The Short Second Life of Cain Heel
Sariah Loire
Chapitre One
Skip Beat! and its characters, locations, terms, etc, do not belong to me.
Cain Heel has no problem being around his sister, Setsu, 24/7. Ren Tsuruga, on the other hand, has many problems when it comes to being with Kyoko Mogami at all times.
I should have known the boss would send her. It's just like him to be that cruel and intrusive, especially after he assured me that he would send someone I barely knew to come pick me up from the station. And then he decided that we're going to be together for who knows how long?
Not that I don't appreciate the chance to see her dressed like that, but still. I couldn't even hold on to my Cain state-of-mind, I had to make her change, under the premise of buying her new clothes.
But why didn't I think about it a little more before I offered her those leather pants, though? Those legs… I should have made her wear a dress. A long one.
Who am I kidding? The only way I could find Kyoko Mogami undesirable is if she were wearing a suit of armor. And I would have to not know it was her, since my imagination seems to be getting better as I get older.
And, as I had guessed, I'm not the only one who feels that way about Kyoko. Those punks that we ran into outside of Jeanne d'Arc should have learned to keep their hands –and eyes - to themselves.
After the run-in with those guys, it was oddly easy to behave myself. Kyoko fell asleep almost as soon as we got back to the room. And I must have been more tired than I thought, because I was able to sleep, too.
It was the best of times, it was the… well, actually, it was only the 'worst of times' for Ren Tsuruga. At any given moment in his life, he would have been able to smile politely and tell anyone who asked that yes, he did have his life in control. Until he became Cain Heel, that is. Now, if anyone asked, he would be thankful for the murderous glare that could frighten all but the bravest of people.
It was supposed to be so easy for him. Easier, at least. Ren was going to become Cain for his new movie, and would be assigned a temporary manager at the insistence of Lory. Mr. Yashiro was using the chance to visit his family in Okinawa, so he would be out of the picture. Yes, Ren was expecting it all to begin with being ushered into LME by some little-known flunky, and then escape to the mid-class hotel where he could shed off some of the darkness that he felt like he was enjoying a little too much.
And then she showed up.
If only the president had been a little more kind, and not sent Kyoko, it all could have gone so well. His only worry should have been about stopping Cain from threatening a few people's lives, not trying to control him from pinning Kyoko against the nearest wall. Or perhaps that was Ren himself, and not Cain. He had found it quite hard to separate his thoughts from Cain's.
She had been terrified, as Ren expected whoever picked him up to be. He was fine with it at first, it meant less talk, less lies that would have to be told to the poor soul. But when she recognized him, he couldn't keep his heart from beating a few times extra over the joy that made him feel. He had to get out of there, even if it meant nearly stepping on Kyoko in order to do so.
Ren waited in an alleyway for her, he knew she would be coming along shortly. There was no way someone like Kyoko would give up the job she had been assigned. And he was right; she was walking down that very street, lost in her own thoughts. It had been easy to yank her out of the crowd, his hand was more than large enough to keep her quiet.
Kyoko had been on her knees apologizing to him before he had the chance to tell her anything. That was when her actual level of fear hit him, and he knew he had to make it right, even if it meant putting himself in an awkward position. When he let her see that it really was him, he thought his heart would stop at the relieved, albeit confused, smile that lit her face.
When Kyoko launched into her speech about how she recognized Ren, it threw him for a loop. If he hadn't been Cain, he probably would have not been able to keep a straight face. The thought that Kyoko had studied his bone and muscles to that extent disturbed him even more than it did when she made that incredibly realistic doll for Maria.
They had made their way to the Takarada Estate, with Kyoko asking a million questions about why he was disguised, why he looked like a hoodlum, along with every other thing that he knew better to answer without clearance from the president. And when they finally did reach Lory, Ren received a resound scolding, one that he knew he deserved. It was so straightforward that Ren didn't even notice when Kyoko wandered off, lured by the tiny makeup artist, Jelly Woods.
Lory and Jelly's words about Kyoko being embarrassed of her appearance only made Ren worry all the more. He had no idea what they could have done to make her that self-conscious, but whatever it was couldn't be good. And he was right.
Kyoko walked into the room in head-to-toe leather and chains. Too little leather, and too many chains managed to break through Ren's defenses, and his face was one of shock for several moments. That same shock was reflected on Kyoko's own face, but he was too troubled to notice it. The only thing that his mind would comprehend was an emergency plan to control himself, and strict orders to his eyes to stay off of her toned legs. The micro-mini wasn't helping the little control he had left.
That last bit of control had snapped when Kyoko was handed a hotel room key. Ren had tried his best to listen, but he could only focus on that tiny white pouch, the one that seemed to be screaming that he would have to sleep in the same room as Kyoko during the entire time he was acting as Cain. And he was sure that Kyoko, who had readily accepted her role as 'Setsu', was having her share of second thoughts as well.
And just when he thought it couldn't get any more trying, the hotel room hosted only one bed. One. Not one regular bed and a pullout. Not one regular bed and room for a futon on the floor. That room was made for one person, or two close people. Ren knew Cain and Setsu wouldn't mind sharing a bed if it were necessary, but he was feeling very much like Ren Tsuruga at that moment, and 'Setsu' was even more Kyoko than normal.
When Kyoko suggested getting another room, Ren had reacted without thinking. He didn't really want to share a bed with her on sibling pretenses, but neither did he want her to be walking around the hallways dressed like that, worrying about her 'brother'. Instead, he had forced her to remember just how her Setsu would react to a situation like that. When he told her that they should just share a bed, complete with her resting her head on his arm, he knew she would run. There wasn't a character strong enough to hold her to that kind of acting, and he was banking on that fact.
But then they were saved by a knock on their room door, and a very apologetic pair of hotel owners.
Their second room was much more rational, complete with two separate beds. The hotel manager showered Kyoko with toiletries and other items, until she convinced him that she couldn't carry any more. As soon as the door was closed, she had dropped most of them on the floor in her attempt to carry them all.
When she had tried to retrieve them, most of her body was exposed in a way that would have mortified her if she had been aware. Ren resisted the urge to slap himself, and settled for burying his face in his hands. He had been sure that even the oblivious Kyoko couldn't ignore her 'brother' not being able to take his eyes off of her low shirt, or rising skirt. When he looked up to see her fumbling for the barely-concealed condom that had been jammed in with everything else, he knew he had to get out of the room.
Ren stood, his hand snaking out in a flash. He grabbed Kyoko's wrist and hauled her to her feet, stuffing an extra pack of cigarettes in his pocket at he pulled her out of the hotel room. After the door closed behind him, he set his sights on the nearest exit, and dragged Kyoko towards it.
She had protested the entire way, and once they got onto the street, she had become even more agitated. Ren wasn't concerned, there was only one thing left on his mind, and that was the task of finding more decent clothes for his 'sister' before he did something that siblings really shouldn't do. He had pulled her incessantly, until he felt a tug on his arm, and a soft hand in his own.
Kyoko, or Setsu, since she finally appeared to be trying to get into character, was pouting. She told him that her legs hurt, and that her brother was walking too fast. If he had been fully Cain, he might have been able to say that it was because her legs were too short, but he still had too much Ren in his mind to comment on any part of her anatomy. Instead, he had told her that he wanted to get her to a clothing store. He left out the reason why it was so important, but that was better left unsaid.
He had made himself turn his mind over to Cain, even if 'Ren' was screaming at him the entire time. When they made it to Jeanne d'Arc, and Kyoko picked out a costume that was better suited for a Halloween party hosted by Maria, he calmly told her that she looked good in anything. His younger days of wishing he had a sister were a great help, along with the fact that 'Ren' wanted to be able to buy Kyoko anything she wanted, and she accept the gifts.
Setsu's pouting face was more adorable than Cain had thought possible, and he couldn't help trying to tease her along with correcting her gently. But when his hand had brushed her mouth before he grabbed her cheek, Ren was in place once again. Forcing himself away from her, he stalked to a clothing rack. If Kyoko had thought she knew his body well, Ren was just as sure that he knew hers. He had picked a pair of pants out within seconds, and tossed them towards Setsu. When she had gone in the dressing room, he tossed an undershirt that was slightly more modest over the door for good measure.
While Setsu was trying her clothes on, Cain paid for ten pairs of the very same pants Setsu was wearing in the next room. Money was no problem for him; Lory had given him access to his own account by getting a credit card made with both Cain and Setsu's name on it. Cain was glad for that, though he didn't know of any reason why he and Setsu wouldn't be together when she needed money.
Cain took great pleasure in telling Setsu that he had bought her ten pairs of pants. Her reaction turned his mind back to Ren, though, when she became irate at wasting money. Cain won the struggle, when he asked Kyoko if she was going to take his only joy besides acting away from him. As he had suspected, Setsu wasn't able to hold her own against her beloved big brother's puppy-eyes. Cain even turned up the look's power so that he would only have to return seven pairs of the pants, instead of eight.
Exiting the store, Cain was met with the sight of four guys surrounding his sister. One of which had an arm around her, as if claiming her for his own. Cain pulled out his cigarette, crushing it in his hand. He was ready to do the level of damage that he could get arrested for, but three words stopped him from his rampage.
His little sister's voice, calling him her 'important man'.
"And if I ever catch you touching, or just looking, at my sister again, you'll be carried away from here in three pieces." Cain had his arm against the dark-haired man's throat, pressing him back against the wall. The others had turned-tail and run, but that one had tried to give him a fight. And Cain was always up for a fight. "Understand?"
The man's eyes bulged slightly, as he tried to take in a breath. Well, one eye was turning purple from meeting with Cain's fist, but the other was wide and scared. Cain was going to let them go with a warning, if the guy wouldn't have grabbed Setsu by the waist to take him with her, even after Cain had growled and warned him to let her go. "Y-Yes." His voice was barely audible.
"Sorry? I didn't catch that." He would have pushed harder, but a voice at the end of the alley distracted him.
"Caaaain! Are you there?" Setsu was at the end of the alley. She couldn't see him, but she was coming closer, if the sound of her footsteps were any indication. "Caaain?"
He swore, flinging his arm from the man's neck. The guy fell, gasping for air, and didn't try to get back up and fight again. Cain took that as a signal of his acceptance, and he turned to go find Setsu. "I told you to wait for me; you shouldn't walk around the streets by yourself, Setsu."
She was pouting again; she grabbed his arm with her hands, pulling him slightly. "But it's time for supper! Let's go eat at the hotel; you have to get to bed early for filming tomorrow." Setsu pulled his arm close to her, her face changing into a knowing smile. "And you have to eat every bite, or else you can't get any desert after!"
Ren let out a slow breath as Setsu let go of his arm and walked ahead of him, turning around every few minutes to smile over her shoulder at her 'brother'. 'One day down, almost. I'll just have to take this one step at a time, and hope that Cain can handle having a sister like Setsu.'
The title of this fic is taken from the new book in the sparkly-non-blood-sucking-vampire series known as, ugh, Twilight. No offense intended to Twilight fans, the title just made me think of Ren/Cain, so I thought it would work for this story.
I call Ren/Kyoko by their actual names, or by their character names, depending on if they're in character or not. So, it'll switch up a lot. I'm thinking about making this story a humorous series of (unfortunate?) events featuring Cain and Setsu (since it's so much fun to torture Ren). Write in with ideas/situations you would like to see in this story, if I can, I'll use them!
Sari*
