AUTHOR'S NOTE: A friend of mine introduced me to Skip Beat! just a little while ago and I am now hooked...horribly. Decided to take a break from my long-running Katekyo Hitman Reborn! fan fic arc and play a little bit in a new world. I do have a few future plots for a much longer Skip Beat! fan fiction, but this will do for now as I couldn't quite get it out of my head. This takes place loosely after Ch. 213 and may or may not contain spoilers, but if they're there I don't think they're that obvious.
Skip Beat! doesn't belong to me, it is the property of Nakamura Yoshiki-sensei, but I just couldn't resist playing a little bit. I use the names "Cain" and "Setsuka/Setsu" for the most part during this particular fic because they're in character for most of this, but a slip to Ren or Kyoko is generally intentional indicating a faltering in their acting if only for a moment.
Thanks for looking!
Marks
The hotel room in Guam was fancier than anything Kyoko had ever seen in her life, even the room they'd had back in Japan during the first rounds of filming. It seemed like it was twice the size of the room she'd slept in previously since it had been decided that Cain Heel would return to the set before Setsuka Heel joined him. She had moved directly to the hotel room after Muse-sama had finished perfecting her Setsu look again and set all of her bags on the second bed. The clothes that Muse had picked for her return to Setsu were a blood red bikini top and a leather half-jacket topping an impossibly short leather skirt with fishnets and stiletto boots. The long blond hair of her Setsuka wig brushed along her neck and her bare back making it itch a little bit. Long red fingernails scratched over the skin and then she took a deep breath and shook her head a bit, trying to move the stray hair away from her sensitive skin.
After exploring the room, Kyoko made her way to the drawn curtains and pulled them back so that she could look out the window. Instead of a window behind the curtain there was a sliding glass door leading out onto a balcony that overlooked the ocean with a small table decorated with a flower vase and two chairs. She clapped delightedly and opened the door, bursting out onto the balcony, for the moment forgetting her "Setsu-face" because no one would be looking up at her that would know her yet as they were shooting scenes about twenty miles away at an empty beach property the company was renting out.
She leaned over the railing and let the sea breeze wash over her as the waves rolled up onto the beach. For an instant, she remembered the view of Corn emerging from the water just before she'd spent the entire delightful afternoon with him. A blush suffused her cheeks as she remembered how that meeting ended and she lightly touched her lips in wonderment then shook her head. It occurred to her that maybe she should go out and get the food to prepare on the kitchenette for the next four days, but she couldn't tear herself away from the balcony railing.
The sun slowly sank down towards the horizon and Kyoko's delighted smile lit up her face as it tickled her romantic fantasies for just an instant…
"No!"
She slapped her hands against her cheeks to bring herself back into reality. Regardless of her feelings, she would not let them show for anyone and especially not Tsuruga-san.
Besides in this room, they were the Heel siblings and all of the very interesting factors that went with it.
"Cut!"
Ren dragged himself up off of Murasama and strode away as the director asked for video check and shoved the hood of his costume back.
"Cain-san!"
Ren flinched as the voice rolled across the set and directed a dark glare at the girl that wouldn't take no for an answer. Manaka still wasn't leaving him alone and while "Setsu" was absent from the set seemed to ambush him at every corner. He smoothly stepped aside and she stumbled over a chair that was behind him and he watched coldly as she hit the ground and strode away.
"We're done for the day, go and get some rest," the director announced. "The schedule for the shoot will be available at the hotel desk once you arrive."
Ren took the dismissal and headed out the door, turning down the offer for a ride in the studio transport and catching a taxi instead. He stared broodingly out the window as the taxi driver navigated through the traffic and Ren was a little amused at the nervous looks the driver kept giving him, but kept his face expressionless. He paid the taxi, belatedly remembering tip because he didn't usually have to worry about that in Japan and headed into the hotel lobby.
He stopped at the desk and was immediately handed a booklet that had schedule scrawled across the front and nodded curtly. He headed for the elevator, telling himself it was just Cain anxious to make sure his little sister made it to the hotel safely, but he knew better. Seeing Kyoko all day yesterday with the short time in between his kissing her on the balcony of the restaurant as "Corn" and seeing her again in proper form as Ren Tsuruga wasn't nearly enough for him.
He sighed inwardly.
He was hopeless.
He stepped into the elevator and turned to see other guests of the hotel back away hastily as the door closed and he smirked, carefully pulling the mask of Cain Heel firmly into place.
He got off on the appropriate level and pulled out his hotel key, glancing over it one more time to ascertain the room number and found it. He slid the card into the lock and it clicked and the door swung open.
A salty breeze swirled through the room and Ren's glanced over the pile of luggage on the second bed and his eyes moved to the open door to the balcony. A smile quirked his lips, of course she would be there.
He slipped onto the balcony, his boot hitting the base and she tilted her head back and smiled at him, the sinking sun glinting off the chain that connected her lip ring and earring. "Nii-san!" she said delightedly and turned to face him.
She sashayed closer and smiled slowly. "Did you miss me, Nii-san?"
The smoky eyes and seductive smile had him closing the distance between them and pulling her into a tight hug, falling completely into his Cain role. "What do you think, Setsu?" he rumbled against her ear. "You were gone too long."
"The flight got delayed," Setsuka shrugged.
Cain's eyes immediately fell on the top and his breath caught, fingers moving lightly over her waist and upwards.
Setsuka suddenly scowled and took two steps back and glared at him. "Why do you smell like another girl's perfume?" she demanded.
Cain blinked at the abrupt question and frowned, lifting his arm up to sniff at the material and then scowled himself. "The hamster won't leave me alone on set," he finally said. "She brought this to me when I was switching costumes."
"Oh she did, did she?" Setsu growled.
A smile quirked his lips, "Yes, she did. She's apparently forgotten who I belong to," Cain murmured.
Setsuka's eyes went immediately to the left side of his neck that had long since lost the kiss mark she'd originally put on him a few weeks before. "The shirt stinks, change it," Setsuka finally said and brushed by him in a rush of a completely different perfume.
"As you wish," he murmured and followed her back inside, barely noticing the sun sinking towards the horizon and coloring the waters red.
He entered the room and stripped off the shirt, leaving him bare from the waist up as he headed towards the closet in the room that held his wardrobe for this particular character. He pulled out a shirt and was distracted by the sound of something vibrating against the table in the room and his eyes immediately went to the cell phone rattling against the surface. Unable to resist, he hung the shirt over the back of the chair and picked up her phone and flipped it open. It as a phone call from her "uncle" and Cain smirked and hit the button to decline the call and then turned the phone off, he wanted Setsuka's attention all to himself for a little while—after all, it had been days since his beloved younger sister was within his reach.
"What are you doing, nii-san?" Setsuka scowled at him.
"Is it wrong to just want some quiet time with my sister?" Cain inquired with a slow smile. "You can talk to 'uncle' later."
"Can we order room service tonight, nii-san?" Setsuka inquired. "I didn't get a chance to figure out where the stores were this afternoon—unless you don't mind me going out and looking?"
Cain's eyes went to the clock on the table between the beds and noted it was only just after seven in the evening. It wouldn't be incredibly dangerous if she were to go out now, but…
He moved forward and teased a finger along his sister's jaw. "I think we can do room service tonight," he murmured, leaning in and kissing her forehead. "You must be tired from your flight."
"Maybe…a little bit…" Setsuka said.
He pressed his forehead to hers a smile playing over his lips. "What do you feel like eating?" he asked, moving away towards the room service menu.
"Whatever Nii-san thinks sounds good," Setsuka said and went towards her luggage on the bed and began to unpack.
She took off her short jacket and laid it aside before she unzipped all of the bags that were on the bed and began pulling out the piles of clothes that were packed. Likely she wouldn't be using over half of them before their jobs were done, but they all needed to be neatly put away anyway.
Cain picked up the menu, opened it, and then froze as his eyes landed on his sister's nearly bare back except for the thin string that tied the bikini top on in the back and snapped the book shut. He rose from the chair and cross the floor, his feet making no noise on the carpet and he lightly trailed his fingers along the expanse of smooth skin presented to him. Setsuka straightened abruptly and shivered a bit before Cain shifted her hair and nuzzled her neck—more than anything he wanted to return the favor of the mark, but Ren knew that once they closed the script on the Heel siblings she would have a few jobs lined up, but, on the other hand, there was a reason for make-up artists…
Cain brushed his lips over the skin of her neck, flicking his tongue over the spot he was contemplating. "Not there, Nii-san," Setsuka scowled.
Cain lifted his head. "What not there?" he asked.
"No marks there, it's too hard to conceal later," Setsuka retorted.
Cain's arm slid around her waist and he drew her back against his still bare chest, he'd left the shirt forgotten on the chair when he went to check the menu. "Then can I mark somewhere else?" he rumbled, lips tracing along her shoulder.
Kyoko scrambled to gather up the pieces of Setsuka Heel even as Ren in the guise of Cain was slowly shredding them. Four more days…four more days…Setsu face…
"I'm not the one letting unnecessary people hit on me," Setsuka said fiercely, turning to glare at her brother.
Cain let his arms settle around her waist and smirked down at her. "Then you may just have to stake your claim again," he purred.
Setsuka teased her fingers along her brother's side and smiled up at him. "I may just do that…after dinner," she stated and pulled away. "Go take a shower you still smell like the hamster."
Cain watched her go and shook his head, but did as his sister bid, gathering up his clothing and heading for the bathroom.
As soon as the bathroom door clicked closed, Kyoko's knees gave and she landed on the carpet with a thump. This was a lot harder to do now that she fully realized her feelings for Ren and they were channeling into Setsu in regards to Cain. She took several deep breaths, controlling her heart rate and breathing and forcing all of Kyoko Mogami's emotions back into a box and pulling Setsuka Heel's emotion to the forefront. Once she was sure she had everything set, she moved to the table and picked up the menu her brother had abandoned and scanned over it before placing a phone call for the items that she knew that her brother would like as well as herself.
Once the order was placed, Setsuka got back to work putting away all of her clothing and then plopped down in one of the chairs with a magazine while she waited for the room service delivery and her brother to emerge from the shower.
Cain slipped out of the bathroom and found his sister immersed in a magazine that she'd picked up and padded across the floor and leaned over her shoulder to look. "Who is Ren Tsuruga?" he rumbled.
Setsuka jumped a bit as her brother's breath rushed over her ear and neck. "Just some Japanese actor, he's supposedly the number one everything right now," she said.
The Ren behind the Cain Hill mask recognized the article that his partner was turned to as the one that had been published just a little while before they came here. It was the article where he'd revealed that, but he didn't have the heart to ask why Kyoko had that particular magazine—he'd rather entertain the notion, at least for a little bit, that she got it because it had an article about him inside.
He pulled the magazine from her fingers and teased his lips along her ear. "Is this Ren Tsuruga guy better than me?" he asked.
A smile quirked Setsuka's red lips as she tilted her head back, revealing an enticing amount of her neck to his eyes. "Nii-san has no equal," she said, her voice slightly husky.
Cain leaned down to kiss her neck and flirt with the idea of marking his territory, but was interrupted by a knock on the door followed by the call of "Room Service". He pulled back just in time to avoid Setsuka's head from smacking into his jaw and watched her go to the door still dressed in the skimpy bathing suit top. His eyes narrowed and his long strides ate the ground between them and he caught her shoulder. "Put something else on or at least your jacket," he growled.
"What?" Setsuka looked surprised, but then smirked. "I'm covered, what more do you want?"
"Jacket. Now."
The words were bit out and Setsuka laughed delightedly and wandered to the bed where her jacket lay. Cain opened the door and watched the woman with the room service's jaw drop and realized belatedly he hadn't actually bothered to change into real clothing; he was just wearing the towel he'd wrapped around his waist when he emerged from the shower. He practically snatched the tray from her and slammed the door.
"So, Nii-san doesn't like anyone seeing me in an entirely appropriate swimming suit top, but it's okay if he let's all the women see him in nothing but a towel?"
Setsuka's voice was dangerous and his eyes flew to meet hers.
"I'm covered, what more do you want?" he said, tossing her words back at her.
She scowled at him and took the tray from his hands and stalked towards the table and slammed it down. "I'm taking a bath," she announced. "You better eat all of it."
"It'll get cold if you do that, Setsu," Cain said.
He moved to intercept her and she glared at him. "Get out of my way Nii-san," she stated.
"Who is jealous now, Setsu?" he murmured. "Don't be so mad. It was an accident; I forgot that I hadn't put pants on yet."
Setsuka opened her mouth to say something else, but Cain was unable to resist and bent down and caught her lips in a kiss to silence her.
He pulled back, the Ren in the back of his mind idly contemplating the fact that first "Corn" and now "Cain Heel" had kissed Kyoko, albeit in her Setsuka Heel role, and he had yet to actually do so himself as himself or at least the self she knew him best as. The thought quickly vanished when Setsuka's still booted foot landed on his shin as she glared up at him.
He swore and yanked her closed to his body and captured her lips in another fierce kiss. Setsuka's hands were on his arms trying to shove them free, but eventually they curled around his forearms and her nails dug into his skin. Eventually, he pulled back. "I'm yours, Setsu, remember?" he told her gently, stepping back.
"Get some clothes on," Setsuka said, her voice slightly breathless.
"Only if you're planning to join me to eat right now," he said.
She sighed. "Fine," she said and flopped down on the chair
Cain smirked and vanished into bathroom to pull on the clothes he'd left behind earlier though he left the shirt open. While he'd been dressing, his little sister had set out the dishes, but still had a pout on her face and he sighed as he settled down. "Setsu…"
"Hmmph…" she said and tossed her hair over her shoulder and settled into the plate of food she'd gotten for herself.
Cain ate lightly, his long fingers opening the can of beer she'd produced from the tiny refrigerator that was in their room and sipping at it while he watched her. She finished the food quickly and then rose. "Does Nii-san mind if I take a bath now?" she asked tartly.
He chuckled and waved her towards the bathroom and she stomped towards it.
He cleared their dishes and set the tray outside the door before grabbing another beer and his pack of cigarettes and retreating to the balcony for a smoke. He left the balcony door open and as soon as he heard the bathroom door open, he stubbed out his cigarette and headed back inside, tossing the beer can in the general vicinity of the trash can and missing.
His eyes were arrested by the sight of Setsuka wearing nothing but a towel as he had been earlier. The smirk she tossed him when he entered told him that her state of dress was entirely purposeful and his eyes narrowed. She hummed as she moved around the room and then headed for the balcony door.
Cain slammed the sliding door, immediately putting himself between her and the outside. "Are you trying to give me an excuse to kill people for seeing my sister undressed?" he growled.
"The chances of anyone looking up here are slim to none and you obviously didn't mind the room service attendant seeing you," she scowled.
"That's different," Cain stated flatly.
Setsuka put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. "How?"
"Do you want people to see you that way?" he asked darkly.
Setsuka blinked and took a tentative step back. "Now, Nii-san…"
Cain caught her arm in a rough grip. "Well?" he growled.
Setsuka hesitated for a moment, her brother wouldn't hurt her, but his expression was downright dangerous. Reluctantly, she shook her head. "There is only one person I want seeing me anything near that," she said. "Don't you think, Nii-san?"
Cain's posture relaxed and Setsuka felt her own tenseness fade and as soon as he released her she went to grab her clothing from the dresser and vanished into the bathroom to dress for the night.
She came out drying her face off and cocked her head at her brother. "What time do you film tomorrow, Nii-san?" she asked.
Cain had stretched out on the bed while she was changing and patted the coverlet next to him. "Not until tomorrow evening, most of the next scenes are night scenes."
She settled down next to him dressed in her camisole and a pair of sleep shorts, even as Setsuka Kyoko couldn't bring herself to wander around in just her cami and panties, but the shorts were short enough to get her a nod of approval. They both had either a book or magazine in hand and settled in companionable silence to read.
A while later, Setsuka's head dropped to the hollow of her brother's shoulder and she rubbed her eyes. "We should probably get to sleep," she said and made to move.
Cain's arm tightened around her. "It's been two weeks, five days, and seventeen hours since you were here," he rumbled. "I'm exhausted. It will be better if you stay here."
"Nii-san…"
Not again, not again…
The words were chanted by Kyoko in the back of Setsuka's mind, but forcefully the character of Setsuka shoved Kyoko back into her box and sighed. "I suppose just this once I'll put up with you hogging the blankets," she said.
They laid down on the bed and Cain reached across her and turned the lamp off, plunging the room into darkness.
Setsuka lay stiffly next to her brother unable to relax for anything despite her determination to be professional and do just that and she shifted for what had to be the fiftieth time in the last twenty minutes. She held her breath hoping she didn't disturb her beloved Nii-san and resolved that she was probably going to have to sneak away if she planned to get any sleep tonight—she'd just use him hogging the blankets as her reason.
When he didn't stir she breathed a mental sigh of relief and shifted a bit away preparing to move to the empty bed.
"Where are you going, Setsu?"
His voice was rough with sleep and right next to her ear and the arm slung over her waist tightened as she was brought against her brother's huge form. "You're hogging the blankets and I need my beauty rest, Nii-san," she said. "I'll have to leave early tomorrow to get stuff for breakfast…"
"I am not hogging the blankets."
Setsuka found herself almost forced onto her back with her brother hovering above her. "I know a surefire remedy to help you sleep," he rumbled.
"We don't have any tea, Nii-san," Setsuka frowned up at him; her heart was starting to pound.
"Who said anything but tea, Setsu?" Cain smirked and lowered his head to her neck and drew the skin lightly into his mouth.
"I said not there, Nii-san!" Setsuka exclaimed even as her neck arched. "And how is this supposed to help me sleep anyway?"
Cain released the skin without marking and teased his hand along her side, enjoying the feel of the soft material of the camisole under his fingers. "Well…" he murmured, fingers slipping beneath the top to touch her skin for just a moment before moving away.
Setsuka felt her cheeks burn and valiantly fought off the very non-Setsu urge to throw her Nii-san off of her and bolt into the bathroom and sleep there for the evening.
Finding her strength, she surged up off the bed and reversed their positions as she had that night a while ago, but this time it wasn't a dark person she didn't know looking up at her. "Why is Nii-san so intent on marking me this time?" she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she straddled his midriff. "I'm not the one with a rodent sniffing at them."
Cain paused at that, wondering himself why he wanted to leave a mark on Setsuka except there was a presence in the back of his mind that wanted to claim at least this small part from the girl hovering above him. "Would you rather just leave your mark again?" he rumbled.
She traced a long nailed finger along the skin of his neck where the mark had been and he felt a shiver slip through him. "Well, while I was away I have been practicing…" she nearly purred.
"What?"
He surged up and flipped her back onto her back and glared down at her. Setsuka smirked up at him. "Well, Nii-san has had so much practice, shouldn't Setsu get some in too?" she asked innocently.
"Who?" Cain snarled. "I'll rip—"
"Mr. Bear of course," Setsuka said innocently, dragging the ragged stuffed bear out from where she'd hidden it under the pillows while she was unpacking and nearly shoving it into her brother's face.
She giggled and rolled from underneath her brother and stood, clasping her hands behind her back as she watched the emotions flicker over his face. "Nii-san, I think sleeping in my own bed would be better with Mr. Bear of course."
She reached to snatch the stuffed animal—she'd added it to her Setsuka luggage by sheer mischievous urge after seeing it in a thrift store in Tokyo before she came to Guam. Cain's grip on the stuffed toy was unbreakable though and he used her momentary struggle to reclaim the animal to catch her wrist and yank her down onto his chest again. He tossed the bear casually off the bed, the toy landing in the trash can he'd missed with the beer can earlier. "How about you pretend I'm Mr. Bear and show me what he taught you," Cain suggested.
"What?" Setsuka blinked.
"After all he was a replacement for me, wasn't he?" Cain said.
Setsuka's cheeks burned with embarrassment, but then she smiled. "As you wish, Nii-san."
Setsuka woke the following morning in her own bed and giggled to herself, muffling it in one of the pillows on the bed. Inwardly, Kyoko was flailing at her wondering where in the world she'd come up with all the ridiculous urges to do what she'd done the night before, which included leaving more than just one kiss mark on her partner's skin. Things had gone exactly as Setsuka planned. They'd reached a point in the playacting where Cain had suddenly stopped and pulled away and announced he was going to take a shower and she should go to her own bed if she was going to insist he kept stealing the blankets.
She slipped out of the bed and wandered to the closet to get dressed, casting a look over at the dark form curled in a chair with his feet propped on the table. She gathered her clothes and went into the bathroom and changed and stopped abruptly as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror.
"KYAAAAAA! When—"
In the bedroom, Cain's eyes opened slowly and a smile quirked his lips as the sound echoed.
Setsuka wasn't the only one who'd gotten a victory last night.
