Cupid's Curse

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To say that Maria was bored was an understatement.

She made her way through the winding halls of their mansion towards familiar oak doors, from which a servant carrying a tray of empty silverware was currently emerging. From the looks of it, her grandfather must be at home. Armed with a smile and thoughts of spending time with the entertaining old man, the nine-year old girl almost skipped into the room.

However, far from the happy images that were half-formed in her mind during the short time it took her to enter, Maria found herself forgotten within seconds. Trying to engage the agency president in conversation while he was indulging himself in his favorite pastime was like pushing against a wall and expecting it to move.

The girl tried a different tactic, which was to talk about things that interested the older man. But after hearing her grandfather talk about his latest dating sim for the hundredth time, she resolved to find a more suitable distraction.

She quietly slipped out of the lounge and back to her bedroom. However, not even her Ren doll proved to be enough to rouse her from the ennui that she had somehow inadvertently immersed herself into. With a weary sigh, she retraced her steps towards the room she was in just a few moments ago, noting that nothing had changed since she left. Everything was still as it was before she had gone, the old man still seated on the soft leather couch, the telly flashing scenes from the game he was playing. She found herself walking towards the partially open door of the adjoining study where her grandfather's large mahogany desk was and made to dial a familiar number.

After being transferred to voice-mail, she slammed the phone back into its cradle, but not even two seconds later, she snatched the phone back up with one hand, while leafing through Lory Takarada's phone book with the other.

One ring. Two rings. Three. Four. Maria was growing increasingly agitated with each unanswered ring. Really, what's taking them so long to answer the phone? "Sawara-san? Yes, it's Maria! I just wanted to ask if you know where onee-chan is at the moment… Yes, yes her. Who else would it be?... Okay, OKAY! I think you've made your point… Urgent? I guess you could say that. NO! I mean, you don't need to trouble yourself, Sawara-san. I can have one of grandfather's men drive me there…Yes. Thank you very much for your help. Goodbye…" Really. Unfailingly kind as he was to her, sometimes she actually thought the man was a moron. "Who else would it be?" was meant to be a rhetorical question. Takenori Sawara had rattled off a list of names that included even that new girl that joined Love Me. Ugh, please.

Maria had gone back to her grandfather, who was now leisurely sprawled on the bear-hide rug, to ask permission to borrow his driver. Lory Takarada, who at the moment was making a choice between (a) pat her on the head; (b) kiss her on the cheek; or (c) flick her on the nose, as though it was a matter of national security, only made a slight swish of his left hand to signal his assent. Maria didn't know whether to be amused or be exasperated at the antics of her eccentric grandfather. She briefly considered borrowing his credit card as well. Hell, with how distracted he was, she could ask for her inheritance and probably get away with it.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, the old man called her back. She turned to face her grandfather and waited patiently for what he was about to say. Without looking away from the 52-inch plasma screen, the president of LME admonished the young girl, "If you see any of the Love Me girls, kindly remind them that Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Ask them to celebrate it properly."

"I doubt they'd want to. Who in their right minds would want to celebrate such an unnecessary occasion, anyway?" Maria flippantly answered.

She knew the moment she uttered the words that it was the wrong thing to do. The man dropped his wireless controller in shock and slowly turned around to fix large disbelieving eyes on his young, yet already cynical, granddaughter.

The staring lasted for more than ten minutes, during which Maria briefly wondered why the man's eyes were not watering up, unblinking as they were. And from somewhere within the deep recesses of her mind, (or from the large speakers hidden in the corners of the large room, she wasn't sure), she could swear that a slow mournful song was starting to play.

From where she was standing, she was half-expecting the lights to dim and a spotlight to focus on her grandfather as well. Judging from the Takarada patriarch's penchant for theatrics, the suspicion wasn't duly unwarranted.

When her grandfather had finally deemed that the gravity of her statement had finally sunk in, he stated in a slow but deliberate tone, "Valentine's Day wasn't made for all those capitalist dogs you're probably thinking about."

"It's a day when you could do something special for a loved one. Something that would make them extremely happy."

Her grandfather's words echoed in Maria's head. Special. Loved one. Happy.

Seeing as his words seemed to have the desired effect, Lory Takarada turned back to his television and resumed his playing, while his little girl dazedly stumbled out of the room. Mission accomplished, he thought as he smiled to himself.

Maria, on the other hand, was trying to weigh the old man's words. She finally decided, after agonizing over it during the whole ride to the studio, that she would go along with her grandfather's idea. There was no harm in it, was there?

Thinking about how she would go about this, Maria was suddenly struck by inspiration. Of course! Though, it would mean that she would have to… The young girl violently shook her head. This wasn't the time to hesitate. If all goes according to her plan… Maria let out a burst of loud laughter, earning a glance from her chauffeur. The balding man smiled to himself. Sometimes, the resemblance between the president and his granddaughter was eerily uncanny.

The moment the limousine stopped, Maria jumped out, hitting the poor valet who was meaning to open the car door for her. The girl, intent on starting whatever she had in mind, didn't even notice.

Sawara-san had mentioned that Kyoko Mogami was currently on the set of Dark Moon. Perfect. She couldn't wait to put her plan to action.

Something was up. Definitely up. Ren Tsuruga glanced surreptitiously to the two girls chatting in the corner for the umpteenth time.

Maria had arrived on the set a while earlier and had gone straight to Kyoko with nary a glance in his direction. This in itself was odd. But what he found more disconcerting was the fact that the two were now huddled at the corner where nobody could hear what they were talking about. They were speaking in hushed tones and they'd been at it for quite some time now. He could see the anxiety in the older girl's look and gestures. Whatever Maria had come to her for, it was obvious that Kyoko had misgivings about it.

But it wasn't long before Ren saw Kyoko sigh in defeat and reluctantly nod her head. And Maria celebrated her victory by flinging herself at the helpless actress, overjoyed at the turn of events.

Ren was now getting more and more intrigued by this. He made to approach the two, but just then, Kyoko was called for the next scene. Maria, waving goodbye enthusiastically to her adopted sister, did not notice him approach.

"Hello, Maria-chan."

Hearing Ren's voice, the little girl's right hand froze in mid-wave. Uh-oh. She hadn't taken into account the handsome man in her schemes.

Maria wasn't dense. She saw how Ren looked out for Kyoko. Perhaps because she was his junior in the agency that he naturally felt protective of her. And there was a chance that this attitude of his might derail her carefully laid-out plans. Hopefully, he hasn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Yet. She had to be careful now.

Slowly, she turned around to face Ren and returned his greeting with a cheerful smile.

Without missing a beat, Ren immediately asked, "I saw you talking to Mogami-san earlier. Is anything the matter?" He knew the child was an inexperienced liar, and the best way to get anything out of her was to take her by surprise.

The question had wiped the smile off Maria's face. "Ah, t-that? We were, uhm, just catching up. Yes! Just catching up!" Seeing the doubt on the older man's face, she quickly added, "I – we – haven't talked in ages, so I thought maybe I should drop by. You know, see how she's doing." She plastered on an innocent smile, hopefully to convince Ren she was telling the truth.

"And this was something you had to do in person?" He was still smiling, but there was something off with him, and Maria definitely felt it. She was getting intimidated now. I knew it. He's on to me! Ah, might as well…

"I wanted to invite her for dinner on Sunday. It's Valentine's Day and I knew she wouldn't have any plans for that day."

She was telling the truth, but apparently, not all of it, that much he could tell by the way she could still not quite look him straight in the eye. But he was determined to get the whole story.

"I haven't got anything planned as well. Mind if I join you?" Ren felt a little bad for shamelessly inviting himself. But he was a bit apprehensive about what the little girl was scheming. She was a carrier of the dreaded Takarada gene after all, and that in itself was already enough cause for worry.

The moment he uttered the words, Ren was surprised at the expression of alarm that he saw in the young girl's eyes. "Oh, I suppose you don't want me there. I apologize for my rudeness." "No! Of course you can come!" Maria had replied without thinking. I guess another slight change to my plans wouldn't matter much. Actually, she thought, looking at Ren, it might even actually work to my advantage. She stifled the laugh that threatened to escape from her. That's it! Two birds with one stone. This was really turning out better than expected. She allowed herself at least a small smile as she gave the actor the time and place for the dinner.

A few days later, Ren was seated at their table at the Italian restaurant Maria had mentioned. He supposed he was a bit early. He looked around, and saw that the place was now filled with couples. Of course. Valentine's Day was supposed to be for couples. He had never really seen much point to the occasion before, even during the time when he had girlfriends. But, he had to admit, he had a whole new perspective on it now.

He turned his thoughts to a few days before, when Maria had told him about the dinner. He had meant to talk to Kyoko about it that day, but he was still filming a scene when she left for another job. That was the last shooting day they had together for Dark Moon that week, so he hadn't been able to see her again since. And it had seemed awkward for him to call her on the phone about it. He didn't want her to think that he was making a big deal out of it.

Ren was pulled back to the present by the increasingly uncomfortable feeling that he was being stared at. Ah, he was starting to draw attention now. People were probably curious as to who he was waiting for. Just as he was about to ask the maitre d' if he could have a table in a more discreet part of the restaurant, he saw Maria walk through the door. The next thing he knew, he had armful of toule and a faceful of blonde hair.

After giving the little girl a peck on the forehead, he turned again to face the entrance, knowing fully who he'd see next. And he didn't get disappointed. He saw Kyoko walk in, wearing a short powder blue baby doll dress. What he didn't expect was the man who had come through the door behind her. What is Maria's father doing here?

He shot a confused look at the little girl seated on his lap. Maria at the time was too busy looking earnestly at the couple that had just entered to pay any attention to Ren. Oh crap. Now he knew what this was all about. And Ren Tsuruga was not too happy about it.

All throughout dinner, Ren had been a bit odd. The moment Kyoko got to the table, the man had been smiling that terrifyingly bright smile of his. And he wouldn't even look at her when he addressed her. Somehow, it made Kyoko feel that he was angry about something. Maybe he was angry at her? But the young woman couldn't think of anything she had done that could have displeased her senior.

At first she thought that it might just pass as the night wore on. Instead, the actor's smile got brighter and brighter, and finally, Kyoko decided that she couldn't take it anymore, so she asked to be excused to the ladies' room. As she stood up, Maria likewise asked to be excused so she could accompany the older girl.

Ah, this is bad. Tsuruga-san is definitely mad about something. Well, it didn't look like he was particularly angry at her. At least that was a bit of a relief. But Kyoko still wondered why the normally even-tempered man was acting strange.

She let out a long sigh. Not that there was anything she could do about the situation anyway. As she bent her head down towards the sink, she inadvertently caught sight of Maria's reflection on the mirror in front of her. The girl was looking extremely scandalized about something. With a short laugh, Kyoko placed her right hand under the running tap and said, "Do you still believe that rubbish about your soul escaping when you sigh? You superstitious child!," before flicking her wet fingers at the little girl who stood at her side, mouth wide-open.

Ren was having a hard time keeping his irritation in check. Throughout dinner, Maria had been telling her father how wonderful Kyoko was. How incredible an actress she was, how she got top grades in school, how great she treated the younger girl. Not that he disagreed with anything Maria had said. It had all been true, but it felt like she was selling Kyoko a few miracles short of Mother Teresa. The attention and praise was making the actress uncomfortable but the young girl made no note of it. The child's blatant matchmaking efforts were starting to give him a headache.

And it didn't help that Maria's father kept on humoring her. He had asked Kyoko to call him by his first name sometime during their early conversations, to which the young woman predictably protested. However, the charismatic man had insisted, so Kyoko, after a long discussion, compromised by calling him "Kouki-san". And afterwards, "Kouki-san" had impressed her with his command of the French language, and not much later, they had fallen into an intense discourse regarding gourmet cuisine.

Which brings Ren to his current dilemma. Kyoko had probably sensed his growing annoyance at how the evening was turning out, so she had excused herself and left the table. He didn't want to ruin dinner, but then again, he couldn't really explain why he felt like a child wanting to throw a tantrum. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in the gesture.

"Tsuruga-san, I must apologize. My daughter must have dragged you into this against your wishes?" "Ah, no. She hadn't forced me to come," Ren replied truthfully. "Really? I thought she had. She can be quite…," the older man fumbled for the right word, "determined when she wants to. She reminds me a little of her mother when she's like that." Maria's father smiled at him then, and suddenly, Ren felt guilty for holding a bit of enmity against the man.

"No, she really did not. You could even say I imposed my presence tonight," he was forced to admit. "Ah, I see…" was the only reply.

Maria felt elated. It looked like her father and Kyoko were getting along quite well. For the past few days, ever since she had come up with her matchmaking scheme, she had been ceaselessly fantasizing about having the older girl as someone more than a sister.

She wasn't trying to replace her mother or anything. She knew, more than anyone, that that was impossible. However, she also knew that her father remarrying wouldn't entirely be out of the question. He was still quite young, and very handsome. So if she was going to have a stepmom, she'd rather have someone of her own choosing.

And of course, Kyoko was a prime candidate. She may still be in high school, but she was certainly mature for her age. She didn't care about wealth and she had a big heart. But most of all, she understood. Kyoko knew how to deal with her because she understood the little girl's pain. Her guilt when her mother died. Her fear of her father's rejection. She understood it. All of it.

And so, she had come up with a plan to put two of the most important people in her life together. Well, the seed was planted by her crafty grandfather, but it had been her who had come up with the details.

It had been hard trying to convince Kyoko to have dinner with her father. Her original plan was to have just the two of them eat together at the restaurant, so she had told her adoptive sister that her father wanted to meet her because she had always talked about her in her e-mails, but the older girl had insisted that Maria come as well. She was worried that, because she didn't know Maria's father that well, she might unwittingly say or do something to offend him.

In the end, Maria was forced to go as well. Otherwise, the plan would have ended before it had even begun. It was a small price to pay, she acquiesced. And then, there was Ren. She had not expected that the handsome actor would also want to come to the dinner. At first, she had been worried that her brilliant plan was beginning to unravel at the seams, but after a while, Maria realized that it wasn't such a bad thing to have him join them for dinner. After all, Maria would feel like a third wheel if her father and Kyoko hit it off, wouldn't she? Having Ren there would then make it feel like a double date, and Maria certainly liked the idea. It was just a matter of perspective.

But the most difficult part of her plan, undoubtedly, was getting her father to fly to Japan. It was admittedly short notice, and even though the two of them were communicating more regularly now than before, she still felt a little uncomfortable asking her father to ride a plane and see her. She supposed the fear would never completely go away.

She had justified to herself that this wasn't entirely a selfish request, because in her mind, she was doing them both a favor. A favor that just happened to be beneficial to her as well.

So she had steeled herself and called her father. Surprisingly, the hardest part was actually getting enough courage to pick up the phone and dial her father's number. After a few unsuccessful tries consisting of her hesitating so long while punching in the phone number, she had willed herself not to think about it and dial. Thankfully, her father had picked up before she lost her confidence and placed the phone back in the receiver. She had then told her father that there was someone she wanted him to meet, and if possible, she'd like them all to have dinner together. She had been pleasantly surprised when he immediately agreed.

And now, it looks like the plan was a success, Maria thought, as she and Kyoko walked back to their table. Now the only thing left was to get the two of them alone.

Ren was still wondering about Kouki Takarada's enigmatic reply and the odd glint he saw in the older man's eyes when he said it, when he noticed Kyoko and Maria making their way back to their table. He especially noted the little girl's Cheshire cat smile and her slightly wet blonde fringe. What had those two been doing? And more importantly, he thought grimly, what's the little devil planning next?

Kouki was a very observant man. He had to be in order to survive in the kind of business he was in. So it wasn't an exaggeration if he claimed that he knew what his daughter was planning the moment she mentioned having dinner with a friend that she wanted him to meet.

He had played along because he was curious as to what kind of girl his daughter thinks would suit him. And he had been surprised when he found out that it was Kyoko. They had been briefly introduced to each other during the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Birthday party that the two girls threw a few months ago. But other than that, they hadn't had a chance to interact.

He'd have to admit that the girl was a revelation. She was unfailingly polite and endearingly self-deprecating. Though young, he could tell that Kyoko was sensible and had a different perspective on things compared to most people. At times, he even forgot he was talking to someone almost half his age. It was refreshing to say the least.

And he'd be lying if he said that he didn't find her physically attractive. She was and what he found more fascinating was that she was so unaware of it.

But what he found more interesting than her personality was the dynamic between her and Ren. It didn't look like they were in any relationship other than as friends, but to Kouki, they appeared so attuned to each other, something only two people who really knew and understood the other could do. He noted the way Ren's lips would quirk even before Kyoko would say something bizarre. Or how the young woman would freeze up every time Ren smiled, even though she couldn't possibly see him do it each time. And even the slightest shift in position by one of them would produce an accompanying adjustment by the other. It was as if they had to be at an exact same distance from each other all the time. Kouki supposed he was the only one who probably notices these things. Most likely, not even the two in front of him know these themselves.

Which was why he wasn't offended with Ren's initial attitude. He hadn't been rude, but he had been overly courteous, bordering on being patronizing. His admission to the fact that he had joined them for dinner of his own accord only served to confirm Kouki's earlier suspicions. Ren had been jealous. Of him. Which amused him tremendously.

He took perverse pleasure at the younger man's discomfort whenever he stole the girl's attention. No wonder his father liked pushing people's buttons. He hadn't realized before how entertaining it could be. But then again, he should stop soon. Dragging this on would be troublesome for all of them, and most of all, he didn't want his daughter to get her hopes up. He couldn't be that cruel.

Ultimately, Maria caused the downfall of her own plans. When the conversation shifted towards socio-political topics, the devious little girl, disinterested by it all, snuggled up to her father, and not long after, had fallen soundly asleep. The adults took this as their cue to wrap up dinner and start on their way home.

"I had a great time, Kouki-san," Kyouko told the young father who was currently strapping his still sleeping daughter to the back seat of his car. "I had a lovely time as well. I hope we can do this again," he replied, turning to Ren, waiting for his answer. "Of course, that is, if you would still like me to come." The handsome actor knew he hadn't been at his most gracious over dinner and was hoping he could make it up another time. At this Kouki Takarada smiled. "I don't see why not."

After getting his little girl settled, Maria's father asked Ren if he could drive Kyoko home. "I'm sorry Kyoko, but I'd like to get my daughter settled comfortably in a warm bed as soon as possible. You don't mind going home with Ren, do you?" "No, really, I don't mind. Come to think of it, I could just catch a cab—" The young woman didn't even get to finish what she was about to say, as Ren's bright smile blasted away any semblance of coherent thought.

Silently, the young actress known for her villainous roles, walked to the other side of the car, entered, and strapped herself in without further protest.

As Ren was about to open the car door on the driver's side, he heard Kouki call out to him. He waited as the other man crossed the short distance to where he was standing. "Kyoko's a special girl. We both know that. And if I had been a few years younger and if I wasn't still in love with my wife, things could have gone differently tonight. Just a few words of unsolicited advice. Don't get too complacent."

The handsome actor watched as the older man turned and walked back to his car. He couldn't quite figure out whether the man's last words were really sincere advice or a dire warning.

Kyoko was fidgeting in her seat as she watched the two men talking outside through the opposite window. She couldn't hear a thing, but she hoped against hope that when they finish, the Ren who would be getting into the car wouldn't be the same man with seemingly dark clouds looming over his head that they had dinner with tonight.

She bolted upright and stared straight onto the road ahead the moment she heard the car door open. The last thing she wanted was to spend the long ride home in awkward silence.

Which was why she didn't hear him when he asked her a question. She only realized that he did so when he continuously looked at her, patiently waiting for her answer. "Uh… Pardon? Say that again?"

"I said," the young man repeated with deliberate slowness, "would you like to have some coffee? There's a nice café on the way home." Kyoko released the breath that she didn't know she was holding. Ren had been smiling. A normal one at that. It must be a good sign. "Yes, I'd like that," she answered softly. And Kyoko couldn't help the answering smile that graced her lips.

...

He supposed he shouldn't really be laughing at the current situation. Their late-night coffee "date" on Valentine's Day had landed them on the front page of a gossip magazine. But the irony was that Maria had been trying to set Kyoko up with an entirely different man, and instead, she was now embroiled in a scandal with him. Without a doubt, it would be very difficult to escape this unscathed, but he determines that he might as well enjoy it. How they would get out of this, he had no idea, but it was certainly a story better reserved for another time.

Okay, I read this and I went bleh. Never again. Although a bit late for Valentine's, here is my virginal attempt at writing a light story for all those who requested one. I'm very anxious at how people would react to this. The butterflies in my stomach feel like they've got butterflies in their stomachs.

By the way, am I the only one who bothers to make the oft-forgotten side characters play major roles in fanfic? Come on! Doesn't anybody get intrigued by the awesomeness that is the Takarada family? No? Not even the woman who contributed her egg cell to give rise to Kyoko?

Oh, and before this gets too long, I just wanted to say that I hope Skip Beat doesn't turn out to be like one of those shoujo mangas where everyone ends up with somebody. I mean, okay, say Kyoko ends up with Ren. Imagine Sho could end up with Moko, Chiori with Hikaru, Maria with Hiou, Maria's father and Kyoko's mother (assuming Kyoko's father is either dead or not married to her mother), Director Ogata and Asami, Yashiro and Shoko… see how easy it would be? Then just to finish it off, Lory can marry one of his video game girlfriends and Reino can take off with one of Kyoko's demons.

Skip beat is not mine. Skip feet and Spit beat I can claim ownership to.