Advent '09 [23/25]
Advent 09
December 23rd - 2 days to go
"Kyoko!" Kanae burst into Kyoko's room, ignoring her moping best friend. "Kyoko! You've got to see this!" Grabbing Kyoko by the arm she manhandled the girl out the room and down the corridor into the lifts.
"Moko!" Kyoko protested, "I don't have my key! I won't be able to get back into my room."
"Don't worry about that." Kanae said, brushing off her concerns, "I have a copy of yours."
"Um..." Kyoko ventured warily, "Why do you have a copy of my key?"
Kanae looked caught for a moment, shifting guiltily. "Oh look!" she said happily as the doors opened, "We're there!"
"You didn't answer my questi-ahhh!" Kyoko was cut off when Kanae shoved her out of the lift before the door closed on them. "What the?"
"Look!" Kanae said pointing to a sign that had been translated into a number of languages. "There! That's what I wanted to show you!"
"Christmas Ball?" Kyoko said slowly, reading it out.
"I know! Isn't it going to be fun?"
"Bit short notice, isn't it?"
Kanae shrugged, "Maybe we missed it with everything that's been going on lately?"
They both stared at the sign which was at least six foot high and smothered in tinsel and flashing Christmas tree lights.
"You think...that we could miss that?" Kyoko asked sceptically.
Kanae huffed. "Um...well maybe the staff just forgot to put it out to tell us about it?"
"Well somebody forgot, that's for certain."
They stared at the sign again, ignoring the people who had to walk around them.
"You want to go?" Kanae asked. "If you do we need to get an outfit. Oh! And isn't it Maria's birthday as well? We'll have to get her a present as well. We could even take over the ball and throw an impromptu birthday party for her!"
Kyoko turned and looked at her friend. "You've had this worked out for a while now, haven't you?"
Kanae blushed slightly. "Well," she mumbled, "maybe a little...but that's not the point! You want to go?"
"Eh," Kyoko shrugged, "Why not. Haven't got anything else planned today."
"Wonderful!" Kanae enthused.
Kyoko looked at her funny. "Did you eat a ton of sugar before you came to my room today? You're not acting like yourself at all.
"It's a little creepy."
"Nonsense! You've just been really down lately and I thought I would cheer you up! Besides," she added becoming a little more serious, "This is my 'Christmas' personality. Do you honestly think I could survive with fourteen odd sugar high kids on a rampage for practically a whole week without it?"
"So...it's kind of like a safety mechanism?"
"Exactly!" Kanae said brightly, her grin blinding. "The trick is to consume more sugar so you can run faster! The only problem is that I've trained my body to accept the amount so if I don't then Bad Things happen."
Kyoko's eyes widened and she shivered. Bad Things was very bad.
"Wait, don't you hate sweet things?" Kyoko asked confused.
Kanae shivered, "The amount that I get through in December puts me off for a year. Just the thought of sugar in any other month is scarring."
"Ri-ight."
"Anyway! We should go now if we want to get to the shops."
They both turned and froze; the reporters outside the door surged forward again, as if they could smell them.
"Ah, that could be a problem." Kanae said as they both looked out at the sight.
"We could always go out the back..." Kyoko ventured.
"Yeah, until someone recognises us when we're out and then we get mobbed without anyone to keep them away."
Kyoko bit her lip. "Okay, you have a point there."
"Damn it! I wanted to go out!"
"Look," Kyoko reasoned, "We aren't the only people this has happened to. We've just got to figure out how other celebrities got around it."
"Well, how does Ren do it then?"
Kyoko's face fell at the mention of Ren and Kanae cursed herself.
"I don't know," Kyoko said quietly, "Ren doesn't do anything other than just be him. We were mobbed when I had to take over Yashiro's position. But he never seems to have that trouble at other times."
Kanae thought about this, her forefinger pressed against her lips. "So..." she said, drawing out the word, "If Ren doesn't do anything, then it must be Yashiro who does! We should get him to take us shopping!"
"You want us to ask Yashiro-san if he will take us shopping?" Kyoko asked in disbelief.
"No! Of course not, don't be silly. We'll say that we need to go out and need an escort that will keep away the reporters.
"I'm sure he'd love to help out. After all, he is a gentleman and who would leave two poor, defenceless girls out to battle their way through that?"
"...You're evil. You know that?"
"It's the sugar." Kanae said blithely.
"Fine, I'm not even going to point out the flaws in this plan because it's the best one we've got. But I'd still like to make a token protest about being described as poor and defenceless."
"Duly noted. Now," Kanae said, rubbing her hands together and looking evil. "How to convince Yashiro about this."
"Convince me about what?"
The two girls span around and blinked at the sight of Yashiro standing behind them looking confused.
"How long have you been standing there?" Kyoko asked guardedly.
"Um...I just arrived."
"Wonderful!" Kanae said happily, and then remembered that she was supposed to be playing the part of a meek and easily hurt damsel. "I mean, oh! It's so wonderful to see you Yashiro-san! We were wondering if you could help us?"
Yashiro looked intrigued. "If I can."
"It's just, Kyoko and I need to go out to town to pick up some stuff, but we can't with all the reporters standing there, waiting to mob us and to touch us in inappropriate places..."
Kyoko had to bite the inside of her cheek really hard to stop herself from saying anything. Honestly! Kanae was playing with this too much!
Yashiro seemed to be lapping it up though. He adjusted his glasses. "So you want me to...?" he prompted.
"We were wondering if you would consent to being our chaperone for the day?"
"I don't mind at all."
Kanae grinned, "Brilliant. We'll meet you down here in ten minutes then. Kyoko! We have to go get our coats."
Yashiro looked a little bewildered by the abrupt change in attitude, "Um..." he asked, faltering when Kanae looked at him blankly, "Do...you expect it to take long?"
"Of course not," Kanae assured him, dragging Kyoko back towards the lift, "it shouldn't take long at all. Should it Kyoko?" She elbowed Kyoko hard in the ribs, winding her so that Kyoko could only shake her head.
"Oh, ok...? I'll just...wait here...then..."
The lift doors opened and the two girls got on, Kanae waved at him. "Don't worry! We'll be back in a moment!"
Then the lift doors closed and cut them from his sight. Kyoko tried to catch her breath. "That was kind of mean."
Kanae shrugged. "Right now I'm mentally not responsible for my actions."
Kyoko just closed her eyes. "That doesn't help."
-/-
Yashiro didn't really know how he was conned into this.
One moment he was just trying to do Kanae and Kyoko a favour, the next he was roped into a several hour long shopping trip, including bag holding.
It had started out fine, all he had had to do was glare at the reporters and they immediately backed off. He had had tons of practice perfecting his glare when he was protecting Ren from overzealous fans and media back home.
Which reminded him, he really needed to talk to the President about his job. Preferably soon, before he was replaced.
Clothes shopping, he decided as he shifted slightly outside the changing rooms, has to be the most boring thing ever.
And it made him feel like a bit of a pervert waiting outside the door and being made to comment on the outfits that Kanae was trying on and forcing Kyoko into.
He had seen a side of both of them that he wished he could erase from his brain.
"So what about this one?" Kanae asked, stepping out of the cubical in a short black sequined dress.
"It looks fine." He said monotonously. He had long ago learned that no matter what he said she would ignore it and judge herself harshly.
"I don't know..."
Yashiro bit back a groan. The shop assistants behind the till giggled behind their hands at him and he felt himself flushing.
Dear God. Never again.
Kyoko was easier. She had found something almost at once and refused to try anything else on saying that if it fit and she looked good then what was the point.
Yashiro thought that he could seriously fall in love with her if she truly believed that.
"Ok, I'm just going to try on these last few dresses." Kanae said, locking herself away again with a dozen or so more dresses.
Yashiro rolled his eyes and went over to stand by Kyoko who was looking at some bracelets. This was a perfect opportunity to talk to Kyoko about Ren and see if she would forgive him.
"Kyoko-chan?"
Kyoko turned and looked at him enquiringly, "Yes?"
"I just..." Ok, this was harder than he expected. "I talked to Ren."
Kyoko's face blanked.
"It's just," Yashiro pressed on a little desperately, "he told me what happened. All of it. And I think he's really sorry about it all."
"Really."
Yashiro winced. He wasn't doing a very good job with this. "I'm not asking for you to forgive him." He said cautiously, "I just think that you should talk. Let him explain everything.
"I'm sure it will help."
Kyoko turned back to the bracelets, picking one up for closer inspection. "If it's all the same to you, Yashiro-san, I don't really want to talk about it right now."
"No that's...understandable. I guess." He shifted uncomfortably. "Would you just maybe think about it then?"
Kyoko shrugged.
"Okay!" Kanae said, "This is the one!"
Finally!Yashiro thought with relief.
-/-
Getting back in to the hotel was easier than leaving as the reporters had already been suitably cowed.
This was good because Yashiro was unsure whether he even had the energy to muster up a petulant pout never mind a Death Glare.
"I'm going to go find Maria." Kyoko said, walking off with her shopping bags and leaving Yashiro and Kanae in the lobby.
Yashiro stared after her sadly. Maybe it hadn't been the best course of action to talk about Ren earlier.
"She'll get over it."
Yashiro turned to face Kanae in surprise.
Kanae only shrugged in response. "I'm not oblivious. I know the gist of what happened, plus I overheard you in the shop."
Yashiro didn't know what to say so he settled for an "Oh."
"I don't agree with what Ren did." Kanae said frowning, "But...I can kind of understand...sort of. You've just got to wait a while. He really hurt her and it'll take a little longer for that to work out. Though I might be persuaded to help."
"Really?" Yashiro asked, feeling a spark of hope.
"There's no promise though. If she decides that she wants to hate Ren then I'm not going to go out of my way to change my mind. She's my best friend and Ren hurt her.
"He won't get off the hook that easily."
Yashiro nodded. "Any help would be welcome."
Kanae smiled. "Okay then. As long as that's understood.
"Now I've got to put this stuff away. See you later."
Yashiro watched as she wandered over to the lift and he couldn't help but feel lighter than he had in days.
Though that could be because he wasn't weighed down with twelve bags of shopping anymore.