Hello everyone~
I haven't posted a story in a while, so here's a sweet one to make up for it. Next will be a Maid-sama fanfic for snowshoekitten's birthday :)
'Deck of Cards' is a real story I am currently writing, and yes the villain is called the Joker. I couldn't think of anything else, and immediately thought of the wild card…
Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat. :'(
Kyoko and Ren 8 short stories~
Mess
Kyoko sighed when she saw the state his room was in. Books were tossed everywhere, his bed wasn't made, and clothes littered the floor.
"Did a hurricane happen in here?" She groaned.
"Apparently."
Kyoko turned around with a frown and glared at the one responsible for the mess.
"What is the meaning of this, Ren?" She growled.
He just shrugged in a careless way, and winced when Kyoko whacked him on his head. In the time they had spent together, Kyoko had learned to love- and hate- that carefree shrug.
"Now I'll have to clear up this mess. All thanks to you!" She sighed and began the task.
Ren helped, or he pretended to help. At some point, he would 'trip' over the neat pile of books and send them scattering everywhere again, and the next moment he would mess up the neatly folded clothes, earning screams of anger from Kyoko. Finally, after much hustle and screaming from Kyoko, the room was tidy and neat again.
"Well, with that done, I'm going home." She announced, picking up her bag and moving towards the door.
Just as she opened the door a crack, a hand stopped it and slammed it shut again.
"I have to go home, Ren." She frowned, already used to the close contact they shared.
"Look at the time, Kyoko. It's really late, and I can't stand to have you walk out like this. It's dangerous out there."
His voice made her shiver, and instantly she knew that staying here was much more dangerous than walking down that dark street. But she couldn't stop the pleasant tingle that ran up and down her spine. And then it struck her. Ren wasn't the kind to leave his room in a mess. Ok, maybe he was… but not that messy! He messed up the cleaning process, too! He did it on purpose to get her to stay!
"You planned this, didn't you?" Kyoko growled.
"So what if I did? You're staying with me, anyways…"
Kyoko turned her head to glare at him with her Mio look, but froze when she saw the Emperor of the Night staring back at her.
"Well?" Ren asked, his breath playing on her overly sensitive neck.
"F-fine…" Kyoko panted, unable to calm down.
Placing hot kisses down her neck, Ren lead her towards his bedroom. The last thing she thought of before her mind flew out the window was: 'This room is going to be messy again…'
Play
A pillow hit him before he saw it coming. Grinning, Tsuruga Ren picked up the pillow from the floor and went off in search for the culprit. Stepping out of his room, he spotted the hem of a yellow dress disappearing into the guest room. He went in, but saw no one. Slowly, he searched the area, pillow in hand, when a soft giggle caught his ears. Turning, he pulled the covers away from the bed and scooped the 3-year-old girl out from under the bed.
"Got you!" He laughed.
The little girl with long, blond hair shrieked with laughter, her golden eyes twinkling with mischief. Without warning, Ren dropped her onto the bed and hit her with the pillow. Immediately, the little girl grabbed her own pillow and retaliated, blocking and attacking at the same time.
"You have some nerve to surprise- attack your father, Kimiko." Ren smirked.
Kimiko just stuck her tongue out, calling on another round of pillow fight. Just then, another pillow landed on Ren's head, making him turn around. Standing there was Tsuruga Kyoko, a pillow in hand, gold eyes holding the same mischief as her daughter's.
"Two against one, huh?"
And the two females of the house began to attack, getting hit themselves but gaining the upper hand. Soon, Ren was on the bed, desperately trying to shield himself from the pillows that were hitting him.
"Do you surrender?" Kyoko and Kimiko asked, holding their pillows high above their heads.
Ren grabbed them around the waist and pulled them down beside him. Kimiko laughed, while Kyoko just smiled.
"I surrender." He sighed.
There was no way he could win both girls.
Ice
Mogami Kyoko shivered in her coat as she walked down the icy streets. The cold air hung heavily, and Kyoko groaned at the thought of walking home in this weather.
"Oh, well, Christmas is almost here, anyways…" She sighed, looking at the tinsels that decorated the shops.
She continued towards the destination, and, once she was there, opened the door to the place she had grown to be very familiar with.
"Hello?" She called into the apartment.
No one answered, though the heating was on. Kyoko took her coat and scarf off and headed towards the kitchen to prepare dinner. She heard soft footsteps while she was gathering ingredients, but she didn't look up. She knew that someone was watching her as she chopped vegetables up, but she didn't turn her head. While she was stirring the pot of curry on the stove, two arms snaked around her waist and held her close. Kyoko simply leaned back.
"Your nose is red," Ren chuckled, gently pinching her nose, "And cold, too."
"In this weather, what do you expect?" She smiled.
Resting his head on her shoulder, Ren gently blew on her neck.
"Want me to warm you up?" He whispered.
Immediately, Kyoko's hands stopped working as a deep blush made her way across her face.
"W-what…?"
"You heard me… Kyoko-chan~!" Ren chuckled.
E-ehhh?
Kyoko's brain shut down, unable to form a single thought. During this time, Ren had switched the fire off, took her hand off the spoon and picked her up bridal style.
"E-EH?" Kyoko gasped, snapping out of her daze.
But it was too late. Ren ignored her protests (half-hearted, may I add…) as he kicked the bedroom door close…
Dance
The President had organized a masquerade ball to celebrate the successful completion of 'Dance, Music, Love', where, once again, Mogami Kyoko had taken the main role and performed outstandingly. This was already her 5th movie as a rising star, and she has already played a great variety of roles. Of course, her co-star was none other than Tsuruga Ren, her mentor, best friend, and most important person.
Kyoko blushed at the thought. It has been nearly half a year since she discovered her love for Ren. Looking around, she saw Moko-san talking and laughing with Yashiro-san, other people dancing, chatting, relaxing… And then she saw him. He looked as elegant as always, with a smile on his face. Blushing, she slipped her black and gold half-mask back over her eyes and made her way to the balcony, the black, strapless, ankle-length dress swishing elegantly with her every move. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
Get a grip, Kyoko!
Just when she had managed to slow her racing heart, a hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump in shock.
"Eep!"
The person behind her chuckled, and Kyoko froze, knowing fully well who that person was.
"Well, Kyoko-chan, I never knew that you were so easy to scare!" Ren laughed.
"R-Ren-san!" Kyoko stammered, still not quite used to the first-name basis.
Ren sensed her nervousness and smirked.
"So, why is our main actress out here alone?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"No one to dance with." Kyoko replied truthfully, leaning back as she got used to the close contact.
Ren spun her around to face him and spread his arms out to the side, a hurt look on his face.
"I'm not someone?" He asked.
Kyoko laughed. Over the years, she had learned to differentiate between when he was joking and when he was not, saving her knees and forehead from further abuse in her desperate attempts to apologize.
"You know that was not what I meant." She sighed.
"I'm still hurt."
Kyoko covered her mouth to muffle her giggles. Ren grinned at seeing his favorite kohai laugh.
No, he thought, shaking his head, she's not just your kohai. She's the woman you truly love.
The next song- a slow dance- came on. Ren extended his hand towards Kyoko and bowed slightly.
"May I have this dance, princess?" He asked.
Kyoko stood stunned for a moment, and then she replied with a dazzling smile and a graceful curtsy.
"Of course… Corn." She said, slipping her hand into his.
It has been a year since Ren had told Kyoko his secret. Of course, she had been ecstatic in meeting her childhood friend again, and forgave him easily. Ren, however, had 'tortured' her for being Bo.
Kyoko's face heated up when she remembered the 'punishment', which consisted of being pinned to the wall in his dressing room. Ren had been holding her hands on either side of her head, preventing her from escaping, and placing kisses down her sensitive neck. And then Yashiro came in.
Kyoko shook her head to dislodge the unfortunate 'fan girl' memory, barely noticing that Ren had led her into the dance.
"What's wrong?" Ren asked.
Kyoko sighed as she danced, not having to do much. Ren was a good dancer and knew how to lead.
"Nothing. Just remembering one of Yashiro-san's 'fan girl' moments…" Kyoko replied, frowning.
Ren's smile grew dark. The only time she had ever seen Yashiro's 'fan girl' mode was during the time when she was held against the wall of his dressing room being 'punished' for lying to him about Bo.
"Oh? You remember that time?" He chuckled.
"Ye-" Kyoko stopped short, realizing her mistake. Looking up, she gulped, afraid, when she saw the Emperor of the Night staring back at her.
"Really…" Ren sighed, lifting her hands and clasping them behind his neck before slipping his arms down to wrap them around her waist and drew her close.
Kyoko blushed at the close contact. Never before had he held her like this! Ok, maybe he did once during the 'punishment'…
No! Don't even think about that time! Kyoko yelled in her head, but it was too late. She remembered that he was gentle, and that she wasn't really scared…
Damn it!
In her panic, she hadn't realized that she had been tense until Ren patted her head in a reassuring manner.
"Relax." He whispered into her ear.
Immediately, every muscle in Kyoko's body relaxed and allowed the flow of the dance to take over.
"That's better." He smirked, hugging her tighter.
Then Kyoko did something that surprised him- she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. Unlike before, when she would have rejected the close contact and run away, she was now more gentle and willing.
"My, my, what's with the sudden change in character?" Ren teased.
Kyoko blushed a bright red, but didn't reply.
"Where are Mio, Natsu and Setsu?" He gently lifted her face up, and chuckled at the blush on her face.
"They're hiding, all thanks to you and that Casanova smile…" Kyoko muttered, looking away from his eyes.
Ren faltered for a moment. His smile was making Kyoko flustered? Come to think of it, Kyoko had been blushing a lot around him lately. Ren wanted to smack his forehead. How could he be so blind?
"Oh? Really…" He leaned closer towards her ear, "But I'll have you know that that Casanova smile of mine is reserved only for you," He kissed her on the cheek, "At your service, Kyoko."
Now her face was a color that would put everything red to shame. Her mind was blank, and she could only hear the harsh beating of her frantic heart. Right then, the song ended, and Kyoko snapped back to her senses. Looking around, she was shocked to see that they were back on the balcony.
"Huh? When? How?" She gasped.
"You're too easily distracted, my dear." Ren gently flicked her forehead.
"Now you're acting like Father." Kyoko stuck her tongue out as she rubbed her forehead.
"How would you like to be like Mother?"
And with that, Ren captured her lips with his as Kyoko registered what he had just said.
Like Father… Like Mother… Husband… and wife…
And for once, she didn't argue. Ren smiled when she responded to the kiss.
"You win… Ren."
Oh, and about that Casanova smile? He kept his promise, all right. Now Kyoko got to see it everyday, especially after the wedding.
Sound
Kyoko did not like this.
She had just come home from LME after a good day of work, and right now the thing meeting her eyes was… darkness. Pitch black darkness. The curtains were drawn, the lights were switched off, and Kyoko- in her daze- had walked to the center of the living room and lost her way. Stumbling around in her attempt to switch the lights on, she banged her knee against the edge of the armchair.
Yep, she definitely did not like this.
"Ren, where are you?" She yelled, fuming.
No one replied, thought she swore she heard a shuffling towards the far left.
"Ren, if you do anything to scare me, I SWEAR I will kill you!"
She heard a chuckle, and it sounded much closer than before. Kyoko backed away, only to bump into the couch, forcing her to fall backwards.
How did he move so fast?
"R-Ren…?" She stammered.
She could feel someone sit down on the other end of the couch. Kyoko drew her legs up to her chest when she felt the person crawling towards her. A warm arm wrapped around her shoulder while the other arm wrapped around her waist. Kyoko felt his nose nuzzling her neck, causing her to 'eep!'.
"Welcome back, Kyoko." He chuckled.
Reaching over, Ren switched the table lamp on, and grinned down at a glaring Kyoko.
"Not funny, Ren." She hissed, sounding like an angry cat.
"Down, kitty." He teased, patting her head.
Kyoko playfully swatted at him with her hands and stuck her tongue out.
"So what's with the lights out prank?" She asked.
Ren settled down, still hugging her waist.
"Hmm… Just wanted to see your reaction," He smirked, pinching her nose, "Full marks for that flustered face."
"Humph!" Kyoko pouted, "I was so scared! I thought it was some pervert! Wait, scratch that, you area pervert…"
And with that, Ren buried his face into the crook of her neck.
"I'll show you pervert…" He growled.
And the lights went out again…
Eyes
No matter how many times she looked at them, they always managed to drown her. His eyes were deep and mysterious, and it seems as if they could see through every secret she had. Kyoko loved looking into Ren's eyes. It made her feel safe, and also sent a pleasant tingling down her spine.
"What's wrong?" Ren asked.
They were currently cuddling on the couch in Ren's apartment. The couple of almost a year had only grown closer as time passed, and were literally inseparable.
"Nothing… Just looking at your eyes…" Kyoko muttered dreamily.
"Why?"
"Hmm? Dunno, makes me feel safe, I guess…"
But more often than not, the look in his eyes would be anything but safe. Kyoko giggled at the contradiction.
"Safe?" Ren smiled.
He liked it when Kyoko felt safe around him. It shows that she trusts him.
"Yeah… and it feels as if you know every single secret… so mysterious…" Kyoko was dozing off.
Soon, Kyoko was fast asleep safe in the arms of the person she loved. Ren chuckled and kissed her forehead before settling into a more comfortable position, careful not to jolt Kyoko awake, thought he was kind of tempted too.
"I love looking into your eyes too, Kyoko…"
Ice cream
"Aww… Why not?" Kyoko whined.
"You have a flu, Setsu…" Ren sighed.
Yep, they were currently playing their brother-sister role, thought they have gotten even more clingy than before, as they were now a couple and engaged-to-be married. The job was supposed to end a long time ago, but another director requested 'Cain Heel' to star in his new movie 'Deck of Cards' as the evil Joker. So here they are now, in a hotel room together, with one bed. Kyoko currently has a slight cold, and yet she wants to eat ice cream, which brings us to the present.
"Nii-san~ Please?" She begged, giving him a puppy dog look.
Ren turned away immediately. She has been getting better and better at the puppy dog look, and now Ren is completely under its spell. Kyoko snickered and crawled over to rest her head on his lap, keeping the puppy dog look all the time. Her hands curled into 'paws' as she playfully swatted at his chest, making whining noises that were simply adorable.
"Fine… but on one condition." Ren smirked.
Kyoko cocked her head to the side like a little puppy.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Be a puppy for me for 30 minutes."
Kyoko barked in a high-pitched voice immediately, sounding very much like an adorable puppy. Sitting up, she nuzzled his neck, whining. Ren chuckled and patted her head.
"Good doggy."
Then she did something that surprised him- she licked his face.
"Kyoko…?"
Kyoko smirked back at him.
"Bet you can't be a better doggy than me." She challenged.
Ren flipped her over so that she was under him, and began licking her neck while whining.
"Sit." Kyoko commanded.
Immediately, Ren 'sat', tilting his head to the side.
"Lie down"
Ren fell flat on his belly. Kyoko laughed at that.
"Beg."
Ren went on his knees, a level-10 puppy dog face stuck on. It was too adorable.
"Good doggy," She patted his head. Ren leaned his head against her hand, "Now for your reward."
She kissed him passionately on the lips, to which he responded in kind. Soon the need for air broke the two apart.
"How did ice cream come to this again?" Kyoko asked.
"Um… Don't know…"
Both of them laughed before retiring for the night, safe in each other's arms.
Magic
Kyoko always believed and loved magic. The Corn stone she had been proof of it.
At first, it had been a parting gift. Kyoko was so sad when Kuon left. She cried for a long time, but the stone absorbed her sadness and she learned to live through her loneliness.
Then she came to LME. The stone had leaded her back to her childhood friend Kuon, aka Tsuruga Ren, but she didn't know. Thanks to the stone, Ren recognized
Kyoko, and fell in love with her. The stone brought them closer together, and also opened Kyoko's heart to love.
Now the two were engaged, and Kyoko has been living with Ren for almost a year. Sitting on the couch, Kyoko held up the blue stone towards the sunlight and watched it change color.
"I can't believe you kept the stone till now." Ren chuckled, hugging her close.
"Of course. Pretty, isn't it?" Kyoko sighed.
"Not as beautiful as you." Ren kissed her forehead.
A few months later, they were married, and the stone had a special place in the house, because although the stone watched them part, it also brought them back together.
Well? Reviews are love, people~ And if I get enough reviews I may post the Skip Beat songfic soon… ;)