The car ride was again noiseless. The driver kept his eyes on the road and his hands firmly gripped on the wheel. The passenger crossed his arms tightly against his chest, and looked out the window at the passing stores. He chewed on his lip, annoyed, to keep himself from talking. Both bodies were stiff. The topic hung heavy in the air, as if an elephant in the back seat.

Ren sighed. That was all the prompting Yukihito needed. The manager started to cry.

"I can't believe you Tsuruga-san! This is the end. This is the beginning of the end! I can't believe how we got into this. I can't believe how you got yourself into this! We can't fight the rumors if you go out on the public record and admit it!"

The actor's day was fairly normal. He was on set most of the day, working on the finishing scenes as Actor X. He had noted whispers in the lunch room by his colleagues, but when he looked over their way, they hurried out of the mess hall. Yashiro worked at a desk in LME, so not to give away his cover. He only had one appearance as Tsuruga Ren, which was on the celebrity show.

"May I remind you that you booked me for the show Yashiro-san."

"I thought the chicken was going to be there! I had it all planned out. You were the guest. The chicken got questions from the audience. The chicken asks you if you're gay. You tell the world no. The story is over. We both go home happy! How was I suppose to know they dropped that portion of the show?"

Ren frowned. He had been looking forward to seeing the rooster. He hadn't been to the Bridge Rock set since the middle of filming Dark Moon, and that had been a long time ago. Dark Moon had already been fully broadcasted. He had wanted to thank to chicken for his emotional support, and to admit that he was right.

He had been looking for Bo when he had run into Sho. After the confrontation, he had been rather unable to contain his false smile. It beamed full force at the hosts, who had been caught unaware. Uneasy, but unsure why, they had simply asked Ren the typical question: What was he working on? What did he do in his spare time? They had failed to even touch the topic of romance, and without the introduction to the issue, Ren couldn't bring it up. If he blurted out he wasn't gay when no one asked, he'd look like he was lying.

Curious, and disappointed, Yashiro had asked what happened to the rooster after the show. One of the hosts sighed. "The original Bo was drafted back to LME. We tried to find another actor, but no one seemed to do. Audience members hated them all, no matter what we did, so we were forced to drop the mascot."

"Tsuruga…" interrupted Yashiro.

"Yashiro…"

"Don't Yashiro me! Now you're going to have to say that you're homosexual. There goes all your fans. There goes your bookings. There goes all your revenue."

"I could…" Ren paused for a moment, his voice dropping "…try to win her over?"

"She's hasn't even turned eighteen yet! Whatever happened to…" Yashiro's face temporarily mocked Ren's. "Kyoko-chan is a high school girl. For one thing, she's underage…She's also in LoveME for a reason. Do you think she'd accept this job?"

"That was pretty good impression Yashiro."

"That's not the point!" He huffed and sat back in his seat, arms re-crossed. Frustrated, he returned his gaze outside the window. Ren went back to concentrating on the traffic.

"REN! PULL OVER!!!" The actor slammed on the breaks, jerking the car to the side the road.

His manager rolled the window and stuck his head out. He waved his hand wildly, drawing the attention of the few pedestrians walking on the sidewalk.

"Kyoko-chan!"

Ren looked up into his mirror. It was undoubtedly Kyoko. She was bundled tightly in a long winter white coat, with auburn gloves and matching knee length boots, but it was impossible to mistake her with his attention to detail. Her hair was pulled back into two small ponytails and she had a heartfelt smile on face. She was wearing lip gloss today. He turned his head, blushing at how much he was observing her. It had felt like a long time since he had really gotten to see her. Now he only had a week to win her.

Kyoko lightly jogged, catching up to the silver sports car. Leaning down, she gave a small wave with a wide smile. "Evening Yashiro-san, Tsuruga-san!" Both men returned the smile with their own.

"Are you heading home, Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked, curious.

"Hai!" She chirped in reply.

"Hold on…" Yashiro went pull at the door handle, but Kyoko put a gloved hand on the window.

"Oh no, I couldn't take up your time. I'm not that far from the Darumaya."

"Don't be silly Kyoko-chan. It's cold tonight!" The auburn man pouted.

"It's refreshing, really! We had an unusually hot summer this year."

"Mogami-san," Ren spoke for the first time since they had stopped. His tone was disapproving. "What have I told you about walking around so late at night? You're a young female alone. It's not always safe."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me Tsuruga-san. I'm prepared now!" She lifted up her jacket and skirt, revealing a small hammer, strapped to her lower thigh. Yashiro blushed and turned from the exposed skin, but Ren kept his face straight.

"You've been an actress for more than a year now Mogami-san. What if you were to be spotted by the press? They'd take a picture and write a disreputable story to fit it. Come in, I'll drive you home."

He set the car to park, exited, and pulled the seat up. Looking embarrassed, she nodded and walked around to his door.

"I guess you're right Tsuruga-san. Thank you for taking me home."

She slipped into the backseat, pulling the chair back forward after she was safely inside. Yashiro sat at the window, giving Ren a big smile and two thumbs up above the roof. He made no response to the gesture however, and entered the car once again. Once everyone was buckled in, Ren turned off his hazard lights and merged back into traffic.

The atmosphere of the car was much friendlier. Yashiro turned around to face Kyoko in the backseat, making conversation.

"How have you been Mogami-chan? We haven't had a chance to see you in such a long time. We certainly missed you. Right, Tsuruga-san?"

Tsuruga nodded, smiling. In the corner of his eye however, he gave his manager a warning look.

"I haven't been up to much, Yashiro-san. President Takarada has been keeping us busy. Moko-chan and I, I mean."

"Any new roles?"

"A few…" She trailed off.

"That's wonderful, Mogami-san." Ren smiled, his face illuminating the car. "Usually I see you when you have new roles. You must be very secure in acting them." Both of the passengers huddled to the other side of the coupé, frightened. Yashiro shivered. Kyoko broke out in a cold sweat, and shook her head vigorously.

"No! Not at all, Tsuruga-san! In fact, my new role starts tomorrow. I just picked up the script from Sawara-san tonight." She pulled the binder of papers from her bag, waving it in proof. "It's a PV for Queen Records again."

The temperature of the car dropped below zero. Both passengers broke out in strong tremors. Yashiro rubbed his arms with his hand for warmth. Spirits slowly raised from behind Kyoko, and sailed smoothly to Ren's section in a content fashion. ~Let me feel the darkness…it feels so nice….~ He turned to look at her, his smile at full power.

"For Fuwa Sho?"

"No no! It's for a singer named Kanon Wakeshima! Sawara-san said she's quite the female pop artist!" Kyoko continued to shake her head. "I'd never work for him again if I can help it!"

The atmosphere warmed up quickly. The demons dispersed. The occupants, safe but jumpy, kept silent for the rest of the ride until car pulled over in front of the Darumaya. Ren let her out, and she bowed her thanks. Before she could open the door, he spoke.

"I pass by Queen Records tomorrow. How about I pick you up and drop you off tomorrow at seven. That way you won't have to walk in the cold." Ren's voice held no inquisitive tone. It was a statement that allowed for no argument. All that could be done was agree and thank him, which she did, before entering the restaurant.

"You scared her out of her wits, you know that right." Yashiro scolded him, as soon as he stepped back into the car. "You're supposed to be winning her over, and instead you trap her like a rabbit."

Ren said nothing as he turned the car around.

"Well.." Yashiro sighed, pushing up his glasses by the bridge; "You've seven days. If it doesn't work out, you can always stay Actor X…"