A/N: Changed up the hotel scene. Didn't really need it the way it was originally, but still needed that feeling of conflict and resolution of insecurities.


Chapter 55


A lot had happened since the Heel Siblings were last on the set of Tragic Marker, and it had only been about a week. There had been the scandal that Fuwa unleashed and his subsequent minor downfall, Reino's rebuttal of said rumors, and Kuon's reveal with their marriage announcement. Then there was the little incident of the constant calls from the unidentified number to Setsu's phone.

He could guess who that call was from, and probably would have been correct. It irritated him to no end that someone would seemingly pursue his wife, knowing that she was a married woman. What irritated him even more was the fact that they had the number in the first place. With each ring of the phone, came the small picking at the scab on his insecurities. He wasn't angry with her, he was more angry and frustrated with himself for even having those thoughts of jealousy and doubt.

He wasn't the only one that felt a little insecure in their situation at the moment. Somehow her phone number was out there, floating around in the ether for just anyone to call her, and they were. She hadn't had the time to change out her number and send the new information to all of her numerous contacts. Kuon had been behaving strangely since the Dark Moon party. She suspected it had to do with Kijima's persistence, and truthfully, she really didn't know what to say that hadn't already been said to calm any of his fears about the situation. Honestly, it was really starting to stress her out and for the first time in awhile, she had come down with a bit of a cold. Nothing that would put her out of commission, but did give a bit of a sore throat and her hearing had been a bit muffled these past few days. A quick trip to the doctor, some antibiotics, and cutting her schedule back a bit had helped immensely. All she had to do now, is calmly enter their hotel room after a long day of filming and photo shoots, and slip into the guise of Suki Heel. It would actually be a welcome break from all of the hubbub that the Fuwa moron had stirred up.

She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and opened the door to the hotel room they shared. After tossing her purse, suitcase, and coat on the bed, she surveyed their room. Something was a little off. Kuon was a very tidy person and here there were beer cans on the floor, with him slouching in a chair and his feet resting on the coffee table. It seemed as though he'd had a rough day too and he was napping. She couldn't help but think he looked so adorable; however, he was sleeping in a bad position and still in his uncomfortable clothing.

"Nii-san, I'm back..." She announced as she began straightening the slight mess in their room.

"Hmm?" He glanced at her sleepily.

She smiled softly. "Don't tell me you fell asleep like that."

"I guess I did." He commented, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and stretching.

"Why didn't you use the bed? It's more comfortable." She asked, picking up a beer can.

"Doesn't matter where I sleep. If you aren't here, I'm not going to be calm enough to get any real sleep." He told her truthfully.

She glanced at him and crinkled the aluminum can a bit. "My poor Nii-san," She purred. "It's because you have such a cute little sister like me that you can't sleep without me."

"Damn right..." He smirked. "Maybe I should lock you in this room and make sure I'm the only one you can feel." Now it was a little of his jealousy speaking.

She felt a small shiver up her spine at the thought. What she wouldn't give for just the two of them hidden away from the world for a few days. "Nice..." She breathed out. "On our next day off, why not go buy a lock?" Then the mood was broken by her stupid phone. She'd forgotten to set it to silent. She'd been expecting a message from Chiori regarding a change in scheduling for BoxR. Crap, crap, crap! Suki Heel does not get calls from outsiders! Find the phone!

Who the hell is calling her this late?! He growled inwardly. Has she been hiding something from me? He groused angrily as he left the chair and swiftly appeared at her side, then smoothly pulled the offending device from her grasp, noticed the unidentified caller, turned it off, and flung it across the room.

"Who was it?" He growled.

She was so completely stunned she honestly didn't know how to answer that.

"What? Don't have anything to say? Kijima? Fuwa? Reino? Anyone else?" It would seem that the caustic rumors of the tabloids were finally getting to him.

She looked at him in shock. Her small fists clenched at each accusation. How could he even think something like that? She thought they were past all of that. What he was saying to her, really hurt. For the first time in a long while, she felt a tear stream down her cheek. He had actually said something that had cut very deeply.

Kuon was stunned out of his anger and jealousy almost instantly at the sight, immediately regretting the words that had slipped from his lips.

Setsuka took in a deep breath, and quietly spoke in a calmed, shaky voice. "It really doesn't matter what I say right now... You won't believe me anyway." Her hands relaxed, and she brushed past him, grabbed her purse and coat. "I can't believe how stupid I've been. This... This was a bad idea." She whispered, pulling on her coat and heading for the door.

A voice deep inside of him told him that if he didn't fix this or say something, it was quite possible he would never be with her again. Her hand on that doorknob sobered him quickly to the precarious situation. As quickly as it had cracked open, it had been slammed shut. With her mind clouded with anger and hurt, he spun her around, and she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms around her waist and his head resting on her belly, with him on his knees before her. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry, Setsu. Can you ever forgive me?" He murmured, almost begging her. She could feel his remorse as he clung to her. "I let everything get to me... I'm sorry. I don't really think that way about you."

The stone that had been heaped on her heart was slowly dissolving. At the moment she had two choices. She could drop everything, their relationship, everything she had right now and walk away, avoiding any other such instances that would cause that familiar kind of pain or, she could persevere and they could work past these little bumps that would happen in their life... together. "You don't trust me, Kuon." She glanced down at him as she stroked his hair. "How do we get past that?" She asked.

He felt panic surge through him, hoping she wasn't going to make the decision that he felt he deserved. "I trust you! I don't trust them!" He told her, hugging her more tightly. "Please... I'm so sorry."

She slid down and knelt with him, then wrapped her arms around him. She sighed into him. Thinking about it, she knew that she wouldn't be able to leave that familiar, comforting warmth and scent. The more she thought on it, the more she realized that they needed time for each other. Honestly, they really didn't have a honeymoon, nor had they been able to spend much time alone together. Being Suki and Cain wasn't enough. They needed that bonding time away from family, away from the press, away from busy-bodies. "We need time away." She sighed out and he froze, misinterpreting what she'd said. "We never had a vacation or a honeymoon." She glanced up at him, only noticing the look of relief on his face, missing the panicked look completely. "We've barely even dated properly."

He nodded, holding her a little more tightly and melting into her. "Too many nosy people. I hate having to share you with others." He murmured.

She giggled a little. "Too many insects, and rodents." She nuzzled him, referring to Manaka, and any other that was trying to insert themselves into their lives romantically.

He kissed her temple. "I'm sorry I lost myself, Setsu. I won't let it happen again." He vowed.

"I'll have Papa change my number again, and have Joanie take all my business calls. Ruto's been busy with Maria, and I suppose that's what she's there for anyway. I just hate being so hands-off with everything." She pondered out loud.

"You can have Yukihito help with the other stuff... You know, like the modeling shoots and filming jobs." He chuckled a little. "I think he does that anyway. He always seems to know your schedule as well as mine."

She looked up at him in his lap and pouted a little. "And what does that leave for me to do?"

He snuggled her. "Babe, you still have your jobs, and you still have to give the final decisions on things. It would just be less stressful and more organized." He explained.

"What about you?" She asked.

"I'll just lighten my workload. I want to spend more time with you, and working before the sun comes up, and long after it goes down, is just not cutting it." He hummed in thought. "I have a couple of weeks free before we have to be in Guam for filming. Maybe we can work something out in that." He suggested.

She nodded in agreement. "I only have a couple of final scenes for BoxR and some fittings for the show in Paris, but I can take care of that in a couple of days."

"Don't overdo it. We can always figure something else out." He told her.

She shook her head. "It'd be worth it. Besides, what's a couple of days when we'll have almost two weeks after that to relax." She smirked.

He finally chuckled lightly. "Who said we'd be relaxing?" He whispered, then nibbled on her ear.