"A game?" asked Kyoko.

"Yes. An acting game. if you win the game I will accept your ability to perform this role to my satisfaction. If you lose, then we will practice till I am convinced that you can play this role."

Kyoko understood then. He was trying to help her in a roundabout way. And he was also establishing their antagonistic relationship in real life as well. She noted the open-mouthed stares of the other people in the room. As they saw it, Ren was bullying her. Its not like she was a newbie. She was an established actor in her own right. The director had specifically picked her for this role. Yet Ren acted like he thought she was inept.

They would never think we had anything close to a romantic relationship now. So then, two can play at that game.

"If it is an acting game." she said, "i think it is more likely that you will lose Tsuruga-senpai. Are you ready to accept the same consequences in that case?"

Ren was surprised. But the game he had in mind -'Yes that would work too.' He too really wanted to act opposite her.

He explained the rules of the game. They would pick a place together and each would decide a character to play by themselves - someone who would not stand out in that setting. And then each would try to get the other to break character. They picked a market as the first place.

Yashiro came after the reading was over to drive them back so people would know they had a chaperone. He didn't say anything about the weird and uncomfortable silence between them.

"Ren-san?" said Kyoko after a while. Ren turned and she said, "I am your wife. Next time can you stop trying to manipulate me when you don't need to?" she said it calmly with no trace of anger or reproach in her voice. Ren felt a pang of guilt at the realization that he had manipulated her. He had only thought about how to get her to accept help, not about how she would feel when she realized her husband had manipulated her. Most women, even actresses would be none the wiser that he had manipulated them - or even if they did, they'd chalk it up to his dedication to bringing out the best scene or character. But she saw through him, saw what it cost him to be the villain, the master manipulator - the unfair burden that it placed on him. She had done it in the past as well. And she was telling him he needn't do it with her.

"That game is not something you came up in the spur of the moment." she continued. "You could have told me before. Although, I know you did it that way only because you wanted people to never guess that you and I have anything close to a relationship. And you think that you will get a truly genuine response only if you spring on the person unawares. But I am not just any person. I'd like to think that if you had informed me of your plan in advance, I still would have been able to respond adequately."

She was right. He could have told her in advance. He had had plenty of opportunities to suggest this game to her. Why hadn't he? He realized then that he had separated out his personality as an actor from the person who was married to Kyoko so as to have an iron clad defense against being found out. And Tsuruga Ren the actor was the kind of person who was honest with no one, trusted no one with his real self except a person in a chicken suit. Tsuruga Ren the actor was the kind of person to bully and manipulate a co-actor, to get the response he wanted. He looked over at Kyoko. She was right. She deserved better than Tsuruga Ren the actor - not because she was his wife but because she was an actress capable of holding her own against his best. Because she had guessed at his true intentions of hiding their relationship when he himself hadn't. She was a frightening actress after all. Then why would she have trouble with the role?

"Yashiro-san" he called. "Can you please keep your eyes on the road?"

"I am keeping my eyes on the road." Yashiro said, indignant. He glanced at the rear view mirror under the pretense of checking all the mirrors and his eyes widened.

Ren had leaned over and was kissing Kyoko.

All the time since Ren and Kyoko started dating, Yashiro had considered himself a kind and invested uncle, watching over their relationship making sure no external pressures tore them apart. His heart had gone a flutter watching their budding, blundering, hesitant feelings develop into the full blown and beautiful flower of love. But he had never seen Ren kiss Kyoko until now. He gasped involuntarily.

Ren released Kyoko and still looking at her shocked and red face, he said, "I said EYES ON THE ROAD." Kyoko went a deeper shade of red.

"Wh... Why?" she asked.

"Yashiro-san, is there a rule against a husband kissing his wife in the back of a car?"

"No." squeaked Yashiro afraid to let his eyes wander again, although he wanted to very badly. Kyoko-chan looks very cute when she is blushing and she must be blushing now.

"But why?" Kyoko asked again.

"I just wanted to kiss those lips to check." said Ren looking out the window.

"Check what?"

"That they are the same lips that said two days ago that they were afraid of our relationship being found out."

"You know you are driving away that fear very rapidly now. I don't think I will have any trouble hating you in the drama. I hope you won't mind if I am unable to come out of character at the end of it." Kyoko said pointedly.

Ren turned to look at her and noted the twitch at the ends of her lips and Kyoko noted the answering twinkle in his eyes and they both burst into laughter at the same time. Yashiro in the driving seat was totally bewildered. I hope this means they are not quarreling any more he thought.

Kyoko sobered up first and touching her lips said, "I accept the apology. But next time I won't forgive you so easily."

A/N: I would like to add an apology of my own. I don't think I can get back to main story line as soon as I thought I would. Let me know if you are finding this boring. But please keep following and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.