Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or the other book I reference here. Enjoy!

Time moves in strange ways. On set, it is just a part of the job - compressing days, weeks, years, into a short montage; inciting incidents that leave characters cracked open and festering and developing for many weeks before they are back again, ten years later, ready for their revenge; or a single day, stretched over many, may weeks. To Tsuruga Ren, time was always a very malleable concept… and yet, suddenly, he was finding that he had none of it.

The feeling had started with his father's visit, but in the past few hours, it had grown by a million times, making him antsy and more than a little eager to leave the set. Which was hard enough, considering how high spirits were on set, and with no manager or Setsu to smooth out the tensions, everthing felt like a giant personalities crash.

"No shadow today?" Director Konoe asked, on a rare moment when the two of them were alone.

"She has business to attend to. Thanks to you."

The director gave a wan smile. "I would be remiss if I let a talent like that without acknowledgment." Then he sighed. "Although her absence is sorely felt."

And he was only their boss.

Despite all the problems, though, Ren managed a full day of shoots without getting in trouble, or stepping on anybody's toes, or even scaring anybody half to death. Black Jack, or Cain Heel, or whoever he was playing, was subdued. One might even say - calm.

There was that funny thing about love, again.

But as the day wore on and time - real time - began to press on him, some old worries reared their heads again. How had Kyoko's screen test gone? Was she able to take it where she wanted, or had Kijima flustered her again? When would it be a good time to call? Would he be able to do it as 'himself' or would he have to stay in character, to maintain some level of propriety?

And then, beyond them, the steady thrum of the President's warning.

If you haven't told her everything before you need to get on that plane to America…

He probably didn't mean for it to sound so ominous - his own Grim Reaper outfit had probably been an unfortunate coincidence - but Ren had to wonder. When did Takarada Lori do anything by accident?

It doesn't matter, he told himself, whenever the worry threatened to overwhelm him. I will tell Kyoko everything. Once that first talk is done…

Yes. Everything else seemed easier by comparison.

Or at least that is what he told himself to get through the day.

Then the shooting wrapped up and he switched his phone on. No calls from "Setsu" - she had been serious about not interrupting him on set. But there was one message from his boss, one line, stark and scary in its simplicity.

Come see me asap.

Meanwhile, across town, Kyoko bowed to the casting directors, trying to keep the grin off her face. Pride was a terrible thing, and no-one should take that much of it in their work… yet even as they made noncommittal sounds about the outcome, she felt the excitement fizzing through her like champagne. She'd done it. It was over. And it went better than she expected.

She was dialing Ren's number as she was leaving the building, oblivious to everything and everyone around her. It didn't matter who might hear - she would just speak in English and substitute in the words 'brother' for 'senpai' and no-one would be the wiser. She hoped they would get a chance to speak in private, later on. Speak and… and…

"This is Nippon National's answering service. The number you are trying to reach is not available."

The sharp beep of the message service jerked her out of her thoughts. Frowning, Kyoko cut the call off, and consulted her watch. The shooting should have been over for the day, but then there was no telling how many takes they had to do, or if there was a debrief at the end of the day. She tried to ignore the grudges muttering in her ears that he had come to his senses and realized this could never work out. Tsuruga Ren was many things but she would not have opened her heart to him if she suspected him to be shallow.

"Kyoko-chan!"

And speaking of shallow…

"Kijima-san," she said, turning. "You left abruptly."

Her fellow actor jogged up to her, looking a little bit red in the face. He had left abruptly - he'd seemed eager to get away from her as soon as the casting directors dismissed them. She'd been rather shocked at his rudeness - shocked and annoyed at having to make excuses for him like he was a child. But she was pleased with how things had gone, how she had managed to control the mood from slipping too far into the romantic. Why on earth was he so displeased at that?

"You… yes, yes, I suppose I did." He paused, gathered himself. "Kyoko-chan, that reading was… rather strange, don't you think?"

"Strange?" She blinked.

"That… you… I mean to say, you interpreted the character so aggressively. I didn't know— I don't think that is what the filmmakers wanted."

Oh, what they wanted, is it? The grudges reared up. Not what you were hoping for?

"I felt the specifications I was given were rather ambiguous," Kyoko said, keeping up the polite facade. "I thought it might be a safe bet to go down that route. Given the character's backstory."

"Of course, of course, but Kyoko-chan, you should also consider the bigger picture." Kijima leaned in. "I mean, who's to say how the character can change over the course of a movie? And how other characters might help them change? It's not very fair to take that away from her, is it?"

Once upon a time, she'd watched a film where every line the characters spoke had a double meaning. Now it seemed as if she'd fallen straight into the world, except Kijima's true meanings were completely senseless to her.

"I'm not sure you will get the part," he said, after she failed to respond. "I mean, no offense, but I didn't want you getting your hopes up needlessly."

"No, of course not," she said.

"You should embrace the opportunity to learn from this. Directors like a flexible actor."

"I see."

"I'm only telling you this to help you out, as a senpai and everything. Other reading partners might not be so kind - they would probably try to tear you down, or blame you if they don't get the part."

She grit her teeth, and bowed slightly. "I am very grateful for your guidance. Thank you for taking the time to teach me."

He laughed, relief etched onto his features. "Now, now, no need for formalities! I'm not concerned with my performance - I just wanted you to be prepared for the outcome."

It took a few more minutes, with Kyoko dredging up patience and serenity from some deep well, before she could rid herself of Kijima. He'd been determined to bestow more of his wisdom on her - all the while insisting that they go out for a meal - and eventually she'd had to make up an appointment with Sawara-san to get away from him. Thank goodness for traffic, she thought, as she got on her bike. She could always trust herself to get faster from location to location on her own.

Unless, of course, she cared for the company more than she did for speed.

Her fury wasn't completely unexpected - although it was not an emotion she was used to feeling about her work. Criticism was part of the deal - she'd gotten plenty of it, and she was likely to receive more, being a fledgling actress. But Kijima's words cut her deep, and she wasn't sure why.

She thought the reading had gone well. She felt like she had a sense of Midori and had gotten into character well. She was happy that she'd managed to make him act along - even though his confusion hadn't been entirely made up. She was pleased with the scene, and she couldn't help but feel - there was that pride again - that he was just being bitter about not getting his way.

But surely Kijima-san was a professional… was it possible they both got it wrong?

Kyoko was suddenly even more eager to see Ren - not just for obvious reasons, but because she wanted his perspective on this. (And, yes, she had to admit to herself, she was hoping he would soothe her a bit. Even if he wasn't entirely unbiased.)

She got inside the LME building with a few minutes to spare before the scheduled meeting with the director. The secretary waved her through and she even stopped to say hi to Jelly-san, who was busy with another client.

Then she came through the door of the inner office and felt her heart drop.

"Kyoko-san," the President rose to greet her. "Welcome."

She returned the greeting, and came inside. Ren was there, in a chair across the desk, but he didn't come to her, didn't even turn his head. He was still in his full Cain Heel gear and - though she couldn't be sure without seeing his face - his mood was completely and utterly that of Black Jack.

Had she missed something? Was she meant to come in character?

Slowly, she shut the door and then stood there, awkward as a schoolgirl.

"Sir," she said. "Senpai. Am I… am I late?"

"No, no. You're as punctual as ever. Please, take a seat." Takarada Lori pulled out a chair for her. It wasn't until she got close that she realized the President was wearing a somber gray suit and tie - no menagerie, no flourishes, no marching bands. It was a conservative, normal look - and yet it unnerved her more than any dramatic outfit he'd donned.

"I heard you had a reading today," he said, taking his seat behind the table. "How do you feel about it?"

"I… I'm not sure." She tried to catch Ren's eye again, her dread growing by the second. "I'm sorry I didn't get to speak to you more this morning."

"Not at all. Not at all. In fact, it's probably a good thing—"

"President," Ren spoke for the first time. The sound of his voice made Kyoko shiver. "If it isn't too much trouble…"

"Ah, no, of course. Jelly will be ready for you in just a minute. Kyoko-chan," he said, making her jump. "This wasn't expected but I'm glad we have a chance to have a sit-down tonight."

She racked her brains for reasons why that might be the case. She couldn't imagine why that might be the case or why he would call her in like that - she thought she and Ren had agreed to tell him about their changed relationship status together - but from the way her senpai was acting, she had a feeling that would not be the case.

"Is it…" she started "Is it about the assignment I have with… with Tsuruga-san?"

"I'm afraid so, Kyoko-chan," he said. "There's been a… circumstance that requires a change of script."

What circumstance? Her mind flew to the revelations from last night, Ren's mention of a dying parent, and she felt her throat tighten. Still unsure how to proceed, she asked what the change of script is.

"I'm afraid that Cain will have to carry on by himself," the President said. "You performance as Setsu has to end."

A/N - Cliffhangers bring the reviews in... but aren't you glad I didn't leave us on that note 4 years ago?