Authors Chat: Yay long weekend! (it's Labor Day on Monday in the U.S. that means no –work!)

I wrote part B and C in one sitting because of it. Nothing really exciting to say, but I do wonder how many people actually read my "authors chat" part of the posting. I get a lot of "waaa- too short! Write more!" reviews, though I clearly explain why the chapter is short… Still, I appreciate that 'they' are enjoying my story enough to want to read more.

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 46b-c

Kyoko sat stiffly beside Ren. He's going to notice… Why wouldn't he notice? Well, he didn't notice before when we were at the studio… but then again, he wasn't thinking about me. He was focused on the job. Not to mention, he didn't have a live comparison sitting right beside him. Will he notice now? It isn't like Bo talks or anything on camera, so he can't really tell just by voice alone. Plus the vocal modulator makes it hard to tell it's a girl inside the costume anyway… He's smart like that. He's going to notice.

"Kyoko? Is everything alright? Do you not like this show? I take it you've seen it before?"

"N-no, I mean yes, I'm fine. The show is fine. It's fine. I've never watched the show on TV before… but I've seen some while on assignment."

"You mean love-me work?"

"Yes." I'm sorry Ren! Sorry for lieing to you! Though, it isn't a complete lie. It's actually all true. Just now how you think! Kyoko was flustered at her close call, and when she reached for her glass of water, knocked it over instead of picking it up.

Water splashed everywhere. Both her and Ren's plates were filled with water, water was pouring over the edges of the table onto the carpet, and Ren was soaked. It was like the water made a trajectory straight to him, bypassing Kyoko completely.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Kyoko jumped up and ran to the kitchen to grab a towel, and Ren stood up, dripping wet.

Kyoko brought back a roll of papertowels and every hand-towel she could find. She threw papertowels over the plates and table to soak up the water and prevent more from spilling on the carpet, then dropped to her hands and knees to start soaking up the water from the carpet.

"Kyoko, it's alright. Accident's happen. The carpet isn't going to be ruined by a little water. Would you please stand up?"

"Don't worry about me Tsuruga-san, I'll clean it up. Water doesn't stay in carpets if you push hard enough with a dry towel, I-"

"Stop it. It's just water. The carpet isn't going to drown." Ren reached down and picked Kyoko up, forcing her to stand in front of him. His voice softened being in close proximity to her. "The carpet is fine. It was just a bit of water. I'm more concerned about the wonderful food you prepared. I'm sorry I didn't get to eat it."

"You weren't hungry to begin with," she pouted as she held the remaining dry towels up to her chest.

"No, but the food was very good. The carpet is fine, the table is fine… I'm fine too." He leaned down a little closer to her face as his voice dropped in volume again. She is just too cute! Her cheeks flush when she's panicking. Just like a blush when she's being shy.

"T-ts-Tsuruga-san…."

"Ren." He whispered as he drew closer."

"Ren…"

He moved closer yet, and would have made contact with her lips, had she not placed the dry towel against his chest and dropped her eyes away from his face to his chest as she began forcing water from his shirt and into the towel.

Ren laughed.

"I'm fine Kyoko. Really. But I'll go change out of these wet clothes.

"Good! I don't want you to catch a cold!"

He smiled, then bent down and kissed her forhead before turning and exiting the living room.

Crap. Double Crap. Get it together Mogami Kyoko! Of course the carpet isn't going to drown. All the same, I better finish sopping up the water. She bent back down and continued. At least he isn't seeing the show's credits now… Do they even put my name up there? She looked up to the TV. They're already past. Shoot. I'll have to remember to ask the director and request they leave my name out. I wonder if he even would answer a request like that. He still doesn't like me… But I've got to ask. If Ren sees this show, I don't want him to find out that way! I wonder what he would do if I told him. How would he react?

Ren entered the living room in a pair of faded jeans and a blue t-shirt.

"I told you you don't have to do that."

"I know. But if we don't, we can't sit back down until it dries!"

He smiled. "We'll just have to sit ON the sofa instead of in front of it. It IS made for sitting on after all. I didn't buy it as a decoration piece. Come on. Lets pick up the towels and finish watching the show.

He wants to keep watching. Why is that a surprise? I knew he would. That time was only like getting up to go to the bathroom during a show. You only miss a little bit!

She followed him to the kitchen, wet towels in tow. Ren dropped the towels into the sink.

"If you do that, they won't dry properly and will get mildew on them!"

"It's fine. I'll hang them up properly later. "

"NO! We should do it now."

"I said I'd do it later. Do you WANT to lessen our time together?" He looked at her with puppy-dog eyes.

"N-n-no." Damn, she was weak against those eyes!

"Then leave them. Come on. Lets go sit on the sofa together."

Still, with the eyes! How can I say no!

He lead her back to the sofa and sat. She sat down, a cushion away from him, and sat stiffly. Somehow, sitting on the sofa seems so much more… intimate. The softness of it doesn't really allow for quick movement. If I sit too close, I'll wind up rolling onto him!

He had been thinking much the same as her, only he liked the thought, and he pulled her closer and put his arm up on the sofa.

"Relax. It's fine to lean on me a bit. Get comfortable."

How can I get comfortable! You're about to watch the show with where I play Bo! My biggest secret from you! I've worked hard to keep that secret so you don't get mad at me, but I'm horrible at keeping secrets from you! Somehow you always know! She yelled at him in her head, and still did as he asked. She stiffly leaned against the side of his chest, as his arm went down the edge of the sofa.

Ren smothered a laugh as he imagined a board leaning up against a house. Not quite what I meant, but she'll relax. There's still 45 minutes left of the show. She can't sit like that the whole time! No one would.

No one but Kyoko that is. The show was almost over, and still, she sat like that. It was distracting. The sofa was meant to be a more comfortable sitting place where they could relax, and maybe even cuddle. But damn, she made it hard to get comfortable!

Kyoko hadn't even noticed though. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, and she finally worked up the courage to ask.

"Ren… Why do you like this show anyway? It's just a show about people in show biz. You probably know everyone in the business already anyway."

"Well, not everyone. And I like to know that those I call my friends are doing well. But that isn't why I watch the show."

She waited for an answer, but he didn't readily give it. She would have to ask.

"Okay, so why DO you watch the show then?"

He smiled down at her. "I'll tell you if you get more comfortable. I may have a bruise in the morning on my side where your shoulder is."

She struggled to sit up. "I'm so sorry Ts-R-Ren! You should have said something!"

"I would have, but I didin't figure anyone could sit stiff as a board for that long. You've proved me wrong. …and that's not what I meant by comfortable."

She was sitting with her back straight, facing straight forward, not leaning on him, not leaning on the back of the sofa. She looked at him a little confused. She was comfortable like this.

He reached for her and flung her down before she could even think.

"KYAAAAA! Tsuruga-san what are you doing!"

"Ren. I'm showing you what I mean by more comfortable. This is more comfortable for me too, so just stay here."

Ren had adjusted their sitting position so quickly, Kyoko had no time to notice when he had put his legs up on the sofa, one curled under him, the other down the length of the sofa beside Kyoko's body. Kyoko lie on her back, between his legs, with her head lieing against his chest.

I-it is pretty comfortable... but s-so close…

Ren looked down at her. "Now. I watch the show, because of the chicken."

She was doomed!