Every Move You Make: Relaunch Ch 1

A/N: Persie here! I have been having such a grand time with this story and I wanted to rework the beginning to fit with the rest, to fix the energy, and to celebrate The Day of the Chase! December 19, 2019 shall henceforth and forevermore be sacred! Here's my tribute to getting rid of angst and finding the FIRE.

Kyoko stood on a high green screen mountain at the left edge of the set. A fan whirred from the rafters, blowing warm air that lifted and swirled her long kunoichi hair tie. She breathed deep, trying to fall into Momiji before the cameras swung her way. A pervasive uneasiness remained within her, making her fidget.

Down below, Shizuma and Chidori walked through a bamboo grove. The couple walked forward, slowly moving closer until their hands brushed. Shizuma looked down at Chidori adoringly, tenderly clasping her hand in his. Momiji watched from above, a solitary dark figure guarding their path. The camera zoomed in on her.

As she watched the pair, Kyoko's vision blurred. Chidori's hair seemed to lighten, growing blonde, as Shizuma gazed down at her. It was them, hand in hand again just like on the tabloid magazine that morning. Tsuruga and Kana.

The camera caught her expression's shift. Her shoulders slumped as Momiji sagged, her eyes losing their bright alertness.

"CUT!" Director Morizumi yelled. "Mogami-san. Wrong." He rubbed his forehead. Kyoko jumped up, startled.

"Ai-yah, sir! Sorry sir!" She bowed to the director below.

"Pay attention to your character's motivations, Mogami-san," Morizumi warned, giving her no additional detail.

Kyoko nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. Momiji's shoulders had sagged. Even should an arrow pierce her gut, should Shizuma demand her life, should the world as she knew it fall down around her- her shoulders would not sag. She carried the pride of her family's honor in service upon them and would do so until death. "I understand, sir!" Kyoko straightened, her bands snapping in the wind behind her.

"Alright, back to start positions everyone. Retake."

Filming proceeded as normal; Kyoko managing to pass Morizumi's scrutiny. Chidori and Momiji had a final scene to shoot before lunch: the first confrontation between the two women after Chidori suspects Momiji's love for Shizuma.

"Places!"

Momiji squatted on the ground beside a small campfire. She scritched at the ground with a broken branch, waiting for Shizuma's tea to steep. She had assembled exactly one tea setting and brewed only a few ounces, ignoring the presence of that woman completely. Chidori sat on a fallen tree just on the edge of the camera's field of view, staring at the ninja with narrowed eyes. She worried at her dress with her hands.

Momiji shifted, grabbing another stick for the fire. She knew Chidori was weighing her, but wasn't certain why. She couldn't care less, though. The woman was weak; a liability. Why Shimuzu-sama had allowed her to come on their trip was beyond Momiji's comprehension, but she didn't dare question her lord's judgment. He was beyond reproach. She heard Chidori clear her throat. She didn't bother to look up.

"Momiji-san?" Chidori's voice prodded at her annoyingly.

Momiji still didn't look up. This woman wasn't worth her time.

"Momiji-san, I need to speak with you."

Momiji shifted, nodding slightly for Chidori to continue. Either that or let the cow keep saying her name. At least if she spoke her piece, Momiji could ignore a string of varied words instead of the same syllables on repeat.

"I… Shizuma and I…" Chidori began, haltingly. Momiji's head snapped up at the girl's use of Shizuma's name with no honorifics. Her eyes blazed possessively as she glared at Chidori.

"Shimuzu-sama, woman." Momiji interrupted.

"No," Chidori said, softly but firmly. "Not to me. To me, he is just Shizuma." Chidori paused, meeting Momiji's eyes. She flinched back, her hand raising in a partial warding sign. She continued despite her obvious trembling. "I will always be by his side now, as his lover," Chidori said. "And you will never be more than his servant." She took a deep breath and raised her chin, watching Momiji.

Momiji stood silently. This was her cue to snarl at Chidori and stalk over, terrifying her without touching her. But Kyoko couldn't maintain her composure; this was too close, too much like what she believed to be true. Another woman by his side. Her grip on Momiji faltered. "You—" Director Morizumi watched her closely. Friends. Always friends. Kyoko grabbed mentally for her line. "I will never leave his side either," she forced out. She couldn't find the anger Momiji needed. There was just grief and resignation. Friends. Always friends. Never more. Always by his side, but someone was closer.

"CUT. NG. Mogami-san, come here immediately," Producer Kuresaki's bored voice cut unexpectedly through the set as he glared at her. Kyoko cringed. Of all people, for Kuresaki to arrive during this scene was catastrophic. She, a mere talento, had failed Momiji again. She couldn't understand where Momiji found the strength to keep fighting for closeness to Shizuma. Why would she want to stay near when he was someone else's? All Kyoko could ever do around Tsuruga-san was flee.

"Mogami-san, your fight scenes are excellent. Your choreography is excellent, as expected of a student of the Master. In the audition, your understanding of Momiji's possessiveness and fire was impeccable. Today, though, you completely lost the character." Kuresaki bit off the words in the last sentence, his disappointment palpable. "You are dismissed. Return tomorrow with a full grasp on this character or you are fired." Kuresaki turned to the rest of the shocked team. "Lunch break. We will film the Chidori and Shizuma bedroom scene after lunch."

Kyoko flushed in embarrassment, standing still with her head bowed to the whole group in apology as they filed out for lunch. His words ran through her head. He was right. She had lost Momiji, even after Director Morizumi had given her advice earlier. She wasn't sure what to do. As she wandered out of the studio to change, Kyoko fingered her phone. In these scenarios, her sempai had always been the first person she turned to. But now… Not possible. She couldn't interfere with him. More like I can't stomach the possibility he may mention Kana-san to me. She flipped her phone out and pushed her #1 Speed Dial.

"Hello, Moko-san? I need to talk to you. Are you free for lunch today?"