Authors Chat: I'll leave the question open for now. If you can figure out the word play at the end of the previous chapter, you'll win some form of award. Don't know what yet, but if you get it, let me know and maybe I'll write something for you?
Anyway… I've been dying to write this chapter for some time now. I see it so clearly in my head, and hope I managed to get it across accurately. I'll say this first, it is *NOT* the end yet.
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: Y'all know the timeline by now. If not, go back and read it in an earlier chapter! (taken out for length).
Playing With Fire
Act 40
Kyoko fell back down into the booth with a loud *FWUMP* and held her hands to the back of her head where she had struck the light.
"Oooow… I'm sorry Kami-chan. You'll have to say that again. I think I heard you wrong."
"No, I think you heard me right. I asked if Tsuruga-san was good in bed."
"Uh-UI-I-I.. I-I-I … I CAN'T ANSWER THAT!" Kyoko's face matched the red of the lacquered table.
"Sure you can. It's just a yes or no question."
Kyoko fought for words, but her throat seemed to swell closed, and she opted to shake her head 'no' vigorously instead.
"Oh come on. Here. I'll make it easier. I had sex for the first time when I was 16. My boyfriend promised me we'd get married as soon as we graduated high school. Turned out, he dumped me two weeks later. He was just trying to get a little action."
Kyoko's eyes went wide, and her body suddenly seemed to loose energy as she slumped in the booth.
"Okay. Now it's your turn. When was your first time?"
"I-I-I… T-th-that's not something I can tell you here! T-That's not appropriate!"
"Oh come on Kyoko-chan! It's just girl talk. Besides. No one's listening." She flourished her hand around to indicate no one was within hearing range.
Kyoko looked around nervously.
"B-but what if the waiter comes back! He still has to bring our ticket!"
"Kyoko-chan, you're making excuses. It's fine, really. Okay? And since I already know something happened between you and Tsuruga-san, why don't you just tell me? Isn't it better to tell me the facts then to let me wonder and think the worst?"
"Y-y-yes, b-b-but – "
"No buts, just spill!"
Kyoko hung her head back into her hands, utterly defeated. It didn't matter what she said or what excuse she could think of, it seemed Kaminari would not relent.
"The answer is… is complicated."
Kaminari stopped with her burger in hand on the way to her mouth. "Oh! Could it be, you've never had… 'the talk' "? She motioned quotations with her free hand.
"The talk?"
"You know… the birds and the bees… how it all fits together? The act of sex?"
Kyoko flustered and tried to shush Kaminari then, looking around again to see if anyone had heard from across the room.
"Of course I know! I did have health classes in middle school!"
Kaminari giggled a little. "Then tell me Kyoko-chan," the joy seemed to seem out from her eyes a bit and her expression went serious. "What happened between you and Tsuruga Ren?"
"It's… embarrassing to say."
Kyoko sat silent for a few minutes, but Kaminari didn't say anything. She just sat, patiently waiting with her hands in her lap, her burger left abandoned. It would take a natural disaster to dissuade or distract Kaminari from the conversation now, and Kyoko found herself praying, but to no avail.
"D-did I… Yes. But we didn't finish, so does that count?"
Kaminari furrowed her brow. "What do you mean you didn't finish? Were you interrupted?"
"Y-you could say that."
"By who?"
"Well… me really."
"Was… was he taking advantage of you while you slept or something?" she cocked one eyebrow.
"N-no! Not at all! Tsuruga-san would NEVER!"
"Then what do you mean you were interrupted?"
"We never I-intended to d-d-do that. But I was playing Natsu, and Natsu is very strong. She kind of… took advantage of the situation." If Kyoko hadn't already been red, she would have blushed. As it was, she felt a stronger burn touch her cheeks though their color did not change.
"Well, I DID read the script. Are you telling me what happened in the script really happened between the two of you?"
She nodded, "mostly, yes… but i-it hurt and I made him stop. It made me realize Natsu had gotten away from me and did whatever she wanted."
"And that was more than you expected?"
"YES! I would never have intentionally done that!"
Kaminari smiled sweetly, "Maybe not then, but Kyoko-chan, you'll want to do it intentionally someday. Maybe even with Tsuruga-san… Then again… if you already have once, that would make it a little easier I would think."
"But it wasn't ME who was doing the thinking then! So doesn't that mean I didn't h-have s-sex with Tsuruga-san?"
"It's YOUR body. You say Natsu had control Kyoko-chan, but Natsu is a part of you. You may not realize it, but she is in some ways. All actors reference what they know or can relate to. I think maybe you were acting on your hidden desire for Tsuruga-san?"
"No way! I-I didn't feel that way until after it happened!"
"Are you sure?"
Kyoko started to say yes, then stopped herself and thought about it. Memories flashed in her mind of the time when he had pulled her close in Karuizawa when she had been talking with Shou after he had rescued her from Reino. Then later as she had ran her fingers through his soft, soft hair as he slept on her lap. Then again, he had held her while she had cried her fears about Corn.
A warmth that had nothing to do with embarrassment filled her body, and she couldn't deny Kaminari's charge.
"I guess, Kyoko-chan, what's left is to find out how he feels about you. There's no reason you shouldn't have a relationship with him. It would actually be good to help get your name out there. People would be asking you questions in interviews about Tsuruga-san, but I can help you get through that if you want to try…"
"Tsuruga-san has already told me he's in love with me actually. He says he is."
Kaminari perked up. "Well. That's a surprise. Yukihito keeps saying he's so tight lipped about his emotions. I'm surprised. What's the hold-up then?" She flung an arm in the air for emphasis.
Kyoko couldn't find any words to respond. She had told Kaminari about Shoutaro, and Kaminari still didn't see the importance. She didn't seem ignorant. She acknowledge the hardship, but why didn't she think there was anything to be hesitant about?
Kaminari paid for their meal while Kyoko sat lost in thought.
As she put her credit card back in her purse, she said, "You know, Tsuruga-san was really hurt by your actions today. Every time you ran away from him, he looked like he had been slapped."
Kyoko blushed again, this time in shame.
"I just couldn't face him Kami-chan! Not… not after what you said this morning."
"You mean that we weren't involved with each other? Get your hopes up, did I?" she smiled.
"I guess you could say that," Kyoko said softly."
They stood up simultaneously, knowing the conversation had reached a lull, donned their jackets and headed for the car. Traffic was light on this route, and since Kyoko had chosen a restaurant between the set and the Daruma-Ya, the drive was short.
Kaminari's mind was churning about how best to get Kyoko and Ren in the same room together for a while. If that could happen, maybe they could work something out?
As she pulled up to the curb in front of the Daruma-Ya, she realized. "Kyoko-chan… I'm going to have dinner tomorrow with Yukihito. Why don't you have dinner with Tsuruga-san as a way to apologize for how you treated him today?"
She couldn't refuse.
She fell asleep that night, struggling with ideas of what the perfect make-up meal would be. Something light, to suit Ren's tastes.
He would have been happy with anything she prepared though, and he told her exactly that the next morning when she went up to him and informed him she would be going to his place after work to cook a meal for him.
"It's an apology for running away from you yesterday."
Ren couldn't help but feel a little happy, even if she hadn't explained herself. In truth, he couldn't bear to ask for an explanation either. He was afraid to hear her excuse for not being able to be around him.
"You'll have to wait for me today. I think you finish before I do."
"That's fine Mogami-san," he smiled, "I'll give Yashiro a ride home while you finish your scenes."
"Kaminari-chan said they were going out to dinner, so he'll be going with her. But not romantically! There's nothing between them! Turns out she's his sister!"
"You didn't realize that Mogami-san?"
"You mean you knew?"
"Of course I knew. Why do you think she's been spending so much time around us?"
Kyoko blushed and mumbled a response. Ren started to ask what she had said but was cut short as the casting call for the day began and he had to take place for his first scene.
The day's work progressed more smoothly than even when Ruriko was still playing the role of Choko, and while the previous day, the crew had been silently cursing the actress change, today they were praising her. Never before had they had a day without a single NG, but this day was fast shaping up to be a first.
The day ended early. There did turn out to be a few NG's after all, but it was still a new record. How had things gone that smoothly when the day before seemed almost to be a disaster? Kyoko had stopped running away. Their scenes flowed more smoothly. Much of the tension between the main cast was gone, and everyone was in better spirits.
Kyoko was right. When it came time to leave, the managers left together, leaving the actors to fend for themselves.
There had to be a stop at the grocery store in order to pick up the appropriate ingredients for the meal Kyoko had chosen, and Ren had to stop briefly to pick up some dry-cleaning, and they reached Ren's apartment at about the same time they would have been leaving the set for the day. The sun had already set, but the curtains were always closed in Ren's apartment, so time did not matter.
As soon as the door was opened, Kyoko went straight for the kitchen. Ren followed her to set down the bags of groceries on his countertop. Every time he went to the grocery store with her, he came back with more than he needed. Well, more than he thought he needed, but Kyoko had insisted.
Ren busied himself trying to find appropriate places for all his new groceries in his cabinets while Kyoko bustled around the kitchen pulling out pans and ingredients and utensils and the like.
It still amazed him. Her skill in the kitchen was amazing, and was evident even before you tasted her food. Every move was a sure step, every minute of cooking was down to the last second and without a timer to reference.
It was almost dizzying how quickly she moved back and forth from counter to pan, to sink, to counter, and Ren left her to it. The kitchen was hers for as long as she was willing. He sat down on the sofa and flipped on the TV, browsing channels for something worthwhile to watch.
Kyoko didn't stay in the kitchen long before the meal was ready.
She presented him with a beautiful plate of food and a salad to go with it. It was certainly not her specialty, but no one would have known otherwise.
The seared tuna was done to perfection, and the light sauce that decorated it's surface complimented the rich flavor perfectly. The grilled vegetables decorated the plate strategically with even a sprig of Italian parsley to top off the presentation. The salad was a spinach salad with a cranberry and ginger vinaigrette dressing topped with slivered almonds.
Ren thanked her for the meal and though he appreciated her artistic expression of food, he knew better than to refuse the meal just on looks. It was a good thing too. The meal was much better quality than he had been eating of late, and it satisfied him when he didn't even realize he had been missing good food.
Too many years of eating HER food I suppose. The corner of his lip twitched in memory.
Kyoko laughed.
Ren looked at her to see what caused the lighthearted outburst, but she sat beside him, quiet, with a faint pink tinting her cheeks.
"Tsuruga-san… would you please turn the channel… It's embarrassing!"
Ren looked at the TV and realized the laughter he had heard came from there. The Kurura commercial had been airing for so long now, it struck him that he had never actually seen it. Every time it had been on the television, he turned it off for the pain it caused to see Kyoko's happy face and know he had hurt his chances of being with her.
His delay was enough to make her reach for the remote, but he hefted the remote and jerked it away before her hand made contact.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed. This is your work! You should be proud! I want to watch it."
"Please Tsuruga-san! Change the channel!" She darted out for the remote again only to have it pulled away from her reach a second time.
She pouted.
"Okay. Okay. Fine. Here is the remote." He didn't know what came over him, but at the last second, he decided to pull it away from her one more time. Just to tease her, but he was too late.
She had already wrapped her slender fingers around the remote when he pulled, and found her laying across chest as her weight toppled them back against the sofa. Ren was still sitting, though the angle was drastic, and he bared the majority of Kyoko's slender frame against his chest.
She's so close… He had a split second to think, and he leaned forward just slightly and gave her a light kiss on the lips. He pushed her back from him then. "I'm sorry Mogami-san. I shouldn't have done that."
Ren was afraid she would run away, but she remained stiff in her seated position. She wanted to say, 'It's my own fault Tsuruga-san!' but she was stunned, and felt as if she couldn't move. The random channel that was won of their little game of keep-away held nothing, and the sound of television fuzz filled her ears and left her head fuzzy.
Her senses came reeling back to her and she apologized excessively, giving Ren cause to pause.
"Mogami-san, why are you apologizing? I'm the one who did what I shouldn't have done."
"B-but, I wanted to fix you dinner to apologize, and here you're doing the apologizing!"
"Why were you trying to apologize to me?" he asked incredulously.
"F-for … for not talking to you at all yesterday. That was rude of me! I'm so sorry! I also said I couldn't be around Tsuruga-san. That isn't what I meant, but I said it wrongly."
Ren's eyes went dark, and he looked at her, his own emotional distress evident by his expression"… Kyoko… Why have you been avoiding me?"
"T-tsuruga-san… You called me…"
"I know. …and I've decided I'm going to call you that from now on too. We've been too close in too many situations for me to not at least call you by your given name. No more 'Mogami-san'. I refuse to call you that. Kyoko-chan. Kyoko." He tried her name on his tongue. It rolled off sweetly, and he liked the way it sounded. He lifted a hand up and stroked her hair once, then realized what he had done. This is probably too much for her… He dropped his hand down.
She didn't draw away. It took all her courage though.
"I-I guess you're right."
"Say it then."
She knew what he meant, and she tried.
"R-Ren-sa… Ren sama."
He smiled slightly at her effort. "Ren. It's just Ren. And you didn't answer the question. Why have you been avoiding me?" He looks pained.
Kyoko blushed and look down at the carpet.
The carpet seemed to hold some unseen fascination, but she managed to whisper the words she felt. "I… don't… want to get hurt again."
"Kyoko…" Ren leaned forward and reached for her, enveloping her in his arms. Her hair was smooth against his cheek, and he leaned down to her ear before whispering.
"I would never hurt you," he murmured, and he held her tightly in his arms, against his chest.
His heart swelled. She isn't pulling back… She isn't running away. His soul was singing, and he felt like he was on cloud nine. Dangerous… this could be too much for me.
Ren slowly slid his arms down from around her body, resting only when his hand met her own.
"Kyoko, lets clean up these dishes, then I'll take you back to the Daruma-Ya. It would be dangerous for you to stay here with me any longer."
"Dangerous!? But you just said that you wouldn't hurt me!" She looked up at him, worry plain on her face.
He signed then lifted a hand to her neck and chin and tilted her face up toward his. She didn't draw away as he leaned in and gently graced her lips with a light kiss. His face so close to hers, she could see the deep pools that were his eyes as he pulled back from her just a little. His hand slid back around her neck and into her fine hair, tickling the little hairs at the base of her neck.
His fingers entwined with her hair, gently putting pressure where he touched.
"…and I won't… but if you stay here, I may never let you go."