Moko-san.
'Repeat after me Kyoko. Do not make excuses for other people's bad behavior.'
Kyoko had tried to take that to heart. Moko-san had explained that part of Kyoko's problem
was
in fact, because Kyoko always wanted to believe the best of everybody. Especially of Tsuruga-san. (Kyoko hadn't been too great at hiding that her problems happened to be with Tsuruga Ren). But sometimes… sometimes people were just assholes.Kyoko wondered when she'd forgotten that Ren could be just as much an asshole as anybody else. She had no idea what she'd done to piss him off, or what she kept doing that seemed to bother him so much. But she was certainly sick of walking on eggshells around him, and had drawn the line in the sand. Either he owned up to his own bad behavior, and stopped assuming the worst from her, or she kept on giving him the cold shoulder.
I simply wanna know where ya go when it rains.

Sitting by the river, cursed the weather when it changed.

Whichever way the wind blows, I'll be ready to fly.

Whichever way the river flows, I'll be ready to swim.
More moments had ticked by as she'd repeated the mantra to herself:
don't make excuses for other people's bad behavior. Finally, Ren blew out an aggravated sigh, which drew a bit of attention from the others seated with them. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out, as people started congregating next to the podium on the stage. Kyoko was distinctly aware of the warmth of his body heat lingering near her own, properly crossed legs."So you're ignoring me still, even here, at an event with our agency. Mogami-san, that's not befitting of a kouhai, especially when all that senpai has done, is offer advice."His shot in the dark drew blood. Damned perceptive man. Though, her refusal to reply to his texts over the past weeks might have also clued him in on what she was angry about. He continued in a quiet undertone as everyone else at the table turned their attention to the stage."Well, if that's the case, then I can only assume the implied response is that you won't take said advice.""If it had been warranted, perhaps I would have," she replied icily.He let his eyebrows fly up in faux surprise, "She speaks! But in all seriousness, friends
do
get concerned-""We aren't friends."Their uneasy silence fell into something darker, and colder, as Ren shed his insincere concerned look, and turned an intent gaze her away.Kyoko simply looked back, a chill crawling down her spine at how reminiscent it was of how he'd behaved at the Dark Moon Wrap Party. She kept her voice low, so as not to be overheard, as she continued."Friends don't act as you have-throwing phones at hotel room walls, casting such harsh judgment on a young woman at a party when a senpai helps her, or offering unnecessary advice about something he knows nothing about."She watched his reaction to her words so closely, that she noticed a muscle jumping his jaw and his eyes flaring with his temper, before he spoke again."Oh there's quite a bit more context you aren't applying to any of those things. Have you forgotten the day we met? Whatever
unwarranted
advice as you call it, you absolutely deserve, when it comes to Fuwa. Your behavior in regards to him has always been incredibly unprofessional, and so was your misstep with Kijima.""No. It
isn't
warranted. Nobody else gives a damn about why I'm angry with Shotaro. They just say he deserves it, if it happens to come up in conversation. Which it typically doesn't.
Because no one else cares. And nobody gave a damn that Kijima-san helped style me for that party. At most, they thought it was cute. You butted in where you didn't need to. That's on
you.
That's not on me."She'd leaned forward, angrily hissing the last words, as everyone else at the table continued to be distracted by the starting presenter at the podium. He matched her, glare for glare."Friends? Don't make me laugh," her words had a bite as she spat them out, "Friends don't do what you did in that hotel room. Funny that you didn't address that. I've been thinking this for a while
Tsuruga-senpai, but someone obviously needs to teach you what's appropriate and what isn't."If Kyoko wasn't completely mistaken, there was a light pink color dusting his cheekbones. But it also could have been a trick of the light. Either way, Ren's intent gaze never left hers."Well go on then. Tell me exactly what I did wrong in that hotel room. It seems as if you are forever scolding me about inappropriate behavior. I'm sure a proper, traditional young lady such as yourself, can elaborate on all my faults quite well. Go on then. I'm listening."It
was
what she wanted to do, very desperately-she had a laundry list of things that irked her in fact-but the ire flashing in his eyes, and his baiting tone made her reconsider. She bit back a scowl as she tried to decipher what else he might be angling at with his unstated, but apparent, implications. His eyes flitted across her face, perceptive as always to any change in her expression, and Kyoko was entirely too close to him to not notice the smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth, and the stubble growing along his jaw. It was so reminiscent of how close they
had
to be to each other when they'd played the Heel Siblings months ago, that Kyoko broke out into a full-on scowl."Careful," his breath ghosted over her neck, smelling faintly of spearmint and making her stifle a shiver. "That scowl might smear that lipstick you're wearing."She forced her facial muscles into something more neutral while she faced forward in her chair, and attempted to pay attention to the person at the podium, determinedly not looking at either him, or Kanae. Kyoko's 'proper adult' role was one she'd very obviously dropped, and Kyoko didn't want to see the disappointment on Kanae's face. This battle was not over, she determined. She had him on edge; that was evident from his tense shoulders, to the hand he had balled into a fist on the tabletop."Which of your bad behaviors show up the most in Cain Heel,
Tsuruga-senpai?
The drinking, the smoking, or the playboy ways?"She didn't miss him stiffening next to her, as she muttered this in a mocking tone under her breath."Which of yours show up in Setsuka,
Kyoko-chan?
Bossiness, clinginess, or your dislike for bimbos?"It took everything Kyoko had to not snarl at him out loud, where everyone could hear. She stared ahead at the stage and podium, unseeing and full of fury at his mocking use of her proper name."How dare you try to make this about me again. When I got that call from Shotaro that night, you weren't Cain."She watched in her periphery, as his fist curled, and uncurled, his long fingers spreading across the tabletop, before he tightened his hand into a fist again."I apologized that night for that. Why are you throwing it back in my face?"She scoffed, but made sure to keep quiet even as she did."You're such a hypocrite."He leaned forward again, turning towards her, so beneath the table his leg pressed against hers. She glanced down, went to move away, and then changed her mind.
He
was invading
her
space. And he was doing it to intimidate her. Just as he'd attempted that night at the hotel, and several other times when he felt like he wasn't getting his way. It was one of his most petty behaviors, and when she wasn't upset with him, she tended to think it was pretty amusing. But this time, she instead glared back up at him.His eyes flashed as he noticed the challenging jut of her jaw."Well go on then. Elaborate on how I'm a hypocrite. Maybe use small words, so I actually understand what the hell you're talking about?""Oh you are so full of it."He matched her look for look, before Kyoko scoffed in disgust, and turned away."Mogami-san-"There was an odd note in his tone, and she couldn't help but glance his way again.He actually wasn't looking at her, but at Kanae, and Kyoko followed his gaze, only to see Kanae glaring daggers at them; an angry, pulsing vein evident in her scrunched up forehead."Better pay attention to the presenters," said Kyoko as she smiled in satisfaction. Ren leaned away from her, attempting to hide himself from her precious, and most dear Moko-san."Perhaps we should take the discussion outside?"This was muttered through clenched teeth and Kyoko had to stop herself from rolling her eyes in aggravation."Not a chance. Your behavior and your problems are on you. There's no way I'm letting you twist it into being my fault."Ren blew out a sigh, and swung his head in her direction, his posture positively screaming that he was incredibly fed up with this, and uncaring that he was grabbing other people's attention."Explain. Now. This is the last time I'm going to ask."Kyoko ignored Kanae making small, aborted and angry gestures at them to cut it out from across the table, and nearly laughed in Ren's face.She held back, but only to lean in and snarl more quietly, "All it would have taken is one member of the paparazzi following you while you switched into your Cain persona, for them to have discovered our hotel. Imagine what would have happened, had someone been smart enough, or diligent enough, to plant a camera in that hotel room and then decide to publish the pictures they got."His eyes widened, as dawning horror spread across his face."Clearly," she spat this out, disgusted, "Paparazzi will care about you far more than they ever would about me, but imagine, just for a moment, what would have happened to me if some one had done that then. And
you
want to come at
me
with your baseless assumptions because of a
paparazzi photo that never got published?!
What a hypocrite you are!"She stood, angrily grabbed at her purse, and turned on her heel, "And what a poor excuse of a
friend."She paused for only a second as Kanae hissed out a warning. Kyoko glanced back at Moko-san, regret already overwhelming the indignation the man in front of her had inspired."Powder room. Excuse me."
So drown it in gin and lemonade, be the water to my flame.

I need this outta my head, I need it out of my way.
She exited as quickly as she could to said bathroom. She splashed water on her face, scowling at herself in the mirror, mad all over again that she had messed up her eyeshadow and ruined her carefully applied lipstick.She dug through her purse to find a glossy chapstick, writing off the eyeshadow since she didn't have its container with her. She dabbed the gloss on her lips, and gave herself a little pep talk."Charity event. Charity event. For LME. You're an adult.
An adult.
Come on.".She pinched her cheeks, and smacked them a little, then blew out a big breath, and tried to relax. After a moment, she considered it a decent enough job, and left to return to the hall.She wasn't even faintly surprised to see Ren waiting for her, a remorseful look, complete with his puppy dog eyes, on his face."I… wanted to apologize.""And what are you apologizing for, precisely?""I think… a great many things."She paused in her walk back to the hall, and looked him over."Alright. That's a good start."
Any day now, I will walk on my own feet.

I will fortify the weakest nerves in me, replicate them, build a palace to isolate the beast.

Oh how I wish you well… I will break free … any day now.
…...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Quit Playing Around

This is a direct continuation from
A Curious Game, and canon divergent from mid-chapter 72.……“I didn’t do it to be mean.”“I understand, I do. You’ve just been so upfront and honest with me recently…” Kyoko's throat closed up tight, her voice abruptly cutting off as shame washed over her when her mind drifted towards Bo’s recent discussion with him about love. She cleared her throat, then tried again. He was about to test as Katsuki, this needed to be a quick conversation.
“...I. I just really appreciated that you took me so seriously and that you were so sincere. I feel a little hurt now. Like maybe I was overstepping my boundaries. We’re not where I thought we were, I guess.”“No, wait Mogami-san. That’s not true. We have been able to be...honest with each other. With a bit of difficulty I suppose. You’ve been really helpful even as I’ve struggled and struggled with this, and I have greatly appreciated how considerate you’ve been. I’m sorry about this.”“But why didn’t you say anything?”“This sounds really bad, and I’m sorry again. But it was simply that I wanted to concentrate on how to solve the problem, and not think about the actual reasons why it was a problem that needed solving. Does that make sense?”She peered up at him, and studied the earnest look in his eye for a bit, then finally said:“I think so. Um, good luck out there! I’ll be waiting! I want to see your Katsuki Tsuruga-san. Please show him to me!”A complicated expression crossed his face, before he wiped it away and stood, looking down at her with his typical gentlemanly-like demeanor.
“Don’t look away,” he ordered softly. Then he turned on his heel, and strode towards the set as stagehands directed him over.Which left Kyoko shivering a little in the ball she'd curled into, before she hastily stood, and got closer to the set. She’d been ordered to not look away, after all, and she was determined to not let him down. Her stomach was twisting into knots as she found her spot, and she bit her lip to stop herself from making a frustrated sound.
How he’d looked at her, so expectantly, like he knew that no matter what, she’d obey. It was so similar to his provocative behavior from the night before and it was so frustrating that she could read him, but then he’d try to hide from her too. That stranger part of him, that one that she’d only seen last night. How on earth did he have that buried so deep? It fascinated her-but aggravated her too-and she nibbled on the inside of her lip as everyone around her began to move closer, awaiting the moment when Director Ogata would start the test.Of course she wasn’t going to look away. What fool would?…It was both terrifying and awe-inspiring, Kyoko would think later, how Tsuruga-san’s acting worked on such deep levels and with so many layers. She empathized with Momose-san’s frustration and amazement in turn, as she watched the test unfold. And even as she did, it seemed as if lightbulb after lightbulb was switched on in her mind, as she fit the pieces of his peculiar behavior together with what behaviors Tsuruga-san had developed for Katsuki. He so quickly switched between expressions, that even as they confused her with regards to the plot of the scene in question, she could also more easily separate out what was Tsuruga Ren, and what was Katsuki.Both Tsuruga-san and Katsuki’s facades were ones of almost extreme politeness. Everyone had those when they were trying to be professional, but theirs had a layer of additional charm. It was Tsuruga-san that could be the incredibly charming smoothtalker to get what he wanted, even if people weren't entirely sure of his sincerity when he utilized it. But if people weren't buying the act, Katsuki would rather drop it entirely, and quickly grew sharper, more cruel in tone. Kyoko had witnessed only some aspects of that while around Tsuruga-san, and often his tone had only been coldly polite, no matter how angry she’d gotten him before. That sharper, crueler tone of voice, must be a behavior Tsuruga-san had developed for Katsuki.
It was Tsuruga-san who felt that the Student-Teacher romance situation was off-putting. Kyoko didn’t blame him; it was hard to get behind 'a forbidden romance'. They were forbidden for a reason. It was Katsuki who didn’t care about that as much, and was more clearly aggravated by the fact that he was attracted to a student, because that also interfered with the plans that character had set into motion.Katsuki wanted to dismiss those foolish notions immediately, even if it hurt Mizuki. Tsuruga-san had no problem twisting words around if it got him the response he wanted.
But even as Katsuki was cruel and manipulative, Katsuki immediately showed regret towards Mizuki, and buckled under the tensions and pressure he himself had put in place. Kyoko knew first hand that Tsuruga-san was far more stubborn even when he regretted something he did. He was also a little more petty about it too, and her lips curled up into a wry grin as she watched Momose-san and him try to navigate the awkward tension of the scene.She didn’t envy Momose-san in the slightest, but her train of thought screeched to a halt as she saw a very familiar, gentle smile curl at the corners of Tsuruga-san’s mouth. She felt, rather than saw, other women of their cast swoon over seeing such an expression on his face. Even as her grudges were dying in droves from the brightness of it, she stumbled over understanding it.
She’d gone so long thinking the heavenly smile was just another aspect of his smooth-talking behavior. That he used it just because he knew it would fluster people. But maybe...she thought back to his earnest concern from earlier...maybe that wasn’t the case.
Katsuki was showing it to Mizuki, in an awkward scene of back-and-forth. They weren’t flirting, not yet. And he’d just been mean to her. Maybe Tsuruga-san just had that smile, when he was trying to be gentle, and trying to be kind. Showing that to Mizuki would add another layer of depth to the subtext of the scene.
The answer came to her, almost as shocking and instantaneous as a bolt of lightning. It was sincere . Every time he’d pulled that smile out around her, she’d automatically doubted the sincerity of it. She made several mental apologies to Tsuruga-san in her mind, as she watched the scene get cuter, and funnier.
Tsuruga-san had been doing his best to be sincere with her a lot recently, and shame washed over her about her doubting of it as the scene finished up, with light teasing between their stars and a rapturous round of applause from onlookers. She pondered the many different sides to him as everyone crowded around, but tried to push it from her mind, as eager as the rest to hear their President announce his decision.
Even as Tsuruga-san was cleared to continue as Katsuki, Kyoko had to stifle the surge of bitter envy that swelled within her, and keep it from showing on her face, as Tsuruga-san so boldly elaborated on how he was confident about why he could depend on Momose-san with their improvisation. What Kyoko herself had done as Mizuki had been nothing special at all. She’d been caught flat-footed so many times during Tsuruga-san’s Katsuki improv last night, and another wave of frustration came over her as she remembered it.
It was so damned aggravating to feel like she was so far behind the rest of them as an actor. She wanted to do more, to play more roles, and catch up so bad so she could trip up her coworkers just like they so frequently did to her. It sucks being the newbie actor , she thought bitterly.
But just as quickly as the thought came to her, she shoved it down, her determination to be one of the best overriding it. It wouldn’t do any good to answer her coworkers sincere, passionate efforts in their work, with emotions motivated by such negativity. To be the best, you had to focus on the work. Tsuruga-san had shown her that well enough.
"That was a…fantastic Katsuki, Tsuruga-san," she said softly to him, as the others around them dispersed to head either to lunch or to scene re-set.
He bent down a little and tried to catch her eye, and she stiffened and backed away a step, caught off-guard.
"Tsu-Tsuruga-san?"
"Thank you very much for the assistance, Mogami-san. 100 points."She blushed at the gentle amusement she heard in his tone as he teased her about her LoveMe work.
"'Things getting a little out of hand'. That was a good scenario for your range of expression. You played it well," she fired back, not letting him forget what had taken place between them during their own improv. She might have imagined it really, but she thought she felt her hip throb, as she remembered the thumbprint that he'd left on her from the rather… ludicrous situation that had occurred the night before.
His features grew more serious then, and he darted a glance at their surroundings, before he spoke again, quieter, since they were in a relatively private bubble for the moment.
"Mogami-san, even if you take nothing else away from our… test yesterday evening, please know one thing."He paused, and she finally glanced back up at him, surprised and unsure as to why he had such a self-deprecating look in his face.
"Your range is just as exceptional as mine is. Refine that passion, nurture your confidence, and Mogami-san?"
She stared back at him, her mouth open in disbelief, and he let out a small laugh.
"Whatever you may believe about last night, know I consider you the… winner of that test. I may have started strong, but you soared past me. I hope to challenge you better in the future."With one last hint of a knowing smirk, he excused himself as the LME President called out to him. Kyoko stared as he left, unable to put into words how stunned he'd left her. Had she been so transparent with her disappointment in herself?? How well did Tsuruga-san read her?? How terrifying.
She shivered, wanting to put it from her mind. But also, she was thoroughly confused by his reassurances of her abilities. He'd been so smooth last night, with how quickly he'd shifted between moods as Katsuki. She'd been caught off-guard so often. And playing Katsuki seemed to have left him in an awful teasing mood too, what with how much he'd tried to rile her up about her… inexperience.
I wonder if his difficulty in figuring out Katsuki's complexity was a blow to his ego? It wasn't the first time she'd thought this. If Tsuruga-san was looking for a distraction because something was bothering him, he usually teased her. Last night had been the worst case of it, for sure. But he did genuinely just thank me for my help.
Maybe… maybe it would be okay to trust his compliments just this once. He had seemed pretty sincere. She wondered again if there was anything she could do to reassure him too.
It was this thought, ultimately, that inspired her to show Tsuruga-san Corn and Corn’s magic later, after he was done talking privately with the President. He seemed mostly to just take her explanation in stride, rather than truly understand the impact of its effect, but that was alright. She knew Corn would help in some way. Corn always did. She was comforted by that thought, before she realized that Tsuruga-san had actually raised her Corn stone to his lips.She stopped in her tracks, unable to look away from such a sight, but Tsuruga-san only returned the look, and his lips curved into his soft, gentle smile as he gave her stone back to her.“Lunch then? Shall we get going?”She nodded dumbly, hurrying after him as he turned and headed back inside, her heart beating in triple-time as she did.
This is sincerity Kyoko. He was being kind. He can be gentle like that too.
She wanted to trust the reassurances she gave herself about that, but still, a small finger of dread pressed along her spine as they walked.…It was three days before they were set to leave for Karuizawa when Kyoko’s typical routine of school, acting lessons, Darumaya work, LME work, and Dark Moon work, was interrupted by an interview with Japonet Scoop. A great deal about that incident wound up infuriating her, but she couldn’t help but linger over the sheer dismissiveness other newbies showed her.
They’ve not been on the scene even as long as I have, and all they did was just copy Sho! Even as new as she was, these guys were even newer! She couldn't stand it really, and she metaphorically gnashed her teeth over it, far angrier than she’d been in a while. But what enraged her most, was when she demanded Sho to not be a coward about it, but he only answered her with a backhand, his ring even scratching her face.She spent the entire night after their blow up at TBM Studios stabbing her Sho doll with pins and swearing vengeance on him, until she eventually fell into a troubled sleep. The problem only grew when she stopped by work the next morning to take care of some things, only to be met by who else but Tsuruga Ren. Kyoko swore violently, if silently to herself, and started to panic about explaining the bandage on her face.
“You were apologizing to Sawara-san. Did that scolding he gave you have anything to do with that bandage on your cheek?” He asked her quietly as they headed out to his car towards their Dark Moon shooting location.In her panic, all the words she got out were, “Uh, yes. But...it was...an accident.”The silence between them was subdued as he started his car and drove off the lot, and she winced, and knew that her tone hadn’t been convincing at all. Damn it! She stewed in her panic and regret, waiting for him to blow past her defenses with some well-meaning scolding, but Tsuruga-san only sighed, and kept driving. The silence between them grew and she peeked up at him covertly, only to see a troubled look on his face.“Really, it was just an accident, but I should have known better! I’m sorry!” she blurted out, and he shot her a quick, but reassuring glance of concern.“If it was an accident, there’s no need to apologize Mogami-san.”Somehow, that only made her feel worse. But that was nothing compared to her reaction when they arrived on set, only to see Sho himself there, as sulky and petulant as always.
Her fury only grew when Sho demanded to see her in private, with zero regard or respect to her own obligations and work responsibilities.
It wasn't until after that was dealt with (she supposed she could accept Sho's apology since he had seemed rather sincere about how badly he felt about hitting her, so she supposed she could let drop for now), and she was headed towards makeup, that she caught sight of Tsuruga-san, leaning up against a wall around the corner.
"Tsu-Tsuruga-san?"
He looked her over, his features unexpectedly stern, and she was then reminded of their awkward car ride. Eeep. She swallowed hard, digging her fingers into her skirt pockets, so she didn't give away how nervous that look made her.
"Did you… did you… were you listening in on that?"
"Nah, not all of it. I just overheard his apology, and saw that you were mad. Let's see if I can guess… hmmm… you got angry because he said you were pretty. So then he felt the need to apologize?"
Kyoko's uneasiness almost completely dissipated at Tsuruga-san’s dry remark. She snorted."No, he did no such thing.""Ah. Guess I'm wrong then.""I'm not sure what made you even think of it to be honest," she let out a quiet laugh, knowing that it probably sounded bitter, "Shotaro would never say that about me. His tastes runs towards aaaah…older women, let's say." Because they're far bustier she added silently to herself. There was a long second of quiet, and Kyoko looked back up at Tsuruga-san in curiosity. He just looked back at her, surprise clear on his face.
"Tsuruga-san? What are you-"
"You're more like Mio than I think I ever realized."For a half second, she felt offended, and opened her mouth to say so, but he cut her off again.
"Sorry, I just... I think I just realized something that had been confusing me."
"Tsuruga-san?" she tilted her head at him questioningly. He rubbed a hand across his jaw, before he slid his hands into his pockets and started to head to wardrobe and makeup. She hurried to keep up with his long stride.
"Tsuruga-san?"
"I mean, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but your revenge plan... it's not just because he broke your heart and was an asshole about it, is it? Nah, you want revenge because he also bruised your pride, didn't he? You knew the entire time you were chasing after him that his proclivities didn't run toward girls like you, but you thought you were the exception, didn't you?"She found herself rooted to the tile of the hallway, as that final blow landed. He paused ahead of her as he noticed she'd stopped following him. Tsuruga-san looked back towards her, uncertainty filling his features.
"I mean… Correct me if I'm wrong Mogami-san. It just seemed… rather evident in my apartment that you were… excessively in denial about your own appearance and its appeal. I just can't help but think that it's because you didn't want to consider the alternative.""Do enlighten me as to what you believe that alternative to be," she managed to get out past the hard lump lodged in her throat.
He stepped closer to her, looking concerned.
"I guess it doesn't really matter now-"
"No. Enlighten me," she demanded, flinging her head up to glare at him.
He looked back at her, and Kyoko swore silently to herself as she thought she saw pity enter his eyes.
"The alternative being…" he began, his voice as gentle as she'd ever heard it, "That no matter how your appearance changed, or even if others, other people like me, did find you beautiful, or appealing, it wouldn't even matter. Because no matter what you did, it would never make him look your way."
Kyoko dashed away the hot tears spilling down her cheekbones, and sniffed hard as she and Ren stood in that quiet hallway and just looked at each other."I need to get to makeup," she finally croaked out, a long moment later.
She pushed past him, doing her best to dry her tears.
"Mogami-san," Ren called after her. She walked faster, then heard the hard clack of his dress shoes as he caught up to her and cursed internally. The heat of his fingers wrapping around her wrist was what made her freeze, so startled was she by his reaching out to stop her.
She stilled, waiting for whatever other truth bomb he could drop on her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his long fingers wrapped around her much tinier wrist, but it was a very gentle touch, and she felt herself heat in embarrassment.
"Mogami-san," he repeated, and she stiffened.
"What else could you possibly have to say?"
Kyoko winced at the volume of her own voice, but she just couldn't believe how atrociously the past two days had gone. Her ego had taken one blow after another, and there seemed to be no end in sight.
"I just…," he faltered, but then when he spoke again, his voice was strong and sure, "Your appearance is not a measure of your worth."
Her breath left her as the words hit her, almost like a suckerpunch, and Kyoko turned her head, so her eyes met his. He smiled back down at her, and spoke again.
"it's not up to other people to decide what you're worth. But, I will say this. Of course you should take pride in the life you are building for yourself. You've had to go it alone far too frequently, and whatever your stumbling blocks, you make sure to triumph over them. Be proud. The pride you can take in the self that you build out of the things that you love, that's a pride that no one can take from you. And no one else gets to define your worth."
The stood in there in the hallway for another long moment, before he dropped her wrist, and smiled at her.
"I need to get back to Yashiro-san. Get to make-up."She nodded dumbly back at him, as Ren turned and jogged back down the hallway towards the set. She stumbled towards makeup, her head spinning as she attempted to process the weight of the words Ren had just imparted to her.
Tsuruga-san she wondered, how do you always know what's really bothering me?
….
Kyoko was halfway through her make-up application, and her artist had just stepped out to run to the restroom, when Ren entered the room. Their eyes connected through the mirror, and she stiffened, awkwardly aware of how much his presence just filled the room, making it seem even smaller than it already was.
"Tsuruga-san… wh-what, um. Is something the matter?"
He held her gaze for a long, expectant moment. She found herself clutching the fabric of her dress, and hastily smoothed it out, and tightly clasped her hands together so she wouldn't give away her nervousness. Finally, Ren just shrugged.
"Honestly, Yashiro-san just wouldn't stop hounding me about Fuwa. I figured if I just came here, he'd stop asking me about it.""I'm so sorry Shotaro's nonsense is causing you difficulty!" Kyoko groaned internally, getting riled up all over again about Sho showing up out of nowhere.
"Mogami-san, I am curious…"
He trailed off, and she frowned, "Yes?"
"Hmmm. Is it appropriate for me to ask what happened? I was… well, I said a lot of things earlier that you didn't necessarily need me to… ah, forget it. Yashiro-san can just stew over it.""It really isn't worth talking about anyway," Kyoko sent him a self-deprecating smile.
"Ah."
That single syllable, made her far more nervous when he also crossed his arms, and bowed his head as he leaned against the wall behind her chair.
"Tsu-Tsuruga-san?"
"Yes?"
"You… you do believe me don't you?"
He didn't even look up from his contemplation of the floor as he just shrugged her off.
"Really! It's nothing worth discussing.""You know Mogami-san," Ren's voice was nearly a drawl, so slowly did he say the words, "I really can't figure you two out. I think I'm just as confused as I was earlier. Maybe I spoke out of turn then, maybe I really don't have any clue where your head is at about him. Because from where I'm standing, he came and interrupted your work, you were angry and he apologized, so I thought you'd need reassuring from a friend, because maybe he upset you again. But you don't even seem to think him coming here is worth discussing. So either whatever happened is a minor thing," and he eyes met hers as he looked up, his gaze dark and contemplative, "Or…you're hiding something still."Kyoko didn't have to look at her reflection to know that her face had just given her away.
"I've no idea what you mean Tsuruga-san.""Lying doesn't become you, Mogami-san."Almost as soon as the words had slipped out of her mouth, Kyoko had regretted them. But Tsuruga-san's careful behavior, how he kept his distance, even as he challenged her lie, only put her more on edge. She swallowed hard, her mouth unexpectedly dry. But she was saved from his probing questions, as her artist hurried back in, almost stumbling into Tsuruga-san, before he stepped deftly out of the way, nearer to her chair.
"Ts-Tsuruga-san!! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," Fuyumi-chan squeaked out."No problem at all," he murmured back at her, "Don't mind me, was just waiting for my dear kouhai to answer a question I had for her. Is she able to respond, or would it mess up your work?"
"Oh! Sure, that's fine-"
Kyoko threw him a dirty look as Fuyumi-chan stumbled over herself to reassure him about the lack of problems that would cause. Her nerves almost disappeared completely, so aggravated did that tactic make her. Of course he would use the situation to his advantage. Of course he wouldn't just drop the topic, once they were interrupted.
Fine. I'll play the game . She mentally scowled even as Tsuruga-san raised a lofty eyebrow in expectation.
"There is no more information to impart or... anything about the situation that would require further discussion about it," she muttered through clenched teeth, even as Fuyumi-chan looked between the two of them, baffled by their tension.
The fleeting expression that passed over his face, the slight, knowing smirk, that unsettled Kyoko too."Of course."The resulting silence was filled by Fuyumi-chan starting to reapply scar adhesive while Tsuruga-san readjusted his position to stay out of her way, and his presence in her periphery remained. Kyoko silently fumed, the deep scratch on her face throbbing beneath the makeup. Though if it did so in actuality, or if she was just imagining it because of the turmoil roiling within her, she had no idea. Fuyumi-chan's steady hands didn't change at all even as Kyoko could feel her gaze flitting between her and Tsuruga-san in confusion.
"Tsuruga-san, you aren't needed on set?" Kyoko asked, her tone carefully polite, so as to not arouse further suspicion.
"No, not for some time.""How lucky. You have a little time to relax. Must be nice to not sit in a makeup chair for hours.""I am lucky, that's true. Now if only my poor kouhai didn't have to be trapped for so long."Fuyumi-chan broke their polite, if strained, conversation with a high-pitched, nervous giggle.
"Never fear Tsuruga-san. She's not trapped! Anytime she needs a break, she needs only ask. Kyoko-chan is so great, she always comes in early for her makeup, we have plenty of time.""How...considerate Mogami-san."Kyoko's face burned in embarrassment as Fuyumi-chan ducked her head when it became apparent her interjection had no effect on the weird tension between them. But that didn't stop the surge of guilt in Kyoko over her lying, or her frustration that Tsuruga-san could so easily see through her. It almost made her want to be even more difficult, which was counterintuitive to every effort they'd been making to be more straightforward with each other. Kyoko's eyes swung toward his again, and almost immediately she glanced away from that calm face and his expectant gaze.
"And how far does that consideration reach Mogami-san? Does it go as far as hiding the truth about someone's bad behavior?"
Kyoko froze as Tsuruga-san reached out, and she watched him tap his own cheek, on the same side that her scratched cheek was on, in the reflection of the mirror.
Her mouth opened to answer him, but no sound came out, as she searched helplessly for some sort of response that could be a half-truth. When none came, a knowing look came across his face, and she closed her mouth again, frustrated beyond belief.
"Unbelievable," he muttered and dropped his hand, a familiar look of disappointment entering his eyes.
"It was an accident," she said through clenched teeth.
"Sure. A man like him tracks you down to where you work because it was an… accident ."The deliberate pause and skeptical answer had her full-on scowling and Fuyumi-chan tsked, once more absorbed in her application work.
"Don't move those muscles!"
Kyoko obeyed, but kept glaring at the man in the reflection. He just leveled an even look back at her. After a moment, he sighed, shook his head, and looked away. Kyoko's breath caught in her throat as she watched him.
"I'm sorry!" she blurted out, "Uh, I'm, I'm sorry! Th-thank you for, um, thank you for worrying, I know you're just concerned, and thank you for your kindness, but really! It really was an accident! I'm just really embarrassed by how I behaved and really, I shouldn't have been so foolish! And! Um, well, I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san."
Fuyumi-chan paused, a brush and a small swab of glue a centimeter from her face, but Kyoko's eyes just desperately searched for Tsuruga-san's, almost unable to think straight but for the panic she felt about to swallow her. She froze as they locked eyes in the reflection in the mirror. Surprise crossed his face, then that familiar, sad smile he got sometimes.
He reached out as Kyoko watched him in the mirror, and gave her a soft pat on the top of her head, "So you are okay?"
"Yes Tsuruga-san," her voice came out soft, an exhalation of relief.
"So the… situation is the same as it always is?"
"Extra frustrating, but yes," her knuckles whitened where her hands were clasped in her lap, but the rest of her relaxed as Ren gave her one more smile, and then stepped away from the chair."Alright. And you'll tell me if I need to… you'll tell me if that changes for the worse?"
"Yes Tsuruga-san.""Good. Get this makeup done, and get to set, hm? I'm eager to see how your skills as Mio have evolved since I've not been able to watch you in some time.""Yes Tsuruga-san. Thank you Tsuruga-san.""No, thank you for your honesty Mogami-san. I do worry. I appreciate your patience with me in that."Kyoko would deny it forever, but a pleasing warmth, almost like a gentle summer breeze, suffused her insides and she smiled back at him.
"Thank you for caring Tsuruga-san.""That's what friends do, yes?"
She smiled brightly back at him, "Yes!"
The silence that fell between Fuyumi-chan and her as he left was a loaded one."How… kind of Tsuruga-san to reassure you so much about… whatever that was that was troubling you."They were pretty words, but the look in Fuyumi-chan's eyes was a hard, assessing one and Kyoko pasted on her most disarming, submissive smile.
"He's quite the big brother senpai, isn't he?" Kyoko laughed, "It's embarrassing that my agency coworkers feel they need to look after me so much, but I guess that's better than being fed to the wolves."Fuyumi-chan tsked, but got to reapplying the make-up, her demeanor relaxing, "True. Overprotective behavior is certainly better than problems being overlooked."Kyoko breathed an internal sigh of relief as Fuyumi-chan seemed to brush aside the whole interaction with that statement. And Kyoko thought back to the questioning look in Tsuruga-san's eyes as he'd said, 'That's what friends do, yes?'
Yes it was. Friends did worry like that. Friends did reassure each other if problems came up. It was a weird concept to think about in relation to Tsuruga-san, but it was nice at the same time too.

Friends, eh?

Kyoko liked the sound of that.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

First Chance
When he looked back on it, it struck him as something that would have had a one-in-a-million chance of happening. Maybe one in a billion. But when Tsuruga Ren had stumbled into a fashion forum while surfing the web for reference photos, he'd never anticipated coming across a Hizuri Fashion House appreciation thread.
It struck him as odd at the time, but then he'd soon recalled that his phone settings were still set to receive information and access to things he would have been near on the West Coast. Oddness aside, whoever had the handle FreelyFlutteringButterfly was nonetheless, an expert analyst of his mother's work.He clicked on several of this poster's threads, searching out more analysis of his mother's most recent summer line, nostalgia filling him with a warmth he was unaccustomed to.

What delicate heirloom lacework! Must have been done on machine, considering how frequently it's used in her wedding line for this year, but I'll bet she had her seamstresses hand-applique. It's far too delicate to be attached the way it is otherwise.

Bold color choices. Obviously inspired by the most recent Anna Sui line, but deviates a great deal in patterning! I can't say I'm not reminded of summer yukatas, the inspiration is apparent, if more subtly woven throughout the entire design.

Minӓ Perhonen’s work is more delicate with her use of embroidery, but Hizuri-sensei must have also been inspired by the floral work of Perhonen’s ‘06 line. Exceptional, exceptional attention to detail. I’m hoping when I write about her for my college entrance exam, that I remember all her details!!
Ren decided to respond anonymously to that last comment.

You have a great eye for the little details. Somehow, I don’t expect you’ll so easily forget such things. Have more faith in yourself!
He glanced over some more of FreelyFlutteringButterfly’s posts in this forum, and what else they (she?) linked to and noticed one requesting entry tips into Kyoto Seika University into their fashion course. Of course it was likely that someone in a fashion forum was trying to get a degree in it, but it somehow still surprised him all the same. Again, anonymously posting in their thread, he made sure to wish them good luck. They were going to need it, to make it in the cut-throat world of fashion.

Second Chance
Kyoko was three feet deep into fabric samples, beading, and lace, when she got the call from Sho. She scrambled around to find her mobile, but just as she reached it, the ringtone cut off. She held her breath, waiting for the call to come in, letting out a sigh of relief as she instead just heard her text tone.The text simply read: Still in Tokyo finalizing the deal with the agency. Don’t expect me back this weekend.
She blinked at those words, vaguely coming to the realization that she should feel sad about her husband staying in Tokyo, but really, she only felt relief. She wet her lips, resisting the urge to nervously bite her fingernails. But no matter which way you sliced it, she wasn’t looking forward to his return.
He always stank of either women’s perfume, or of the smoke of the diners, clubs, and bars he played in. They always fought when he was around, he didn’t give a damn about her college coursework and how busy that kept her, and more than once, she’d had to smooth things over with his folks, because he hadn’t talked to them in weeks.
They were convinced that she and Shotaro could run their inn, and her own kaa-sama had made that promise back before she’d even written up her and Sho’s marriage contract, but how much longer were they willing to wait? Shotaro hadn’t hit it big in the music scene yet, and she only had a year left of college. He’d been gone longer, and longer, to Tokyo, and she had a feeling that he knew that if he didn’t succeed this summer, his otou-san was most likely going to yank the chain Shotaro had been flying free of.She stared miserably down at her phone, and noticed a notification that had come in a couple hours ago. It was from a fashion forum she ran, and she halfheartedly pressed it, wondering who’d replied to her. Her
ennui disappeared, when she noticed it was SleeplessinNippon.

That is gorgeous beadwork! What inspired the design? Might be a bit silly, but the chunky, blocky layout, and the colors of the beads, reminds me a little of MintDesigns out of Shibuya. Taken a trip there recently?
She smiled as she started to reply, eager to explain it all.
Great eye Sleepless!! I didn’t know you’d been in Shibuya recently...
She typed hurriedly, eager to get back to work on her brand to show her professor in their morning meeting, but also happy that Sleepless had gotten back into contact. They were somehow related to the fashion world through modeling, but Sleepless had also discussed, occasionally, a fashion line that they might want to launch sometime. She and Sleepless didn’t know each other tooooo well, but she often explained the behind-the-scenes info she’d learned here at Kyoto Seika, feeling that the anonymity of such a college was probably pretty safe. It was always a great conversation when Sleepless was online, and they often talked about the places they visited, which often gave her ideas of where to take trips to next.
As she typed, smiling, she took another glance around at all the work she still had to do for the next morning, and forgot all about the text she’d received from her husband, not even realizing she'd forgotten.

Third Chance
It was only noon, and Ren was already tired of the photographer he was working with. If he was told he’d need to keep kneeling for another half-hour, after an hour of this photographer trying to arrange him so the light hit him just right , he was going to order Yashiro to never book him with the designer Utsugi again. Her photographer was absolutely inane, and Ren wasn’t convinced that he was kneeling for the light anymore, but more because the photographer just liked looking down on him.Ren bit back a ferocious scowl as one of the set-hands jogged up to him with a water.“Water Tsuruga-san! We’re almost done!”“How much longer?”“She said maybe five minutes?”It had been maybe five minutes ten minutes ago too. Ren couldn’t help the dark look on his face as he stopped swilling his water and looked back at the kid, much as he tried to control it, and the set-hand eeeeped before scurrying away with said water.
Perhaps the pissy look on his face worked, because the flashes from the camera started up again, and a blessed three minutes later, he was able to stand back up and break for lunch with the rest of the crew. He strode towards Yashiro, and his manager handed him his phone as he checked over his planner.“Alright Ren, one more thing to do today, the meeting with Director Shingai. Then you’re free.”“Fantastic,” Ren mumbled, looking at his phone as he gulped down more water. The sun reflecting off the beach wasn’t the nicest feeling in the world in Japan in July, but he snapped a picture of it for posterity anyway. Maybe Butterfly would like a behind-the-scenes look at fashion modeling.He pulled up her forum, posting a picture that was partially of beach, and mostly just of the clothes hanging in their mobile closet that the designer had brought with her.
Coming to you live from Odaiba!
He got an almost instantaneous response of smiley faces and exclamation points. Then, shortly thereafter, a picture of the ferris wheel, and then another picture of the Rainbow Bridge. He smiled as he saw more exclamation points and goofy emojis.
I didn’t know you’d be so close during my trip to Tokyo! Been to the Ferris Wheel also?!
He responded just as quickly, ignoring the presence of his manager.
Nah. Work, work, work. That’s just how it goes sometimes.
He finally looked up and acknowledged Yashiro’s impatient huff and motioning towards the area where they were to have lunch.“We should eat before we get stuck in traffic Ren. If you lose any more weight, the president is going to start scolding me.” “Yes, yes. Lunch it is.”Ren briefly wondered why Butterfly would be away from university on a trip. Perhaps to do with her husband? Or maybe he’d just lost track of time, and she’d already graduated? Either way, what were the chances that they'd be so close? The one time he’d asked her about meeting up during a fashion event at Kyoto Seika, had been one of the only times she’d fallen seriously ill in the past few years, according to her. It was almost like they always just missed each other.As Yashiro hurried him along, Ren almost wished to take a half day, maybe meet up with her next to that ferris wheel. He never asked for a day off; the president probably wouldn’t care. He looked over at his manager, who was shoveling an onigiri in his mouth, and writing in his planner at the same time.
Yashiro would ask questions though . And that would be far too aggravating. And Shingai never wanted to deal with divas. Of all the directors Ren had worked with, he’d worked the hardest to earn Shingai’s respect. No , he decided, that’d be a bad idea today. But, maybe another time.

Fourth Chance
Kyoko smiled up at the tall gentleman with his ball-cap, as she handed over his iced Americano. The day hadn’t yet given way to the brutal heat of summer, but if the waves of humidity she could see past him out of the coffee shop window were any indication, the heat wasn’t too far behind. He nodded back vaguely in her direction, as the man beside him continued to talk over his blue-tooth. She waved them both off, their heads close together as they discussed some business contract, and checked the clock.She had another half hour before she was booking it to her internship, and she couldn’t wait to get there. She had, somehow, managed to land an incredibly prestigious internship with Sacai out in the Meguro Ward. She had hoped that this would ease the tension in her relationship with Shotaro, since they were now both living in Tokyo. However...it had only gone down hill since her arrival.Since her mother practiced within Tokyo, with Shotaro’s uncle, she’d sought out her mother’s advice. There hadn’t been much advice her mother could give her, and it had in actuality, made Kyoko even more curious why her mother hadn’t ever stayed with her father. Her mother was as down-to-earth and successful as a man could want, but still it somehow hadn’t worked out. Aaah well kaa-sama. Maybe us Mogami women aren’t cut out for marriage. Kyoko had been concerned about their young age, but had also felt as if it was a dream come true, when her mother and Shotaro’s had approached the pair of them about a marriage contract between their families.
It had proved to be a waking nightmare. Kyoko had felt so foolish about it her entire first year of college. Every time she’d introduced herself as Fuwa-san , her peers had looked at her with something that resembled pity. She’d hated it. But, that was the bad part of Sho Fuwa being known around Kyoto. Kyoto had been the home of the Fuwas and the Fuwa Inn for generations. When she'd married him, and married into their family the summer before college began, she had felt like a princess.
And yet...the weirdness between her and Sho had never faded. His bitter resentment had only increased in fact. Kyoko had started out that summer feeling like she couldn’t have been happier. She’d been given everything she’d ever wanted, and even her mother had hesitantly started renegotiating their relationship as mother and daughter.
And by the time she’d begun college, she’d felt like a simple country bumpkin, idiotic and foolish, absolutely humiliated every night Shotaro didn’t come home until dawn. She’d tried her damnedest all throughout college to be the best wife Sho Fuwa could ask for. And by the time she’d moved out to Tokyo for her internship, just as his music career had taken off, she’d been on her last desperate attempt to make things right between them.She had unequivocally failed. She looked at the clock in her coffee shop once more, wishing she could turn back the hands of time, back to that cold winter day that she’d turned 18 and her mother, for the first time in a decade, had come to stay at the Fuwa Inn. If only she had said no then.
If only if only, the woodpecker sighs .The old rhyme echoed in her mind, as she turned and smiled at the next customer to take their order, dreading the phone call she was going to have to make.It wasn’t until hours later, that she did get the chance to call the Fuwa Okami-san and break the news. By the end of that phone call, she was as teary-eyed as the Okami-san, but her heart and soul felt lighter than they had since she’d been 18. All she and Shotaro had left to do was file the divorce papers.She looked at their marriage contract, his signature next to hers, then looked at their divorce contract, and her lips twisted into a bitter smile.It was later still, when she opened up her online forum she ran, to write out her thoughts, ending a post about it with:
It all seems so foolish now. And I keep remembering that old rhyme, you know? If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs, the bark on the trees was as soft as the skies…

If only, if only, the reality had been as beautiful as the dream.
It was even later than that, when her phone pinged with a notification as she slept. She wouldn’t read it until the next morning, but it was Sleepless ’ response.

Dreams that fail us are just as important as those we succeed at. Your dream to be a top-notch designer is just beginning. You’ve known heartbreak, something deep and personal. And it seems it’s just made you stronger, fiercer, but also quieter, more contemplative. Use that heartbreak, let it fuel your passion. You can’t get anywhere without passion. And let those times where it seems the quiet will swallow you, become moments of respite. Good luck, and dream big.

Fifth Chance
“Tsuruga-senpai, good evening.”He glanced over at the woman joining him at the buffet line, and smiled back.“Kotonami-kun. Nice to see you. You did some exceptional work with Director Kurosaki recently.”“Oh, I appreciate you saying so. He’s a harsh taskmaster. It was a good challenge.”“Yes, he can be. So are you also here alone?”He looked around, expecting to see Uesugi Hiou hanging around. She sighed as they moved away from the buffet line, to a smaller side table.
“It seems Uesugi-kun is ill this evening. My back-up date was actually my designer, but she had a deadline she had to meet.”“Oh...your designer?”Ren glanced over her again, trying to narrow down where she fell on the scale of sexuality. Kotonami snorted at his look.“Don’t worry, I didn’t just drop a bombshell on you at such an important agency event. She’s just a good friend of mine, who’s a fashion designer. She loves figuring out who designed everyone’s clothing, so I invite her to a lot of things.”Well that cleared that up, “Ah, I see.”They got to chatting about other industry gossip, primarily that of the Tsukigomori remake they had both been approached to audition for. That remake seemed stuck in a quagmire of red-tape, but there was a new director at the helm, trying to get something going on it. It was times like these that Ren genuinely appreciated the standards of the LME agency.
He often had to deal with diva types, especially with the younger people on the scene that did more than just acting. Especially if those people weren’t part of LME. Kotonami was none of those things, and had struggled to even gain entry into the LME acting school once upon a time. She’d had to audition three times until the president himself had given her special permission to attend. But because he knew how hard it was to get in, and how high their standards were, it was nice to genuinely relax a little, and even gossip some, with his fellow LME talent.“I bet you a thousand yen that I could describe that atrocity that woman is wearing to Kyoko over the phone, and she’d know what it is.”Ren snorted as he drank his champagne, “That’s your designer friend?”“Yes. Wanna take that bet?”“Hmmm, that’s a low number. How about I raise to ten thousand yen?”Kotonami threw him a dirty look, “You better have that much on you. I certainly didn’t think I’d need to keep that much money on me.”Ren shrugged. He actually kept far more on him than that, but he knew when to keep quiet to avoid stepping on toes.Kotonami eyed him as she dialed the number. He only heard the faint sound of someone answering, but it must have been humorous, because Kotonami started snickering.“Sure, sure. But I promise this one is actually horrific.”Ren found himself starting to smirk as he just heard their side of the conversation. Kotonami was only describing the truly terrible, orange skirt+multicolored floral button up+pastel green blazer+suede high-heeled pump situation a woman across the room was wearing, but she did it with a dryness that Ren appreciated. (And, in his opinion, that woman was far too old to be wearing that high of a heel. She had to be seventy if she was a day)The combinations of color and fabric niggled at the back of his mind, and he found himself answering the question at the same time as Kotonami.“She says it’s-”“It’s from a
mercibeaucoup
line.”“A mercibeaucoup piece by Utsugi.”Kotonami stared at him, and he just blinked back at her.“How did you know that?”Ren heard faint chattering from her phone, and then Kotonami said, “Hold on Kyoko, you’re talking too fast. Ok, say that again, slower.”Kotonami glanced at him again a few seconds later, confusion evident in her eyes, before she turned her phone over to him.
“She wants to talk to you?”“Oh!” Ren puzzled over that, “Uh, sure, that’s fine.”The voice on the other end was loud, and bubbly, “Hello! Hello! Sorry to interrupt your erm, agency banquet? But Moko-san won’t tell me!! Is it from the spring/summer show of this year? Or last year’s fall?”“Definitely last year’s fall line,” he asserted, smiling when he heard a hoot of laughter on the other end. Her humor was infectious.
“Ok, ok! I have to tell Moko-san exactly how to rip this woman apart! She’s said that that lady was rude to her on-set last week. Give her back to me please!”“You got it Kyoko-chan.”“Oh! You can call me Mogami-san! What was your name again?”“Tsuruga. I’m Tsuruga Ren.”‘Very nice to meet you Tsuruga-san!”“She wants to talk to you again, Moko-san ,” Ren gave her back the phone, snickering when Kotonami scowled.“Don’t say that again! Only she gets to call me that! Oh, but actually, how did you know that?”Ren shrugged, “I’m in modeling.”He pulled out the yen notes, and handed them over as Kotonami sighed and plucked them from his grasp.
“Well yeah, sure-oh whatever, I have a designer telling me how to rip this woman apart, excuse me.”Kotonami huffed off, exasperated, and seemingly eager to ruin someone’s day, and Ren shook his head, smiling. What a pair those two made. He remained puzzled over where he’d heard about mercibeaucoup , until he realized it must have been from Butterfly’s forum. She’d made a post about it just last week.He quickly snapped a picture of the outfit in question, keeping the features of the woman anonymous, and posted it to the forum.
You’ll never guess which actress made the terrible decision to wear mercibeaucoup to a nice dinner.

… And One That Must Have Been Fate He was escorting another failed interviewee out of his boutique, when he caught sight of a copper-haired young lady staring up in awe at the wedding dress displayed in his window.
"May I help you miss?"
She glanced over at him, her eyes bright with delight and enthusiasm.
"This is the most recent Hizuri wedding line!! I'd know that heirloom lace anywhere!"
He paused, taken aback. The phrase heirloom lace sparked a thought in mind, and he turned it over a couple times, not sure why he'd gotten such deja vu.
"You have a good eye. Would you like to come in, take a look around?"
"I'd love to! Thank you!"
"It's no problem at all, I've a half hour until my next appointment."She beamed up at him, and darted in, eager to explore. He hid a smile, charmed by the bubbliness. As she explored his displays with Hizuri and Armandy pieces, and delved into the section of his store devoted to the most recent Sacai line, he watched her go.
Whatever sundress she was wearing, he couldn't suss out the brand. Sacai, MintDesign, and even Yasuhiro had recently released cute pieces like hers, that many other designers had attempted to copy. There’d been a resurgence of enthusiasm for vintage styles for summer dresses recently, so he thought that, paired with the recent spring/summer line releases, that it may have been bought fairly recently. But he didn't see any clear delineation that would mark a copy of the more popular name brands, or a marker of the name brands themselves either. The ruffled straps, hem lace, and pleated bust matched with the faint diamond patterning of the fabric, made an unmistakable impression of class and elegance.
She had her head buried in the shoe section, when he finally decided to ask.“You dress, whose make is it?”She popped up, smiling, “My own! Inspired by vintage Dior-”“1950s Dior.”They froze as they both spoke at the same time. She rubbed the back of her head and let out an embarrassed chuckle.“Yeah. You got it. Great eye.”
“Nah, I’m always learning. I just have great access to resources.”“Oh yes! That’s why I’m here!”She hurried back over to him and pulled out a business card, in the shape of a dressmaking dummy, with a glittering, lavender butterfly, in a varnished overlay.“That’s... an incredibly elegant design,” he murmured, unable to take his eyes off the butterfly.“Oh thank you very much!! I had a friend help me find the right printer to use. I guess he’s a model here too, though we seem to keep missing each other and haven’t been able to meet up. But I got them back last week, and I’m so happy! Because I had them in time for this meeting.”He glanced back up at her, astonished that she seemed to not realize it yet.“I’m Mogami Kyoko, and I’m here because-”“You’re FreelyFlyingButterfly. ”Her words stuttered to a stop and she stared back at him. There was a long second of silence, before he held out his hand for her to shake. She hesitantly stepped forward, and he could feel his cheeks hurting from the force of his smile as she shook his hand.“I see your big dreams let you fly quite far Butterfly .”“ Sleepless?!” she exclaimed.
He couldn’t even help himself, after years of waiting to meet her. Finally, fate had given them a chance. He bowed low, and brought her hand to his lips.“Tsuruga Ren, is what I usually go by. Welcome to the Nippon Butterfly. I believe you’re here to interview as Boutique Manager and Designer?”Kyoko had a bright blush on her face, but she smiled back.“I can’t wait to show you everything you helped inspire me to do.”“And I can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with next, Designer Mogami.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

They were a couple months into the new 'boundaries' of their relationship, when she caught Ren in the LoveMe locker room, looking exhausted."Tsuruga-san?"He blinked sleepily up at her from the LoveMe couch and she nearly swooned at that handsome, adorable face."We-were you waiting for me??" she croaked, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat.A beatific smile crossed his face, and she leaned on the doorway briefly for support."You are correct Mogami-san."She swallowed hard, dampening her suddenly dry lips, “Shall I, um, shall we go home together?”A beat of silence passed.Kyoko blushed furiously, squawking out, “No! I mean! I mean! Shall I call Yashiro-san back around? I was...I was just going to catch the bus but he did offer to-”Ren stood, stepping closer to her quicker than she anticipated, and she stumbled back, her voice abruptly cutting out.He reached a hand out, tangling a strand of hair around his fingers, before he leaned down and pressed a small kiss to her hair.“That’s probably not a very good idea,” he said gently.Her gaze darted back to his, and then darted away again as she saw the heated look he was giving her.His hand drifted away from her hair as he stepped even closer, and it fell to tangle their fingers together as he gave her hand a squeeze before he let it go.“I was waiting for you just so I could say good night in person.”It was at times like these, in the quiet stillness of their time alone together, that Kyoko’s heart ached in a way she’d never before felt.“Can we meet tomorrow?”The words rushed out of her, and she didn’t even care how breathless her voice sounded so long as he said yes."We do both have free time tomorrow don't we? Yashiro-san mentioned that to me at lunch today. That does sound good doesn’t it? Why don't we take the chance to spend tomorrow afternoon together?"He sounded as if he was only just now coming to that realization, but she caught the laughter at the corner of his mouth and she found herself so irresistibly fond of him in that moment that she pouted."That’s mean Tsuruga-san!”He caught her chin in his hand and tilted her face up closer to his, “But look at that cute face you just made. Of course I want to see all those cute faces of yours.”Her cheeks were burning as she huffed away from him.“Tomorrow then?” her question was demanding, but she didn’t bother apologizing.“Of course,” he assured her.They said quiet goodbyes, and Kyoko left with her heart pounding while Ren simply leaned against the doorway, seeing her off.Frustratingly, she wanted so much to look so nice for their time together, that she went through her section of nice clothes twice the following day, before she eventually decided on a summery, floral muslin dress with a sheer shawl that could tie in the front. She stepped into her pretty, light purple sandals and cocked her head in confusion at her reflection, before she realized she’d only been wearing Ren’s necklace.She ignored how hot her cheeks got in embarrassment and swiftly tucked it beneath her dress, and placed her Queen Rosa necklace front and center, to show it off. It wasn’t the same color as the sandals or flowers, but it was still pretty. She dubbed that good enough, and rushed out to meet the bus.Said bus dropped her off at the grocery store a block away from his apartment building, and she made sure to grab a couple things to make him a nice dinner before he left for his night shoot. It had been a free day for her, and she felt rather embarrassed for a second that she’d spent so much time dithering over their time together. Then that second passed, and she realized exactly how much more relaxed and stress-free she was doing that ‘dithering’ after a long week at work.She’d said it before, and she’d probably say it again. But…’Tsuruga Therapy’ as she’d once called it, did indeed have a strong effect on her.She smiled expectantly as she rang his buzzer and was ushered inside to his entryway. He seemed to have just gotten out of the shower, having only pulled on a blue button-up, with rolled-up sleeves and several buttons not done up properly, and a simple pair of khakis. He took in her selection of groceries and sighed.“I don’t suppose whatever you’re making can also be a picnic?”She beamed at him, “It can actually! I thought, since the weather was nice, we can go to the courtyard on the roof. No one will bother us there.”They had tested this a couple of times actually. It was often free around mid-afternoon when the sun was heating up the concrete pad. The courtyard was simple, with one water fountain for birds, and some trees planted in strategic areas. The rest of it was a nicely laid-out concrete and natural rock design. But Ren’s special weapon was his hammock, and they very much enjoyed relaxing in that courtyard, and having picnics.“I don’t know why I got concerned. You always think of everything, don’t you?”She ducked her head shyly and muttered at the floor.“I’m sorry, what was that?”“I said, it’s one of your favorite places, right? You should at least try to get in a nap before work. It’ll be a long night.”There was a beat of silence, much like the night before, and she swallowed hard as she looked back up at him.There was a fire in his eyes that frightened her sometimes, and this look was no different. Very carefully he stepped closer, taking the bags from her arms and setting them on his side table in his entryway. She didn’t move as he reached behind her, his torso nearly dwarfing her own, and slowly shut the door.She breathed in deep, catching the woodsy, citrus scent of his shower gel. He still had his stubble, which meant he hadn’t even shaved yet that day. Her nose missed the sandalwood of his aftershave and it took her a long moment to realize he was studying her as she stared at the muscle definition in his jaw.She squeaked and Ren’s eyes darted to her mouth at the sound. Before she could prepare herself, he was reaching out and cupping her cheek. His lips were on hers before she could string another thought together, and she found herself melting into him.His other arm came up to wrap around her waist after a long moment of a heated exchange of kisses, and she broke it off as he squeezed her close to him. She stared at him, stunned. A self-mocking smile crossed his face, and she blinked in confusion, attempting to thinking beyond the swooping pit in her stomach.“I’m sorry Mogami-san. I keep trying to stop myself, but sometimes…”He didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t think she wanted him to. In fact, she was pretty sure she wanted some more absolutely spectacular kisses.“What are you so afraid of?” she whispered to him.She was close enough to realize that he actively had to stop himself from flinching, but then he quickly masked it by taking a step back away from her. She had to stop herself from scowling in displeasure at the disappearance of his body heat. Ren cleared his throat, striding over to his hall closet.“I’ll go ahead and set up the hammock, shall I?”“Probably a good idea,” she answered him quietly, as she grabbed up the groceries again to put a picnic basket together in the kitchen.The apartment was loud in its silence as he left, hammock and ties in hand.She let out a frustrated growl, startling herself with how loud it was. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be relaxing and stress-free after all. The ‘Tsuruga Therapy’ may, in actuality, have not been the best way to phrase their afternoon together at all.She grabbed up a pitcher and a picnic basket as she finished putting everything together, determinedly telling herself that it was going to be a nice, relaxing afternoon. As she entered the courtyard proper, she stopped, her mind blanking as she saw him relaxing on his hammock, his eyes closed. Nearly the same scene as it was the night before, and again she felt her heart ache.She quietly set things down, and grabbed up glasses for tea, and a small dish that held treats. She slowly stepped closer, wanting to not disturb him in his peace. A small crack fractured that silence and suddenly and with great enmity, she wished death upon the stick beneath her sandal.He blinked up at her, and she found herself blushing at the look in his eye. Then he closed his eyes again, and she breathed in a sigh of relief.“What tea this time?”“Ginseng and honey,” she answered.“What would I do without you?”“Starve to death, surely,” she said.Loud, booming laughter had him doubling over, and nearly falling out of his hammock.“Never change Mogami-san,” he gasped, trying to stifle his laughter.Her lips twitched into an answering smile as the sunbeams danced around them and birds at the fountain chirped at each other.Perhaps this afternoon was indeed going to be a good one.(She will think this again later, curled into his side as she and Ren share the hammock and whisper to each other about nothing...and everything.)

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kyoko was at a modeling shoot, only the second one she’d ever done, and she was agog with excitement. All the clothes being displayed were right up Setsu’s alley and she was rapturous over it. She wasn’t wearing Setsu’s makeup or jewelry, but the photographer had been incredibly excited when she’d pranced out with an attitude that fit the clothes that was an amalgamation of Natsu and Setsu put together.Makino-chan from the Box ‘R’ cast was with her, mixed in amongst the other models for this fashion line, and seemed stunned at her display. Kyoko was almost-almost- embarrassed. But she was channeling so much attitude that she simply arched an expectant eyebrow at her fellow castmate.“What did you decide to channel for the pictures?”Makino-chan winced, “Oddly...I hadn’t thought of using acting to pull through this assignment.”“Oh,” Kyoko was genuinely surprised, “Well, if it helps you to not be self-conscious, I recommend it.”“Yeah...that’s a pretty good point.”Makino-chan was up next, so Kyoko waved her off, and hurried off to change into her next outfit. She changed quickly, and looked around for the crew member that had her accessories. Not immediately seeing them, she searched around for her phone instead. Setsu’s big brother would probably like an update anyway and Kyoko was in a mood to send him one.As she located her purse and phone, a crew member caught her attention, waving her heels and jewelry so she noticed them. She checked the time and still had fifteen minutes until she was up again, and sighed in relief. Modeling shoots were rather different from tv or movie shoots, and often were more relaxed, so she didn’t feel too terribly bad for texting in-between her photo times.Her gaze zeroed in on her accessories again, and the Setsu inside of her cracked an evil grin as she happened upon a truly ingenious idea....If he'd thought it through, perhaps Ren never would have sent the picture of the puppy in the first place. But weeks into the summer, he'd been on set with an adorable Shiba Inu puppy, and Yashiro had squealed over it too, and had been quite distracted. So… Well. He'd texted Kyoko about it and had decided to also poke fun over the fact that her Setsu character said his Cain character had 'puppy dog eyes'.So he'd sent the picture, with the caption: Setsu, nii-san wants to know who has the better pair of puppy dog eyes. An actual puppy, or your wonderful, amazing big brother?If he'd know it'd start up a habit of them texting each other as they teased each other through Setsu and Cain… perhaps he wouldn't have done it so lackadaisically.But it had, and so here he was, his heart seizing as Kijima craned his neck to look over his shoulder down at his phone and letting out a soft whistle of appreciation, while the pair of them were on a break from a modeling shoot."Now those legs are something to get distracted by."Blessedly, blessedly, Kyoko was smart enough to know to not send any identifying features over a phone network. Ren forcibly repressed the urge to elbow Kijima in his nose, just to hear the crack of it breaking. He instead stared blankly at the picture in question, and its caption:
Nii-saaaaaan, are these heels too tall? Because they really match the miniskirt and won't you buy them for me???
There was even a suggestively winking emoji.The picture was a reflection shot, with her sitting on a stool, back arched and legs crossed to show off both the mini-skirt and the heels. Ren remembered to breathe at the same time he suddenly, and vividly, recalled the memory of Setsu's nails trailing across his bare stomach as her miniskirt was hiked up her thighs. This resulted in a slight sputtering effect as he tried breathing while also trying to swallow the water he'd taken a drink of as he'd opened his phone.Kijima thumped him hard on his back, and Ren waved him off as he narrowly avoided getting water in his nose."I'm fine," Ren rasped, "All good over here."Kijima snickered, "I'm sure you are."Ren threw him a harsh enough glare that Kijima threw up his hands in surrender, "I kid, I kid."Ren blinked dazedly at his phone, avoiding the suggestive eyebrow waggle Kijima sent his way. Ren took a deep breath, and then with quite a large amount of regret, he deleted the texted picture.He sent back: I'll buy you fifty pairs so long as you never wear them except for me to see.Kyoko didn't respond and so by the time his break ended, Ren set his phone down and desperately listed to himself every reason he couldn't immediately go find her to pepper her with kisses and hold her close to him and touch every single part of her body until she begged him for more and no… No.He quietly chanted to himself every single reason he needed to keep his hands to himself over again. We are literally hours apart. She’s in Okinawa! We’re being responsible! And oh boy he did not want to be responsible. At all. No, wait. No. He tried again.
Literally hours apart. You need a plane ride to get there. Okinawa and Kyoto are HOURS APART FOOL! Responsible. Be responsible.
He chanted this to himself through the rest of his shoot, through his dinner time, all the way up until he took a very cold shower.(And no, he never did realize Kyoko had really, truly, only been innocently playing Setsu to his Cain.)

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Lory had approached Maria and Kyoko with doing another ‘Happy Grateful party’ for their friends
and families, they’d initially said that they probably wouldn’t have time to prepare for it. Kyoko had done so because she’d happened to pick up a few drama roles, and a movie role, in the back half of the year that kept her quite busy. As she also needed to study for her final semester exams so she could graduate, she really hadn’t wanted to let anyone down if she couldn’t find time to help. Similarly, Maria had been concerned with doing a party with her school friends, and finally defeating her evil math exams once and for all.Which led them to the joint homework session they’d been doing in late November, when Lory had happened across them again, pouting about the lack of an ‘end-of-the-year’ party. Through many sad looks and overly-loud sniffs as if he was about to burst into tears, Maria finally gave in. When Kyoko was faced with both Takarada faces pouting at her, she finally caved.
“I’ll just make up the menu alright?! I saved a lot of the recipes from our first party last year, so your chef team can prepare them with no trouble.”The president beamed at her, his face a picture of delight and satisfaction and Kyoko sighed. Her boss did like getting his way. But if that promise was good enough for the Takaradas, she’d take it. The burnout was real. Working, and doing school at the same time, had stretched her thin. If she wasn’t studying for school like a madwoman, she was studying her scripts. And if she wasn’t doing that, she was on set working, or at the Darumaya, waitressing.
“You know it’ll be fun Mogami-kun. And Kotonami-kun will be back from overseas a couple days beforehand, so we’ll also be able to have a proper LoveMe group reunion,” Lory said, his eyes twinkling.Kyoko’s heart fluttered with excitement as she realized that he was right. Kanae had been in America since July; first for a particular role Kuresaki-san had wanted her for, and then had picked up another role when she’d cleared an audition one of her new coworkers had told her about. Kyoko had made plenty of friends since she first joined LME, but six months with Kanae gone had informed her that no one of her new friends was quite the same as Kotonami Kanae, the esteemed LoveME number two.
Moko-san had thoroughly enjoyed her overseas work, but was relieved to be coming home. The pair of them had started making enough money through their various roles, that the plan was to become roommates after the first of the year since they’d both found an apartment they’d like here in Tokyo. If one or the both of them were gone for overseas work, the Taisho and Okami-san would be happy to check on their apartment.
Moko-san and her had been planning it all out for the past couple weeks, and it had settled some of the loneliness Kyoko had felt while she was gone. Kyoko deliberately ignored the other reason she’d been taking so many jobs as she chattered excitedly with Maria-chan and the president. If they were going to pull this off, they were gonna need to start sending out invitations now.Kyoko never noticed the sly look in Lory’s eyes as she and Maria bent their heads over a list of potential invitees.
…“Did you get the invite?”Ren looked over at the older gentleman that sat down at his lunch table.“Maria-chan’s email you mean?”“That’s the one. I’ve been paying attention to your schedule. You cleared it from the 23rd to the New Year. Your director was surprised that you could manage with that much time away.”“We’re ahead of schedule after all. And a lot of people take personal time around the holidays.”“Indeed. Can I hope at all that it might be because you’ll head home?”“And to which home do you refer?” Ren studiously glanced over his script as he waited for his grandfather to answer him.“Both, preferably.”Ren stopped his lips from curling into a smile, but only just, “I’m afraid there’s a previous...appointment I’ve already promised to attend.”“I thought that might be the case. There are...certain individuals that would accuse you of hiding from your problems...but well, we both know that there’s something else afoot, don’t we?”Duris’ tone was teasing enough that Ren sent him an amused glance, “Is it that obvious?”“My boy, you gave the girl a rose at the stroke of midnight last year. Every romantic bone in your body you get from your family.”Ren felt a light flush coloring his cheeks, “I can’t help it. Have you ever seen her smile? It’s adorable. I hate it. Actually I love it, that’s so uncool, I can’t stand it.”
His grandfather let out a loud bark of laughter that had others on set looking around, bewildered.
“Well, we won’t be the only ones attending this year. Kuu went back to work on a movie that she was a part of, so he also is officially invited, just like we are.”“Oh man, I bet... she’s pissed.”“Just don’t bring it up anytime soon, yeah?”Duris clapped his grandson on the shoulder and strode away, hoping that his final words of warning stuck.…Her beautiful Moko-san lingered on the edge of her periphery as she put the finishing touches on a lemon and berry mini-tart dessert that was the final touch for the food laid out in the Fairy Paradise Fountain section. Much like the year before, Maria’s occult interests and Kyoko’s fairyland interests were focal points for fun decor, and weird games. Also like the year before, Maria was currently putting on a musical show while her grandfather dedicated himself to theatricality.
“Hey, the cast from the Sacred Lotus just came in,” Moko-san informed her as she straightened her sheath dress, and brushed away invisible lint.
Kyoko blinked sweat out of her eyes as she peered beyond the kitchen doorway. Chiori and some other co-stars from Box ‘R’ had come in an hour ago, and some of her costars from her other dramas had started to filter in after them.“Guess it’s that time then,” Kyoko murmured as she wiped her face free of sweat. Her heart seized as she realized two very important people had yet to enter. She’d been texted that morning that they would be flying in, but she’d yet to catch sight of them.
Moko-san looked her over, but said nothing other than, “I’ll go greet some of your co-stars. That green dress you have is killer. Go put it on and knock everyone’s socks off.”Kyoko blushed. Moko-san had come back from America rather more...in-your-face than was typical of her. Regardless, she hurried off to obey, hoping against hope that a certain someone could make it before the clock struck midnight.
As she reentered the room a half hour later, freshly made-up with one of her best dresses on, her hands clutched at the necklace around her neck. Her nerves were getting to her. She breathed in deep, and miraculously, as her fingers twisted around her necklace chain, she felt some of her nerves settle.
It wouldn’t really bother her if they came a little late, she thought, as she mingled with various co-stars and enjoyed a bite to eat with the Taisho and Okami-san. She glanced at her watch. 11:45. She looked around the bustling ballroom again.Near Maria and Lory’s musical theatrics she caught sight of Uncle Tora as Maria called him, and of Kouki, Maria’s father. She smiled as she looked over Maria’s delighted features, her heart warming at the sight. Moko-san grabbed another glass of water for her from a passing waiter, as she and the Taisho continued discussing how to proceed with her and Kyoko’s apartment move-in date. Kyoko swallowed it gratefully as the Okami-san patted her arm.“Don’t worry, he’ll come,” said the older woman.Kyoko flushed a brilliant red at the knowing look on her face. She set down her now empty glass on the table they were near, dabbing lightly at her lips so she didn’t smear her lipstick. The Okami-san was saying something else, but Kyoko stared uncomprehendingly past her glass of water, past the table itself, and then at a pair of glossy black, wingtip shoes that were walking towards them, up to a classic-fit suit of silver-gray with a notch lapel, and up at the smiling face of one Tsuruga Ren.He looked back at her, Hizuri Kuu at his shoulder, though Ren himself was noticeably taller than the older man. She stared for another long moment, as the pair of them reached her table. Kyoko only distantly realized that the Taisho and Moko-san had fallen silent.
At her elbow, the Okami-san’s face was wreathed in a smile, but again, this was something that was barely on the periphery of her understanding, she was so absorbed with studying the ones that had approached. Had Ren gotten taller while he’d been away?“Did you get taller?”Kyoko blinked, startled as Hizuri-san smiled at her as he asked her the same question that had just run through her mind.“I’m wearing heels,” her voice was faint.Kuu laughed, “It’s probably both. You probably did get taller, and are also wearing heels.”There was a quiet round of polite chuckles from the rest of the group, before Moko-san led the Taisho and Okami-san away with one last knowing glance to Kyoko.Kyoko was giving her best friend the best bathtub spa treatment she could afford, if only because of her exceptional timing and considerate behavior.
“I’m happy you made it,” said Kyoko with a bright smile as she became awash with relief.“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” asserted Kuu.
Ren, his hands still in his pockets, murmured a quiet agreement. Kyoko was so tongue-tied that she could only be relieved when Kuu took up the role of conversational topics and asked her several leading questions, that had them absorbed in answering them for the next ten minutes.Kuu eventually grabbed her shoulders for a brief hug, before saying, “This has been a delight, but if I don’t greet Lory, he’ll retroactively dock my pay, and I’ll have to pay back all my wages from decades ago.”Kyoko snorted at the idea, before clamping a hand across her mouth to stifle more giggles, “You best get on that then.”Kuu waved them off, striding towards the stage and the massive clock on the wall that counted down the minutes. 11:57 it read.Ren and Kyoko were left in a tense, if quiet, impasse.“So was the flight alright?” Kyoko eventually blurted out.“Slept through most of it really. Hizuri-san, Duris-san and Takarada-san were all playing a loud poker game, and evidently that couldn’t even wake me, I was so tired.”“I’m glad you're at least well-rested then. And have you eaten?”“Kyoko,” came his quiet voice.
She abruptly stopped fidgeting with her necklace chain as he stepped closer.
He dragged a knuckle over the chain, “What a habit to have gained in the past months. Have you been wearing it so often then?”She deliberately ignored how hot her cheeks felt as he looked down at her, and she determinedly just stared at his fingers as they tangled around hers on the chain.“It’s mine, isn’t it?” she mumbled.He inhaled sharply, his fingers tightening on hers, “I-”The massive clock started striking midnight, its deep bong bong bong breaking the tension between them, as she looked up, wary of another massive cake headed her way.As her gaze darted around the room, the others mingling around still laughing and chatting with no noticeable intention of surprising her again, she slowly relaxed.“Kyoko.”“Hm?” she glanced up at the man next to her, and froze in place as his lips landed on hers with a fierce, insistent pressure.“Mmpph!!-”His hands cupped her face as he pressed his lips against her once more, and a slow-burning fire started deep in her stomach, spilling out across her body, until she shivered, and then gasped as she broke away.He looked her over, and his tongue swiped lightly over his lips, his nostrils flaring. Her face had to be bright red, she was sure.“Happy Birthday Kyoko,” he said softly, his hands still cupping her face.“...Wha..what...why??” her lips still tingled with the faint echo of his mouth on hers, and she was so befuddled that she was clutching at his sleeves.“Well, I was determined to give you the best present I could think of.”“...I don’t...I don’t get-”He ducked down and pressed another hard kiss to her lips, before he lifted his head again, “If you missed me as much as I missed you, well, what other present could I have given you but our first kiss?”She felt like she was about to faint, “But, but...your...your fans...we...we were waiting. Tsuruga-san...I don’t…”“Yeah, I’m done waiting. These past four months have been brutal. I’ve told you before I’m a jealous man.”Oh no. He’d probably seen the pictures of her and her co-stars at one of Sho’s concerts from that time in Hawaii. She’d gone to that nearly two months ago now, happy to have something to do with her co-stars on that on-location movie shoot.
“I haven’t done...or been with anyone-”“I know. I trust you. But now...now everyone else will understand.”Her understanding of his implication was instantaneous. Her gaze swung around, almost too terrified to want to look...but no....he’d picked his timing with impeccable understanding of the entertainment business. The susurrus of the crowd as they looked their direction, and then quickly looked away and started, inevitably, to gossip about what just occurred, had her clutching at the table to keep herself upright as Ren’s hands dropped from her face.“So...so we’re still...wai-waiting?”“Well, I’ve got a week here before I get back to the West Coast again, and aren’t you jetting off to Nara the first weekend in January? There isn’t much for us to do but wait.”“But...but what will everyone say?”“If they’re smart, they won’t say a thing.”“That’s not how this works,” Kyoko mumbled, resigned over the fact that their feelings for each other had finally been exposed to others.“We haven’t been around each other in four months. We haven’t worked with each other for twice as long as that. What could anyone conjecture about??”“Well the president will have plenty to say, I’ve no doubt,” Kyoko muttered, sending him a black look.Infuriatingly, he only smiled back at her, “No he won’t.”“Will to.”“He won’t.”“He will-”“MOGAMI-KUN!” came the president’s booming voice, startling her out of her wits, "REN-KUN!"He swooped down on them, corralling them both with a crushing hug that had them all almost hitting their heads, “NEVER THOUGHT I’D LIVE TO SEE YOU TWO BEING HONEST WITH YOUR FEELINGS! OH HOW THE GODS HAVE SMILED UPON US ALL!!”His tears were leaking onto their shoulders as she and Ren shared an expression of panic as his voice echoed throughout the ballroom.“I told you so!” Kyoko hissed, angry and embarrassed as Lory wailed some more, and then noticed a tearful Kuu also approaching, to also engage in the incredibly loud hugfest.
Ren’s features grew more morose as he winced while Kuu crushed all three of them into a hug as well.“Mogami-san, I truly-”“Oh save it Tsuruga-san,” Kyoko mumbled as Director Ogata and Yashiro-san started zooming their way, with delight clear on their faces, “You’ve doomed us. We’re doomed. I’m never going to have privacy ever again.”It seemed only Ren caught her words while Lory and Kuu sobbed happy tears and made themselves an absolute spectacle. Yashiro seemed about to blubber as well, and Director Ogata was even using a hankie to blow his nose as he smiled tremulously at them. As she glanced around the crowd again, she even caught sight of the Taisho, Okami-san, and Moko-san with their knowing faces and small smiles.
Instead of still looking appropriately chastised, Ren glanced at her necklace-the one he’d given her that he’d made, and then back up at her face, his regret quickly fading and being replaced by a pleased smile.Kyoko’s eyes narrowed as she saw it, but she couldn’t hide her answering smile, her pulse racing as it slowly dawned on her that Ren had well and truly declared his intentions before everyone that mattered.“You could have waited, you know. We were hiding this for a reason.”Ren only stared her down, but awkwardly so since they were still clumped together in a loud, blubbery hugfest.
“Why would I want to hide that you’re mine?”His eyes were hot as they exchanged a look, and she flushed deeply as she saw him staring at her mouth again. The words echoed over and over again in her brain, and it was like she could hear the echo of locks falling again, one by one, from the padlocks she’d kept for so long on her heart. She swallowed hard once, tried to speak, then had to clear her throat and try again.“Tsuruga-san, would you like to go on a date tomorrow?”There was an abrupt silence after her question, in which she realized Lory, Kuu, and Yashiro had stopped their tearful exclamations, so surprised were they that she’d asked such a question. Even the other onlookers had faint expressions of embarrassment on their faces, but Kyoko found she didn’t quite care so long as Ren answered her question.
He shrugged off the people hugging them, and bowed slightly over her hand as he brought it up to his lips.She smiled back at him as he placed a small kiss on her knuckles and Ren replied:“Mogami-san, I thought you’d never ask.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was the light

shnick

of the lounge door opening that disturbed Koga from his light dozing. As he more fully awakened from where he lay on the corner bench, out of sight of the door, he prayed that whoever came in didn't study the room too carefully so he could get a few more minutes of napping in. He’d just tossed his work-out clothes over himself when he’d laid down a half-hour earlier, hoping that no one noticed him lounging about and he could be fairly sure that if no one looked too closely, there was a chance he wouldn’t be bothered. There was some rustling and a brief murmuring of voices, before he heard what sounded like Kyoko-chan talking.

"Well this is me," came her nervously pitched voice, "Thanks for walking me in."

"Of course Mogami-san. It's a shame you have to come in so early. I wanted to take you by the coffee shop."

Koga's eyes snapped open in disbelief, and he froze in place as he heard the very familiar voice of Tsuruga Ren.

There was a rushing in his ears that drowned out Kyoko-chan's reply but he very distinctly heard what Tsuruga said next.

"Well, how about tonight then? We can go to that restaurant you like. We haven't been in weeks, have we?"

Koga stared at the ceiling tile above him, as even unseen around the corner, a tension-filled silence permeated throughout the room because of the two people he'd never expected to be having such a conversation.

"You won't be too tired from your movie shoot?"

Kyoko-chan's quiet voice broke the tension and Koga strained to hear Tsuruga's reply. It was quiet for another long moment, and Koga stretched as silently as he could, so he could swing his legs off the bench and peer around the corner. As he did so, he caught sight of a furiously blushing Kyoko-chan, as Tsuruga held one of her hands in his and raised it to his lips.

"When am I ever too tired to want to spend time with you? Yashiro told me you had a free night. I can't help but want to take advantage."

Koga boggled at the cajoling tone of voice Tsuruga used as Kyoko-chan mumbled at the floor.

"I suppose… I suppose I'd be free. It's that one place we go to for acting practice, right?? Where we don't go as… as

us

."

"That's the one. Shall we try college students this time? I'm doing a stint in a college drama in a couple weeks. It'd be good to practice that anyway."

The girl just nodded, still looking at her feet.

Koga bit his cheek to keep from making a surprised noise as Tsuruga leaned down to press their foreheads together. Kyoko-chan nuzzled into the hand he cupped around her cheek.

"Tonight then. I'll be waiting," Tsuruga said, so quietly Koga almost missed it.

Kyoko-chan finally looked back at him, and the devotion clear in her features stunned Koga, so fiercely reminiscent it was of the looks her Momiji gave his samurai. Irrationally, the part of him that was currently reserved for playing Shizuma felt jealous.

Tsuruga returned her look, beat for beat, before he ever-so-slowly pressed another kiss to the palm of her hand. Koga felt himself flushing, and he slowly leaned back against the wall to avoid getting noticed, and to avoid watching such an intimate moment. He held his breath as they murmured goodbyes and he heard the door click shut after Tsuruga's exit.

He heard Kyoko-chan opening her locker and shuffling things around, but Koga didn't dare move until he heard her leave. He stood when she did so, tossing his windbreaker and jogging shorts into his duffel. He scooted back around the corner of the lockers, but stuttered to a surprised stop when he saw Tsuruga leaning against the door of the exit.

"Not. A. Word. To. Anyone."

Koga almost wanted to flee, the other man's presence was so shocking and intimidating.

"Are we clear?"

Koga nodded, a touch too frantic to be smooth.

Tsuruga's eyes narrowed.

"Good. I'd hate to have this conversation again."

Koga stared, but it seemed Tsuruga was satisfied, as he simply turned and exited.

Koga found his knees buckling in relief, and he clutched at the wall to keep himself righted.

Perhaps another nap was needed. Surely this had been just a strangely vivid dream…. Yes. That had to be it.

Just a strangely vivid dream.

Koga deliberately ignored his watch alarm as it started to beep insistently at him. He left the lounge, hurrying to the set so he wasn't late. The door quietly clicked closed behind him, the lounge itself the only other witness to such a clandestine encounter.

(And if his Shizuma feels weirdly jealous again the next week at seeing his Momiji look so devotedly towards the man who's come to pick her up from set, he pays it no mind. He never saw anything. Nothing at all.)