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Where Ren does the Katsuki Acting Test with Kyoko during 'Dark Moon.'
The test starts and but Momose san had to cancel last minute due to an injury.
The president of LME had given the deadline to perform Katsuki today. The set was in uproar. If Tsuruga didn't perform the scene well today, he would be out of the drama and they would need to cast a new male lead.
Director Ogata was feeling under the water. He really wanted Tsuruga Ren to perform the male lead in this Dark Moon Adaptation.
Suddenly, Ogata felt despair equal to him emnating from his side where the orange haired cast of this drama was standing. Director Ogata seemed like he had seen a ray of light.
"Kyoko chan!! Director Ogata said while holding both her hands. "Please play Mizuki with Tsuruga Ren in this scene."
"Whaaaaaaa? I can't possibly do this.. " Kyoko said while shaking her head repeatedly.
But suddenly stopped.
A sudden realization hit her.
'Come to think of it , I have played Mizuki before with Tsuruga san just the other day, in addition to this I have watched all the retakes of this scene before, so I know all the lines and know what to do'
If she could do that scene with him today, then Tsuruga san won't have to leave. And perhaps because he did so well with her before during the rehearsal, maybe it is a lucky stroke of events.
"Kyoko chan, please there is no other actress that I can ask except for you" Director Ogata looked like a fairy while pleading softly like that and Kyoko was instantly teleporeted into the 'la la land' when she looked at him.
"Don't worry, director, I will do it" Kyoko said with eyes filled with determination.
Director Ogata went to discuss this with the president and Tsuruga Ren.
The president looked nonchalant when he heard the change but Ren had a look of surprise on his face. He seems like he wanted to reject this but he couldn't because there was no other actress that was as good as Kyoko there.
Director Ogata had a firm faith in her after watching her acting as Mio.
The time to perform the scene came.
Ren, at first, was looking apprehensive but he shared his thoughts that he wanted to improvise this scene.
Before Kyoko could say that she was fine with that, Director Ogata protested that it would be hard for Kyoko as she had never performed this scene.
"Don't worry. I'll make her act." Ren declared with conviction.
Everyone was surprised by Ren's words.
Kyoko felt a sharp pang of anger but it was soon curbed when she remembered how she was on Ren's mercy when she was acting as Mitsuki with him in his apartment.
She shuddered as she recalled how his fingers brushed past her lips and their 'not-so- innocent' position on the kitchen floor.
Kyoko had a faint idea what was coming for her.
And Kyoko was not feeling as much motivated to help Ren as before.
Action!!
The scene started but Kyoko frooze up
She knew it was not going to be easy for her.
She robotically walked into the space with a forced smile carrying a cup of tray in her hand
There the black haired male lead was sitting obviously looking tense.
Ren forced himself to be on guard. It was a acting test. He can't be thinking about how orange haired girl's charms now. He can't be thinking that her voice was like a sweet muci to his ears and he was really happy that he was performing this scene with her.
" Sensei?" Kyoko called out, speaking her lines
She knew why Ren was acting like this. He was at his students house that's why he was feeling reserved. Kyoko forgetting all about his 'emperor of the midnight' face and began chattering as Mizuki— Ren's reservedness making ber defenses down.
And then, the most problematic part came—
the cup broke.
The is the part which made Ren froze up many times.
Ren broke out of his internal thoughts
"Are you hurt?" Ren asked with concern.
"No, it's fine sensei." Kyoko spoke her lines as Mitsuki.
"Let me see," Ren spoke his line and crouched down to take a look at her bleeding finger.
Kyoko just thought at he would take a look at her wound but her inner grudges gave were shivering with cold as what was about to come.
The emperor of the night was here!!
In a moment, just like you flip a switch, the reserved teacher face of Ren was replaced by that of a sinful man.
He looked straight into her eyes, and began to move her fingers towards his lips.
Kyoko was so flustered that she screamed while snatching her fingers away.
Everyone else on the set blushed as they say this scene filled with hidden innuendos.
I knew it.
I knew it
Kyoko was saying in her mind.
She was about to get mad him at him but she realized she had messed up the scene but before she could say anything Ren laughed.
"Did you seriously think I was going to lick your finger?
Kyoko wanted to retailiate with something, however Ren spoke first.
"I don't even like you." Ren said with such an intense face of hatred that Kyoko froze in her spot.
Kyoko couldn't bear this look. She even forgot that she was acting and turned her face away to hide the pained expression face. She felt like crying then and there.
Where Ren saw Kyoko's hurt demeanor, she quickly felt a pang of guilt inside, and while Kyoko was not looking at him he looked really regretful.
He couldn't bear to see her like this so he laughed and said 'I was just joking. You should really get your finger treated.'
But that didn't appeased Kyoko's pain a little bit.
She moved but she didn't know what she must do. Go and get her wound treated or...
She saw the paino and went there and pressed one key with her finger.
Then two, then three, absent-mindedly. Her finger was not that hurt. She looked up and saw Ren looking at that with a bright smile.
It was so blinding that Kyoko's defense alarms began blaring and many of the grudge Kyoko's were purified. She hid behind the Piano.
It frightened her. That light. That pure radiance.
She wanted to know how he can go looking from a man dripping with unholy desires to a person emnating godly aura in such a short span of time. Kyoko felt a deep distance between them as actors.
Ren looked at Kyoko pressing the piano keys absent mindedly, with a troubled expression on her face and she looked so cute in his eyes.
He couldn't help but just look at her and smile.
After a few moments, Kyoko looked at him and ducked under the piano and Ren felt really amused to see her like that. Ren didn't tried to hide the fact that he was opening admiring her because he can hide under the pretext of acting.
"Why don't you play the piano Hongo? Ren said his lines
"What?" For the second time, Kyoko was shocked not able to distinguish between acting and reality.
"Play something, Let's see if you can use paino every wednesday during lunch break from now on."
He removed his coat and come over.
'Why is he coming here?'
Kyoko was screaming internally.
Ren started to play piano and it... sucked. Kyoko almost laughed
.
It was a piece she knew.
'Neko Funjata.'
Ren, again, encouraged her to play with him
She started playing but Ren was getting better.
She didn't like he was getting ahead so she played faster but Ren got faster.
Kyoko couldn't help but laugh.
And Ren felt so alive in this moment. His eyes genuinely sparkled with life.
Just being with Kyoko like this, playing like piano like this was something new and he really wanted to feel this moment to the fullest.
A moment later their music started to balance and they were playing in sync. This again was a very beautiful moment for Ren.
He, then, said something to Kyoko and she started to smack him. They reached near the broken teacup and Kyoko realized they were back to this scene. She left the area with the tray to make new tea and get her wound treated.
Ren slumped onto the couch.
Forgetting all about how this was so wrong, she was still in highschool so he shouldn't direct his feelings of love towards her but still at this moment he felt so blissfully alive and happy. His happiness was too much for his being.
And Cut.
A/N:
In the manga, Yashiro and even President said a that Ren was imagining Kyoko in the place of the FL during the whole test, so I had to write this.
I wrote this part from memory so maybe I would have missed a thing or two. Let me know in the comments what you think.
Your feedback and thoughts are always appreciated.
Follow me on tumblr from some more snips and pieces regarding skip beat
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