Chapter 11: Lesson
Ren closed the script as the scenes he read began to take shape within his mind. Deep, down he knew that one day she would be required to do scenes of this calibre, especially give this new film opportunity, however, he had never truly imagined that he would be whom she would turn to for advice. Then again you are her dearest senpai, are you not? He thought bitterly.
As he eyed the cover, he contemplated just what it was that she was asking of him, and if it was what he presumed, how far did she expect the lesson to take them? Inwardly, the Emperor of the Night simpered with excitement with the prospects being so irresistible. Yet, the other part of him, the responsible and professional bit, understood the risks involved, particularly his crumbling sense of control while being in Kyoko's presence.
"Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko whispered.
The sound of her voice snapped him out of his conflicted reverie. Ren set the script aside and immediately decided to do whatever he could to help her succeed, even at the risk of his own peace of mind. The first thing that the actor needed to do was to gauge her experience, or lack thereof, to the subject at hand. Subtly he took a deep breath and took on the mantle required of him.
Stepping up to her, he looked deeply into her eyes. The intensity of that stare held her full attention. It was daring and enigmatic, laced with the essence of a former playboy named Hizuri Kuon. Her lips closed and Ren could see the delicate movement of her neck as she swallowed back her nervousness. Removing all emotion from his expression, he bluntly inquired, "Are you asking me to teach you how to be a seductress?"
The slight widening of her mystified eyes told him that she didn't really know what she was asking of him at all. My typical, naïve Kyoko, he thought, suppressing the smirk that threatened to surface. I suppose there's no reason I can't have some fun, Kuon mused, threatening to take over entirely. Ren took a step closer to the teen, their bodies almost touching. However, Kyoko, in turn, stepped back. Unrelenting, he moved even closer. Their mutual game of parry continued until the young woman was cornered against the wall with nowhere else to go.
"Y-yes, s-something l-like that-t," Kyoko sputtered, her mind filled with hot haze. "I n-need to be able to un-under-understand intimate in-interactions between—"
Ren pressed his hands on either side of Kyoko's face and brought his mouth closer to hers, regarding her beautifully blushing complexion with mild satisfaction. Lowering his voice, he interrupted her tangled thoughts further by asking, "Are you asking me to teach you how to behave sexually, Mogami-san?"
Kyoko's entire body ignited with heat as she admired the smouldering gaze that he braced her with. Her fingers itched to reach out and shove him away while pulling him even nearer, their close proximity suffocating her with mixed feelings of fluttering butterflies and dangerous curiosity amid fear and insecurities. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, or how she was supposed to behave. This was a scenario that never crossed her usually über-prepared mind.
"Mogami-san?" Ren whispered, trying to read the plethora of emotions that waltzed upon her ochre gleam. When her head moved ever-so-slightly closer to his, it was the Emperor's turn to be surprised. Normally, he had no issues with reading what a woman wanted. Given the situation, it was usually rather easy to decipher. Nevertheless, out of everything Kyoko has taught him, one thing is for sure: she is: she is anything but ordinary. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't merely wishful thinking.
"Y-yes, Tsuruga-san," she finally answered. Closing her mouth, she took a moment to swallow away her fears and hesitations. I must defeat Sho no matter what! Reclaiming her resolve, she shook her a head a bit to clear her mind and then matched Ren's daring intensity. I'm doing this to be the best Natsu I can be. As Kyoko slithered into her Natsu mode, she felt her reluctance and anxiety melting away
The sudden shift in the air startled Ren. He backed away just enough to take in her expression. Lidded eyes and a grin upon her lips utterly took his breath away.
"Will you teach me, senpaiii?" Kyoko drawled the honorific alluringly. "I simply don't know how I'm supposed to play a part like this," she continued. Lifting her right hand, she lightly ran her fingertips down Ren's cotton-clad chest.
Bullshit, Kuon shouted as his heart raced with astonishment. That tone and that mischievous glare could only mean one thing, she's resorting to Natsu already, he pondered. Either she knows exactly what I'm doing, or she's protecting herself. Ren remembered how Kyoko would use her roles as a shield when in an uncomfortable position. But she's not angry or yelling about propriety either, so her unease isn't coming from that.
Pinching a part of his shirt between her fingers, she tugged him closer until his body grazed hers. "So, senpai," she said softly, "Will you help your precious kōhai?"
Ren chuckled. There's only one way to find out what's going on with you, Kyoko, he thought as he slipped his hand around her delicate slender wrist. Either this is all professional, or you are hiding something very important from me. Smiling handsomely, Ren pulled her hand away from him and dropped it. Let's play, sweetheart, Kuon muttered from the depths.
Ren stepped away from the wall and turned his back to the young woman. "I can't help you if you're not honest with me, Mogami-san." When he had placed a good ten feet between them, he slid his hands into the front pockets of his jeans casually and faced her again.
With the distance between them, the approaching storm of Natsu quickly evaporated. Kyoko looked at her senior colleague questioningly. "B-but I answered your question, didn't I?"
Internally, Ren sighed. This is going to be much more difficult than I thought. "Teaching you how to behave seductively and teaching you how to behave sexually are a bit different, Mogami-san. Let's also not forget that it's relative to the situation, isn't it?"
Kyoko pouted, feeling defeated. "But you read the script, so you understand the situation, right?" Slowly, she started back to the couch.
"This isn't about what I read or didn't read," Ren answered matter-of-factly, the true embodiment of expertise. "While I comprehend what was stated in the script, this is about your role and how you interpret the scene, after all, you are the one who has to perform it." He could see the mental cogs working within her as she pieced together what she needed to master so could climb the next rung of her professional ladder. "So, do you need to be seductive, or sexual?" Noting her confusion, he tried to put it in simpler terms. "Are you hunting your prey, or devouring it?"
"Hmmm," Kyoko mumbled, processing the analogy. "To be honest, Tsuruga-san, I'm unsure." She sat down on the couch and buried her face into her palms with mild frustration. "I don't get any of it."
Okay, let's change tactics, he thought. Sitting beside her, her prepped himself for the question that he had hoped he would never have to ask her. "Kyoko, I know this will be difficult, but I need you to think about your time with Fuwa."
Her head snapped up, the aura of rage beginning to take root, but it was shut-down quickly when Ren raised his palm to stop her.
"Just, hear me out before you become upset." When she nodded, he continued. "You once had very strong feelings for him. You were devoted to him and helping him accomplish his dreams, so much so that you moved to Tokyo and began living with him." Ren took a slow breath and ground his teeth a tiny bit. "While you two were together, did you ever want him to touch you, or did you desire to touch him?"
Kyoko's blush returned with a brilliant flush.
Trying his best to ignore that reaction, Ren kept going. "I mean, have you never thought about what it would be like to be touched by a man?"
The silence that followed was excruciating. The veteran actor tried to think of different ways to make his point, when she finally answered him.
"I used to dream about what it would feel like to be kissed by him," Kyoko's voice was meek. She felt embarrassed yet sad. "I had read fairy tales when I was younger about the princess being kissed be her prince. I know that life isn't a story, but it seemed like such a magical moment in a person's life." Kyoko looked down into her lap and forced the influx of negative emotions away. "But somehow, I feel that what is being asked of me here is very different than that, right?" She looked up to her dear senpai.
Ren felt horrible for bringing it up, and even more enraged by the fact that she had her heart broken so terribly. Yet, there was nothing he could do about it now. The only thing he was able to provide her with was a platform for which she could shine. "Yes, you are right. This is very different."
"Please, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko pleaded. Without realising it, she grabbed his hand and held tightly. "Please, help me with this."
Smiling kindly, Ren nodded. "I'll do my best." Closing his eyes for a moment, Ren tapped into the dark pool of Kuon. If he was to help her, he would need help from the beast. When he opened them again, he felt her fingers tighten around his as he took her breath away.
"The first step to seduction," Ren said in a low voice. He draped one arm on the back of the couch and pulled his other from Kyoko's hold. Raising it he tenderly ran his fingers down her cheek to her neck where he brushed her hair aside. He then tucked his fingers behind her neck and brought her closer to him. "is to make the other person believe that everything they are doing they are doing it because they want to do it."
"You mean, like tricking them?" Kyoko asked doubtfully. "That doesn't seem right."
"Unfortunately, that is how seduction works. Let's take Fuwa, for example," when she groaned, Ren had to fight the urge to chuckle. The dark aura was momentarily forgotten as he fell into senpai mode. Relaxing and withdrawing himself from her entirely, he continued to explain. "He seduced you into believing that you wanted to do things for him so that his life would be easier; made you think that you worked hard for his benefit because you loved him, and it was the right thing to do."
Kyoko eyes blossomed with realisation. "That's manipulation, Tsuruga-san."
The actor grinned from ear-to-ear. Maybe I can use this to my advantage, he considered. "Precisely. That is the fruit of seduction. When it comes to sexual interactions, you use seduction to make the other person feel that they want you and that it was entirely natural; something they've always wanted for themselves from the very beginning."
Kyoko nodded as the basics of everything finally began to compute within her brain. "Natsu already does that, in a sense, when she bullies people and tortures them. No matter how evil she is, people still want her, or they want to be exactly like her. She seduces them with power."
"Exactly," Ren replied, feeling quite pleased with himself.
"Can you show me how seduction works with what's being asked of me in the script?" Kyoko queried, feeling her embarrassment resurface. "I mean, where sexuality is concerned?"
Sitting silently for a moment, Ren became pensive. She has the ability to be very seductive. That brief air of Natsu pretty much showed me that. Sexuality isn't too far a stretch from that, after all, it's all about body language. As he processed these thoughts, impulsively Ren's eyes fell to Kyoko's bare legs. The simple buttons on her tank top and how easy it would be for him to—that's it.
"Can you do me a favour first, Mogami-san?" Ren inquired as he sat up a bit straighter. The idea took shape within him, as did the recognition that there would be no going back from what he was about to do. His restraint needed to be the strongest it has ever been. "Would you mind if I touched you?"
"What?" Kyoko asked, feeling suddenly disconcerted.
"Do you trust me?"
Kyoko saw the Emperor staring back at her. Inhaling deeply, she nodded once. "I do, Tsuruga-san."
Ren reached out and began to slowly unbutton Kyoko's top. Her eyes fell to his ministrations. A soft touch of colour began to spread from her cheeks to the rest of her face and neck. "Seduction as it relates to sex," Ren began, his voice hoarse with equal parts anticipation and dread, "is all about body language." After unbuttoning the first three buttons, he sat back and regarded the way the lace edges of her bra barely peaked out from beneath the top, teasing without seeming desperate.
"B-body language?" Intuitively, she moved her hand to cover the skin she was showing, however Ren intercepted her by grabbing her wrist. When she looked at him questioningly, he simply shook his head.
"I want you to stand for me, can you do that?" As she got off the couch, Ren licked his lips and took a deep breath. Don't lose control of yourself. He rested his hands on her hips and guided her to stand before him. "Now, I want you to look into my eyes."
Kyoko obliged nervously.
"Good. Eye contact is extremely powerful when it comes to seduction." Ren said, confidence and a slight air of authority tinging his masculine voice. "For women, seduction comes from the parts of their body that men are naturally drawn to."
Kyoko pressed her lips together and thought about Sho's manager. She had large breasts and curves in the appropriate places. Kyoko didn't look anything like that. She was slender, with much smaller breasts and a more subdued form. Before she could get the chance to feel despair, Ren's fingers pressed into her hips forcing her back to reality.
"Stay with me, Mogami-san."
She smiled appreciatively at him and nodded. Opening her mouth to speak again, she was quickly silenced by the actor's quick manoeuvre.
Without warning, Ren pulled her into his lap. To keep from collapsing on him entirely, Kyoko placed her knee between his legs, causing her to straddle his thigh, and her hands on either side of him on along the couch's edge. She towered over him; her hair messily fell to one side of her face. Ren could see the delicate shape of her cheeks and jaw and the sheen of curiosity in her stare. Naturally pink lips were parted with surprise, making his heart beat faster. You're stunning, he thought. Kyoko tried to move away, but he wouldn't allow it.
"When a you have something that you want so desperately this close to you," he said, lowering his voice to the barest whisper, "it's almost impossible not to notice the things about her that make you want to lose control. That is what seduction is, that is where sex begins." He allowed his eyes to roam her body blatantly. "The parts of the body that you want to touch, to taste the most, can be used to lure out even the most daring of intentions." Ren slowly wrapped his arms around Kyoko.
"Tsuruga-san—"
Ren smoothly pulled Kyoko against his body and then threw her down on the couch. Hovering above her, he used one hand to brace himself, and positioned himself between her legs. "Ren," he said quietly, lowering his mouth to hers. "It's Ren."
Kyoko's heart was pounding in her chest. Gently, she placed her hands against his shoulders. The fabric of denim rubbed against her inner thighs as she subconsciously wrapped her legs around him. With him so unbelievably close, she took in every single detail of his immaculate complexion. Long, dark lashes protected wicked black eyes. A strong jaw with an expression that never revealed who the man behind the name Tsuruga Ren truly is. Full lips that drew her further and further into the moment. When he spoke his name, Kyoko felt compelled to speak it aloud, to feel it on her tongue, just this once. Closing her eyes, she basked in that temptation and yielded in the only way that she knew how to.
"Ren," she whispered.
Smirking devilishly, Ren pressed his lips to hers and spoke again. "Say it again."
Kyoko dug her fingers into him and repeated herself, "Ren…"
"Thank you, Mogami-san," he said as he crawled off of her and into a stance.
Her eyes flew open and she propped herself up on her elbows. Kyoko blinked several times as strong feelings of confusion began to sink into her mind and heart. "Wait… I don't understand."
Ren raked his long hair back and gave her that Emperor of the Night grin. "That was a simple lesson in seduction."
Her jaw dropped. He truly is the evillest man alive.