yeah, been a while, but I've got school, work, and now in the process of moving. Plus I have other things to work on and a lot of reading to do here. XP hope this chapter makes up for the delay! Enjoy.


7 – Ticks and Off

"Did I miss anything?" Futonami Seri managed to come running back into the studio with two overflowing bags of popcorn within ten minutes of leaving, which gave the false couple enough time to set the mood.

"Just Kyoko-chan fighting to control her face and Fuwa-san attempting to get within five feet of her." Yashiro sighed heavily as the dance on the set kept going. It really looked more like two animals circling each other, debating how to attack instead of a romantic scene between royal heirs. "She really can't stand him…"

"After everything he's done, can you blame her?" Ren kept his poker face up as he watched the scene proceed onwards, attempting to ignore those nearby. Because the whole thing would be voiced over, they did not have to be quiet on the set. They merely could not be distracting. "She had to change her phone number because of him."

"And that's the tip of the iceberg," the manager sighed once more.

"Just how long is their history?" Seri popped some popcorn in her mouth and offered some to the two men. Yashiro took some out of conscious courtesy, but Ren took it mechanically, for once taking snack food when offered.

"How long can people remember?" Honestly the man wasn't sure if they knew each other since birth or only a little while longer than the eleven years he knew they knew each other. He and Kyoko had a silent agreement not to pry into each other's past. He would wait for her to tell him what she thought was necessary, and she did the same for him. After the events as the Heel siblings, she had every right to be curious but for his sake asked nothing. Kuon was forever grateful for her intuition being so sharp in his needs. Here he only returned the favor.

"Depends on the person," the lady sighed, "but I get the point. Makes sense anyway. They have the same ticks."

"Eh?" Yashiro looked at her curiously while Ren kept his eyes on the scene, listening. "Ticks?"

"You know, knee jerk reactions and small things they do. I saw it mostly when they were arguing, but I see it here too. In the way they move, sit, talk even. Are they-"

"They're not in a relationship!" the manager cut off quickly before someone broke character to say the same. They were fortunate that those attempting to flirt and look lovey-dovey couldn't hear them, and the third person there wasn't about to interrupt.

Annoyed, the writer flung a popped kernel at the guy's nose and finished what she was saying. "Cousins! I was going to say cousins! They act like siblings or cousins! Relatives! Sheesh! I know the difference between romantic and familial relationships, dodo."

"Huh…" Ren's eyes softened as he watched the two on stage a little differently now. He was thinking something similar not that long ago. When angry, they acted a lot alike. The way they talked when they weren't being polite, their accents, they were identical. The idea seemed to strike those nearby, especially the managers and director who were only halfway listening. "Well, it's not hard making that assumption if you watch them long enough. Playful banter doesn't always mean romance."

"You should see me with my brother," Seri stated evenly as she set one of her popcorn bags aside. "He keeps wearing the stupidest things, acts like an idiot, and pretends he's the smartest person in the room. Even at forty-eight! Guy never grew up. If I didn't make comments about his idiotic behavior all the time, I'm sure he would have been arrested ages ago."

'Sounds like the president,' the LME workers thought automatically. Were they related? No… too young.

"The way they fight is a lot like us," she continued, not knowing their thoughts. "And look at them now, circling and eyeing each other. He wants to get close and she wants to hurt him. I saw it when you were getting changed too. The volley was impressive, if a little irritating. I can't blame her for wanting to stay away from a grabby relative, but if this continues-"

"Then the project is doomed." Ren knew it would take some time for the character to completely take over the actress and make this work, but he had hoped that Kyoko's work ethic would make it go faster. Why else did he lecture her earlier? This was just a job. They had to complete it to the best of their abilities.

It's just really hard performing romance when you hate your partner. Working with your ex, even if it went nowhere, was a nightmare.

Wanting to sigh in exasperation, Ren watched the princess' every move, hoping for a sign that she remembered this was just a job to her. She had to get completely into character and from there they could make the scene work. Regardless of the end results, if they did their job right, then all the heartache while performing was worth it.

After a few more minutes of commentary on the sidelines and near bickering on set, Kyoko finally looked his way, seeing the look in his eyes. Since he seemed to routinely scold her with almost everything in acting, all he had to do was give her a look and she got the hint. He watched her take a deep breath, close her eyes for a moment, and gain the focus she needed. A minute later, her eyes opened, but Princess Lyra was in control. Her eyes became meek and gentle, her demeanor became passive, and she even managed a gentle smile.

Though glad she was now focusing, Kuon couldn't help but wonder how long this act would last. Bitter jealousy kept rearing its ugly head in his chest, and he had to use all his self-control to just watch the scene before him. Because of her new focus, Fuwa as starting to get into character, but didn't quite reach the description he promised. There was a sliver of hunger in his eyes instead of innocent joy. Irritated, Ren sighed to himself. 'This guy really can't act.'

Sadly, neither Kyoko nor the director recognized the juvenile hunger there as the two went about their scene. They walked around the pavilion, the princess being adorable and playful while the prince tried to repeatedly catch her. Innocence was everywhere about the girl, dodging each attempt as a game she enjoyed, not understanding what each gesture meant. Her giggles and smile reminded one audience member of a brief meeting they had many years ago.

Curious and amused, Ren looked up in thought. 'Is she thinking about our tag game back then? Playing tag with a fairy… yeah, that'd do it.' A small smile graced his face, only to freeze when he saw an audience member focused on him. Seri was watching him, and eating popcorn. It drew out a frown. "Is something the matter Futona-"

"Seri," she corrected him sharply. "I swear I have to retrain you every time we meet up."

"I guess I'm a slow learner," he brushed off quickly.

"Sure you are." Once more she popped a kernel in her mouth, not caring. Actually, it was pretty strange for the writer to be paying this much attention to the production. Why hadn't she gone back to her computer? "Slow in other things too."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" For a moment his heart stopped, remembering clearly the first time he met this woman. She seemed to know everything about him within a few days, yet neither said a word. She was just too observant.

"The draw." She inclined her head to the pair on stage, twirling around like two kids playing pretend and going to a ball. It was starting to get pretty cozy up there. For a moment, Ren wanted her to be fighting the guy again. Mentally he had to scold himself that it was for the job, nothing more, and it was that moment the lady decided to speak. "Seriously, if you don't take her, I can see that guy-"

"Futonami-san." The tone of his voice stopped her from objecting, but it was the blinding smile that stopped her completely. "Please do not meddle in affairs you do not fully understand."

Seri watched him for a moment calmly, ate another kernel, then threw one at his face, hitting his nose. "You know that smile doesn't work on me kiddo. I'm just giving you fair warning. Don't mind me sunshine."

"Mmmm…" His stunning 'shut up' smile dimmed into a slightly pained one, leaving the lady alone. She did just declare Fuwa Kyoko's relative after all. Why hadn't he put that together? Well, he didn't have siblings and his cousins were often on the other side of the country growing up, if not the world. Kuon was one of a kind.

He just didn't know if he was the right kind.

Suddenly there was a slap, jerking everyone's attention to the stage. An enraged Kyoko was glaring down an irked Fuwa, both so far from character it was scary. What did they miss?

"What the hell?!"

"Watch what you're touching you pervert!"

"What's there to touch?!" Fuwa juvenilely pointed up and down the girl. "You're as flat as a board on both ends! Are you really a girl?!"

"Oh were you just checking when you touched my-"

"I didn't touch you, you crazy-"

"CUT! CUT!" The director forced her hand between the two before they shouted their makeup off. She was more than frustrated with both of them. "Seriously! I have an easier time working with dogs!"

"Well if he just-"

"I didn't do anything!"

"What happened?" Ren was on stage and next to them as fast as he could without making a scene. Kyoko didn't go around slapping people without reason (he was not going to deny that she slapped people), and he had no doubt Fuwa would try something, but he had to act impartial for the job's sake.

Pointing to the singer furiously, Kyoko nearly shouted her objections. "He put his hand on my thigh! Nearly touched my-"

"You're by the bench!" Equally mad at being called a pervert, Fuwa pointed to where they were standing just a moment ago. If Ren hadn't been talking to Seri at that moment, he might have seen everything clearly. Lo and behold, there was a bench whose end reached just under the curve of her rear end. It was entirely possible that- "You brushed up against it when I was leaning on it!"

"I didn't-"

"Let's just replay the scene and call it that way." Director Haruki was tired of their bickering and they all knew it. Knowing this would end the debate entirely, they swiftly crowded the TV to check the filming. Despite knowing both of these people well, none of them could deny what happened when they saw it on camera. Sighing, the director looked at all of them. "Take five you two. Kyoko-san, please try and refocus on your role. You jumped the gun on Sho-kun this time."

"Yes…" Disappointed in herself, Kyoko stepped away from the screen.

"HA!" Fuwa pointed a finger at her in triumph. "See?! It wasn't my fault! You-"

"Mogami-san," Ren stopped things before they could get out of hand, "would you come with me for a bit?"

Privately everyone but the singer was glad he ran interference. It looked like another fight was starting to rear its ugly head between them. They really did live in their own world sometimes. Gracefully, the demon lord (his character, not his angry persona) extracted the shamefaced yet starting to fume princess from the small circle and to a smaller corner away from everyone else. He deliberately ignored his allies there, especially their knowing smirks.

Soon they were isolated from the rest and he stopped their walk, letting her go so they could face each other. Using his most calming yet instructing sempai mode, he started, "Now Mogami-sa-"

"I'M SORRY!"

Only slightly startled by her apologies and bowing, Ren pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course. This would happen. On and on Kyoko went, not giving him a word edgewise. "I know you told me over and over again to just treat this as another job, but every time I see his face I just fall back into my revenge obsessed ways! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm putting everyone behind! All because I'm lacking professionalism! I shouldn't have assumed that Sho did something off the bat! I'm sorry for making a mess of this!"

"It was an easy mistake," Ren tried to assure her, hoping her ranting would end soon. Really, she had to stop this habit. "Anyone who knows been in your shoes would assume the worst. You're just on your guard." 'As you should be.'

"But I'm making a mess of everything!" She was so ashamed of what happened, and it showed over every inch of her face. She still hadn't stopped bowing. "How could I be so unprofessional?! You must be asha-"

"Never in a million years for an infinite amount of reasons would I be ashamed of you Mogami-san." Seriously, where did she get these ideas?! Yeah, he became exasperated with her from time to time, but never would he be ashamed. The actor sighed heavily, glad she stopped rambling for a while. "So lift up your head. You're an actress playing a princess, and they bow to no one. Least of all a demon lord."

She stilled for a long moment, and he let silence stay so she could process what he just said. Sometimes he just needed to point out a few things and let her think, and she'd do the rest. After a minute, he sighed again and settled into a better stance. "Okay, tell me what the issue is."

"Pardon?" She finally looked up, slowly getting out of her bow. Didn't she understand the question?

"In the previous scene you acted out a perfect princess in love." He thought Kyoko did a great job on it, even if she was looking at Fuwa. "What has changed between that scene and this one?"

"I didn't have to touch him or get too close in the last scene."

Nodding, the man gave in to that point. "Alright, but what were you thinking about ten minutes ago when this one was going well?"

To that she blushed and looked away, her back straight once more. "I… I was just…" Murmurs followed that no one could hear.

"Come again?"

"Corn."

His heart gave an involuntary jump, his attention completely caught at the mere similarity of his name. His personal tick. If Seri saw and heard that, he was dead. Kyoko kept going, mumbling and turning red as she went. "I was just imagining Corn was in front of me and I was visiting his fairy kingdom. If I just looked at the wig, I could almost imagine they were the same person."

Kuon frowned a little at that, but perked up a second later. "But then he got closer and it was harder and harder to not see Sho. I don't want to mix the two up for even a minute. Then I saw your face and knew I had to be professional and get the job done. I almost replaced that guy completely in my head, then I felt…"

Her grumblings became indecipherable at that point, her aura turning dark. It really was harder for her to act out this role because of how close the two of them had to be. She really did not want to be there. Though it was interfering with work, it did settle Ren's heart a bit. But work came first at the moment, not romance. No matter how much he wanted to bask in the knowledge that she was thinking of him instead of Fuwa, they had a job to do.

"Which led to this delay."

"Sorry." Guilt returned to her face tenfold, almost getting her to bow again.

"Don't be sorry. Just stop breaking character." Kyoko gave him a look telling him that she was doubting her abilities, so he decided to share an acting trick he used to keep him in one character at a time (usually). "Mogami-san, you remember my watch?"

"Eh?" Surprise was expected, and she didn't disappoint for a second. Confused, she tilted her head to the side. "The broken one you used to wear on your right?"

"Yes. That one." Count on her to recall every detail about something small. "Do you know why I wear it all the time?" She shook her head, almost saying something no doubt to dodge him from continuing. She never pressed, but she had to know one of the reasons. "It's a reminder that I am Tsuruga Ren at that time. It keeps me focused so I behave the way I should. When I take it off, I become someone else, focusing that character through an object. Katsuki had his tie. With Cain, it was the hair color. Toruh carried a keychain."

"I see…" The girl was starting to think hard about this, his experiences sinking in. "So you've-"

"There are certain scenarios where breaking character happens whether we like it or not." Ren could name multiple examples from the past year alone, mostly involving Kyoko, but he didn't want to let on how much 'Tsuruga Ren' differed from his true self. He was trying to rewrite himself to be this man after all. "What matters is that you do not continue to make that mistake over and over again."

Kyoko nodded, understanding sinking in at last. "Alright… so I need to focus Princess Lyra through something… Um… "

Her hand went to her wig and the ribbon tied to it, thinking hard. Quickly the faux demon lord took her hand away from it. "Not that. I have plans for that ribbon during our scenes so you need to pick something else."

"Okay…" She didn't sound so sure about what he was saying, but then went to her crown. Once more he shook his head, saying no to that choice as well. The confusion on his princess' face was only growing. "What exactly are you planning to do to me?"

To that, he stilled, then grinned impishly. "Best you don't know. It won't detour from the script, but it will add some flavor. What about this bracelet?" Ren prodded the gold band on her right hand. "You're right handed so you'll see it more often."

"That makes sense…" She lifted the bracelet for her to see it better, thinking hard. "So this is Princess Lyra's bracelet. Maybe it's infused with magical powers."

'And back into Lala land she goes.' The actor stifled a smirk, letting her fantasies go a little wild. Whatever got her to stay in character was fine by him, even if it bordered on ridiculous. The one thing he didn't tell her about this method was that once the item was gone, it was a lot harder to stay in character. Without that watch, staying as 'Tsuruga Ren' around her was nigh impossible.

The new Kuon he'd been growing to be was the one talking to her now, and he'd need every ounce of his talents and control to do this job properly.


A/N: Yeah, this was a really hard scene to do. Seriously ran dry on what should happen and what shouldn't, so that's why it took so long. I have the next scene choreographed perfectly in my head so it won't be as difficult.

Little thing I've noticed between these three characters is their ticks. Sho and Kyoko act a lot alike from time to time, and argue like me and my brother. This makes me think of them being siblings or cousins, so I wanted someone to point it out. Secondly, Ren has a lot of American ticks. Not just the shoulder thing either. Watch where his hands go when he's thinking or being defensive or fretting. None of the other characters do the things he does, but they're common American gestures. Then there's that smile. Who hasn't done the smile and nod trick when they just wanted to punch the guy in the face? We did it to get others to shut up and let us go on our merry ways. It kept the peace, which was the point of it. Anyone who watches both cultures and him will see just how much of his homeland is a part of him.

Enough rambling. I've got other fics and homework to work on, plus packing. Laters!