DISCLAIMER: SKIP BEAT! and its associated characters are the creations of Yoshiki Nakamura. This author claims no ownership of Skip Beat or any of its characters. All other rights reserved.

The Cursed Chocolates

It was ten am on Valentine's Day and Ren Tsuruga was walking into the TBM studios to do his round of appearances. He supposed it was part and parcel of being Japan's No. 1 heartthrob. Valentine's Day meant Valentine's Day interviews, cameos, and photoshoots. Every year, he'd be asked if there was a 'special someone,' and every year he'd dissemble and smile prettily for the camera. He'd deny any rumors of involvement with whatever co-star du jour he was currently working with, and then he'd say "Oh no, no, I'm far too busy with work. I'm afraid I wouldn't be a very good boyfriend."

This year, his public answers to those intrusive questions would be no different.

He didn't know if his perpetual bachelorhood was to blame for the inundation of chocolates, stuffed animals, flowers, and other expressions of feminine adoration. It was tiresome. It had always been tiresome, but he'd always felt as if he had no grounds for complaint. There were things far worse than being popular. The least he could do was accept the presents with good grace—and perhaps thank Yashiro profusely for his tireless patience in re-gifting the chocolates and then cataloguing who needed return gifts on White Day. But he couldn't help but wonder whether things would be different if he announced a special relationship with her. Would women stop throwing themselves shamelessly at him? Would the love letters stop?

Because there was really only one person he wanted chocolates from, and it had been weeks since he'd been able to spend any real time alone with her.

Calm down, he told himself. You'll see her tonight. The present state of anxiety could not be coddled. She'd seen him briefly when she'd dropped off his birthday gift, just a few days ago. It was a soft, hand-knit scarf made of fine cashmere yarn—he was wearing it now. He'd worn it every day since she'd given it to him. It was wonderfully warm. How had she found the time to knit it for him? They'd been at LME and in view of the public when she'd given it to him—he hadn't been able to thank her as he wanted to. He'd smiled and clamped down the impulse that had his hand twitching to reach for her, but it was far from the thanks he'd truly wanted to give. Kyoko had merely acknowledged him in her straightforward, drama-free way—though she had blushed adorably when his fingers had grazed his hand as she handed him the gift-wrapped package. "You should take better care of yourself," she told him, "You need to stay warm." She was right, of course. He'd gotten sick a second time that winter, and she'd gone out of her way to take care of him again. Her calm reaction to his thanks was comforting and disappointing at the same time—she was so practical and mature about things. Sometimes he wanted her to be jealous, or passionate, or possessive. But she was only acting as he'd asked her to—colleagues in public, no more than friends in private.

Still, the present state of affairs gave him some understanding of how his parents must constantly feel—he was hungry all the time. These haphazard, infrequent contacts with her were only enough to whet his appetite. It was cruel, really—after shooting Dark Moon, Tragic Marker, and Route, he'd gotten used to having her around nearly daily. But they hadn't been on a project together since coming back from the States. He'd been determined to see her on Valentine's Day, and had prepared by making sure Yashiro left the evening open. When she'd dropped off his present on the tenth, he'd been ready—he'd pulled out all the stops. His most radiant smile, his cutest puppy-dog-eyes—all of it had gone into breaking down whatever protest she was sure to have. He counted himself lucky that she hadn't had plans already—after all, he knew she'd spent the past few days giggling and smiling and making chocolates at Kotonami-san's. But if he couldn't spend time with her on his birthday, he'd try his damndest to spend time with her on Valentine's.

He knew she'd likely spend the day giving everyone obligatory hand-made chocolates, because that's what Kyoko did. Last year, he'd eaten his heart out as everyone around him had received them, not knowing she'd made something special for him all along. Did he like chocolate? No. But he'd been contemplating serious violence just to taste a piece of what she was handing out to everyone but him.

He was walking down the hallway to his next appointment when he saw her furtively walking into the lobby. He couldn't help the way his spirits soared. Twice in one day? Could he be so lucky?

"Kyo—"

The greeting died on his lips as Kyoko marched through the lobby and down the eastern hallway, clearly trying—and failing—at some measure of stealth. It was hard to be stealthy, he supposed, when one was surrounded with anger so deep and impenetrable it was nearly visible. She glared her way through the crowd. Most people who saw her gave her wide berth—he didn't blame them. He'd felt the chill of her wrath too, though less often now.

What puzzled him, then, was why. Kyoko enjoyed giving out the chocolates, and people loved receiving them from her. From everything he'd heard, they were wonderful—as good as professionally-made, store bought truffles. It was when he saw a larger-than-normal parcel that he felt his jealousy stir.

Quickly, he went to follow her. Was Sho Fuwa in the building? Why would she be giving him chocolate? He felt his hands clench into fists as he remembered how Fuwa had stolen that kiss from her—and how he'd stolen one too.

He saw her stop abruptly in front of a dressing room. Peeking from around the corner, he watched as she glared balefully at it and then knocked—and none too politely, either.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan," he heard.

It wasn't Fuwa. It was that other guy. The one from Vie Ghoul. The creepy one, who'd somehow seen into his past.

Ren felt himself go cold.

"It's Mogami-san to you," she told him. Ren could only nod emphatically, hidden away behind her. The creepy bastard should have no right to call her Kyoko.

Reino laughed. "I'm glad you decided to follow through on our little bargain after all," he said.

Bargain? Ren thought. What is she talking about?

"I gave you hate chocolates last year," she said. "This year, they're truly cursed."

"Oh?" Reino said.

"You'd already promised not to say anything about Karuizawa," she responded. "And now you're threatening me?"

Karuizawa? He'd known that there had been something that worried her there…something about this creep. But clearly…something more serious had happened. Something she and Yashiro hadn't told him.

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to taste your delicious hatred," Reino told her. "It makes me feel alive."

"You're sick."

"Sometimes I regret allowing Fuwa to stop me. I should've ripped that dress off of you…"

Ren kept himself from rushing in and strangling him. When had this man been in a position to rip a dress off of her?

Kyoko glared at the…the…freak. And then she dropped the large parcel into his outstretched hands. "This will be the last time I talk to you," she said. "Next time you contact me, I will go straight to the police and then to Takarada-san."

Reino tried to grab at her wrist but was too slow—Kyoko was already halfway down the hallway, on her way out of the building. Ren watched as Reino gleefully undid the bow, looking at the chocolates Kyoko had given him. He lifted one up and then hissed, dropping the chocolate as if it were a hot coal.

"Cursed!" he exclaimed. He hissed at the offending piece.

Ren stepped out of the shadows. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do to the man—his instincts were screaming out for blood. And yet Ren Tsuruga wasn't particularly known for beating random entertainers. He thought he'd taken care of the matter back in Karuizawa, but he should've interrogated Yashiro more thoroughly. He wanted to know what had happened. Whatever it was, it was serious enough that Kyoko wanted to buy this man's silence. And he was still harassing Kyoko, though that had been nearly a year ago.

"I was wondering if you'd come out," Reino told him. He sounded almost nonchalant. "I know you're out there, you know."

Ren was going to beat him to within an inch of his life. "What did you do to her?" he asked. He didn't bother keeping the menace from his voice.

"Maybe you should ask her yourself," the man responded. "Though I wonder how you think you have the right to do such a thing," he added. "Mr. Let's-not-change-our-relationship-right-now." Ren startled, only to freeze as the man began to laugh derisively at him. "You expect her to act like your girlfriend, and yet you're completely unwilling to reciprocate. You say it's because you don't want your fans going after her, but maybe you just want to look 'available.'"

"How dare you—"

"You should just admit it to yourself—you're terrified. But you'll lose her before you even get to the start line. Unless you change."

"How—"

"How do I know these things?" Reino asked. He lifted up the box of chocolates. "It's all in here," he said. "She made these. Her thoughts bled into them. Her feelings. Don't you get it? I see things. I knew you'd be there even before she came into the building. I see you. I see her. All this? All this was on purpose. There's a lot you don't know. Poor Kyoko. All the things she's been through when you weren't looking…" Reino's laughs took on a hysterical edge. "Honestly, you don't deserve her. And oooohh, when she gets angry! The girl is worth ten of you—"

Ren didn't disagree with him there. "—but if you think you're protecting her by not claiming her as your own, you're an idiot."

Reino stopped laughing then and looked him in the eyes. "She cursed the chocolates," he said. "I can't eat them. But you? You're cursing yourself. You're still lying to her about who you are. She loves you—she even told you. But you're sitting there digging your own hole deeper and deeper and pretty soon you won't be able to dig yourself out."

"What—what do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean, Corn?"

Ren flinched.

"Honestly, I don't even know why I'm helping you," Reino said. "But then both of you are idiots. You should confess to her," he said. "And then ask her to confess to you. And then for both of your sakes, stop torturing yourselves. Go out already. Both of you would be able to make the time if you actually tried."

Reino shook his head at him. "Of course, it would be to my advantage if you acted like a total chump," he said. "I can almost taste her tears now…"

And though he'd meant to sucker punch the man, Ren merely looked on, frozen, as Reino plopped the lid back onto the chocolates Kyoko had given him and then slammed his dressing room door in his face.

=.=.=

Ren was pacing back and forth in his condo.

He'd had a plan for their evening, of course. He wasn't going to let her cook. He was going to get something delivered, offer her flowers, make her laugh. He just wanted to spend some time with her—it didn't really matter what they were doing. And at the end of the evening, he was going to give her a real pinky ring. Something to take the place of the dandelions he'd woven together the day of their impromptu picnic. It was not quite a promise ring, and obviously not an engagement ring. But it was a ring nonetheless, to accompany the Princess Rosa. Still a pink rock, though this time, he'd managed to acquire a proper pink diamond. Small and dainty, with tiny little fairy wings in the stone's setting. He'd been looking forward to giving it to her.

But he'd spent the rest of the day in a crisis. He wanted to deny the things Reino had said. He wanted to pretend that the freak was just making stuff up to upset him. But the things he'd said—the things he knew! How could the man know to call him Corn? Creepy as it was, illogical as it was, Ren had to admit that Reino probably knew something.

Which meant there was a chance he was right.

Ren knew he'd have to confess to Kyoko sooner rather than later. All of it—all of the backstory, about Rick, about his parents. He was never going to understand how his parents had managed to stay silent even as Kyoko visited his childhood home. But he dreaded it. How would he justify waiting so long to tell her something so important?

And apparently she had secrets too. Serious secrets. He would ask her—tit-for-tat. There would be an exchange of information. And if that meant this evening's plans would be upended, then so be it. If they couldn't come clean to each other, then perhaps they were doomed to begin with.

He refused to believe that.

He heard the knock on the door and steeled himself.

=.=.=

"And so…Koenji-san told Morizumi-san that if she ever came back to showbiz, the Koenji Group would make sure the footage would be leaked…"

He looked into her teary eyes. She was sitting on his couch, her hands in her lap. She was looking down and trembling. To think that he thought his confession would be the most shocking part of the evening—!

What was evident was that Kyoko's life had been in danger multiple times, and he hadn't been there. Kimiko Morizumi, who she thought he loved—what must that have been like?—had been far more the villain than an annoying girl with a high-pitched voice. Worse, Kyoko hadn't seen fit to tell him…which meant he hadn't earned her trust. Not that he deserved it. How could he ask her to rely on him when he'd lied to her so badly? How could he ask her to do that when she didn't even know his real name?

Well, she knew now. It was all out in the open now. Corn. Kyoto. Guam. He'd apologized until he couldn't apologize anymore.

And on her part…Bo. Bo and Reino and Kimiko.

Reino was right. They were both idiots.

But he looked up at her with hope in his eyes anyway. She'd begun weeping when he'd confessed, and she hadn't stopped through her own confessions. "I…I wish you'd told me," he said. "I wish you'd trusted me enough to tell me. I…want to be someone you trust. Someone you'd tell these things to."

"I do trust you," she said. "I just didn't want you to worry."

"Even if I were just your senpai, I'd be worried. I knew something was bothering you at Karuizawa but I should've asked more questions—and Yashiro!"

"Don't blame Yashiro-san," she said reproachfully. "He was trying to protect me, too."

"You were almost raped and then you were almost murdered, Kyoko, that's not fine."

"But I wasn't."

"No, you weren't. But."

"But?"

"I confessed and you made me promise that I'd consider you my place of refuge. The least you can do is promise me the same."

She nodded silently and he walked over to the couch, getting on his knees in front of her and then taking her hands in his.

"Kyoko."

She looked up at him and swallowed.

"Do you—will you—still? Be my girlfriend."

He saw her freeze and his heart plummeted.

And then she nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

The relief made his knees buckle. There would be time in the future to give her the pinky ring. There would be time to flirt with her, and smile with her, and line her path in red rose petals. There would be time, too, to figure out the logistics. The practicalities. Would they tell Lory? Would they go public? All of these questions were things they could worry about tomorrow. For now, he was content to place his head in her lap and enclose her trembling body in his arms.

He felt her place her arms around him, too. He closed his eyes as her hands started stroking his hair. For the first time—perhaps for the first time ever—he felt some of his hunger for her abate.

He would have been happy to stay like that for an eternity, but then he opened his eyes to see her looking down at him. All of a sudden he knew. It was no different from Guam, after all. The two of them had to free themselves from their curses, and now there was just one more thing to do.

He kissed her.

=.=.=

Author's Note: This isn't a word-prompt one-shot. I wanted to do a Valentine's DoK chapter, but the DoK chapter is complicated and Not Yet Ready (and on its fourth version). And then I wanted to do a Valentine's Day one-shot, but then ended up busier over the last few days than I'd initially expected. So. It's still Valentine's Day in the Mountain time zone and points west, though, so I say Happy Valentine's Day!