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“So what your movie is sold out in every theater in Japan!? You’re never going to beat me!” Sho Fuwa stood with his arms folded, smirking down at Kyoko Mogami. They were having another one of their little tiffs, and he was once again getting her goat. “I’ve got two world tours under my belt, three albums, and tons of fans all over the world! You could never even dream of walking a day in my shoes!”
Kyoko’s fists were clenched at her sides, her face beet red. She had sworn to beat him at his own game. Why couldn’t she seem to do it!? Then suddenly, she paused. The color faded from her cheeks, and her fingers opened, relaxation spreading down her neck and into her shoulders. She smiled up at him, angelically.
“Bet,” she said. And then she turned and walked away from him.
Sho watched her go, an unease settling in the pit of his stomach. “Where do you think you’re going!? I’m not done with you yet! Come back here!” He scoffed and made his way back to the garage where his car was parked. She’s so fucking weird sometimes, he thought coolly. She can’t do anything to me. If she could, she’d have done it by now. He went home, got a shower, and crawled into bed, a self-satisfied smile upon his face.
The following morning, he rolled over and checked his phone. He was a full hour and a half late for his music video shoot. He smiled to himself. Doesn’t matter, they can’t start without me.
He got out of bed and took his time getting dressed. He drank a beer and ate two pudding cups before throwing on his black leather boots, grabbing his keys, and heading out the door. He drove across town to the studio, and pulled up to the gate. He flashed his ID. The guard tilted his head at him, studying his face. “Fuwa-san?”
Sho looked over his sunglasses at the security guard. “Is something wrong?”
“Uh…” the guard seemed very confused, but straightened up. “No, of course not. Please, go ahead.”
The gate opened, and Sho drove through, shaking his head at the old timer. He parked his car and walked into the building. He opened the door to the room where they would be filming his music video.
“All right! I’m here! Who’s ready!?” He stopped. The set was abuzz with activity, and the music for his new single ‘Onyx’ was playing. The director yelled in frustration and turned to look at him.
“And just who in the hell do you think you are coming in here and ruining my shot!? This is a closed set!”
Sho was taken aback. “It’s a closed set for MY music video!”
“No,” said a voice that was terribly familiar, “It’s a closed set for my music video.”
Kyoko strode across the set, wearing a cheeky grin that was terrifyingly similar to his own. She wore his costume, had dyed and cut her hair to match his exactly. Her makeup had been done to model the lines of his cheeks and jaw, and she wore contacts to mimic his eye color.
“I–what– WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?”
She laughed. She had even deepened her voice to match his. Years of her mocking his voice and mannerisms was paying off now. “I could ask you the same question. It’s weird. Why are you dressed like me? Who are you?”
Sho’s mouth fell open. “Dressed like YOU? You’re dressed like ME! Have you completely fucking lost it!?” he looked around the room to find Shoko, who was standing nearby, watching the scene unfold. “Shoko, get this lunatic off of my set!”
In response, she looked at Kyoko. “Sho, should I call security? How do you want this handled?”
Kyoko nodded. “Yeah, this guy is crazy.”
Sho stared at Shoko. “Shoko, you can’t be fucking serious right now. It’s me! It’s SHO.” He approached Kyoko, and a light tech grabbed him by the arm to stop him. Sho shook him off. “Don’t fucking touch me! I’m Sho Fuwa!” He pointed at Kyoko. “She’s not even as tall as I am!”
Shoko blinked at him. “Sho-chan was just diagnosed with osteoporosis. He got it from eating nothing but pudding and beer.”
“I–I do not have osteoporosis!” he blustered. “That is insane! That is some shit that old ladies get!”
The security guards came in through the door and Shoko pointed him out. “That one. Please take him out of here. He’s a crazed fan, claiming to be Sho Fuwa.”
They grabbed his arms and hauled him toward the door. He kicked and screamed the whole way. “I AM THE REAL SHO FUWA! KYOKO, COME ON, THIS HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH! KYOKOOOO!” his voice echoed as they dragged him into the hall.
Shoko approached Kyoko and looked her over. “Are you okay, Sho?”
Kyoko smirked. “Never better.”
The next few weeks were fraught for Sho Fuwa. Shoko refused to return his phone calls, and stopped working for him entirely. His bank account dwindled slowly but surely, and when he tried to pay his rent, he found that his debit card had been cancelled. He tried to show up to venues for his shows, only to be turned away by security. He watched in horror as Kyoko went on talk shows and talked about some of the most embarrassing moments of his childhood. He cringed as she recalled how he had split his pants playing kick ball when he was 13, and how he had wet the bed until he was 10.
Three weeks into this torture, she released a new album, ‘Checkmate’, that the critics hailed as his finest work. He had tried over and over to call her cell phone, only to be ignored, but after the album dropped, she picked up.
“Shotarou.” She sounded so pleased with herself.
“Kyoko, this has got to fucking stop. You made your point, that’s enough.”
“Have I?” she purred. “I’m not so sure. I don’t hear you apologizing.”
“You took over my whole fucking life like a psycho and you want ME to apologize to YOU? You’re fucking nuts!”
“Be that as it may,” she tittered, “I’m not quite done yet. It’s a lot of fun being you. Just remember, this could all go away if you simply apologize and admit that I’m better than you.”
He was about to hurl every expletive that he knew at her, but the line had already gone dead.
With no way to afford his rent and groceries, he was forced to vacate his apartment… and go back to Kyoto. His cab pulled up in front of the Ryokan, and he sighed. At least Mom and Dad will be happy to see me. Maybe they can talk some sense into her…
He walked into the lobby. “Mom, I’m home!”
Yayoi Fuwa looked up from her laptop at the front counter and then looked around the lobby. “Are you looking for someone, young man?”
He stopped. “Uh… yeah? I’m looking for you.”
She set her hands on her hips. “I’m not your mother. I only have one son, and he’s on tour right now.”
Sho swallowed. No. No fucking way. “Mom, it’s me! It’s Sho!”
She took a step away from the counter and picked up her cell phone. “Do I need to call the police?”
He blinked and then turned on his heel and left the building. He called Kyoko again.
“Shotarou. Have you called to apologize ye–”
“What the fuck did you do to my mom!?”
Kyoko laughed on the other end. “Nothing, of course!”
“She doesn’t recognize me!”
“Because you’re not Sho Fuwa. I am.”
Sho clenched his teeth. “No, you are NOT. Now stop doing this! You’re going to look like a complete and total psycho when this gets out!”
“Hm,” she said, “I don’t think it ever will. It’s unfortunate for you, Sho, that I am a better, more talented version of you. And I could keep this up for decades. Or,” she added wickedly, “I could end this right now.”
He paled. “What are you gonna do?” He was imagining more of his embarrassing childhood stories making it to the public.
“Tsuruga-san has graciously agreed to take me on a date. Or rather, I should say, you.”
Sho froze. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I? I, the number one pop star in Japan, being seen with the most handsome actor in Japan, would be just great for my public image.”
Sho knew that his career hinged on being able to make the gineys of teen girls the world over tingle. And he knew that if they saw him as being with a man, they might tingle just a bit less. He also knew that Tsuruga’s fangirls might gut him. He took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry.”
“And?” she giggled.
He was actually in tears. “And you’re better than me. You are. Now, please, please Kyoko, give me my life back.”
“Okay.” She hung up.
He fell to his knees. Would it really be that simple? Would she back down? He had no way of knowing for certain. The only thing he could do was show up for his gig in Tokyo tomorrow and hope that she wouldn’t be there.
When he arrived at the venue, Shoko met him at the door. “Sho-chan! Where have you been!? We need you in hair and makeup now! The show starts in half an hour!” She ushered him down the hall and into the makeup chair, where he breathed a sigh of relief. He would avoid Kyoko Mogami like the plague and never ever get on her bad side again as long as he lived.
When they had his hair and makeup perfect, and dressed in his first costume of the night, he took his place on the stage behind the curtain. He could hear the thousands of young women in the crowd screaming for him. Music that was unfamiliar to him started up, and he paled when he realized it must be from the new album…
Checkmate.