Kyoko was stretched out stiff and in a state of rigor mortis as she felt Kanae's lips tracing over hers. Even her breathing had stopped. It was as if the world was at its end. In fact, the world must have ended, as there was no other possibility for Kanae to be kissing her.

Has North Korea finally bombed Japan? Was the explosion so fast that they didn't even feel the impact? Was she now in heaven, and was this how best friends greeted each other there? Kyoko's little sensory spirits peeked out in search of fellow spirits but found nothing.

Believing that she was really dead, Kyoko couldn't help but feel sorry for the short life she had lived. Her greatest remorse was that she never reached the pinnacle of stardom as she had sworn she one day would.

Tears started flowing out of her closed eyes as she sobbed in self-pity. In anguish, she began to mourn at her own passing. Her body began to tremble and a slight moan signifying the state of her misery escaped her.

The thought so engulfed her that she could no longer contain herself, and she began to seek comfort in her friend's arms over their mutual demise. Poor Mouko-san, did she have any regrets as well?

Surely, she had lost the chance to do things that she never did? Or to visit places that she never saw? Wanting to share in the sufferings of her friend, Kyoko sympathetically patted her friend's head. Kanae growled softly in response to Kyoko's touch.

Was she feeling the same lost? Wrapping her arms tightly around her friend, she gave Kanae an endearing hug. She even understood how sad it was that after all that hard work for Love Me, neither of them got their chance to debut. Sobbing loudly, she started to moan all the despair that she felt, which transferred into her tensing her mouth rigidly against Kanae's lips.

Kanae had shut her mind to the irritating moaning and annoying embrace that was coming from her best friend. She was also refusing to believe that Kyoko might be responding to her kiss. She would rather contribute her reaction to her trying to substantiate their kiss, for the benefit of their annoying audience, i.e., Tsuruga Ren.

Hence, not to be out done by Kyoko's acting, Kanae tried to lend her own credibility to their romantic enactment. She tried to moan back but her moans sounded more like a dog howling in pain, so she stopped from a sense of self disgust.

Undaunted she lifted her hand towards Kyoko's face, thinking to caress her back the way Kyoko had touched her. But Kanae's hand locked into Kyoko's hair, and with a life of their own, began to pull instead.

Try as she might, Kanae could not muster up the same kind of performance that Kyoko was capable of. She was even beginning to lose feeling in her lips from the intensity of Kyoko's fierce and passionate kiss.

Hearing the stir of commotion coming from the surrounding guests, Kanae returned her focus towards her spectators. She kept her ears tuned in to another sound and when she finally heard the retreating heavy footsteps of Tsuruga-san, she sighed in relief.

Kanae waited a full two minutes before unceremoniously releasing Kyoko. Losing her balance and landing on the floor with a loud 'thump,' Kyoko remained motionless. For two entirely separate reasons, neither of them made eye contact for the next brief moment.

Wiping her face from her tears, Kyoko remained temporally suspended in her own imaginative world. Then as if time had resumed, her head snapped up as she watched Kanae take her seat. Kyoko blinked then blinked again as she finally realised what had happened.

"We're alive?" she asked in an amazed whimper as a look of confusion marred her face.

"Unfortunately, yes we are! Don't ever tell anyone what we just did," Kanae answered dryly to the confounded Kyoko.

Lifting herself shakily from off the ground, Kyoko scurried haphazardly back onto her chair. Her body was trembling from Kanae's recent kiss and she had trouble remaining on her chair as she slid off the wooden seat again.

It wasn't until Kanae caught her by the collar and pulled her back into her chair that she was able to remain seated. Though her knuckles were now white from the death grip she had on the table, which helped her from sliding off the chair.

Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment and her ears were drumming from the rapid velocity of her pounding heart. Trying to shake off the awkward feeling from kissing her best friend, Kyoko shut her eyes tightly.

She was appalled by her own actions and was now hoping that aliens would invade Japan and perhaps kidnap her. She would even allow them to change her form if they wanted to. But would aliens even want to invade such a small country like Japan?

Cursing at her fate for being born to such a small country that no alien would ever find interesting enough to invade, Kyoko grumbled to herself. Her inaudible words only set to further irritate the already steaming Kanae.

Having been force to do something so out of her nature, Kanae was suffering from humiliation. The lack of credibility to her performance was also causing a raising tempest to brew within her. A visible arty was now pumping along the side of her temple.

She was even more mortified by the public display that her ears were burning from the snickers she could hear from the surrounding customers. At that moment she just wanted to die from shame. And while she was at it, she could quite cheerfully strangle her best friend for causing this mess to begin with.

Taking a few deep breaths, she chose instead to calm the raging storm within her. She relaxed her clenched jaw and tonelessly stated, "He's gone."

Her words hardly worked to snap Kyoko out of her traumatized state. Lifting a confused face to Kanae she asked, "Who is gone?"

Who was gone? Did she just ask who was gone? Kanae could not believe Kyoko's audacity. She was now on the verge of exploding into a terrible rage. Her face was changing several shades of red as she stared perplexing at her friend.

Had Kyoko forgotten so easily why they had kissed in the first place? Did she really think Kanae had no other reason to indulge her in a kiss except for fun? Perhaps even as a new spectator sport to entertain the masses with? Drawing in a massive breath, this time she counted to ten before exhaling.

"Tsuruga-san, he's gone. Remember?" Kanae bit out, as her eyes were still lit with the suppressed rage, while the throbbing pulse at her temple continued to enlarge dramatically.

Realisation flooded Kyoko as her eyes widen in acknowledgement. Her body tense at the thought of him and she became instantly alert. Scanning hastily around to ensure he was in fact no longer in the coffee shop, her eyes wildly vacillated from side to side.

"Are you sure?" she asked while she continued to frantically search the area.

"Absolutely," Kanae announced resolutely. Her annoyance was far from being satiated but at the moment, she was trying hard to not strangle her nervous friend.

She ran her hands irritably through her long hair to keep herself from reaching over towards Kyoko's neck. This wouldn't be the first time that she had been enraged by Kyoko and she doubted that it would be the last.

Choking back a quaver of hysteria, Kyoko swallowed audibly before saying, "Thank you, for your kiss."

Scarcely understanding what Kyoko was getting at, Kanae frowned, "Don't thank me yet. I want to know what was so important that you were shaking like a scared rabbit when you thought Tsuruga-san would see you like this. Surely it can't just be because of the way you are dressed!"

Kanae's eyes assessed Kyoko from head to toe. She knew that Kyoko had been acting strange from the moment she saw Tsuruga-san but she was certain that it had more to do than because Kyoko was embarrassed to be caught in her manly outfit.

"No, it wasn't'" Kyoko replied as she lowered her eyes to the ground. Trying to hide the motive behind her previous frightened behavior, she kept her eyes fixed on her feet.

"Then what was it?" Kanae asked in an insistent manner, while she impatiently folded her arms across her chest.

"Mouko-san, I can't…please, it's really complicated…." Her words trailed off and in misery, she lifted up a pale face to her friend. Was she able to keep Mouko-san from finding out the truth?

"I think you owe me an explanation and this time, I won't take no for an answer." Kanae persisted curtly. Her dark eyes penetrated Kyoko's and did not release her until she finally slumped into submission.

"Yes, I know. But will you promise to never repeat what I am about to tell you?" Kyoko asked gloomily before she took a cautious gaze over her shoulder.

"If I must," Kanae nodded sullenly. But she was glad that Kyoko was finally getting around to explaining herself. Pulling her chair closer to Kyoko's she leaned in to listen attentively.

"I have been living with him." Kyoko said impassively, her hands nervously began toying with the button of her vest. She just could not bring herself to look Kanae in the eyes.

Kanae gasped. "Living with him? Who are you living with? Surely you can't mean Tsuruga-san?"

Whipping her face back to Kanae, she winced as if in pain. It was there in Kyoko's eyes that gave her the answer to her question.

Half raising out of her chair in shock, she asked, "What? Why? How is this even possible?"

At that moment, Kyoko felt compelled to reveal everything. To fall on her knee and cry out all that she had been withholding in her heart. To find a way to unburden her soul but she knew she could not.

Reaching up to her friend with helpless hands, she answered, "I can't explain to you all the details just why, because it's part of my secretive dangerous mission. It's just that we have been playing a role, so we're not really each other. But that's not the whole reason why I didn't want to see him."

Kanae shot her a speculative look before asking, "Then what is the real reason?"

Kyoko's lips felt dry, she swallowed a dry lump in her throat before attempting to answer in a small voice, "Well, the truth is… I and him… that is… we were…well, this isn't precisely right but…you see, we were supposed to… to go… to go out on a date…kind of."

Kyoko reached for her ice tea, her knuckles turned white at how tightly she was holding on to her glass. Unsteadily bringing the beverage to her lips to take a long swallow, she was not surprised that she was still unable to quench her sudden thirst. Her mouth felt dry and she doubted that she could continue the interrogation any longer.

Not oblivious to the growing unease of her friend, Kanae waited a few seconds before she continued to drill Kyoko.

"Ok, I must have misheard you. Can you repeat that last part again?" Kanae asked with a look of consternation on her face.

"We were supposed to go on a date." Kyoko repeated. This time her voice carried over in the already noisy coffee shop.

"Eh? You and him are now dating? Why didn't you tell me so? I thought we were best friends! How could you hide such a thing from me?" she asked indignantly. The thought of Kyoko's deception brought a flush of anger to her face causing her to frown in displeasure.

"No, no, Mouko-san. You're mistaken, we are definitely not dating." Kyoko shook her head adamantly.

"If you aren't dating then why were you suppose to go on a date with him?" her eyes rounded wide in accusation.

"That's also part of my secretive but dangerous mission, so I can't fully disclose the real reasons. You see since we're not really acting like who we are, well…um… how do I explain this?" Kyoko said as she searched idly around, looking for a way to clarify her situation.

"I guess you can say, we were just kind of in the middle of an act and one thing led to another, so now I have to schedule a date with him. That's all!" She pursed her lips tightly as if preventing herself from revealing more.

Her explanation was overly complex but Kanae did not miss the importance of her revelation. "That's all? What do you mean by that's all?! Kyoko don't you know what this could mean?"

Kanae reached over to brace Kyoko by her shoulders as she not so gently shook her. The movement caused Kyoko's head to swing back and forth like a rag doll. But Kyoko was unable to comprehend what Kanae was willing her to understand.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Kyoko asked puzzled by her friend's sudden actions.

"Kyoko, this was exactly what I needed to help me in my acting!" Kanae said, as her eyes lit up and she smiled in delight.

If Tsuruga-san could play Kyoko's boyfriend then surely the authenticity of their love could not be questioned. In fact, Kanae was even willing to excuse her own lack of experience and humble herself by asking for Kyoko's future experience.

She would be more than willing to make this an exception since Tsuruga-san was definitely so vast in skill and talent that she would be a fool, not to learn from the best. Well, indirectly she would be learning from the best.

"Eh? I still don't understand?" Kyoko asked, as she returned Kanae's smile with one full of apprehension.

Staring at her bewildered friend, Kanae clapped her hands together as she announced, "What I am getting at is that you can learn from your experience with him then tutor me on how to act in love!"

With unadulterated happiness now that she could solve her own plight, Kanae was feeling magnanimous. She would even forgive her best friend for the kiss. But her generosity was quickly interrupted by Kyoko's blatant refusal.

"No, no, no, you can't be serious. That would be impossible," Kyoko blurted out.

"What do you mean by impossible? It's brilliant. And since you are already living with him, you just have to continue with your 'secrete dangerous mission' right?" Kanae finished. Resting back in her chair, she fixed Kyoko a no nonsense look. She was not going to let Kyoko talk her way out of this.

"No, I just can't. Don't you understand? He's Tsuruga Ren!" Kyoko exclaimed in alarm. Her eyes rounded into large globes while she fixed them onto her friend. Couldn't Mouko-san understand the implications of what she was telling her?

"Yes, I know who he is, but didn't you say you both weren't acting as yourselves in this dangerous mission?" Kanae persisted, as she nonchalantly lifted her straw to her mouth and took a brief swallow of her drink. She then returned Kyoko's look with an innocent look of her own.

Wiping the beading sweat from her brows Kyoko answered, "Yes that's correct but still…"

Interjecting sharply, Kanae speculated with a gasp, "Surely you're not referring to him doing something harmful to you? Kyoko, was that why you were afraid, just now?"

"No, no! No, he would never do anything to hurt me. It's just that I am not so sure if I can act the part, or if I can even teach you later." Kyoko grimaced at the thought of having to give a full account of her actions while with Cain to Mouko-san.

"Wait a minute, didn't you tell me only a few hours ago, that as actresses we should take any and all opportunities to enhance our skills?" Kanae probed an accusatory finger at her friend's chest.

Kyoko's mouth gaped open, then snapped shut. She couldn't find the words to argue but she tried anyway. "Yes but-"

"No 'buts' Kyoko, I'm going to hold you to your own words. You must do this. And besides, you owe me big time, remember?" Kanae smiled widely, showing perfectly aligned white teeth. However, her smile held no warmth but rather it was full of seriousness. Kyoko knew she was trapped.

Shaken to the core by how she contributed to entangling herself in this peculiar situation, Kyoko raised pleading eyes to Kanae in the hope that she would relent in her request. Her lips trembled slightly, as she assumed the position of passivity while she held on to the hope that her wonderful and kind friend would forgive her this one time.

Tiny ectoplasmic Kyoko spirits left her and began to engulf Kanae in the hope that Kanae would give up the notion. Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy, they cried, begged and wailed. Let this idea go, they continued, while circulating wildly around her.

But Kanae ignored the overwhelming sense of gloom she was suddenly surrounded by and she forced herself to disregard the look of helplessness from Kyoko. Instead, she continued as if impervious, "So when are you going out on this date?"

Kyoko sighed in defeat, "I'm not sure yet, but I go back to shooting Box-R, in the late afternoon, tomorrow." Her friends' lack of compassion brought Kyoko to the edge of tears but she blinked them away. However, her ectoplasmic spirits returned to surround her, and were weeping uncontrollably.

Kanae sat up straight in her chair as she asked excitedly, "So are you telling me that you are currently free for the rest of today?"

"Yes, unless something from work shows up," Kyoko hesitated. She could feel her spirit sink and dwindle with every nuance of Kanae's exuberance.

"Then what are you waiting for? Call him!" Kanae burst out, with a bright smile. Grabbing Kyoko's cellphone, she held it out towards her.

"Mouko-san, are you serious? Right now?" Kyoko asked, her face reflected the horror that she felt at having to do something so offensive. The thugs in the back of her mind perked up in attention. Would they get another chance to bully her today?

"Yes, and you better not even complain after what I just did on your behalf." Kanae reminded Kyoko as she waved the cell phone at her.

Kanae was ready to call Tsuruga-san herself if she had to. Giving Kyoko a threatening look, she reiterated, "Call him now."

Although Kanae left no room for argument, Kyoko was too unsure of herself to be so daring. Lifting up shaky hands to receive the cell phone from her friend, she asked in a petrified croak, "But what should I say? How do I do this?"

"You're the one that's supposed to be going on the date with him. Call him and pretend to be who your character is supposed to be, and then remind him of that date!" Kanae replied forcibly and succinctly. She could feel the anxiety emanating from her friend but was determined to stand her ground.

"That's true but I can't just go on a date with him as who I am. Like I said before, we were supposed to go on a date while in character!" Kyoko wailed, almost painfully. Her little spirits surrounding her began to weep even louder.

"Fine, if that is the case, then hurry up and go change. But make sure you keep that date with him." Kanae snorted in censor. She was becoming impatient and shot Kyoko a freezing look to get her point across.

Kyoko paled at the thought of upsetting Kanae. She wondered if there was any way to persuade Kanae out of this idea. Was it even worth the try? Her friend had already gone out of her way to help Kyoko out; didn't she owe it to Kanae to help her in return?

On the one hand she could see the benefit of making a date with Cain at the current time. Her dominion of spirits slowly stopped crying as they clued in on her motives. Taking a calculated risk, she bit her lips in contemplation.

Since most of the day was already gone and all that she would have to do was spend a few hours of the evening with Cain. Surely that would be better than having to spend an entire day with him? But whether or not she would be able to catch Tsuruga-san as Cain was the contributing factor.

She was certain that she had left the wig that she wore as Setsu at the hotel. Also, she was fairly comfortable at getting herself dressed as Setsu, without needing Jelly Woods to help her. She even still had several outfits waiting for her at the hotel that she hadn't worn yet. But the question remained whether or not Tsuruga-san could prepare himself as Cain?

Audibly clearing her throat to draw Kyoko's attention, Kanae irritably asked, "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Firmly clasping the cell phone to her chest, Kyoko finally agreed to dial Tsuruga-san's number. Glancing briefly at Kanae, she indicated the need for privacy with a slight inclination of her head.

At the subtle hint, Kanae stood up and hastily walked away. She did not go far but was well beyond hearing distance. Leaning against the wall, she made herself comfortable. Occasionally, she would cast inquiring glances back at Kyoko to ensure that Kyoko was indeed making that important phone call.

A satisfied smile loomed on her face as she watched her friend dial the number. This time not only was she going to get the education of a life time, she wondered if she was even playing cupid in the process.

Skeptical that Kyoko was likely to fall in love with Tsuruga-san, Kanae wondered how he would fare in the process. Perhaps he was likely to get the wrong impression? Would he be mad if he were led on? Kanae frown at the possibility. Maybe she should caution her friend to be careful not to needlessly lead him on.

Shaking her head wryly, Kanae reminded herself. There should be no maltreatment in this scenario since neither of them were supposed to be themselves anyway. Thus, where was the detriment in this?

Another frown crossed her brows as she suddenly realised that Kyoko had been sent on a dangerous mission that had involved Tsuruga-san. Could there really be some harm that could stem from this?

Yet Kyoko's words echoed in her mind that Tsuruga-san would never do anything that would hurt her. Also, wasn't he known for his gentle and kindly demeanor? Scratching her head, Kanae tried to remember if she had ever heard of any negative rumors linked to his name.

But her mind kept drawing blanks. Either he was just a ladies man in name only, or that he was extremely cautious from smearing his reputation. Nevertheless, there was nothing unsatisfactory about him that she could think of.

Content that all her misgivings were now safely laid to rest, Kanae began to relax against the wall. Seated only a few meters away from her, Kyoko was anything but relaxed as she proceeded to dial Tsuruga-san's number.

Her heart was pacing irregularly in her chest and her sweaty palm was trembling so hard that she could barely hold the phone still. She looked pale and scared when she heard the line connect.

A husky voice answered with the first ring, "Hello?"

Unable to formulate any words, Kyoko's fingers were stirred by her anxiety and promptly pressed the hang up button. The signal went dead instantaneously. Kyoko's eyes widened in dread, as she just realised that she had unwittingly hung up on Tsuruga-san.

She stifled a scream of terror as she looked at the phone in her trembling hands. What had she done? She felt like her life had suddenly been sucked out of her as her soul fell into a darkened pit.

Noooooooo! Her inner voiced screamed.

Falling lower and lower into a bottomless pit, Kyoko's spirit yelled in denial. Was this the end? Had she really just done the unthinkable? Darker and darker her surroundings became as the notion of hanging up on her senpai fostered within her.

She was awoken out of her hellish trance when her phone started to ring. The caller I.D. indicated Tsuruga-san.

"Eh?" Kyoko exhaled as she registered her surroundings. Patting herself, to ensure she was physically present, she sighed in relief. Her relief did not last long when she finally became aware of the ringing phone.

Kyoko lost what color she had retained from her prior respite. Her stomach knotted in anxiety and the muscles of her fingers protested against her, as she tried to answer the phone.

Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it. A small voice cautioned her.

Perhaps he would be too busy tonight? Please God let that be the case. Let him have some important meeting to attend to, so that he won't be able to become Cain. Kyoko prayed as she looked up to the roof.

Casting Kanae a weak smile, she noticed the intense frown marring her friend's face. Fearing both Kanae's and Tsuruga-san's wrath, she decided quickly not to give in to her fears. Taking one last gulp to build up her courage, she looked decidedly at her phone.

Trying to channeling Setsu, she took several deep breaths. Closing her eyes, she shut out the image of her natural self. While drawing in Setsu's spirit, she slowly opened her eyes. An unnatural fire flickered in her eyes as she began to smile coyly.

Her voice was laced with sensuality as she finally answered the phone.

A/N: Hi everybody, I hope you are enjoying this story so far.

I thought long and hard about how to describe Kyoko's and Kanae kiss without making it give off a Yuri vibe. I hope I succeeded.

I am glad to receive all your reviews and will make an effort to respond to each one. Thank you again for your support and reviews.