Hi guys! Well I decided to write another chapter! I hope you like it. It was a b**ch to write because I really have no experience and editing is HARD. Please forgive any mistakes spelling and grammar checks aren't completely reliable. I wanted so much to let my imagination go with the ideas and well it really does take over. I didn't know when to stop and I haven't planned another chapter yet but I have been writing more ideas down. I'm off to Japan in a week and a half (there for 3 weeks with my husband) and hopefully will be able to come up with more authentic descriptions. So I won't be writing another chapter for at least a month. Bite me - I'm slow.

Voodoo Curse

Chapter 2

Blushing furiously, Kyoko backed up a step each time Ren advanced. A cloud was developing around Kyoko. Her grudges were on the alert. "Oooh he is angry!" They cooed. Also some other newly emerging entities were swirling around sensually moving curiously closer to Ren. "MMmm he smells divine! He's soo sexy!" They chimed in. The angry grudges, diverted away from Ren's dark mood, to witness their new sisters now writhing with deep interest about Ren's head. Her little angels also darted out whispering urgently and trying to hold them back. Kyoko's eyes suddenly darkened as she realized the reason for Ren's behaviour. Fearing the Emperor the most, and not knowing how to deal with her feelings and his ardour, she scrambled desperately for an excuse. "I have to get back to the Darumaya for the evening setting! I'm late already!"

"I'll give you a ride home then. I stopped by here to do just that." Ren's firm tone brooked no argument.

Kyoko hesitated, racking her brain for another reason not to go with him.

"What's the matter? What are you afraid of?" Ren continued to push.

Kyoko stalled "No its ok. I'm not afraid of anything! I have my bike with me!"

"It's no trouble, and it's late". Ren urged. "I don't want you going home in the dark."

"No! You're mad and I don't want to ride with you!" Kyoko replied baldly.

Ren's voice rose with irritation. "I'm not mad! Whatever gave you that idea?"

Watching Ren's face getting more and more gentlemanly had Kyoko equally annoyed. "Yes you are mad!" She argued. "You're lying! You always act like this when you're mad, because you get all stiff and you paste that fake smile on your face and it's scary. What did I do to make you so angry?" Kyoko blurted defensively.

Ren frowned, and stared at Kyoko with a puzzled look. "Why do I have a feeling I've heard something like that before? Someone has told me that! Who was it?"

Cringing, Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut. Panicking, she frantically capitulated. "Ok!" She chirped brightly. "I'll go with you! It's really late and I have some studying to do for exams so I'll take you up on your offer."

Kyoko was proud of her Bo the Chicken character but today she fervently wished she had never been introduced to that notorious mascot suit. She was exhausted from hiding the fact that it was she who inhabited it. Attempting to remember what she said and did in that chicken suit was going to be the death of her. "One of these days I'm going to have to come clean to Tsuruga-san. If only I had the guts and the right moment to do it – which is probably never!" Kyoko thought glumly.

The original reason for Kyoko's resistance was temporarily forgotton and Ren smiled smugly after Kyoko conceded defeat. "Good! I knew you would see it my way."

Kyoko stewed, and she went into a spate of muttering under her breath, hating Ren's coercion but also relieved that he wasn't continuing to harass her into a spontaneous rehearsal of romance. That would have been just too close for comfort. All her hidden feelings might have been exposed.

Ren waited as Kyoko went to her locker to get her pack. "Is your bike locked up safely?"

"Hai. It's in the underground parking lot."

"Well let's go then!" Ren happily snatched Kyoko's pack and Kyoko followed sullenly behind.

As they reached Ren's Porsche, Ren went around to the passenger side to open the door for Kyoko. He couldn't help wishing he was doing this for a date, which inspired him to think of a way to prolong their time together before he took her home. Leaning on the car door he asked casually. "Are you hungry?"

"Eh? Err…no I'm fine thanks!" "GGrrrrrrrooooowl!" "Damn you stomach, why are you betraying me now?!"

"Your stomach is giving me a different answer!" Ren chuckled. "How about a hamburger and egg?"

Kyoko slumped in her seat. She had planned to stop on her way home on her bike for a quick bite. Once hungry, there was very little time before she needed to eat and it was difficult to resist the offer of her favourite meal. "Thank you Tsuruga-san, I see there is no way I can argue with you."

Ren smirked victoriously as he backed out of the parking space.

Kyoko was silent as she leaned rigidly against the passenger door, as far away from Ren as possible. Although his anger had dissipated, he was strangely tense and kept giving her penetrating side glances. She could feel something emanating off him that she didn't want to identify. Her grudge's new little sisters would have none of her resistance. "He's so handsome! So hot! Oh look how long his eyelashes are! He's agitated too! We feel his frustration!" Kyoko's angels darted up and swooped in and dragged them back. "Be quiet you perverted little she-devils!"

They finally arrived in front of the nearest Denny's and Ren pulled into the parking lot. The Porsche looked out of place in front of the family diner. Ren whipped out of his seat and hurried to help her out of the car before Kyoko even had a chance to unbuckle. She blushed, taking note of Ren's deference and very charming behaviour which was making her feel uncomfortably shy. She was becoming increasingly regretful of allowing Ren to coax her into having a meal together. Her stomach growled again. Damn! There was no fighting her hunger which never disguised itself whatever mood she was in.

"Won't you get recognized?" Kyoko, grasping at straws, suggested hopefully as they walked up the crushed gravel path to the diner. The last time they were in a common diner together some girls had recognized Ren and had made derogatory comments about her being with him. She wanted to avoid another situation which could compromise Tsuruga-san's reputation.

Ren confidently donned a pair of sunglasses, his trademark cap and replied cheerfully. "Nope! Yashiro and I come here occasionally and they have a booth around the corner we can use."

Her last hope gone, Kyoko was resigned to accompany him and reluctantly followed. He led her to the hidden booth with a nod to the waitress who brought them menus. Ren waved them away. "It's alright, we'll have two hamburger and eggs." The waitress left unaware of the identity of the gentleman sitting across from the cute little auburn haired girl.

Kyoko noticed Ren was scrutinizing her thoughtfully. Kyoko squirmed like a live bug under a microscope while self-consciously fidgeting with the salt and pepper cellars.

Thankfully the meals were brought quickly and Kyoko dove into her burger and egg with relish. The look of Kyoko's pleasure while eating was almost erotic and Ren nearly choked on his own mouthful while watching her.

"Mmmm…oishi! So delicious! I will never get tired of eating this. The way the egg runs onto the burger and becomes the most scrumptious sauce. It's a match made in heaven, hamburger and egg!" She licked a little yolk on the side of her mouth with her tongue and Ren's imagination went wild. He swallowed convulsively, his eyes riveted on her lips.

Ren found the same meal too heavy to eat. His guts were in turmoil and he had to mentally calm himself down. There was no way to control how things were going to go if he couldn't get control of himself, but he just had to know!

Ren propped his chin on his hands and asked curiously with just a hint of malice. "Kyoko?" (She just had to pay for that innocent but seductive gesture.)

"Hai?" Kyoko nervously volleyed back. A feeling of doom overtook her.

"About that likeness of me? " Ren, fulfilling her dark prophesy, inquired sadistically. "It's amazing how life-like it is. How did you come by it?"

She knew he wouldn't let the incident of the doll go without questions being answered. Kyoko relived the most embarrassing moment of her life and felt as if she would spontaneously combust from the red hot shame radiating from her face. Wincing, she balled her hands in her lap, and bowed as low as her seated position would allow. "Gomen,Tsuruga-san! Please don't ask me! I'm sorry about everything! I'll get rid of it! Please – I'm so embarrassed!"

Ren put out his hand. "It's ok! Calm down I won't kill you! So, did you make it yourself?"

Withering into her chair Kyoko reluctantly explained woodenly. "Yes and no. You can order all the parts on line. It's a ball jointed doll. I just found one that not-so-coincidentally looked like you. You're the most popular actor in Japan, so the doll company would naturally use a likeness as close to your own to sell them." Her face was burning and she imagined this must be worse than confessing to a priest or a police constable.

Ren was nonplussed. "My next question- why?"

Kyoko was writhing in shame and embarrassment and she lashed out feelingly. "Oh God! Why do you ask me? You obviously think I'm weird. I know I'm weird! I can't help being weird. I made that doll because I was so pissed at you! You bullied me at every opportunity! I had to vent my feelings in secret because you`re my senpai and I couldn`t say anything to your face or I`d be fired or demoted. I had to get my revenge on Sho and you. When I found those dolls online I just had to buy them. Putting them together was cathartic and I found myself talking to them. "

"Wait a minute you said dolls as in plural? There is more than one?"

Kyoko realized her gaff too late to reconstruct her sentence. "There is only one of you – the other is of Shotaru! I bought that before I bought you – I mean your replica!" "Crap! Why can't I just shut up I'm getting in deeper and deeper!"

Ren was having difficulty hiding his resentment. "So you bought Sho's replica before mine! Was that before or after he dumped you?"

"It was after I was dumped! Oh Geez! I'm really sick. I wish I never bought them!

"Only because you were caught!" Ren said caustically. "You sound pretty practiced with the dialogue! Well at least now I know what you really think of me. Do you really hate me that much? Don't you trust me after all this time we've been acquainted?"

"No you don't understand, Tsuruga-san! I don't hate you. I respect you as my senpai and because of your talent I truly aspire to be as good as you in acting! But I don't understand you as a person. You tease and bully me and I can't tell if you're serious and it really pisses me off. Your seniority prevents me from defending myself. It's really frustrating!" Kyoko's face was now full of emotion. It never ceased to amaze Ren of how much of her heart she wore on her sleeve or rather on her face. If she could harness that ability to show all the different expressions at will, she would rise to the top of Japan's actors very soon! If only she would show him, with that face, that she cared at least a little for him as a man. Why did she not see that he teased her because he cared, that she brought that out in him? Well perhaps that wasn't so surprising after all; he didn't realize he cared so deeply until recently himself.

"Gomen, Kyoko. I'm sorry that I tease and bully you. It is hard to resist when you rise to the bait so easily. And you can't tell me that you don't provoke me!"

"How do I provoke you?" Kyoko was truly puzzled.

"Never mind!" There was absolutely no way that Ren could explain that it was because she was so dense to his interest in her, and that was what piqued him to bully, tease and press her buttons. He had never had to work hard to get a woman and he had no clue how to get Kyoko to respond. She was absolutely immune to his subtle charm or, if he "laid it on thick" she would call him a playboy! God! The karma of his youthful indiscretions was being paid back in full, now, when love actually meant something. It was hard enough not to sulk in front of her, so bullying her became his defence mechanism.

"Are you finished? Good, let's go then." Ren scrambled out of the conversation. "It's late and I'm sure you want to get home."

They were both lost in thought on the way to the Darumaya. It was only when Ren pulled up to the restaurant that he paused quietly for a few moments with his hands overlapping on the steering wheel, his forehead resting on them. He sighed while he unconsciously rubbed his right hand over Rick's watch.

"You're tired! I'm sorry for troubling you Tsuruga-san! " Ren looked at Kyoko as if he was about to say something but instead let himself out and walked around and opened Kyoko's door, offering his hand to help her out. He collected himself and took a step closer as she stood up. He took a chance in her personal space to give his best smile, reaching right up to his eyes, as he looked directly at her. Changing his tactics, he pulled out all the stops.

"When do you want me to help you rehearse?" He said warmly, her hand still in his, was squeezed ever so slightly. "Tomorrow?"

Kyoko was dazzled by that devastating smile. "What the hell" "Umm I'm really busy until Friday." She said weakly.

"Friday evening then! I'll pick you up after work. Dinner at my place." It was a statement, not a question. Ren was railroading her and there was no way for Kyoko to back out.

He watched as Kyoko let herself in to the Darumaya. His step had a little more spring as he walked back to the car. He even managed an out of tune whistle as he pulled away.