Chapter 47: Now or Never

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Cain & Setsu's relationship would go incestuous.

Kimiko sat on the soft velvet couch in the sitting area of her bedroom as she sipped her ice coffee. She flipped through her "favorite" channels on the television consisting of various entertainment news until one caught her interest. The hosts were discussing a new movie, Tragic Marker, premiering tonight. They were describing it as a slasher film that promised endless scenes of blood and gore. Kimiko smiled. That was just her kind of movie. She made a mental note to check it out later. Maybe she could invite Cedric, "as friends" as he caveated their outings. As if Kimiko was too dumb to understand that he didn't feel the same she did about him. He had been brutally honest with her since the beginning. He wasn't looking for a relationship.

The first and only time they slept together had been wonderful, although he cherished her during the act, she could tell his heart wasn't in it. She had acted demurely and even managed to convince him that he was her first. The little drops of blood from her pricked finger that she dripped on his sheets after he fell asleep corroborated her story. He had felt guilty when he noticed the next day. Ha! Serves him right!

Her first time had been with one of her costars in America. He was her age and a virgin too. It was awkward and unmemorable. She had slept with a few others afterward until she met him. She fell in love with Cedric: cool, older, talented with an underlying hint of bad boy. If the old rumors about him were true, he was her ideal. She liked the man and his family name just happened to be a nice bonus that she would happily capitalize on to advance her career. There was just one pesky obstacle in her way, his supermodel girlfriend. It was easy enough to get rid of her. Their relationship was so fragile that all it took was a few words to have the insecure woman doubting him.

Kimiko had planted her little seeds here and there to get him in Japan. She planned to isolate him in a foreign country where he couldn't speak the language with only her as a friend. She was too prideful to trap the guy by an unexpected pregnancy. That kind of thing didn't work in this day and age. With her luck, she would end up alone with a brat and stretch marks. No, her end game was to have him fall in love with her and reap the benefits of being his wife. She was convinced that if they spent more time together, he would come to love her. She was running out of time. The Sacred Lotus schedule was very aggressive and soon he would be on a plane back to the States.

She tuned back into the program. They were discussing in great detail the mysteriousness of the antagonist, Cain Heel. They had no picture or other film references for the actor. He just seemed to show up out of nowhere. Director Konoe had also been tight-lipped about the actor he chose to portray the character "BJ." Cain Heel has never appeared for any of the promotional interviews so he was a complete phantom to the public. All the other cast members would say about the guy was that he was scary on and off the screen. From the sound of the name, it was obvious he was a foreigner.

They played the trailer for the movie. It eerily flashed through scenes of victims being stalked, a wisp of a shadow, a knife dripping with blood, a crime scene with mutilated bodies. It was a perfect teaser never once showing the killer except for a moment of demonic red eyes before the screen went black, marking the end. Kimiko shuddered in her seat. The hair on the back of her neck stood and goosebumps sprouted on her arms. She continued to listen to the hosts as they admitted to feeling chills from just watching that trailer. They joked that they might even have nightmares tonight after watching the movie. Before they ended their segment, they reminded the audience and viewers that they would be covering the red carpet before the premiere as well as interviews at the after-party. It seemed interesting so Kimiko would try to tune in later for the show. She then waited for the daily entertainment news to come on next.

She was expecting a shocking news report on Kyoko this morning, but there was nothing. She turned on her laptop, hoping that perhaps it was posted to the sites and had yet to air. She scoured the internet but couldn't find anything. What was that Koki doing? It never took him this long to release something this juicy. She wondered if he had stumbled onto something good or maybe nothing at all. She couldn't call him. That would make him too suspicious and probably turn his attention on her. She couldn't have that at all, not when she was trying to make her comeback. She logged on to the fan sites to see if her responses instigated any problems in her favor.

Her lip curled into a snarl. She had stayed up late last night throwing insults out there about Kyoko, the "RenKyo bakas" as she so dubbed them, seemed to have obliterated her hard work. Who the hell is DiabolicalPen666? What right did they have to spew such nonsense? This person didn't know her. She or he was telling everyone on the forum that Queen B was acting out of pure jealousy because she probably failed at becoming an actress herself. She refused to admit that person had hit too close to home.

She responded angrily, mashing at the keys, her emotions ruling her logic. What was this person talking about Kyoko being a fairy with the high probability of becoming the actress to represent Japan? Kimiko was a talented actress, not her. She had already worked in America so surely she already represented Japan. Her hand hovered over the key, halting before she could hit submit. She needed to get a grip on herself. She almost gave her identity away. Kimiko logged out and shut down the computer, then put it away before she could do anything rash. In the middle of taking several calming breaths, a knock sounded at her door. She relaxed her face, put on a pleasant smile, and in her sweet voice said, "Come in."

Tadashi rolled his bottom lip between his fingers. Mya had pointed out a long time ago that it was a bad habit he developed when he was concentrating on a problem he found difficult. His temporary assistant walked in delivering the updated proposal for a preexisting project. Mya needed him to give his final approval so the team could award the contract. He thanked the young man as he took the folder.

He decided to distract himself with work and picked up his pen. There wasn't much that needed to change since they had already combed through this document several times as a team. For a time, his mind was occupied as he went about reading the document and confirmed the information was correct. He was startled when the alarm on his phone rang out indicating that his time was up. He marked his page and closed up the folder. He picked up his phone to shut off the alarm labeled, "Sae time."

It was now or never. He did a quick check of his messages to see if Kyoko had sent him anything. She had told him they would be unable to communicate, but he still sent messages to her so she would see it as soon as she returned.

Tadashi pressed the buzzer on his desk phone for his assistant.

"Yes, sir?" the young man answered immediately.

"Please have my car brought to the front."

"Yes, sir, right away."

He pulled out the shoebox from his locked drawer and strolled outside. His assistant was out there holding his suit jacket for him. Tadashi shrugged into it.

"Do you need me to come with you, sir?

"No, thank you. Please hold down the fort while I'm away. If you need me I have my cell. I'm not sure how long this would take."

"Understood, sir."

Koki scratched his head, exasperatedly. He had never met a more stubborn lot in his life. Even though he didn't introduce himself as a reporter to the ryokan owners, all the staff were fiercely loyal to the family. His innocent questions were met with stubborn silence or skilled deflection. Not a single one of them would spill anything about their young master Sho and he still had no concrete information on Kyoko. He didn't even have her last name. All he knew was that they were from the same prefecture, attended the same school, and coincidentally left for Tokyo at the same time. He was hitting a wall. He wanted his story to be based on facts, not the twisted garbage he usually churned out.

He decided his next best bet was to hit up the local places and see what they had to say about the two. Locals like to brag about hometown celebrities. His first stop would be the middle school they supposedly attended. It wasn't his first rodeo chatting up school officials. He found that they often liked to gush about their star pupils. It made their school more appealing if parents knew that an elite individual had once studied there.

Cain groaned as he woke and reached out for Setsu, but was met with only cold sheets. She was in the bathroom. He stretched all six foot three inches of naked masculinity on the small bed. Japanese beds were not made for his size, but he still felt refreshed and sated after their bout in the middle of the night. His face broke out into a dazzling smile unbefitting of Cain's image. It radiated all the love he felt as he heard his canary in the shower. Her beautiful voice rang out through the thin walls, "To know know know him, Is to love love love him, Just to see him smile, Makes my life worthwhile.; To know know know him, Is to love love love him, And I do..." He rolled off the bed and decided to join her.

Setsu was startled to silence when she heard the distinct sound of Cain urinating beside her. I guess the honeymoon is over. She stifled a giggle as he groaned in satisfaction when his bladder finally emptied. She cocked an eyebrow at him as he pulled open the curtain, intending to join her.

His eyes simmered with lust as it ran down the length of her naked body.

"I'll wash your back for you, Setsu."

She rolled her eyes at him. Where have I heard that line before? She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him when he stepped in. As siblings, they were going to hell, but at least they would be going together.

Fifteen minutes later, Cain wrapped a towel around his waist with a satisfied smile plastered on his face. Setsu stalked past him. Her face remained stoic, but underneath Kyoko was red from head to toe. She sat at the vanity in the hotel robe mumbling that her brother was a big bully and a pervert.

For a short time during their shower, he was putty in her hands as she demonstrated on him exactly what her mouth was doing as she sucked her finger in her sleep. He had seen and heard her as she dozed on the couch waiting for him yesterday. He demanded to know what transpired in her sleep. When he was through interrogating her in the most pleasurable ways possible, her head was full of no one but him. His mouth and his hands had driven her over the edge repeatedly until she was begging for mercy.

When it was all said and done, both of them panted for air. He had kissed her hard and rasped, "I will punish you again if you ever call out another man's name. I don't care if it was only a dream." He stepped out of the shower leaving her stunned.

Her blush extended throughout her whole body as the realization of the situation finally sunk in. She would have laughed at the little temper tantrum he just threw, but she was too embarrassed. He reminded her that he had watched her pleasuring herself in her sleep. Now he knew she had dirty dreams of him.

Setsu couldn't even look him in the eye. He lazed on the bed bare-chested with his arms folded behind his head and the fly of his leather pants undone. He wore a smug smile, content to watch her apply her make-up as Ten instructed. The process took significantly longer since her eyes kept wandering over his naked torso in the mirror's reflection. She refused to meet his gaze, knowing she'd only see the teasing laughter in his eyes. She was becoming a pervert. It was times like these when she didn't have work that her thoughts often wandered to him. Her hands always itched to touch him. Only after she applied the gloss to her lips did she flick her eyes up to meet his gaze. His hooded eyes watched her every move. Could it be? Do I invoke the same feelings of lust in him?

Feeling confident, she decided to test out her theory. She innocently disrobed in front of her brother like it was something she did every day. Her body hummed in satisfaction with his reaction as Cain covered his eyes and groaned. Knowing he was peeking between his fingers, she started to dress in front of him nice and slow, slipping into a pair of black lace panties. She smiled mischievously; this was payback for the shower. He growled from where he sat, watching her now unabashedly making her giggle. She went to slip on her bra and noticed three new love bites on her breasts. She looked up at her brother startled.

He shrugged, "You're mine Setsu!"

Setsu smiled and fastened her bra. Yes, I am his. And he managed to mark me as he wanted too all those months ago. That night seemed like a lifetime ago. Because of his role as BJ, Kuon started to surface. Somehow, she managed, by the skin of her teeth to pull him out of the darkness. It seemed that night he had finally embraced the part of him that he had tried so hard to suppress as Ren. She still got a glimpse of the occasional darkness, but she knew he could handle it. There was so much more to Kuon than just violence. He was her sweet and playful Corn, her warm and guiding Senpai, and her jealous and possessive lover. She loved everything about him including his darkness.

"Put on pants, Setsu! I don't want anyone looking at what's mine," he commanded. She rolled her eyes but complied. Wait until he gets a load of my dress tonight.

"Setsu, let's go out for breakfast. You've worked me up an appetite." He chuckled as her blush threatened to turn her wig red. He was probably not talking about food.

Tadashi stepped out of the car in front of the Viride General Law Office. Taking a deep breath, he told himself to man up and quit being a coward. He walked through the glass doors and straight up to the reception desk holding his shoebox of letters.

He smiled at the receptionist. She instantly smiled back with a slight blush on her cheeks. Tadashi knew he was a good looking man and often used it to his advantage. He had never lacked female attention. For the few months he was with Saena, he had toned down his looks and showed her the relaxed side of him. He became the cute clumsy guy, the dork, the guy that lacked fashionable attire, and the hopeless guy that capable women just couldn't leave alone. So as not to make her uncomfortable, he had worn glasses and let his hair go shaggy hoping he would appeal to her more. She was so cute and insecure back then. She didn't realize that her beauty, charm, and intelligence made her a great catch. She could have any man she wanted and yet she chose him at that time.

"Good morning, sir. How may I help you?" the receptionist asked flirtatiously.

Tadashi made it a point not to cringe and returned her smile with a beaming one of his own. "Yes, I would like to see Mogami Saena, please." Tadashi didn't miss the way her smile had faltered when he had said Saena's name. He assumed it was probably from jealousy.

"I'm sorry, sir. She's not in the office yet. She was returning from a conference in Kyoto but has yet to come in. Do you have an appointment scheduled with her?" the receptionist asked sweetly.

"Ah, no. I don't have an appointment. I do have something to discuss with her. Could I please borrow a pen and note pad? I'd like to leave her a message with this box," he said, putting the box up on the counter.

"Of course, sir. Here you go." Tadashi thanked her as he scribbled his note. The front door to the office chimed indicating that someone else had entered. He heard the clicking of heels behind him.

"Good morning, Mogami-san. Welcome back!" the receptionist called out.

Tadashi whipped his head up from the note and stared at the woman he loved so long ago in the flesh. She was digging in her bag so she hadn't noticed him yet.

She finally looked up, "Good Mor-." She stopped in her tracks as she gazed upon the man standing at the front desk. Tadashi stood there awestruck, his heart rate speeding up. Images of the past wafted through his mind. The many smiles, meals, and intimate nights they shared seemed like only yesterday. She had aged beautifully.

"Mogami-san, this gentleman is here to see you. He doesn't have an appointment though," the receptionist said, intruding in their reunion.

Saena was shaken out of her trance. He looked so different with his clean-cut hair and his designer suit. He reeked of power and money. She no longer saw any trace of the man she thought she knew until his face broke into a smile. "Sae-chan," he whispered. Her traitorous heart almost stuttered as he called her name the same way he did eighteen years ago.

"I...I..came because you didn't return my message. I'm sorry to have bothered you at your workplace. Even if you didn't want to see me, I at least wanted to give you this," he said nervously, holding up the battered shoebox.

Saena's eyes flicked from his eyes and looked at the box. It reminded her of how he used to show up at her place with a bento box, unannounced. No, even if his outward appearance had changed and his name had changed, he was still the same man. That thought pissed her off, making the great Mogami river run deep, as she scowled at him.

She ignored him and walked up to the receptionist. "Do you have any messages for me?" The receptionist scrambled to give her all the messages she had missed in the last two weeks. She was fascinated by the drama that was unfolding between one of her bosses but not just any boss, the Ice Queen herself, and this very good looking businessman.

Saena finally addressed Tadashi. "Wait for me at the Vivian Cafe. It's a few blocks down that way. I'll be along shortly."

Tadashi smiled and nodded. He thanked the receptionist before leaving and headed out in the direction she had told him, carrying his battered box underneath his arm.

Saena took her messages and went to her office. She closed the door, sat at her desk, and tried to regain her composure. Why did I agree to meet him? She felt ambushed. She looked quickly at her messages and found one from him. It was dated two days ago. That's why he thought she was avoiding him. He did say he was just dropping off whatever was in the box. Damn that Susumu, where was he when she needed him. No doubt he had overslept. She pulled out her phone and called him.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Saena scowled. He was always too carefree with his words when it came to her.

"Do you know what time it is? You're late for work!" she scolded.

"I overslept. I was up late playing my detective game," he laughed. "Do you need me for something? I should be there in fifteen minutes if traffic holds."

"No, nothing. I just wanted to let you know that he came here. I'm meeting him at Vivian Café in a few minutes. I thought I'd let you know."

"Sae-"

Susumu began, but she already hung up and shut off her phone. She didn't need him distracting her. She said she would face him and so she would. Saena grabbed her purse and headed out. She told the receptionist that she would return in time for her first appointment in case anyone was looking for her.

Cain watched as the businessman entered the café and asked for a seat in the back where there were fewer people. His dark blue eyes briefly locked with the man's gold as he followed the hostess to a table across from them but still within Cain's peripheral vision. The man didn't even flinch as Cain's dark blue eyes threatened him in that brief moment. He watched the man's face light up at a thought then smile.

From the corner of his eye, Cain watched the gentleman pull out his phone. He glanced at his sister. "Setsu, is your phone off?" Setsu reached one of her fingerless gloved hands into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She assured him that it was off. She had made sure she turned off her phone yesterday. She didn't want a repeat of that night when Sho called her. Setsu looked at her brother, he seemed to have tensed up in the last few minutes.

Cain had managed to scare all the other patrons to the front half of the café, but the same scathing glare didn't work on this man. He groaned inwardly. His future father-in-law was surely formidable. He wondered if Tadashi may have a knack at seeing through his disguise much like his daughter. Could he have given himself away by glaring at the man? He hunkered down and sunk himself further into being Cain. At this stage of the game, there could be no slip-ups. He took another sip of his coffee and returned his full attention to his sister.

His sister had yet to notice the man since her back was to him. If he stayed true to his role, she would not falter either. They could survive this test. His eye caught sight of the shoebox in his hands. If it was the same box, he had snooped in when they had dinner at his apartment, then it contained letters to Kyoko's mother. Don't tell me that...

Cain kept his face neutral when the woman walked in while Kuon was freaked out inside. What in the world was with this development? This was all Cain's fault for suggesting they ate breakfast outside. It was all because he couldn't control his hormones around his sister in that tiny little room. The little minx enjoyed torturing him. If they had stayed in, he had no doubt he would have had her naked again. Since they were in a relationship now, Cain couldn't help but act on his deepest desires for his sister.

The man stood up with his face lighting up as he waved to the woman and called out, " Mogami-san." Cain's gaze shifted to his sister to gauge her reaction. To Kyoko's credit, she didn't break character. The only tell that she had heard the name was her knuckles turning white from clenching. The businesswoman walked toward the man gracefully but purposefully. This was the first time Kuon had ever seen Kyoko's mother in person. She was tall, graceful with a beautiful face that looked as if it was carved out of marble.

Cain was relieved by the distraction when their food arrived. He shoveled his meal down quickly. Setsu looked at him eyebrow raised over her food, "Nii-san, you'll get a stomach ache if you eat that fast."

"I'm just really hungry," he told her.

Setsu hummed. "Never in your entire life have you ever been "really hungry."

"If that's the case, then it's because you wore me out...twice," he stated as he took another teasing bite. He had the pleasure of watching her blush. She muttered something under her breath about perverted older brothers then froze as she looked at him. Inner Kyoko was screaming that she was the pervert in both relationships.

He paused mid-bite and looked at her wearing a worried expression. "Setsu, what is it? Did you forget your outfit in the wash again?" Setsu smiled weakly, "Am I so transparent?"

"I alone am the only one that understands you. You don't have to worry about anything. I will take care of you," he told her.

"I love you! You're the best brother," she said and continued to eat.

Cain's character faltered and smiled, "I love you too." Then he schooled his face back into a scowl as the waitress came up to their table.

The young couple ate the remainder of their meal in silence. He couldn't hear what her parents were discussing. It seemed like it was going well so far since there was no drama.

Cain stood when his sister finished eating and threw some yen down to cover the meal. He needed to get Setsu/Kyoko out of here before drama ensued, and their cover was blown. He wasn't sure if Kyoko would be able to stay emotionally detached. He did not doubt that Tadashi would be understanding, but her mother might demand an explanation. Cain could feel the older Japanese couple's eyes following them out of the cafe. He anticipated some third-degree interrogation from her father as well as Taisho once his identity was revealed.

He patted his sister's head once they were outside passing a man in a suit leaning against the building. "It will be okay. They're at least talking. This way everyone could move forward and the past would just be the past."

The man, leaning on the building, glanced up at the couple when he heard them talking. He shook his head as he took in their hard rock appearance and dismissed them.

Setsu looked up at him and smiled, then wrapped her arms around his waist as they continued to walk, killing time before they had to meet Ten for tonight's premiere.

AN: I apologize for not focusing on the discussion with her parents. It will continue in the next chapter. If you have not noticed, I think Kimiko is a psycho. I hope that came across in her section and wasn't too out of the left-field since I have been dropping hints in past chapters. She's calculating and manipulative. I probably won't dwell on how she came to be this way unless I'm feeling less lazy. I would just chalk it up to her being privileged and bored.

Thank you to all reviewers of the last chapter. You encouraged me to include Chiori's chat handle. Thank you for continuing to read. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

The song Kyoko sang was To Know Him Is To Love Him by the Teddy Bears (Amy Winehouse does a great cover but I prefer the original).

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^