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Chapter 3; Star Treatment

…She was dreaming.

Staring at the man (dressed in a military uniform made completely out of glitter and bright sea-foam green and baby blue sequins) that had just burst out of the office of one of the most famous fashion designers in the world, Fumiko was sure she was dreaming. The fact that neither Kyouko nor Shin seemed even remotely surprised at the older man's gaudy appearance only confirmed this in the brunette's overwhelmed mind.

"Ah, Mogami-san!" The man said jovially, making his way towards them. "What a pleasant surprise! You have a meeting with Cheri, I presume?"

"Yes, Shachou-san." Kyouko said warmly, bowing to the man politely. "Le'Moire-san is honoring me with the privilege of representing her spring fashion line."

President? Fumiko thought incredulously. This guy was a president? President of what, the loony bin?

"Wonderful!" The man beamed brightly, nodding his approval, "I'm sure you'll do an incredible job, Mogami-san."

"I'll do my best, Shachou-san." Kyouko said determinedly, giving the man a small smile. "The last thing I would want to do is disappoint you, after everything you did to allow me into LME." Hearing that, Fumiko immediately face-faulted.

THIS MAN IS THE PRESIDENT OF LME?!?!?!

"Mogami-san, I doubt you could ever disappoint me." The man chuckled warmly, looking at the petite girl before him with a warm, paternal glow. "I trust your jobs have been going well, Mogami-san? Not overexerting yourself anymore, are you? I don't want any more calls from Igami-san here about you fainting again." Kyouko flushed at that as her manager shot the girl a pointed, 'I-told-you-so' look.

"I- I apologize for any undue concern I may have caused you, Shachou-san!" Kyouko said hastily. "It was most unprofessional of me not to think to take a water break during practice! I promise not to make the mistake again in the future!"

"Indeed, Takarada-shachou." Shin piped up ruefully, opening the floral day planner again to show that day's page, jammed packed with so much writing that it seemed to have more ink on it then paper. "Kyouko-san's schedule today proves how well she's learned her lesson about overexerting herself." Kyouko's embarrassment only increased at her manager's not-so-subtle chastising as the president of LME gave an exasperated sigh.

"Really, Mogami-san, will you ever learn your lesson?" The man asked, looking surprisingly stern for someone who was completely covered in glitter. "It's wonderful that you're keeping busy, but you have to remember to stop and smell the roses sometimes too! The last thing LME needs is another obsessive workaholic like Ren…"

"But Tsuruga-san is the hardest working and most sought after actor in Japan!" Kyouko protested, some of her humble attitude ebbing at the slight on her beloved sempai. "It would be an honor to be even a fraction of what he is!"

"I'm not denying that Ren is brilliant at what he does." Takarada said flippantly, waving away Kyouko's protests like an annoying bug. "But the man is so obnoxiously wrapped up in his work, that not only does he not have anything resembling a personal life anymore, but he also has to be reminded to stop and have a quick bite to eat! Hmph! At this rate, that Ren will be forty soon, and still wouldn't have found a good woman to settle down with!"

"Tsuruga-san is only twenty-four, Shachou-san." Kyouko reminded her boss dryly. "He's not exactly a spinster yet. And I'm sure Tsuruga-san could have anyone he wants! Why, any woman Tsuruga-san finds worthy of loving would be thrilled to have his attention like that! As for the eating thing… well, we've been working on that, whenever we can."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear to say that, Mogami-san!" Takarada said with a wicked-looking grin. Fumiko blinked, unable to figure out if the man was referring to the 'eating thing' as Kyouko had put it, or the glowing praise the young starlet gave to Tsuruga Ren's ability to seduce the pants off any living, breathing woman. While the brunette was considering this, she failed to notice how Takarada Lory's watchful eyes turned to her. "Oh? And who is this? A new friend, Mogami-san?"

"Watanabe-san is a former classmate of mine, from Kyoto, Shachou-san." Kyouko explained to the president before turning to Fumiko. "Watanabe-san, This is Takarada Lory, the president of LME and the reason I was able to become the actress and woman I am today."

"You give me too much credit, Mogami-san." Lory said, smiling nonetheless. "A pleasure to meet you, Watanabe-san."

"Watanabe-san came here to invite Kyouko-san to a class reunion her middle school is having in a few months, Shachou-san." Shin explained to the gaudily-dressed man.

"A party?" Takarada summarized, brightening considerably. "How wonderful! I'll book the Tokyo Orchestra and call up a couple dozen of my favorite chefs!" Kyouko and Shin's expressions of lax amusement at their president's antic turned to blind panic in the blink of an eye at the man's last sentence.

"Shachou-san, it's just a simple middle school reunion!" Kyouko said hastily. "That's way too much for the other guests to handle!"

"Besides, it's going to be all the way in Kyoto, Shachou-san." Shin reminded the man quickly. "I doubt you'll be able to leave the company alone that long to go play host."

"I suppose you're right." Lory said with a long suffering sigh, making his two employees sweatdrop. "Speaking of which, I must go. I have a meeting I must attend with our singing department. Take care Igami-san, Mogami-san. And Kyouko-san, remember what I told you about your health."

"I will, Shachou-san." Kyouko replied with a respectful bow. "Goodbye, and thank you for all your hard work!"

"And you too, Mogami-san!" Lory said cheerfully, waving to the actress as he boarded the private elevator. "It was nice meeting you, Watanabe-san, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Tokyo."

"Y-yes, thank you very much!" Fumiko answered with an awkward bow as the elevator doors closed. Lifting her head to stare uncertainly at the smooth metal doors, Fumiko couldn't help but feel like she had just come out of a freak hurricane. "Was that man really the president of LME? He seems so… so…"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'stark raving mad,' Watanabe-san." Shin supplied dryly to the uncertain country girl.

"Sums it up pretty nicely." Fumiko agreed, nodding her head.

"Shin-chan!" Kyouko scolded, though the smile she was fighting told the two how much she agreed with her manager's summary of the president's mental health. "Shachou-san may be a little eccentric, but there isn't a man on earth who knows show business as well as he does. Besides, if it wasn't for him caring so much about his employees, I'd still be the broken person I was when I first tried to enter LME."

"…What?" Fumiko said, puzzled by the girl's wistful comment. Broken? Kyouko-chan?

"It's nothing." Shin said to the newcomer dismissively. "Now come along, we don't want to be late meeting up with Le'Moire-san and the other model for this shoot."

"Of course, Shin-chan!" Kyouko said brightly, gliding forward to enter the room. A few steps ahead of the actress, Shin dutifully held the door open for the girls as they entered the spacious and chic office of Cheri Le'Moire.

"Kyouko-chan!" The heavyset woman greeted the girl with a warm smile. "Punctual as always, my dear."

"I apologize for rescheduling our appointment at the last minute, Le'Moire-san." Kyouko said with a humble bow. "And thank you for allowing my guest to come as well."

"It's nothing, child." Le'Moire dismissed the girl's words with a wave of her hand. "You are far too eager to prostrate yourself, my dear. While it's a refreshing change of pace, you must remember to hold onto your pride as well! I was just telling Lory-kun that I was worried about you letting others take advantage of your kindness."

"Make no mistake, Le'Moire-san, that as long as I'm around that sort of thing will not happen." Shin spoke up with the slightest hint of steel in his voice.

…Suddenly, Fumiko had to quell the urge to hide in a cave on some remote mountain.

"I'm happy to hear it, Igami-san." Cheri said with a satisfied nod as she stood. "Now then, shall we continue? The other model I chose is already situated on the strip I chose for the shoot. Apparently, it was closer to her last job then the office was, so she chose to meet us there. Kyouko-chan, I'd like you to ride with me if that's alright with you."

"Eh?" Kyouko blinked before shooting her manager a concerned frown. "Shin-chan, are you alright with-?"

"I will follow you in the car, Kyouko-san." Shin said firmly, smiling at the adoring look Kyouko graced him with for answering her question before she even finished it.

"Then Watanabi-san and I will be honored to accompany Le'Moire-san." Kyouko said brightly.

We will? Fumiko thought, mildly disappointed. Although the thought of riding alone in a car with a man as scary as Igami Shin was a little terrifying, Fumiko (who had never thought of herself as a girl who cared about such things) had quickly fallen in love with Kyouko's car, a metallic silver Fairy Design Porsche Panamera, complete with a beige interior which had little winged sprites embossed into the surfaces of the seats. Kyouko had affectionately explained that the vehicle was an eighteenth birthday present from a dear friend of hers, who had also helped her get her license to drive it.

"I didn't want to accept it, to be honest." Kyouko had admitted with an embarrassed laugh as she told Fumiko this. "But this particular friend makes it exceedingly difficult to refuse any of his gifts, especially over the top ones like these. Besides, he knows my tastes far too well, I'm afraid." Here, Kyouko pouted momentarily and muttered something about fairies and sneaky sempais. "I try to make it up to him in whatever ways I can, though." Privately, Fumiko couldn't help but think that she would probably marry the friend who bought her such a beautiful car.

The lovely Porsche was forgotten, though, when Fumiko followed Kyouko and Cheri to the fashion designer's ride.

"A limo?!" Fumiko gasped, eyes widening to the side of dinner plates at the long, sleek black limo that Cheri was climbing into. "We're going by limo?!"

"Coming, Watanabi-san?" Kyouko asked curiously as she began to slide into the luxury car as well.

"Y-yes!" Fumiko squeaked, feeling completely in over her head. Exotically dressed presidents, managers that looked like they could go one on one with Rambo, expensive cars, actress that could change personalities on a dime… it was all too much for the simple country girl who'd thought that a hot classmate with a great singing voice was as good as life got.

There's no way anyone at home is ever gonna believe any of this. Fumiko thought to herself as she climbed into the limo.

And she was still almost sure she was dreaming.

---

"Oh, what a cute café!" Kyouko gushed as the three women emerged from the car with help from the limo's driver. Though she still felt like a fish out of water, Fumiko couldn't help but agree with the starlet's statement. The location of the photo shoot was a classy little café that looked like it had been flown in straight from Paris. Four little black iron wrought tables with matching chairs were lined up in front of the café, separated from the sidewalk by a miniature rose garden that acted like a natural fence.

"Oh good, Kyouko-san, you're finally here!" A man whom Fumiko assumed worked for Cheri Le'Moire said in relief as he approached the actress. "You're going to have to hurry and change, then get over to hair and make up. One of the other shops is starting to complain that we're making a scene, so we want to clear out of here as quickly as possible." It was only then that Fumiko noticed the large crowd of curious onlookers that the set people had collected. Apparently, the local shoppers had been hoping that lingering to watch the professional shoot would give them the chance to see a celebrity.

From the looks and whispers that the young actress she was with was receiving, her appearance did not disappoint.

"Pah!" Cheri scoffed at the man's concerns, wrinkling her nose. "We have the proper paperwork to shoot here, and the owner's permission. Let this other shop complain if they must, there is little more that they could do."

"I'll try to hurry, Ushiyama-san." Kyouko assured the man with a warm smile.

"KYOUKO-CHAAAAN!" one of the onlookers shouted out, drawing the attention of the actress in question (Along with everyone else in a mile radius). "We love you, Kyouko-chan!"

Fumiko had expected Kyouko's face to burst into flames at the fan's proclamation, given how much she flushed over every tiny compliment she received as a child. Instead though, the actress graced the crowd with a beautiful smile and a wave as more people, spurred by the first fan's outcry, began to express their love as well.

"Thank you very much!" Kyouko shouted out above the rising noise. The crowd started to push against the blockade that had been set up to keep unauthorized personnel off of the set to try and get closer to the actress, but that action was stopped dead in it's track as Shin suddenly appeared at Kyouko's side, as if summoned by magic.

Oh, so that's why he's her manager! Fumiko realized as she watched even the most daring fans cower under Shin's slightly raised eyebrow, a threat lurking in his dark eyes that any man would be foolhardy to tempt.

"Come on, Kyouko, we still have a few more appearances after this, so let's not waste time." Shin said to his charge, who nodded at her manager's logic.

"Yes, I want to get home a little earlier tonight, so that I can prepare dinner for Watanabi-san." Kyouko said, frowning thoughtfully. "That reminds me… One of my neighbors comes over every once in a while to have dinner with me. He's really bad in the kitchen, and I worry about him eating right when he lives all alone like he does. I hope that won't bother you if he stops in during your stay, Watanabi-san."

"Eeh?!" Fumiko sputtered, surprised at the thought of the actress cooking for some old bachelor who lived in her complex. As proper as Kyouko was, it was hard to see her doing something that could be taken so scandalously. Still, she had to concur that it was none of her business who Mogami shared her meals with, so she quickly offered her agreement to the matter. "Oh, no! I don't mind in the least, Mogami-san!"

"Excellent!" Kyouko beamed before heading towards a trailer that was marked 'Costume, Hair and Make up' as Shin walked off to talk to the security guards. Sighing in defeat, Fumiko followed the actress as she made her way over to the trailer, jogging to catch up when the actress opened the door to the aluminum single-wide.

And froze, dead in her tracks.

Blinking in surprise, Fumiko watched the transformation that overtook the actress' face, starting with the graceful smile she'd gotten used to seeing from Kyouko, going to a look of complete and total surprise and ending with a beaming grin so bright, Fumiko could swear that it was accompanied with sparkly flowers and fairies.

"MOKO~SAAAAAAN!" Kyouko exuberated, flinging herself forward to throw her arms around the dark-haired target of this almost unnatural affection. Apparently used to this, the other woman dodged deftly so that the smaller actress missed her mark.

"Honestly Kyouko, how many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?!" Kotonami Kanae snapped at her friend sourly. "Mo! You're not sixteen anymore, you know, so stop acting like a child!"

"But Moko~san! It's been so long since we've seen each other!" Kyouko whined in response.

"We talked on the phone just two days ago." Kotonami-san reminded her in a surly tone.

"But that's not the same!" Kyouko pouted cutely.

Fumiko, in the mean time, was still trying desperately to figure out what the hell was going on.

So far, she had managed to work out that A) She was in the same room as the super sexy actress Kotonami Kanae, whom she already knew via popular celebrity magazines was good friends with Kyouko-chan B) Kyouko's maturity level seemed to drop into the single digits at the sight of said friend and C) She was slowly losing her sanity from overexposure to all these crazy celebrities. Blinking in surprise as the two girls bickered (Well, truthfully it was more like Kyouko tried to smother Kotonami with affection, and Kotonami was holding her off with harsh words and glares) Fumiko couldn't help but think that the magazines had gotten it wrong somewhere. While it was true that Kyouko seemed overly fond of Kotonami, the dark haired actress seemed to want nothing to do with her excitable companion.

"Who's this?" Startled out of her thoughts at the question, Fukimo's eyes widened as she realized that Kotonami Kanae was scrutinizing her (and apparently, not liking what she saw very much).

"Oh, Moko-san, this is Watanabi Fumiko, a classmate of mine from Kyoto. Watanabi-san, this is Kotonami Kanae, my best friend."

"P-please to meet you!" Fumiko squeaked out, bowing to the actress.

"I thought you said you didn't have any friends in Kyoto." Kotonami said bluntly, ignoring Fumiko entirely. "You told me all the girls in your class used to bully you."

"Watanabi-san used to bully me as well." Kyouko confirmed casually as she took the first outfit assigned to her out of its protective plastic bag. "But she came here from Kyoto to apologize, and to invite me to a class reunion."

…If the glare that Fumiko was now receiving was any indication, she had clearly jumped to the wrong conclusion when she assumed that Kyouko and Kotonami's friendship was one-sided.

"I'm going to put this on. Moko-san, could you please pull my makeup out of my bag?"

"I'm not your errand girl!" Kanae grouched, already pulling the girl's bag up to do as she asked as Kyouko scurried off into another room to change. "You should have been here on time to set up if you wanted to do your own makeup! Mo!"

"Sorry Moko-san, I'll make it up to you, I promise!" Kyouko called over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. It took a second after the 'click!' for Fumiko to realize that Kyouko had left her and Kotonami alone. Slowly turning to face the beautiful actress, Fumiko cowered under the immense pressure of the killing intent that Kotonami was directing at her with only a cold glare.

"I'll wait outside for you two to get done!" Fumiko squeaked, groping around for the handle of the door behind her (She didn't dare take her eyes off the enraged actress, since that seemed like a death wish to the poor girl) which she flung open, stumbling ungracefully out of the trailer and closing the door behind her.

Scary! Fumiko thought, rivers of tears running down her face. Fumiko had no idea what she'd done to offend the pretty actress, but she could only pray that Kotonami never got the chance to act upon her apparent wrath. Shivering to herself, Fumiko decided that it was in her best interest to stay far, FAR away from Kotonami Kanae.

---

"Okay people, that's a wrap! Kyouko-chan, Kotonami-san, excellent job! Take fifteen minutes while we set up the next area." Ushiyama called out as crew members scurried around to clear out lights and props. The two actresses obediently rose as well and headed off to where Fumiko was standing with Le'Moire, Shin and Kotonami's manager, a clean-cut and severe looking woman by the name of Saemi Arisa, who struck Fumiko as a workaholic type who took her job much too seriously.

"Excellent job Kyouko-san, Kotonami-san." Shin said with an approving nod as the actresses joined them. Kyouko glowed at the praise, but Kotonami merely scoffed and looked away.

"It's not like posing for photos is all that hard." She said in a surly tone. "Compared to pretending to be a completely different person, showing off clothes is a walk in the park."

"Yes, I suppose that is true." Le'Moire acknowledged with a light chuckle. "After all, I am not asking you to become anyone else for this shoot. It was the personal friendship that you two girls share that I wanted to use to represent my line, so asking you to play a role would be pointless." Kyouko seemed delighted at the designer's words, but Kotonami just flushed a brilliant scarlet and grumbled quietly to herself.

"Don't pretend you're not enjoying yourself, Kanae-kun." Saemi teased her charge with a soft smile. "Besides, you were the one who insisted that this shoot would help raise your popularity."

"But I didn't know Kyouko was going to be here too!" Kotonami huffed, giving the other actress a pointed look. "How am I supposed to pull ahead of her in the polls when she is doing the same advertisements as me?!"

"Eh?" Kyouko blinked. "But Moko-san, I thought you jumped up four spots in the last Oricon poll for female idols? That should have put you one spot ahead of me."

"It would have if you hadn't gone up six." Kotonami said, her tone laced with accusation. "Mo! Don't you pay attention to these sorts of things?! What kind of rival are you?!"

"Sorry, Moko-san, but I didn't have time to check the polls myself." Kyouko replied guiltily. "I just overheard some of the crew talking about it on Hot Shot and asked them about your ranking. It never occurred to me that I could've gone up as well."

"Of course it didn't." Kotonami sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend's behavior as the managers and Le'Moire watched on in amusement.

I've never seen such an unusual friendship before… Fumiko thought to herself as Kyouko apologized to the other actress again. It was obvious that Kotonami took her standings as an actress very seriously, and was extremely competitive with the smaller woman, but strangely enough, she didn't seem to resent Kyouko's success. And, while Kyouko appeared to be apologetic that she wasn't as concerned with the polls as her friend, she wasn't sorry that she was doing so well. The bond between the girls was nothing like the fake smiles and nasty gossip she'd come to know among her friends and fellow Fuwa Shou fans.

"Watanabi-san? Are you alright?" Jolted out of her thoughts by her former classmate's concerned inquiry, Fumiko laughed sheepishly at Kyouko's worried look, trying not to notice the way that Kotonami glared coldly at her over the petite actress's coppery hair.

"I'm fine, Mogami-san!" Fumiko assured the girl hastily.

"I'm sorry that you have to sit through all of this." Kyouko apologized sincerely. "It must be boring for you, to just sit and watch while I work…"

"Not at all!" Fumiko protested earnestly. "I've always loved your movies and TV shows, Mogami-san, and watching you act up close was even more breath taking! Besides, Le'Moire-san is a visionary in the fashion world, and I'll probably never get to see her works modeled like this again!"

"You're too kind, my dear." Le'Moire said, looking bemused at Fumiko's words. "Although your own clothes are rather… drab." Fumiko flushed as she looked down at her outfit, a simple green tunic blouse with black khakis and slippers. It was a simple outfit, but it was the only one she had since the sundress she'd worn yesterday to see Fuwa-san needed to be washed.

"I-I'm not like Mogami-san, or Kotonami-san." Fumiko said meekly by way of explanation. "I'm not a thin, pretty girl who looks good in designer clothing, so…"

"Oh come on, you're not that big." Kotonami scoffed.

"That's right, Watanabi-san, I'm sure you'd look really pretty in one of Le'Moire-san's dresses!" Kyouko said, tilting her head to examine the girl.

"Really, my dear." Le'Moire huffed. "Believing that my designs can only look good on a certain type of girl is insulting to me as a designer. After all, the clothes are made to fit that body that is wearing them, not the other way around."

"Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that!" Fumiko flustered at the thought of insulting the woman.

"Good." Le'Moire said with a satisfied nod. "Then of course, you will not object to me making a few alterations to your wardrobe."

"…Eh?" Before Le'Moire's words had the chance to fully register, the woman snapped her fingers and, seemingly out of no where, three very handsome men appeared with measuring tape, cameras and clip boards. With another snap, Fumiko suddenly found herself being pulled every which way in a flurry of movement as the handsome men began measuring every inch of her body, flashes from the cameras going off every now and then and temporarily blinding Fumiko. And, just as quickly as it began, the sudden assault was over, and the handsome men wordlessly presented their findings to Le'Moire and once again disappeared into the crowd.

"There. Now that I have your measurements, I can get started on making you some more presentable clothes. I'll think you rude if you refuse them, so don't try to worm your way out of my gift, young lady!" And, with that stern warning, Le'Moire departed, leaving a stunned Fumiko gaping after her.

"Wh-what just happened?" Fumiko asked, feeling more then a little bit shaken at the strangeness that had just occurred.

"I'm sorry, Watanabi-san! I should have warned you about that!" Kyouko said guiltily, shooting Kotonami a dry look when she caught the dark haired girl snickering. "Le'Moire-san… well, she's a bit unusual when it comes to fashion, and is determined to beautify the world as much as possible. She believes that's her duty as a designer, you see, it's one of the reasons she gets along so well with Shachou-san, to the point where she's his personal designer. So, whenever she can redesign clothes for a person…"

"I see…" Fumiko said, forcing out a weak laugh. "I have to admit, I didn't expect so many people in show business to be so… interesting."

"You don't get to be the best by being just like everyone else, Watanabi-san." Kyouko explained with a giggle. "A lot of people in show business are pretty eccentric, but that's part of what makes them so fun to work with."

"Speak for yourself." Kotonami grumbled. Before she could elaborate further, a set hand called for the actresses to return to the shoot, prompting the woman to stand with a rather heavy sigh. "Come on, Kyouko. They need us on set."

"Haa~ai!" Kyouko sang out, prancing after her friend. Shaking her head Fumiko smiled as she watched the actress go.

Eccentric doesn't even begin to cover it. She thought to herself in bemusement as Kyouko and Kotonami listened intently to the photographer. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but admit that Kyouko had a point about things being more fun this way. Sighing in defeat, the brunette finally surrendered her reservations in the face of such insanity, figuring that in this situation, it was better to just go with the flow. At the very least, I'll have a lot of stories to tell when I get back to Kyoto…

---

The rest of the evening went by in a blur of luxuries and famous faces to Fumiko. After the photo shoot ended, She, Kyouko and Shin had separated from Kotonami and Le'Moire, though not before Kotonami shot one last threatening look at Fumiko, and Le'Moire promised to send her designs to Fumiko's home in Kyoto. When that was over, The three went to a popular Tokyo radio station so that Kyouko could give an interview about her new movie, then went to a park so that Kyouko could pose for some posters LME wanted to sell to her fans, some of which somehow heard about the event and showed up to show their support to the actress. After Kyouko posed for some pictures with her fans and signed a few autographs, they left for Kyouko's final job of the night, co-hosting a comedy show with the Bridge Rock brothers.

"I've always thought that this was so surreal." Kyouko had admitted to her in her dressing room at Bridge Rock with a giggle as she did her make up. "I mean, my first big gig was as Bo, and five years later I'm one of the hosts! Just shows how strange show biz can be, ne?"

"You were Bo?!" Fumiko had exclaimed, jaw dropping. She'd seen the show's mascot waddling by earlier, and she couldn't imagine Kyouko ever being underneath that ridiculous costume.

"Mm. The original actor didn't show up, so they called me in." Kyouko nodded in confirmation. "The audience loved my performance, so they made me a regular. Then, after I started getting bigger, Shin-chan made me give the role up, since I wasn't getting credited for it and it took up a lot of time. Another LoveMe Member took over the part after that. But then, about two years ago, the ratings of Bridge Rock started to drop, so they decided to bring in a female host to help the Ishibashi brothers. Hikaru-kun, Shinichi-kun and Yuusei-kun really wanted me to have the part, and I missed doing the show, so the decision was really pretty simple." Kyouko revealed to the girl, who reeled at the information the actress had divulged to her so casually.

After watching Kyouko host with the Ishibashi brothers though, it became obvious why they had been insistent on having her as their female co-host. Kyouko completely charmed the audience and guests alike with her innocent and eager nature, and she always seemed to know just what to say, or which expression to make to have the audience roaring with laugher.

After the show ended, and Kyouko had said good bye to her co-hosts and politely shot down Ishibashi Hikaru's offer to take her out to dinner in less then five words (Somehow, Fumiko got the impression that this rejection happened a lot…). With her jobs done for the day, Kyouko exchanged goodbyes with her manager and promptly drove Fumiko to her home, which led the brunette to where she was right now.

"Here we are!" Kyouko chirped brightly as she pulled into a reserved parking space. Fumiko perked up in the passenger seat, having been lulled into a daze at watching the city lights pass by.

"This apartment is lovely, Kyouko-san." Fumiko said in awe as she carefully climbed out of the passenger seat of the Porsche while also taking care not to damage the Ferrari parked next to Kyouko.

"Yes, it's very nice here. The rooms are a little too big for my tastes, but Shachou-san insisted I live here after I moved out of my previous caretaker's home. The security here is airtight, and there were some… problems at the end of my stay in the Darumaya."

"Problems?" Fumiko repeated curiously. Kyouko gave a nervous laugh.

"I found someone breaking in to my room one night. Apparently, they were stealing my possessions and selling them off to my fans for profit."

"What?!" Fumiko said, horrified. She'd heard of some other stars with similar problems, but never Kyouko. "That's horrible! Did you get hurt?"

"No, I was fine. Can't say the same for the thief though. I kinda lost it when I saw he was trying to take Princess Rosa." Kyouko admitted sheepishly.

"I… uh, see." She didn't, actually, but Fumiko thought it best for her sanity if she didn't ask the actress to clarify.

"Anyways, I couldn't bear to put Taichou or Okami-san in danger after everything they did for me, so I moved out soon after that. I still drop in on them to talk whenever I have time, though." Kyouko continued, bowing politely to the security guard as he pressed a button that opened a large steel door that separated the garage from the stairway to the main building, earning a tip of the hat and a beaming smile in return.

"So you live alone now?" Fumiko clarified as she followed Kyouko into the building.

"For now." Kyouko confirmed with a nod. "That should change in a month or so, though. One of the new LoveMe Girls is apparently having problems with her home situation, so I volunteered to mentor her and give her a room until she can support herself."

"How long do you think that will take?" Fumiko asked, surprised. She couldn't imagine opening her home up to a complete stranger like that.

"As long as it takes." Kyouko said with a sense of finality in her tone. "Members of the LoveMe Section are there for a reason, and until they confront their problems, they can't move on to become successful talents, or even whole human beings. It's impossible to truly function without the ability to love, after all." Here, Kyouko's smile looked almost painful, her eyes lost in a memory that Fumiko wasn't privy to.

What happened? The girl couldn't help but wonder. She was no longer struggling to associate this woman beside her with the giddy, clingy schoolgirl she had known so many years ago. Kyouko and Mogami were clearly two very different entities, and it was obviously due to some big secret that happened in Kyouko's past.

And for some reason, Fumiko had the sinking feeling that it had to do with one Fuwa Shou.

"Kyouko-san, I-!"

'Ding!'

Jumping slightly as the elevator doors slid open, Fumiko put a hand against her rapidly beating heart, missing the smile Kyouko flashed her as she dragged Fumiko onto the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

"Anyways, enough about me! How is everything back in Kyoto?" Kyouko asked eagerly as the doors slid shut and the elevator dutifully began to climb. Fumiko was a little taken aback by the question, since she didn't think Kyoto had anything to offer the starlet bcompared to the luxurious life she lived in Tokyo. Her near confession completely forgotten, Fumiko eyed with girl quizzically.

"What do you want to know?" She asked slowly, uncertain where to start off. Other then Fuwa-san, Mogami Kyoko hadn't really associated with anyone in their school, so-

"How are the Fuwas doing? And everyone else at the inn?"

Oh.

Fumiko had completely forgotten that Kyouko used to live with the Fuwas after her mother suddenly moved away in primary school, which was surprising since it used to be a point of utter loathing for her and the rest of Fuwa Shou's admirers.

"I don't see them very often, but they seem to hold themselves up rather well." Fumiko said carefully, trying to recall the handful of encounters she had with her crush's parents. "They keep themselves busy with work mostly, so they don't have to think about-" Fumiko almost swallowed her tongue when she realized she was about to say, shooting Kyouko a panicked look. Kyouko seemed to know how her sentence was supposed to end, however, if the pained look on the starlet's face was any indication.

"I see…" She said quietly.

"B-but like I said, I don't see them often, so I wouldn't really know!" Fumiko said hastily, kicking herself for her slip. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! "A-and Reina-chan from D-class started working at the inn full time as soon as she graduated college!" She'd jumped on the position in hopes that Shou may some day wish to reconcile with his parents, giving her the chance to see him again before any of their classmates. "I hear that business has really picked up for them in the past few years. They're even thinking about adding onto their main building."

"They're not going to get rid of the forest, are they?" Kyouko asked, looking distressed at the idea. Fumiko shook her head.

"They bought up a few vacant houses next to them, and they're going to tear them down to make the renovations.

"That's nice!" Kyouko said, looking honestly happy for the couple that had fostered her for so many years. "I've worried about them a lot, to be honest, but I've been too afraid to call them. It's wonderful to hear that they're doing so well."

Silently, Fumiko debated on telling the girl about the gossip that Reina-chan had passed along to her, about how the Fuwas kept Kyoko and Shou's rooms exactly as they were when they ran away, locked up tight with the staff expressly forbidden from ever entering either living spaces. To this day, Reina insisted that Shou's father was often found lingering around that area, particularly around Shou's birthday or the holidays, and that sometimes crying could be heard from inside either rooms, which always preceded Shou's mother returning from that hall after her breaks, tucking the keys she kept on a chain around her neck back into the folds of her kimono.

"Oh, here's my floor!" Kyouko said suddenly, shaking Fumiko out of her revere. The girl obediently followed her former classmate out of the elevator and into the hallway, allowing the actress to lead her to her door. Kyouko quickly let the two of them in and flipped on a light, not paying any attention to Fumiko curious inspection of her home as she deposited her purse on a table and exchanged her shoes for house slippers.

"I'm going to check the guest room real fast. Just make yourself at home, okay?" Kyouko called over her shoulder was she headed towards a room. Fumiko barely heard her as she slipped into guest slippers and stepped further into the apartment to inspect the starlet's living room.

After the fancy car and designer clothes, Fumiko was more then a little surprised to find that Kyouko's apartment was rather simple. It was large yes, but sparsely furnished, with only the bare necessities, except for a vase of flowers here or there or a pretty trinket with a fairy tale theme. The most notable thing in the girl's home though was the bookcase lined with all her awards, and the pictures that hung on her walls and decorated her tables. Not professional photos like Kyouko had been posing for earlier, but candid shots that usually featured Kyouko hanging out with her friends. Curious, Fumiko leaned in closer to inspect some of the pictures.

Kotonami Kanae showed up a lot, Fumiko noticed right away. Usually, she looked begrudging in the shots that featured her, but sometimes she'd grace Kyouko with exasperated but affectionate little smiles. Some of the pictures also featured a third girl, whom Fumiko quickly realized was Amamiya Chiori, another actress who had risen to fame around the same time as Kyouko and Kanae. The three girls looked like the best of friends, and Fumiko couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the girls' obvious bond.

Shaking the feeling off, Fumiko turned to the next group of pictures, which seemed to all feature the crazy president of LME, a cute younger girl with long wavy ash brown hair or both. After giggling at a particularly adorable picture of Kyouko and the little girl wearing matching sundresses, Fumiko turned her attention to the bookcase, studying the awards that she usually only saw on TV with a sense of awe. The only award that Fumiko didn't recognize right off the bat was the framed certificate that held the place of honor dead center on the bookshelf. Getting in closer to read it, Fumiko blinked in surprise when she realized that it was Kyouko's High School Diploma. Frowning, Fumiko tried to wrap her mind around the thought of an actress winning some of the most sought after awards in the entertainment world, and yet her most proud accomplishment was graduating high school? Fumiko had graduated. Most of their middle school classmates had, in fact.

Well, Mogami always did do really well in school. Fumiko mused to herself, recalling that the actress had usually placed second or third in their school's rankings. Turning away, Fumiko examined another picture, of Kyouko beaming one of her famous million watt smiles while posing with-

Freezing, Fumiko pulled the picture off the shelf to examine the man in the photo more closely, almost sure that she was seeing things. But sure enough, her eyes were not deceiving her, and she was in fact looking at a photograph of Kyouko with the infamous Tsuruga Ren.

Wow, I had no idea they were so close. Fumiko mused. She, like everyone else who ever passed a grocery store gossip rag, knew that there were rumors circulating about Kyouko and Tsuruga-san having some sort of intimate relationship, but when pressed about it, all either of then ever said was that they were good friends and that they admired and respected each other's talent. Fumiko had always thought that was just some rehearsed answer for the media, she had never suspected that Tsuruga-san and Kyouko really were close friends. Come to think of it though, Sabara-san did say that Tsuruga-san was extra protective of Kyouko-chan. Fumiko remembered, frowning as she thought back to her conversation with the rock star earlier that day.

Before she could muse upon this any further, a polite rapping noise sounded from the front door. Hesitantly, Fumiko glanced in the direction of the room that Kyouko had disappeared into. The actress had apparently not heard the knock though, since she showed no signs of emerging from the room. Fumiko was mentally debating about answering the door herself when the telltale sound of a key meeting the door's lock chimed out right before the front door opened to allow the visitor access.

"Mogami-san, I- oh." Surprised brown eyes blinked at Fumiko for a moment before a painfully familiar face melting into an absolutely dazzling smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize Mogami-san would be entertaining anyone tonight. I hope I'm not intruding." Fumiko didn't respond to the man's question, mostly because she suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.

"Watanabi-san?" Kyouko's voice called as the actress's soft footsteps padded back into the main room of the apartment. "Is someone at the door?" The petite starlet re-entered the room with a puzzled look on her face, which quickly warped into delighted surprise at the sight of her guest. "Tsuruga-san!"

"I apologize, Mogami-san. I didn't know you'd have a guest tonight." Tsuruga Ren apologized with a warm smile to the young actress. "Perhaps I should come by at a later date…?"

"Oh, no!" Kyouko said, her tone half scolding as she fixed the taller man with a stern frown. "I'm going to see to it that you get as many decent meals as possible, Tsuruga-san! You're far too lenient with your diet! As tall as you are, you should eat twice what you do! Besides, I already told Watanabi-san you might stop by, and she said that it was fine by her, right Watanabi-san?" Looking at the brunette, Kyouko frowned in concern at the unnatural coloring that had overtaken her former classmate's face. "Watanabi-san? Are you alright?"

Fumiko's reply to the actress' inquiry, which included fainting dead away onto Kyouko's impeccably clean floor, could probably have been taken as a 'no.'

Description
Chapter 3; Star Treatment

…She was dreaming.

Staring at the man (dressed in a military uniform made completely out of glitter and bright sea-foam green and baby blue sequins) that had just burst out of the office of one of the most famous fashion designers in the world, Fumiko was sure she was dreaming. The fact that neither Kyouko nor Shin seemed even remotely surprised at the older man's gaudy appearance only confirmed this in the brunette's overwhelmed mind.

"Ah, Mogami-san!" The man said jovially, making his way towards them. "What a pleasant surprise! You have a meeting with Cheri, I presume?"

"Yes, Shachou-san." Kyouko said warmly, bowing to the man politely. "Le'Moire-san is honoring me with the privilege of representing her spring fashion line."

President? Fumiko thought incredulously. This guy was a president? President of what, the loony bin?

"Wonderful!" The man beamed brightly, nodding his approval, "I'm sure you'll do an incredible job, Mogami-san."

"I'll do my best, Shachou-san." Kyouko said determinedly, giving the man a small smile. "The last thing I would want to do is disappoint you, after everything you did to allow me into LME." Hearing that, Fumiko immediately face-faulted.

THIS MAN IS THE PRESIDENT OF LME?!?!?!

"Mogami-san, I doubt you could ever disappoint me." The man chuckled warmly, looking at the petite girl before him with a warm, paternal glow. "I trust your jobs have been going well, Mogami-san? Not overexerting yourself anymore, are you? I don't want any more calls from Igami-san here about you fainting again." Kyouko flushed at that as her manager shot the girl a pointed, 'I-told-you-so' look.

"I- I apologize for any undue concern I may have caused you, Shachou-san!" Kyouko said hastily. "It was most unprofessional of me not to think to take a water break during practice! I promise not to make the mistake again in the future!"

"Indeed, Takarada-shachou." Shin piped up ruefully, opening the floral day planner again to show that day's page, jammed packed with so much writing that it seemed to have more ink on it then paper. "Kyouko-san's schedule today proves how well she's learned her lesson about overexerting herself." Kyouko's embarrassment only increased at her manager's not-so-subtle chastising as the president of LME gave an exasperated sigh.

"Really, Mogami-san, will you ever learn your lesson?" The man asked, looking surprisingly stern for someone who was completely covered in glitter. "It's wonderful that you're keeping busy, but you have to remember to stop and smell the roses sometimes too! The last thing LME needs is another obsessive workaholic like Ren…"

"But Tsuruga-san is the hardest working and most sought after actor in Japan!" Kyouko protested, some of her humble attitude ebbing at the slight on her beloved sempai. "It would be an honor to be even a fraction of what he is!"

"I'm not denying that Ren is brilliant at what he does." Takarada said flippantly, waving away Kyouko's protests like an annoying bug. "But the man is so obnoxiously wrapped up in his work, that not only does he not have anything resembling a personal life anymore, but he also has to be reminded to stop and have a quick bite to eat! Hmph! At this rate, that Ren will be forty soon, and still wouldn't have found a good woman to settle down with!"

"Tsuruga-san is only twenty-four, Shachou-san." Kyouko reminded her boss dryly. "He's not exactly a spinster yet. And I'm sure Tsuruga-san could have anyone he wants! Why, any woman Tsuruga-san finds worthy of loving would be thrilled to have his attention like that! As for the eating thing… well, we've been working on that, whenever we can."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear to say that, Mogami-san!" Takarada said with a wicked-looking grin. Fumiko blinked, unable to figure out if the man was referring to the 'eating thing' as Kyouko had put it, or the glowing praise the young starlet gave to Tsuruga Ren's ability to seduce the pants off any living, breathing woman. While the brunette was considering this, she failed to notice how Takarada Lory's watchful eyes turned to her. "Oh? And who is this? A new friend, Mogami-san?"

"Watanabe-san is a former classmate of mine, from Kyoto, Shachou-san." Kyouko explained to the president before turning to Fumiko. "Watanabe-san, This is Takarada Lory, the president of LME and the reason I was able to become the actress and woman I am today."

"You give me too much credit, Mogami-san." Lory said, smiling nonetheless. "A pleasure to meet you, Watanabe-san."

"Watanabe-san came here to invite Kyouko-san to a class reunion her middle school is having in a few months, Shachou-san." Shin explained to the gaudily-dressed man.

"A party?" Takarada summarized, brightening considerably. "How wonderful! I'll book the Tokyo Orchestra and call up a couple dozen of my favorite chefs!" Kyouko and Shin's expressions of lax amusement at their president's antic turned to blind panic in the blink of an eye at the man's last sentence.

"Shachou-san, it's just a simple middle school reunion!" Kyouko said hastily. "That's way too much for the other guests to handle!"

"Besides, it's going to be all the way in Kyoto, Shachou-san." Shin reminded the man quickly. "I doubt you'll be able to leave the company alone that long to go play host."

"I suppose you're right." Lory said with a long suffering sigh, making his two employees sweatdrop. "Speaking of which, I must go. I have a meeting I must attend with our singing department. Take care Igami-san, Mogami-san. And Kyouko-san, remember what I told you about your health."

"I will, Shachou-san." Kyouko replied with a respectful bow. "Goodbye, and thank you for all your hard work!"

"And you too, Mogami-san!" Lory said cheerfully, waving to the actress as he boarded the private elevator. "It was nice meeting you, Watanabe-san, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Tokyo."

"Y-yes, thank you very much!" Fumiko answered with an awkward bow as the elevator doors closed. Lifting her head to stare uncertainly at the smooth metal doors, Fumiko couldn't help but feel like she had just come out of a freak hurricane. "Was that man really the president of LME? He seems so… so…"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'stark raving mad,' Watanabe-san." Shin supplied dryly to the uncertain country girl.

"Sums it up pretty nicely." Fumiko agreed, nodding her head.

"Shin-chan!" Kyouko scolded, though the smile she was fighting told the two how much she agreed with her manager's summary of the president's mental health. "Shachou-san may be a little eccentric, but there isn't a man on earth who knows show business as well as he does. Besides, if it wasn't for him caring so much about his employees, I'd still be the broken person I was when I first tried to enter LME."

"…What?" Fumiko said, puzzled by the girl's wistful comment. Broken? Kyouko-chan?

"It's nothing." Shin said to the newcomer dismissively. "Now come along, we don't want to be late meeting up with Le'Moire-san and the other model for this shoot."

"Of course, Shin-chan!" Kyouko said brightly, gliding forward to enter the room. A few steps ahead of the actress, Shin dutifully held the door open for the girls as they entered the spacious and chic office of Cheri Le'Moire.

"Kyouko-chan!" The heavyset woman greeted the girl with a warm smile. "Punctual as always, my dear."

"I apologize for rescheduling our appointment at the last minute, Le'Moire-san." Kyouko said with a humble bow. "And thank you for allowing my guest to come as well."

"It's nothing, child." Le'Moire dismissed the girl's words with a wave of her hand. "You are far too eager to prostrate yourself, my dear. While it's a refreshing change of pace, you must remember to hold onto your pride as well! I was just telling Lory-kun that I was worried about you letting others take advantage of your kindness."

"Make no mistake, Le'Moire-san, that as long as I'm around that sort of thing will not happen." Shin spoke up with the slightest hint of steel in his voice.

…Suddenly, Fumiko had to quell the urge to hide in a cave on some remote mountain.

"I'm happy to hear it, Igami-san." Cheri said with a satisfied nod as she stood. "Now then, shall we continue? The other model I chose is already situated on the strip I chose for the shoot. Apparently, it was closer to her last job then the office was, so she chose to meet us there. Kyouko-chan, I'd like you to ride with me if that's alright with you."

"Eh?" Kyouko blinked before shooting her manager a concerned frown. "Shin-chan, are you alright with-?"

"I will follow you in the car, Kyouko-san." Shin said firmly, smiling at the adoring look Kyouko graced him with for answering her question before she even finished it.

"Then Watanabi-san and I will be honored to accompany Le'Moire-san." Kyouko said brightly.

We will? Fumiko thought, mildly disappointed. Although the thought of riding alone in a car with a man as scary as Igami Shin was a little terrifying, Fumiko (who had never thought of herself as a girl who cared about such things) had quickly fallen in love with Kyouko's car, a metallic silver Fairy Design Porsche Panamera, complete with a beige interior which had little winged sprites embossed into the surfaces of the seats. Kyouko had affectionately explained that the vehicle was an eighteenth birthday present from a dear friend of hers, who had also helped her get her license to drive it.

"I didn't want to accept it, to be honest." Kyouko had admitted with an embarrassed laugh as she told Fumiko this. "But this particular friend makes it exceedingly difficult to refuse any of his gifts, especially over the top ones like these. Besides, he knows my tastes far too well, I'm afraid." Here, Kyouko pouted momentarily and muttered something about fairies and sneaky sempais. "I try to make it up to him in whatever ways I can, though." Privately, Fumiko couldn't help but think that she would probably marry the friend who bought her such a beautiful car.

The lovely Porsche was forgotten, though, when Fumiko followed Kyouko and Cheri to the fashion designer's ride.

"A limo?!" Fumiko gasped, eyes widening to the side of dinner plates at the long, sleek black limo that Cheri was climbing into. "We're going by limo?!"

"Coming, Watanabi-san?" Kyouko asked curiously as she began to slide into the luxury car as well.

"Y-yes!" Fumiko squeaked, feeling completely in over her head. Exotically dressed presidents, managers that looked like they could go one on one with Rambo, expensive cars, actress that could change personalities on a dime… it was all too much for the simple country girl who'd thought that a hot classmate with a great singing voice was as good as life got.

There's no way anyone at home is ever gonna believe any of this. Fumiko thought to herself as she climbed into the limo.

And she was still almost sure she was dreaming.

---

"Oh, what a cute café!" Kyouko gushed as the three women emerged from the car with help from the limo's driver. Though she still felt like a fish out of water, Fumiko couldn't help but agree with the starlet's statement. The location of the photo shoot was a classy little café that looked like it had been flown in straight from Paris. Four little black iron wrought tables with matching chairs were lined up in front of the café, separated from the sidewalk by a miniature rose garden that acted like a natural fence.

"Oh good, Kyouko-san, you're finally here!" A man whom Fumiko assumed worked for Cheri Le'Moire said in relief as he approached the actress. "You're going to have to hurry and change, then get over to hair and make up. One of the other shops is starting to complain that we're making a scene, so we want to clear out of here as quickly as possible." It was only then that Fumiko noticed the large crowd of curious onlookers that the set people had collected. Apparently, the local shoppers had been hoping that lingering to watch the professional shoot would give them the chance to see a celebrity.

From the looks and whispers that the young actress she was with was receiving, her appearance did not disappoint.

"Pah!" Cheri scoffed at the man's concerns, wrinkling her nose. "We have the proper paperwork to shoot here, and the owner's permission. Let this other shop complain if they must, there is little more that they could do."

"I'll try to hurry, Ushiyama-san." Kyouko assured the man with a warm smile.

"KYOUKO-CHAAAAN!" one of the onlookers shouted out, drawing the attention of the actress in question (Along with everyone else in a mile radius). "We love you, Kyouko-chan!"

Fumiko had expected Kyouko's face to burst into flames at the fan's proclamation, given how much she flushed over every tiny compliment she received as a child. Instead though, the actress graced the crowd with a beautiful smile and a wave as more people, spurred by the first fan's outcry, began to express their love as well.

"Thank you very much!" Kyouko shouted out above the rising noise. The crowd started to push against the blockade that had been set up to keep unauthorized personnel off of the set to try and get closer to the actress, but that action was stopped dead in it's track as Shin suddenly appeared at Kyouko's side, as if summoned by magic.

Oh, so that's why he's her manager! Fumiko realized as she watched even the most daring fans cower under Shin's slightly raised eyebrow, a threat lurking in his dark eyes that any man would be foolhardy to tempt.

"Come on, Kyouko, we still have a few more appearances after this, so let's not waste time." Shin said to his charge, who nodded at her manager's logic.

"Yes, I want to get home a little earlier tonight, so that I can prepare dinner for Watanabi-san." Kyouko said, frowning thoughtfully. "That reminds me… One of my neighbors comes over every once in a while to have dinner with me. He's really bad in the kitchen, and I worry about him eating right when he lives all alone like he does. I hope that won't bother you if he stops in during your stay, Watanabi-san."

"Eeh?!" Fumiko sputtered, surprised at the thought of the actress cooking for some old bachelor who lived in her complex. As proper as Kyouko was, it was hard to see her doing something that could be taken so scandalously. Still, she had to concur that it was none of her business who Mogami shared her meals with, so she quickly offered her agreement to the matter. "Oh, no! I don't mind in the least, Mogami-san!"

"Excellent!" Kyouko beamed before heading towards a trailer that was marked 'Costume, Hair and Make up' as Shin walked off to talk to the security guards. Sighing in defeat, Fumiko followed the actress as she made her way over to the trailer, jogging to catch up when the actress opened the door to the aluminum single-wide.

And froze, dead in her tracks.

Blinking in surprise, Fumiko watched the transformation that overtook the actress' face, starting with the graceful smile she'd gotten used to seeing from Kyouko, going to a look of complete and total surprise and ending with a beaming grin so bright, Fumiko could swear that it was accompanied with sparkly flowers and fairies.

"MOKO~SAAAAAAN!" Kyouko exuberated, flinging herself forward to throw her arms around the dark-haired target of this almost unnatural affection. Apparently used to this, the other woman dodged deftly so that the smaller actress missed her mark.

"Honestly Kyouko, how many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?!" Kotonami Kanae snapped at her friend sourly. "Mo! You're not sixteen anymore, you know, so stop acting like a child!"

"But Moko~san! It's been so long since we've seen each other!" Kyouko whined in response.

"We talked on the phone just two days ago." Kotonami-san reminded her in a surly tone.

"But that's not the same!" Kyouko pouted cutely.

Fumiko, in the mean time, was still trying desperately to figure out what the hell was going on.

So far, she had managed to work out that A) She was in the same room as the super sexy actress Kotonami Kanae, whom she already knew via popular celebrity magazines was good friends with Kyouko-chan B) Kyouko's maturity level seemed to drop into the single digits at the sight of said friend and C) She was slowly losing her sanity from overexposure to all these crazy celebrities. Blinking in surprise as the two girls bickered (Well, truthfully it was more like Kyouko tried to smother Kotonami with affection, and Kotonami was holding her off with harsh words and glares) Fumiko couldn't help but think that the magazines had gotten it wrong somewhere. While it was true that Kyouko seemed overly fond of Kotonami, the dark haired actress seemed to want nothing to do with her excitable companion.

"Who's this?" Startled out of her thoughts at the question, Fukimo's eyes widened as she realized that Kotonami Kanae was scrutinizing her (and apparently, not liking what she saw very much).

"Oh, Moko-san, this is Watanabi Fumiko, a classmate of mine from Kyoto. Watanabi-san, this is Kotonami Kanae, my best friend."

"P-please to meet you!" Fumiko squeaked out, bowing to the actress.

"I thought you said you didn't have any friends in Kyoto." Kotonami said bluntly, ignoring Fumiko entirely. "You told me all the girls in your class used to bully you."

"Watanabi-san used to bully me as well." Kyouko confirmed casually as she took the first outfit assigned to her out of its protective plastic bag. "But she came here from Kyoto to apologize, and to invite me to a class reunion."

…If the glare that Fumiko was now receiving was any indication, she had clearly jumped to the wrong conclusion when she assumed that Kyouko and Kotonami's friendship was one-sided.

"I'm going to put this on. Moko-san, could you please pull my makeup out of my bag?"

"I'm not your errand girl!" Kanae grouched, already pulling the girl's bag up to do as she asked as Kyouko scurried off into another room to change. "You should have been here on time to set up if you wanted to do your own makeup! Mo!"

"Sorry Moko-san, I'll make it up to you, I promise!" Kyouko called over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. It took a second after the 'click!' for Fumiko to realize that Kyouko had left her and Kotonami alone. Slowly turning to face the beautiful actress, Fumiko cowered under the immense pressure of the killing intent that Kotonami was directing at her with only a cold glare.

"I'll wait outside for you two to get done!" Fumiko squeaked, groping around for the handle of the door behind her (She didn't dare take her eyes off the enraged actress, since that seemed like a death wish to the poor girl) which she flung open, stumbling ungracefully out of the trailer and closing the door behind her.

Scary! Fumiko thought, rivers of tears running down her face. Fumiko had no idea what she'd done to offend the pretty actress, but she could only pray that Kotonami never got the chance to act upon her apparent wrath. Shivering to herself, Fumiko decided that it was in her best interest to stay far, FAR away from Kotonami Kanae.

---

"Okay people, that's a wrap! Kyouko-chan, Kotonami-san, excellent job! Take fifteen minutes while we set up the next area." Ushiyama called out as crew members scurried around to clear out lights and props. The two actresses obediently rose as well and headed off to where Fumiko was standing with Le'Moire, Shin and Kotonami's manager, a clean-cut and severe looking woman by the name of Saemi Arisa, who struck Fumiko as a workaholic type who took her job much too seriously.

"Excellent job Kyouko-san, Kotonami-san." Shin said with an approving nod as the actresses joined them. Kyouko glowed at the praise, but Kotonami merely scoffed and looked away.

"It's not like posing for photos is all that hard." She said in a surly tone. "Compared to pretending to be a completely different person, showing off clothes is a walk in the park."

"Yes, I suppose that is true." Le'Moire acknowledged with a light chuckle. "After all, I am not asking you to become anyone else for this shoot. It was the personal friendship that you two girls share that I wanted to use to represent my line, so asking you to play a role would be pointless." Kyouko seemed delighted at the designer's words, but Kotonami just flushed a brilliant scarlet and grumbled quietly to herself.

"Don't pretend you're not enjoying yourself, Kanae-kun." Saemi teased her charge with a soft smile. "Besides, you were the one who insisted that this shoot would help raise your popularity."

"But I didn't know Kyouko was going to be here too!" Kotonami huffed, giving the other actress a pointed look. "How am I supposed to pull ahead of her in the polls when she is doing the same advertisements as me?!"

"Eh?" Kyouko blinked. "But Moko-san, I thought you jumped up four spots in the last Oricon poll for female idols? That should have put you one spot ahead of me."

"It would have if you hadn't gone up six." Kotonami said, her tone laced with accusation. "Mo! Don't you pay attention to these sorts of things?! What kind of rival are you?!"

"Sorry, Moko-san, but I didn't have time to check the polls myself." Kyouko replied guiltily. "I just overheard some of the crew talking about it on Hot Shot and asked them about your ranking. It never occurred to me that I could've gone up as well."

"Of course it didn't." Kotonami sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend's behavior as the managers and Le'Moire watched on in amusement.

I've never seen such an unusual friendship before… Fumiko thought to herself as Kyouko apologized to the other actress again. It was obvious that Kotonami took her standings as an actress very seriously, and was extremely competitive with the smaller woman, but strangely enough, she didn't seem to resent Kyouko's success. And, while Kyouko appeared to be apologetic that she wasn't as concerned with the polls as her friend, she wasn't sorry that she was doing so well. The bond between the girls was nothing like the fake smiles and nasty gossip she'd come to know among her friends and fellow Fuwa Shou fans.

"Watanabi-san? Are you alright?" Jolted out of her thoughts by her former classmate's concerned inquiry, Fumiko laughed sheepishly at Kyouko's worried look, trying not to notice the way that Kotonami glared coldly at her over the petite actress's coppery hair.

"I'm fine, Mogami-san!" Fumiko assured the girl hastily.

"I'm sorry that you have to sit through all of this." Kyouko apologized sincerely. "It must be boring for you, to just sit and watch while I work…"

"Not at all!" Fumiko protested earnestly. "I've always loved your movies and TV shows, Mogami-san, and watching you act up close was even more breath taking! Besides, Le'Moire-san is a visionary in the fashion world, and I'll probably never get to see her works modeled like this again!"

"You're too kind, my dear." Le'Moire said, looking bemused at Fumiko's words. "Although your own clothes are rather… drab." Fumiko flushed as she looked down at her outfit, a simple green tunic blouse with black khakis and slippers. It was a simple outfit, but it was the only one she had since the sundress she'd worn yesterday to see Fuwa-san needed to be washed.

"I-I'm not like Mogami-san, or Kotonami-san." Fumiko said meekly by way of explanation. "I'm not a thin, pretty girl who looks good in designer clothing, so…"

"Oh come on, you're not that big." Kotonami scoffed.

"That's right, Watanabi-san, I'm sure you'd look really pretty in one of Le'Moire-san's dresses!" Kyouko said, tilting her head to examine the girl.

"Really, my dear." Le'Moire huffed. "Believing that my designs can only look good on a certain type of girl is insulting to me as a designer. After all, the clothes are made to fit that body that is wearing them, not the other way around."

"Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that!" Fumiko flustered at the thought of insulting the woman.

"Good." Le'Moire said with a satisfied nod. "Then of course, you will not object to me making a few alterations to your wardrobe."

"…Eh?" Before Le'Moire's words had the chance to fully register, the woman snapped her fingers and, seemingly out of no where, three very handsome men appeared with measuring tape, cameras and clip boards. With another snap, Fumiko suddenly found herself being pulled every which way in a flurry of movement as the handsome men began measuring every inch of her body, flashes from the cameras going off every now and then and temporarily blinding Fumiko. And, just as quickly as it began, the sudden assault was over, and the handsome men wordlessly presented their findings to Le'Moire and once again disappeared into the crowd.

"There. Now that I have your measurements, I can get started on making you some more presentable clothes. I'll think you rude if you refuse them, so don't try to worm your way out of my gift, young lady!" And, with that stern warning, Le'Moire departed, leaving a stunned Fumiko gaping after her.

"Wh-what just happened?" Fumiko asked, feeling more then a little bit shaken at the strangeness that had just occurred.

"I'm sorry, Watanabi-san! I should have warned you about that!" Kyouko said guiltily, shooting Kotonami a dry look when she caught the dark haired girl snickering. "Le'Moire-san… well, she's a bit unusual when it comes to fashion, and is determined to beautify the world as much as possible. She believes that's her duty as a designer, you see, it's one of the reasons she gets along so well with Shachou-san, to the point where she's his personal designer. So, whenever she can redesign clothes for a person…"

"I see…" Fumiko said, forcing out a weak laugh. "I have to admit, I didn't expect so many people in show business to be so… interesting."

"You don't get to be the best by being just like everyone else, Watanabi-san." Kyouko explained with a giggle. "A lot of people in show business are pretty eccentric, but that's part of what makes them so fun to work with."

"Speak for yourself." Kotonami grumbled. Before she could elaborate further, a set hand called for the actresses to return to the shoot, prompting the woman to stand with a rather heavy sigh. "Come on, Kyouko. They need us on set."

"Haa~ai!" Kyouko sang out, prancing after her friend. Shaking her head Fumiko smiled as she watched the actress go.

Eccentric doesn't even begin to cover it. She thought to herself in bemusement as Kyouko and Kotonami listened intently to the photographer. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but admit that Kyouko had a point about things being more fun this way. Sighing in defeat, the brunette finally surrendered her reservations in the face of such insanity, figuring that in this situation, it was better to just go with the flow. At the very least, I'll have a lot of stories to tell when I get back to Kyoto…

---

The rest of the evening went by in a blur of luxuries and famous faces to Fumiko. After the photo shoot ended, She, Kyouko and Shin had separated from Kotonami and Le'Moire, though not before Kotonami shot one last threatening look at Fumiko, and Le'Moire promised to send her designs to Fumiko's home in Kyoto. When that was over, The three went to a popular Tokyo radio station so that Kyouko could give an interview about her new movie, then went to a park so that Kyouko could pose for some posters LME wanted to sell to her fans, some of which somehow heard about the event and showed up to show their support to the actress. After Kyouko posed for some pictures with her fans and signed a few autographs, they left for Kyouko's final job of the night, co-hosting a comedy show with the Bridge Rock brothers.

"I've always thought that this was so surreal." Kyouko had admitted to her in her dressing room at Bridge Rock with a giggle as she did her make up. "I mean, my first big gig was as Bo, and five years later I'm one of the hosts! Just shows how strange show biz can be, ne?"

"You were Bo?!" Fumiko had exclaimed, jaw dropping. She'd seen the show's mascot waddling by earlier, and she couldn't imagine Kyouko ever being underneath that ridiculous costume.

"Mm. The original actor didn't show up, so they called me in." Kyouko nodded in confirmation. "The audience loved my performance, so they made me a regular. Then, after I started getting bigger, Shin-chan made me give the role up, since I wasn't getting credited for it and it took up a lot of time. Another LoveMe Member took over the part after that. But then, about two years ago, the ratings of Bridge Rock started to drop, so they decided to bring in a female host to help the Ishibashi brothers. Hikaru-kun, Shinichi-kun and Yuusei-kun really wanted me to have the part, and I missed doing the show, so the decision was really pretty simple." Kyouko revealed to the girl, who reeled at the information the actress had divulged to her so casually.

After watching Kyouko host with the Ishibashi brothers though, it became obvious why they had been insistent on having her as their female co-host. Kyouko completely charmed the audience and guests alike with her innocent and eager nature, and she always seemed to know just what to say, or which expression to make to have the audience roaring with laugher.

After the show ended, and Kyouko had said good bye to her co-hosts and politely shot down Ishibashi Hikaru's offer to take her out to dinner in less then five words (Somehow, Fumiko got the impression that this rejection happened a lot…). With her jobs done for the day, Kyouko exchanged goodbyes with her manager and promptly drove Fumiko to her home, which led the brunette to where she was right now.

"Here we are!" Kyouko chirped brightly as she pulled into a reserved parking space. Fumiko perked up in the passenger seat, having been lulled into a daze at watching the city lights pass by.

"This apartment is lovely, Kyouko-san." Fumiko said in awe as she carefully climbed out of the passenger seat of the Porsche while also taking care not to damage the Ferrari parked next to Kyouko.

"Yes, it's very nice here. The rooms are a little too big for my tastes, but Shachou-san insisted I live here after I moved out of my previous caretaker's home. The security here is airtight, and there were some… problems at the end of my stay in the Darumaya."

"Problems?" Fumiko repeated curiously. Kyouko gave a nervous laugh.

"I found someone breaking in to my room one night. Apparently, they were stealing my possessions and selling them off to my fans for profit."

"What?!" Fumiko said, horrified. She'd heard of some other stars with similar problems, but never Kyouko. "That's horrible! Did you get hurt?"

"No, I was fine. Can't say the same for the thief though. I kinda lost it when I saw he was trying to take Princess Rosa." Kyouko admitted sheepishly.

"I… uh, see." She didn't, actually, but Fumiko thought it best for her sanity if she didn't ask the actress to clarify.

"Anyways, I couldn't bear to put Taichou or Okami-san in danger after everything they did for me, so I moved out soon after that. I still drop in on them to talk whenever I have time, though." Kyouko continued, bowing politely to the security guard as he pressed a button that opened a large steel door that separated the garage from the stairway to the main building, earning a tip of the hat and a beaming smile in return.

"So you live alone now?" Fumiko clarified as she followed Kyouko into the building.

"For now." Kyouko confirmed with a nod. "That should change in a month or so, though. One of the new LoveMe Girls is apparently having problems with her home situation, so I volunteered to mentor her and give her a room until she can support herself."

"How long do you think that will take?" Fumiko asked, surprised. She couldn't imagine opening her home up to a complete stranger like that.

"As long as it takes." Kyouko said with a sense of finality in her tone. "Members of the LoveMe Section are there for a reason, and until they confront their problems, they can't move on to become successful talents, or even whole human beings. It's impossible to truly function without the ability to love, after all." Here, Kyouko's smile looked almost painful, her eyes lost in a memory that Fumiko wasn't privy to.

What happened? The girl couldn't help but wonder. She was no longer struggling to associate this woman beside her with the giddy, clingy schoolgirl she had known so many years ago. Kyouko and Mogami were clearly two very different entities, and it was obviously due to some big secret that happened in Kyouko's past.

And for some reason, Fumiko had the sinking feeling that it had to do with one Fuwa Shou.

"Kyouko-san, I-!"

'Ding!'

Jumping slightly as the elevator doors slid open, Fumiko put a hand against her rapidly beating heart, missing the smile Kyouko flashed her as she dragged Fumiko onto the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

"Anyways, enough about me! How is everything back in Kyoto?" Kyouko asked eagerly as the doors slid shut and the elevator dutifully began to climb. Fumiko was a little taken aback by the question, since she didn't think Kyoto had anything to offer the starlet bcompared to the luxurious life she lived in Tokyo. Her near confession completely forgotten, Fumiko eyed with girl quizzically.

"What do you want to know?" She asked slowly, uncertain where to start off. Other then Fuwa-san, Mogami Kyoko hadn't really associated with anyone in their school, so-

"How are the Fuwas doing? And everyone else at the inn?"

Oh.

Fumiko had completely forgotten that Kyouko used to live with the Fuwas after her mother suddenly moved away in primary school, which was surprising since it used to be a point of utter loathing for her and the rest of Fuwa Shou's admirers.

"I don't see them very often, but they seem to hold themselves up rather well." Fumiko said carefully, trying to recall the handful of encounters she had with her crush's parents. "They keep themselves busy with work mostly, so they don't have to think about-" Fumiko almost swallowed her tongue when she realized she was about to say, shooting Kyouko a panicked look. Kyouko seemed to know how her sentence was supposed to end, however, if the pained look on the starlet's face was any indication.

"I see…" She said quietly.

"B-but like I said, I don't see them often, so I wouldn't really know!" Fumiko said hastily, kicking herself for her slip. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! "A-and Reina-chan from D-class started working at the inn full time as soon as she graduated college!" She'd jumped on the position in hopes that Shou may some day wish to reconcile with his parents, giving her the chance to see him again before any of their classmates. "I hear that business has really picked up for them in the past few years. They're even thinking about adding onto their main building."

"They're not going to get rid of the forest, are they?" Kyouko asked, looking distressed at the idea. Fumiko shook her head.

"They bought up a few vacant houses next to them, and they're going to tear them down to make the renovations.

"That's nice!" Kyouko said, looking honestly happy for the couple that had fostered her for so many years. "I've worried about them a lot, to be honest, but I've been too afraid to call them. It's wonderful to hear that they're doing so well."

Silently, Fumiko debated on telling the girl about the gossip that Reina-chan had passed along to her, about how the Fuwas kept Kyoko and Shou's rooms exactly as they were when they ran away, locked up tight with the staff expressly forbidden from ever entering either living spaces. To this day, Reina insisted that Shou's father was often found lingering around that area, particularly around Shou's birthday or the holidays, and that sometimes crying could be heard from inside either rooms, which always preceded Shou's mother returning from that hall after her breaks, tucking the keys she kept on a chain around her neck back into the folds of her kimono.

"Oh, here's my floor!" Kyouko said suddenly, shaking Fumiko out of her revere. The girl obediently followed her former classmate out of the elevator and into the hallway, allowing the actress to lead her to her door. Kyouko quickly let the two of them in and flipped on a light, not paying any attention to Fumiko curious inspection of her home as she deposited her purse on a table and exchanged her shoes for house slippers.

"I'm going to check the guest room real fast. Just make yourself at home, okay?" Kyouko called over her shoulder was she headed towards a room. Fumiko barely heard her as she slipped into guest slippers and stepped further into the apartment to inspect the starlet's living room.

After the fancy car and designer clothes, Fumiko was more then a little surprised to find that Kyouko's apartment was rather simple. It was large yes, but sparsely furnished, with only the bare necessities, except for a vase of flowers here or there or a pretty trinket with a fairy tale theme. The most notable thing in the girl's home though was the bookcase lined with all her awards, and the pictures that hung on her walls and decorated her tables. Not professional photos like Kyouko had been posing for earlier, but candid shots that usually featured Kyouko hanging out with her friends. Curious, Fumiko leaned in closer to inspect some of the pictures.

Kotonami Kanae showed up a lot, Fumiko noticed right away. Usually, she looked begrudging in the shots that featured her, but sometimes she'd grace Kyouko with exasperated but affectionate little smiles. Some of the pictures also featured a third girl, whom Fumiko quickly realized was Amamiya Chiori, another actress who had risen to fame around the same time as Kyouko and Kanae. The three girls looked like the best of friends, and Fumiko couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the girls' obvious bond.

Shaking the feeling off, Fumiko turned to the next group of pictures, which seemed to all feature the crazy president of LME, a cute younger girl with long wavy ash brown hair or both. After giggling at a particularly adorable picture of Kyouko and the little girl wearing matching sundresses, Fumiko turned her attention to the bookcase, studying the awards that she usually only saw on TV with a sense of awe. The only award that Fumiko didn't recognize right off the bat was the framed certificate that held the place of honor dead center on the bookshelf. Getting in closer to read it, Fumiko blinked in surprise when she realized that it was Kyouko's High School Diploma. Frowning, Fumiko tried to wrap her mind around the thought of an actress winning some of the most sought after awards in the entertainment world, and yet her most proud accomplishment was graduating high school? Fumiko had graduated. Most of their middle school classmates had, in fact.

Well, Mogami always did do really well in school. Fumiko mused to herself, recalling that the actress had usually placed second or third in their school's rankings. Turning away, Fumiko examined another picture, of Kyouko beaming one of her famous million watt smiles while posing with-

Freezing, Fumiko pulled the picture off the shelf to examine the man in the photo more closely, almost sure that she was seeing things. But sure enough, her eyes were not deceiving her, and she was in fact looking at a photograph of Kyouko with the infamous Tsuruga Ren.

Wow, I had no idea they were so close. Fumiko mused. She, like everyone else who ever passed a grocery store gossip rag, knew that there were rumors circulating about Kyouko and Tsuruga-san having some sort of intimate relationship, but when pressed about it, all either of then ever said was that they were good friends and that they admired and respected each other's talent. Fumiko had always thought that was just some rehearsed answer for the media, she had never suspected that Tsuruga-san and Kyouko really were close friends. Come to think of it though, Sabara-san did say that Tsuruga-san was extra protective of Kyouko-chan. Fumiko remembered, frowning as she thought back to her conversation with the rock star earlier that day.

Before she could muse upon this any further, a polite rapping noise sounded from the front door. Hesitantly, Fumiko glanced in the direction of the room that Kyouko had disappeared into. The actress had apparently not heard the knock though, since she showed no signs of emerging from the room. Fumiko was mentally debating about answering the door herself when the telltale sound of a key meeting the door's lock chimed out right before the front door opened to allow the visitor access.

"Mogami-san, I- oh." Surprised brown eyes blinked at Fumiko for a moment before a painfully familiar face melting into an absolutely dazzling smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize Mogami-san would be entertaining anyone tonight. I hope I'm not intruding." Fumiko didn't respond to the man's question, mostly because she suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.

"Watanabi-san?" Kyouko's voice called as the actress's soft footsteps padded back into the main room of the apartment. "Is someone at the door?" The petite starlet re-entered the room with a puzzled look on her face, which quickly warped into delighted surprise at the sight of her guest. "Tsuruga-san!"

"I apologize, Mogami-san. I didn't know you'd have a guest tonight." Tsuruga Ren apologized with a warm smile to the young actress. "Perhaps I should come by at a later date…?"

"Oh, no!" Kyouko said, her tone half scolding as she fixed the taller man with a stern frown. "I'm going to see to it that you get as many decent meals as possible, Tsuruga-san! You're far too lenient with your diet! As tall as you are, you should eat twice what you do! Besides, I already told Watanabi-san you might stop by, and she said that it was fine by her, right Watanabi-san?" Looking at the brunette, Kyouko frowned in concern at the unnatural coloring that had overtaken her former classmate's face. "Watanabi-san? Are you alright?"

Fumiko's reply to the actress' inquiry, which included fainting dead away onto Kyouko's impeccably clean floor, could probably have been taken as a 'no.'