First Time
Sariah Loire
Chapitre Two

Skip Beat! and its characters, locations, terms, etc, do not belong to me.

A fake date is all well and good, but when both sides want it to be something more, what will come of it?

'I'll pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow night. And I know your schedule is free, so no excuses, Mogami-san.'

Kyoko read the text message over again, as she had done repeatedly for the last day. It should have calmed her down, but it only seemed to get her worked up again. After all, it was 7:00 on the night mentioned, and she wasn't even dressed.

The expected phone call had come two nights previous, the day she had lost her mind and asked her sempai to help her learn how to properly go on a date. Ren had called later that same day, with the matching teasing tone he had carried in the LoveME room, and asked question after question about their night out.

"Where would you like to go, Mogami-san?" His rich voice caused her ears to flush slightly.

"Tsuruga-san, you really don't have to do this." Kyoko held the phone with her shoulder, drying her hands on a towel as she worked at rinsing some dishes. The Daruma-ya was closed for the night, but she liked to help clean up, even when she was too busy with work to help wait tables.

"Nonsense, you asked for my help, and I'm happy to provide it." Ren was trying to not sound too eager. 'I'm sure as hell not letting this chance get away, even if it's under the pretense of practice.' "So, what would you like to do? Should we go to a movie, or out to dinner?"

Kyoko was quiet for a few moments, before glancing up at the clock. "Tsuruga-san, you are alone, aren't you? Otherwise, someone might get the wrong idea that you are interested in me."

"I dropped Yashiro-san off at his house before I called you. Unless my car is bugged, I assure you that no one can hear." 'Not that I would put it past him.' Ren thought grimly. "But would there be any harm in letting people think that?"

"Tsuruga-san!" The dish Kyoko dropped back into the sink full of water made a small splash, wetting the front of her apron. "Now you're just teasing me, of course there would be!"

Ren forced a chuckle, sliding the card key into the elevator in his apartment building. After the doors closed, he leaned against the wall, looking across to the mirror on the opposite wall. "So, dinner?"

Kyoko sighed, washing the dropped dish once again. "Since Hikaru-san is taking me out to dinner, yes, I think that would be the best thing to do. That way I'll know what I'm supposed to do." She put the last dish away, drying her hands on her apron. "Did you… have someplace in mind?"

"Yes, a few places in fact." Ren opened his apartment door, setting his personal bag on the floor. He pulled off his shoes and coat, putting both in the closet. "I'll see which one I can get us a table for on such short notice."

"Oh, no, Tsuruga-san I should be doing that since-"

"Are the Ishibashis taking care of all the details for the show's so-called 'date'?" Ren interrupted Kyoko's stammering objections.

"Well, yes, but that's different." Kyoko took of her apron, folded it neatly, then retreated up the stairs to her room. "They asked me, and it's for the show, after all."

"And my job is to help you prepare, so it should be similar, shouldn't it? I'm treating you, and that's settled."

"But I-"

"Setsu."

At the sound of her 'brother's' voice, Setsu's spirit welled up again in Kyoko's mind. "Yes, Onii-chan?"

"No arguing."

Kyoko pulled the phone away from her ear and frowned at it, then glared at the poster of Ren she still had on her wall. "That's not fair, Tsuruga-san. Setsu can't win against Cain."

"Exactly." She fought back a smile at the smug tone he had taken. "Now, let me get with Yashiro-san about my schedule, and I'll let you know the day and time that will work."

It was the next night before Kyoko received the text message, and she put it from her mind as much as possible until it was less than a half hour until time to go, much past a good time to start getting ready.

'And now it's time to panic, Kyoko.'

Her bank account had built up slightly, thanks to her acting jobs. Nothing substantial, but she had extra money saved because of her success with Dark Moon and Box "R". Because of that, she had a few new sets of clothes that had been bought over the last few weeks and never worn. She had bought a few pieces while in a Natsu mood, and some with Setsu giving her advice, so she had never worked up the courage to wear any of them.

'No time like the present.' She thought darkly, cursing herself for not getting ready earlier. Looking from the punk section to the mature pieces, she faced a dilemma. How could she hope to measure up to the man she was going on a date with tonight?

"Fake date." Kyoko corrected herself, checking the clock again.

Ren unbuttoned the buttons on his shirt cuffs, then thought better of it, given the cold night outside. Truth be told, he was nervous, and he was trying to find something to do with his hands. He smiled wryly as the thought hit him. 'The President would love to see me now. So would the paparazzi, for that fact. The 'great' Tsuruga Ren, having a bad case of the nerves because of a date.'

He had written off the fact that it was a 'fake' date as soon as he had started making plans for the night. There was no reason he had to overshadow this rare chance with the knowledge that Kyoko would only be using it for practice when she went on her other date.

He clenched his fists on the steering wheel, leaning his head back against the headrest. Ren had looked up Ishibashi Hikaru on his phone earlier that day, and was surprised at what he had seen. The young looking boy was actually a year older than Ren. And he was fine with going on a televised 'date' with Kyoko?

Ren shook his head, reaching for the handle on the car door. 'Dinner. Not a real date. The others were probably just teasing them to make Kyoko nervous.' He stepped from the car and made his way up the walk to the Daruma-ya, knocking lightly and opening the door. He had met the couple Kyoko lived with during their time as the Heel siblings, and the Okami-san had been very vocal about the fact that Ren was welcome there any time. The Taisho, on the other hand, had not.

The man in Ren's thoughts opened the door, and stood staring at him. Ren had quite a bit of height on the older cook, but he felt as if he were 16 again, nervous and unable to communicate. Back then it was because of the language barrier. Now he would attribute it to the man's large knife collection, and his obvious parental love for Kyoko.

"Good evening, I'm here to pick up Mogami-san." The man didn't move, until his shorter, smiling wife came and pushed her way to his side.

"Good evening, Tsuruga-kun! Kyoko-chan will be down in a moment, I was just upstairs helping her get ready." She moved back, pulling the Taisho out of the way. "Come in while you wait for her, it's cold out there tonight!"

"Thank you, Okami-san." Ren bowed his head slightly, walking through the low doorway. His mind was trying to find a way to talk to the solemn man, but he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Kyoko muttering under her breath.

What Ren didn't know was that Kyoko had nearly run herself ragged trying to put together a decent combination of clothes that she thought would look nice. Finally she had relied on Natsu's help, but when she looked in the mirror through her own point of view, her face had turned as scarlet as the low-neck, short-cut dress she was wearing.

Not really having the time to find something else, Kyoko had dug through her closet long enough to find a stiff black shrug-jacket, which paired with the dress nicely, and more importantly, covered up her chest. She found a pair of Setsu's more normal-looking black heels, and the outfit was complete.

She had let her hair grow slightly while acting as Setsu, since it was under the wig, so she twisted the back into a tiny knot and stuck a small black and red clip into it. A slight pat of makeup, ala Natsu, and she was ready to go. Which was a good thing, since she had heard Ren downstairs at that moment.

Kyoko tried to hurry into the hallway, forgetting her shoes on, and nearly fell down the stairs. She kicked the heels off and was stating her hatred for them when she walked through the door into the restaurant and came up short at the sight of Ren.

She didn't mean to stare, but if anyone noticed, they wouldn't have blamed her. Kyoko was mentally noting his clothing, telling herself it was for the Ren-doll. From his black Armandy suit, to the black silk shirt and red pleated tie, he was the picture of perfection.

'Where did that come from?' Kyoko felt an embarrassed flush creep across her face as she mentally slapped herself over and over. 'You're not some fawning fan, get a grip, Kyoko! He's your sempai, helping you out on a very important mission!'

"Kyoko-chan, you look so grown up!" The Okami-san took the initiative, running over to where Kyoko was sliding on her shoes. "Doesn't she, honey?" The man grunted, looking from Kyoko to Ren, with what Ren could have sworn was an even sterner glare than before.

When Ren had gotten over mentally gawking at Kyoko's stunning appearance, he swallowed and looked at his watch, if only to get his eyes back in his head. "We should be going, Mogami-san. Our reservation is for 8:00."

They said their goodbyes to the smiling woman and scornful man, and Ren opened the car door for Kyoko to climb inside. After she was safely in, he walked around to his side of the car and stood by the door for a moment. He took a deep breath and held it, closing his eyes.

'You asked for this, Ren. Now keep yourself in line.'

Ren had taken careful pains in choosing the place where they were to dine at. He would have loved to been able to take Kyoko to the finest restaurant in Tokyo, but he knew that would have only made her uncomfortable. So he chose another venue. It was still very upscale, to say the least, but it offered them the one thing he wanted most tonight. Anonymity.

The ride to the restaurant was mostly silent, but it was the comfortable kind. Ren was trying to keep his hopes from rising too high, and Kyoko was trying to lock down her heart once again. She was finding it harder and harder to do, especially over the last two days. 'Every time I get a few locks back on it, that- that man finds a way to blow them all off again.'

When they reached the modern, dimly-lit building, Ren pulled under the enclosed entrance, putting the car in park. When a valet opened his door, one opened Kyoko's door as well, and she grabbed her small clutch purse and accepted the hand to help her out of the car. Ren handed the man his keys, and walked around the car to where Kyoko stood.

She stood there blankly as Ren held out his arm, very slightly bent at the elbow for her to hold on to. Kyoko looked around Ren's shoulder to see that one valet was still standing nearby, waiting to open the door for the two young people. "Tsuruga-san, they're going to think we're dating!" She said in a low voice.

"We are, aren't we?" At Kyoko's panicked look, Ren chided himself. 'Don't scare her off already, tone it down a little.' "For tonight, at least."

"Oh."

Ren wondered about that 'oh', but Kyoko put the very tips of her fingers on his arm, so he didn't question it. He nodded at the valet, who opened the door for them to walk into the posh restaurant. "Speaking of which," Ren bent his head low, to be heard only by Kyoko. "You can't call me Tsuruga-san when we're on a 'date'. So, for tonight at least, I'm Ren. Okay, Kyoko-chan?"

"B-But you're my sempai, and-"

"Are those Ishibashis your seniors, Kyoko-chan?" Ren nodded to the maître-d, who bowed and walked in front of them, towards a secluded area of the restaurant.

"Well, yes." At the sight of the many people, several of which were watching Ren and his guest, Kyoko had unknowingly slid her hand further onto Ren's arm and was gripping it like a lifeline.

"You call them all by their first names, don't you?" 'Never mind that you have to, if they do indeed all share the same family name like their webpage stated.' Kyoko nodded, staring at the floor. "Then it shouldn't be too hard for you to do the same for me, right?"

"R-Right, Ren…san."

"Just Ren, Kyoko-chan."

"Tsuruga-san, is this table to your liking?" Ren turned from Kyoko at the intrusion, the host had lead them far back into the restaurant, to a small booth. It was out of the way, where neither of them were likely to be bothered, which was exactly what he had requested.

"This is perfect, thank you." Ren motioned for Kyoko to sit on one side, and he listened to his better judgment for once and took the seat across from her. Kyoko let out a small sigh of relief when Ren chose the other side.

"Then please, enjoy your meal." The man bowed, and left them.

Ren had just moved his napkin to his lap when he noticed Kyoko staring intently at him, a slight suspicious look on her face. "Is there something wrong, Kyoko-chan?"

"Tsuruga-san, this… isn't your first time, is it?"

"First time for what, Mogami-san?" Ren emphasized using her last name, hoping to get a reaction. Kyoko narrowed her eyes slightly at the teasing before she continued.

"Your first time on a date, Ren-san." 'Two can play at that game.' "You seem… experienced."

Ren coughed, taking a sip of water while he thought of how to properly answer her. It took his best skill to keep a straight face at the implications that question could have had. "Please don't make me sound like a playboy, Kyoko-chan."

"I-I'm not! It's just, you knew exactly how to set this all up, as if you had done it many times before." 'And that bothers me, because my heart is being stupid and making me think strange things.' For a moment, Kyoko thought she had spoken that last line out loud, because Ren's eyes were fixed on hers as he studied her expression.

"I've had to act as if I were on dates before, if that's what you mean."

"No, I wasn't talking about acting." Kyoko picked up her own water glass, looking down into it. "You just seem comfortable at doing things like… this."

"At going to dinner?" Ren was getting a little nervous at Kyoko's line of questions. 'Is she wanting me to list the dates I've been on? Or number my old girlfriends?'

"Dates." The word embarrassed Kyoko, and she wanted to bite off her tongue at the stupid questions she kept asking. 'Just drop it, you don't need to know these things! Or he'll just get mad and lie, is that what you want?'

"Ah." Ren figured he could at least pretend to know what she was talking about, even if it had entirely escaped him. "Well, from what other people have told me, the ability to feel comfortable when you're with someone is not because of the occasion. It's really the other party that causes a person to feel at ease." He rested his chin on his hand, looking at Kyoko. "For example, do you feel relaxed around me, Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko wished her demons would have started screaming at her at that instant, something, anything, to take her mind away from the conversation. But they were silent, as they had been for the last few weeks. 'His heavenly smile probably killed most of them off.'

"O-Of course, Tsu… Ren-san." She managed to keep her voice from shaking, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't see through her lie. Ever since that cursed day with Princess Rosa in his apartment, she hadn't been able to relax around him. Except when she was Setsu, or Ren was angry, but that didn't really count.

Ren smiled at her, sitting back up straight. "Then this, and any other date, should be treated as a relaxing evening out." 'Never mind that fact that I feel like a giddy schoolboy.' "Just do what comes natural, and enjoy yourself, and you'll have a good time."

He was relieved to finally see a beautiful smile cross Kyoko's face, as if she had just been revealed the secrets of the world. Ren pulled out his menu and feigned interest in it, if only to keep from making Kyoko nervous by staring at her.

"But… what about you, Tsuruga-san? Ren-san!" She corrected herself, a little too loudly.

"What about me, Kyoko-chan?"

"Do you feel comfortable around me?"

Ren blinked, not wanting to move his eyes from the words he wasn't reading. He was afraid that if he did, Kyoko would be able to see both the love and desire that he felt for her at every moment. He hesitated answering for a moment too long, and Kyoko was bowing her head to the table with apologies before he could stop her.

"I'm sorry, Ren-san! I shouldn't have asked such a rash question, of course you d-"

"Kyoko-chan, we're on a date. You're allowed to ask me whatever you like." Ren smiled as she lifted her head enough to look up to see if he was angry. "And yes, I do feel at ease when I'm with you. I enjoy the time we spend together."

He said it so plainly, Kyoko felt her face heat up. She looked down to the menu in front of her, trying to slow down her racing heart.

'You're allowed to ask me whatever you like', he had said. Kyoko's mind raced, her time as Bo had left her with many questions about Ren, after seeing the look of sorrow on his face when he had said he couldn't have anyone precious to him. And when she was Setsu, there were more than a few times that the younger sibling had pulled her brother back to his normal self from the brink of something dark that had threatened to take him over. During those times, he had always seemed so… alone.

She had always felt like it was taboo to ask about those moments, but if he was giving her permission…

"Ren-san, why don't you have a girlfriend?"

I felt like Ren was a little OOC at the beginning of this chapitre, but when I thought about the setting, he seemed to fit. After staying together for weeks, they have to be a little more familiar with each other, right? And Cain seems to love to tease Setsu, which would rub off on Ren.

That's my explanation, anyway. I'll try to not let it get too out of hand.

Sari*