Before beginning, I would like to answer a few questions that have been thrown my way. Originally, Tease was going to end up with Kyoko getting her "happily ever after" with Ren but then a few things happened and Tease took a much more serious tone than I first intended.

The original plan was Ren getting teased (a lot) and somewhere along that time, Kyoko realizes her feelings and comes to accept them. However, halfway through that, I realized that I can't get them together without addressing Kyoko's self-image issues. She needed to get over that before any romantic relationship can develop.

In addition, just because she realizes her self-image issues and is even working on getting rid of them (seen at the end of Tease) doesn't mean that she automatically realizes her love for Ren. It just doesn't work that way.

And this is why I decided to make a sequel. Of course, I could have continued it with Tease but that would possibly require another hundred or so chapters and I honestly do not believe I can write the feelings out as well with only a hundred words a chapter.

Tease, during its more serious parts, has been about Kyoko and Ren realizing their faults and confronting their demons. Grasping will take a more romantic tone, following them as they—Kyoko—realizes their feelings for the other and them acting on it because remember, while Ren already knows of his feelings for Kyoko, he had never seriously acted on it (this is true even in canon).

Thank you for all your support!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.

Grasping
[1] Beginnings

Miyamoto Satoshi

Tatsui Mamoru was his boss, his brother, his other half, but more importantly, Tatsui Mamoru was his hero. Satoshi was fourteen years old when he first met Mamoru and although he was five years younger, outwardly Satoshi was the more mature one of the two of them.

Mamoru's smiles may have been bright, his features innocent, his eyes may have glittered with an almost child-like excitement but unlike everyone else, Satoshi was not fooled for a second. He knew at once that there was more to the older man than what he let on.

He was right, of course.

Two months and three days after Mamoru and his mother had moved into the Miyamoto Family Estate, Satoshi realized that Mamoru had two types of smiles. His first was a typical smile, a smile that he bestowed on his fans and admirers, a smile that granted him the ability to charm his way into and out of every situation but more importantly, it was the smile that hid the darker sides of Mamoru. Mamoru's second smile was very much similar to his first. In fact, it was so similar that only a few could tell the difference between them. Satoshi could never quite put a finger on it but there was just something about that smile that made him rather uncomfortable around the older man. Satoshi soon learned that when Mamoru says something while smiling that smile, he meant it.

"I will destroy you," Mamoru had said, smiling that smile. "Everything you worked for, everyone you ever loved, everything you ever wanted, I will take it all away. And by the time I am done with you, you are going to wish you were never born."

It was a promise.

Satoshi's father learned to fear that particular smile.

"I'm in a good mood today," Mamoru announced happily at the moment of his return. He closed the door behind him with a twitch of his hips and dropped everything he was holding carelessly on the ground. "A very good mood," he emphasized as he skipped his way towards his brother and pressed warm lips against Satoshi's cheek.

Satoshi tilted his head, allowing the contact before turning his gaze away from the newspaper article he was currently reading. "Really," he asked, gaze flickering in his step-brother's direction. He didn't actually need an answer; he already knew because Mamoru's eyes were sparkling and he was bouncing where he stood. Satoshi concluded that Mamoru had just come back from a visit to Satoshi's father. Not surprising since it had been a very long time since his last visit.

Mamoru hummed in response, the sound low and soft from the back of his throat.

"Then you don't mind me ruining it with this, do you?" Satoshi asked, holding out the newspaper.

Pouting more than a little childishly, Mamoru huffed and grabbed the paper. He unfolded it with a violent shake and began reading. He hadn't even finished reading the title before his expression fell. "What the fuck is this?" he demanded.

"Paper," Satoshi answered seriously. "More specifically, it is newspaper."

Mamoru scowled, "I so do not need your sass right now!"

Satoshi eyed the headlines again, almost amusingly. Kyoko, Box R's Natsu, it read, the characters not only bolded but also underlined and in bright yellow, and Tatsui Mamoru, the Famous French Director: A New Couple?! Satoshi thought they might have gone a bit too overboard with both the color and size of the lengthy title but at least it got the point across.

"I'm not even French!" Mamoru cried in anger. "Just because I live in the damn country! Seriously! My great-grandmother may have been western but I believe she was Australian, how dare—"

"Let's move onto more important matters, shall we?" Satoshi interrupted, taking the newspaper back and waving it in front of his step-brother's face. "Do you know what a scandal like this could do to Mogami's career?" It didn't make it any better that Tatsui was the one involved. There was always some sort of gossip surrounding the director and while it wasn't a big deal for Tatsui, it wouldn't be that way for Mogami. Female entertainers were unfortunately, judged much harder than their male counterparts.

Mamoru blinked, looking adorably—annoyingly—confused. "Isn't there that gay rumor about me still circulating around?" he asked, swirling an index finger in a circular motion. "Manager-san mentioned it to me once before if I remember correctly." He snickered at the memory.

Pursing his lips in annoyance, Satoshi took a calming breath before continuing, "If there is," he said slowly, willing his brother to understand just how serious the situation currently was, "the public finds it far less important than the fact that Mogami was seen entering your hotel room."

"It was for work!" Mamoru protested. "You were there!"

Satoshi sighed. "It's like you're made out of full stupid or something." His expression hardened. "You need to do something about this, Mamoru. You can't just let it be; this rumor isn't just about you. Mogami's career is on the line, I recommend not letting it go on for too long."

Mamoru frowned and threw a glare in Satoshi's direction who only stared back unflinchingly, already used to Mamoru's temper tantrums. He was not the least bit intimidated and waited until Mamoru was done pouting. He was not disappointed.

"Fine," his brother huffed and Satoshi could almost hear his thoughts. The downside of being famous: not only did one have to be careful about their own reputation, they had to worry about the reputation of others too. However, since Mamoru's reputation was already all over the place and he had never cared for it, Satoshi figured that it was fair for him to look out for Mogami's reputation. Besides, the entire situation was his fault anyway. "That bitch better be grateful," Mamoru continued, muttering under his breath. Satoshi was sure Mamoru was speaking of Mogami's Natsu persona and not actually Mogami herself.

Satoshi immediately narrowed his eyes in suspicion when Mamoru hummed thoughtfully and then brightened up. Unless plotting someone's destruction, Mamoru was rarely ever thoughtful. He didn't like to think too much, he had mentioned before, preferring to reserve brain power for more important conquests—like revenge.

"Is there a way we can work this to our advantage?" Mamoru asked excitedly, fingers wiggling.

"No."

"No?"

"Most definitely not."

Silence.

"Are you sure?"

"Mamoru."

The director's expression immediately falls from the tone in Satoshi's voice and he goes right back to pouting again. Satoshi sighed, there are times that he believes himself to be in love with his step brother but Mamoru usually ruins such moments with his stupidity. Still. He must be, if he continues to put up with all of Mamoru's bullshit.

"So..." Mamoru began, "a public statement then?"

Because he had known the older man for what seemed to be forever, despite the fact that Mamoru's crestfallen expression did not so much as falter, Satoshi could see he was attempting to hold back a grin. He allowed his step-brother a couple seconds of hope before crushing it ruthlessly. Flashing Mamoru his brightest smile, Satoshi was happy to see Mamoru's deflating expression before he even spoke. "Only if I do the talking," he said calmly.

"Bastard."

Tsuruga Ren

Someone was pounding on his door.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Ren rolled out of his bed and gave himself a look-over. After making sure that he was properly dressed and zipped, he made his way towards the front door; he most definitely did not need a repeat of last time. Upon opening the door, however, he was both surprised and relieved to see that it was Yashiro, looking disheveled and flushed instead of Kyoko like he was expecting. "What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"I—and the—oh my—Kyoko—and—" Yashiro attempted, gasping for breath.

"Yashiro-san?"

"Why didn't you answer your phone?!" Yashiro screeched.

Ren blinked. "Um... I must have accidentally—"

"Never mind that!" Yashiro interrupted, pushing his charge back into his apartment and slamming the door behind him. He promptly shoved away the glass of water Ren offered and slammed a wrinkled newspaper article down onto the table.

Ren stared, read the title, blinked and then skimmed the article. He blinked again.

"Well?" Yashiro demanded.

"Why's this on the front page?" Ren asked with a frown. Front page. Celebrity gossip. Honestly? Had they nothing better to do?

"That's not the point!" Yashiro squealed in outrage.

Although Ren may not know the exact details of what Tatsui was having Kyoko do, he knew enough to know that nothing had happened. He may have been too jealous to see it before but he now knew—and more importantly, believed—that Tatsui only had Kyoko's best interest in mind; he was only trying to help Kyoko get rid of her demons. Truthfully, Ren wanted to be the one helping Kyoko but how could he do that if he had his own demons to fight?

You're calling her by her name, Ren thought somewhere in the back of his mind. You're doing great.

The public, unfortunately, did not know of the struggles that Kyoko must overcome so unless something was done—the president would most likely have to issue some sort of public statement—Kyoko's career could take a turn for the worst. Ren blinked in realization and whipped around to face his manager. "Does Kyoko know about this?" he demanded.

Yashiro frowned, "I'm your manager! Not hers!"

The actor was not fazed. "You might as well be," Ren shot back. "You have her entire schedule memorized!"

"And various habits," Yashiro announced proudly.

Ren stared. Finally: "That's not really something you should proud of, Yashiro-san."

His manager waved off the comment. "Please, as if you're not grateful. But that's besides the point! Kyoko—your Kyoko—was seen entering a man's hotel room! His hotel—"

"I'm sure nothing happened," Ren soothed, honestly feeling a bit amused by the entire situation. Kyoko was the woman he liked but at the way this conversation was going, outsiders would probably think Yashiro was the one who had feelings for her. "Besides," he continued in a comforting tone, "she's not even Tatsui-san's type; there's nothing to worry about."

Yashiro immediately froze and paled.

"Yashiro-san?"

"W-well... about that..." He toed the ground in front of him, looking everywhere but directly at Ren.

"Yashiro."

"So you see," Yashiro said quickly as if he was afraid that Ren was going to start breaking bones. "I've been doing some research on Tatsui and he isn't... um... well, gay like I first thought he was."

Nothing happened, Ren reminded himself. Tatsui-san is only trying to help Kyoko. Nothing happened. Yashiro is an idiot. Nothing happened. "What," he began, his tone dark. He could feel a vein in his temple throb. "Do. You. Mean?"

Yashiro jabbed the ground again with his toe even more furiously than before. He swallowed hard, feeling the heat of Ren's glare before bursting out, "That man goes through girls like I go through cell-phones! He's a demon when it—"

Ren took in a slow, shuddering breath, making Yashiro stare up at him fearfully. Rubbing his temples, Ren willed away the oncoming migraine. "I'm having a hard time understanding how in the world you managed to mistake someone's sexual orientation."

"Well, you see..."

"Not to mention," Ren couldn't help but interrupt. "Exactly how long have you known about this?"

Yashiro mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that?"

"A couple of days."

He's not interested in Kyoko, Ren reminded himself. He hesitated for only a second before typing the director's name into his computer's default search engine. It was about time he did his research on the ever-annoying man. Although, to be honest, Ren was a little scared what he might find.

Tatsui Mamoru, one of the article titles read, Dumps Top Model, Kuchiki Aya for a Man?!

And another: Is Tatsui Mamoru an American FBI Agent Deep Undercover in the World of Celebrities?

And just below that: First Openly Asexual Director, Tatsui Mamoru: Can He Pull Off a Sex Scene?

Finally, the final result on the page: Could Tatsui Mamoru be a Yakuza Leader?! A Secret Life: Uncovered!

"What the hell?" Ren whispered. He had seen and heard of outrageous celebrity rumors before but this was just ridiculous. In most cases, celebrity rumors were at least somehow related to one another; if someone were to cheat, the next rumors that spring up would be pregnancy, divorce, another cheating, et cetera. The rumors revolving around the man were so inconsistent, he was surprised they were talking about the same person.

With a sigh, Ren moved to close out of the browser when an article title caught his eye. World Mourns, it read, Anniversary of Director Tatsui Yusuke's Death.

Ren frowned. "Tatsui Yusuke," he muttered, the name oddly familiar on his tongue. And since Ren was pretty good at remembering faces and names, he knew Tatsui Yusuke was not someone he had ever worked with. And that meant... someone his father must have worked with? He clicked the link, wondering what the deceased director's relationship with Tatsui Mamoru was.

Although it's been almost ten years, the world will never forget the genius that was and always will be Tatsui Yusuke. Best known for his movies, Perfection: The Story of the Fallen, Watery Grave and drama, The Devil Does Smile, Tatsui was considered the best director of his time.

Ren's eyes widened. He was familiar with the movie Watery Grave; his father had been the main lead and he knew Kuu still considered that movie to be the most challenging, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching projects he had the honor of taking part in. Tatsui Yusuke had died while in the progress of directing another movie, Ren knew. And if he was remembering correctly, the movie was actually dropped altogether since none of the six directors hired afterwards managed to capture the same depth and feeling as the deceased director had before them. Talk about pressure.

Although Tatsui-sama tends to separate his personal life from his work life, his wife, Tatsui Ayame (now Miyamoto Ayame) and son, Tatsui Mamoru are not without their own spotlight. Mamoru appears to be following his father's footsteps, directing his first movie, Murder One. Could this be the birth of a new genius director and will Tatsui's Yusuke's legacy ever be surpassed?

Ren blinked. "His son," he mouthed, surprised.

It appeared he had more in common with the director than he cared to admit. Hidden dark past, attempting to surpass one's own father, they might as well be long lost twins. He sighed, eyeing the article for another moment.

...directing his first movie, Murder One...

Ren narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure he didn't kill anyone?" Ren remembered asking.

"Of course I did," Tatsui had responded. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Mogami Kyoko

He called me beautiful, he called me beautiful, he called me beautiful! Kyoko thought in a rush. She couldn't remember the last time her world had spun so violently before her very eyes and had a slight suspicion that if she did not force herself to calm down soon she might just die of a heart attack. Kyoko stuffed her knuckles into her mouth and bit down on them. Hard. Then she began screaming, the sound thankfully muffled by her knuckles. He called me beautiful? Why would he call me beautiful?! I'm not beautiful! Tsuruga-saaan! Her mind was in shambles and Kyoko had no idea what was even going on anymore.

It had taken Kyoko the entire night for her mind to fully register what Ren had told her the night before. She had gone to bed normally, his compliments stuffed in the depths of her subconscious but her traitorous mind had replayed the scene over and over again in her dreams.

Wailing at the reminder, Kyoko threw herself onto her bed, missing it completely in her current state of mind and ended up hitting the ground instead. She groaned at the pain and sat up, rubbing her rear and glaring at the bed. Her gaze was caught by a flash of yellow and she hesitantly turned towards her dresser where a manila folder was sitting innocently. She bit her bottom lip, knowing that it held the photos from the make-up-free, wig-free, plain Kyoko shoot.

"You're so beautiful. You're so very, very beautiful. I wish you would see that."

With a squeal, Kyoko grabbed her head with both hands, sinking back onto the ground and began to wail.

"You really are beautiful."

She began rolling on the ground, willing Tsuruga-san's face and voice and everything to just leave her mind. How was she supposed to work if she couldn't even do this much? "Nonononono," she cried. "Nononono! Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head! I'm not. I'm not! Go away!"

"Tell me, Mogami, do you even like yourself?"

She froze, Tatsui's words ringing in her ears. Taking a deep breath, Kyoko turned to stare at the manila folder again. "I want to like myself," she whispered. "I am... beautiful. I want to like myself."

"You really are beautiful."

She faltered. "I want to like myself. I am beautiful. I want to—"

"You really are beautiful."

"—like... m-my-self. I—I—" she closed her eyes, taking another deep breath. Brows furrowing, she suddenly remembered her mother's back. Always, her mother's back. And then there's Sho who had no problem saying that she was good for nothing and that ha! He didn't need her! She was only a maid anyways. Besides, she's worthless and—

"You really are beautiful."

Eyes snapping open in determination, Kyoko forced those memories back into the depths of her mind and continued with her chant. "I want to like myself. I want to like myself." She remembered Tatsui's lessons the day before and briefly wondered why it was so different about Tsuruga-san complimenting her that made her break down, especially since the director had done the same thing.

"Mogami. The next time I compliment you, would you please not spend the next half hour arguing with me and just accept it with gratitude?" If the director's lips were pursed with annoyance, Kyoko would have thought he looked rather amused... Then again, Kyoko knew it was hard to accurately judge the director without being in Natsu's mindset.

"B-but—"

"That wasn't a request."

He's definitely amused, Natsu whispered. That man enjoys pain and discomfort.

Kyoko hesitated. "Yes."

"Now, let's give it another try, shall we?" he asked, ignoring her stare of horror. "You," Tatsui said slowly, taking obvious delight in the way her face was scrunching up at him in terror, "are beautiful."

Kyoko had to physically bite her tongue in order to refrain from verbally—very verbally—denying it. The metallic taste in her mouth told her that she actually drew blood.

Tatsui raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Usually, when people compliment you, you thank—"

"Thank you!" she shouted.

The director winched at the force behind her words. "That was the most pathetic, fake-ass thank you I have ever heard in my life." He pulled out of photo of her from the photo shoot. In it her face was flushed and she was laughing at something Tsuruga-san had said. "You," he tried again, "are beautiful."

"T-t-thank y-you," she stammered.

"Better," Tatsui mused thoughtfully. "A little less stuttering." He pulled out another photo.

Kyoko groaned at the memory. That had gone on for another hour and a half before Kyoko managed to get both her voice and blood vessels under control. And although she knew she actually could be beautiful—the day at his hotel room had proved it—to actually admit and completely accept it was going to be a lot harder than she thought. Which is why, much to her dismay, she was currently going through a mental breakdown.

She groaned again and reminded herself that she wanted to like herself. Eyes flickering towards the manila folder, Kyoko allowed her head to fall onto the cool floor. Easier said than done.

Shouko Aki

There was no doubt in Shouko's mind that Sho was a brilliant musician. With only his voice and a guitar in hand, he is able to captivate an audience of a thousand people. Mostly girls, of course, but all of them more than eager to listen to the thoughts, emotions and messages hidden within the lyrics of his music. Shouko knew that with his ability and natural charisma, it wouldn't be long before he would be considered the best musician Japan had to offer.

Too bad, she thought, he's also a brat.

"Sho!" she pleaded for the umpteenth time that hour. "Would you please stop pouting? You have an interview in two hours and I don't think even the best make-up artist can hide your demon face."

"I'm not pouting," Sho grunted, turning a furious-looking face away from her as if that made all the difference.

Shouko sighed, wondering again when her career went from "managing celebrities" to "babysitting children." She tried again, "You know how rumors are about celebrities..."

"So Kyoko's not modeling a bikini? With him?" The last word was spat out with so much venom, the manager was honestly surprised that the young music star hadn't already marched towards wherever the actor was and picking a fight.

God forbid, she confirm his suspicions; however, knowing that if she were to answer "no" and it actually turned out to be false, Sho was going to have another wild temper tantrum—surpassing even this one—Shouko attempted a more middle-ground approach. "Well," she said thoughtfully. "I didn't say that but—"

"So she is!"

"No!" Shouko cried out and then sighed. "Look, it's an advertisement for bikinis, isn't it? So if she is the model, wouldn't she be the main attraction? And even if you don't want to admit it, what are the chances of Tsuruga Ren modeling with her when the ad's for a bikini? Tsuruga Ren is hardly background material."

Unfortunately, it wasn't the right thing to say but the best one in this situation, anyway. She was not even the least bit surprised when her charge went right back to pouting; his infamous demon face ruining his otherwise handsome features. She sighed; it was going to be a long day.

Watching Sho smoothly answer questions, Shouko was more than a little relieved but still unable to stop another sigh. As big of a brat as Sho was, he was also extremely easy to please. A couple pudding cups and a dose of ego-boosting cheers, screams and swoons from his fans and Sho was as good as new. She dropped her hold on the backstage curtain and smiled at herself for a job well done, ready to get back to the hotel and reward herself with a hot bath.

Then she saw the newspaper article.

It was actually the photo that caught her eye; the characters too far away to make out. That shocking pink color could only come from one source: Mogami Kyoko's LoveMe uniform. Biting her lips and silently bidding her relaxing rest of the day a mournful farewell, Shouko inched towards the newspaper. Unless the girl had publicly confessed her love for the rock-star, any news involving Kyoko was bad news in Shouko's books.

She skimmed the article.

Kyoko-chan and Tatsui Mamoru? she thought in horror. Shouko was not unfamiliar with the director and even had the honor of working with him once, before Sho became her charge. He was quick to flirt, if she remembered correctly, and good at it too. The mere fact that he was acquainted with Kyoko... she shivered at the thought. Sho was not going to be happy about this.

Despite never admitting it, Shouko knew that Sho was afraid Tsuruga Ren would be the one to take over Sho's existence in the young woman's heart. However, now that Tatsui was in the picture, the young singer should really be more worried about him. Tatsui Mamoru was known as a prodigy director and the ever famous "Director Cupid" but what was not usually mentioned was that he was most certainly the human Eros himself. Blessed with his god-given looks and golden tongue, Tatsui can charm his way into anything and everything. As a matter of fact, Shouko was certain that there was nothing he hadn't been able to charm his way into yet.

When she worked with him before—with her previous charge—Tatsui had managed to charm his way into the hearts of no less than six women, three men and the bear on set. If he really wanted Kyoko, Shoko was certain that no matter how much the young girl attempts to push away future romantic relationships, she would, ultimately, fall for Tatsui's charm.

Sighing, Shouko placed the article back down onto the table, faced down. "Sho must never learn about this," she whispered firmly to herself before making her way back to her spot behind the backstage curtains. Sho didn't read newspapers so she needn't to worry about him picking it up and decided it was better for everyone if she just pushed the article into the depths of her mind.

It took only another half hour before the interview was finally over and by then, Shouko was sure that Sho had already forgotten about Kyoko, Tsuruga Ren and bikini-modeling. Judging from his happy aura, the ego-boosting dosage from his fans was just the medicine he needed. "We're done for today, right?" he asked as he approached her.

"Of course," she responded absentmindedly, making a note in her notebook. "Just give me a second, will you? I have to talk to the director about this."

"Whatever," Sho responded, dropping into the nearest seat. "Can you get me some coffee while you're at it?"

"Sure."

"Black."

Shouko rolled her eyes but didn't comment. Sho didn't like drinking black coffee, but apparently it made him look "mature" and "cool" judging from the whispers from the nearby make-up artists. She made her off the stage, shaking her head slightly. The young star was willing to give up things he enjoyed or even put up with things he hated just to boost his image. He was still such a high-schooler.

She froze.

He didn't drink black coffee...

...just like he didn't read the newspaper. And he sat down... right next to the—

"Who the hell is Tatsui Mamoru?!"

Juliena Hizuri

"Who the hell is Tatsui Mamoru?"

Julie startled, her head snapping at the sudden shout in their usually quiet home. Turning towards the direction of the bedroom she called, "Darling? Is everything all right?"

Silence.

"Darling?" she tried again, getting up from her seat in the living room and inched her way towards the bedroom door as quietly as possible. "Is everything all right?" she repeated.

"No!" came the anguish cry. "Nothing is all right! Nothing! Some devil's bastard managed to seduce my precious son." And if possible, Kuu's voice became even more distraught: "Julie! What am I going to do? My precious son! My poor baby!" Julie slowly opened the door, only to see her husband rolling around pitifully on the large bed, clutching the tablet. Dramatic tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"Kuon?" Julie breathed. "Kuon's being seduced?" She blinked. What kind of temptress... "Wait, what's going to happen to his Tsuruga Ren image if he's so easily seduced?"

Kuu stared up at her in horror.

She blinked again.

"What?!" Kuu screeched. "My other son is being seduced too? When did this happen?!"

Ah, Julie thought. She reached out and patted her husband soothingly on the shoulder. "Sorry, sorry," she murmured. "I thought you were talking about our Kuon... not your Kuon." She placed a free hand over her racing heart. "Maybe you should call your Kuon your daughter so we can avoid these heart attack-inducing misunderstandings in the future."

"So our Kuon isn't being seduced?"

She shook her head. "Not to my knowledge."

Kuu sighed a breath of relief before bursting back out into dramatic tears. "But my daughter is still being seduced!" he wailed.

The world-class model frowned, not unfamiliar with the "daughter" that Kuu was mentioning. Especially since Box R was finishing its second season, Kuu spent his Saturday mornings fawning over the young girl's bully character. Although not an actress herself, Julie knew talent when she saw it and knew why her husband was so proud of the actress he called daughter.

"Now, now," she tried again, continuing to pet her husband, finding the situation rather odd, if not amusing. It was usually the other way around; she would be the one having the breakdown about Kuon—the son Kuon, though, not the daughter—and he would be the one attempting to calm her down. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Look at this article!" Kuu cried, shoving the tablet in his wife's direction. "Read it all and tell me what's not wrong with it!"

Julie did as he requested and frowned as she came across a familiar name. "Tatsui Mamoru..." she murmured, remembering sparkling blue eyes and a dimpled smile. "Isn't he Yusuke's son?"

Kuu froze at her words and stared up at his wife in horror. Julie could actually see his panic increase as the seconds ticked on. "Yusuke's son?" he repeated, his voice high with outrage. "You mean that fifteen-year-old boy that managed to charm his way into your heart and make you fall in love with him in a single day when it took me almost six years?" Julie winced as Kuu continued his wailing, his voice louder than ever, "My daughter has fallen for a devil in disguise as a prince!"

Knowing that her husband had a bone to pick with the young director, Julie pursed her lips in an attempt to keep herself from laughing. The actor continued to sob, muttering about demons, innocence, and corruption. Then, without warning, his head snapped up, eyes bright with determination. Julie had a feeling that she was not going to like his next words. "We must put everything on hold and go to Japan."

Julie faltered.

"You know we can't do that," she mumbled, fighting with everything she had against her own desires. They had made a promise to each other that they would help one another when the temptation to see their son was too strong. One of them had to be the level-headed one in these kinds of situations. Besides, if she gave in now, they will ruin everything Kuon had worked so hard for.

Unfortunately, Kuu hadn't heard her, too absorbed was he in his own imagination. "It is our duty as parents to prevent demons with silver tongues and killer bodies to seduce our precious daughter," he said passionately.

Julie opened her mouth to protest again but realized that Kuu wasn't worried about their son Kuon, he was worried about his daughter. So if they were to go to Japan, it wouldn't be for Kuon and they wouldn't be breaking any promises. And if she did, by any chance, meet "Tsuruga Ren" while helping out Kuon then... then... Well, that would be one hell of a coincidence! There's a loophole in everything! Julie thought gleefully.

Besides, she would finally meet the girl that Kuu had fallen in love with during his brief visit to Japan. Watching her husband from the corner of her eyes and half-listening to his mutters about what he was going to do upon his return to Japan, Julie couldn't help but smile. She couldn't remember the last time he had been so passionate about someone other than their precious son. He had told Julie in depth of his visit and interaction with the young actress.

Kuu had had many students before, teaching and guiding young actors and actresses even if it was only for an hour or a sentence but never before had he shown so much passion for a specific person. He had never followed someone else's—besides Tsuruga Ren's—career so closely before. That Kyoko girl, Julie thought, must be a very special lady.

Not to mention, she remembered, biting her lip in order to keep her laughter from bubbling out at such an inappropriate moment; the young girl had actually managed to trick Kuu with her acting. That fact alone was enough to make Julie want to meet her in person.

"We'll need to pack discreetly, we can't let anyone know of this," Julie said, interrupting her husband's ramblings. "We'll also need to avoid that kidnapper's radar. I'm sure he'll somehow ban us from entering the country if he finds out what we're planning."

"Yes, of course," Kuu responds with a grin. "I have just the way." His expression softened and Julie felt her heart pound against her chest. "I can't wait until you meet her," he whispered, his voice soft and tender.

Julie smiled. "I can't either."

I would like to thank Randomonia21 [2017222] and Kage-no-senkai-kitsune [2958231] for beta-reading this chapter.