As Usual

Summary: All appears well with our favorite LoveMe girl, till circumstances require Kyoko to visit Ren's house late one night. Unknown to her, she is followed by none other than her arch-enemy Sho. Her normal evening has turned into a very difficult and confusing scenario, and nothing is 'as usual'. Hilarious misunderstandings occur, and Sho witnesses scenes from his worst nightmare….. Ren X Kyoko always!

Timeframe: Set sometime during the Heel Siblings arc. My mind has the useful ability to block unpleasant memories, so right now I'm pretending the Valentine's Day debacle and Dark Moon Party fiasco never happened. Seriously, when Ren suffered an accident, I was sure it would result in confiding his past to Kyoko or confessing how important she was to him. Coward! He's taking too long to say the three simple words…

Mission: Torture Sho! Send a horde of angry grudge demons after him!

Chapter 1: Prologue

Kyoko paced about, wringing her hands in frustration, feet making small ridges on the wooden floor. At times, she would halt her pilgrimage across the room to hold her head in despair, mumbling incoherent words, finally sliding to the floor in a puddle of goo. Her behavior was beginning to trouble the Darumaya couple, who were quite frankly frightened by her fearful aura, but she would reassure them with a sparkly fake smile before resuming her pacing with increased vigor.

Kyoko smacked her forehead in self-reproach. Really, how she could be so clumsy! She had made a silly, stupid mistake; and now she was paying for it dearly. A small issue had been blown ridiculously out-of-proportion; and a misplaced item was now responsible for not just late-night sneaking and loss of sleep (not to mention peace of mind), but also for a host of unwanted feelings.

With a small pathetic moan, she turned her head to stare at her futon. Or more specifically, the bright shiny card key resting beside her bag, its smooth surface reflecting the yellow glow from the overhead light. The source of all her problems, the cursed object responsible for her current miserable predicament. The key to Tsuruga Ren's apartment.

...

Flashback:

"I'm so sorry, Goddess-sama!" Kyoko wailed, bowing low into a dogeza, oblivious to the fact that they were having a telephonic conversation, meaning that Jelly couldn't see her. "Please forgive me for troubling you with my silly problems, Goddess-sama, I'm such an idiot, so foolish, I deserve to be chopped up into its pieces and fed to the dogs! I understand if you are angry-"

"Calm down, Kyoko-chan! Just take deep breaths and relax…are you alright?" Jelly frowned, concerned. She wondered what had happened to make the high-school girl so panicked. She found Kyoko's mannerisms quite adorable, and so was upset that to find her in so aghast. In a soothing voice, she continued "Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"It was so stupid of me, but I've forgotten my LoveMe stamp book in Setsu's suitcase! ….the thing is, I need it for work tomorrow… Can I meet up with you sometime and pick it up?"

"Oh, is that all?" Jelly sighed, relieved that the problem was not as life-threatening as she feared. "No problem, Kyoko-chan. It's really not a big deal; you don't need to apologize so much…" Jelly mumbled awkwardly, still unused to dealing with the over-active girl. "But as much as I'd like to, I'm afraid I can't help you with your problem. You see, the suitcases are with Ren-chan."

"Eh?"

"If you recall, I offered to let you take Setsu's suitcase home, but you said it would be better if I kept it with me; and there was no space in the make-up trailer so I asked Ren-chan to take your suitcase with him….so you have to go visit Ren-chan for your stamp book."

"Oh" Kyoko responded, shoulders slumped glumly. Remembering her manners, she recovered temporarily to say goodbye to the make-up artist. "Ah…thank you for your help, Goddess-sama, I will talk to Tsuruga-san now…" The phone clicked shut, and she sunk to the floor in depression.

THAT conversation was a BIG disaster. Ren was as usual, kind, polite and charming; almost as if they had not been cooped together in a hotel room, in situations that bordered on indecent. "You need you stamp book from Setsu's suitcase? No problem at all, I'd be happy to help you." His trademark smile indicated that he was completely at ease in her presence, despite all the things that had happened between them- Kyoko shook her head furiously. No, that was not them, that was the Heels. It was perfectly acceptable for the sibling-complex Cain and Setsu to touch each other intimately, even snuggle on the same bed. Kyoko glared momentarily at his calm face. He was clearly NOT bothered by all the petting and pampering he had done as her 'brother'.

Kyoko was startled to realize that she hadn't been paying attention to the conversation. Biting her lip to focus on Ren's words, she managed to grasp his last sentence. "I will be home only by 11:30 tonight, so I'd better give it to you at LME tomorrow."

Kyoko's face fell. "I'm afraid I won't be at LME tomorrow morning, Tsuruga-san. I have a shoot for Box-R, so I will be reaching the agency only by late afternoon."

Checking his little pocketbook, Yashiro-san interrupted, "By that time we will be long gone. At 10:00, we leave for the Rmandy shoot. After that, we don't come to LME all day tomorrow. So you'll just have to find some other time compatible with both your schedules."

Ren shrugged. "Then I'll just drop by tonight and leave it at your place-"

"No! How could I ask my senpai to run errands for me, so late in the night no less! You don't have to go out of your way for me senpai, I'll just come visit you-"

"Out of the question. I won't let a girl walk around all alone so late in the night, what if something happened to you? Really, Mogami-san, I am shocked you even suggested such a thing. Need I remind you that you are an actress whose popularity is fast rising; you could become a target of unwanted attention. Or worse still, what if the stalker musician comes after you?"

Ren knew he won the argument, the moment he mentioned the Vie Ghoul vocalist. Kyoko shivered as she recalled the incident with the denizen of hell. No, she should not walk alone in the middle of the night if such creatures were prowling about. But what other option did she have?

Seeing his chance to bring his favorite couple together, Yashiro cheerily interrupted. "I have the perfect solution for you Kyoko-chan! Here, take this! …Now where did I put it? Hmmm…"

Searching his pockets, he hummed softly as he pulled out various items, notebook, watch, even a little toy dog; before exclaiming in surprise "Ah! I got it!" and dumping a plastic object into her hands.

Examining it, she realized it was a card key, similar to the one used in Cain and Setsu's hotel. A sinking feeling in her gut as she guessed what it was, Kyoko nevertheless asked, "What is this, Yashiro-san?"

"Why, it's a key to Ren's apartment of course! He gave me a spare in case he needed something in a hurry, or in case he was sick….but you take care of Ren more often than me now, so you should keep it. In fact, I was thinking to give you this a long time back!" Chuckling evilly, he continued, "You can go over to Ren's house after work today and collect your stamp book, that way none of us will be overly inconvenienced-"

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS!" Kyoko fairly screamed, and the two men were glad to be in a deserted corridor, away from curious stares. "Not only is this totally inappropriate, it is also a terrible intrusion on Tsuruga-san's privacy!"

Ren sighed. The situation was unfolding in the most unpredictable manner. An innocent stamp-book had been converted into a matchmaking plot, and Ren did not appreciate the unnecessary meddling and manipulation. He concurred with Kyoko's view; however, he still felt a stab of annoyance at her words. Ren had considered this attempt to further their relationship with alarm, and was almost as against it as Kyoko herself; but her words irritated him so much that he recklessly changed his mind. She spent hours in the hotel room with him as Setsu, making his life miserable by strutting around in the skimpiest of clothes and clinging to him in a flirtatious manner; yet she was uncomfortable with the simple idea of dropping by his place to pick up something? And privacy? She walks into his bath unannounced, cool as a cucumber, and now she talks of privacy?

In a slightly irritated voice, he asked, "Really Mogami-san, I think it's quite silly of you to be concerned about my privacy. We have spent a lot of time together, to the point where I am perfectly comfortable having you in my personal space. We have spent quite a while in rather …close settings, have we not? Besides I'm sure you are familiar with my apartment. You have been there many times, and this is no different. I fail to see the problem."

Yashiro stifled a chuckle of delight and relief. Truth be told, the biggest obstacle in his plan was Ren. If his charge was against the idea, all the manager's plans would be for naught. He was stupidly stubborn that way, always keeping Kyoko at arm's length rather than showering her with affection. No wonder he made zero progress in his love-life. But if Ren was on the manager's side, then his plan was sure to succeed. After all, Ren could convince Kyoko of almost anything. Kyoko held her senpai's instructions in high regard, so if he insisted it was okay, then she would have no option but to agree. His smile widened as he watched the drama progress in the manner he desired.

"But Tsuruga-san!" she cried out in exasperation. Racking her brain in search of an appropriate excuse, she stammered, "But that's different! I have never been alone at you place, when you are not there! It would be so rude of me to simply drop by without you and walk in as if I owned the place!"

"Yashiro-san quite often does that; he doesn't see a problem with it, and neither do I. And you have made unexpected late-night visits before."

"Yashiro-san is Yashiro-san! He has known you much longer that I, and is also your trusted manager-"

Are you suggesting I would be wrong to trust you, Mogami-san?" Ren enquired, skillfully manipulating her words till she was forced to take them back. 'Touche' Yashiro congratulated in his head. Right now, he was quite pleased with his charge's stubbornly determined attitude.

"Come now, I wouldn't offer if I felt uncomfortable with you being alone in my apartment. I'm quite confident you won't do any harm; in fact, your visits ensure that the guest bedroom and kitchen are also used."

Kyoko had no option but to agree. Still, she made a feeble attempt at a final protest. "What if- What if someone found out? What would they THINK?"

Ren sighed, and then in a calm voice, said slowly and clearly, "They would think that we are close friends. Which I thought we are."

His tone made it clear that denial would indicate that they weren't friends. Hastening to soothe her ruffled senpai, she assured him, "We are friends, Tsuruga-san, but-"

"Good, then there should be no problem. Have a good day, Mogami-san." So saying, the tall actor walked away briskly, his fair-haired manager hurrying behind him, leaving a gloomy and downtrodden young girl in their wake.

End of Flashback

...

Thinking objectively, Kyoko reluctantly admitted that Ren was not to blame for her unfortunate predicament (Though she was not sure it could be called 'unfortunate', many fans would kill to be in her shoes). It was Yashiro-san's fault for his outrageous suggestion. Really, what was he thinking? Honestly, if she didn't know better she would say that the manager had some hidden agenda…

Kyoko had no idea why the notion of entering her senpai's apartment on her own was so unsettling. She had visited his place several times, even stayed overnight while practicing Natsu. Besides, she had shared a room with him when they were acting Setsu and Cain Heel; in fact she had even shared a bed with him! Here her train of thought was disrupted, as she tried desperately not to think of that mortifying experience, blocking out the images from her mind in fear of losing her sanity. She tried not to remember the way he clung to her like she was his only lifeline, his firm but gentle touch, the softness in his eyes, the way he…too late, she was lost in mental replay of the many intimate things that happened on her 'Dangerous Mission'.

She did not want to think of the time they spent together, the different facets of his personality she had seen, her encounter with the 'other him', the man who lost control and attacked Murasame upon the words 'mixed bloodline'. The better she knew him, the more he occupied her thoughts and her heart. She was falling off the cliff of reason and sanity, plunging into the unwanted emotion of love. The locks of her heart were weakening; they could not last much longer….

And now THIS. A small plastic card key had completely destroyed her piece of mind. It wasn't like he had invited her for a romantic rendezvous or anything; it was simply a matter of convenience. He gave her a key to his place simply so that she could collect her lost item. Nothing more, nothing less. But still….having a key to his house somehow seemed to indicate that she could drop in whenever she pleased, like she belonged there, almost as if it was their apartment-

Wait, WHAT? What was she thinking! How did her mind go down the gutter like that? Of course she wasn't imagining living with her senpai, the very idea was outrageous! Indeed, they were only living together during the Tragic Marker filming so that she could look out for him, it's not like they were in a relationship-

Had she gone CRAZY? That was the only possible explanation for her exhausted brain to even consider a relationship with her 'brother'. She had sworn off love, so she didn't need any romantic affection from anyone, least of all the tall, handsome actor. She sighed. This was absolute madness. Her mind was going round in circles thinking up the most shameless and indecent things! What would Tsuruga-san say if he knew that his innocent, helpful act of giving her a key to his house had sent her thoughts wandering in the direction of marriage- No! I did not think of that! Stupid brain, stupid hyperactive imagination, stupid senpai, stupid Yashiro-san, STUPID, STUPID KEY!

Writhing in agony, she collapsed to the floor for the hundredth time this evening, wallowing in self-pity at her terrible situation. She was in two minds whether to go to his place or not; torn between the need to get back her book, and the unsettling feeling that plagued her whenever she pictured herself sneaking around Ren's house. She had wasted most of the evening in futile indecision, spending the past two hours pondering her dilemma to the point where she couldn't even think straight.

Really, she was blowing the issue out of proportion. It was a simple task; enter his house, find her stamp-book (Ren had informed her that the suitcases were in the guest room, beside the wardrobe), and get out. And while she was there, maybe she should prepare dinner for him... because he would probably go hungry if she didn't force him to eat. That means she would have to buy groceries, since his fridge was always empty….

Mind made up, Kyoko glanced at her bedside clock. 10.00. Perfect timing, not too late, so it was safe to go out. She threw on some new clothes and grabbed her faithful handbag, gingerly picking up the blasted key that was the source of all her trouble and holding it at the very end, as if it would suddenly come alive and bite her. Placing it carefully inside her bag, she stepped out into the street, stopping at the supermarket to buy groceries to address the famous actor's lack of nutrition. She then made her way to Ren's apartment, laden with plastic bags, oblivious to her surroundings. She was feeling quite better about the whole thing, as the food gave her a sense of normalcy. It's simply another evening at senpai's place; everything is as usual and there's nothing to worry about. No big deal Kyoko, you can do this!

As usual? She had no idea how WRONG she was.

Unknown to her, she was spotted outside the high-rise building by a certain blonde singer, who unfortunately chose that precise time to torment his favorite prey. Sho's curiosity was peaked when he saw her casually stroll into the posh building, completely as ease in the luxurious corridor, evidently familiar with the building layout. Decisively, he slipped away when his manager's attention was elsewhere, stalking behind the chestnut haired girl till she climbed into the elevator. Examining the numbers above the door, he could see that she got off at the 12th floor. Hurrying up, he spied her as she stopped in front of one door, dropping the bags in her hands to pull out a key from her handbag.

She hummed a small tune as she made her way towards her doom, unaware of the shadowy figure following her.

Just finished my last story, and immediately into the next one, starting with a 3k+ chapter, much longer than my average of 2.5k words. Phew, I'm one hard-working and determined kid! *patting myself on the back*. My phone is full of bit and pieces of new stories and random sentences are swimming around in my brain….

This chapter was ready two days ago, but I waited because I wanted to reach 100 reviews in 'Whimper'. Sadly, it never happened, so here's my next story. I'm stuck on 90 reviews for my previous story 'Whimper', please drop a line, lovely readers, it makes my day! Oh, and I beg you to read my other stories as well! I have written two stories for Skip Beat (actually I have written only two stories total) - 'Dark Moon Party' and 'Whimper'.

A little note: The word 'pilgrimage' in the first paragraph might seem a bit weird, I mean Kyoko is pacing about the same place with fervor.

Note that this is a RenxKyoko fanfic, Sho is present only to be punished. He seems to be winning in the last few manga chapters, so this is my way of putting him in his rightful place! (which is on the floor licking Kyoko's boots, by the way). Sincere apologies to the Sho fans.