OMAKE: YASHIRO THE SOOTH-SAYER

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"Yashiro-san, can you see the future?"

"Eh?"

Kyoko leaned closer, eyes wide with awe and wonder, and elaborated, "Tsuruga-san told me a little about your extra-sensory perception and sixth sense. I wondered exactly what your powers are, and if your skill extended to seeing the future."

Yashiro stared blankly at the curious but absolutely serious Kyoko, then shot a questioning look towards his sheepish charge, who was desperately trying to communicate with gestures, urging Yashiro to play along with her strange question.

Yashiro didn't mind humoring the sweet teenager, but he had a nagging feeling that encouraging her delusions would lead to a very awkward interrogation. Her sparkly eyes made it clear that she expected him to be capable of something extraordinary and magical. Yashiro wondered briefly what sort of 'extra-sensory perception' his charge had claimed him capable of, and how much further his over-imaginative love interest had taken it.

He frowned. How did Ren get me into such a mess?

He opted for a vague response. "Well… I can't see the future per se, I just get vague impressions most of the time… sound, sight, smell; something that's there but not wholly there…"

Kyoko nodded in what appeared to be complete understanding. "I know what you mean. You see other-worldly beings, like fairies and grudge-demons, and you know they are among us, but other people can't see them…"

Ren and Yashiro met each other's eyes; both silently wondered whether Kyoko's sympathetic attitude stemmed from experiencing such other-worldly phenomenon herself, and if so, exactly what sort of beings Kyoko saw that others couldn't. Ren already knew about her penchant for fairies, but 'grudge-demons' was a new one. Technically, their childhood meeting in Kyoto could also be labeled as an other-worldly encounter, since Kyoko was convinced that 'Corn' was the prince of the fairy kingdom. He sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, his precious girl was not normal.

Yashiro laughed awkwardly, his eyes silently begging Ren for some sort of support. "I've never seen any errr….other-worldly beings, I'm afraid. My skills are more of um…..intuition, you could say…."

Kyoko nodded. "I see. Do you have any special tools, or some sort of ritual?"

Yashiro could see crystal balls and tarot cards in the background, and he wondered what sort of crime he had committed in a past life to deserve this.

Ren winced internally at the endless assault of questions his manager was suffering from, each more outlandish than the last. "Does everyone in your family have such a power? Maybe it is something to do with your past life, or some magical ability passed down through the generations?"

Yashiro was still valiantly trying to respond to all her queries, all the while digging his own grave (with a magic wand). "Well, as far as I know, it's just me….and I don't know anything about my past life, so I can't tell you…."

Ren just hoped Kyoko would not ask Yashiro to make a prediction for her.

Finally, a pause in the interrogation. Yashiro breathed a small sigh of relief. Kyoko seemed lost in thought, her eyes misty and far away. "Sometimes I wonder what my future would be like…." she mused a little wistfully.

"I think it would be like your dreams" Ren blurted out without thinking. Seeing Kyoko's confused stare, Ren hastened to explain his enigmatic statement. "Ultimately, your choices decide the kind of life you lead. And I know that you are the type of person who will never give up till you achieve your goals. You shape your future with your own hands, Mogami-san… so I say your future will be what you want it to be."

Kyoko rewarding his thoughtful words with a shy, grateful smile. Her senpai was not lavish with praise, so she was pleased that he recognized her hard work and dedication to such an extent.

Seeing the two together, Yashiro had a sudden epiphany. This was his chance, his golden opportunity to completely reset the relationship of his favorite (not yet) couple.

Ren sweat-dropped at the sudden gleeful look the flashed across his manager's face; it was the same expression he always had when he came up with a plan to bring Ren and Kyoko together. Most times, the look was a harbinger for trouble, guaranteeing Ren a massive headache, and sometimes a heartache as well. Whatever Yashiro's planning, it can't be good….

For the first time, the fair-haired manager volunteered information about his so-called 'powers', choosing his words carefully to steer the conversation in the desired direction. "You know, Kyoko-chan…. I can't see the future clearly, but sometimes I get blurry mental images, like snapshots, of incidents occurring elsewhere…. or a voice in my head warns me against certain things…."

Kyoko immediately stopped day-dreaming and focused her full attention on the devious mastermind. "That sounds more creepy than magical, doesn't it?"

Yashiro nodded sagely. "It's not always a blessing, Kyoko-chan. Like any form of power, it has to be harnessed properly. Misuse of such skills can lead to very dangerous situations. That's why these things must be kept secret, you understand?"

With every word, Kyoko was falling deeper into his trap. She nodded with utmost seriousness and leaned towards him, swearing in a solemn whisper, "I promise, Yashiro-san, I will not reveal your secret to anyone, even under the threat of torture!"

Ren realized what Yashiro was doing. Cleverly, he ensured that Kyoko never repeated this conversation to anyone, and hence she would probably never know that they were actually lying through their teeth. However, as usual, she had taken it in a rather extreme manner.

"Err…there's no need to go that far, Kyoko-chan…."Yashiro sweat-dropped, clearly guilty about his manipulation. Recovering his poise, he continued, "Though I can't voluntarily turn time, I have seen snippets of incidents before they actually occurred; like I had a vision of my graduation day when I was in middle school…"

Alright, now Yashiro was going too far. Ren briefly wondered why the manager was damning himself by spinning more lies, but was quickly distracted by Yashiro's next words:

"In fact, Kyoko-chan…. I have seen something from your future as well…."

EH? Ren couldn't figure out what Yashiro was up to, but he knew for sure that something terrifying was in motion. Panic bubbled in his gut, and he was tempted to drag his manager away before he doomed both of them, but he was rooted to the spot. Wryly, Ren wondered when he had started getting premonitions, and if he was growing a sixth sense.

Yashiro made a big show of looking left and right for eavesdroppers, then leaned closer and proclaimed in a dramatic whisper, "I have had visions of your future, Kyoko-chan… or rather, one vey important part of your future, …namely, your wedding."

A dumbfounded silence followed his statement, and Yashiro took advantage of the lull in conversation to describe in great detail his 'vision'. "I am not exactly sure of the location, it's not a place I have been to before, I think…. The ceremony takes place in a sprawling garden, in which many tents are set up. Musicians-"

"Please wait, Yashiro-san." Kyoko interrupted, holding up a hand to stop Yashiro's ecstatic account. "I'm afraid I might have misheard you; but for a moment I thought you said you had a vision of my wedding." Kyoko was having second thoughts about starting this whole conversation with Yashiro, because now she was hearing things she didn't want to know. Ruthlessly pushing aside the image of Tsuruga Ren in a tuxedo that popped unbidden in her mind at the first mention of her nuptials, she treated the soft-spoken manager to her darkest and iciest glare.

Yashiro held his ground bravely at the sudden Mio-like aura emanating from the girl, and continued with rather strained enthusiasm, "Yes, Kyoko-chan, I am talking about your wedding. As I was saying, I saw musicians playing in the background, and the bride, that is, you, were walking down the aisle. You looked absolutely stunning in your gorgeous white gown. The LME President was acting as the minister…" Yashiro went on and on, his fear temporarily abated in his dreamy, delirious state of absolute bliss.

"Er….Yashiro, do you really think talking about this is a good idea? You yourself said that such things must be kept a secret…" Ren tried desperately to stem the giddying flow of Yashiro's nonsense, trying to knock some sense into his deranged manager. But he was also confused and a bit annoyed that the manager had not mentioned Ren's name yet.

"I know that Ren, but Kyoko-chan wont tell a soul, will you Kyoko-chan?" Kyoko shook her head automatically, mind still reeling in shock. Triumphantly, the manager continued his minute-by-minute recount, "Sitting in the front rows are Maria-chan and the couple that Kyoko-chan lives with…"

Contrary to Ren's belief, Yashiro was not sprouting this from the top of his head. In fact, careful planning was going into each and every sentence. The okami and taichou were invited to the Happy Grateful party, so it was pretty certain that Kyoko would want them at her wedding.

"Besides them are Kotonami-san and Uesegi Hiou kun…"

Kyoko took deep breaths to calm herself; temporarily setting aside the impossibility of her, the first member of LoveME, ever getting married; and focused instead on the part of Yashiro's narrative that she could actually wrap her head around.

"Moko-san and Hiou-kun….?"

Briefly Yashiro congratulated himself on being up-to-date with the career of Kyoko's best friend, which led him to be aware of the blossoming relationship between LoveMe number two and the famous child actor.

Yashiro nodded. "I don't know if they were together, but they were standing next to each other and chatting companionably, so I assumed they were in a relationship. I might be mistaken, of course; they may be nothing more than good friends." Yashiro swiftly issued an authoritative warning, "You are not to mention the matter to either party, Kyoko-chan. Is that clear? Truthfully, I hesitated to share it even with you, because knowing your own future doesn't always bring you happiness."

Ren snorted. It's a bit too late for that, isn't it?

"When Kyoko-chan reached the altar, she put her hand in Ren's; and you both say your vows, and the President declared you husband and wife. You both share a beautiful kiss and…"

Yashiro blabbered on, but neither of his audience heard a word.

WHAT IS HE DOING?!

Ren knew that his manager often fantasized about their wedding, but to recount his dreams as predictions, to state them as absolute fact….

Kyoko had noticed the conspicuous absence of the famous actor all through her wedding narrative, but had not commented on the fact due to the overdose of unbelievable information. Rather, the whole scenario was unbelievable, because it was impossible for her to get married. Her heart had been cruelly broken, and she swore never to love again, and so there was no way she would be tying a knot with anyone and subjecting her frail heart to more betrayal.

She had dismissed Ren's absence as an outcome of his busy schedule; maybe he had been invited but couldn't make it. For some reason, the thought made her sad. But now Yashiro-san had finally mentioned him, and as the groom no less! But why couldn't she utter a single word of protest, to deny the possibility of such an occurrence? Perhaps because she secretly wanted it to be true….

Kyoko couldn't deny that she cared deeply for her senpai. She had known ever since Dark Moon that she had feelings for him, but had chosen to continue life in denial, all the while forming a closer attachment with the man who was so out of her reach. But she couldn't lie to herself any longer. Suddenly, she wished for this entire conversation to be over; she just wanted to go home and cry her heart out, to give in to the despair over her unrequited love.

Apparently, Ren had also had enough. Placing a firm hand on his manager's shoulder, he politely but forcefully dragged him aside, shooing him away with a terrifying Demon Lord glare. Naturally, Kyoko realized gloomily. After all, a big-shot actor like him would be disgraced to have his name associated with the likes of her.

Now that the root of the problem had been addressed, Ren turned his attention towards Kyoko, who was staring blankly with her mouth wide open, at the spot Yashiro had just vacated. She seemed a bit upset, and was biting her lip while boring a hole into the wall with her eyes.

Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, he drew her attention with a soft "Mogami-san?". Abruptly, she turned to him, her eyes wide in terror. Ren hesitated, confused. Why was Kyoko so frightened? Had Yashiro's dramatic stunt really shaken her so much?

"Its okay, Mogami-san. The future is not fixed in stone. Yashiro may not be a hundred percent accurate…"

Kyoko nodded, using her acting skills to maintain a neutral face. Now he was telling her not to get her hopes up; that a relationship with him was just a far-fetched dream. Surprisingly, it helped cheer Kyoko up. The sooner he rejected her, the sooner she could seal her heart and move on…

Emboldened, she hastened to agree with him, putting some of her usual vim to declare assertively, "Really, you marrying me, as if that would ever happen! You would be so insulted-"

"If I married you, I'd consider myself a very lucky man."

He was giving her that serious look, the same as when he had said that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. It was the look that managed to worm its way into her hidden box, bypassing the many locks, and setting her heart aflutter. And his eyes! She seemed to be drowning herself in those chocolaty pools. They captivated her, to the point she couldn't look away even if she wanted to. They urged her to look closer, to see the feelings hidden in their depths, almost as if he was baring his soul to her.

His words left no room for doubt; he really did think he would be lucky to be married to her. Why would he feel that way? He was the number one actor in Japan; he could have anyone he wanted. There was no shortage of beautiful and talented women who would be more than happy to spend the rest of their lives with him; why would he even spare a glance at a plain and boring girl like her?

Yet, hadn't he done just that? Hadn't he always kept an eye out for her, offered a helping hand whenever she was in trouble?

But that would mean he loved-

No no no, she shouldn't think like that! Love was a curse, she was better without it. She would spend her life fortifying her heart, focusing on her career, along and strong. She didn't need anyone else in her life; and she definitely wouldn't get married! All these useless thoughts were just Yashiro-san's prediction messing with her brain!

"I'd consider myself a very lucky man."

Wasn't love what she always wanted? She had dreamt of being someone's princess (specifically, Sho's princess, but now she knew he was actually the evil stepmother, not the prince); isn't that exactly what he was offering her? Besides, this was Tsuruga-san. She trusted him for advice, relied on him for recommendations and guidance, consulted him at turning points in her career, and indirectly her life; surely she could trust him with her heart?

A voice resounded from deep within her heart, 'Yes'.

Kyoko had been motionless for a long time, and Ren began to worry that he had overstepped his boundaries; after all, he had gone alarmingly close to a confession. Kyoko was unpredictable at best and had a tendency to misunderstand things (and to explain things badly, as Sho had horrifically discovered); there was no way to tell what went on in her brain, how she would react to an admission of love.

Finally, she murmured, softly but determinedly, "Thank you, Tsuruga-san, that was a really sweet thing to say."

To his astonishment, Kyoko stood up on her toes, giving Ren a swift peck on his cheek before dashing off with a shy smile and a goodbye wave. It took Ren many moments to finally come to his senses and wave back, by which time the actress was long gone.

Ren set off to his dressing room, trying to school his expression and failing; a wide smile broke out on his face, the perfect example of a love-struck idiot. Ren released a soft sigh of happiness.

Hmmm…. maybe Yashiro knew what he was doing after all.

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Many years later:

Ren shook hands with his current director as he thanked him for attending their wedding. Beside him, Kyoko, his wife of a glorious five hours (Wife, oh God, he loved that word) stood beside him, gorgeous in a pale white silk kimono, her now-long hair cascading down her back, greeting visitors and well-wishers, demurely accepting their congratulations and smiling at their compliments.

After what seemed like hours, the party quieted down, as the guests began to leave. Escaping from the excitable LME President, Ren noticed that Kyoko standing by herself and biting her lip, a sign that she was pondering over some dilemma.

He went to her, and slipped a large hand around her waist, guiding her to an empty pavilion where the newly-weds could finally get some well-deserved privacy. "What's bothering you?" he enquired softly.

"Oh, nothing really…." she murmured, fingering her simple gold wedding ring. Gesturing to their surroundings, "It's all so unbelievable, so lovely, so surreal….."

"I know what you mean. I can't believe this is actually happening." Ren agreed, drinking in the sight of his lovely wife as she absently said, "Remember Yashiro-san's prediction? He was the one who first talked about a wedding, back when I thought it was impossible for you to like me…"

Ren fidgeted nervously. Even after all these years, he had still not told Kyoko that Yashiro's 'powers' were actually a figment of Ren's imagination, and she had brought the topic up at the worst possible time. It would be terrible for a husband to tell his wife a lie on their wedding day.

Kyoko chuckled, lost in her memories, completely unaware of her (finally) husband's anxiety. "It was his prediction which finally opened my eyes to the fact that you might like me….. I was so dense at that time, wasn't I?"

Ren kissed her cheek with a soft smile, not wanting to ruin the moment by telling her that she was still pretty dense.

It was Yashiro-san who finally pushed us into dating, and look where we are now, married!" Leaning into Ren's embrace, she giggled and continued dreamily, "The wedding was just as wonderful as he foretold. Do you remember? He said it would a beautiful and grand wedding, and many people would come…"

"Yeah, I remember…."

Kyoko frowned. "He described it as a western-style wedding, with a pearly-white gown and marriage vows and a 'you-may-kiss-the-bride'…"

Ren gulped. "Yeah, he said something like that, I think…."

"But sweetheart, we had a traditional Japanese wedding…"

"…"

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The End

…

This was intended to be a comedy, but it morphed into something quite serious, ending with a bit of fluffy humor. This is just a little snippet for those of you who wanted a kiss in the previous chapter. I honestly never intended to put in a marriage scene, it was a sudden random decision, just like he engagement scene in 'Whimper', but I think it came out okay.

I tried to hint at the ending; I mentioned discreetly that Kyoko was wearing a kimono… chocolates for those who guessed!

Anybody wondering how Ren would wriggle out of the above mess? Simple, he would bring out the Emperor of the Night! Despite dating Ren for a long time, Kyoko would not be immune to his charms. She would get flustered by the Emperor, who will no doubt make some suggestive comments about their wedding night, and the disaster will be successfully averted.

Honest opinion please! Is 'digging his own grave (with a magic wand)' lame? I scribbled it on impulse, but now I don't know what to make of it… sometimes I think it's pretty corny …..

Sho as the evil stepmother: I thought it was pretty appropriate, as the stepmother forced Cinderella to cook, scrub the floors, and all the other chores; just like Sho used Kyoko as a servant. Again, opinions please! SumiAmaya-chan pointed out that Sho is more of an evil step-sister because he never considers how his actions affect Kyoko... I totally agree with Sumi-chan.

I attempted a kuroshitsuji drabble named 'Wisdom Tooth' (first chapter out, second in progress); please read it (if you read Kuro, of course). The exercise helped me realize how easy it is to write Skip Beat! fics as compared to others. Hooray for Ren and Kyoko! Also, things were busy, so I didn't have much time for writing. I also read a few Naruto fics (this isn't the main reason for the delay, I swear!). Anyway, reading other stories counts as 'research' and 'training' to improve my writing style, does it not? Do you see any improvements in my work? (hah, I wish)

After finishing 'Wisdom Tooth', the next item on my to-do list is 'Dark Moon Party'; it has been begging for a re-write for a very long time. I won't start any long stories after that, as I need to sign-off at least two months before exams (can't have my marks going down, mom's already scolding me), but I may do one-shots.

Thank you, wonderful readers for reviewing, adding in favorites and following this story and my other stories! Also thanks for being patient during the delay in publishing this omake…..