A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, reviewed, and even just taken the time to read this. It means so much to me! I'm sorry if it's a little OOC.

Thoughts

English

"Dialogue,"

"Mogami-san, may I have a word with you?"

As soon as the four friends arrived at LME after their lunch break, those were the first words out of Ren's mouth. All throughout lunch, his gentlemanly smile had not slipped. Both Kyoko and Yashiro had been fidgety and nervous, but Kanae either didn't know or didn't care.

Kyoko swallowed nervously. "S-sure, Tsuruga-san," Did I seriously just stutter?

Ren turned to Yashiro and Kanae. "You guys go on ahead, we'll catch up." he said. Then he motioned to Kyoko to follow him, and he led her through a quiet hallway to a deserted office room. He held the door for her as she entered the room. The furnishing was basic, a long oval table surrounded by sturdy, comfortable chairs, and the walls were painted a bland, neutral cream color.

She pulled out a chair and timidly sat down, waiting for whatever Tsuruga-san was going to scold her for. It was probably Sho-baka, she thought. She twiddled her thumbs nervously.

Instead of sitting down, Ren leaned against a wall and crossed his arms. "Mogami-san, please look at me. I told you earlier, I'm not going to yell at you, I just want to talk."

Kyoko raised her head a fraction, and their eyes met for a split second before she decided to focus on the wall above her head to calm her heart. I don't know what's making it beat faster, him or the present subject…However, no matter how hard she tried, her rebellious eyes would always return to his face. Because of this, she noted that he still hadn't dropped his mask. He's probably really mad.

"I want to talk about your career. If...incidents...like this keep happening, it could seriously damage your image, especially as a woman. If you're seen in public passionately making out with anyone without being in a relationship, the press could see you as using yourself to boost your popularity," he said, "and on top of that, it seriously confuses those who know you." At the last part, his eyes darted away from her for a moment, but his beautiful brown eyes were back on her again so fast she wondered if she had imagined it.

"I know, and I'm so sorry that you had to witness me make yet another mistake. I just...I can't seem to get rid of him. He's like a tick, so insignificant that it's hard to get him off, but keeps biting you to remind you of his presence." Kyoko screwed up her face in defeat. "I just need to find the right repellent, I guess."

Ren smirked internally. I could be that repellent. Then, mildly ashamed, he shook the thought away. It was ridiculous anyways, just attempting to get her to see him as a man was hard enough. Ren reminded himself of why he was here, and it shook him out of his faint amusement and back into seriousness and jealousy. "Mogami-san, you should always be on your guard around him. Considering that it's the second time this has happened, you should count yourself both lucky and unlucky that you were in public. Always be aware of your surroundings, and you should avoid him if you can't keep your composure," he stated bluntly, and continued, "I'll talk to the President about getting the LoveMe section a manager, or someone who can look after you three."

"Tsuruga-san, we can handle ourselves at the moment, we're not kids. You don't need to inconvenience yourself for us," she insisted, sounding slightly dejected.

Ren stared straight at her, determined not to let his jealousy show. "I'm not as concerned about Kanae-san and Amamiya-san as I am about you. Those two don't have these kinds of problems, and if they do, they stop it before it escalates. You're a good person, Mogami-san. You exude good vibes, but whenever you're around him, that changes. If someone would be to recognize you today, it could possibly damage your reputation much more than his. He's more popular than you at the moment," he said, pointing out fact harsher than he meant to, "and his fanbase won't take nearly as hard of a hit as yours would." He was beginning to take his own annoyance and jealousy out on her, much to his disappointment.

Kyoko relaxed the tension in her body, and was silent for just long enough for him to regret his tone. She glanced up at him, and in that second he could see that she was not entirely Kyoko anymore, she was sharing between her roles. "Are you saying that I can't take care of myself and my image on my own, Tsuruga-san? Or is it that I don't work well with others?"

His stomach flip flopped. Ren immediately recognized aspects from some of the roles she played. He noted Natsu's posture and Mio's stare, but the only one he couldn't place was the light shroud over her emotions in the form of an effortless, yet emotionless, grin. If he hadn't known her better, he might've mistaken it for a true smile. He realized that he didn't have a clue as to what she was thinking, and only then did he recognize it as a mask that she had used, likely when she was still a child. Similar to my own, sadly.

"Both and neither. All I'm trying to get you to understand is to watch how you act in public," he retorted defensively, "and that you'd probably debut faster if you weren't continuously opening yourself to potentially bad press by letting anyone kiss you." This girl, he thought with annoyance, is going to shatter the mask of Tsuruga Ren. He knew it, and couldn't do anything about it. "And Kyoko, this isn't an acting test. Stop hiding behind your characters." He didn't want to argue with script-born personas.

"Hah!" Natsu laughed, "I'll drop my act when you drop yours! Take your own advice before you dish it. Sometimes…" she trailed off.

Ren blinked. I can't exactly deny that one, so… "Sometimes what?"

Kyoko dropped her act. "No. It's stupid. Never mind." She stood up and turned around, obviously hurt.

"Sometimes what?"

Cautiously, she said, "Sometimes...sometimes, even though I know you, I feel like there's another side of you that you're hiding. From me, from everyone. I'm sorry for being so forward, Tsuruga-san. I just wish you would trust me."

Kyoko gave him a practiced, perfect bow, desperate not to let her breaking heart show. "I have work to do, and I'm sure you do too," she said, her voice cracking. "I'll see you around, Tsuruga-san." With that, she walked out the door, leaving a bewildered Ren behind. He did not see the single tear that she allowed to roll down her cheek.

It took Ren a minute to register what had just happened, and by the time his mind caught up, she was already gone. He rushed to the door of the room.

"Kyoko! Wait! I'm sorry!" Ren shouted, but to no avail. "Please..." She was gone. He slowly turned on his heel and walked back into the room. He stared at the chair she had been sitting in just moments ago, and pulled out another chair facing that one. He put his chin in his hands, his eyes still on her chair. What had he done? Fuck.

Footnote: This takes place sometime after the first Valentine's Day disaster and before the trip to Guam. I'm sorry if some of you were confused about the "first kiss" mentioned if you've read the most recent chapters, my mistake!