A/N: Spoilers for up to Chapter 200! So I wrote most of this before I actually figured out canon timelines. Going back through the manga, it looks like maybe three or four days pass between Kyoko giving Ren the bite mark and them seeing Lory on the Tragic Marker set. I wanted this to be set in that time period, when Kyoko realizes she has feelings for Ren but hasn't admitted it to anyone and is mostly ashamed of how she feels. But I needed more time than what canon has here, so pretend there's an extra week thrown in there.

"I… need to quit the role of Setsuka Heel."

The daruma doll looked at her accusingly, and Kyoko rubbed her face with a moan. How was she going to say those words to Director Konoe? To The President? To… to Tsuruga-san?

Miserably, she tipped the daruma doll on its side and obligingly it wobbled upright again. It had been three days since that night. She still wasn't quite sure what had happened inside of him, but Cain hadn't been as volatile as before. Murasame's taunts seemed to roll off his back, his fight scenes were focused and professional, no more unscripted movements and fearsome attacks. Plus, nearly everyone on the crew knew he could speak Japanese… Setsu wasn't really needed any longer.

At least that's the excuse Kyoko gave herself. Because she wasn't sure if she could keep it up… that cliff, that precipice she felt herself to be on seemed to crumble more and more every day. The longer she spent with Tsuruga Ren, the harder it was to separate her feelings from Setsu's. She wasn't even sure if they were separate any longer. All she knew was that if she spent any longer seeing that stupid affection in Cain's eyes, feeling the warmth of his touch, she would be lost. It didn't matter how many times she told herself that his affection was merely good acting, she soaked it up anyway like a drowning woman gulps air.

Kyoko inhaled a deep, shuddering breath, clenching her hands against her thighs. She didn't want to lose herself again, and that's what romantic love did. It made her stupid, it made her careless, it made her so focused on the other person that she was lost.

"Kyoko-chan?"Okamisan's voice sounded outside her door.

"Yes?"

The door slid open and Okamisan's friendly face appeared. "I've been saving your mail for you since you've been gone for a few days." She passed over a bundle of envelopes.

"Ah! Arigatou," Kyoko said, accepting the small stack of envelopes. "I should probably look through these right away since I haven't been home for so long."

Okamisan smiled. "We're getting lunch ready, so come down after you're done."

"Yes, ma'am!"

She scanned the envelopes quickly. Some of them were junk, and she threw those away. Others were work-related, there was a card from Maria, and… Kyoko's heart gave a lurch when she saw the name on the envelope.

Fuwa.

Kyoko froze, the envelope slipping from her fingers to hit the floor. No… it can't be… not from them. But even the address was familiar: the location of a famous inn in the suburbs of Kyoto. Shotaro's family had found her.

#

The letter from Shotaro's parents sat propped up against a soy sauce bottle. She hadn't the nerve to open it yet, and so she'd been glaring at it through her lunch, wondering darkly what else Shotaro could do to ruin her life. She sighed, poking at her meal. After staring at it the night before, she'd decided to ignore it until she could figure out what to do. This morning, she'd gotten up early to clean at Darumaya, then attended class, completed a few minor Love Me jobs, and was back at the agency to catch a late lunch before she had to get into costume for Box R shooting.

She'd used the excuse of being busy to avoid thinking about it, but now that she had some free time, she had to confront the wretched thing. Kyoko remembered with a pang of embarrassment the fight between Shotaro and his parents that had preceded their leaving Kyoto.

I was so stupid! Kyoko thought with a wince. I remember thinking that Shotaro's parents were being cruel by denying their son his dream of becoming a musician…. Even though Fuwa-taisho had disowned him, Kyoko had left a forwarding address with his mother, just in case. But that address was their first, really old apartment that they only stayed in less than a year. Shotaro had wanted something bigger, something nicer; something closer to downtown Tokyo. The kind of apartment with rent so high that Kyoko had needed two jobs to pay for it.

Kyoko shook her head of her dark reflections, wondering instead how the Fuwa family had found her and why would they write to her of all people? They could do a quick internet search and discover that Shotaro belonged to Queen Records. Why bother her?

Then it hit her. Maybe they didn't know where he was. Had she or Shotaro ever told his family what he was changing his name to? She didn't think so. Shotaro hadn't changed into his stage name until he'd signed on with Queen Records, not wanting anyone to be able to find out what he thought of as his "shameful" past. Maybe his family was contacting her because they didn't know who else to call?

Regardless, no matter how much she wanted to avoid it, she couldn't let it sit unopened any longer. She had to read it.

#

Kyoko-chan,

I hope you are well and that this letter finds you and Shotaro very happy. I write, breaking my husband's solemn promise, in order to fulfill a wish. Shotaro's grandmother is very sick and will probably die soon. She was always fond of Shotaro and wishes to see him before she leaves this world. I haven't had any luck getting in contact with my son on my own. Queen Records doesn't believe I am really the mother of "Fuwa Sho" and since Shotaro did not see fit to leave them with any information of his parents, I am unable to prove it. If you could please tell Shotaro and ask him to come home to see his grandmother once more before she dies, I would be forever grateful.

She also requests your presence, Kyoko-chan. You remember how kind she was to you? I hope so.

God willing, I will see you soon.

Fuwa Ayano

Kyoko had read the letter so many times she'd memorized it. What should she do? She knew, of course, that she had to tell Shotaro—her vow of revenge had nothing to do with Obachan, whom she did remember well and with kindness—but knowing she had to do something and doing it was two different things.

She didn't want to see Shotaro. He'd gone to incredible lengths to kidnap her from school, and then Tsuruga-san had seen her in Shotaro's car, and then that ill-timed call from the idiot which had led to that scene between Cain and Setsu… Kyoko shook her head like a wet dog getting rid of excess water. No, she wouldn't give that idiot the satisfaction of choosing to have a face-to-face interview. But neither could she just forward the letter. She didn't want Shotaro knowing that his mother had invited her as well.

"Arrgh!" Kyoko rubbed her face with her hands.

"Don't mess up your makeup, Mogami-san!" called one of the managers from the side, where Kyoko was waiting on her cue to enter the set.

"Ah, right! Sorry!" Kyoko bobbed a bow, concentrating on her mark again. She had to listen for the line "and everyone's afraid of her!"

The manager… Kyoko turned to look at the woman who'd just spoken. The petite, middle-aged lady was Chirori's manager. That gave her an idea. Shoko Aki was Shotaro's manager… if she told Shoko-san to pass along the message, she wouldn't have to talk to Shotaro at all! Excellent!

"Uh, Kyoko-san, that was your line?"

"Eh? Oh no! Sorry!"

#

"That's… that's a shame, Kyoko-chan," Shoko's voice said over the phone. "But, yes, I will pass along the message. Oh, wait a minute, Sho's just walked in. I'll tell him now…"

"I don't want to talk to him—" Kyoko trailed off as she heard Shoko's voice in the background and then an explosion of yelling as Sho responded with obvious negativity.

Geez, Kyoko thought, rolling her eyes. Obachan is dying and he's still harping on about how his parents wouldn't let him follow his "dreams." What an immature jerk.

She waited for a few minutes, but a clattering noise made her realize that Shoko had dropped the phone in the altercation. Finally, Shoko's voice came back on the line, sounding breathless.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan? Sho, uh, will get back with you."

"No, no!" Kyoko said in rising panic. "I don't need to hear from him, he just needs to go home and—"

"We'll get back with you!" Shoko-san said again and hung up.