Chapter 12. The Tea Ceremony.

The next scene was supposed to be shot outside, in the garden. It was a large, bright place with short, cropped grass and beautiful flowerbeds surrounding the field. There were tall trees and decorative marble statues as well. The chirping of the birds added to the natural vibes.

It had a raised platform in the middle with tatami mats laid on it. A couple of stairs were built leaning on its edge to climb on it.

The crew was busy in preparing the set for the scene, despite the cruel heat from the sun burning their skins.

Kyoko was sitting on a small folding chair beside the platform, her mind engrossed in the script book which she was memorizing.

Ruriko was rehearsing the tea ceremony on the hard tatami mats. She sat on her knees and prepared the tea, her movement a lot more graceful compared to the last scene.

"Amazing, for having never done this, Ruriko, you picked it up pretty quick." A complement came from one of the crew guys.

She smiled at him in reply. I suppose I don't have to tell them that I was forced to learn tea ceremony as a kid.

"Hey Kyoko," he turned his head, "while we are here, do you want a quick run through the set as well?"

Kyoko looked up from the book, "Nah, thank you though. I think I'd rather rest my ankle."

"Oh, right."

She closed the script and looked at Ruriko, who was still practicing despite the harsh heat.

"To be honest, I am surprised, you are able to sit out here, Ruriko." She said innocently. "I could swear that you said you were allergic to UV rays."

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"Ruriko went outside and without a single complaint." Mr Shinka told Ren. They were on their way out to the set. "After what Mr Takarada told me, I was positive she'd throw some kind of a fit."

"I don't know." Ren replied.

They arrived and were surprised to see a mob gathered around some commotion from where two girl's shouting could be heard.

The Director immediately ran there to find a very grotesque and bizarre sight. Two extremely beautiful ladies, dressed up in kimonos, were pushing each other and trying to knock the other one out like sumo wrestlers. They were shouting at each other like fishwives.



"You made up that story of being allergic to UV rays to take advantage of me! What kind of an idol are you?" Kyoko shouted.

"It's not my fault you assumed it was a big deal, you were too busy to suck up," Ruriko screamed back.

"You told me that you couldn't go out in the sun. I carried you up here on my back, I can't believe that I twisted my ankle protecting a selfish jerk like you."

"Except that I never once asked you to carry me up that stupid mountain. Moreover, you would have noticed if you weren't a crazy person."

"What did you just call me?"

They gritted their teeth at each other.

"Hey, hey now! Calm down." Mr Shinka shouted. "Save it for your performances."

"Fine!" Ruriko shot back and retreated. "See you on the set."

Kyoko lost her balance and fell down.

Ren rushed to help her, "you know you're kind of being an idiot right now. Just-"

"Tsuruga." Ruriko grabbed his arm and pulled him, "we need to get ready, we are about to shoot."

Ren went ahead with her but he glanced back at Kyoko.

"The truth is, you really wanna be costaring with her, right? That's why you've been paying attention to her, isn't it?" Ruriko snapped at him.

"Not at all. Not even a little bit." He replied. "There is only one thing I really care about in all this. I wanna costar with somebody who takes pride in the work they do."

Ruriko let go of his arm, She translated his words to 'I don't want you'. Sadness engulfed her. She wanted to be an actress worthy enough for him but she was not. As much as she hated to admit it, she did not have the drive or determination like that girl. She was in this business because of the fame only. For the first time, she felt ashamed to feel that way.

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Kyoko was back on the folding chair. Yashiro approach her, "we really do need to get you to a hospital."

"That's really kind of you," she replied politely, "but even if the bone is fractured, I can't leave in the middle of a shoot. Besides," she punched her palm and put on a scary smile, "even shattered bones will heal with time."

This girls is terrifying, he thought.

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"Alright, Cut! Ruriko, you keep forgetting your lines." The Director said through the speaker.

Ruriko was doing very well. Her posture and tea making process was gracefully done but she was so amazed to see Ren in action that she forgot her lines.

The Director caught her mistake. "Clearly, you are too busy staring at Ren, to focus. You know what, why don't we reset and bring Kyoko out."

"Right," Kyoko was on her uninjured foot.

"You gotta be kidding me." Ruriko snapped at him, "I haven't even got the chance to finish the scene. How can you judge my performance already?"

"I know. It's fine" He waved his hand to dismiss her. "I've seen all I need to for now. More than enough to see, you weren't serious enough about your performance."

"I was being completely serious."

"Were you? I guess being serious wasn't enough. Next time, act like you mean it. Getting distracted and dropping your lines because you are watching him proves you are not ready."

"But this is the first time I am acting and doing tea ceremony at the same time and I've been out in the sun too long and-"

"Ruriko, I am not looking for any excuses from you. Just take a five and relax."

"Don't worry, you can watch me." Kyoko smiled sweetly. "I won't let you down. The Love Me Division still has a mission to complete."

"What do you mean by that? Ruriko narrowed her eyes.

"Did you forget? My job, of course. The whole reason I came along was to protect you from the sun, Ruriko, to give you some shade. Remember?" She frowned and continued in a quiet voice "and I will do just that. You will be in my shadow for so long, I don't know if you'll see the spotlight ever again."

A chill went down Ruriko's spine. She knew that Kyoko meant every word she said. She stood there, speechless, trying to come up with a comeback but the scene already began.

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Kyoko sat down in an odd catlike position on her knees and leaned on the floor using her arms, keeping her injured ankle up in the air. It was obvious from her face that she was in a lot of pain. Her eyes were constantly blinking to fight the tears. Her chest was moving up and down as she tried to control her breathing.

The cameras were being readied.

Ren, who was sitting across her casually in a perfect posture, said, "impressive! You have more nerve then I would have given you credit for. Although," he said sarcastically, "if you are planning to act in that position, I am not sure you are gonna win this thing."

"I am buying more time until everyone is ready to shoot the next take, okay?" Kyoko snapped, not appreciating being joked to, because of the pain.

Ren sighed hopelessly.

"It's not right to force her to perform," Mr Shinka said to no one in particular. "But if she insists, I guess there is no harm in seeing how far she'll go."

This role is mine, Ruriko was confident again, after watching Kyoko. There is no way she can perform through that kind of pain.

She overheard two guys talking behind her.

"From where I stand, the advantage is all Ruriko's. Her tea ceremony was a thing of beauty."

"For sure, she did a pretty great job. And you know how Shinka is about getting all the details right."

Perfect, she thought smugly. I won't be losing to any Love Me poser today.

While Kyoko was still trying her hardest to fight the pain. She closed her eyes and emptied her mind. She recalled Mrs Fuwa's words when she taught her to host a tea ceremony.

"Kyoko, I know how difficult it can be but when you are around a guest, it's important to keep smiling no matter how hurt or angry you are, you mustn't show it."

She took a deep breath and whispered to herself, "keep smiling. My guest is right here in front of me." She opened her eyes and focused only on Ren.

"Quiet on set."

Just focus on him, she thought.

"Action!" They slapped the clapperboard.

Kyoko straightened, putting her weight on the fractured ankle.

Gasps and murmurs arose from the crew when they saw Kyoko. Her posture was perfection and her face disturbingly calm. It was a face of a pure, innocent girl with the manners of a highborn lady. Her eyes were soft and she had a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"She is pushing through it." The Director heard someone say.

"Maybe her ankle isn't as injured as we thought it was."

"I can guarantee you it is," he turned his head in the general direction from where he heard the comments. "I'll be damned, the girl already got the focus of a professional."

Kyoko looked at Ren with her calm, composed face while he had a poker face. She finally moved her arms and started making the tea. Her movement eloquently supple and graceful. She grinded the tea leaves in the mortar with the pestle, boiled the water, stirred it with tea and finally poured it in the tea bowl. She did all of that and maintained her composure, not a hint of pain visible on her face. No one could look at her and believe that she had a fractured ankle.



She handed one of the tea bowls to Ren, who received it and took a sip.

Kyoko's performance was great. It was obvious to everyone that she had taken tea ceremony lessons as her technique was flawless. Ruriko's performance had the poise to make it look good but Kyoko turned out to be something else entirely.

"This morning," Ren's characters said with the teacup in his hands, "I watched the sunrise over the Suzunari. As the wind picked up, I heard the sound of a thousand whispering bells."

"Indeed," Kyoko's character, Choko replied in her soft voice. She took a sip as well. "I heard it's truly magical."

Suddenly, Ren's eyes became cold. He was not Ren anymore, his eyes were terrifying. "You heard? Have you never been?" He asked with suspicion.

"Well, no." She answered in a hesitant voice. Her surprise from witnessing Ren's sudden change was obvious. Because of that, she delivered her line hesitantly. I screwed up, she thought panicking. The line was meant to be sweet and sad with a quiet smile but I delivered it like I was afraid.

"Not even once?" His cold eyes weighed her own, piercing her and giving her chills.

"No," she tried to hide her amazement.

"Rather odd, don't you think? Specially since you live so close." He paused a little. "Tell me, why haven't you?" His icy eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Kyoko tried to remember her line but she was so shocked to see him like that, that she got the sudden urge to run away from him. Like he could kill her with his eyes. It was just acting, but being the victim of his deadly gaze chilled her to the bone. She was terrified of this man.

"Absolutely brilliant," Mr Shinka said breathlessly. "Ren's going all out, this is one of his strongest performances I've ever seen."

Is he trying to intimidate me? No that's not it. His character is intimidating Choko. Kyoko's hands were almost shaking. Finally, she remembered her line. She looked down and composed herself again, "I have always been told to stay away from that cape, since I was a little girl," she said. It was perfectly delivered. Sweetly and sadly, like it was supposed to.

"She took it back," the Director said.

"The bells," Ren suddenly looked up at the mountains with a  faraway look, "they call to you, don't they?"

Kyoko failed to hide her shock this time. Her face had an expression which was the amalgamation of shock, disbelief and fright. She tried to remember what she was supposed to do. Fortunately, she remembered she was supposed to be shocked and drop the cup, according to the script. She maintained her shocked face and dropped the cup, not moving a muscle.

"Right there. That's the look," the Director pointed at her shocked face.

"I can give you that look if you want," Ruriko replied stubbornly. "Just let me have another take."

"Are you sure about that? She only gave that performance because Ren coaxed it from her. This scene or all the acting isn't about one of them or the other, it's about both of them. If you ever hope to perform on that level, you need your partner to take you seriously. "

"Then tell me how to get somebody as talented as he is, to perform for real?"

"Exactly the way Kyoko did. With conviction and focus. You can see it on her face, she takes pride in her work."

After stairing coldly at the shocked Kyoko, Ren looked up at the mountains again, "you know something about what happened there." He got up, "it was your eyes that gave you away. I can tell there's a secret you're hiding behind them."

Kyoko couldn't handle the pain anymore. It was too much but she kept sitting there. She was not on the set anymore. Her mind took her back to the mansion where she grew up. She was 12 again, hosting a tea ceremony. Her ankles were in torment but Mrs Fuwa's words stopped her from moving. Just a little more, she thought. I can take it, just for a little more time.

Ren was still staring at the mountains, "I beg you, if there is anything you're holding back from me I need to know..."

Just a little while longer, I can't move while my guest is still here.

Ren finally faced her but when he looked at her, instead of saying his line, he gasped.

The Director saw Ren's reaction, he knew something was wrong. He followed his eyes to Kyoko and whispered with a pained expression, "she has proved herself" he barked, "cut."

Kyoko still had that shocked expression on her face. Her brows furrowed. But it looked like she was not here anymore, she was in some sort of a trance. Her body was here, but her mind was somewhere else.

The Director stood up and said, "that's enough, the take is over. Kyoko, you can get up."

But she did not hear him. Her mind was filled with pain. Her eyes were open but she was asleep.

"Someone help her!" He ran towards her himself. He squatted besides her, lightly touched her back and said softly, "we get it Kyoko. You have done enough. Go get some rest."

"No...not yet." She whispered, still in a trance. Her mind was back at the mansion, she was hosting a tea ceremony as a 12 year old kid. She was not supposed to get up until it was over. Her leg was burning with unendurable pain but she was should bear it and not move. She couldn't disappoint Mrs Fuwa, so she waited. "I can't...stand it...the pain...but it isn't over...I can't leave this position...until the very end." She whispered, quietly breathing her words.

I know that look, Ruriko thought. She remembered the start of her career, she also had the same drive. She had fevers and cold but she still kept on rehearsing until her voice was absolutely perfect. She had almost forgotten about those days but when she looked that Kyoko, how she was pushing through the pain, it reminded her of that drive and ambition and determination she possessed.

"You can stop now, I've seen what you are capable of." Mr Shinka said to Kyoko. He knew that she was in a lot of pain but he couldn't understand what she meant by it not being over.

"Not before...my guest...has taken their leave," she said weakly. "I'm not allowed...to stand."

Ren finally understood what she meant and jumped down the stairs immediately.

The moment he stepped down, Kyoko's eyes snapped back to the present and she passed out.

Mr Shinka caught her before she could fall, "Kyoko. Kyoko, hey! She is unconscious. Get a doctor right now. Hang in there."

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The parademic team arrived soon. While Kyoko was being treated, Ruriko did a lot of soul searching and she came to one conclusion in the end, she had lost. She did not deserve the role.

Kyoko Mogami had beaten her fair and square. But this fact didn't shame her anymore, it motivated her. Because it reminded her of the time when she first started singing. In the blinding spotline and amidst the fame, she had lost who she truly was. But now she remembered.

She wasn't about to give up on the role. She was going to start fresh again, but this time she would give it her all.

She went to Mr Shinka and said with her eyes burning with newfound determination, "Director, I have something I'd like to ask. I don't deserve this but please, may I have one more take?" She bowed, "I beg of you."

They all stared at her like she was an alien but she didn't care anymore. She wanted this part more than anything else.

The Director smiled, "that's all I wanted to hear, Ruriko. But know this, I will not compromise on anything. You are going to do as many takes as I ask until you get it right. "

"Until the very end."

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It was evening. The Director was talking to his assistant about the set of the next scene for tomorrow.

Ren and Yashiro were waiting for him nearby.

"Well, of course, Ms Mogami is upset," Yashiro replied to Ren, when he asked if Kyoko was upset for not getting the part.

After Kyoko passed out, they continued the shoot with Ruriko, who did her job a lot more seriously. They were even able to shoot a couple of more scenes, without any problem.

"While she was unconscious, Director gave the part to Ruriko," Yashiro said, sympathizing with Kyoko, "I can hardly blame her for being angry." He truly felt bad for her.

"She was never going to get that part. In fact, I would wager the Director was never planning to use her at all." He turned to Mr Shinka, who was free now. "Isn't that right?"

"I couldn't ignore a request from Mr Takarada himself. He told me to break some of Ruriko's bad habits. I may be reckless but I am not crazy enough to switch out actresses on a whim," the Director said.

Yashiro asked with disbelief, "so you mean the entire time Kyoko was just an..."

"An empty threat," Ren finished his sentence. "Clever."

"Mr Takarada thought the best way to make Ruri rise to the challenge would be to give her a little push. We hoped that a competitor would be the motivation she needed." He put on a sly smile, "and what do you know? It seems we got more than we bargained for."