Chapter 28: Morning Interlude

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Setsu would have looked down in that shower.

Kyoko woke up shivering. With eyes still closed she reached out for her covers but her hands managed to land on something else, or more like, someone else.

She opened her eyes slowly, using the dawn light peeking through the curtains. Her cheeks heated up when she spotted Kuon softly snoring next to her. He was lying on his back sleeping without a care in the world. The covers were a tangled mess at the foot of the bed. He must have been hot last night since he was only wearing boxer briefs. Kyoko glanced down at herself remembering her lack of clothing.

She was practically nude save for her underwear. For some reason, her nakedness didn't embarrass her as much. Was it because he made her feel wanted?

She smiled as she recalled last night. Her body was no longer cold as the memory of last night filled her with warmth. She had mischievously barged into his room even though he told her to go to bed. She had wanted him and although they didn't have "sex" it was still very satisfying.

She had held still last night and just let him touch her. She didn't want to startle him and make him freak out, which he was prone to do. Kyoko didn't want him to throw her out of the room. She was glad he didn't do that because it felt wonderful to have his hands and mouth on her.

Kyoko propped herself on her elbow as she watched her man sleep, looking for all the world like the Gods favored Adonis. She reached out her hand tentatively to touch him. Her fingers started with brushing his hair from his forehead. She knew from last night that he had taken out his contacts so if he were to open them now they could be as vibrant as emeralds sparkling in the sunlight or like last night, during throws of passion, they could be as dark as a tempest sea.

She traced her finger over his chiseled jaw. She could feel the whiskers already sprouting through his pores. She moved to touch his soft pink lips. Lips that could set her skin aflame with just one touch. She had an urge to kiss him but she held back and opted for her fingers to do the work. His lips parted as she traced over them, stilling her hand she waited to see if she had awoken him.

When he didn't stir anymore, her hand continued its exploration. The pad of her fingers lightly ran the curve of his long neck and down to his collar bone. She stifled a giggle as her fingers played with one nipple then the other watching it harden under her touch. So this is the same for men as it is women. Her eyes dropped to his abdomen.

Her fingers lingered there tracing each muscle out slowly. She reveled at the tightness of his stomach so unlike hers. Her fingers circled his navel. She could feel the stubble of his hair and deduced that he shaved his body there. As she made her way to his waistband she inhaled sharply and pulled her hand back. She was curious to know if he was blonde all down there as well. She had never seen a man's penis. All she had to go on were the pictures she saw during her "research."

Kyoko glanced at his face with a worried frown. I'm being extremely perverted right now. This has to be against the law. I'm violating him in his sleep.

Kuon's lips twitched slightly as he spied his girlfriend's face of mixed emotions through slitted eyes. Her touch had woken him up when she was playing with his nipples and it took all his ability not to move.

He didn't want to break whatever spell had befallen her. She was touching him of her own volition and he fucking loved it. He watched her face go from a range of excitement, curiosity, guilt, and then back to curiosity. Her hand reached out for his groin area. Was she going to touch him down there? His heart raced with anticipation.

Forgetting to feign sleep, Kuon opened his eyes wider to watch her. She didn't realize he was awake since her eyes were once again trained on his crotch.

He watched her pink little tongue snake out over her lips as her hand neared his waistband. He lost. His erection grew under her eyes until his dick was pitching a high tent in his boxers

Kyoko's hand stopped short as she watched this phenomenon occurring in his pants. She flicked wide eyes to his face. He was awake! Her eyes locked with the piercing dark green of the Emperor. It was a tempest sea kind of morning.

Neither of them spoke as he reached out a hand to touch the curve of her hip. She shivered as he traced his finger up her side and over her breast. His finger rolled over her nipple. Kyoko arched her back wanting more of her breast to fill his hand. Kuon obliged as he palmed her breast, rubbing his thumb over the rosy crest. His eyes narrowed as she responded wantonly to his touch. She hummed with desire. Kuon pulled her closer, sliding his leg between her thighs and digging his erection into her hip. He kissed her slowly but passionately. She responded in kind and parted her lips entangling his tongue with hers. He wanted to take his time with her. He didn't plan on going all the way with her. Last night could attest to the fact that they could both find fulfillment in just touching.

Kyoko hooked her leg over his hip not knowing what she wanted. She only knew that it felt good to have him rubbing against her. Kuon broke the kiss trailing his lips over her smooth jaw and down to her neck. He lingered in the crook of her neck licking and sucking at the delicate skin.

The blaring sound of a phone buzzing broke their morning interlude. Kuon buried his head into her chest with an agonizing groan. He cursed the interruption making Kyoko giggle. Who the fuck was calling this early in the morning? He reached for the offending object and snatched it open. Forgetting his professionalism he answered the phone gruffly, "What?! This better be an emergency!"

"Mo! You bastard! How dare you answer the phone like that? Are you even Japanese? Didn't your parents teach you manners? Why are you..." Kanae's voice rang loud and clear in the quiet of Kuon's room. He felt emasculated as he handed Kyoko the phone not even listening to the rest of her best friend's lecture. There was no way he could continue after that dressing down. She was hitting a little too close to home with her questions.

"Mokoooo-saaaan!" Kyoko squealed into the receiver.

"Mo! I see your relationship is going good," Kanae teased with her cool voice.

"Eh, Mo- Moko-san I assure you I'm still..."

"Mo, it's okay! I'm not judging. I just hope you're both being safe. Your career is..."

"But Mo-..." Kyoko's train of thought cut off as she watched Kuon roll out of bed. Her mouth watered as he stalked to the bathroom leaving the door ajar. She heard him relieve himself before hopping into the shower.

"Mo! Are you even listening to me? Did you hear a word I said? Even if you didn't win, it was still a win for your career. Anyway it's good you're fine, that's all!" Kanae said quickly and hung up.

Kyoko stared at the phone while the dial tone hummed. It was so like Kanae. She didn't even get a chance to ask her about the States. She placed her phone back on the table and laid in bed listening to the sounds of the shower. She had a strong desire to join him but she wasn't brave enough to act on it yet.

Kuon took a nice cold shower while Kyoko caught up with her friend. He contemplated rubbing one out while he was in there, Lord knew, after last night he had plenty of material to help him come quickly. He thought better of it. They had the day off today so maybe they could continue later.

He turned off the water and realized he forgot a towel. "Baby, can you get me a towel from the closet?" He asked as goose pimples dotted his flesh. He heard the distinct sound of drawers and doors opening and closing outside.

He smirked when Kyoko walked into the bathroom wearing one of his T-shirts. She rummaged through my drawers. He didn't even try to cover himself up. She just stood there gaping at him in all his naked glory under the bright lights of the bathroom. He let her have her fill until the cold got the better of him.

"Thank you for the towel," he said huskily reaching for it.

Kyoko was startled from her thoughts when he took the towel. She blushed as she realized she had been staring at his crotch like a total pervert. That confirmed it, his hair was a darker blonde down there. As he was distracted drying his hair, she inspected his penis resting on his thigh. Even at rest, she could tell he was well endowed. Her eyes took on a calculated look, almost medical, as she mentally noted his measurements. She could refine her dolls with this data.

Kuon cleared his throat as his face heated up. If she kept this up he might have to take her on the bathroom counter. Before he could act on it, she scuttled out of the bathroom embarrassed. "I'll get cleaned up too." She wondered how her perverted nature could know no bounds.

Kuon chuckled a bit relieved. He looked down at his dick. He thought he was well proportioned for his size. She didn't seem disappointed. A dark thought entered his mind. Am I the first man she has ever seen naked? He knew she lived with Sho when they were kids and then over a year ago alone as teens. Did Fuwa ever forget his towel? Did she?

Kuon looked at his reflection in the mirror. Cold green eyes stared back at him as he imagined her walking in on "Sho-chan" in the shower or vice versa. He wondered if that was the reason she could act so naturally when she walked in on him while acting as the Heel siblings. Was she used to seeing men naked?

He snapped the toothbrush he held in his hand which brought him back to his senses. His insecurities and overactive imagination would only cause them problems. He knew nothing happened between them. Case and point the fiasco he witnessed on Valentine's Day. She was so distraught after that asshole stole her first kiss. He regretted not punching that jerk.

When his mind was in a positive place after taking him on a pointless downward spiral, he went to get dress.

He found his suit and her dress lying neatly on the bed. How did she manage to remove that from under his knows? He hoped she didn't notice his pants. He would be embarrassed if he had to explain a man's secretions. He prayed he never had to.

His phone chirped indicating new messages. He quickly dressed and reached for his phone. Sure enough, there was a message from Yashiro. Congratulations Ren, I hope Kyoko isn't too disappointed. President wants to see you guys in the morning. Lay low for today.

Kuon looked at his phone oddly. What was with the cryptic message? He decided to give their manager a call.

"Yashiro-san, what's going on?" Ren asked disturbed by what wasn't said in their manager's message.

"Ren, it's nothing serious or I would have called. It's just the media outlets are hunting for you guys. They are staking out Kyoko-chan's place. I'm not sure how they found out where she lived. Your apartment has high tech security so I'm pretty sure you're safe," Yashiro-san explained.

Ren could hear a but coming on so he waited. "But they also know she didn't come home last night. So here we are."

Ren cursed his stupidity. He didn't think about the implications of her coming home with him.

"That is why the President wants to meet with both of you. Anyway, you two just enjoy this rare day off together." Yashiro couldn't contain his glee any longer and squealed. "So Ren... how was it? Were you gentle? Did you make it magical? Having the woman you love in your apartment all to yourself..."

"Goodbye Yashiro-san," he said as he cut him off and hung up. He couldn't deal with his teasing right now. He had to figure out a way to protect Kyoko.

He looked up at the sound of a knock at the door.

"Come in," he called out.

Kyoko opened the door. She noticed his worried expression before he had a chance to smile at her serenely.

"Corn is something wrong? I heard Yashir. Did he say anything?" She asked concerned.

Kuon gave her a reassuring smile. "Everything is fine," he replied.

Kyoko frowned and stalked out of the room to start breakfast. He was hiding something from her again. She thought they were past keeping secrets.

Sensing her animosity, he reached out for her before she got too far. Of course, she was mad. She could tell something was wrong with him and he was shutting her out like usual under the pretense of protecting her. He pulled her into his arms and stroked her back. Kyoko stiffened in his embrace. He was trying to placate her using his body but she was not having any of it.

He sighed in defeat when she didn't return his hug. Why am I screwing things up already?

"I wanted to come up with a plan before telling you. Yes, that was Yashiro-san. He told me that reporters are camping outside the Darumaya."

"What?" She wasn't expecting that answer. She thought it had something to do with her actions last night and then again this morning.

"I don't think they know for sure that you live there, and I'm not sure who tipped them off. But if they go by the assumption that you do live there then they know you didn't come home last night. The lack of truth won't stop them from reporting on it. There may be some harsh tabloid articles coming out."

"Oh, that's all it was?" She asked wondering why that would be such a big deal. Was it a crime for a girlfriend not to stay with her boyfriend? She didn't know since this was her first relationship.

"That's it? Aren't you worried about your reputation at all?" Kuon asked bewildered.

"I think my reputation went out of the window the day I posed with you in those R'Mandy ads. Fans speculated we were sleeping with each other, remember? I don't see what the big deal is. It's none of their business where I spend my night," Kyoko said finally hugging him back.

He marveled at the strength of the tiny woman in his arms. How could she just see things for what they were?

"Plus I don't plan on letting you go so they might as well get used to it," she said with a matter of fact tone.

She pulled back with a worried look biting her bottom lip, "Does Yashiro think it would be a problem because of our age? I'm still in high school. I don't want you going to jail or anything."

He laughed. It was so like her to worry about everyone but herself. "We're meeting with Boss tomorrow. I think everything should be fine."

"I also don't want to cause my landlords any trouble." She would be heartbroken if she had to move soon. She enjoyed living with Taisho and Okami. They treated her like a daughter. With her work picking up, her income also increased. She used a good chunk of her R'Mandy paycheck to pay off some of her debts and put the rest into savings. She would be able to afford a modest apartment if her work continued at this pace.

Kyorororo!

Kyoko's stomach roared with hunger pains. She groaned. Her body chose the most inopportune moments to interrupt.

Kuon chuckled and pulled her towards the kitchen. "Come on. Let's eat some breakfast. I'll get things started, while you call your landlords. You're worried about them, right?"

Kyoko nodded and smiled. She swore he had to have fairy powers since he always knew what was in her mind. Kyoko went to call the couple she treated as parents. They assured her that everything was fine but told her she should stay away another night just until things settled down.

Feeling better about the situation, Kyoko went to help Kuon prepare breakfast. Knowing Kyoko was coming, he had the hindsight to stock his fridge and pantry with groceries. Kyoko was impressed by his selections. With his help, they made a modest breakfast of tamagoyaki, sausage, miso soup, rice, and salad.

When they were settled at the table in the living room, he turned on the TV. Kuon scrolled through a few channels until he landed on the entertainment news that was running a segment from last night. The hosts were coincidentally discussing them. This particular show critiqued the outfits worn by the celebrities during these red carpet events. It was a best and worst dressed type of scenario.

"Can we just stop and take a moment to focus on this couple's style? How adorable did they look tonight?" The female host smiled as cheers rang out from the audience receiving the reaction she desired.

They flashed through shots of Ren and Kyoko posing on the red carpet. "Let's start with Kyoko-san. Can we get a solo shot of her on the screen?" The female host asked the technical team.

A picture of Kyoko last night filled the large screen making Kyoko blush. She never watched any of these shows before so she was a little embarrassed that all across the city people were seeing this picture.

Kyoko had to admit that under Fuji's guidance she felt like a beautiful Princess last night. Kuon and Kyoko continued to eat while they followed the program.

"Isn't her dress just darling on her. Fuji-san sure knew what he was doing. The whole ensemble from her heels to her edgy hairstyle just worked in her favor," the hostess mentioned as they mulled over Kyoko's outfit.

Kyoko studied the dress closely. It was a strapless corset dress with a full skirt that stopped a few inches above her knee. Fuji had added a small "v" cut out right in the center breaking up the bodice. The dress was originally floor length but Fuji insisted on showing off her legs. The lining was nude with a smoky colored tulle over it. The sheer overlay had sea-foam green petals and beading hand-stitched into the material over the bodice and on the skirt which floated and shimmered in the light as she walked. Her minimum use of accessories only amplified the look.

"I love this lighter flirty take on her. She's a very gorgeous young woman. You're right! Fuji-san is a genius for putting her in this dress. She is the epitome of fresh and modern enchantment. And look at those large golden eyes. Women across Asia would pay big money to have eyes like hers. Ugh, just absolutely gorgeous!" The male host flamboyantly exclaimed.

"Let's take a closer look at the most coveted accessory she had on her arm shall we," he joked.

The audience roared with giggles when a picture of Ren replaced Kyoko. Kyoko held her chopsticks mid-air, momentarily stunned by the host's audacity. How could he lower her esteemed Senpai to nothing more than one of her accessories?

Kuon chuckled. He liked this host. No one ever had the balls to make fun of him like that on television. He wasn't the least bit insulted.

"Japan's hottest man on the arm of a beautiful woman. Who isn't loving them right now? I am a huge fan of this budding relationship," the female host chirped.

"Seriously, they say a maiden in love becomes more beautiful but the same can be said for a man. Have we ever seen Tsuruga-san look more relaxed and comfortable in his skin? Sure he's always been gorgeous but there's definitely something different about him. He seems almost approachable here," she continued as she studied Ren's appearance on the screen.

The audience enthusiastically agreed with her assessment.

"I also like what Fuji-san did with him. He adorned Tsuruga-san in a well-tailored charcoal silk suit. The slim fit showed off his great physique and the matching seafoam colored tie and pocket square pop against the dark gray. With Kyoko-san by his side, the color combination of his suit makes a lot of sense."

"There's not much to a suit but can we talk about his hairstyle for the night. It looks like he recently had a haircut. I wonder if he will style his hair this way from now on. It's refreshing to see this voluminous blown back look on him rather than his usual side part. I hope he keeps it up. What do you think ladies? Should Tsuruga-san keep this hairstyle?"

"Yes," the audience screamed with great enthusiasm.

"Well, there you have it! The fans have spoken. We hope you keep it up Tsuruga-san. That's all our time for tonight. Thank you for tuning in," the female host said signing off.

Kuon looked at Kyoko as she stabbed at her breakfast. His smile quirked as she muttered to herself.

"You know that's a really bad habit of yours," he teased. "What has you so wound up beautiful?" He tucked her hair behind her ear when she looked at him.

She laughed nervously, "It's nothing Corn. I'm just talking to myself."

"Hmm, I wonder if that's all," he said. He flashed her his sparkly gentleman smile.

"Ehhhh! I'm sorry. It was nothing. I was just having dark thoughts and being selfish," she explained.

"Care to enlighten me?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Ugh!" She got up frustrated and paced around the living room. Kuon stared at her with mild amusement. She didn't know how to put what she was feeling into words.

"I'm just worried. Worried that someone better would come along with the total package and snatch you away. Then where would that leave me? So many women are starting to notice the side of you that only I used to know," she said with a whine that was annoying to even her ears.

"Baby, I..." Kuon began but she cut him off.

She held up a hand to stop him from talking. "It's okay. You don't have to explain. Trust me, my logic will work me through this and I'll be able to move on." She thought hard about the situation. He loved her; she rationalized within herself. He showed her on numerous occasions. This was their profession, she had no right to be jealous. She held her hand to her chest and willed her heart to stop the negativity.

Kuon watched with rapture as she did exactly what he just did in the bathroom. He stood up and gathered her in his arms. "I'll love you for always baby, forever ever."

She sagged in his arms and buried her face in his chest. "I really am a love idiot."

"You and me both babe. Let's be idiots together." He kissed her smack on the mouth to seal it.

Kuon suddenly changed the subject to rid the place of the heavy atmosphere. "So... what should we do today? I'm pretty sure the paparazzi haven't found where I live yet otherwise security would have alerted me. Someone had to have tipped them off on where you're living."

"Perhaps Shotaro may have..." Kyoko began speculating.

Kuon shook his head. "I don't think it was him. I know he's been an extreme thorn in our sides but I'm quite sure he has moved on. It could very well be the photographer that followed Fuwa the first time. I guess in a way it could be him. Anyway, let's not think about that...back to my first question."

"Do you think you would like to come out and play with Ella," Kyoko asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"I think that could be arranged. What did she have in mind?" He smiled broadly excited to spend another full day with her.

Meanwhile on the other side of Tokyo, in an upscale apartment. Kyoko's red carpet face displayed frozen on the large TV screen.

"It's Morimoto. I need your discreet services," he paused as he listened to the male voice on the other end of the line.

"Target is Kyoko-san. Yes, the celebrity. No, it's nothing like that. Whatever it costs, just get me the information as soon as possible."

Morimoto ended the call and sighed heavily as he dropped the cell phone on the couch next to him. Ignoring the obvious sounds and smells of food burning on the stove, he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When he opened them again he stared at the beautiful young woman smiling at him from the screen. Despite her golden eyes, she looked just like her mother.

AN: I felt like I said a lot yet nothing at all and I leave you with a cliffhanger. So on that note, I hope you enjoyed it. Guess who I'm setting up to have a roommate XD. Thank you for continuing to read. Big thanks to the usual reviewers of this story. You guys spur me forward. I heart reviews!

I tried to describe their outfits as best as possible. Like I said I have a poor imagination so I somehow stumbled across this dress that I thought would look cute on Kyoko. I changed phones a month ago and of course, I deleted all unrelated photos. I have yet to find it again so I tried to describe it as best as I could from memory.

For those that celebrate; Happy Thanksgiving! I'm super thankful for this site and all you lovely readers and authors that keep me going.

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^