Authors Chat: Chapter 8 should make up for the shortness of Chapter 7. Lots of story-development in this chapter. Starts to introduce the how and why Katsuki is doing a cameo for the Box 'R' Chronicle.

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 8

Neither Kyoko nor Ren got any sleep that night. If you could look into their bedrooms, you would see the same scene. A body, lying in bed with the covers tucked under their chins, staring at the ceiling and lost in thought.

The same thoughts kept going around in circles through Ren's mind as he lie there.

That couldn't have been Kyoko's doing. She would never do something like that. Those lines weren't part of the script though. Did she take Natsu completely out of the scene? Was she just too into it? Or was it she, herself who was into it? Maybe she was just enjoying it, but there was no emotion attached. God, what did I do? She may refuse to see me in the morning. If I were her, I probably would. She was so scared… You have to grow up sometime Kyoko. … but god, she was scared. Shaking even. No, it couldn't have been Kyoko's doing. She would never do something like that…

Kyoko didn't know what to think, but while her mind was constantly blank, there was one memory that couldn't be forgotten.

Kyoko turned onto her side and pulled the blanket closer up toward her face. The blanket softly slid up on her neck and rested right where Ren had been kissing her. She could still feel his lips on her and the gentle way he sucked and bit her skin.

She reached up under the blanket and felt that place on her neck. There was no swelling or marring or welts of any kind, but there was a deep red mark left on her skin. She was surprised by it when she had taken her bath that night, and scrub as she might, the mark did not wash off. What had he done to her? She didn't remember him rubbing anything on her skin, so how had he dyed it?

Unconsciously her arm wrapped around her, resting in the place where Ren's hand held her waist. The weight of her hand was so different from his. He covered so much of her waist, and her back when he had shifted his hand off of her waist to pull her close.

Kyoko's heart beat madly. She felt as if she were in his arms again, listening to his heart thump and breathing deeply his heady scent.

She rolled over again and let her heart calm.

It was my own fault really. I should know better than to let Natsu out like that. Oh god… what if Natsu runs wild on set? No, even Natsu is a little better behaved than that. I think… Then again, would Natsu have done that to Ren, knowing he was her coworker?

No, it was Katsuki that Natsu was supposed to be toying with. When did the lines cross? Was it Ren's Katsuki who was doing those things with Natsu? Were they improvising?

Natsu and Katsuki WERE supposed to have a very passionate relationship. Was Ren just filling the role like she had been?

Kyoko's thoughts and sensations filled her mind and did not let her sleep, but her nerves at meeting with Ren again made it easy to force herself out of bed when the alarm clock began to ring.

Ren had not stated what time he would arrive to pick her up, so she assumed it would be the usual time he would arrive to pick her up during the week.

She got dressed in some comfortable clothes she would be able to move in unhindered and went downstairs to the Daruma-ya kitchen. She had been given one shelf from two industrial refrigerators for her personal use, and she now removed a few items and set them on the counter. She then filled the percolator with fresh coffee grinds and set it on the stovetop to percolate.

The Okami and Taisho didn't drink coffee, and so did not have an electric coffee pot, but kept an old fashioned percolator around in case any customers wished for a cup after a meal. Kyoko always felt they made better coffee than the electric pots anyway as the coffee's flavor was not affected by the paper or fiber filter.

She hoped Ren would appreciate the good coffee, then searched the cupboards for a thermos.

She found what she was looking for, filled the thermos with the strong brew, and looked at the clock. It was later than she expected Ren to arrive. She walked over to peek out the entrance of the shop just in case, and she was right in doing so. Ren was sitting in his car, already parked in front of the restaurant.

Ren was unsure how long he had been sitting there in his car before he heard the soft knock against the window. He gave up trying to sleep sometime around five o'clock in the morning and had gotten up and dressed.

He had found himself pacing around his apartment, trying to think of what to tell Kyoko when he saw her. He would act naturally, or rather, naturally for Ren Tsuruga. Anything else might send Kyoko running. He knew whatever he told her now had to be gentle.

When he realized he was beginning to wear the carpet thin, he put on his coat and left the apartment. Still too early to pick Kyoko up, he drove around aimlessly, only to find himself parked at the doorstep of the Daruma-Ya anyway.

He had been so lost in his mind about what to say to Kyoko when she had knocked on his passenger side door, requesting entry.

"Mogami-san. It's early. Are you sure you are ready?"

"Yes, I haven't forgotten anything." She pushed the seat forward and set down her usual bag and the added cooler. "I actually expected you here earlier. Why didn't you come to the door Tsuruga-san?"

"Earlier hmm?" Ren looked at the clock. It was eight-thirty in the morning. "I didn't go to the door so I wouldn't wake the owners. That would have been rude."

"Ah, of course. You're right."

Ren put the car in drive and pulled onto the road. He usually drove in silence, while allowing Yashiro or Kyoko to chatter, but Yashiro was out of town still, and Kyoko was relatively silent. He, of course, knew why, so he tried to put her to ease by providing her with topics to chat about; a bird that flew by… a new building being built near the LME building, the cooler she had set in the back seat.

"Did you eat Tsuruga-san?"

Ren knew he had stepped right into her trap when she said that. Of course he hadn't, and she was inclined to make him.

"…no, I haven't."

"*tsk* You have to eat well Tsuruga-san! If you don't, you'll fall ill again!"

He had learned a while ago not to argue with her when it came to food. If she said to eat, he would eat whether he liked it or not.

Kyoko seemed to be set at ease considerably by the topic and proceeded to ramble on about how she was going to prepare a western style breakfast for him, and how did he like his eggs, listing all the ways she could cook for him.

"I'm sure however you prepare them will be fine. Shall we go in?" He stepped out of the vehicle and around to her side to help by carrying the cooler inside.

Kyoko slid her shoes off and made a bee-line for the kitchen. Ren took the time to untie his shoes, put on slippers, and grab Kyoko's slippers from the rack and walked them to the kitchen for her.

She quickly unpacked the cooler and helped herself to the dishes in Ren's kitchen as she set to work preparing breakfast.

"Here." She handed him a mug.

"What's this?" he looked. "Coffee?" He took a sip and was pleasantly surprised. She could even make a cup of coffee so good that he would never want the instant crap he had in his cupboards.

Ren watched her work, then set the table when she had asked. She set the food down in front of him not long after.

"Eggs Benedict."

The eggs were cooked to perfection. Thick sliced Canadian style bacon, egg whites almost firm, yoke still liquid, and smothered in a light hollandaise sauce. He could not see the English muffins for the eggs and bacon they sat under, but he assumed they were perfectly browned as well.

He reached for a slice of melon from the dish which sat between them as he admired the work set before him.

"You don't like it?" she asked.

"No, it isn't that. I was just thinking what a good cook Mogami-san is." He set the piece of melon down on his plate before picking up fork and knife and eating a bite of the perfect breakfast.

"It's very good. You know, not many people, westerners even, are able to make such good Eggs Benedict?"

"Really? It seemed easy."

Ren smiled in mild amusement. Some things came so easy to her. So natural. Like her roles, once she figured the character out.

He ate one full egg/muffin combination before breeching the topic which kept him sleepless and on edge.

"Mogami-san… about yesterday's practice." She looked at him, suddenly turned serious. He smiled at her determination and over solemnity. It was an honest smile, and helped to relieve the tension in her clenched jaw.

"Yesterday's practice got out of hand. It seems you have done a very thorough and very good job creating Natsu for the Box 'R' Chronicle. …but you have to be careful not to let the role you play dominate you and take over. If you do not control your character, you do not have the mind to focus on your task."

She could almost hear the unsaid words between the lines. "You got out of hand and were very unprofessional."

"In truth though, I need to apologize to you. … For loosing control. It was very unprofessional of me."

Wait, what? Did he just say it was unprofessional of him?

"Tsuruga-san, no! I was the one who was unprofessional. It is as you said, I did not focus on the role and just let it run away with me! You did nothing wrong!"

Does she really think that!? That I am not to blame at all!?

"All the same, I never meant to startle you."

"It's okay, I wasn't scared, just surprised."

Ren smiled to himself. She wasn't afraid. Not afraid of me. Though… it was her Natsu who seems to have been in control. She wasn't afraid though. I can take that as a good thing at least, right?

After all the stress he had undergone, he could at least grant himself that small hope, right?

They finished eating, removed the plates, and washed the dishes together before returning to the living room to begin work on their other scenes.

"Mogami-san, before we begin, let me look at your knee." She sat down on the couch and pushed up the cotton pants past her knee. There was still a slight bruise, but there was no swelling.

"I think your knee will be fine today, we'll just have to avoid the scene we worked on yesterday. Are you confident with that scene now?"

She nodded, "Yes, I'm sure I can do it right!"

The remaining scenes they had left to practice were less complicated. Mostly, they were scenes where there was verbal exchange of hushed threats and provocations as their characters built the dysfunctional relationship they had while Katsuki taught at her High School.

There was one scene of consequence they had to practice though, and Ren and Kyoko were both inwardly nervous about the scene.

Natsu and Katsuki are scene lying naked in a bed in a hotel room, Natsu on her stomach angled in listening to him while Katsuki was lying on his back facing the ceiling, telling her about his intention to leave the school.

Somehow, they wound up back in Ren's bedroom to practice the scene. He wasn't sure who had suggested it, but in order to save undue pressure on Kyoko's knee and to avoid carpet burns, they had made their way back to his bedroom yet again.