Disclaimer: Since this is a fanfiction, it can be reasonably inferred that I do not own Skip Beat! or anything else mentioned in this story.

This is my first fanfiction, so please review. It would be very much appreciated.


Chapter 5: A Surprisingly Exceptional Breeze

Kyoko came out of the bathroom, finished with her preparations as Ren was trying to save himself from the Mogomi Melting Pot.

"Tsuruga-san? Are you okay?" Kyoko asked, noticing his troubled expression.

Ren was on his knees, hands grasping his head as if it was in excruciating pain, which wasn't too far off. Not the coolest position to be in.

"Eh? Ah, yes...right then." Ren stood up, brushing off his coat as if he had merely tripped. His face was locked in his usual smiling face. He didn't want Kyoko to get distracted during her acting.

Entertainingly, it seemed to have an opposite effect. Let's go to Kyoko's point of view.

Tsuruga Ren was on his knees, hands grasping his head as if it was in excruciating pain.

Oh crap, Kyoko thought, did I do something bad? What did I do? No wait…maybe's it's not me…

"Tsuruga-san? Are you okay?"

"Eh? Ah, yes…right then." Ren stood up, wearing a glittery smile on his face.

HE'S DEFINITELY MAD AT ME! IT MUST BE BECAUSE OF HOW LONG I TOOK IN THE BATHROOM! I'M SO UNPROFFESIONAL! I'M A HORRIBLE KOUHAI!

And so, both Kyoko and Ren were thoroughly stressed out due to each other's facial expression.

Kyoko had a scared rabbit's expression on her face. She looked ready to flee at the drop of a dime.

Did she see me do that? She must be creeped out by me! Ren thought, looking at her face. I must act normal! Otherwise, she might not want to be around me anymore!

As he turned the gentleman up, she became even more scared.

Oh no! He's getting even angrier! What should I do? He's not going to want to act with me at this rate!

And so, the vicious cycle continued until its breaking point, where...

Simultaneously, both Kyoko and Ren began hurling apologies at each other.

"I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san!" "Mogomi-san, it's not what it looked like!" "I'm a failure as a kouhai! I've been so unprofessional!" "I wasn't' thinking of anything weird or – " "I don't deserve to have such a wonderful sempai like you!" "It was…well…"

"PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"

And, as it usually was, neither of them had any idea what the other one was talking about.


Only after they had both calmed down (which involved a rather long and unnecessary apology from Kyoko, followed by a near-continuous stream of assurances from Ren) did Ren notice what Kyoko had changed into. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt and slacks. She wasn't wearing a wig, but her hair had been pulled back into a small bun. Besides a timer around her slender neck, she wore no other accessories.

"Is that what you plan to wear for the scene?" Ren confirmed.

"Ah, yes. I plan to have my hair be black for the actual shoot, but besides that, this is what I plan to wear, at least for the first part of the movie."

Ren couldn't really see what Kyoko was going for with her outfit. It didn't show off any particular point of her (though in Ren's eyes, she would always be cute) and Ren couldn't think of a specific personality that would complement her clothing.

"So, you'd like me to play as Mr. Johnson, right?"

Ren wouldn't play as Mr. Johnson in the actual movie, but he was helping Kyoko practice an earlier scene, where Shizuko and Mr. Johnson, another teacher, are alone in the teacher's lounge.

"Yup! It'll be a big help." Kyoko was waiting just inside Ren's guest bedroom. They were planning to use the large living room of the apartment as the teacher's lounge, and Kyoko had wanted to use the guest bedroom as an entrance.

After a quick nod from Ren, Kyoko closed the door. Taking a deep breath, she prepared her newest 'soul' and reopened the door as Shizuko.


Mr. Johnson is in the teacher's lounge, grading the homework he had assigned to his students the day before. As he finishes marking a particularly bad paper (C+: Please work harder to answer the questions more completely!), Shizuko enters the longue, carrying a stack of papers. Mr. Johnson, who is single, is interested in the young teacher, and enthusiastically greeted her.

"Ah, Ms. Shizuko! Good work today."

"Thank you, Mr. Johnson. I see you've been working hard as well."

Ren couldn't quite get a read on the character that Kyoko had become. Her Shizuko was not much different than her normal self; however, Ren couldn't quite identify the small part that was different. It was a new experience for the actor, who could normally read through a character in an instant.

Shizuko places her papers down and walks over to the vending machine. She buys a bottle of water and sits down. Mr. Johnson eagerly watches her, and she notices.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Johnson?" Shizuko asks, pointing at his papers. Since she came into the room, he had not graded one paper. The C+ paper is still visible on top of his finished stack.

"Ah, no. Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking about something."

"Does that something have something to do with me?" Shizuko replied, with a little smile. It wasn't a seductive or angry expression, but neither was it an innocent one. Mr. Johnson wasn't quite sure how to identify it.

"We-ell…it's just that Ms. Shizuko is so popular with the students, and I was wondering how you did it."

"Did it? I haven't done anything special."

"Really? Because they're always thinking about you…" Mr. Johnson said, standing up.

Hold up, Ren thought, what am I doing? I'm not supposed to –

However, as if possessed by some alien force, Ren began walking towards his partner, who was looking down at the papers in her hands.

"…just as I always think about you."

He is standing over Shizuko's small frame as she looks up from her work. As they make eye contact, he begins to lean in.

"You know, they'd do whatever you tell them to do, just-like-that," he says, snapping his fingers.

"Is that so?" Shizuko says, unperturbed by the sudden advances. She does not make a move or a sound; she simply keeps eye contact with him.

"The same goes for me, Ms. Shizuko." He leans in closer, their heads almost touching. His arms are extended, pushing against the chair, but bending slowly as he continues.

"I need you, Kyo– " He begins to say something, but he is stopped.

Her sudden change in expression freezes him. Not because of his infatuation, but because of her golden gaze; sending him messages, stopping him in his tracks.

Pity. He sees pity in her eyes. Not pity for herself, but for him. Why would she pity him?

That you would be interested in someone like me.

What is this?

I'm not the kind of person that should be…

It would only lead to sadness and despair…

There's no way that I'd be able to…

They flood his mind, driving out all other thoughts. He becomes scared; incoherent. He feels as though he will drown in the feelings of her eyes. He must escape…

He recoils from the gaze, as if he had been physically struck. As he takes a step away, Shizuko gives a small, sad smile and stands up, collecting her things. He is frozen in place, unable to even blink, as she quietly leaves the room.


The moment that Kyoko closed the door and disappeared from sight, Ren regained control. He staggered over to a chair and slumped into it. He felt as though he had just run a marathon. Touching his head, he realized that he had broken into a cold sweat.

What has she done? It's…unimaginably…

Thinking back to the scene, Ren shivered. Not only because of Shizuko's pitying gaze, but also because of the slip-up that he had narrowly avoided.

What have I done? Why did I do all that? It wasn't in the script! And I almost said 'Kyoko' at the end! What a mess!

As the scene replayed in his mind, he could remember how close to her he had been.

How close their faces had been.

How close their lips had been…

Ren couldn't think straight. However, as he struggled to clear his head and get a hold on himself, he had at least one rational thought:

The greatest and most famous actor in Japan, Tsuruga Ren, had just been led by the acting power of Mogomi Kyoko.


Yashiro had given up. It was almost noon, and Ren hadn't shown up. He resigned himself to a lonely day at home.

It's probably something with Kyoko-chan, he thought to himself. That guy could lose himself with her around.

As he tripped over his front step while walking back inside, Yashiro hoped that things would go well with them, and for himself as well.


- The Mogomi Melting Pot is a reference to Chapter 150 (except there it was the Tsuruga Melting Pot). In Chapter 150, it's Kyoko being spun around and confused by the multitude of thoughts about Ren after he kisses her on the cheek. Here, it's more or less the same thing, except now it's Ren fantasizing about Kyoko (and simultaneously trying to stop).

- More plot = less narration. It's an equation I plan to use throughout the story.

- Movie lines and actions will be in bold.

- For those who aren't satisfied with Ren's lapse in judgement as "snapping," you can rest assured (or become even angier) at the fact that I did make Ren snap in this chapter..with his fingers.

Next Chapter: Less plot, more Lory, and the introduction of several original characters. Let the movie begin!