DISCLAIMER: SKIP BEAT! and its associated characters are the creations of Yoshiki Nakamura. This author claims no ownership of Skip Beat or any of its characters. All other rights reserved.

Word prompt: Harness

Note: Technically, this takes place before Kyoko's fight with Moko in…308? 309? In canon, she goes directly from costuming to that fight. This little fic puts an imaginary bumper of time in between those two moments.

**Note 2:** This bumps up the one-shot ratings to T for some tension between our favorite pair.

Entanglements

"Senpai, would you mind practicing with me while they're meeting with the language consultant? I'd really like to spend more time with the harness system they have here." she asked. "Momiji's moves are completely different and I'm not quite sure I have Liar down—"

Ren smiled at her. She did have Liar down, though perhaps she really would be more comfortable after familiarizing herself with the harness system they'd rigged up in this studio. "Of course, Mogami-san," he said smoothly. "Anytime. It'll be a pleasure."

It was an eminently reasonable request. He even understood there wasn't anyone else available she could've asked—they all had to meet up with some language assessment team. His English had apparently passed muster.

He motioned them to a practice room, set up to help the actors train on how to use the harnesses they had on the main soundstage. Here, at least, they wouldn't have to contend with the crew setting up and breaking down for the next shot.

"Let's avoid aerial maneuvers for now," he said. " I'd prefer someone spotting us just in case for those moves."

She nodded her assent. "I was more interested in using the harnesses for the melee scenes with Moko," she said. "Hand-to-hand things. Maybe using static elements like the walls—just learning how to move with this system on…"

Ah. "I understand. Shall we?" he asked.

"I'll get suited up," she answered.

He made a point of not looking at her. He heard her getting her gear together. If she blushed…or smiled…or did any of the hundred Kyoko-things he loved about her, he risked giving himself away. Koga was already watching him like a hawk, and Murasame—well, it was clear that Kyoko's costume was reminding him of someone. Someone who was somewhat…problematic.

They'd waited until the rest of the team took their meeting. They had a half-hour, not much more, while everyone was busy. He knew she just wanted to run through some moves, explore her capabilities, try out some choreography. Still, he was happy to work with her.

"Ready?" she called.

"Ready," he said. "What are we doing?"

"Hmm." He looked over at her, found her looking pensive as she surveyed the room. "Perhaps just a street fight…"

"OK. I'm going to be coming for you," he said. He slid into his character, eyes narrowing as he bared his teeth.

He could see her follow suit, a seductive grin on her face. Already Kyoko had faded behind Liar—how did she do it? Her features hadn't changed and yet she felt completely different.

"Bring it," she said. Her grin widened.

She crouched low and began to move, startling him with the speed of her approach. And then with a leap, she used the harness and her momentum to lift her upwards. She was running sideways on the padded wall, parallel to the ground, and he knew she was going to leap over his head before landing behind him with the piece of PVC pipe she was using as a stand-in for her dagger. She hadn't had anything to substitute for the whips her character had.

Had he said it would be a pleasure? It was more than a pleasure, it was a challenge. She'd already improved so much—what in the hell was Uesugi teaching her? Physical stunts were an entirely new and different kind of acting, and he hadn't had the chance to watch her on-set as Momiji. Apparently the rumors were to be believed—she was extraordinary.

She executed the flip, sailing above him, landing on the mat behind him. He came to with a start—he had a role to play, too. He whirled around, grabbing his own PVC pipe as she swung hers down over his head. The thwack of the hollow plastic echoed through the studio as he blocked her. He was grinning now. Her commitment to her role was complete; he was proud that she hadn't pulled her punches. It was proof of two things: one, that she was fully committed to her character, and two, that she had enough faith in him to know that he, too, would know exactly what to do. He broke apart their stance.

She growled at him.

The sound of it woke the hunter in him, thrilling him just a little as he attacked. Character, setting, plot—all of it faded into something more primal. She ran, he chased, she chased, he ran. Winning was the objective, but if you asked him, he didn't quite know what that entailed. So he attacked and she feinted, then fell back, using the harness to carry her farther down the soundstage. He went after her—the sight of her retreat all but forcing him forward. His long legs carried him to her in leaps and bounds and then they were in an all out melee, their makeshift swords clashing—Ren didn't hold back; he didn't need to.

They went back and forth. She had him working up a sweat, panting a little as she pivoted in mid-air and then used the wall for leverage. He wasn't watching the clock—he was too busy keeping up. He caught her in mid-leap but she attempted to change course…catching her harness on a wall fixture in the process.

All of a sudden everything stopped.

Ren had her pinned to the wall, feeling her panting breath on his unclothed chest. He hadn't expected her to get stuck—he'd thought she would escape him just at the last minute. But somehow he'd found himself trapping her in a kabedon…again. She wriggled ineffectually and his character smiled to see it. But she was fixed firmly in place. They were face to face, inches away from each other. Her eyes were golden and dilated; he could see her pulse beating on her slender neck. He could smell her scent—something floral and an overlay of clean sweat from their bout.

He might have been able to pull himself back from the brink but then he looked into her eyes.

He wasn't prepared.

Girls grow up fast in this business, Ren. How long ago had Yashiro said that? The look in her eyes hadn't been that of a little girl's. They'd confessed to each other, but he had never dared to think of Kyoko reciprocating the thoughts he entertained in his most private thoughts.

She took a sharp intake of breath and then he saw the tip of her tongue moisten her lips as they parted…his eyes were drawn to the swell of her breasts underneath her costume's skimpy top. Proximity. Proximity and immersion. She was so close.

He felt his self-control melting in a pool of heat. All the blood came rushing out of his head, pooling between his thighs. Thoughts of her in all her forms coalesced into one glorious whole—the avenging angel…the warped, scarred woman…the bully mastermind…his one-and-only leather-clad Setsu.

He mastered his shaking with one long, agonizing breath, reminded himself she was pinioned on the wall, and the thought of that began a series of thoughts he told himself he ought not to be thinking. Keeping his eyes on hers, he removed his hand from the wall and moved it downwards, following the curve of her body but not touching it, hovering maddeningly a mere inch above her skin. He felt her body arch towards his as his hand descended on the harness's belt buckle, a zap of electricity singeing his fingertips as he made contact with her body. He began to fumble with it as her lips hovered towards his, closer and closer—he was going to give in, oh gods, it was the moment he'd been hoping for since the day he realized he loved her—

"Are you and Kyoko-chan ready for your fight scene?" It was Yashiro, coming around the bend with Kotonami-san.

Instantly Ren sprang away, suddenly cognizant of where they were. Kyoko, too, looked away from him and then freed herself as quickly as possible from the harness which had trapped her against the wall.

He looked up, a puzzled Yashiro and Kotonami staring at the tableau he and Kyoko made.

Kotonami-san crossed her arms and glared at him. Yashiro tried to contain his glee.

He could see that the tips of Kyoko's adorable ears had turned pink, but she finished untangling the rest of the harness from where it caught on the walls.

Yashiro cleared his throat.

Ren felt himself go on the defensive. "We were just practicing movements with the harness system," Ren said. "Figured it would be good to do something while you guys were with the language consultant."

"Ah," Yashiro said. "Yes." He nodded his head up and down. "Practice."

Kotonami-san was standing next to him with an eyebrow raised at Kyoko. "I just wanted to practice for our scene, Moko!" she said.

Ren had a feeling they were going to undergo a more thorough questioning when he was saved by the rest of the gang walking through the hallway to get back to filming.

"Thank you, Tsuruga-senpai," Kyoko said. She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Mogami-san," he responded. "I'm at your disposal."

She looked up at him and their eyes met briefly again, a flash of electricity between them.

There were so many things he wanted to say.

Maybe someday.