The holidays are coming up quickly. So much to do, so little time, and my wife and I are hosting Christmas for our family this year. I don't care for decorations, but she and his mother are, so I'll likely be dealing with that. On top of that, there are a few things I want to get done before the holiday, but I'm very bad at getting a whole lot done after a draining day of work. I'll try to crank out some chapters in between everything. This chapter is just a little short, but I have some ideas growing that just need to be fit into the proper spot on the timeline.
enjoy.
Kyoko and Yashiro felt incredibly anxious and antsy as Ren followed Sho to a secluded part of the garage.
"I don't like this." Yashiro stated nervously as he watched them go. Kyoko nodded her agreement. Ren would stay in control of himself right? He's interacted with Sho before, but he felt really angry this time for some reason. She couldn't think of anything in particular that would blow his anger up like that.
"I don't want to leave them alone together." She agreed, still watching where they had disappeared behind a corner. "Tsuruga-san seems like he's in a bad mood."
"This feels too similar to that other time." Yashiro whimpered, causing Kyoko to look at him with confusion. "No, ah..., when we saw you in the car with Fuwa at this very garage, that time. Fuwa found Ren later I suppose, and he must have said something to truly upset Ren. The whole day had people commenting to me that even Tsuruga Ren is able to have bad days." He tried to explain. Kyoko groaned and crouched in place, holding her head mournfully. Sho had some kind of super power of getting under people's skin. She knew he had even managed to prod her seemingly unshakable mentor a few times in the past, but she never imagined Sho could push Ren so far that even his professionalism suffered.
"This is bad. There's no way that this can end well. We need to intervene."
"Right!" Yashiro agreed instantly, nodding his head with force. "Maybe we can cut the conversation short, tell Sho that he either needs to make an appointment or give Ren his number or something. We have work to do after all, and Ren is never one to be late to an appointment." Kyoko nodded along eagerly. It seemed like a good plan. "I'll go on ahead to ensure everything is ready for both your jobs, you go intervene." Kyoko froze and stared at Yashiro in wide-eyed shock.
"What? Me? Shouldn't Tsuruga-san's manager be in charge of gathering him for his job?" She asked anxiously. He was throwing a fragile girl like her to the wolves! How could he expect her to get between those two? You would have to be a super hero!
"You're the one that they both have ties to. No doubt that this is about you in the first place, so it's only natural that you would be best suited for the job."
"Me? You're saying I caused this kind of thing?" She asked, waving somewhat violently in the direction the two celebrities had left.
"Ren never had any connection to Sho before you came around."
"Sho has always hated Tsuruga Ren, that has nothing to do with me!"
"Ren only responds because of you." Kyoko fell silent as her jaw hung open. That couldn't be, could it? She groaned as she gripped her head again. To think, all this time she had been in the middle of some weird strife between the two of them.
"This is all because Sho is a pompous little brat." She grumbled, standing and marching toward her doom.
"You're an idiot, probably worse than Kyoko." Sho snapped as soon as they seemed to be in a secluded area. Ren rose his eyebrows curiously at the boy as he spun on him, glaring up at the actor.
"I'm sorry Fuwa, but I have work to do. I don't really have time to waste on you tossing around insults for no reason." He stated coolly, his slightly narrowed eyes following the singer's movements. He was like a wild cat waiting to pounce on his prey, and Sho was pushing himself to not back down and show any weakness before that gaze. This man was a true monster in the flesh.
"Don't you even care?" He took a tiny step toward Ren, trying to stomp it and gain some ground, mustering up his courage against the towering shadow. He tried not to let himself be intimidated by this monster being just a tad taller than him. He wasn't human. It was only natural that he wouldn't have human proportions or something.
"I'm not sure I follow your thought process, Fuwa."
"Kyoko's off gallivanting with some foreigner, you know! Or did you actually believe all that bull crap she fed to the press?" Ren hummed and tilted his head as he sized Sho up slowly. The boy was tense, truly doing his best to stand his ground. Ren was almost impressed, if it weren't for the fact that he loathed this person for all the misdeeds he had committed against Kyoko. Kissing her against her will despite knowing full well that she would never want it, not just once but twice, and after knowing all she had been through, it made Ren's very blood boil.
"Are you scared she'll be taken away for good, Fuwa?" Ren asked carefully. He knew he needed to calm down, but that face just looked so punchable right about now, and it was so easily within range.
"Kyoko is easily deceived. She'll be dirtied and thrown away at the drop of a hat if you don't do something! She won't listen to me, so why haven't you done anything about this?" Sho's voice actually sounded a little desperate, the tone sounding just a tad pleasing to the older man.
"If this man touches Kyoko, will you no longer chase after her?"
"What?"
"If this foreign man were to touch Kyoko intimately, would you no longer find her appealing and cease your actions against her?" Ren repeated smoothly, already thinking of a few such things he had done to the girl. It was a great way to distract him from how much he wanted to shove the boy's head against the concrete.
Sho glared up at the man, grinding his teeth furiously.
"You're going to let her be used like that just to try and push me away?"
"It was a simple question, Fuwa."
"Nothing with you is a 'simple question'!" Sho shouted back, pitching his voice mockingly as he quoted his nemesis. "I can't believe you. You truly are a monster to your very core! I thought that I could at least get you to stop that idiot from making a huge mistake, but I see now that you don't really care about anything, do you? You're a damn psychopath!" Ren's glare deepened as he took a step toward Sho, his lips quirking upward in a smirk as the singer took a step back in response.
"Let me make one thing clear, Fuwa Sho~taro," Ren could actually hear the grinding of the boy's teeth as he used his real name, "I care everything about Kyoko. What you don't seem to understand, is that I don't only value her for her purity and innocence. I don't just want her because she's caring and selfless. She could have had a hundred lovers and maybe even a dozen children from past relationships, and I would still think she is the most amazing and desirable woman alive. Her purity and innocence is only a small portion of what I love about her." Sho choked at Ren's blatant declaration of his feelings, clearly not expecting that. "If She were to lose those things, I would only mourn the fact that I could not preserve a part of her, but I would still find more and more things to love about her all the same."
"Stop it! Stop talking like that!" Sho hissed, taking a couple more steps from the man.
"Why? Because you're too weak to admit your own feelings? Or because you realize how weak your feelings are altogether?" Ren goaded. Sho clenched his fists, his body shaking with rage and frustration.
"If you love her so much, why are you letting her get stolen away right from under your nose?" He yelled.
"You think I am?" Ren asked. Sho's eyes snapped to stare at him in wide-eyed shock, finding the man smiling smugly with a relaxed posture, hands tucked into his pockets coolly.
"Ren!" The actor's body went from cool and confident to tense and rigid in an instant, his eyes widening as his body stiffened just from the sound of Kyoko calling out to him. Slowly, his head turned to find Kyoko running over to them, the girl in question looking worried as she glanced between the two boys. "There you are, Ren. Come on, you're going to have to continue your conversation some other time. Yashiro-san can only get so much done before we're expected at our jobs." She urged. Sho stared at her in shock as he watched Kyoko grabbing Ren's elbow with familiarity, trying to tug him along.
"Sorry, Fuwa-san, but if you want to talk to Ren more, you'll need to either schedule an appointment or contact him via phone." She was calling the actor so familiarly, her voice showing no signs of uncertainty as she said his given name again and again. At the same time, he had been pushed down to 'Fuwa-san'? Seriously?
"What kind of joke is this?" Sho spat out, pausing Kyoko's attempts to move a strangely stiff Ren. "You can't be serious. To think that a girl that used to be so pure could become such a slut, throwing yourself at men left and right. Do you like fucking that much? Do you do them both at the same time?" Kyoko's eyes widened in realization and shock at Sho's blatant and vulgar words. She didn't notice Ren moved until she saw him pinning Sho against the wall, gripping both the singer's wrists and smirking as he saw the boy struggle defiantly. "Fuck! What are you doing, idiot! Get off me!" He demanded, kicking out as he tried to free himself of Ren's hold. How was this guy so strong? Ren leaned in closer, and Sho instinctively pulled back, scrunched up and pinned to the wall of the garage by the looming body of the actor. "What are you doing, you freak? Get off!"
"I just think that boys who shoot insults out without thought should think about their own actions more, Sho~chan." Ren hummed against his ear. Kyoko stared in shock, unable to move or look away as she watched Ren easily immobilizing her ex-crush. Sho had been strong, easily holding her against her will when she had tried to escape him in the past. To see him overpowered so effortlessly before her, it was surreal.
"Are you molester as well as a monster now? Oh my god, are you hard? What's wrong with you? I'm a guy you know!" Ren's grin stretched as he leaned in close, his prey turning his head away defiantly.
"But Sho-chan, don't you realize that this is the kind of misdeeds you yourself have committed against Kyoko?" He cooed. Sho turned to object, only to be silenced with a forceful kiss. Kyoko watched with disbelief. What kind of nightmare was this?
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Yashiro felt relief as he saw his two charges walking up to him, only to grow worried as he saw their expressions. Kyoko looked a bit blue in complexion, her eyes cast downward and away from her secret boyfriend as Ren was looking in the opposite direction, his hands stuffed in his pockets and an unreadable expression on his face.
"Did..., did everything turn out okay? No injuries? Publicity?" 'Death?' The manager asked worriedly.
"I think something is wrong, but I have no idea what it could be." Kyoko mumbled out hollowly. Ren glanced at her with a slight frown.
"Like I said, we can discuss it more once we get away from Fuwa."
"Don't you mean Sho-chan." Kyoko muttered, causing Ren to run a hand over his face with a groan. Yashiro looked between them worriedly.
"Should I... give you two some privacy for a bit? We do have a little more time before you'll be needed, Ren. And Kyoko's job has a good hour before she'll be expected as they fix up the costume." He explained. Ren nodded and crossed his arms as he tried to sort out what needed to be done in his head.
"I think that would be good for us, thank you Yukihito." He sighed out. "Oh, and would you mind getting me a toothbrush? Maybe some mouthwash. That little interaction has left me feeling a bit unpleasant." Ren explained. Yashiro looked confused but nodded slowly in agreement. It was a small task to be asked after all. With one last worried glance, the manager lead them into Ren's dressing room and left them to take care of business. He would need to sort things out for Kyoko's new projects, and apparently go buy dental care for Ren. He might need to ask about that later.
"Kyoko, are you okay?" Ren asked after a few seconds of being alone in the quiet room. She peeked over at him uncertainly.
"I'm trying to understand it. My eyes and my brain are having trouble processing what I saw there." She said slowly. Ren awkwardly rubbed at his neck.
"I wanted to teach him a lesson, but violence seemed like a bad idea. I'm not sure how much control I could maintain if I allowed myself to hit him, and I don't even know if he would have really learned anything if I only harmed him physically."
"So you kissed him?" Kyoko asked with disbelief. How did that make any sense?
"I couldn't stand by and let him say whatever he liked about you, trying to throw such accusations at you. I've also been quite upset at the fact that he has stolen your lips twice when he knew how much you would not wish for it, as well as doing such a thing when he knew what a fragile state you were already in during that second time." She finally looked up to him, her eyes searching as a flicker of understanding showed in her expression.
"You wanted him to know what it was like to be kissed by someone he hated and would never want it from." She concludes. Ren smiled softly at her and held open his arms.
"I'm quite upset over the experience as well, you know. Won't you comfort me?" He asked. Kyoko giggled and slipped into his embrace, hugging his waist tightly as she relished in the feel of his arms wrapping around her.
"You're my biggest hero, Tsuruga-san... one question, though." She pulled away to look at him uncertainly, eyeing him as she contemplated something. "Did you really get hard while you were pinning him to the wall like that?" Ren looked away with a cough, a light blush on his cheeks. Wait, really?
"You've only ever called me 'Ren' when we were being very intimate. You can't blame me for that. I only used it to my advantage." He explained. Kyoko stared up at him in shock, quickly thinking over all their time together. It was true, now that she really thought about it. She called him 'Tsuruga-san' in public, 'Corn' and 'Kuon' in private, and only really called him 'Ren' when she was teasing him during their intimate bedroom activities.
"Are you saying that I conditioned you? Like with Pavlov's dog?" She clarified. Ren refused to meet her gaze, opting to pout instead. "Oh my god, so I could just call you Ren and get you hard?" She asked, grinning as she saw his eye twitch in response.
"Now hold on, it's not quite like a switch." He hastily explained as he glanced down at her. "It's just the male body is unpredictable and some things are bound to spur emotions and reactions, hey!" Kyoko giggles as she gripped his butt and pressed her body against him in a grinding motion. Ren pouted down at her with a bit of defiance toward her teasing. It wasn't fair that she was so darn cute even when torturing him like this, the girl wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive but playful manner.
"Hold onto that frustration, Ren. I think I want to play with you a bit tonight." She hummed and gave a small lick to her lips. Ren groaned and hugged her tight again, slumping his head against her shoulder.
"I feel like I'm being punished. Why am I being punished?"
"Well, you did kiss another man." She giggled, laughter growing stronger as he let out another tortured groan.
"Everything was for you, though." He whined. She hummed and slid her hand up to thread through his hair, playing with the soft strands and quietly noting how he relaxed into her touch.
"I only intervened because it sounded like you were about to reveal yourself to that idiot." She huffed in annoyance. Why should that guy get told something so valuable and precious?
"Eavesdropping is a terrible habit, you know."
"Says the biggest offender." She jabbed back and poked him in the side roughly. "I didn't realize someone could be so nosy."
"Speaking of being nosy, you still haven't told me what your regular job here at TBM is. What was Yashiro saying about a costume?"
"Oh... haha, funny story. Do you happen to like chickens, Tsuruga-san?"
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"That's... I don't really know how to respond to that, Ren." Yashiro admitted, his eyebrows scrunched and a light frown on his face as They ate the lunch provided by the staff in the privacy of his dressing room. Yashiro imagined Ren being frightening in various ways, but never had he thought there could be a threat of the man doing something like kissing as punishment, not like this anyway. Maybe for his girlfriend, but to kiss Sho of all people? It was a joke right? The manager sighed and adjusted his glasses as he only found seriousness in Ren's expression. "Well, he's certainly too prideful to go and tell anyone that he had been overpowered, especially by someone he hates so much. I suppose I can see your logic in it, but... come on, Ren! This is a bit much even for you."
The man in question hummed and swallowed the bite of food in his mouth.
"He started throwing insults at her." Yashiro raised his eyebrows at that before Ren heaved a heavy sigh. "He called her something rather distasteful, then insinuated that she's starting to just sleep around for fun." Yashiro's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he started to get an idea of just what kind of things Sho had been saying.
"Even so..., surely there are better ways to handle that kind of thing." Yashiro urged. "Even if you're coming to terms with your past, you still have the image of Tsuruga Ren to uphold." Ren frowned as he stared down at his half-eaten food. Was he acting out? He justified that it was for Kyoko's sake that he act as he has, but was that just an excuse?
"Am I breaking character?" He muttered, troubled by that thought. Was Kuon pushing Ren down? He wasn't lashing out and getting violent, but now that someone pointed it out, that wasn't the kind of thing 'Ren' would do. Ren used his wits and words, Kuon used his fists and aggression.
"Well, I don't think I can call this breaking character." Yashiro replied uncertainly. "Kyoko-chan has always effected you and pulled the unexpected out of people. That being said, I hope this kind of thing doesn't happen again. I don't how I could get everything under control if this sort of thing came out to the public." Yashiro shivered just at the thought of how the tabloids would blow up. Ren never had a scandal before, and this was far from the kind of thing he would want to start with. Ren nodded his agreement before taking another small bite of his meal, eating like a bird per usual. He was always like this when he wasn't encouraged by Kyoko to eat. What a troublesome guy.
"Like you said though, we don't need to worry about that kind of thing with Fuwa. He's too prideful, and there weren't any cameras where we were talking." Yashiro wasn't sure how happy he should be that Ren had been so aware of that. It was probably best to simply not get on the actor's bad side...
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Kyoko sighed and rolled around her bed as Kanae looked up from the script she was currently examining.
"Okay, out with it." the older sighed in displeasure. Kyoko paused and let her head lull backward off the edge of the mattress, staring upside-down at her friend. "Don't try and act clueless now! You've been moaning and groaning as you roll around on your bed for god knows how long. What is it already?" she demanded with obvious frustration. She tried not to let her eye twitch as Kyoko released yet another sigh.
"I don't know, Moko-san. It's just..., Sho said some things that really bothered me yesterday." she admitted. Kanae scoffed and rolled her eyes at that.
"Not that I really blame you, as he's an annoying little pest, but what else is new? I'm pretty sure he says more than a couple things that bother you every time you're unfortunate enough to cross path's with him... What?" Kanae pulled backward as Kyoko gazed at her with awe.
"No, you're just..., your speech pattern was a little different there. What character are you studying? They must talk so eloquently." Kyoko asked eagerly as she rolled off the bed and came over quickly. Kanae held the script out of her reach with a frown.
"Oh no you don't. This is about you. Just tell me what was so significant about this instance that managed to get under your skin specifically." She demanded. Kyoko sighed and looked down as she slid to lounge on the floor next to her friend.
"It's just..., he wasn't really wrong. I did use to be a lot more concerned with maintaining my purity. What's happened to me? Have I... have I become a loose woman?" she asked worriedly.
"...What? Kyoko, you're not loose just because you're easing your way into intimacy with someone you're serious about. You're not throwing yourself at him and begging for sex." Kyoko looked away, a blush on her cheeks.
"I mean..., I kind of have."
"Ugh, no. Just... stop it, please. I don't need to imagine that kind of thing. It doesn't matter what Fuwa or anyone else thinks. Your relationship is your own. If you feel like maybe things are progressing too fast, you need to talk to your boyfriend about it. Bottling it up will only boil like an acid until it eats through you and your relationship." Kyoko got that starry eyed look on her face again and Kanae sighed in exasperation.
"So poetic~."
"Why are you so worried about this all of a sudden?" Kanae demanded. She wasn't expecting Kyoko to blush like a neon sign, or the timid poking of her fingertips together.
"It's just..., I had this dream last night because of it..." she explained slowly. Kanae contemplated how to respond to that. She REALLY didn't think she wanted to know about this..., but the curiosity was quickly eating away at her.
"Okay..., so you had a dream about Tsuruga-san?"
"Well... kind of? There was also..., Kuon... as a separate person." Kanae was having difficulty understanding Kyoko's cryptic words, and Kyoko's fidgeting and embarrassed behavior was driving up her curiosity despite her logic telling her that she was not going to enjoy the imagery she was about to unlock.
"You're going to have to explain this a bit better if you want me to help you, Kyoko." The younger girl buried her red face in her hands and let out a long groan of agony.
"Sho asked me if I had sex with Tsuruga-san and my boyfriend at the same time, oblivious that they're the same person, and it plagued my mind so much that I ended up having a dream where I was... um..., I was seducing Tsuruga-san and giving him a... a blowjob, and then Kuon was suddenly there and touching me, and I... oh, it's so embarrassing!" Kyoko wailed and lunged back into her bed, quickly curling herself into a ball within the sheets to hide her shame. Kanae stared after her with jaw-dropped shock.
"That's um," she cleared her throat hastily, "that's some dream, Kyoko. Wow. I mean... good for you?"
"How is this a good thing?" Kyoko's muffled shout came from the sheet ball. "I couldn't look at him at all today! He thinks I'm still mad at him for kissing Sho! Yashiro-san is freaking out-"
"Wait what?" Kanae stood and jumped on the bed, pinning down Kyoko's wiggling form under the covers. "What do you mean he kissed Fuwa?" she demanded. How the hell did something like that happen? Kyoko lay silent for a moment before wiggling under her friend, struggling to find an opening to stick her head out of until Kanae assisted her, finding the girl timidly peeking out from her little shelter from the world.
"... I wasn't supposed to say anything."
"Well, you did, so explain clearly." Kyoko released a long sigh, sitting up and fiddling with her blankets timidly.
"I guess he got really mad when Sho called me a slut..." Kanae visibly held her tongue as fire flared in her eyes. She really hated that little cockroach. "And... I guess he was trying to find an alternative to punching Sho-"
"He should have punched him and then some." Kanae bit out in annoyance before realizing she had cut off her friend. "Sorry, continue"
"He explained afterward that he wanted to make Sho understand what he's done wrong in the past, especially that kissing me against my will was not okay." Again Kanae had to hold her tongue as she tensed up and threaded a string of curses at the singer through her mind. "Looking back on it, I think it truly worked to get the message across. Tsuruga-san though,... he's so strong Moko-san. I had trouble just with Sho before, but Tsuruga-san was able to pin him against the wall so easily." Kanae shook her head quickly.
"Nope, that's enough. You can stop there. I'm not really into boy-love romances, even with my own research. It serves no purpose to me whatsoever." she denied. Kyoko groaned and flopped backward.
"I'm just glad I didn't dream about something like that. I'd rather think about double-teaming the different sides of Kuon rather than..." Kyoko trailed off as another though occurred to her, eyes growing wide as she considered the possibility of a new dream. What if Cain made an appearance in her dreams? Would she be dressed as Setsuka? Setsu was an unpredictable girl. She would probably do something like that so long as she could still monopolize her brother, right? What about Ren's other characters? Katsuki? "What if I get stuck in a loop of intimate dreams with all Tsuruga's characters?" she murmured fearfully. Kanae wrinkled her nose n distaste.
"Okay, ew. Stop thinking like that. You're basically thinking of dreaming about drowning in a sea of sexually charged Tsuruga clones or something." Kanae shivered at the thought and Kyoko laughed at the image of that.
"As if you could clone such perfection." She stated simply, making Kanae gag again.
"You're so gross. Stop that!" she demanded and smacked Kyoko with the closest pillow. Kyoko giggled and snatched up the other one, eagerly hitting the other girl back.
Ren stood in Kyoko's bedroom doorway with disbelief, watching a scene he had believed only to exist in movies. Two beautiful girls, giggling and smacking the other with pillows as they wrestled on the bed. Maybe Kyoko was right. Maybe a girl's friendship truly is something magical. He was quickly becoming a believer, his coat and a small bouquet of flowers slipping out of his hand to lay in a heap on the floor. The sound alerted the two girls, Kanae pausing as she pinned Kyoko to the bed with her fluffy weapon of choice. Kyoko's giggles tapered off as she looked up from under the pillow still pressed to her head.
"Kuon! Oh... um..." She blushed and sat up as Kanae finally lifted the pillow off of her.
"Is this perhaps... a bad time?" he asked, his eyes flicking between the two girls. They were both disheveled and in their pajamas, hair in disarray as they tried to catch their breath. Kyoko cleared her throat and shifted her gaze away, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.
"No, no, it's fine. Um..., did you just want to come over or..."
"I brought you flowers!" he quickly picked up the slightly abused flowers, scratching at his head uncertainly as he looked down at them. "I... You still seemed mad about the other day, and I thought maybe I could try and show how much I really think about you and care for you and such." he tried to explain, seeming to struggle with some premeditated line he had written up. Kyoko chewed her lip as she held in a giggle, sliding off the bed and padding over to him. Ren quietly held out the bouquet, a bit relieved as she gracefully accepted them.
"I wasn't mad at you, Kuon. You already explained yourself, and kissing Shotaro is like... kissing some stray dog that was entirely too affectionate. We can just think of him as the entertainment industry's stray." she proposed.
"I see... If that wasn't what bothered you so much today, then-"
"Kyoko had a naughty dream!" Kanae blurted out, looking smug on the bed. Kyoko instantly tensed up and her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she glared over at her friend. Ren coughed into his fist as he looked away.
"... Well then, you'll just have to tell me about it next time we have dinner together." he proposed. Kyoko's jaw dropped in disbelief as she stared at him, uneasy when he finally peeked back with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "In exchange, I'll be sure to tell you all about my own naughty dreams." he bartered. Kyoko's face felt far too hot as she tried to speak. How does one respond to that? What kind of things did he dream about? How often? What did they do? "I apologize for interrupting your personal bonding night, Miss Kotonami. I hope you both sleep well." he says, giving a meaningful glance to Kyoko.
"You two are so gross together. Definitely made for each other." Kanae groaned with a dramatic roll of her eyes. Ren ignored the comment and tilted Kyoko's face up with a single finger under her chin, smoothly leaning down and giving her a drawn out kiss. She melted, her arms snaking around his neck to simultaneously hold herself up and pull him into an even deeper kiss. Ren had to muster a good amount of his will power to pull away, holding her hips away from him as he rested his forehead against hers. Her eyes were heavy and hazy as she gazed back up at him, her breath just a little shallow.
"Sorry, my little fairy, but I can't intrude any longer. I'll make it up to you tomorrow night?" he proposed. Kyoko chewed her lip as need and desire seemed to fill her veins.
"Promise?" she squeaked out, sounding a little desperate. Ren smirked as he hummed and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her petite frame as he hugged her flush against his body. Her hands clenched into the fabric of his shirt as she felt the hard length of him press firmly into her front.
"Only if you make it up to me as well."
"Gladly." she practically moaned before they separated with a less than satisfactory peck on the lips. She guided him out the front door, forcing herself to shut the door and lock it up again before she leaned her back against it and slid down with a heavy sigh. Her mind was a mess. He always had that effect on her. She wished she could do so much more, already.
"I hate to admit it, but it's pretty hot watching you two." Kyoko's head snapped up as she gaped at her friend, jaw falling open in disbelief.
"W-What?"
"You and your boyfriend. I don't think I would mind watching a porno of you two." Kanae tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully as Kyoko sprung to her feat and started chasing a cackling Kanae about the apartment.
"How can you say that? Moko~!" Kyoko whined desperately.
Like I said, nothing too crazy going on here. That kiss should keep Sho away for a good while, hahaha. I admit, I was a bit hesitant to write it out that way, but it felt like truly the best way to teach him a lesson for his actions thus far. Ren is certainly the kind of character to use his words and wit to bend a situation to his will, while Kuon is a man of action. This was like a little blend of that, as Ren isn't supposed to be violent, but Kuon can't let Sho's misdeeds and harsh words toward Kyoko slide. I'm also a little bit sadistic in my writing, usually killing off my main character's loved ones, but I feel I can't really use that here and thus..., mashing together two people that absolutely loath each other. Hahaha, Sho will probably suffer from nightmares. Seems like a just punishment if you ask me.
Next chapter, I believe it's time we got into Kyoko's new jobs. I don't think I'll focus on the script too much, seeing as that would take too much from the story of Ren and Kyoko, and even the actual 'Skip Beat' series only shows little snippets instead of entire chapters of the scripts, so I'll try and write it out in an enjoyable manner.
Author Responses
puffinzero- I'm glad you are still enjoying this series. It's definitely focusing a lot on the growth of the characters in various ways, so I think it only makes sense for Kyoko and Kuon to address the issues surrounding their childhood. I can't say yet how it'll all pan out, but I hope you continue to enjoy it. I see that I need to up my game to satisfy your hunger for smut. I hope next chapter is a little more to your liking. ;)
Kaname671- Hopefully the outcome of Ren and Sho's talk wasn't too predictable without pushing characters into place too forcefully. :p Something I've noted about Ren/Kuon through the series is that Ren has acted as a mask for the years he's been in japan, but Kyoko has pulled more and more personality and passion out of him as we've progressed in the story. I feel like he's survived up until then out of sheer willpower and tossing all his broken pieces into a new shell. That's certainly how I've gotten through some of my toughest times. I also look a lot into something Lory said a while back, that Ren has another half he's constantly struggling with, that Lory doesn't think Ren needs to kill his other half, possibly embrace it instead, but it would be bad if that darker side were to come out victorious. I believe he's talking about the violent and broken person Kuon became. This story is looking heavily into the idea of 'Kuon' and 'Ren' merging into one person rather than one holding the pieces of the other within. I look forward to seeing your response to future developments.
Hairy Friend- I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I strive to write in a way that's both accurate and fun. As for Kyoko's educational moments, she's been learning new things constantly, in her every day, but it was certainly the first time in a while that she innocently asked about something so embarrassing, hahaha. I enjoyed writing about Lory's delight in seeing Ren deal with embarrassing topics with Kyoko. I think there's a little bit of Lory in all of us. I do have a tendency to shy away from cliffhangers in this series, and I know why I do as well. Basically, it makes it difficult for me to push ahead in the time line. I don't really like putting huge gaps of time in the middle of chapters. It's usually a couple days at most, because I feel like putting a time gap of more than say... a week, makes it more difficult to follow through the chapter. It's easier for me to skip large chunks of time between chapters, but perhaps I should try to shift out of my comfort zone there? You'll likely notice it with the next chapter. I plan on skipping ahead a little time to get to their new projects, as well as get a little closer to Kyoko's birthday. ;)
Thank you to all who have been reading and commenting on my work. I look forward to seeing you next chapter.