We have now come to Chapter 5! Thanks for sticking with me. Sorry if the last two chapters were a little strong, they needed to get clean, and there was just no way around it… Somehow I had forgotten that Kyoko had worn contacts for her acting, sorry. *smacks hands at the mistake and digs out the manga to reread it* I promise to do better, but I can't go back and change it now. As for setting in the timeline, well, I really did not pick an exact point, sometime after Ren realizes his feelings for Kyoko, yet before she accepts her growing feelings for him. But it would have to be after the first time she saw Cain, or parts of this chapter would not make sense…. Now I have to really go back and read the manga again so that I can place it better.
This is the point where things start to get confusing, please note that anytime someone that know the situation refers to one of the two subjects, they called them according to their original gender, not what they are now. So Kyoko, in Ren's body, will be 'she' and Ren, in Kyoko's body, will be 'he'. This is the way the actors still see themselves. To anyone that does not know their bodies have been switched, they call them according to what they physically see. I have tried very hard to make it so that the contexts of the surrounding words support this and leave no doubt about who is being referred too. I apologize if there is any confusion, please let me know and I will attempt to correct the issue.
Please let me know what you think. Thanks.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!
After Kyoko set out a plate of treats she thought the fairy would like, they left to get Ren some clothing. He had suggested that he just go and buy some new things, but Kyoko had refused. She had plenty of nice clothing at the Darumaya, they just had to go and get them. Ren picked up his keys and handed Kyoko his wallet to put in her pocket. It would do him no good as he was now; the credit cards and ID were in his name with his picture on it. The three friends were at a dilemma for transportation; Kyoko could not go on public transportation, she would be mobbed by Ren's fans. She and Yashiro could not drive Ren's car, neither of them knew how. It was finally decided that Ren would drive his car carefully. If they got pulled over, Kyoko could always claim that she was teaching him how to drive. Kyoko got shotgun due to her now much longer legs, and Ren was surprised at how far forward he had to move his seat to reach the pedals. Once things were settled and adjusted, they took off to the Darumaya to get Ren something decent to wear. He also decided he would need to pack a few extra items so he and Kyoko could stay in his apartment until this ordeal was over.
Ren slipped into the Darumaya carefully and followed Kyoko's instructions on how to reach her room. The lunch crowd was starting to come in, so he was saved from actually having to greet the Okami and Taishou. He liked the older woman who mothered Kyoko, but the knife wielding man had always made him a little nervous. Ren counted the rooms till he came to the room Kyoko said was hers. He slipped through the sliding door and stopped stunned at what he saw. Kyoko's room reflected her heart. It was bubbly and comforting. Ren's eyes cataloged all of the things tucked neatly into their holes and shelves. He smiled warmly at the picture box Kyoko had placed Queen Rose in, and the little bed she had made for Princess Rose. His eyes caught on the two pictures hanging on her wall. He recognized the large poster of Fuwa Sho. It was covered with pin holes and tears, as if Kyoko regularly threw things at the picture. He inspected his picture. It was right next to Sho's but there were no holes in it. He smiled at this and turned to the task he had come for. He still needed to get dressed and gather clothing for the rest of the week.
Ren stood topless in Kyoko's room and looked at the thing he was supposed to be putting on. He had seen woman wearing them, and he had even taken a few off, but he had never really paid attention to their workings. He flipped the bra over and inspected the clips on the end. One end had three hooks while the other had nine loops. He pondered over this for a moment and decided that they were there for adjustment. He knew the straps went over the shoulders, so he slipped it up his arms and tried to reach around behind him to hook the ends together. It took him several tries to get the ends to stay, but once he did, he looked at himself in the mirror proud of the task he had just completed. He was met with Kyoko's near topless reflection and blushed deeply before turning away. He had forgotten for a moment that he was in the girl's body. He quickly found a shirt and pulled it on. No sooner had Ren finished dressing, a knock sounded at the door.
"Kyoko-chan?" The voice of the Okami sounded through the door. Ren freaked as he tried to do his best impression of Kyoko.
"Hai?" He answered and the older woman opened the door. The Okami brought a cup of tea into the room and sat it on the table for her young boarder.
"I thought I saw you come in during the lunch crowd." She smiled warmly at the young girl she had grown to care for. Ren froze not knowing what to say to the older woman. The Okami noticed the girl's uneasiness. "Is everything alright?" Concern crossed the kind woman's face.
"Yes!" Ren startled into an answer. He didn't want the older woman worrying about Kyoko. "I was…. just… thinking about some work that I have been given." Ren tried his best to cover. The worried look on the older woman's face grew.
"They haven't asked you to do anything improper?" The concern showed in her voice.
"Oh no." Ren answered in his best Kyoko impression. "I have been asked to take care of my sick senpai." Ren figured that it was the best excuses he could come up with for why Kyoko would not be here for the next few days. And it was true… sort of. The Okami looked at the girl talking to her. She was acting strange.
"Are you sure you are ok? You aren't sick too?" She asked. This was the only reason she could think of for the girl to be so off.
"I am fine, I just have to pick up a few things so I can do my job properly." Ren assured her and turned to find a bag to put some clothing in. Finding a large black bag from the corner of the room, he pulled and popped open the clasp. He slammed it shut almost as fast when he saw the contents of the bag. Trying not to blush under the watchful eye of the woman studying him, he set the bag back down and rummaged in the drawers for some suitable clothing that would get him through till the fairy's magic would take effect and switch them back.
"I take it you will be staying over at his apartment again?" The woman asked. Ren swallowed at the question.
"Yes." He answered as he piled up some shirts to pack.
"He does treat you nicely, doesn't he?" Ren's hands stilled at her questions and he looked over to the concerned woman. He had only met her a few times.
"He does his best to make sure of that." Ren felt funny talking about himself in third person to the loving woman. She smiled at him and stood up.
"I need to get back to the restaurant." The Okami turned to go. She paused in the doorway and looked back at the girl standing at the dresser. "You know you can talk to me about anything bothering you." The older woman smiled.
"Thank you." Ren answered. He could see the concern in her eyes and he was tempted to tell her about the problem, but decided it would do no good. A few days would put thing right and Kyoko could tell her if she wanted. The Okami nodded and shut the door as she left to take care of her customers. Ren sighed in relief, now he could get back to packing. Tugging at the strap wrapped around his chest, Ren went back to collecting clothing. It pinched oddly and he wondered how women could stand these things.
When Ren had collected enough clothing for a week, he went back to looking for something to put them in to carry out. His eyes fell on the black bag he had dropped earlier. Tucking his legs under him, he sat on the floor next to the bag. He clicked it open and looked at the many objects inside that had shocked him earlier. Pulling out the little likeness of himself, Ren held it up so he could inspect it closer. The level of detail the doll had surprised Ren, he remembered this outfit well and marveled at how closely Kyoko had rendered it. He squeezed the doll gently checking out how detailed she had made it. Finding that it was not anatomically correct, Ren looked deeper in the bag to pull out a few more lifelike dolls and laid them carefully on the floor. Pulling out a doll that was not him, Ren made a disgusted noise as he recognized the singer whose picture was tattered on the wall. He slung this one into the wall to his left and it hit with a satisfying thud before sliding into a crumpled heap on the floor. Ren smile at the warm feeling this action gave him and went back to looking through the voodoo dolls. His dolls were laid gently on his right while the Sho dolls went to join the first against the wall. When all of the dolls had been pulled out Ren looked over them. All of the Sho dolls were chibi style with scared or crying expressions. There were some of him that were chibi also with crying faces, but the majority of his were more refined and the face had started to be more lifelike. Ren sat in bewilderment for a moment and then remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He tossed the Sho dolls in the bottom of the bag unceremoniously and placed his carefully back on top before closing the bag. Now he knew what Kyoko meant when she told him it was his proportions that had let her recognize him when he was Cain. Ren put the bag back in the corner with a smile. He had wanted his kohai to see him as a man and that proved that she was at least looking at him. Ren looked in the closet and found an empty brown bag and pulled it out. After packing the clothing into this bag, Ren grabbed the bag containing Kyoko's make up, her Corn stone, and Princess Rosa and placed these in the bag. He tossed his clothing in on top of everything else and clicked the bag shut. If he forgot anything, he could always come back to get it. Ren pulled on his bra strap again. How could Kyoko stand to where this uncomfortable thing! He was going to take it off as soon as possible.
Ren waved goodbye to the Okami and Taishou as he left the Darumaya. The last thing he wanted was for them to worry about Kyoko while she was not there. He was sure that the woman was already concerned about Kyoko. Ren tossed the bag into the trunk and climbed into the car where Kyoko and Yashiro were waiting. The conversation with the Okami and his exploration of Kyoko's voodoo dolls has taken more time than he had intended.
"Did everything go ok?" Kyoko asked as Ren settled into the driver's seat of the car. Ren's ears turned a little red as he remembered what he had found.
"I was stopped by the Okami." Ren admitted. Kyoko looked at him concerned. "I told her that you would be staying with me for a few days." Kyoko blushed a little at the implications of the man's words. Ren realized how that sounded when Yashiro squeed lightly in the back seat. "I mean… I told her that you were taking care of your sick senpai." Ren amended his statement. The noise coming from Yashiro increased slightly at these words, he was loving this. Ren shot his manager an irritated look. "You're still not helping." Yashiro snickered as he tried to control his mirth. Ren shook his head and pulled out into the flow of traffic and headed off to LME to talk to the President.
Kyoko sat in the passenger's seat and looked at her hands. She still couldn't believe what had happened to her and her beloved senpai. Her eyes shifted over to his smaller form working the controls of the car. She watched as he tugged at something under his shirt. She smiled as she realized he was messing with the strap of the bra he was wearing. Her thoughts ran over how uncomfortable some of her clothing really was as she looked over the outfit the actor had chosen to where. The long pants and fitted top were probably more comfortable for the actor to wear then a dress would have been. The smile faded from her lips as Ren pulled on the offending side strap again. She couldn't thing of any clothing she owned that would cause him so much trouble.
"What's wrong Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked as her senpai tugged at his clothing again. He looked over at the girl occupying his body.
"It feels weird to be so formal in the light of our circumstances, can you please call me by my given name?" Ren asked. Kyoko blushed lightly. She could hardly deny that she could be any more intimate with her respected senpai then being inside his skin, and he had already asked her for this favor before this incident so she nodded in agreement.
"Alright R..ren-kun." Kyoko stuttered. Yashiro just barely contained his excitement in the back seat. "What's wrong?" She asked again. Ren's hand had made to tug on the strap again.
"It pinches." Ren confessed to his discomfort. Kyoko looked at him in confused, none of her bras pinched. She had made sure they were comfortable before she got them. Kyoko carefully reached over to the area that was bothering Ren and placed her fingers on the line where the strap laid across his side. Ren's heart fluttered at her light touch. She grinned when she discovered the problem.
"No wonder it pinches." She said pulled her hand back from his side. "You have it twisted." Ren blushed a little as his error. "I'll help you fix it when we get to LME." A snort issued from the back seat as Yashiro really did try to not enjoy the actor's plight. He knew that Ren was going to make his life hell when all of this was over, but he just could not help himself. Ren just shook his head and pulled into his usual parking place.