NOT A KISS.
Dragging Sho to the corner of the room, away from the prying ears of the spectators, Kyoko minced her teeth. "Do you have any idea what you just did? Now everyone here knows about the Beagle!"
"You're the one who said it, not me," he snorted.
Kyoko cupped her face to hide it. She didn't care much about the others, but only what Ren could be thinking right now. She wanted so badly to explain everything to him, to talk to him, but she couldn't even dare look up to meet his eyes, which she knew were stuck in her direction.
"You sure are pathetic," Sho sighed remorsefully. "After all this time, I thought you finally caught yourself a man, even if he was a psychotic stalker, but it turned out like this. You're probably destined to die alone."
"I don't need your sympathy! I'm well aware of the lack of my love life, and whose fault is that to begin with? You're the one who made me like this! Robbing me of the one thing - the only thing I had in all my life!"
"And what's that?"
"Love! It's because of you the I can't love anyone anymore! So stop showing me your pity! It pisses me off even more!"
"It can't be helped though. After all, it's Valentine's Day and the only guy you gave chocolates to was that creepy stalker." Sho shook his head. "Tsk. Tsk."
"How presumptuous of you! Actually, I've never given chocolates to this many people as I have the this year! There are at least ten people from the Dark Moon set alone," Kyoko boasted.
Suddenly, something ticked Sho off, and he cocked his head at her furiously. "Ten people from Dark Mook?" He glanced at Ren, the question clear in his eyes, and Kyoko followed his gaze to find that Ren was still looking at the two of them. His face perfectly impassive and devoid of emotion.
"What about him?" Sho voiced his thoughts, stepping unnecessarily close to her in order to intimidate her.
"I- uh, I didn't give any chocolates to him," she stopped herself before said too much.
"Then what?" Unfortunately, Sho had caught on. "If not chocolates, what did you give him?"
Colour rushed to her cheeks and the tips of her ears without permission, tinging them bright red. "That's none of your business!"
Sho immediately noticed how quickly she blushed, and something churned in his stomach. "Fine, don't tell me. I don't care anyway," he lied. To distract himself, he reached into his pocket and took out a small piece of chocolate candy. "Wanna try?" Without waiting for an answer, he popped the candy into her mouth.
Kyoko was about to complain, but as the sweet syrup of chocolate exploded in her mouth into a savoury delight, she couldn't help a moan. "Mmmm."
"How is it?"
"So good," she answered without meaning to.
"Is that so? Then I'll have a taste too."
It all happened so fast that Kyoko's brain went haywire leaving her body completely defenseless as Sho grabbed her collar and pulled her into a kiss.
Between the sweet taste of chocolate and his soft rubbery lips pressing against her own, moving first very lightly before picking up pace, Kyoko couldn't react at all. She was lost in something. Maybe it was the minty tang of his mouth and his slippery tongue forcing its way inside. Or maybe it was the pressure of his soft lips crushing upon hers, and the minute hair on his clean shaven jaw biting into her delicate skin. It could have also been the shape of his aquiline nose digging into her face. Whatever it may be, Kyoko was too lost in it to object, before the reality of the matter finally registered in her brain.
She needed to stop him, but she didn't know how. She did know, but she couldn't remember. At last it occurred to her that she had two useless hands resting on her sides. Using all the willpower she could gather, she raised them to the sides of his face and tried to push it away as hard as she could manage.
It was no use, because Sho was much stronger and also because he had snaked his firm arms around her slim waist, caging her in.
If the spectators were shocked before, now they were petrified with their eyes wide open without even bothering to blink, and their jaws hanging low enough to touch the floor. To them it looked like a way, way long kiss as Kyoko was passionately cupping Sho's face and he was holding her close. What they didn't know was that Kyoko wasn't holding him, but trying to push him away with all her might.
When half a minute had passed and the two still had not parted from each other, Yashiro dared to glance at Ren. Unlike usual, there wasn't any impassive shell around him hiding his inner feelings. Instead there was shock and disbelief that was slowly turning into merciless anger. His fists clenched hard enough for his nails to dig into the palms of his hands. His eyes were cold burning with intense rage. An aura so dark was emanating out of him that it cooled the ambience of the whole place.
This was it. Without caring about the consequences, Ren furiously strode ahead. He had barely taken a couple of steps when there kiss came to an abrubt end and the two finally broke apart. Something about the way they had parted made Ren stop again.
Kyoko had tried to push Sho away using all her strength but it was in vain, since she couldn't match his strength. In the middle of that torturous kiss Sho had forced on her, it occurred to her that her legs but still free and also close enough for her to knee him in the groin. So she did it and it was how she finally managed to pull away from him.
Sho had winced for a moment before regaining his composure. He now seemed perfectly fine despite the fact that it looked like Kyoko's kick should have knocked the life out of him.
"You... You ass!" The world's tumbled out of her mouth in a screech while she panted, gasping for air. "What the hell was that?"
Sho flashed his teeth, showing the small piece of candy pressed between them, which he had wrestled out of her mouth into his own. "I never said I'll give this to you," he smiled. "I was only offering you a taste. So I took it back."
Kyoko eyes shone with fury. "For candy?" She grunted with animalistic rage. "You did that for a piece of candy? You cheap ass! I'll kill you!" She lunged for his throat to choke the life out of him.
Sho grabbed her wrists without much effort. For Kyoko, that much contact between them was hell, so she gave up fighting and took a step back.
"Well, it looks like I'm done here," he turned to leave.
"Not so fast!" She called back, her tone venomous. "Take this with you!" She picked up the huge bouquet and flung at him. "I've have no reason to accept it!"
Sho caught it before it could hit him in the face, and then placed it back on the table. "Keep it. If you're looking for a reason, then I just give you one."
"And what is that?"
"That kiss just now. It was your first one, wasn't it? You've been crazy making fantasies about your very first kiss since we were young, but I just ruined it for you. So you can keep it as a compensation."
Sho started making his way out, and the crew parted to make way for him on its own with one exception. Ren kept standing where he was, too shocked to move, especially because he was too busy trying to drill holes in Sho's skull with the sheer force of his deadly cold eyes.
For Sho, the look on Ren's face was priceless. Even more satisfying to watch than Kyoko's frustration after he had kissed her.
He couldn't help himself from shooting a smug smirk at Ren before walking out.
Outside, Shouko was waiting for him in the car.
"How did it go?" She smiled in anticipation.
"I kissed Kyoko," Sho couldn't fight of the victorious smile so he gave into the urge.
"What?" Shouko gasped, "I thought you were going to congratulate her! Never mind, this is even better." The manager grinned. "You two always had that chemistry and now you're finally gonna go out! I'm so excited."
"I'm not going out with her," Sho said it like it was the most ridiculous idea in the world. "Why would I do that?"
"You brought her flowers on Valentine's Day and you also kissed her. What else does that mean if not dating it? I thought you won her back."
"That I did," Sho muttered to himself, his lips stretching into the same smug smile from before.
At first, he couldn't figure out why he was so bothered by the thought of Kyoko being with someone else. Turned out, it wasn't for something as petty as love, but jealousy.
He didn't care whether Kyoko hated him or not, all he wanted was to be the one reining her mind. And with that kiss, he had accomplished his goal.
Waves of satisfaction crawled up his skin as he recalled that kiss, specially what came after it. Ren Tsuruga's face. Sho couldn't help chuckle thinking how he had killed two birds with one stone as he had defeated Ren by kissing the girl he loved right in front of him and also by branding himself into Kyoko's memory. He was sure that even now Kyoko must be cursing him for stealing her first kiss, but Sho didn't mind as long as she was thinking about him.
For as long as she could remember, Kyoko had dreamed of sharing her first kiss with Sho. With her overactive imagination, she used to make up different scenarios in her head in which Sho was always a beautiful prince riding a white horse and she was a princess trapped in a curse who could only be saved by him.
She had come up with the tiniest of details living up to the whole event like how Sho would first lovingly take her into his arms before gently pressing has lips against her own.
No matter how ridiculous her fantasies used to be, Kyoko truly believe that one day one of them will eventually come true as sooner or later she knew Sho would be hers.
To her horror, it did come true and the reality was a nightmare. Kyoko had slumped down on a chair in a state of stuppor, her hazel eyes wide open, a small frown of disbelieve on her brows, and her lips parted in awe, forming a little 'o'.
Itsumi and Airi were immediately at her sides, trying to console her, though neither of them didn't understand what could be so awful about being kissed by a hotshot celebrity. The kiss itself seemed so passionate to them that they would have never believed Kyoko of not liking it, until she had kicked Sho away.
"It was my first kiss," Kyoko muttered in anguish. Tears shown in her hazel eyes. "It was so unromantic! And to be kissed by that field of all people." She shuddered at the memory.
After rinsing her mouth with water more than a dozen times, while also popping in a few moments, Kyoko still did not feel clean as the aftertaste of Sho's mouth was somehow branded in her memory. Her stomach churned and she retched, her breakfast from this morning threatening to make an appearance.
"We understand," Itsumi patted her back sympathetically. "No matter how close you two were, for him to kiss you so suddenly, of course you'll be shaken up."
"That shallow bastard," Kyoko hissed, "I used to think a prince would come one day..." She babbled between sobs, "and my first kiss would be so romantic... Of course I knew deep down that it would never happen but still..." She mumbled with silent hiccups.
Meanwhile, Ren watched her from afar. He had been so enraged that if Yashiro hadn't stopped him from going after Show Fuwa, he would've done something regrettable and ruined his career. However, the fury in his eyes was enough for the manager to know it was not best to leave him alone until he cooled off.
How he was supposed to cool off, he had no idea. Watching Kyoko with tears shining in her eyes, it broke his heart into a million pieces and his fists itched to punch Sho for even daring to lay a finger on her.
Ren remember the promise he had made to himself before coming to Japan, that he would never hurt anyone again no matter the circumstances. Then he secretly felt grateful to his manager for not letting him break his promise, yet his urge to waste Sho Fuwa wasn't getting any weaker.
The worst part of it all was realising how much of a hold Sho still had on Kyoko. He was so much in control of her that she played right into his hands. Judging from the smug smirk Sho had passed to him, it was clear to Ren that his only intention for kissing Kyoko was to mess with her head, and he had achieved his goal.
The kiss itself might have lasted for less than a minute, yet the impact it had Kyoko would probably last for months. Her hatred for Sho definitely reached new heights, but for Ren, every second she spent thinking about Sho was counted as a loss.
At last when he couldn't take it anymore, he marched up to her and snorted, "first kiss! I don't get it! What's so special about it?"
Kyoko looked up along with Itsumi and Airi who were still trying to control her.
"You're acting like it's the end of the world. Is it really that important?"
The three costars exchanged a surprised glance, because Ren was the last person from whom they would have expected this sort of reaction.
"If you ask me," he went on, "I thank you're being stupid."
The words hit Kyoko like a slap, and she raised to her feet in an attempt to explain herself to Ren, but words failed her. Desperation was carved into her face.
"Ren, how can you be so insensitive?" Airi exclaimed.
"She's right," Itsumi frowned defensively.
Even Yashiro was angered by Ren's inconsiderate behaviour. "How can you say that? Can't you see that Kyoko is upset?"
"That's precisely why I'm saying it. I think it's silly and stupid of her to get so upset over something like this."
If anyone else had said those words, Kyoko wouldn't have cared a fig, but Ren's disapproval was something she just couldn't bear.
"Do you really call that a kiss?" Ren asked. "Just because your lips touched, that doesn't make it one. A real kiss is sensual." He inched closer with each word until he was standing right in front of her. "Imagine, you can't stop thinking about a certain someone. Only a slight touch from them tugs something within you. Looking at their smile sends butterflies to your stomach. When you finally lock lips with that person, it flutters your heart. That's what you call a kiss."
By the end of the speech, aside from Kyoko, both of Ren's female costars were blushing up to the roots of their hairs.
"It's an unsaid rule among actors that your first kiss counts as a kiss only when you feel something from it," he went on. "What if your character is supposed to kiss someone? Will you cry then too and cause a ruckus, or will you act professionally and do the scene?"
Kyoko was speechless. She had never even considered that sooner or later she might be asked to perform a kiss scene with someone. Considering how she had sworn to never fall in love again, sharing a kiss willingly with someone was also out of question.
"In the future, you might be asked to kiss a number of people for a role. It might be even a girl. Regardless of gender, age or your liking, you'll have to do it. So it really depends on your perspective whether it counts as a real kiss or not. It will be one only if you feel something for the other person." He paused to let his words sink in. "About what happened today, since you have no feelings for Fuwa, you can just think of it as an unfortunate accident, nothing more. You will have your first kiss only when you consider it as one."
Yashiro had been trying to figure out the whole time what Ren was up to, and he finally understood. Beneath that easy smile, the manager knew Ren was hiding his bubbling anger. It seemed like he was trying to make Kyoko forget about the kiss.
After listening to Ren, Kyoko did seem to relax a bit, as she allowed herself a little smile. "You're right. It was only an accident, nothing more. There is no point to mope about it now."
"That's the spirit," a corner of Ren's lips tugged up as well. "There is one more thing I should have mentioned. About this rule, it only works when you're in character, so it's okay while you are in the middle of a scene. However, not in your private matters. Which is why after letting slide what happened today," his eyes suddenly turned ice cold as he leaned in, almost brushing his lips against her ear, "you should make sure that it never happens again." His glacial breath tingled her skin as he spoke. It was only a hushed whisper, yet his words were frostier than ever, and they sent cold shivers down her spine.
Even Yashiro was rather shocked by this sudden display of maliciousness when he heard the sting in his client's tone. The manager was pretty sure Ren had not intended to sound so sharp but his inner voice had seeped out of him without permission.
You've really done it this time Ren, he sighed. Only that one sentence had so much weight that it was enough to let them know of his seething rage while also making sure that Kyoko never lets Sho Fuwa near herself again.
"I won't," she promised. "Unless it's for a part, I swear, I'll never let Sho or anyone else ever kiss me again."