Ren's Birthday

Thank you to all of you who reviewed, and put this fanfic on their favorites and story alerts. ^^ I was really surprised that so many people reviewed actually, haha. ^^ I thought at most, I'd get maybe, around, 5? But I got 17, you all are awesome! ^^

Oh, and a special mention to Ecki. Your review was probably my favorite, it made me laugh so hard, and made me a little more motivated to write this chapter, which, as some people know, was really bugging me, so thanks. ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or any of the characters from Skip Beat!, Yoshiki Nakamura does, I just own this fanfic. ^^


Chapter 2

"May I put you on hold for a minute?" After Lory gave permission, Ren put his hand over the phone, "Mogami san, the President wants to talk to us over at L.M.E. I'll drive you over there, so just put your bike in the trunk." He clicked the button on his car keys that opened the trunk and motioned for Kyoko to make her way over.

"Alright. Thank you, Tsuruga san" Kyoko said, and started walking towards the car.

Once Kyoko was out of earshot, Ren hissed, "You mean the photo shoot for 'Human Emotion'?! That can't be right?!"

"Are you questioning my judgment?" Lory said coldly. "I recommended Kyoko chan for the job because Director Takumi specifically asked me if there was an actress I'd recommend that was not only good in using body language, but had also worked with you before. Of course, Kyoko chan came to mind, and when I mentioned her, he exclaimed that she'd be perfect. Apparently, he's seen Fuwa Sho's PV for 'Prisoner', and is an avid watcher of 'Dark Moon' as well. Surely you don't think Kyoko chan's incapable of doing this job well?"

'No, I just don't think I'd be able to keep myself in check' "Of course I think she'll do well," Ren mumbled, "But don't you think that this might be a bit too mature for Mogami san? She's only 17!"

"I've already told Director Takumi that if Kyoko chan was going to be doing the photo shoot, she won't be taking any pictures that are too, 'mature', as you put it, for her age. Director Takumi might have a reputation for his pictures being overtly sensual, but I doubt he'll make a 17 year old actress with no experience with modeling do anything too racy. She'll be fine. Now then, we will finish this discussion when you arrive, as I have some business to discuss with Director Ogata now. Good-bye." *beep, beep*

'What is he plotting?' Ren stared at the phone for a moment, then shook his head, an unreadable expression on his face. 'I don't know if I should be ecstatic that Kyoko's going to model with me, or be depressed because she'll most likely avoid me like the plague after the photo shoot...' He shook his head once more to clear his thoughts and headed to his car.

.*.*.*.*.

"Tsuruga san? Tsuruga san?!" No reaction. Kyoko looked worriedly at Ren, who, after parking in L.M.E.'s parking lot, had sighed and leaned his chin on the steering wheel with eyes half-closed. He hadn't moved since, even with Kyoko repeatedly calling out to him. 'Forgive me, Tsuruga san.' Kyoko thought, as she took a deep breath... and screamed in Ren's ear. "TSURUGA SAN, WAKE UP!"

Ren's body jerked upwards, as if an electric current had run through him. He turned his head towards Kyoko, who was a bit out of breath after screaming at the top of her lungs. "What just happened? My ears are ringing horribly..."

"I'm sorry Tsuruga san! It's just that we arrived at L.M.E. a while ago, but you didn't move at all, and I got worried when you didn't respond to me calling you, so—"

Ren put his hand up, effectively cutting Kyoko off. "It's okay, sorry for worrying you. We better go in before the President calls asking what happened to us." Ren laughed awkwardly. "By the way, how long had you been calling me?"

Kyoko looked down at her watch "Um, probably around 5 minutes or so..."

Ren quickly masked his shock. 'I must have really been out of it to have not noticed for 5 minutes. I'll worry about this later, before I end up upsetting her anymore than I already have!"

They quickly got out of the car and walked into L.M.E. After the receptionist called and informed the President that they had arrived, they hurried to Lory's office, where they saw Director Ogata opening the door from within.

"We'll go with that then," a voice called from inside the office. Director Ogata nodded, and, after catching sight of Ren and Kyoko, held the door open for them. Ren and Kyoko murmured a quiet thank you before proceeding into the office and taking a seat.

As usual, Lory was dressed extravagantly, this time wearing a beautiful golden Long Pao, or Chinese imperial court robe. There were intricately designed green dragons embroidered on the front and sides of the robe, with exquisitely cut rubies for eyes. He truly looked like a genuine Chinese aristocrat of old in that outfit.

Lory turned to face Kyoko, "Now then, Mogami san, the reason I've called you here is because I've recommended you for a job."

"Is it for the Love Me Section?" Kyoko asked, thinking back to when Lory had recommended her to take care of Hizuri Kuu while he was in Tokyo. 'It was so much fun acting out Kuon...' With a tiny giggle, she started to wander off into la-la land...

"No." Lory said abruptly, pulling Kyoko back to reality. "Didn't Ren tell you already? I thought he would have in order to try to convince you not to take this job, considering he was so vehemently against it." Lory glanced at Ren, who was looking at the two of them with an unreadable expression on his face.

Kyoko on the other hand, was slowly sinking into depression. 'Tsuruga san doesn't think I'm capable enough to do the job...wait.' "What kind of job is it?" Kyoko asked, still depressed, but curious about what kind of job Ren found her unsuitable for.

"I've recommended you as Ren's partner for Director Takumi's new photo album 'Human Emotion.' "

"M-model?! Me?!" Kyoko sank even deeper into depression; she curled into a ball and pressed deep into the plush cushions of her chair. 'Of course Tsuruga san doesn't want to model with me. Of course he thinks I'll screw up the project. I'm just a useless kouhai...'

Lory continued, ignoring Kyoko's depression, "The photo shoot will take place next week, from Tuesday, February 13th, to Thursday, February 15th. Director Takumi said that he may extend the time if needed. If you accept this job, Director Takumi will explain the details, but 'Human Emotion' is a photo album that will show the progression of a relationship through the emotions the models portray in the photos. That's why Director Takumi didn't want to use an ordinary model, as he feels an actress will be able to portray the emotions more realistically. So just think of it as an acting job with no lines and you should do fine!"

"Uuuuuuhhhhhhhhh..." depression marks appeared all around Kyoko's body 'But I don't want to act out this kind of role...'

.o.O.o.

"No matter what the role, don't experience a preference before acting it."

.*.*.*.*.

'Otou-san...'

'That's right.' Kyoko started to uncurl and finally sat up, back straight, with a determined look on her face.

.o.O.o.

"My honest feelings are that I really dislike the 'bully' role after all. But I decided not to run away... I think that this is the trial that I have to go through to become a real actress! I will give it my all and fight! Believing in my own possibilities...!"

.*.*.*.*.

'I promised father. Even if this isn't a drama, I promised father I wouldn't run away!' "I'll do it!"

"Eh?!" Lory exclaimed. Both he and Ren stared incredulously at Kyoko, baffled by this sudden change of events.

Lory shook his head and smiled. 'I really don't understand what goes through that girl's head.' "Very well, I'm glad you decided to accept this job." He turned to look at Ren. "I need to talk to Kyoko chan alone for a while, so could you wait outside for a few minutes?"

Ren nodded slowly and stood up. Shooting one last glance at Kyoko, he left the office and closed the door behind him.


A/N: Well, that chapter's finally done! ^^ Seriously, when I finished this chapter, I was so happy, cause I really want to get to the later chapters! haha. Again, review if you want, but I thank everyone who reads this fanfic. ^^