Ren's Birthday

A/N: I had wanted to finish this chapter by Christmas, but, alas, I didn't have the time to do so, so it's a bit late, haha. But hey, better late than never, eh? ^^

Just a heads up, this chapter is more like a filler chapter, in that the actual time in this chapter only spans at most five minutes, gahahaha. It's important to the story, but for 5 minutes to last this long in writing... well, if I had tried to incorporate it with the actual modeling shoot, i wouldn't be able to finish this chapter before school started... and that, would be bad. ^^ So, this is a short chapter this time. ^^

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and put this story on their story alerts and favorites list. I really do appreciate it, haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its character. The only character i own is Takumi, because I made him the way he is, haha.

Chapter 35

Kyoko took one last look in the mirror before hurrying out of her dressing room, feeling a bit self-conscious. 'This dress reminds me of the one Moko san had me try on at R Mandy…'

Actually, though the dresses themselves had a few similarities, they looked completely different, whether it be the style, material used; even the color was different, as the dress Kyoko was currently wearing was a dark bluish purple, with a thin stripe of black running along both sides of the dress. Looking at Kyoko from the front, the dress exposed very little skin, with the sleeves of the dress hugging her arms down to her wrists. Only the wide and shallow V-neckline, and the fact that the skirt stopped just below her knees, saved Kyoko from being completely covered from the neck down. The back however, was a different story. This was where the similarities kicked in. Like the emerald green spaghetti strap dress Moko had Kyoko try on at R Mandy, this dress left Kyoko's back almost completely bare, as the material in the back formed a wide V, whose lines only came together at the small of her back.

'Actually, other than the length of the dress, I think that is the only similarity between the two.' Kyoko thought almost absentmindedly, her dark blue heels making a rhythmic sound against the concrete as she walked as quickly as she could without breaking into a run.

Ren caught sight of Kyoko as she rushed towards them and smiled, waiting patiently until she finally caught up to them. "Mogami san, are you sure you're alright now?" Ren asked one last time, wanting to make sure that Kyoko wasn't pushing herself too hard.

Hearing the sounds of someone trying to hold back their laughter, Ren's eyes narrowed dangerously, while Kyoko blushed profusely, although she was able to force the red in her cheeks to fade before answering. "I'm fine now, Tsuruga san. I'm sorry I made you worry about me." She replied, feeling proud that she was able to control her voice this time.

Ren nodded, the tension in his neck disappearing upon hearing Kyoko's answer. "That's good."

Kyoko could feel her face heating up again, but upon spying Takumi giving her a sharp glare, the color in her cheeks quickly died down, earning her a curt nod from the stern director.

Able to look at Ren without her mind clouding over now, Kyoko took in Ren's outfit for the first time. Dressed in all black, Ren wore a silky black polo shirt with an open collar. Shiny black buttons lined the front of the shirt, with the very last button on the bottom left open, giving the shirt a more informal feel. Adding to that were the black designer jeans that hugged Ren's legs more than usual, while still maintaining a straight lined design. Lastly were the same black dress shoes as before, completing the look.

Kyoko gave Ren a tiny smile. 'Dark colors to complement a dark mood…'

Takumi's voice instantly snapped Kyoko out of her mini stupor. "You're on time, good. Then we can get started." Takumi said abruptly, capturing both models' attention. "Like last time, we are using Kyoko's bruise as the focal point for this stage as well. For the entire shoot, there will be no physical contact between the two of you whatsoever, and no eye contact for part of the shoot to heighten the tension. This shoot will be freestyle except for the first and last shot, plus the instructions I just gave you. Understood?"

Kyoko and Ren nodded, saying in unison, "Yes, Director Takumi."

Ren's eyes closed for a moment, as his mouth turned slightly downward into a thoughtful frown. 'Those instructions remind me of the acting test I did for Dark Moon, only this time, "Mizuki" really is Kyoko…'

Takumi gestured for Kyoko to come closer, positioning her directly in front of Ren, who still had his eyes closed. "Kyoko, keep in mind what I told you earlier. If you blush the way you did just now in the photo soot, it'll completely ruin the mood. It's okay if your cheeks are a little pink; actually, I think I'd prefer that they were when you two face each other, but no turning red. Are we clear?" Takumi asked.

Ren opened his eyes to find a sight that captured his attention completely, rendering him practically oblivious to Kyoko and Takumi's whispers.

Kyoko nodded in response to Takumi's instructions. "Yes, Director Takumi." 'I'll do my best. I won't ruin this for Director Takumi and Tsuruga san, especially Tsuruga san…' Moving to turn back around to face Ren, Takumi stopped her by lightly grabbing her shoulder. "Director Takumi?" Kyoko whispered in confusion.

"Shh. Don't turn around just yet, I'm enjoying the view." Takumi whispered back, a wicked grin hidden from view by Kyoko's hair, which was left loose except for a few dark clips stylishly pulling her hair back out of her face. "It's not a sight you get to see very often, after all."

Kyoko bristled with indignation. A few grudge Kyokos appeared, about to rip Takumi away from her, when she noticed that Takumi wasn't looking at her, but rather, behind her. Calming down a bit, Kyoko asked softly, "What do you mean?"

An unholy light gleamed in Takumi's eyes as he shifted his attention back to Kyoko. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Kyoko nodded slowly, aware of a light, prickly sensation that kept running over her back.

"Then follow my instructions." Takumi's eyes shifted back towards his prey. "Turn your head slowly to the side, good, stop. Look at me for a moment. Don't move your head, just your eyes. Wait…" Takumi's eyes narrowed as he watched his prey carefully. "Now, look behind you."

Kyoko's eyes widened at the sight before her. 'T-Tsuruga san?!' "Director Takumi!" Kyoko whispered furiously. "What's going on?! Why is T-Tsuruga san-?"

"Staring at you?" Takumi replied in amusement.

Kyoko nodded, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"Oh, I just felt like helping you pay Tsuruga san back for earlier, Kyoko." Takumi answered, taking extreme pleasure in the scene playing out before him.

Kyoko shook her head, turning back towards Takumi. "I don't understand."

Takumi's eyes grew heavy-lidded as he scanned Kyoko's face. "Well then, shall I do a demonstration?"

Kyoko hesitated for a moment, not liking the look on Takumi's face. 'I want to know why, even if I do have to stand a high level of discomfort!' Making up her mind, Kyoko whispered firmly, "Yes."

Takumi's smile turned predatory, as he slowly slid his fingers down the middle of Kyoko's back, causing Kyoko to squeak faintly. "Now do you understand?" Seeing Kyoko stare blankly back at him, Takumi sighed. "It's the same view, isn't it?" Takumi whispered. Putting his mouth close to Kyoko's ear, Takumi glanced over at Ren, who had an extremely frightening look in his eyes. "Actually, I think he got to see more than you did when he was changing."

Kyoko's mouth gaped open in shock, backing away from Takumi in horror, as it finally clicked in her hopelessly dense brain. 'The same view?!' Kyoko's face burned with anger. 'It's not the same at all!' Taking another step backwards, Kyoko bumped into Ren, who put his hand in the middle of her back to steady her,

"Mogami san?" Ren called softly, his voice making the little grudge Kyokos go haywire in ecstasy, before passing out from the sheer intensity of Ren's anger.

Kyoko mentally screamed in fright, knowing exactly which terrifying smile was waiting for her if she turned around right now. Feeling like she was being led to her execution, Kyoko nonetheless decided to turn to face Ren. "Y-Yes, T-T-Tsuruga s-san?" Kyoko stammered violently, inwardly cowering from the blinding sparkliness of Ren's greatest gentlemanly smile. 'Oh god, he's furious!'

If anything, Ren's smile grew even brighter as he asked, "Why did you let Director Takumi harass you just now? Hmm?" His hand tensed ever so slightly, putting a light pressure on the small of her back.

Kyoko looked away from Ren, feeling like she was being slowly roasted, boiled, and cooked over the open fire that was Ren's rage. "Well…"

"Answer me, Mogami san…" Ren said quietly, when a sudden insight lit up Ren's darkened eyes. "or does this have something to do with what you weren't willing to tell me earlier?"

Kyoko stiffened in surprise, unable to avoid Ren's piercing gaze any longer. "I'm right, aren't I?" Ren asked softly. Kyoko bit her lip and nodded guiltily, wanting desperately to look away from Ren's disappointed expression. "I'm sorry, Tsuruga san."

"That's enough of that for now." Takumi ordered, bringing his hand down lightly on Ren's shoulder. "We need to get started. Just for the record though, it wasn't harassment, it was a demonstration, that's all."

Seeing Ren's attention move from her to Takumi, Kyoko took the chance to slip away from the two men, her hand unconsciously touching the small of her back, almost feeling as though her skin missed the warmth of Ren's hand.

Deciding to focus on Takumi for now, Ren's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "A demonstration?"

Takumi grinned, a chill running through Ren's body in response. "Yes, for the both of you. In your case, that demonstration was for you to understand the frustration that needs to be hidden just underneath the surface of the main theme for stage 7: sadness."

Ren shook his head slowly in confusion, his eyes unwillingly following Kyoko's bare back as she walked onto the set. "I don't understand." 'What I felt was anger at that time, not frustration.'

Takumi's grip on Ren's shoulder tightened. "You will soon enough. After all, for this stage, all I can say is, 'Look, but don't touch'." Leaving Ren to stare at him, an unreadable look on his face, Takumi walked away laughing.

A/N: Yes, sparkliness is a real word, I looked it up on , and it was there as an actual entry. ^^ Is that awesome, or what? haha.