Ren sat in the hotel chair, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the bathroom door. He couldn't deny that he was not looking forward to that night. It was going to be difficult, perhaps the most difficult night he'd ever had. He brooded as he stared at the door, never wanting it to open. Then again, another part of him was just waiting for the door to open…He quickly pushed that thought away. He couldn't afford to think like that. Not tonight, anyway.

Of course, the only person he had to blame for this situation was his own self. He'd been so distracted that he hadn't been paying enough attention and had let this happen. Well, the blame wasn't completely on Ren. Van Kiryuin had also played his part in creating this mess.

Twelve Hours Ago

"Sorry for the trouble, Little Lamb," Ren said apologetically as the car carrying him and Haruka sped along the road. "Since you already finished the song for the episode, I wasn't expecting for the producer to request you be at the set when we went on location. He said he already looked the song over and loved it, but he's pretty notorious for changing his mind at the last minute. I guess he wants you there in case he decides to make any changes to the song."

"It's okay, Jinguji," Haruka assured Ren with a smile. "It's not your fault." She'd been contracted to write a song for an episode of a popular drama that Ren was guest starring in. She'd finished the song last week and been prepared to wish Ren good luck as he left for three days to shoot on location. Late last night, however, the producer had told Ren that he also wanted Haruka on location to consult about the song. The producer acted like this had been part of the plan all along, but neither Haruka nor Ren remembered anything about Haruka being asked to be on set, and Ren felt guilty asking Haruka to pack and rearrange her schedule at the last minute. Of course, the decision hadn't been his, he'd just been the one who'd had to pass it along.

"All the same," Ren said with a remorseful smile. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Particularly if it's you I'm giving the news to." While Ren meant what he said, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed having Haruka's company for the long drive. Particularly since it meant he had Haruka all to himself for a few days. Of course, he'd be shooting the episode for most of that, but they could still have breakfast and dinner together. The show had booked the same hotel for the two of them, though they were on different floors, which also meant they'd leave together in the morning and come back together in the afternoon.

Five Hours Later

Ren stared with dismay at the large crowd outside the hotel. There were signs with his name on it and posters of STARISH.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Jinguji," the driver said, his feelings obvious in his voice. "It looks like it somehow got out that you're staying here. Someone on set must have leaked it to the public. Why don't I take the two of you straight to the set? I know you were supposed to be able to take your luggage to your hotel rooms and settle in a little before we left, but under the circumstances…"

"Yes, I think you're right," Ren agreed. "It'd be better to just go straight to the set. Maybe if I don't show up for several hours, the crowd will get tired of waiting and go home."

With a relieved nod, the driver continued onward.

One Hour Ago

Ren wiped at the sweat on his brow with a small towel as he walked towards Haruka, who was sitting in the shade of a tree. It had been a long, hot day and he was relieved it was almost over. He really hoped he wouldn't have to deal with a crowd at the hotel. All he wanted to do was shower and go to bed.

"What are you working on, Little Lamb?" He asked as he sat next to Haruka. She had a partially filled in song sheet in front of her and seemed deep in thought.

"It's a song I'm writing for someone as a thank you. I'm not quite sure how I want it to sound yet, but I have a couple ideas."

Ren looked at the song curiously, wondering if he could guess who she was writing it for. Each member of STARISH had their own particular style and Haruka always played to their strengths. His brow furrowed as he looked at the song. It didn't sound like any of the members of STARISH. "Who is the song for, my Lady?"

To his surprise, Haruka blushed. "I-I was having trouble with a song that President Saotame asked me to write. Van Kiryuin helped me out. I couldn't have written the song that the president wanted without his help. I wanted to thank him somehow, so that's why I'm writing a song for him."

Involuntarily, Ren's hand tightened on the towel in his hand. Van. How quaint. Ren angrily wondered what Van had been doing to grow close to Haruka while Ren hadn't been paying attention. Then Ren felt angry at himself. He knew how Van felt about Haruka. Heshould have been paying better attention. The last time Ren and Van had talked about Haruka, Van had said he'd back off, but that had been months ago and Van had never said how long he'd back off for. Ren worked to keep his voice even as he asked, "What song did Kiryuin help you with?"

The blush on Haruka's face deepened, filling Ren with a sense of dread. "A song about falling in love. The president was very specific that he wanted a song about falling in love, and not a song about love."

Jealousy pounded through Ren as he wondered just what Van had done to help Haruka compose a song about falling in love. One that she hadn't managed to compose without help. He could imagine many ways that Van might have helped her, each filling him with more rage. He was going to kill that HEAVENS bastard for taking advantage of Haruka.

"It looks like it's time to go," Haruka said, looking up at a driver motioning to them. Ren noted that it was a different driver than the one they'd had that morning before he saw Haruka shiver next to him. The temperature was going down with the sun setting. He grabbed the hoodie he'd been wearing that morning and handed it to her. She smiled her thanks as she pulled it on and put the hood up, burying her hands in the pocket along with her pen and the song she was working on.

Ren was distracted all the way back to the hotel, his mind going over and over what Van and Haruka might have done together, no matter how many times he tried to tell his mind to shut up. He desperately wanted to ask Haruka, but that hardly felt appropriate. Especially since she'd blushed just saying that Van had helped her with the song. Plus, she might not tell him, and that might be even worse than not knowing.

The car stopped at the hotel and Ren absent-mindedly got out, his mind still on Van.

"Here's your room keys," the driver said, handing keys to both Haruka and Ren. "You've already been checked into your rooms. I'll bring your luggage up in a few minutes. "

"Thanks," Ren said, barely paying attention. He and Haruka walked into the hotel, Haruka with her hood still up. It was only after they walked into the hotel and were standing by the elevators that Ren remembered why the two of them hadn't checked into the hotel earlier. Of course, a crowd of teenage girls screaming your name would remind anyone loud and clear that they had a rabid group of fan girls waiting for them at their hotel.

"Come on!" Ren exclaimed, taking Haruka's hand and running. He dashed for the stairs and ran for the third floor, where his room was. He could stay ahead of the crowd easily, but it was more difficult for Haruka. He dragged her along, the sounds of screaming fans following them close behind.

He fumbled with his key card when he got to his room, casting a panicked look at the crowd almost to them. Normally, he could probably handle a group like this fairly well with his normal charm, but it was more dangerous with Haruka by his side. If his fans realized that he had a girl with him…Thank goodness she was wearing a jacket and still had the hood up.

The moment he got the door opened, Ren pushed Haruka through and jumped after her, pulling the door shut and engaging the locks. A moment later, there was pounding on the door and screams of "Ren!" "Jinguji-san!" Marry me!" "Be my boyfriend!"

He turned away from the door to check on Haruka. She had one hand to her heart and was breathing heavily. "That was scary," she said.

"That was close," he corrected, hating the thought of what could have happened. While he loved his fans, he well knew how mean girls could be. In the heat of the moment, Haruka could have been hurt.

"What do we do now?" Haruka asked, lowering her hood and blinking owlishly at him.

"I guess…we wait," Ren said. "The hotel won't want to risk its reputation by allowing fan girls to harass stars. They'll like the prestige and publicity of having famous people staying here. If a star is too bothered, others won't want to stay here."

"Right," Haruka said, nodding confidently. Ren's words made sense. They'd just have to wait a while, and then Haruka could go to her own room.

Half an hour later, the sounds of the crowd had died down and Ren's hotel phone rang. He answered it and the manager of the hotel apologized profusely, promising to send up a complimentary dinner along with his baggage. He also swore that Ren would not be disturbed again while he was there.

Ren hung up the phone with a grateful sigh and answered the gentle knock that came on his door a moment later. A bell hop stood outside with Ren's bags. There were also two large men standing on either side of his door. Ren blinked at them as he took his bags. "I'm sorry…who are you?"

"We're hotel security," one of the men said, nodding to Ren. "We're to make sure that no one bothers you while you're here, Mr. Jinguji."

"Great," Ren said hesitantly, trying to paste his smile on his face. "Thank you! I appreciate the hotel manager taking the extra precaution." He let the smile slip from his face shut the door.

"What's wrong?" Haruka asked, noting the upset look on Ren's face.

Ren ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "It looks like the hotel has decided to post security outside my door to make sure no fans get to me."

"That's good…isn't it?" Haruka asked, confused by Ren's obvious agitation.

Ren paused as he stared at Haruka, wondering how to phrase what he needed to say. "Little Lamb…When you're in the show business, you can't always trust the people around you. The fans think I ran in here with a guy, but if you walk out, the guards will see a girl. I'd like to think that they wouldn't say anything, but there's no guarantee. If word gets out that I was in a hotel room with a girl…"

Haruka gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "It will look like you broke the no love rule," Haruka said. "Even if we're able to explain everything to the president, it still might get into tabloids that you brought a girl to a hotel room. It could ruin your reputation."

Ren nodded, glad that Haruka understood.

"I'm sorry, Little Lamb, but it looks like you'll have to stay here until morning."

"Okay," Haruka said looking determined. "You take the bed. You're the one who has the most work tomorrow."

"My Lady…" Ren began, horrified that Haruka would even suggest such a thing. "How could I possibly take the bed when there's such a lovely lady in need? Of course you'll take the bed. I'll be fine on the floor."

Haruka looked like she wanted to argue, but Ren crossed his arms and stared her down. When she finally looked like she was giving in, Ren said, "You shower first, my Lady."

"Okay," Haruka said, taking a step toward the bathroom. Then she stopped, looking troubled. "I don't have my bag." Which meant she had no clothes to change into.

"Here," Ren said, rifling through one of his bags and pulling out a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. "You can sleep in these."

"Thank you, Jinguji," Haruka said, blushing as she took the clothes from him.

Present Time

Ren heard the shower shut off and his heart pounded at the thought that Haruka would be coming out at any moment. He tried very hard not to imagine what was going on in the bathroom right at the moment, but not picturing Haruka wrapping herself in a towel and drying off was very difficult.

He swallowed thickly, trying to think about his work instead. He recited the lines for the episode he would have to do the next day. That worked until the door opened. He looked up to see a thin line of steam come from the bathroom and a pink-cheeked Haruka step out. His clothes nearly drowned her and she looked utterly adorable, but that wasn't Ren's real problem. The real problem was that seeing Haruka come out of the bathroom fresh from the shower in his clothes…it felt like either the two of them were living together as boyfriend and girlfriend…or like they were spending their very first night together.

Ren quickly pushed both those thoughts out of his head as he stood to take his turn in the shower. When he came out, all but one of the pillows had been put on the floor, as well as the comforter.

"My Lady," Ren said, shaking his head. "How could you think I'd take the comforter?"

"But I have the bed," Haruka argued. "So you should get the comforter."

She looked at him with earnest eyes that almost made him want to give into her. Or kiss her. Since neither decision was an option, he turned away from Haruka to grab the comforter and put it back on the bed. "What would I do if you caught a cold?" He asked. Knowing she wouldn't give in easily, he stepped close to her, capturing her chin in his hands and speaking softly. "Then I would have to personally nurse you back to health as penance."

"O-okay," Haruka said, flushing bright red as she pulled away from Ren, her eyes on the floor. "I'll take the comforter and give you the sheets."

"Good girl," Ren said, still dreading the night ahead.

The atmosphere felt awkward as the two of them turned off the lights and laid down. "Good night, Jinguji," Haruka said softly, making his chest tighten. What would it be like to go to bed every night hearing that from her lips? And to wake every day to hear her say good morning?

"Good night, Little Lamb."

As Ren feared, every time Haruka moved it caught his attention. He felt like each soft ruffle of the blankets as she adjusted herself was as loud as a siren. How was he supposed to get any rest knowing that Haruka was sleeping in the bed next to him? He closed his eyes and tried to think of boring, mundane things. Like whenever Syo started listing all the things that made Hyuuga Sensei great. Or when Otoya gushed about how wonderful his guitar was.

Haruka shifted again, pulling Ren from his thoughts. It was going to be a very long night.

~.~

The next morning, Ren woke with circles under his eyes. He glowered at his reflection, but told himself that they'd be able to cover the marks up just fine with make-up for the shooting.

He also reminded himself that he'd have to find some way to repay Van for the night he'd just had. And for getting closer to his Little Lamb.