Research Partners

Koga stared at her for a heartbeat, then turned with a scowl and walked away swiftly. Kyoko watched him go, her hand still outstretched to point at Ren.

"You met the Emperor…" she said, her voice quiet. Her mind was spinning. Did it matter? Ren was the co-star killer, surely that meant he would sometimes draw out that response in co-stars. Her face twisted, jealousy rising within her at the thought that others may have shared in the heart-pumping experience of looking into the Emperor of the Night's gaze.

But… Koga was a man. Kyoko paused, suddenly unsure if she'd recognized his reaction right. Reddened cheeks, wide, uncertain eyes, a look like a sheep about to be consumed by a wolf. Except the way Koga had looked after Ren as he left made it seem he wanted to chase after the wolf. Kyoko shook her head, more confused than ever. He couldn't have seen the Emperor if he wanted to follow after him! People ran from the Emperor! He had been doing a violent scene without a stunt-double; maybe Koga was telling the truth. She nodded, tapping her fingers against her fist. Of course her senior was telling the truth. She was the one who didn't understand what she saw.

If she could just see it all again, she could learn. Understanding and portraying complex emotions was critical for her career. She looked around for the director. She needed those tapes.

Kyoko sat in her room at the Darumaya later that night, her blanket wrapped around her legs and the remote poised in her hand, pointed at the TV. Director Morizumi hadn't even questioned her about her reasons; he'd handed over copies of the day's scenes eagerly. "Anything for Momiji," he'd said, beaming. He winked at her then leaned in to whisper with a conspiratorial glint in his eyes. "I would never stand in the way of a young lady wanting to collect mementos of her lover." Kyoko had blushed to her roots, mumbling an excuse. Her actual reason wasn't any more appropriate - if anything, it was far less appropriate to abscond with tapes to try and deduce whether and how her boyfriend was successfully seducing another man!

Accidentally seducing, she clarified in her mind as she found the right scene and pushed play. Acting out seducing. No, acting out strangulation. She rolled her eyes at herself. Acting, just watching acting.

She watched the on-screen action avidly. The cuts were rough; nothing had been edited yet. This camera's view was mostly wide, full-screen background shots. She paused and switched tracks, looking for one focusing in close on Ren's face.

Her thumb hovered over the play button. Was she betraying Ren's trust in any way by doing this? It felt a little like stalking. She could just ask him how he'd done it. She shook her head. No, that would be cheating! She would not use her relationship with Ren to benefit privately in her work as an actress, and that included trying to gather industry secrets! She may be his girlfriend, but she was also his kohai. He'd brought out an unscripted response in his costar somehow and she wanted to know how - purely so she could replicate or avoid it. This was her job. Her character development and growth.

She pushed play and the sequence began to roll across the screen. Ren and Koga wrestled, their faces twisted in rage and fear. She could feel her own heart start to pound as she watched their desperate battle. Ren's eyes held both sadness and fury at once; his hands shook with emotion as he grappled with Shizuma. She knew the full script and knew the weight this attack carried for Rusu, but even if she hadn't she would still understand with one look at his posture that trying to kill Shizuma was akin to killing himself.

The camera stayed in close on his face, catching even the drops of sweat Ren allowed to escape as he struggled. But not once, even when he leaned forward to breathe in Shizuma's scent as he strangled him, giving a twisted wordless goodbye-not once did his features switch to the Emperor. That maddeningly captivating stare, eyes hooded, glinting darkly with promises of passionately devouring you body and soul was missing.

Kyoko hummed to herself in question. She'd been mistaken. Koga hadn't seen the Emperor. He'd seen a messily desperate Rusu, but no Emperor.

She switched scenes again to find the camera locked on Koga. She wanted to see when he reacted. Maybe that would help her understand which of Ren's actions or expressions drew out his-Kyoko batted the thought away, refusing to name the emotion succinctly. His reddened face and loss of self-control.

She pushed play. Ren was advancing on him at speed, his face unseen from this angle but his shoulders tense as the long sword swept around and over his head to crash down on Koga. Koga gritted his teeth, displaying only the smallest hint of fear with how he held his eyes tense, crinkling the skin around their edges. Kyoko loved deciphering which minute expression shift indicated which emotion. She practiced tensing and relaxing the corners of her eyes as she watched. Ren slammed into Koga, dropping him to the ground and pinning him beneath his weight. Koga's face was partially obscured by the breadth of Ren's shoulders, but Kyoko could see his eyes shutting for a brief second as his teeth bared in reaction to the jarring impact. Koga immediately started beating up at Ren, twisting beneath him to free himself. His expression contorted with shock as Ren's hands wrapped around his neck.

Kyoko craned her neck, trying to see more clearly around Ren's shoulders on the screen. It hadn't hit yet. Koga's eyes were growing larger, his movements more frantic. Any second now it had to be the moment. "There!" she yelled to the empty room, whacking the pause button. Koga's face had flushed, his eyes intense with an emotion very different from fear. Need.

What did Ren do? What triggered it? Kyoko rapped her finger on the side of the remote, studying the still frame. She rewound and replayed once. Twice. The third time she gasped. "Breath!"

She could tell by the way his back expanded beyond his normal measurements for chest circumference and then contracted slightly below at that precise moment. His breath on Koga's face had caused that look! She pushed play with victorious oomph and watched the rest of the scene, pausing again at the millisecond of outtake after Morizumi-san had yelled cut. It was still apparent on Koga's face: that exhale had made a lasting impression.

But… why? Kyoko frowned. New breath mints? But why would Ren have a breath mint in during an intense fight scene with no stunt doubles? Kyoko sat back on the couch, carefully turning off the TV set and setting the remote on the table. She'd need to experiment some.

It was only 8:30 pm. Ren may not even be done with work yet! She called him and left a voicemail. His reply was almost instantaneous— a text message stating, "I'll pick you up at 9:30."

Kyoko waited outside the Darumaya, eager to learn. She didn't plan on telling Ren her methods. It would be better to see if she could pull reactions out of him without his foreknowledge to prepare. His Porsche rolled up precisely on time and she smiled, bounding over to his car.

"Never-Late Tsuruga!" she called out playfully. He leaned over the passenger seat to unlock the door and push it open, grinning widely.

"Where to, my lady?" he asked, sitting back to watch her as she climbed in and buckled up.

"Grocery store," she replied, "and then your place!"

Ren sat back in surprise, looking at her curiously. She smiled at him, rifling through her bag to cover over her excitement. Practicing acting with The Tsuruga Ren was always thrilling!

"Mine…?" he asked.

She nodded, finding her lipgloss and applying a dab. It was peppermint; a good approximation of the scent his breath may have had during the filming. She could hear Ren swallow hard and looked over at him curiously. He was watching her hand with the lipgloss avidly, his expression bearing a strong resemblance to Koga's. Kyoko knitted her brows. This wasn't right. Her actions had in no way mirrored Ren's on screen and yet she'd already drawn out a similar response.

Ren turned and gripped the steering wheel with his hands, flexing them around the leather cover. "So, what did you want to do? Watch a movie?"

Kyoko smirked at him. "Experiment."

He gulped, his hands tensing around the wheel. She was sitting with her legs crossed, wearing his favorite short, fluffy skirt. "Oh… yeah? With, um, recipes?"

Kyoko giggled. "No, Ren," she said, pulling down the mirror to dab at her lipgloss. Maybe it was the peppermint scent? Could he smell it from there? "Not with recipes." She left it at that for now and Ren pulled away from the Darumaya.

The car was filled with anticipation as the two actors pulled up at his place, the trunk full of groceries Kyoko had bought at random. She wasn't sure what she wanted to cook. The food was more of an excuse to find a reason to practice. Last time she'd been trying to reach up in his ridiculously high cabinets she had fallen and they'd ended up tangled on the floor. If she could replicate a similar situation, but use her martial arts training to end up on top, it would be the perfect moment for observing his reaction compared to Koga's. She wanted to nail this new skill on her own.

Ren walked behind her quietly, holding twenty-odd bags laced over his long arms. She had several herself, humming as she almost skipped ahead of him down the hall to his apartment. She waited for him at the door. He gestured with his elbow towards his front pocket, unable to extricate himself.

Kyoko sat down several of her bags and twined her arm through the chaos of plastic handles to his side, slipping her hand into his pocket. She could feel the warmth of his body, his muscled leg firm against her hand as she searched for the key. She blushed, her fingers finding something small and hard and pulling it out as quickly as possible. It was a coin. Kyoko bit her lip and glanced up at Ren. He was carefully avoiding her eyes, looking up over her head, but his cheeks were splotchy red over pale. If his eyes shifted expression just slightly, he would have caught the Koga-look!

Kyoko kept her eyes trained on his face as she slid her hand back into his pocket, letting her fingers press gently against the feeling of his skin through the thin fabric. She slid her hand lower, still arguably looking for the key but with her attention focused on his expression. There! Her fingertips had just traced over the backwards curve of his leg when his eyes went soft at the centers but tense at the corners - need. "Ah-hah!" she said out loud. Ren looked down at her in shock, meeting her eyes unexpectedly. Kyoko jumped backwards at the sudden eye contact, thankfully managing to snag the key with her fingers.

"I, ah, got the key!" She brandished it between them, turning quickly to cover her embarrassment at being almost caught.

Ren stayed in the hallway for several moments after she pushed through the door and into the kitchen. He seemed to be doing breathing exercises. She decided to let him be; she was here for acting practice, so allowing him his space to improvise and insert his own routines was natural. She unpacked her groceries. He was still in the hall.

"Ren?" she called, walking over to find him. He stood in the exact same place, his eyes closed, his breathing deep and regular but his fists clenched around the lowest bags. "Here, I'll help-"

"No!" he interjected, his eyes flying open. "Thank you, Kyoko, but I was just taking a moment to," he paused, searching for the word, "readjust." He held out the bags in wordless explanation. She nodded, smiling brightly, and led the way back to the kitchen. He dumped out all the ingredients on the counter in a giant pile.

Kyoko tried to remember which pots he had concealed in the uppermost cabinet. If her memory served, it was most of them. She giggled, rubbing her palms together. "I'll make us some dessert," she declared. "Maybe a souffle?" Those would be light enough for even Ren's appetite. He cocked his head at her, smiling gently.

"Time for the experiments?" he said, his voice filled with humor.

Kyoko just smiled at him, choosing not to reply. She busied herself with organizing the space and preparing her ingredients. Soon the kitchen was clear of the chaos, all the unwanted ingredients filed away in cabinets or the refrigerator - future Ren meals. She glanced sideways at him. She forced him to buy all of these in a tizzy tonight, but would he cook them? She'd have to make sure to come over regularly after her MV shoot this weekend and cook for him or the food may spoil with only the black coffee used up.

Her hands busily separated eggs and sifted flour as she plotted how to land on top of Ren. He was watching her earnestly. He'd never allow her to climb up on the counter at this rate- he'd intervene before her arm fully stretched towards the high cabinet.

"Ren?"

"Mmmm?" He had his head cradled in his hands, contentedly watching her cook.

"Could you get me some towels?"

He cocked his head in question at her.

"For the souffle. I'd like to tent them. Um, using fluffy towels instead of tea towels. It's part of the experiment," she finished. Well, it was! Getting him out of the room momentarily was, at least.

Ren nodded with absolute confidence in her cooking abilities and left to grab some towels from the master bath. Kyoko scurried over to the counter, leaping on top and reaching up to open the door. Perfect- opening it wide threw her off balance just enough to be believable. The higher height from standing on his counter instead of a chair would make it easier to land on top of him as well. She rubbed her hands together eagerly and waited for his return, planning how to make the fall look accidental.

"What are you doing?" His voice came from just behind her, unexpectedly quick. She jumped in surprise, her foot slipping off the counter. Her quick reflexes saved her plan - she twisted mid-air, reaching out blind to latch on to his shoulders. Ren's arms wrapped around her tight, hugging her to him as the pair slammed back into the island. He grunted- and didn't fall! Kyoko pushed against him slightly, her lips pursed in consternation.

"What are you doing?!" He repeated, his arms locked around her still but his eyes open wide in dismay. Kyoko scowled, then caught herself and tapped his shoulder to be let down, a sheepish smile creeping over her face.

"Sorry, I, ah, didn't want to bother you," she said. "You were already getting me towels. Your balance is extraordinary, Ren," she finished, trying not to pout. It had happened completely different the first time! Why didn't he fall? She sighed and finished the souffles, struggling to find an actual purpose for the bulky towels. They turned out light and fluffy despite her "experiments" and the pair settled in on the couch to munch. Ren kept eyeing her suspiciously, a small grin on his face as they ate.

"What?" she asked in a huff.

"Nothing," he said. "You're just very interesting tonight." Kyoko pursed her lips and sat down her souffle cup. She crossed her arms and looked at him.

"Well, you aren't exactly helping me in my experiments."

Ren threw his arms up in surrender, his souffle wobbling in its cup. "I got the towels."

Kyoko blew her bangs out of her face, arguing with herself in her mind. Should she tell him? She decided to just go for it. "Put down your cup," she ordered, pointing at the table. Ren's face showed confusion and humor as he obeyed.

She bit her lip and paused for a moment, then launched herself at him, throwing him off-balance. They fell backwards on the couch with a thud. Ren's eyes went wide with shock - but no noticeable indication of pain. Her brain constantly tracked his responses in comparison to Koga. Kyoko crawled on top of him while he was still stunned, wrapping her legs around his waist and hooking one ankle under the couch to try and keep him still.

"Kyo-" Ren started, reaching his hands up to clasp her shoulders. She tapped her finger to her lips, shushing him. She leaned forward but was too short to reach his face for the master-stroke. Concentrating diligently on watching his facial expressions, she scootched up higher, her skirt riding up slightly. Ren's eyelids fluttered, his mouth dropping open slightly. His hands hovered above her shoulders. She started to lean towards him, finally high enough.

"There!" She pointed in victory. He'd made the face! But wait, she hadn't breathed on him- her thoughts were interrupted as Ren gripped her shoulders with his hands and yanked her towards him, drawing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. She tried to push back; she wanted to see if his expression had held. But he held her too tightly, his tongue tracing over her lips as he moaned. She felt herself losing to his will and softened into him. His grip relaxed, his hands running soft caresses up and down her back as she lay against him. The feeling of his lips against hers was intensified a thousand times by the heat of his body pressing up into her own. Her leg fell from its grip on the couch and she teetered, but his hands shifted in time and caught her hips. He left them there, his broad palms almost imperceptibly starting to push her hips down into his, a gentle pressure she found inexplicably distracting.

"Ren," she gasped into his mouth, "your hands."

He hummed into their kiss, not moving his hands.

"Ren!" she said, trying to sit back.

He released her from the kiss, but left his hands where they lay. She swatted at him and he ducked, smiling playfully. "An experiment?" he suggested.

"Ah! You!" She shook her finger at him, pushing away to sit fully upright on top of him. "Those were for my research, not yours!"

He shrugged, finally moving his hands. "I don't mind doing more research together if you want to learn," he said, his eyes turning dark and smoky. The Emperor was rising. Kyoko leaped off him, bumping against the coffee table and sitting down on it between their souffle cups in a heap. He sat up and reached for her hand, drawing her back over to sit on his lap. "Don't go," he said in a dangerously soft voice. "We aren't done with our research yet."