Disclaimer: Oh how I wished I owned Skip Beat!

This is my first fanfiction, so additional reviews would like to be received from you (the readers).


Chapter 3: Lovely Cyclone of Words

Ren and the President of LME were alone in the President's royal suite (otherwise known as his office), sitting across from each other. Ren was not the least bit confident that what the President had to say was either constructive or positive, and he had a sinking feeling it would have something to do with his social life.

He was absolutely correct.

"Ren, you boring man, get a grip on yourself! How long have you pined after this girl? It's been at least four months, right? Probably longer, I bet. Come on! After your role in Dark Moon, I'd thought you'd get a little closer with her! I even had her play Setsuka for you. She was practically all over you, and it's still 'Mogomi-san' and 'Tsuruga-san' between you two? Dear God, you're so helpless…"

Ren was expecting something of this sort, but the President's intensity had caught him off guard.

"She's completely clueless. Even advance I make is passed off as being a good sempai or acting. How am I supposed to tell her that -"

*BOOM*

The President had flung his hands down onto his desk, partially to silence Ren, and partially because he was exasperated.

Most partially, though, the President just liked to be flamboyant.

"...Want me to tell you how?" he had a glint in his eye. One that chilled Ren to the bone.

Suddenly, he seemed to disappear from his seat, and before Ren could think at how strange this was (even for the President), he had reappeared right in front of the young actor.

I found this amazing, considering what he was wearing (it should be noted that the armor he was wearing was completely authentic, which made it rather heavy and loud). The President could apparently surpass human limits if it was about love.

"You want to know how to tell her?" Takarada Lory whispered again, gripping onto Ren's shoulders.

All poor Ren could do was meekly nod, unsure of what was to come.

"YOU CALL HER OUT ONE DAY, AND SAY 'MOGOMI KYOKO, I LOVE YOU' LIKE YOU MEAN IT!"

Well, duh. Even Kyoko, the loveless wonder, could have thought of that.

Ren, shocked at the sudden volume change, looked towards the office entrance. If Kyoko was waiting for him, then she'd be just outside…

"Don't worry. Those doors are soundproof enough." The President ensured, reading Ren's mind. If that wasn't enough, when Ren turned back, the President had, once again, exceeded human abilities, and was now once again sitting in his seat.

"Ren. Ever since you played Katsuki, I saw that you had finally begun to understand what love was. You understand as well. If you truly want to have her, then you must take this first step."

"B-but…she's just a high-school girl. How can I? It just wouldn't be right…"

The President sighed. "As I said, only you can take the first step. If you continue to bind yourself with chains, then you will never be able to move forward." Both of them were aware that this applied to more than just Ren's love life.

The armored man gave the troubled actor a non-literal second to think, then nodded a message of dismissal.

Ren stood up from his chair. He had much to think about. As he walked towards the door, the President let out one last cryptic message.

"Perhaps the raging winds of the impeding storm may free you from those binding chains."

With this, Ren left, leaving the President alone.


Or so he thought.

The moment that Ren closed the door, another Takarada Lory emerged from under the chair that Ren had been sitting in moments ago. The two of them were perfectly identical, from their clothes to their hair.

"Good work, Sebastian." The Lory that had been sitting down said. The other Lory pulled on his hair, and he took off a form-fitting plastic mask bearing the President's face. Sure enough, it was Lory's elusive personal butler.

I guess that even Takarada Lory couldn't surpass human limits for the sake of love, though it seems he is more than willing to surpass human expectations instead.

Being omniscient makes things so more interesting. I suggest you try it sometime.


As he had expected, Kyoko was waiting for him outside of the large door. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her smiling face.

"Mogomi-san! Were you waiting for me?" Ren managed to say.

"Yep!" Kyoko chirped back. Ren noticed no change in her behavior, so he decided not to bring up whether or not she had heard the President's outburst.

Ren decided to play it safe.

"What do you think about your role?" Ren asked. Kyoko was holding the movie script in her hand, and had been looking at it before he had exited the office.

"Hmm…well, Shizuka Kaho isn't a bully or anything, so I'll hope this movie will allow me to play in more positive roles. I'll be able to pull this off, no problem."

Ren gave her a small, genuine smile. It was so cute when she was excited.

"Just remember, if you need any help, feel free to ask. I'm always available."

Normally, if any other woman had been on the receiving end of this, it would have been an instant blow to the heart. Kyoko, on the other hand, was able to deflect it off her "sempai" barrier without even noticing.

"Thank you, Tsuruga-sempai! I'll keep that in mind. I just hope I can avoid being such a bothersome kouhai this time around."

Though slightly disappointed, Ren had expected the deflection before he had even offered. He hated to admit that the President was right, but Ren resigned to the simple fact that Mogomi Kyoko would block every and all advances on her heart short of a full-power frontal assault.

And I think she'd be able to take one of those pretty well.


- I had the conversation between Ren and Lory played out in my head hours before I wrote this, but I didn't expect it to completely dominate the chapter. In the end, I didn't get much plot into this chapter either. Though it was fun to write, I actually do want to stick some plot into the next couple of chapters. Honest.

- Most of the chapters in the story will have names relating to 'storms,' 'winds,' and things of the like. I made it as a motif (recurring symbol) of the movie that Kyoko and Ren are to act in, the Eye of the Storm, as well as a motif of the chaos that is to ensue later on.

- I was planning to have Lory 'exceed the limits of a human for love' multiple times throughout the story as a recurring gag, but I actually found this set-up funnier. I can't wait to see how the President will exceed human expectations next.