Chapter 52: Feeling Love

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Tragic Marker premiere night would end on a hot note!

Tadashi sat on his floor laying out wrapping paper, ribbon, and decorative tape on his coffee table. He had spent the entire evening looking for the perfect parting gift for Kyoko. He could have left for the States already but he prolonged his trip until the end of the week so he could spend more time with her. It was a vacation long overdue.

He tried to play up to her whimsical side but everything seemed either too intimate in a lover sort of way which he would leave those gifts to Ren or not personal enough for his liking. He hoped Kyoko would be surprised with his practical gift and wouldn't think him creepy. He paused in his task when the program on the TV showed footage from a premiere that happened earlier. The reporter was going on about the mysterious antagonist, Cain Heel. They had finally captured some candid shots of him as he entered the theater.

"Now that we have all put a face to the elusive Heel-san, everyone is wondering who the blonde bombshell by his side could be. We have reports identifying that her name is Setsuka-san and she is supposedly his sister. We haven't confirmed that relationship yet," the reporter stated.

Tadashi's eyes widened at the sight of the "siblings" he had seen this morning. They both looked great. He didn't even frown at the dress the young woman wore. It was probably because he spent almost the past twenty years in New York City. He was accustomed to all manner of fashion. The dress was trendy and fit her image.

"We are taking you live to Mikasa-san, who is currently attending the after-party and has been interviewing the cast. Let's take a look at what she's doing now," the reporter continued.

Tadashi smiled. Cain Heel was the complete opposite of Ren. No one would be able to tell that it was him because it was too inconceivable. If he had not glared at Tadashi this morning, he would have never made the connection. He wondered which character was closer to the truth behind the man, Ren, or Cain. The boy had some underlying issues, but he wasn't worried about his daughter's safety. He knew Ren would do everything in his power to protect her. He could tell in the way the young man treated her, and that's why it never once crossed his mind that Ren would be a danger to her. Tadashi resumed wrapping the gift when the interview was over.

"Are you going to look inside?" Susumu asked Saena, pointing to the beat-up shoebox she had brought home from work. He knew it was something that Kyoko's father gave her this morning.

Saena's brows were already furrowed as she reviewed the deposition of her latest case on her laptop. The Mogami River deepened when Susumu reminded her about the controversial box. "I wasn't planning on it. Whatever is in it won't change my feelings?"

"You can't know that. I think you should take a look. The man has been keeping it for all this time, judging by the condition of its exterior. I know you. You'll probably bury yourself in work just to keep from thinking about it. How about we just rip that annoying band-aid off now?" He suggested with a sinister smile.

Saena glared at him and closed her laptop. Susumu wasn't going to leave her be until she looked inside. He was probably more curious as to what it contained. His latent detective spirit must be springing forth again.

Susumu had two motives for pushing her to look at the box. The first was he wanted her to have complete closure with Tadashi. The second was he wanted to know if it contained his reasons for betraying her. She had disclosed to him some of what they discussed this morning. Susumu still disliked the man for what he did to Saena all those years ago. He had almost lost her in more ways than death because of him. If he had not betrayed her would the love of his life now be happily married to a successful man raising a beautiful daughter? He felt terrible thinking about how she had to suffer just for him to have her by his side. Perhaps it was predestined by the Gods.

Susumu stood to leave the room and give her some privacy. Whatever was in there was none of his business. Saena looked at him startled.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late," he told her, then kissed the top of her head.

Saena frowned again. What a weird man. Saena gasped in surprise as she opened the box. It was full of folded papers. There was one laying on top of all of them, open. The date at the top told her it was written a few days ago.

Dear Sae-chan, this will be my final letter. If you are reading this, it means I found the guts to give you this box. The letters in here are a poor excuse of an apology. If I am able to talk to you in person, I wonder what I would say...probably 'I'm sorry' for starters.

In the past, I would probably compliment you on your beauty or how cute the deep ruts between your brows looked, but I have lost the right to say such things.

In the end, I'm not sure what I would say or how you would respond. If I do get the chance to talk with you, I'll probably just have to wing it.

If I don't speak with you, I wanted to tell you Thank You for our beautiful daughter. The instant I laid eyes on her my heart fluttered with excitement. Perhaps the Gods were granting me a second chance. A chance to finally redeem me. I am aware of your feelings towards her and all I can say is I understand. Thank you for the wonderful blessing that is Kyoko.

If you continue to read after this, may I suggest you start with the one I labeled Day 1? If you don't feel like going on afterward, please feel free to toss the rest. You don't owe me anything.

Forever grateful, Tadashi Morimoto.

Saena closed the lid on the box after reading the next letter he mentioned. It made her realize she didn't know the man she had claimed to love all those years ago. He had been the one asking all the questions back then. She could even claim it was under the guise to better infiltrate her. She couldn't be sure. At twenty-eight years old, one would think she would be able to ask him the more personal questions that would have brought them closer emotionally. Her shyness prevented her from doing so. She was glad she knew the truth behind that incident. He had not wanted to leave her and even thought about bringing her with him. He knew her pride wouldn't allow it once he revealed the truth. He didn't want to implicate her along with him should things take a turn for the worse. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She chose neither.

Saena placed the box on the counter. Tomorrow, she would shred the rest and put a close to that dark chapter of her life. She glanced at the ring on her finger and smiled as she thought of the man waiting for her in the other room. It was as if she had to endure that past heartache to appreciate what was by her side all along.

Koki was on his second pot of coffee. He typed erratically from all the caffeine flowing through his body. He had asked his chief editor for an extension on his piece. He needed to talk to several people in Tokyo before he could attach his name to the article. If he played his cards right with his first meeting in Tokyo, he could guarantee the rest of his plan would fall in place.

He shuddered as he looked at the picture he had acquired from the middle school. It was a group picture of Fuwa Sho and Kyoko with others from their class during a school festival event. They had done a cafe with Samurais and Kimonos as their theme. He could see the segregation of the girl compared to the rest of the kids. All of the other teens were clustered around Sho while Kyoko stood awkwardly apart. The slight only made the viewer's eyes wander to her curiously. The beauty and grace she exuded in her Kimono compared to the other girls showed the training she received from the Okami at the Fuwa Ryokan.

What made him shudder was a chilling memory he had following a tip for the filming of Ring Doh. After seeing this photo, he did not doubt that the beautiful young woman he saw in the Kimono that evening had to be this girl. That murderous glare that Tsuruga Ren flashed him that evening when he tried to garner an interview from the girl is what scared him now. Everyone knew that they were the hottest celebrity couple in Japan. Koki wondered if mutual feelings began to develop at that time. He was curious to know how her fairytale all began.

He needed to get this article right and not anger the actor. One mere mention of his distaste for the publication to his fans and he could easily be out of a job.

"I have to stop in the restroom to change my contacts. I'm still Cain," he told Setsu as he handed her his ticket. "Can you go ahead and get our stuff? I'll meet you in the lobby."

Setsu strutted up to the bag check window and handed the ticket stubs to the attendant. In turn, she was given two phones. She unlocked both phones before leaving, verifying that they were indeed theirs. Kyoko knew the code on his phone and he knew hers. She never needed to use it until now. Inner Kyoko blushed at his background image and quickly hid it from view. She didn't remember seeing this photo in the preview Fuji sent them.

Setsu leaned against the wall in the lobby for her brother to join her. She could feel the curious eyes on her, but no one said a word. They were out of the safety of the room which put the disclosure agreements into effect. She had to hand it to them; they were true professionals. They looked apprehensive when Cain walked out and led her to the waiting limo. Setsu was thrilled to have her Nii-san back. The crowd reacted instantly to the change in atmosphere and were once again fearful of the couple.

Once in the safety of the car with Ruto driving, he pulled her onto his lap and just held her for a few moments.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered against her hair. She had no idea what he was apologizing for and turned to him confused.

"What for?" She asked, taking his face in her hands. He seemed to have something serious on his mind, so she mentally scolded herself to not be fascinated by the light stubble pricking her palms.

"For getting you mixed up in all this. Maybe we should have revealed you with me. I don't like the conclusion Murasame-san jumped to when he caught us. I noticed the way the others were looking at you as we left. They were all thinking along the same lines."

Kyoko started giggling.

"You know you have a really bad habit of laughing when I'm trying to be serious here," he scowled, making himself look cuter to her.

"I'm sorry. You're so adorable when you worry for my sake. That's one of the things I love about you," she told him and placed a small kiss on his lips.

"I do find it a little funny that people think you're cheating on me with me. How fun would it be to prove to them otherwise?" She smiled mischievously.

"What do you have in mind?" He asked with raised brows.

"Maybe we can talk to Director Konoe about revealing me," she suggested.

She pressed her lips to his to get him to be quiet when he began to protest. Rather than be annoyed with her, he reacted instantly, kissing her back and entangling his fingers in her platinum locks. She pulled back from him with eyes alight with mirth. "I wasn't finished...behave. I wanted to say before you so rudely interrupted me..." she admonished.

"I'm innocent! Remind me who kissed who first," Kuon asked in an accusatory tone.

Her eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "What I was trying to say if you please kind sir is that I'm not worried about my reputation. I'm worried about you. I don't want people attacking you for your illicit affair with another woman. I guess it would make me look pathetic too. Now I understand your fear," she said, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"I don't want anyone thinking you couldn't satisfy me or questioning my love for you," he explained, brushing his thumb over her lip to stop her from chewing on it. "It would only be a matter of time before the NDA expires and the gossip about our actions on set leak out to the public. I don't care about me. I don't want to see you humiliated because of me," he declared tucking her hair behind her ear. He knew they had to do what she suggested to avoid the issue. He would ask Lory to talk to the Director when he returned.

Kyoko leaned her forehead against his. "I don't regret taking this job. It brought me closer to my esteemed Senpai after all," she smiled.

"Are you finished? Can I kiss you now?" He asked. Kyoko gave him a playful smack then obliged, closing the small gap. He took his time which surprised her since he was so impatient just a moment ago. He kissed the corner of her mouth, then moved to the other corner. His hands held the nape of her neck delicately tilting her head at different angles so he could better kiss her. He laid a soft kiss on the middle of her mouth before skimming her jawline with his lips.

Kyoko tilted her head back when he moved to suck on the delicate skin beneath her ear. A moan escaped her lips as his hot tongue teased her skin. He was going to leave a mark. She pulled away from his mouth with a loud pop. My turn! She wanted a do-over. His large hands dropped to the small of her waist kneading her hips as she explored his neck.

With her lips, she could feel the remnants of the scratches she had inflicted on him yesterday. She kissed every inch of his wound in apology for hurting him. When she was done, she found the coveted spot and sucked, hard. Like a good student, she applied what she learned and sucked repeatedly over and over to mark him as hers.

Kuon was delirious with lust as his hands rocked her hips against his arousal. While her mouth agonizingly tortured him with pleasure, a hand found its way to her thigh inching up until it disappeared under the skirt of her dress. He needed to thank Ten for such a convenient dress.

She hissed against his neck as his fingers found her hot and wet, eager for his touch.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

They were slow to respond when the knock on the window sounded again bringing them back to their senses. Thank goodness the tint was dark from the outside because they could clearly see Ruto standing outside. They were so lost in lust that they already arrived at the hotel. Kyoko burned with embarrassment. Did he know what they were doing in here? Would he report to the president that she was shameless? How many times was she going to lose herself in public?

"Let's continue this upstairs, shall we? I'll make you feel my love," the emperor promised, smoothing her dress so they could exit the car. He hoped his jacket would hide the raging hard-on threatening to burst through his pants.

Kyoko thought her hair would set aflame by the hot looks Kuon gave her from the other side of the elevator. The emperor had a predatory gaze in his eyes that promised an endless night of pleasure. Once in the safety of their room, he pounced on her. Gone were the sweet kisses of earlier. He was a hungry beast ready to devour her and she welcomed it. He pushed her against the hard wooden door while his hands slid up and down her body. His left hand delved into her faux blonde hair holding on to the nape of her neck as he stole her very breath with his kiss.

Kyoko's hands moved of their own accord, tugging his jacket off him and throwing it to the floor. Without breaking the kiss, she divested him of his vest and tie, then yanked his shirt out of his trousers. Kuon shivered as her hot hands sought the bare flesh of his abdomen. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt until she finally got the blasted thing off tossing it to join the rest of his outfit on the floor. Impatiently, she undid his belt and the fly of his pants.

Before she could plunge a hand into his pants, Kuon grabbed her hands and secured them on his shoulders. If she touched him down there now, he would easily come. She had worked him up all night in her sexy dress that he was bursting at the seams. He kissed her neck as his hands sought the soft mounds on her chest. She moaned lustily, arching her back so his hands could fully cup her breasts. Through the material of her dress, Kuon could feel her nipples perking up under the ministrations of his thumbs.

His mouth descended, kissing and sucking the delicate skin that pushed out of her dress while his fingers tweaked her hardened peaks. Kyoko bucked her hips as his mouth closed over her nipple and began to suck through the material of her dress. Her breath came out in short gasps as he teased her sensitive breasts. Moving to suck the other peak, his hands slid slowly down her body stopping on the bare flesh of her exposed thighs. Yes, he very much liked the convenience of this dress. His fingers curled around the hemline of the short part of the skirt and hiked it up to her waist exposing her bottom half.

He dropped to his knees before her, blazing a hot trail of kisses down her clothed abdomen. Kyoko was overheating. She wanted the dress off to feel his flesh on her flesh without the barriers of the material. She returned to her senses as his kisses descended further. He nudged her womanhood with his nose and inhaled deeply. I haven't showered in several hours, she panicked. Is he planning on doing that right here, right now?

"Kuon...ugh...I haven't showered," she cautioned, rocking her hips against his face. Her body betrayed her words making him chuckle.

Kyoko let out a tortured moan as he dragged his tongue over the seam of her lace-clad pussy. "Mmmm, but you taste so sweet right now," he told her in a voice full of arousal. She was so wet he could taste her juices seeping through the red lace. Impatiently, he hooked his fingers on to the edges and pulled them down until her stilettos stepped out of them. He had fantasized about her in those heels all night. His large fingers wrapped around her dainty ankles and caressed their way up her legs. He stopped at her left knee and lifted her leg, hooking it over his shoulder. The tip of her heel dug into his back sending more pleasure than pain throughout his body. He was a masochist.

Kyoko's standing leg threatened to buckle under her as his fingers slid through her soft folds. She steadied herself by pushing her upper back against the door. She leaned her head against it and closed her eyes as she let the feeling of his love wash over her. Her fingers delved into the silky strands of his hair and waited with bated breath for him to touch her clit. Instead, his fingers moved to tease her entrance until he thought she had enough. His patience was worth it when she nearly collapsed once his tongue finally flicked over her the tiny bundle of nerves. He swirled his tongue over her nub, then lapped languidly toward her damp entrance and back up.

Kyoko trembled when he inserted one finger, then two. His mouth closed over her clit and sucked as he slid his fingers out and in. The loud erotic moan that filled their quiet room startled her. Embarrassed, she held the back of her hand against her lips to suppress the uncontrollable sound she was making. They were still at the door, after all, anyone walking by could hear her.

Kuon continued to slide his fingers leisurely in and out of her until he hooked it just right finding her special spot. He glanced up at her through his lashes as her walls clenched around his fingers. She was so fucking beautiful in her aroused state. He wanted to see more. He changed up the way he was tonguing her clit and was rewarded when her hands moved to fondle her breasts. He didn't think it was possible but his dick grew harder as she licked her lips. The image of her pleasuring herself last night was rooted deep in his mind. He returned his full attention to tormenting her sweet spot with his mouth and alternated between licking and sucking. He was pleased to discover that whenever he sucked her whole body would spasm, so he continued to do so intermittently.

Kyoko's body tightened right before she exploded in ecstasy. She cried out as her body shuddered from her release. A wave of hot juices trickled down her thighs. It didn't stop Kuon from sipping up every last drop and continue his barrage on her. She could feel another orgasm building deep in her gut. Kuon released her leg and stood abruptly. He pressed his body against her and kissed her deeply.

Kyoko's tongue mated with his tasting the remnants of herself in his mouth. He pulled away to remove her dress and drop it to the floor in a puddled mess. The dress! Ten is going to kill me tomorrow! Kuon paused to admire her body. He removed her wig and let her long black hair loose. Kyoko felt sexy as her long hair swirled around her torso. He pulled her against him and lifted her by the ass. He carried her to the couch where he sat down with her straddling his hips, heels, and all.

She moaned as she settled over his covered cock between her legs. It wasn't fair that she was completely naked and he wasn't, but it didn't stop her from rubbing against him. He let out a lusty moan of his own when he felt her very wet and very warm center against his erection. He was ready to explode.

His hands and mouth sought her breasts like a dying man. She arched her back and thrust her hips against him with a steady rhythm until she sensed the familiar ache of her orgasm building up.

She dug her fingernails into the back of his shoulders and held on tightly. He pushed down on her hips and ground into her, thrusting his hips faster, closing in on his release. Quickening her pace to match his, she leaned her head against his shoulder, biting his flesh to keep from screaming out as he threatened to send her over the edge once again.

Her lips sought his as another orgasm racked through her body. She assumed he had come too since he wrapped his arms around her back pulling her closer and kissing her hard. His whole body convulsed beneath her as he continued to thrust his hips until the shudders stopped. He kissed her softer this time, his tongue taking on a slower rhythm against hers. They finally broke away coming up for air and panting from the exertion.

They sat there for a few minutes wrapped in each other's embrace, sweaty, and sated. The more she sat the redder she became as she thought of what they had just done against the door. She wondered if she would ever get over her embarrassment at her reckless abandonment. Laughter replaced the sound of their heavy breathing as one of her heels landed on the floor with a resounding thud. She couldn't believe she had managed to keep them on.

AN: Thanks for sticking with me everyone! My work trip has interfered with my plans. I had to end their night with some much-needed smut.

I'm off to sleep. I will be flying home to warmer weather tomorrow morning but wanted to get this out to you all. I'm sure I'll find a tone of errors in the morning. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter, they were encouraging.

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^