Hidden in Plain Sight

Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

Summary: LME has seen better days; Kyoko was forced to return home by her mother and Tsuruga Ren has gone back to the States to resume his true identity. So who is the new kid making entertainment news… and why is Saena so angry?

Chapter 1 – The LME New Talent Audition

Whispers have a way of carrying across a room, even a room as large as LME's banquet hall.

There were many whispers on that morning, which is to be expected with a room full of young people hoping to become famous. Most of the applicants were talented. Many of them had strong personalities. All… or most of them were attractive, ranging from very cute to handsome or beautiful. Yet even in a room like this, some stood out.

Several young men were devilishly handsome and pleasantly muscular. Several of the young women were stunningly beautiful. As often is the case, most of the others either swarmed to them or shied away, feeling inadequate. Then again, there were several who barely noticed them at all. One of these was attracting a certain amount of his own attention, though he appeared oblivious to it. Unlike the tall and muscular hopefuls, he was relatively short and slender. He didn't have a square jaw and he didn't have a manly visage… in fact he seemed to have more womanly features. Probably the best word to describe him would be bishounen.

That isn't to say that he didn't carry himself like a man; quite the contrary. Instead of sitting in one of the numerous chairs he chose to lean against a wall, arms crossed and one leg bent up so that a booted foot could rest against the wall behind him. He wore faded blue-jeans over combat boots, a button-down white, collarless, cotton shirt, and a spiked leather jacket. A large, elaborate cross hung suspended from his neck. His hair was blond and spiked, short on the back and without sideburns. His eyes were brilliant green. As he leaned against the wall he seemed to watch everyone and no one, bobbing his head just slightly to whatever music was playing in his iPod. With the guitar case leaning against the wall next to him he looked every bit the hopeful rock star.

Several of the young female hopefuls had taken notice of him. More than one had made repeated circuits past him in the hopes of attracting his attention, but to no avail. He merely nodded and turned his attention back to his music. Despite the rejection, the frustrated girls formed a small group which lingered nearby.

Attention turned momentarily to the entrance, where a new applicant was entering. She was eye-catching as well. She had mid-length ebony hair, blue eyes, and a petite face. She wasn't the most beautiful teenager in the room, but she projected an aura of self-confidence that was very attractive. She wasn't the most shapely, but she walked like a supermodel. She was dressed in a stylish skirt-suit that highlighted her lean, muscular calves and her slender hips. Several of the men began moving toward her, while quite a few of the women glared. Seemingly oblivious to the sensation she was causing she scanned the room. To the alarm of one group of girls, she walked up and took a place on the wall next to the bishounen.

The young teen boy glanced over at the girl and nodded. She smiled momentarily and then continued to stand there with near-perfect posture. After a few more minutes the teen-aged boy removed the earbuds, wrapped the wire around the player, and dropped everything into a pocket. Then he placed the guitar case on the floor, flipped the latches, and opened the lid. The girl watched with interest and made a pleased sound when she saw the beautifully polished Gibson guitar. "Acoustic electric?" She asked.

The bishounen looked up and nodded, "Yep. Do you play?" The girl noticed the non-Japanese accent and wondered what it could be.

She shook her head, "No, unfortunately; I tried to learn, but I never got any good. My name is Aoki Miyoko, I'm pleased to meet you." She bowed politely and waited for his response.

The boy stood while holding the guitar and working on attaching the shoulder-straps. He smiled and said, "I'm very pleased to meet you, Miyoko. My name is Zeshin Michelson, but my friends in the States just call me "Z."

Miyoko's eyebrow twitched as he spoke. When he was done she said, "Ano… Zee-san…" She was preparing to give him a friendly lecture on proper ettiquette for using a Japanese person's name, but his next words forestalled her.

"Please: only Z. None of that honorific stuff if we're going to be friends. It isn't that I don't want to be polite; it's just… well… I just can't get used to it. I've only been here in Japan one month and I'm having trouble adjusting…"

He looked at Miyoko with pleading green eyes and she felt the warmth rushing to her cheeks. "Ahh… ummm… okay, Zee. I won't be offended if you call me by my first name either." Hoping to get those beautiful green eyes off of her, she said, "Were you going to practice?"

Z smiled, which only increased Miyoko's disturbed feelings. "Yes, we still have twenty minutes before the audition begins. Do you sing? I'll play for ya if I know the piece."

Miyoko smiled enthusiastically, "Yes. That's why I'm here, Z-sa… I mean Z. Do you know how to play Star, the original version*?"

"I think so. Can you sing a stanza?"

Miyoko scanned the room self-consciously and Z chuckled, "If you want to be a performer you're going to have to get used to singing in front of a bigger group than this. Give it a try."

"I'm sorry," she said blushingly, "It's just that I used to prefer acting and singing is kind of… new."

"Well then," Z bowed western-style, in an almost princely fashion, "I am honored to be here to be a part of your debut. If you'll just sing a little, I can get the chording down for your version."

Amused and somewhat calmed by the beautiful teenaged boy's actions, Miyoko took a breath and began singing, "I feel the wind blow in this place. There I see the stars beyond this windowpane. Shining so bright, here in the night, here I feel a sense of love…" She paused and glanced uncertainly at Z. He had his eyes closed as he began chording and strumming.

After running through it twice, he looked up and said, "I've heard this version. I'll be able to play it, but you'll have to forgive my clumsy fingers. I've only been playing for six months."

Miyoko's eyes grew large, "Six months? I took guitar for over two years and I still wasn't that good."

For the first time Z blushed a little, "I'll play the lead-in first and then the verse… ready?" When the girl nodded Z began again, only this time he fingered the notes rather than strumming. Miyoko was so taken with his playing that she almost missed her queue. Her first few notes were flat, but she quickly recovered and then her voice began attracting attention from all over the room. She had a soft and sultry voice that was perfect for this very emotional song of heartbreak.

She had completely forgotten the audience by the time she reached the chorus and her song had captivated most of the room. Suddenly the entry door slammed open and a very angry middle-aged woman stood in the doorway, ignoring the attendants who followed her from the sign-in desk.

The angry woman scanned the room quickly and angrily yelled, "KYOKO! I know that you're in here. Now get your *ss over here right now!"

The furious woman stalked into the middle of the huge hall while one attendant tried in vain to halt her progress and the other made a frantic phone call. The applicants shrunk away from this obviously crazed woman as she started stomping up to every female in the room, checking faces carefully.

Just as suddenly as she had entered, a shocking boom sounded, followed by the steady beat of large drums. The double-doors that led into the inner building of LME slammed open and twenty dark-skinned, painted men in loincloths rushed out, forming two lines and chanting deeply in Fijian, while alternately brandishing their spears and slamming the butts of the spears onto the tiled floor. They were followed by men and women with large war-drums suspended from their necks. They danced and twirled in intricate patterns, all the while drumming in a perfect beat. Both the spear-dancers and the drummers moved to the side to allow six more warriors to carry in a chair mounted on poles. In the chair, dressed much like the others but more regally, lounged a tall, mustachioed man. In contrast to his porters and the other performers, he was quite pale, though his older body still seemed to be in excellent shape.

Once the chair reached the middle of the floor the chair was set down and the drumming and dancing immediately ceased. The angry woman stalked up to the chair and said, "Takarada, I want my daughter!"

"Mogami Saena… how nice to meet you again," Lory answered in his deep voice, dripping politeness, "Did you say that you were looking for your daughter? I thought that she was in Kyoto with you."

"Don't give me your lies!" Saena spat out, "She was supposed to be preparing for her wedding and suddenly she disappeared. Where else would she be but here? I know how much that misfit loved working with all of her other misfit friends. Now will you hand her over, or do I have to call in the police?"

Lory unfolded himself and rose to his full height, towering over the glaring woman. "Police… I think that is a good idea. You stomp into my building, push around my people, and make a general spectacle of yourself in the middle of an important annual event." He turned his head and called out, "Sebastian!"

A painted warrior stepped out of the entourage, "Hai!"

"Please phone the police. We have a trespasser."

"Don't you dare and try arresting me, Takarada," Saena said through clenched teeth, "My daughter is still a minor and you do not have permission to employ her. I will find her and she will get married… so don't even try to stop me!"

Lory smoothed his mustache, unperturbed, "As you wish, Mogami-san. At this moment, however, you will leave my building. I can assure you that your daughter is no longer in my employ. Now, I have a very important event that is about to commence…" he bowed, never taking his cold eyes off of the angry woman, "… so please see yourself out… and have a good day."

He turned to face the front of the room and began walking away, leaving the woman to fume. She looked around balefully one more time before wheeling around and stalking back the way she had come in. She stopped ten meters from the door, wheeled again and stalked over to where Z and Miyoko were standing. She roughly grabbed Miyoko's shoulders, spinning her around to glare into her face. Not finding what she was looking for, she shoved the girl in her disgust and stalked away. Z quickly stepped up behind Miyoko, preventing her from falling.

Miyoko shuddered, "I don't know who her daughter is, but I hope that she never finds her."

Z, looking equally shaken, helped Miyoko to get stable and softly said, "Amen."

A dignified middle-aged man entered and walked over to the tall man. "I'm sorry about the disturbance, Takarada-shacho. I didn't imagine that we would need heightened security for an audition day."

The tall man pouted, "And she ruined my grand entrance too, Sawara-san!"

The shorter man turned away to suppress a sudden onset of coughing. When he had himself under control he turned back, "You don't suppose that Mogami Kyoko is here somewhere, do you?"

Lory scanned the almost three-hundred applicants as he said, "Knowing our Mogami-san, she could be anywhere and we'd never find her." He smiled, as if delighted at the idea of foiling Saena's plans, "Shall I begin?"

Sawara bowed and walked up to the microphone, "Good morning, everyone, and thank you for coming to audition for our Annual LME New Talent Auditions." He waited for the applause to die down, "My name is Sawara Takenori and I am the Director of the Talent Division. There are five divisions in LME: Talent, Acting, Music, Modeling, and the newly formed Stunt Division. We also manage several Directors, we have a top-quality acting school, and we produce several major weekly shows." A large section of the wall behind the podium lit up and everyone realized that it was a huge projection screen. As he continued to speak, images of famous actors, actresses, models, and musicians, as well as memorable characters from various productions began to cycle through.

Sawara let the screen cycle for several minutes before speaking, "Ladies and Gentleman, please allow me to introduce the President of LME, Takarada Lory." Everyone started to applaud until the tall man from before walked up to the podium, waving. He was still painted and he still wore a fancy beaded loincloth, but he now had an elaborately decorated blanket draped across his shoulders.

Miyoko was shocked, though she quickly recovered as she heard a giggle behind her and turned to find the source. There were several girls standing close by, but they looked as shocked as she had been. The only other person standing there was Z, but his face was completely composed. Before she could investigate further the eccentric LME President began his speech, "Welcome, welcome to Lory's Majestic Entertainment!" He said in his deep, rumbling voice, "I am so happy that you could all make it here today, and I hope that each and every one of you is able to give your absolute best both today and tomorrow. There is no better job in the world than working in the world of entertainment. Only here can we communicate the true love we feel for ourselves, our peers, and our audience. So please give your best and show us that you are meant to be a star!"

The drums began again, the forgotten entourage began their dance, and together the tall man and his spear and drum wielding companions danced themselves out of the hall. As soon as the doors closed behind them everyone began talking, whispering, or giggling. Sawara stepped back up to the microphone and cleared his throat to regain their attention, "For those of you who have auditioned in the past, we will be conducting the audition a little differently this year. We want to test you in several areas, even if you only expressed interest in one. The benefit for you is that you will have more opportunities to be seen before we reach the first elimination rounds. Who knows, may surprise yourself and shine in an area that you hadn't even considered."

As if by some silent signal, people carried in four tables began setting up, while they were preparing, attention focused on the huge screen. There were several gasps as scenes from Dark Moon came on. The well known scene where Katsuki was alone with Mizuki for the first time was shown and several girls swooned. Z was standing next to Miyoko now and she saw him rolling his eyes. She leaned toward him and whispered, "Here in Japan he was the biggest star. I can't believe that he was actually an American the whole time. Was it big news in the States when Hizuri Kuu's missing son suddenly reappeared as a famous Japanese movie star?"

Z was startled out of his reverie and he furrowed his brow… Miyoko thought that even that made him look cute, but she shivered a little because of a sudden chill in the room. "I guess I wasn't really paying attention at the time. Oh well, if he's returned to the States, then that means less competition for us, right?"

Miyoko grinned. She wasn't normally that interested in boys… her dreams of a singing career came first… but she found herself responding to every expression that this boy showed her. The atmosphere in the room changed again as the screen changed to show a scarred and angry teen driving a knife into the wall right next to the head of the pretty girl from the previous scene. Miyoko looked over at Z and thought that he looked a little flushed. She felt a momentary spurt of jealousy and shook it off as ridiculous. "That's Mio. She was supposedly the villain at the beginning of Dark Moon, but as the story progressed you realized that she was actually a victim and the true villains were most of the people around her. The girl who played her was a real mystery. I watched her in Dark Moon and Box 'R, and she did a couple of other things… and then she just disappeared."

Miyoko was about to say more, but just then Sawara spoke again, "There are four tables set up. You have each been given numbers. When I tell you to, numbers 1-75 will go to table 1. Numbers 76-150 will go to table 2. Numbers 151-215 will go to table 3, and the remaining applicants will go to table 4. You will be cycled through each activity today and tomorrow morning, and then the results for the initial evaluation will be announced. Please proceed to your table."

Z and Miyoko were only twenty numbers apart and they both ended up at table three. This was fortuitous for Miyoko, because this was the musician audition. She made the request and was allowed to have Z play for her. As before, she sang beautifully and the guitar only enhanced her performance. Over an hour later it was Z's turn. Miyoko and many other girls watched in anticipation as he took a seat on a stool and prepared to sing. The beautiful boy began fingering a tune that sounded haunting and familiar, though it took her a moment to place it. Then he began singing in English:

"I heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the lord, but you don't really care for music, do ya?..." (If you don't recognize it, the song is "Hallelujah," by Leonard Cohen, though Z is performing the Jeff Buckley version)

Everyone, judges and auditioners, leaned forward as Z sang "Hallelujah" in a slightly raspy and emotional voice that seemed to feel every nuance and meaning in that haunting song. When Z reached the "hallelujah's" Miyoko found herself mouthing along with Z. She stopped, embarrassed, only to glance around and realize that she wasn't the only one. Several even had there eyes closed and were actually singing. She turned her attention back to Z as he reached the final, emotional ending, and smiled as she watched a tear run down the boy's almost girlish cheeks. When the final, drawn-out "hallelujah" was over, there was a moment of silence before one and then several people began clapping and whistling.

Z blushed, bowed to the judges, and quickly walked back to take his seat beside Miyoko. She leaned over and said, "That was beautiful, Z. I can't believe that you've only played for six months. How long have you been singing?"

"Six months."

Miyoko turned completely in her seat to scowl at the boy. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

Z shook his head, "Nope. I didn't have much else to do. I was sort… restricted. I can't really explain, but let's just say I had a lot of time on my hands… sooo… it was okay?"

Miyoko's expression relaxed and she smiled beautifully, "Z… it was wonderful!"

The bishounen blushed slightly before saying, "Good. I was worried."

As Jelly Woods worked on his makeup to fit with his costume-change, Lory watched four different flat-screens, each displaying one of the auditions. "She's here, Ten. I'm sure of it."

Jelly was thankful that Lory couldn't see the guilty look on her face, "Who do you mean, Darling?"

"Oh, you didn't hear about what happened earlier? Mogami Saena showed up and crashed the auditions looking for her daughter. It turns out that Mogami Kyoko has run away, and that woman believes that she's here."

"Kyoko-chan hasn't contacted you, has she?"

"'Kyoko-chan?'" Lory repeated, slightly surprised, "I hadn't realized that you two were that close."

"Oh, I got to know her pretty well when she was pretending to be Setsuka Heel. She's a great girl. I wouldn't let that mother anywhere near her…" She moved around to face Lory so that she could work on his face makeup. "Umm… what if she does show up? What if she tries to start working for LME again?"

Lory frowned and then quickly schooled his expression so that Jelly could work. "Ten, you know that she's in a tough situation. Without parental consent she can't work, and if she tries then her mother will spot her right away and drag her back home. Mogami-san wasn't able to stand up to her mother before and I doubt that she will be able to now."

Jelly trimmed a few stray hairs on Lory's mustache and studied his face, "But what if she could get in? What if… for example… she could make it through the entire New Talent Audition and get a contract without being recognized?"

Lory gently grabbed Ten's shoulders and held her eyes, "What do you know, Ten?"

Jelly's tiny mouth smirked and she said, "Not much. Now answer my question."

Lory smiled at the challenge in Jelly's eyes, "If she can fool everyone including me and make it through, then I'll do everything that I can to protect her… but I doubt that's possible, even for Mogami Kyoko."

The next audition for Z and Miyoko was modeling. Miyoko struggled at first, but quickly caught on. She was eye-catching to begin with, and she had been practicing for months at captivating everyone's attention. Before three minutes had passed she was moving quite naturally. The photographer thought that the girl looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place the feeling.

When Z's turn came he put on a characteristic smirk and quickly owned the camera, not to mention the impact he had on several of the female auditioners. The male applicants were beginning to feel annoyed. By and large they were all good-looking, muscular, and tall. They couldn't understand why the girls would pay attention to this shrimp when they had much better men to look at. If Z was aware of any of this, he didn't show it. The cameraman, having noticed the guitar case, had Z pull it out and took one full roll with the bishounen and his guitar. The boy seemed to look right through the camera and into the viewer's eyes, and the shots came out better than expected for an amateur.

Sawara announced a break for lunch and everyone was pleased as cart after cart of catered food was rolled in, courtesy of Takarada Lory. Miyoko, Z, and several others from their group sat together and the talk circulated around the different auditions. Miyoko noticed that Z was struggling with his chopsticks and she signaled one of the caterers to ask for a fork. Z nodded gratefully and attacked his food with gusto.

Yuichi, one of the jealous males, had taken a seat next to Miyoko and across from Z. He decided to put the wimpy pretty boy in his place, "I guess that it's a good thing that that photographer didn't ask you to take your shirt off. You don't look like you've worked out a day in your life."

Z forked a chunk of spicy chicken into his mouth and looked at the muscular youth indifferently. This irritated Yuichi and he growled, "You sing like a girl. You look like a girl. Shouldn't you have just shown up in a dress?"

Z looked into Yuichi's eyes with amusement and smirked, "I don't know Japanese customs that well, but if you're trying to ask me out on a date, I'll have to decline. I'm really not into that sort of thing."

Yuichi's face became red with rage and he considered pounding the little punk's face in, but then he thought of a better way. He turned to Miyoko and gave his best winning smile… the smile that he knew no girl could resist, "A girl as gorgeous as you shouldn't waste your time hanging around a loser like this." He reached up and took several strands of Miyoko's hair into his large hand.

Miyoko shrank back and said, "Get away!" Instead Yuichi moved his hand to stroke her cheek.

He, Miyoko, and everyone else at the table jumped when Z drove his fork down hard into the middle of Yuichi's plate, shattering it and throwing the young man's food everywhere. Yuichi stared into baleful, threatening green eyes and he couldn't suppress a shiver as Z spoke in an almost demonic voice, "The girl doesn't want you to touch her. I suggest that you leave." His voice never rose above a conversational level, but the threat in it was enough to make Yuichi quickly get up and walk away, forgetting his food.

The table remained tense as Z picked up a napkin and wiped his food-smeared hand. They relaxed when he smiled self-consciously and said, "I guess I'm back to using chopsticks." After nervous laughter, everyone returned their attention to their meals. Miyoko smiled gratefully and watched adoringly as the poor boy struggled to make his chopstick cooperate.

Notes: Please don't hate me for starting another story while I already have several incompleted, but this was in my head and I just had to get it out. Chapter 9 of Imperial Entanglements is almost completed and should be posted before the end of the weekend.

The song that Miyoko sang was the original version of Star (Byul), not the version sung Hannah in 200 Pound Beauty.