More conflict! There's arguments and foreshadowing, so have fun! Man it took a while to get this done... XP

4 - Contacting the Demon

Despite the cutting remark from Fuwa, Kyoko quickly became ecstatic, practically skipping towards the rest of them. "I know right?! They're magical beings no one can compare to! Muse-sama was amazing, but being a princess is beyond the gods!" She sighed dreamily, ignoring her audience as she went off into the magical kingdom. "I can't believe I'm a princess! Princess Lyra of Endwen is such a lucky girl..."

"Princess Lyra of Endwen huh?" Futonami grinned just inside the room. "That sounds pretty good. You're good with names Mogami."

"Thank you Futonami-san!"

"You..." Ren's fist shook in anger as he looked at Fuwa Sho who stubbornly put his chin in the air and pretended he wasn't moved by how Kyoko's appearance. If his words hadn't sounded so familiar and disturbing, he would have passed him off as a boy with a schoolhouse crush, pulling on the girl he liked's hair. But this...

"Wow Kyoko-chan!" Yashiro's voice started to bring him back to the here and now. He was choosing to ignore the comment. "You look gorgeous! I don't know which one's prettier! Your angel or your princess!"

Ren could see the smirk on the musician from the corner of his eye, as if saying, 'see? I make you pretty.' He decided to correct that arrogant idea. "What are you talking about? Mogami-san's always cute. Makeup and clothes only bring out what's already there."

Kyoko seemed to stare at him blankly while others had a mixture of reactions. Some were smirking, others surprised, and one or two annoyed. Soon the girl waved it off as a general gentleman compliment. "No Tsuruga-san. I'm very plain. Nobody looks twice at me on the street, or recognizes me as an actress. I'm not-"

"True beauty comes from self-confidence Mogami-san." It was a universal truth she had to learn. "The kind you have whenever you get into character makes you shine brighter than diamonds. It's why they're all so popular. You really are-"

"An actress!" "STUPID!"

Fuwa and Kyoko's voices both cut him off from saying what he wanted to, annoying him to no end. He was used to how she dodged compliments every now and again, but this brat really needed to shut up. His foot really should go in his mouth and stay there. Ren tried to not obviously glare at the musician as he and Kyoko started arguing. There was no stopping them now.

"Who are you calling stupid, stupid! You never escaped a C average!"

"Taking anything a man says as a compliment makes you stupid! You probably still think being called erotic is a good thing!"

"He was just saying my characters are amazing! He's nothing like that Beagle! So shut up!"

"Amazing?! Ha! You only play bad guys on TV!"

"You know nothing of acting!"

"I know how to do more than one kind of song! That's better than you! You ham-acting soul-sucking changeling!"

"Who are you calling a ham actor?!"

"I think it's about time we got changed, right?" Ren had his shiniest smile up for the world to see seconds before he grabbed Fuwa's collar and somewhat dragged him out of the studio towards the dressing rooms. Everyone was so stunned by his sudden actions that no one stopped them or followed until they were halfway back down the halls to where they split up earlier.

When they turned a corner in the deserted hallway, Kuon almost threw Fuwa against the wall, glaring death upon him. The kid immediately regained his fighting spirit momentarily lost to shock, but it wouldn't help this time. "What the he-!"

In an instant, the actor pinned him against the wall and loomed over him threateningly, an action he'd normally never do in public. "You have no idea do you?"

"Crazy ass actor. What do you-"

"You have no idea how much you hurt her when you threw her away last year." It was all making sense to him now. It wasn't just her inability to accept love, but her entire belief that she was worthy of love that was shattered that day. She couldn't even believe she was beautiful on her own power. And it was all because of this man. "You put that idea in her head that she was plain and boring."

"She was," Fuwa barked back at him, snarling. "It was only after I-"

"Tossed her aside? Crushed her hopes and dreams? Only after she fell apart and had to remake herself that she became interesting?" This arrogant brat... How could she have ever given her heart so freely to him? Kuon wanted so badly to hurt this clueless thing before him for all the damage he did. It was only the weight of his watch that kept him at bay. "A man who does that to a girl has no right to be near her again. And yet you keep coming back to torture her. Do you really think she'll come back to you after all you've done?

"That isn't love. That's conditioning." Ren straightened, still glaring into the bastard's eyes. "If you really had any feelings for her, you'd realize how much your words hurt her, and stop it. You don't have the right Fuwa. Not after all you've done."

Pushing off the wall, Ren forced himself to walk away before he did something he truly regretted. The kid didn't have a clue how much he hurt Kyoko. Yes, his actions drove her towards him, but his continual chase was only hurting her more and more. She needed to heal if she was ever going to be a world class actress... for herself. She didn't have to be with Ren romantically so long as she could be in his sight, happy. He didn't have high expectations for them as a couple from the beginning, but he sure as hell would not let that monster control her every action.

"What do you know?!"

Fuwa's voice stopped him in his steps, making him look over his shoulder impassively. It was all he could do to not run back there and hurt him. The brat was shaking slightly, infuriated. "You don't know the first thing about her! You've known her for a year! I've known her my entire life! I know how she thinks and what to say! No one knows her better than me!"

Looking at the kid, Kuon couldn't help but to smirk knowingly at him. He liked the shocked face the brat made and let him make his own conclusions. A lot could happen in a year, and Tsuruga Ren was Japan's number one bachelor. Fuwa didn't know about Corn or Cain. He didn't know what they talked about on their off hours. Yes, Kuon wasn't a part of sixteen years of her life, but most couples didn't have that much history. It wasn't about the amount of time together, it was the quality of it.

Shaking, the kid made his declaration. "I won't lose! You hear me?! I won't lose to the likes of you! Kyoko's mine!"

Looking forward once more, Ren walked on, controlling himself. Possessive runt just didn't get it. He threw her away. She changed. She wasn't his anymore. And if her trauma continued without healing, she wouldn't be anyone's again.

"Just what were you two talking about back there?"

Ren glanced over to Yashiro being grumpy nearby as the hairstylist helped him with his wig. His ears were almost dry after they glued on the pointed ends so they wanted to make sure his hair would look good next. Long jet black strands were now being weaved and fitted to perfection on his head. "Pardon?"

"You dragged Fuwa-san away when those two were arguing," the manager explained, very sour after having to deal with the consequences with everyone else after that. "Then I find the two of you in the hallway with him ready to fight and you with your back turned. What exactly did you two talk about?"

The actor couldn't believe this man was asking that right then. He already figured out this place was filled with Fuwa's supporters so discussing their personal battle behind enemy lines was not a good idea. It was best to just ignore it at that moment. Besides, they had a job to do. "Nothing much. Just told him how unprofessional it was to childishly insult a coworker, even if they grew up together."

"Is that all?" Yashiro eyed him dangerously, knowing he was only getting half the story. Nosy manager wanted to know everything about their relationship. It was his favorite form of entertainment.

Ren chose not to answer, instead eyeing a container on the vanity. "So what color eyes am I getting today? Yellow? Red?"

"You'd have to ask makeup." The hairdresser sighed, probably also wanting to know what was going on. She did the last touch with his wig, scattering some of it before his eyes. He heard her shake up a can just as she shielded his eyes. "Try not to breathe for a minute."

Holding his breath, Ren quickly worked something out in his head that'd help him avoid trouble. As soon as the spraying ended, the lady started to peel off the wig. "Okay, that should do it. When everything else is done, I'll be back to finish you off. Kay?"

"Fine by me. Thank you for all your help." He smiled nicely towards her like he did everyone, and it was enough to make her smile back, blushing. She set the wig on a stand and headed out to get the makeup artist to work on the next step. His costume waited for him not too far away and he really had to take advantage of the time away from others. Getting out of his chair, he looked over to his manager. "Mind getting me a drink? Telling off Fuwa took more out of me than I thought it would."

"Ah hah! So you did do more than talk to him! Did you leave any bruises?" Yashiro seemed rather proud of himself for a moment then withered away. "Wait, please tell me you didn't hurt him. That could really hurt Tsuruga Ren's reputation."

"Unless he's susceptible to bruising easily, I doubt it." Ren ran a hand through his hair, sighing momentarily. He had lost his temper, but he somehow managed to contain it before it could do damage. "I really was telling him off for insulting Mogami-san and putting certain thoughts in her head. More forcibly than I should have, but I didn't hit him."

Thrusting him against a wall wasn't hitting... right? Looking once at his manager he could tell he was coming up with scenarios that were far worse than the truth. He had such an imagination... Sighing once again, he looked off in memory. "Do you remember what he said when she came out in costume?"

"I just remember him calling her stupid and a ham-actor." Really, that last insult was the last straw, but both of those ideas came from others, Ren was sure of it. Being stuck in a role wasn't something either of them wanted so it was understandable why they'd be mad. Kyoko used to think of herself as stupid because of her mother, but she had proven herself as smarter than she thought with her high school entrance exams. She was doing really well. And really, where did the soul-sucking changeling come from? He had the nerve to make fun of her fairy tale fantasies and still call her that?

"I was referring to 'boring and plain'." He looked away, to the costume which reminded him of Labyrinth for a moment, letting the words sink in. "We've heard that before."

It took a minute or two for Yashiro to remember, but he did. Kyoko called herself that quite often. Realization finally hit him, showing plainly on his face. "Are you saying... he got her to think that way? Why that little-"

"I don't think he realizes the damage he's done," Ren stated flatly as he started unbuttoning his shirt. "That's what I was telling him in private, that he hurt her so much that he doesn't have the right to chase after her anymore."

"Aren't you considerate." Sarcasm almost dripped from the man's lips, but his answer was a raised eyebrow.

"I was only returning the favor." He hadn't told him about all the times Fuwa tried to shove him off her trail, so the actor let it slide.

"What happened to this just being another job?" The subtle jibe made Ren pause for a moment before answering.

"It still is." Eyes to the floor, the younger man struggled to strengthen his resolve. "I will not let my personal feelings interfere with the job."

"But if Fuwa-san-"

"We only have one scene together for any length of time." That was a blessing and a curse. The climax would be filled with conflict. Too bad their characters' fates were already determined. "The rest of the time one of us will be waiting on the sidelines. If Fuwa has any pride in his work, he won't do anything to sabotage it.

"This is just a job." He looked up at him at last, hanging up his shirt for later use. "Our war waits on the sidelines, away from the cameras."

Sighing a bit, Yashiro gave in. "Keep it that way. I don't want to find one of you in the hospital because you couldn't contain your egos. And poor Kyoko-chan will get caught in the middle..."

Ren squirmed inside at that notion. She didn't deserve to be caught in the middle of their war, even if she was the center of it. His manager gave him a small pat on the back before heading straight to the door. "I'll go get you a drink, and some tea for myself while I'm at it. Lock the door after me before you really change."

Smiling a bit, he thanked his manager and followed him to the dressing room door. His heart skipped for a moment as he locked the door and finally put his mini-plan in action. He really wasn't thirsty; he just needed the room cleared before he changed his contacts. The case he palmed from a secret pocket of his luggage came into view along with some eye drops. He didn't have a lot of time, so Ren quickly removed his brown lenses, put them away, and opened the second case on the vanity to learn what color his eyes would be.

One look and dread filled him. "Oh crap."

They were green.

Wincing internally, Kuon had to think fast. Last time he wore green lenses over his eyes, it was obvious they were fake. Unless these had a special design changing the way his irises looked, it was a very bad idea to wear them. Carefully, he took out one, placed it in his eye, and looked at himself hard in the mirror. One eye looked normal (green), and the other looked like a kid painted him lime green. It was just a normal colored lens. "Could it have killed you to make them animal-like?"

Taking it back out, he took a deep breath and rethought what he was going to do. As a professional, he could not let this atrocity be seen. But as an American pretending to be fully Japanese, he couldn't risk exposure. What was he going to do?

Taking in a breath, he tried to remember everything he knew about contacts. Doctors said to not share them with others, so after this they'd be going in the trash. If he took the case with him, no one had to know his eyes were naturally that color. The only one who would be close enough to tell would be Kyoko and the makeup artist anyway, and he could distract them from knowing fairly easily. Coming to a conclusion, Ren snapped the case shut and hid it in his bag with his usual set. Just this once he'd go without them.

Crisis averted and resolved to just toss the green lenses when they were leaving, Ren went back to changing into the demon's clothes. If he wasn't mostly dressed before Yashiro came in, he'd know something was up. As much as he trusted his manager, this was one secret he wasn't ready to give up yet.

A/N: usually I use italics in ".." for over the phone conversations( '..' are thoughts). here it was all English. Ren has this habit of speaking half his thoughts outloud I've noticed, and since Kuon is coming out more and more often, I thought when he was in private he might mumble to himself in English. And he wants to be in private while changing his contacts. Sho made the demon's eyes green for the green eyed monster so it's pure coincidence. They don't narrow like cats either, which is both good and bad in ren's case. he can't look too unnatural else he'll really scare people. Did a little research on colored contacts but no one answered my question on same colored contacts. XP

And then there's the arguing earlier! Kyoko usually brushes off Sho's compliments as 'so what' facts and dodges Ren's compliments, but also keeps calling herself plain and boring, hurting her self-esteem. when Ren pinpoints who put that idea in her head, there's gonna be hell to pay. Sorry if Sho's a bit OOC, I still haven't figured out how to make him more rounded here yet. 3X I was jsut having fun I guess.

Remember to comment! Next we get to see what the boys are wearing, and if Ren's ruse works.