I know that once again I have allowed this fic to go months without updating. However, I am now on summer vacation, so I don't intend to ignore this fic at all. I am currently trying to do weekly updates. Hopefully, I'll be able to do so much writing and update twice a week eventually.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat…neither have I read the manga for quite some time. *Sweatdrop* Nevermind, its summer now and I've got loads of time on my hands!

Chapter 9

Kyoko dropped another magazine onto the pile at her feet. All morning she had been catching up on who Tsuruga Ren was, and she was nothing short of shocked. What were the odds that the person who would buy her freedom, would be the most famous and recognizable man in all of Japan? She frowned. Most recognizable…yet she hadn't noticed at all.

She lifted her eyes to look at the ceiling as she allowed the memories to come flooding back. Even all those years ago, before Sho became the second most popular male in Japan, Tsuruga Ren had been his rival. Though unknown to Ren at that time, Sho could see his potential, and considered him his arch enemy, and Kyoko had been on his side 100%. She had refused to buy any products that had a connection with Tsuruga Ren. His name had been just that to her over the years. Just a name. What coincidence. What luck.

Kyoko muttered curses under her breath and picked up the next magazine, her eyes falling to the cover. What were the odds indeed that the person who now "owned" her, was Sho's greatest rival. A rather evil smirk played across her face. She was in the best position ever to take her revenge. Maybe this was similar to someone selling their soul to the devil.

In order to carry out revenge, she would have to be under the ownership of Tsuruga Ren. But it would be worth it. She would burst onto the scene as fresh blood and shock him. All those times he called her stupid, and worthless, and a whore…She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth at that one. She had never done anything to hurt Sho…yet he had said all those hurtful things to her. He had made her cry so many times, only to look on after with a helpless face. He had never known what to do to make her stop crying. He had never known.

She would show him. She would become famous, as an actress. And she would do it with Tsuruga Ren. She would hurt him worse. Much much worse. She was going to hit him where it hurt the most. His pride. She felt a laugh bubble within her. She imagined it would sound rather evil, being a gift from her new found demons of course. Not that she minded. They had made her vision much clearer. They were now her encouragement.

Kyoko's breath got hitched in her throat and she felt her cheeks warm up against her will. The slowly rising heat quickly spread throughout her body. Was there any way to stop it? Right on the page she had turned to was a somewhat centrefold of none other than Tsuruga Ren. The only thing he wore was a towel around his waist. His dark eyes were settled comfortably on the camera, but it gave her chills. He looked as if he knew exactly who it was that was looking at his picture at that moment. The water droplets clung to him as if they had been set on his body specifically and individually. His hair was damp, but didn't hang limply around his head. A few strands were plastered against his forehead. His lips were slightly parted in an inviting manner. He was seducing her.

She couldn't bring herself to close it. The longer she looked at it, the more things she realized. The dark and long lashes that framed his eyes. The pink softness of his lips. The slightly defining borders of his muscles. His long limbs. His perfection.

"Kyoko," a voice called from the door. She jumped and tried to slam the magazine shut before he could realize what she was caught up on. Instead, she sent the magazine flying away from her and over to Ren's feet. She coloured what she figured was a bright red when she realized that much like the Tsuruga in the magazine, this real life Tsuruga was also wearing nothing but a towel.

'Damn him,' she seethed mentally.

Ren bent down to pick up the magazine that Kyoko had been reading. He flipped through it, stopping at his page. A smile went off on his face. His eyes moved from the magazine to rest on the girl slumped on the floor, her cheeks blazing a ridiculous defiant red.

"You know Kyoko…I was just about ready to take a shower. You can join if you like," he said. Kyoko's heart pounded against her chest so loudly that she feared he would hear it all the way across the room.

"No…no thanks. I'm fine like this," she said, pulling the robe she had on around her tightly and looking away from him, fighting her blush. This was definitely not anything like the prelude to love. That, and all other feelings related to romance, had been locked away in her with the decision to finally take revenge on Sho. She had no intention of falling for Tsuruga Ren, despite all the advances she knew she would get from him. What she was feeling was more beastly, more terrifying…it was a fire ready to rage uncontrollably. Was this a fault of her own? Had her idea to use Ren as a ladder to her success backfired in the form of lust?

She gulped. Lust?

Ren grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her up and over his shoulder. She let out a surprised and half terrified scream as he made his way to the one and only bathroom in the apartment.

"Put me down, you savage!" Kyoko hissed. She felt like she was in a movie. Being carried off against one's will never happened in real life…did it?

She heard, rather than saw when the door to the bathroom closed and then Ren put her on her feet. She backed away from him, clutching her robe tightly around her chest area, her cheeks still warm. Ren eyes pierced into hers for a second, then he smiled and stepped toward her, backing her up against the wall. He put his hands against the wall, right beside her head, effectively trapping her against the wall. Kyoko knew her terror showed in her eyes, but she couldn't help it.

He was so close, just oozing a natural dark atmosphere. She gulped and reminded herself that this was all a part of her ploy. All she had to do was play along with him, and stall him from getting what he wanted.

Ren bent his neck so that he could be at the same eye level as her.

"You have the cutest blush I have ever seen," he said, his voice truthful. He didn't wait for any form of answer from her. He pressed his lips to hers.

Kyoko grabbed his waist, the towel soft against her palms, she needed something to steady herself. His kiss was so soft, their lips barely touching, but it was fanning the tiny candle like flame that had started burning in her. He pulled away slightly and she gasped against his lips, her hot breath curling against them. He licked his lips and bit down on the bottom one as he moved his head away from hers. She felt the tenseness of his body.

'No. I'm not finished. I want more,' she thought. She grasped his hips tightly and pulled them to her own with a force that caused him to let out a short "oh". She went on the tips of her toes, Ren's lips her goal. He bent his neck without hesitation, allowing her to get at them. It was a soft kiss yet again and Kyoko felt like she was crumbling apart. Her legs wobbled underneath her, threatening to pull her away.

Her legs won and she cursed mentally as they broke contact. She stood flat footed, her head on the same level as his chest.

"Cain…Ren…" she started, her voice shaky, her demeanour vulnerable. Just standing there with him made things feel unfinished. There was something else that had to be done. She took a deep breath and slid her robe off her shoulders. Why not get it over with and move on? Get the burning out of her skin. Give him what he had been asking for ever since he had brought her to his home. She had often times heard of girls sleeping with their superiors to make their way to the top. Maybe she was to be thrown in the lot with all those girls right now. She needed a way to get to the top so that she could trample a specific someone under her heel.

No.

No.

She would NEVER resort to using her body like that. Her shame had not been cancelled out by her need for vengeance.

"No," Ren said, stopping her from pulling her robe open in front of him. She stopped, her hands on the belt. She licked her bottom lip in a seemingly subconscious move. She saw his jaw tighten. Her hands flitted over to his, gently massaging them, encouraging him.

Just how much longer could she bluff her way through this? Just how long would he allow her to dangle him from the cliff before he fell off in a fit of passion and violated her?

"Are you sure?" she purred at him.

"I think its best after all if I take a shower alone," he said. They stood there for a moment, their eyes staring at anything but each other.

Ren kissed her shoulder to break the silence, his eyes carefully avoiding hers, saving her from revealing the vulnerability she felt and knew was reflected in her orbs. He stepped away from her, and she sighed internally.

He stepped into the shower, pulling the door close behind him. His towel appeared over the top of the shower. Kyoko looked at the blurry outline of him, her eyebrows furrowed, confusion settling in. What was his game? Did he want her heart? Or her body?

She left the bathroom in a confused huff, slamming the door behind her and then jumping on the bed. How long could she keep it going? How long before he succumbed to the fire she knew she had started within him? How long before she gave in to the burning in her joints? Why was she still confused after finding clarity in her plans for revenge?

She buried her face in her hands. It was all still so confusing, but she knew she had to keep up her act. She could do it. She would do it.

Kyoko fiddled with her long hair as she waited for Ren in the living room. He had called and arranged a meeting for her with the president of the company he worked with. She was excited, yes, but much more worried. Before long she would face the moment that would make her or break her in showbiz. She couldn't mess up…she was doing this for revenge. She would not falter.

"Yashiro will be coming around with the car," Ren said as he stepped out of the room. He was wearing a suit, and was giving off a totally different vibe than the one his alter ego Cain had been giving off. It was as if he had turned into a completely different person. She was amazed. This man was so good at acting, that even a different aura he could produce. Was she capable of anything like that?

"Yashiro?" She asked, her eyes narrowing as he looked up at her.

"Yes, Yashiro. He's my manager," Ren answered. Kyoko said nothing else. Of course, what else was to be expected? She was going to be forced to confront him, or at the very most, be forced to deal with a very uncomfortable situation.

"Ok," Kyoko answered, her eyes locking with Ren's for a few seconds before he pulled them away in a rather guilty manner. She looked away too, feeling the awkwardness begin to build up.

He hadn't looked at her properly and directly ever since he took his shower, and she didn't know why. He had barely come close to her too. His advances had suddenly stopped, it was as if he had washed them off and down the drain. She was still confused about this, confused about where she stood with him.

Can I really do this?

She fixed her eyes on the door and hugged herself. This was no time for doubts. She needed to make a FINAL resolve. She could not be shaken from her decisions now.

A knock sounded off on the door, causing both occupants of the room to look at it. The interruption of silence had done nothing to the slight tension that had built up between them.

As Ren crossed the room to get to the door, Kyoko knew who was on the other side.

"The car is waiting for you both," Yashiro said as the door opened. Kyoko could see the bags under his eyes and the stress in his brow. She felt her body go stiff and the air she inhaled was suddenly replaced by hatred. She could feel the substance burning her nose and filling her lungs. Her eyes latched onto him. His eyes briefly met hers before dropping suddenly in obvious fear to the ground. Without missing another beat, he turned and left the doorway, Kyoko's hatred for him clearly transcending the distance and barriers to hit him wherever it hurt the most.

'I hate him,' she thought vehemently. And suddenly she was no longer afraid of facing him. She would be sure to make him repent in the most horrible, painful way she could think of. Moko san would have her revenge too.

"Kyoko," Ren called, gesturing toward the door. With her head held high she walked through it, her new heels going clink clink on the floor. The wind outside whipped her hair about her face, but filled her with a surge of determination.

She was going to ace whatever the company flung her way.

She was going to give a good knockout punch to Sho's pride.

No one would ever get to her heart.

And Ren would never lay a welcoming finger on her again.

She started down the stairs, holding on carefully to the railing, tucking her hair behind her ear to keep it out of her eyes. She had to believe in herself, and she had to stick to her decisions. As of now, it was just her. Just her…

'If only Moko-san was here…'

I think that was…kinda ok. I'll try to make the next chapter give this fic a good kick into the direction we all know it's going in – the take revenge direction. We all know it's about time. I've been through 9 chapters and a prologue already!

Thanks to those who reviewed for the last chapters:

Maria, Caramel, KaoriCarrie, . , sno-zutto, Onion 345, silver-zenko-kitsune, skipbeataddict, mehj, Ghost reader, toughestcookie, pot3kettle, Zerimar, Princess Ren, Firnlambe, maplett, llalinall, pwenie and my lovely beta Sunechirei. ^_^

And a special thanks to Firnlambe who PMed me and let me know that people are actually still interested in this and need an update. This is your chapter. :D