Being crushed under Setsu's Heel

Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

Kyoko has completely embraced her new character as Setsu, Kain Heel's sister. But how is this new character affecting Tsuruga Ren? And what will happen when the pair of them meet up with Fuwa Sho?

Author's Note: I started thinking about this story after Issue 154 came out. I don't actually know what Setsu or Kain's characters will be like, but my overactive imagination has already begun filling in the details. And then I thought: What would happen if Sho met Kyoko's hottest new character? I hope that you will enjoy.

Transformation

Anyone looking at Ren at that moment wouldn't even recognize the tall, dangerous, angry looking man. He didn't even need to force himself to frown.

Ren was in agony as he stalked down the street in the guise of Kain Heel. It was bad enough that he was going to have to spend the next few days being followed faithfully by Kyoko… not that he hadn't inwardly longed for such an opportunity… it was how she looked that was driving him crazy.

Who could have guessed that her pink jumpsuit concealed… well… everything that was not being concealed by her current outfit? Kyoko was in the disguise of Setsu Heel, the younger sister of Kain Heel. As was typical of Kyoko, after her first introduction to her new role she had completely immersed herself in the script until she became Setsu. Her expression, her walk, her every tiny movement, and mannerism exuded Setsu. Setsu was the tough and cynical rebellious young girl who, despite her attitude toward every other person, was fiercely protective of her brother. Her brother, Kain, was the tall, troubled, withdrawn rebel who seemed to scream "serial killer." While he was still working on some aspects of his role, Kyoko seemed to have already transformed.

Of course, it wasn't her attitude or her speech that was causing Ren such problems. It was those legs, and that midriff, and her walk… she was so dangerously, frighteningly cute… and hot! Ren had found her… intriguing for a long time, but he hadn't thought… he hadn't wanted to think of her as smoking hot. He didn't want to think of her in that way because she was only seventeen. He didn't want to think of her that way because she was the charter member of the LoveMe Group; which meant that she wasn't ready to return his feelings. And so Ren was in agony.

Everything was made worse by the fact that Kyoko was totally, completely comfortable with him. Kyoko had been visibly distressed when Lory Takarada had first assigned her the task of watching over Tsuruga Ren. Ren had felt just a little hurt by her frightened reaction, even though he knew that most of her distress was caused by her own feelings of inadequacy. But Lory, being the schemer that he was, had found the perfect solution. By making her play the role of sister to Ren's character, she could be as close as she needed to be without the fear of any… romantic misunderstandings. And so now Kyoko was perfectly comfortable giving her "brother" the occasional punch in the arm, or even the occasional spontaneous hug. And so Ren was in agony.

How was he supposed to get into his own role when he couldn't even think of this little sprite of a girl as his sister? How could he possibly be expected to look at Kyoko without looking at Kyoko while she was dressed like that! He was supposed to play the part of her brother, for pity's sake! And then there were all of the other young men, and old men, and boys, aaarrrgh!

The character Kain Heel was not supposed to have a car, so he, and his sister Setsu, were walking down the streets of Tokyo to get to his next meeting. Ren didn't need to pretend to be the angry, dangerous hoodlum Kain at this moment, because he was angry; in fact he was feeling rather murderous. The reason was that, while his "sister" Setsu talked animatedly beside him, men all around them were practically falling all over themselves to get a glimpse of her. Ren was just waiting for the police to accost them, because he was absolutely positive that Setsu was the cause of the three-car pile-up at the last intersection. It all might have been amusing if he didn't feel so jealous. Because, while every other male from the age of 5 and up in the great metropolis of Tokyo felt free to ogle Setsu to their hearts content, he was having to physically force himself to not look at her!

And then there was The Walk… that's how he had begun to think of it for the last half hour since they had left LME and started on this little journey. When Kyoko had first walked out of the dressing room yesterday she had automatically used the model-stride that he had taught her for her Natsu character. That was hard enough for him to endure at times. But somehow, overnight while she was inventing her own Setsu, she had also found the perfect way that Setsu should walk… THE WALK. There was nothing crass or crude or slutty about the way that she walked now. Instead her walk was a cross between athlete and… panther. She didn't step, she glided… every muscle in those long, shapely legs and everywhere else on her body oozed through every millimeter of each step. And Ren wanted to look… oh how he wanted to look, to watch, to admire and adore and… aaarrrgh, he shook his head in frustration; he had to stop thinking about it.

"Is everything all right, Kain," Setsu asked with those big, concerned, beautiful golden-brown eyes as she placed a hand on his forearm. Just then a salaryman walked straight into a light pole with a loud "bonk!" Setsu looked over at the man as he knelt on the concrete, holding his bloody nose and still snatching glances at her. "Somebody his age should know how to walk in a straight line by now," She declared derisively, Setsu-like. Because, while the character of Setsu was solicitous of her brother's comfort, she had little or no sympathy for others.

This only made the man groan more. Some men like the tough, rebellious, disdainful type. Kain glared ominously at the man before gently leading Setsu away by her elbow. "Don't bother with men who walk around drunk in the middle of the day, Setsu."

Setsu nodded her understanding and they continued together down the road, completely oblivious to the five Tokyo University students on mopeds who suddenly swerved and crashed into the curb of the sidewalk right behind them.

The usual crowd of fan-girls was crowding the sidewalks as the limousine pulled up to the curb in front of the television station. Shouko Aki, Fuwa Sho's manager, looked over at the young man and shook her head in frustration. For a few days after Valentine's Day he had been unusually animated and almost eerily pleased with life in general and himself in particular. But now he had slipped back into this dark, gloomy character again. It almost certainly has something to do with Kyoko, she thought. Whatever happened on Valentine's Day has worn off now.

Sho was irritated, but he couldn't explain why. His mind kept replaying the Valentine's Day kiss. This kiss was supposed to make her think about him. But instead all he could think about was her! He just kept feeling her warmth as he held her, her breath as he pulled her close, and her lips…

Shouko Aki shook his arm, "Sho… Sho! We're here! We need to get out and go inside!"

She cringed as they stepped out and and the teeming fangirls cheered. Normally the driver would have driven into the private parking basement, but that was closed for construction today. Well, maybe Sho will cheer up after basking in his own fame for a few minutes.

But even as they stepped onto the curb an eerie shiver ran through the crowd. The tip of a very long shadow touched the edge of the crowd and the girls automatically became agitated. They shifted away from the darkness as if the shadow itself was a physical being. The shadow led the eyes of everyone away from Fuwa Sho and over to an approaching pair. Shivers became trembles and even shudders as they looked at the dangerous, unnaturally tall hoodlum in the black trench-coat who was approaching. He returned their stares with a murderous, squinting glare as he puffed on his cigarette. Sho was forgotten completely as the hoodlum stepped into their midst.

But Sho didn't even notice that everyone else's attention was diverted away from him. That was because his attention was wholly and utterly captured by the tall man's companion. He struggled with disbelief even as something inside of him proclaimed the truth with absolute certainty… that girl… complete with a lip-piercing from which hung a chain down to a spiked dog-collar… that absolutely and undeniably alluring, sexy girl had to be KYOKO! But this was a Kyoko he had never conceived of; a Kyoko who was the antithesis of plain; a Kyoko who was setting his every sense on fire as he watched her walking toward him. It Can't be Her! Kyoko doesn't know how to walk like THAT!

But there was no denying the truth of those golden eyes. Sho thought that he had seized the upper hand after he kissed Kyoko on Valentine's Day, but now he knew that he had failed again. Kyoko was a chameleon, changing and evolving over and over again into someone who was outstretching him. Kyoko was a phoenix, rising out of the ashes over and over, becoming more beautiful and alluring every time. Kyoko was fire, burning his eyes and his soul with that walk and leaving him utterly defeated.

In his efforts to pull his eyes away from her he looked up at the tall, dangerous man who was walking with her. The man, who looked strangely familiar, glared at him with murderous, hateful eyes. Sho shrank back against the limo involuntarily, trying not to cringe but failing utterly.

Setsu tilted her head and looked at the cringing rock star without any hint of recognition and then looked at her brother Kain. She looked back at the cringing boy and took in his leather clothes, studded with spikes and chains. She looked back up at her tall, dark, dangerous brother and sneered disdainfully, "Who's the wanabe punk, Kain?"

Kain looked down into his sister's golden eyes and then casually over at the young star who was unsuccessfully trying to recompose himself. "I have no idea, Setsu. Probably just another pretender." He took his sister's elbow and led her through the shocked crowd.

As they continued to walk away Ren was certain that he could feel his former rival's eyes following Kyoko's retreating form, drinking in that alluring walk and those perfect, firm legs. He didn't even mind.

Let him look, Ren thought to himself. You lose, Rock Boy. And someday I'm going to make Kyoko mine.

Setsu glanced up adoringly and saw a smile playing across her brother's lips. She stepped closer and wrapped her arm in his.

Ren wasn't in agony anymore.