It was a funny little game they played, where he pretended to be the villain and she pretended to be a damsel in distress.

He'd pretend to scare her shitless, and she'd pretend to run away in fear.

The air suddenly became cold when his lips twisted into an angry snarl. "A kiss of so-so skill," he stated.

"Pardon?" Kyouko asked.

Ren pointed his finger toward her, "What you've experienced… is a kiss of mere so-so skills."

Her mouth opened to say some sort of anguished retort. She then closed it, unable to find anything to say. It opened, and closed again. Opened, and closed.

He let out a condescending laugh and moved toward her.

"Then…shall I teach you?" he whispered, dangerously twirling a lock of her hair through his fingers.

She jerked involuntarily, and instinctively flung her hand between them. "T-Teach me what?" she whimpered.

His voice had barely been a whisper, but she felt it creep down the back of her nape.

He grinned, gently moving her hand toward his lips. "The difference…" he enunciated, placing slow measured kisses on the tips of her fingers.

Kyouko's eyes widened in fear, that glint in his eyes was unmistakable. "Diff-?"

"…between a lust-driven kiss" he continued, "… and one filled with love." His other free hand soon found its way behind the small of her back.

"Though I must confess, that if it's you…" He tugged her closer, "I won't be able to differentiate them myself."

"-!"

Then he bent too close to her ear, "Either way, I can drive you wild."

Because it's me, and because I'm damn good at it.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"You bastard! Those are my lines!" Fuwa practically looked feral as he interjected and attempted to step onto the stage.

Then someone gasped as a loud thud echoed through the studio. "Director!" All heads turned to where the director collapsed, apparently from faint.

The director meekly assured everyone that he was alright when he came to. He clasped his chest and muttered "the scene was just too intense."

Ignoring this, Fuwa further remarked at the couple's awkward position "You can let her go now. Are you deaf? Or are you stupid? The crewman already said 'Cut.'"

"A-ano… Tsuruga-san," the director began.

Ren loosened his hold on Kyouko after he realized that she wasn't speaking, much less breathing. She was limp (and almost dying) in his arms.

Her eyes were violently scrambling from one end to the other, like she wanted to scamper off… the way rabbits would.

"You mixed up your lines with Fuwa-kun. He's the one who's supposed to confess… to Kyouko-chan," the director clarified.

"Oh?" Tsuruga replied, after a pregnant pause. "My bad. I must have misread the script."

"Y-Yes." The director nodded apprehensively. "Please get it right the next time."

"Yes. Sorry." Ren said, and smiled so serenely that everyone else on set believed that it was an honest mistake.

Everyone else, except Yashiro, Shoutaro and Kyouko.

To them, Ren looked triumphant.

"How sneaky…" the manager remarked when they were out of earshot. "Setting the pace on that scene, there's no way Fuwa-kun can keep up now…"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ren stated simply.

Yashiro cocked one of his brows. "Don't play dumb now. It was suspicious for him to be in this drama at all. It's clear to me now, that he wanted to confess to Kyouko through an acting stint."

"…"

And then Yashiro disdained further. "But using your Casanova-skills on Kyouko-chan, she looked so scared! (and she probably didn't understand that it was a premeditated confession)."

Ren merely sighed, and gave a small nod. "Got it." He walked toward the young actress' dressing room. "I'll apologize properly."

"Confess, while you're at it," his manager teased.

What foolishness they engaged themselves in, desperately trying to keep that distance between them.

As soon as she opened the door, (with a cursing candle attached to her forehead) he casually 'explained' in some creative, twisted manner why he erred.

She accepted it as the 'truth', because it was Tsuruga-san and because she refused to take the confession as is.

These pretensions are of course, futile, or should i say idiotic.

Since it was painfully obvious... that they were helplessly in love.

Yashiro was pleased, when they both came back to the set looking happy.

Ren's eyes looked a little more softly at her and her cheeks harbored a luminescent blush which she desperately tried to hide.

Truth was, he's not such a bad guy as he thinks himself to be. And she doesn't need saving at all.

They just haven't realized that yet.

[A/N: I leave Sho's cussing to your imaginations.].