Authors Chat: So I've hit a bit of a mental brick wall in my other fanfic (Valentine's Disaster). Sometimes Shou and Reino can be such hard characters to figure out and portray. Not to mention, it's hard to figure them out when Kyoko and Ren are overly excited and roaming around in my brain. So, you get yet another chapter of Playing with Fire. I was intending to keep these chapters short and relatively quick reads, but they just keep getting longer and longer! ^_^;;

I would greatly appreciate your comments and constructive criticism!

That being said, italics text are direct thoughts of characters, text is in quotes, noises are done with asterisks.

DISCLAIMER: Skip Beat! and it's characters are not my original creation, they are owned and created by Nakamura Yoshiki.

Story Timeline: This fanfic is outside the timeline Nakamura-sensei has set forth. This would take place past the present storyline, but a not-so-distant future. Character development applies as I will attempt to keep the characters as Nakamura-sensei has made them. (Otherwise it just isn't a fanfiction but rather a fiction merely using the same names!) Just don't forget that some things may seem a bit out of character since they (characters) are in situations that Nakamura-sensei has not yet put them into or developed the emotional necessity for.

Playing With Fire

Act 3

As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Ren handed Kyoko a sack.

"What is this?" she looked inside. There was a camisole, a hoodie, and a pair of shorts, all new with tags on them, and they were in her size.

"I had someone drop them off while we were at the restaurant. I don't think you can move well enough for the scene in that skirt, am I right?"

Kyoko's skirt wasn't too short nor too tight, but there was enough material there to catch and be in the way. Ren was right.

"Thank you Tsuruga-san! I'll repay you for these!"

"Don't worry about it Mogami-san."

The elevator dinged indicating they had arrived at the correct floor, so they stepped off and walked the short distance to Ren's door. When they entered, he procured a set of guest slippers for her use – a new addition to his home Kyoko noticed.

"You can change in the guest bedroom. You remember where it is?"

"Yes, at the end of the hall right?"

Ren nodded and Kyoko headed down the hall while he himself entered his own bedroom to change.

A moment later Ren opened his bedroom door. Noting the guest bedroom door was still closed, he moved to the living room and slid the coffee table out of the way to give them a good size space to work in.

Kyoko, in the bedroom, was trying to figure out how to hide the bruise on her knee. If Ren saw the bruise, he would scold her for not taking care of her body and probably insist they not practice. This was important for her to get right though! She was determined to ignore the pain and practice anyway.

Her saving grace happened when she tried on the shorts and found them to be a bit small. She slipped her skirt back on and exited the bedroom.

"Tsuruga-san…?" she peaked her head into the living room. She was fully dressed and so not indecent, but she felt a little embarrassed and only showing her head seemed to make her feel better.

"Um… the shorts were too small. Do you, maybe… have a pair of shorts I could wear instead?" she blushed profusely.

"Of course Mogami-san! Next time I will be sure to get your correct sizing." He entered his own room and retrieved a pair of jogging shorts while Kyoko waited in the doorway. "These have a tie at the waist, so they shouldn't fall off."

Kyoko quickly changed in the guest room into Ren's shorts and tied the drawstring tight before returning to the living room. She was lucky Ren was tall. Had he not been, the shorts would not have been long enough to cover her knee. As it was, these almost seemed like Capri pants on her.

Oh god… she's so cute… Ren had to turn away for fear Kyoko would see him blush. She looked so cute in the overly large shorts – his shorts – and shirts he provided her.

Ren coughed politely. "Well. Shall we get started?"

"Okay!" She came to stand in front of Ren.

"Lets begin from where Natsu convinces Katsuki to hug her."

Kyoko nodded then closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, Natsu was looking out.

"Oh… Kitagawa-san. Where are you friends?"

"Never mind them. They have things to do." Natsu paused. "You don't think I honestly am with them ALL the time, do you?" She purred and stepped into the classroom, or in this case, Ren's living room.

Katsuki sat at his desk, Ren sat on his sofa. "No, of course not." He smiled at his student. "Well, do you need something then?"

Natsu took that as an invitation to come into the room. Had there been an actual desk there, Natsu would be leaning over it, getting nearer to Katsuki's face. "Mm… not particularly."

"Then if you wouldn't mind, Kitagawa-san, I need to complete this paperwork." Ren's gaze flitted back to Katsuki's imaginary papers.

Natsu slipped around behind the desk, forcing herself between the desk and Katsuki. Katsuki was left with his hands up at either side of his shoulders or risk putting Natsu between his arms. She sat on the desk and looked down at Katsuki.

"Kitagawa-san. You really must move."

She shook her head. "nuh-huh," reached out and grabbed his risen hands and placed them against her thighs. In the scene, her skirt was intended to be riding up so Ren would touch her bare legs, but the shorts she was wearing still gave Ren the desired effect, and he had to force himself to resist sliding his hands up further. No, he had to pull them away and out of her touch. Katsuki had to, so Ren did.

"… Kitagawa-san… I don't know what you're trying to do, but I am your teacher. I can not view you in… that way."

"Oh come on Se-n-sei," she cooed. "I won't tell." She lifted her right hand to her mouth and licked her finger before running it wet down the side of Katsuki's face.

Katsuki flinched. "NO. That is inappropriate, and I am just starting my position here. I can not compromise my position. You are a student, and I am your teacher."

"Why? There's nothing wrong with it. I'm old enough. I've been with men before, so it isn't like you'd be taking anything from me. Lets have a little fun!" Natsu laughed.

"I've said no Kitagawa-san. Now please move so I can finish my work." Katsuki reached out and grabbed Natsu's shoulders and gave her a soft push. She didn't move from her spot, refusing to budge.

Instead, she pouted. Then, "fine. But you have to at least give me a hug first!"

Katsuki hesitated, but gave in. "… Fine. Make it quick. I have a lot of work to do." He stood up and gently pulled Natsu to her feet. Natsu used the gentle pull to throw her body against Katsuki's, a move he was not expecting, and he stumbled back against the blackboard with Natsu clinging to his chest.

She hung on with her arms around his neck, he with her arms gently around her waist to catch her as she fell against him moments before.

"K-Kitagawa-san... You really must stop this. You've had your hug, now please… go." Was the air getting thicker? It was harder to breath.

"That wasn't the hug Sensei. That was catching a falling star" She laughed, knowing astronomy was one of Katsuki's past times.

Knowing he could not with this battle, Katsuki looked down at her face and saw the desire in her eyes and hesitated. This… would not be a meaningless hug… He was playing with fire, and about to get burned.

The desire showing in Natsu's eyes broke something inside Katsuki, and he felt himself being drawn in.

Katsuki slid his hand up her back and let his fingers entwine with her hair before jerking her head back to see her face. Natsu's eyes were glazed over and tears threatened to leak from her eyes at the sudden pain. There was no way she wasn't excited by his harsh manner. Her smile said she was enjoying this all too much.

"Do it," she dared him.

Without having to ask or be told, he knew what she wanted. He ran his other hand along her arm up to where her hand rested on his shoulder and grasped her wrist. Tightening his grip, he pulled her arm down and twisted it around behind her back in one liquid movement. The twist of her arm forced her body up against his, the hidden length of him pressing against her stomach.

He towered over her looking down at her oh-so beautiful face. There was no doubt his movement had hurt her, he was not gentle, but the excitement and desire were fast brimming the wall between pain and pleasure.

Natsu slid her foot up and around his calf so that the inside of her thigh crawled up his hip, a fact he could not ignore. It came as a surprise when she tightened her legs grip at his knee and dropped him to the ground with her on top of him.

"…Mogami-san…" Ren was a little out of breath from the force of Kyoko falling on him.

"I'm so sorry Tsuruga-san! I messed up again! I Jus-"

"It's alright Mogami-san. This is why we are practicing now. You do not understand why you have to be …sitting differently, correct? Let me show you."

Ren helped to push Kyoko up off of his chest and into a sitting position. He moved her legs to straddle him as the scene called for and told her to stay sitting just like that even if he moved. Then he moved. To Kyoko's surprise, it was not that hard to stay in the sitting position, and it looked like Ren's movements were hindered. He reached up to her and grabbed both of her hands, pulling them to the floor with his hands out to his sides. The force of Kyoko's hands against his on the floor locked him in place. Ren walked her through the motions she would have to do in the rest of the scenes and explained why each move was meant to be a power struggle between Katsuki and Natsu. When she said she understood, he had them do the scene again.

This time when Kyoko fell onto him and still failed to land correctly, he grabbed her waist and rolled over on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Startled, Kyoko struggled to get up, but Ren grabbed her wrists and forced them away from her body in a Y. He was leaning over her, and she was caught. Panic started to rise until the warmth of Ren's voice calmed her. She didn't have claustrophobia, but she somehow felt caught. She felt helpless. Now she understood.

Ren spoke softly, being so near her face. "You see Mogami-san? The difference is the center of gravity. When Natsu straddles Katsuki, Natsu's center of gravity goes straight down through her body, pinning Katsuki to the floor. When you land laying down, the center of gravity resides between us down the line of our bodies. It is easier for me to take advantage of you because as a man, I am stronger."

"I-I-I see Tsuruga-san… I understand now. Let me get up and try again." She forced her body up from the floor, attempting to sit up. Her hands were still caught in Ren's grip though, and she was unable to raise far from the ground. Instead, as she looked up to Ren, she realized she was mere inches from his face. She froze, her heart sped up as a small wave of fear began to take her over.

Ren was close enough to smell. Close enough to feel his breath against her skin. Close enough for her to see the Emperor of the Night peaking out behind his long lashes.

Kyoko's sudden rise caught Ren by surprise. He had been doing alright to control his emotions, but seeing her come so close to her face, his heart caught in his throat denying himself that she was going to kiss him. Her scent filled him with desire, and the closeness of her made his heart race.

In those few seconds where they laid there breathing the same air, a decision was made. There would be kissing and more between Katsuki and Natsu, and Ren be damned if Katsuki, a fictional character, was going to get her first kiss.

He closed the distance and freed one of Kyoko's hands. He brought his own hand down and stroked the backside of it down against Kyoko's cheek. His hand then found her hair and wound his fingers into the soft strands as he moaned softly into her mouth. Slowly, he pulled away, breathing heavily against her lips before his gaze traveled up her face from her perfect, moist lips, to her very wide and surprised eyes.

"T-Ts-Ts-Tsuruga-s-s-san…?!?"