My contribution to the First Date Challenge. I should probably apologize in advance to all the arachnophobes who will be reading this. I hope that you all enjoy the first chapter.

Rules:

1: Cannot be a "fake" date or a LoveMe assignment
2: Feelings must be established from at least one side, i.e. at least one of them has to have confessed to the other (doesn't need to have happened in the fic, but bonus points if you include it!)
3: There must be some sort of kissing (doesn't matter when)
4: You must incorporate a love rival into the story (we need drama/conflict! use any existing character you like, no matter how minor)
5: Must end with Kyoko/Ren!

It began with a "What are you doing this Saturday?" and ended in something perilously close to a breakup.

Which was ridiculous, because they were not dating. Kyoko had made it very clear to Ren when he had "confessed" right after he had finished filming as BJ that she knew his feelings were getting confused with Cain's and that he did not need to worry because she was going to forget it had ever happened. Immediately.

But while they had continued to interact occasionally as coworkers, Kyoko had not been able to quite forget Ren's confession. And in not forgetting his confession, all of the things that he did and had done, every little one, confused her. Was that a senpai/kohai offer, or the generosity of a man who supposedly… well, she was not going to use the L-word, and Ren did not have any special feelings for her. At all. Ever.

And now she could be absolutely certain of that fact because he had just refused, point blank, with some derision, her one request that would have truly saved her from a mess of trouble.

If she was being really honest, the entire incident had begun two weeks before with the untimely appearance of Fuwa Sho at TBM studios one late night after she had been recording as Bo. She was hot, tired, newly confused about Ren's declaration of… feelings, smelled like the inside of a giant animal costume, and desperately wanted to get home. So running into Sho had been the tiny spark needed to ignite her flames of gently churning wrath.

"What are you doing here?" she had growled when she saw him leaning against a wall in a deserted corridor. The deserted factor was probably due to the late hour, since this was normally a well used hallway, which made it even stranger that Sho would be here of all places. Before she spoke he had a deliberating look on his face. He had looked up in surprise, then shifted into a cocky smirk.

"Oh, it's you," he replied casually, shifting into a more upright position and glancing down at her in bemusement. "I guess this is my lucky day."

Kyoko realized she had made a mistake, that he was not waiting for her, but she was too irritable to simply walk away. Her heart was in turmoil, and she needed to spread it around. Her demons churned, begging to strangle their sighted prey.

"Lucky how?" she demanded in a short tone. Sho's smile grew.

"I'm here because I just got confirmation for the opening act of my next concert. My biggest one this year." His smarmy smirk became more pronounced. "What are you doing here? Half bit acting job?"

Kyoko ground her teeth in irritation, unable to confess that she had been here as Bo. She threw her head up, folded her arms across her chest, and gave him her best dismissive look.

"That's none of your business!" she declared haughtily. "Now if you don't mind, I have places I need to be."

"At ten at night?" Sho asked in disbelief. Then he frowned. "Got a date with your half rate senior?" Kyoko stiffened.

"Why would I have a date with Tsuruga-san?" she asked tightly, her demons dissipating in a poof. "We aren't dating. He doesn't even l-like me!" Sho caught her stutter and stalked over, grabbing her wrist so she couldn't escape.

"Doesn't he?" the singer demanded, watching her glance away anxiously. "Well?"

"He- he doesn't," she answered, as forcefully as she could. "And I don't have a date with him." This she could say with conviction, meeting his eyes again. She had no date with Ren, and no plans for a date either. Sho studied her carefully for a minute before he released her.

"You're a lousy liar, Kyoko," he told her, releasing her. "You're up to something. Got some other secret rendezvous?"

"No," she retorted. "I need to get home and I don't own a car. Even you should have some comprehension of how important it is for a budding star to protect herself. I have to leave now if I don't want to take even more risks." She said this with an aura of assurance she did not quite feel. She hoped to shame him, but was surprised when he instead looked almost… anxious.

"You're walking home? Alone?" Why was he so surprised?

"I don't have a manager with a car," she pointed out, her tone patronizing. She expected him to be offended, but instead he frowned some more and grabbed her hand.

"Come on."

He started dragging her down the hallway, ignoring her shrieks and protests. She pulled as hard as she could against him, her legs ramrod straight, her feet trying to find a purchase on the slick tile, but he ignored her completely. They rounded a corner just as Shoko exited the lady's restroom. She stared at the couple in horror.

"Sho, what are you doing?" she demanded.

"We're taking her home," he answered shortly. Kyoko stumbled.

"You're what?" she gasped at the same time Shoko exclaimed, "We're what?"

There was a moment of confused silence as the two women looked at each other, then both turned on Sho.

"You can't just drag people around," Shoko pleaded with her charge, hoping he had not angered Kyoko too much. There was no telling what the young actress would do when provoked.

"I am not going anywhere with you, Shotaro! I would rather die than be indebted to you!"

"Sho, let her go please, someone might see you."

"You idiot, give me my hand back! I'm walking!"

"Look, she really doesn't want this. Sho, please don't make my job harder."

"You stupid, arrogant, high handed-"

This continued for a few moments, Sho letting the pleas and curses roll over him while he waited for them to abate. When it seemed that no one was going to stop he held up his hand and both women broke off.

"Shoko, we're taking her home. Kyoko, you're coming with us."

"I don't answer to you, Shotaro, and-"

"Don't call me that," he grumbled, cutting her short. "And you are coming with us. Shoko is driving and she doesn't mind." He gave his manager a cursory glance and she nodded halfheartedly. "It's late at night and you just said a 'budding star' has to take care of herself. What's safer, driving with me or walking all the way to wherever you live?"

Kyoko was seriously tempted to tell him that it was safer to walk. She even had Vain Day as proof of this. But with his manager in the car…

"Fine," she snapped, bitterly angry at how this was turning out. "But never again!"

Sho had nodded, but it was more out of habit than really promising. He was a self centered prig and he knew to a certain extent that he was childish and needy. But he also cared about Kyoko and her safety, and if he ever ran into her again late at night and walking home, he would make sure she got back safely, even if it was against her will.

When they had piled into Shoko's car and Kyoko had given the manager some basic directions towards her house, there were a few tense minutes of absolute silence, Kyoko refusing to start any conversation, even for the sake of being polite. But Sho was bored and he had not seen Kyoko in a while. So he started talking about himself.

"Have you heard about my concert?" he asked nonchalantly.

"No," Kyoko quipped back.

"Then you want to hear about it," he said.

"No," she retorted. Sho ignored this.

"It's next month. Well, in three weeks, on Saturday. My fans are excited because it's going to promote my next album, so it will have several of my new songs." He paused to let her react to this. She glared at him and clapped her hands perfunctorily, the deadpan look in her eyes disconcerting. Sho decided to continue. "They're especially excited because my new album is my romance collection, and that is going to be the theme of my concert," he declared proudly. Shoko rolled her eyes in the front seat, wondering why on earth he thought Kyoko would be happy about that.

She was not happy about it, but she had actually already known it. While the president of LME did not generally broadcast and advertise for other agencies, he was aware of Fuwa's talents as a musician and was happily encouraging his staff to attend the concert. A love filled evening was exactly what his people needed to help them rejuvenate in the middle of this long summer. He was even giving special permission to take paid time off work to those who went to the concert, which made Kyoko more upset than just about anything else.

"Hooray for them," she cheered in a wooden voice, scooting further back into the seat and staring out the window, trying her best to ignore him. But Sho would not be ignored.

"What are you doing that weekend?" he asked, causing her to turn back again slowly and menacingly.

"Why, Shotaro, do you want to know?" she hissed. He flinched at her use of his real name, but persisted.

"I want you to come."

"Sho, even if I had money to waste on ridiculously priced concert tickets, which I don't, I would not go to your concert."

"I have two front row tickets and two backstage passes that I can give to whoever I want," he told her, pulling an envelope out of his jacket pocket. Kyoko stared at him in disbelief. "I don't care who you bring with you, whatever of your LoveMe bodyguards that you want, or someone else if you have to. Just come."

He held out the white envelope, his eyes pleading with her. She felt almost… guilty. It was not as overwhelming as Cain's pathetic puppy-dog eyes; nothing could be. But it did shake her.

"Sho, I don't want-"

"Please."

Kyoko took the offering without even realizing it until it was in her purse. Sho had said please. Sho never said please. Sho demanded.

Now she had to go.

Dang it.

"I don't have any work right now, but if something comes up, my job comes before this," she told him severely, trying to take back control of the situation.

"But you'll come as long as you're free?" he pressed.

"I just said that I would," she growled back.

"Promise," he told her, holding up his hand and proffering his pinky to her. In the front seat, Shoko had to choke back a gasp. Kyoko hesitated for a moment before hooking his pinky with her own and giving a perfunctory shake before snatching her hand back.

"I promise," she mumbled. Sho grunted, but accepted this stipulation. It was not like she was going to get any jobs in the next few weeks anyway. And Kyoko was the kind of girl to whom a pinky promise was still like a blood oath.

Kyoko had remained silent for the rest of the trip back, and Sho, in fit of unusual intelligence, did not start another conversation. She did not have them drop her off outside her home, but at a residence nearby. At the very least, she was not letting Sho know where she lived on top of everything else.

The next day, Kyoko arrived at work and immediately pinned Kanae in the LoveMe room, falling to her knees and weeping.

"Moko-saaaaaaaan! I'm an idiot!" she wailed, gripping her best friend's knees and sobbing into Kanae's skirt. "Save meeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Mo! Would you stop that? What is it now?" Kanae demanded, tugging at Kyoko until she had shoved the girl into a chair. Watery eyes met cold ones and Kyoko sniffed.

"I promised Sho I would go to his concert." Kanae froze.

"What?"

Kyoko began a long and garbled explanation of what had happened, interrupted with several wailings at her own stupidity and remorse and owing the stupidest boy on the face of the planet. When she got to the end of it, she begged Kanae to go with her. Her friend sighed.

"I can't, stupid. I've got work that night for my new drama, and there is no way on earth that I can cancel."

"M-Moko-san," Kyoko's lip trembled, more tears spilling down her face. Kanae winced.

"Look, you're the one who's always talking about how work comes first," she growled. "I have filming that night. Ask Chiori."

"Ask me what?" the third LoveMe member asked as she stepped into the room. She noticed Kyoko's tear streaked face and froze. This could not be good.

"I promised to go to Sho's concert," Kyoko sighed sadly, slumping in her seat. Chiori glanced at Kanae and in an instant gathered that she was being used for a devious purpose. She did not know why Fuwa Sho brought such intense reactions out of Kyoko, but she was not going to get into the middle of this.

"Well, I'm sure the President will be pleased," Chiori pointed out, hoping this helped. Kyoko only sniffed and a few more tears leaked down her cheeks.

"I can't go alone. Can't you go with me?"

"I've got work," Chiori stated flatly, and Kyoko's eyes welled up again. "No, don't make that face at me. Kotonami-san is your best friend and it's her job to take care of you in situations like this. You cry at her, not me. I'm just the kohai."

Kyoko instantly protested this and was distracted into an argument which ended with Chiori capitulating for the sake of not letting the conversation drift back to its origins. After some clever speaking, both friends managed to escape without making any commitments and without Kyoko crying.

Which meant Kyoko still had no one to go with her to the concert. She had dithered. She had begged a bit more. She had considered breaking her promise. She had argued with herself and with a few of her Ren dolls over what was the appropriate course. But even her artificial senpais were resolute. She had given her word, her promise. She had a duty to see this through.

So after much deliberation, Kyoko decided that there was only one course of action. It was foolhardy, but she had to ask Tsuruga Ren if he would place his dignity and better judgment on the line and save her from having to face this trial alone.

And it had ended, not to her surprise but much to her chagrin, in a nightmare.

Ren reclined against a wall, waiting somewhat impatiently outside of Takarada Lory's office. This was an unscheduled appointment, and even LME's greatest could not expect to have the doors simply thrown open in welcome, especially given that this was not an emergency. Ren kept his irritation under the surface, allowing it to simmer beyond sight of the people around. He was fairly sure that his manager could sense the bubbling heat of his concealed temper, but Yashiro would be the only one, and Ren hoped a little that the conniving man was squirming internally. In spite of Ren's many protests, Yashiro had continued to step up surprise meetings for Ren and Kyoko. Ren had tried to explain, with little success, that he found this officious behavior particularly unhelpful of late, but because he had hidden his confession and rejection from Yashiro, his manager had not complied.

Not that Ren would have expected Yashiro to stop anyway. He had a feeling that until they were a couple, Yashiro would continue to throw them together until Kyoko was forced to accept Ren as a part of her life. Whatever his determination, only an hour before he had casually led Ren into the depths of the LME building and nonchalantly thrown his charge into the LoveMe room.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan, you're here!" Yashiro had exclaimed, as though he had not known from the beginning that she would be there. Kyoko had responded with a weak smile and a polite, "Good afternoon," for both men. She seemed even more skittish than usual, which concerned Ren because he had been trying to avoid her so that she would not feel pressured to think about his previous confession.

Maybe he had been too optimistic about how well he understood her.

"Good afternoon, Mogami-san," he had replied as easily as he could. "I'm sorry we're intruding. It seems like you're busy."

There was a pile of work on her desk, but she ignored it and his statement, glancing up from under her lashes before her eyes darted back to the floor, then across the room, quickly back to his face, and then back to the floor again. Ren's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Yashiro, making his own assumptions about Kyoko's seeming embarrassment, opened his mouth to make a surreptitious exit when Kyoko looked up suddenly and prevented him.

"Tsuruga-san, what are you doing this Saturday?" she stammered anxiously.

Both men froze. Yashiro glanced between the two of them, wondering where this development had come from, suddenly suspecting Ren's determination to avoid Kyoko had been some sort of plot to make her miss him. Clearly Ren had not expected such excellent results.

Ren had, of course, not been playing such a devious game, but his heart had soared for a single moment when he had allowed himself to believe that Kyoko was considering, maybe, a date with him.

Then reality had reared up, and slammed such a foolish and pathetic dream into the stratosphere. Her words had not included "date," she was a proper Japanese girl and would have accepted his feelings and confirmed herself as his girlfriend before she would have gone on a date with him, and she was talking about this in front of Yashiro. This was not a proposal for a romantic expedition. Given how nervous she was, she needed help, probably with work. And between his earlier confession, his avoiding her, and her own diminutive pride, it was no wonder that she was nervous. Very carefully, making sure he was as sincere as possible, Ren smiled reassuringly.

"I have several jobs throughout the day, but my schedule can be rearranged without inconveniencing anyone." Actually, it would greatly inconvenience Yashiro, but Ren was more than willing to sacrifice his manager just then. "Did you need something? For work?"

Simple, clear, professional. She would relax, and he could step back into the dreaded position of senpai. He would not have her, but he would not have lost her. He could do this.

"Actually…" she had hesitated, giving Yashiro a nervous look, "it isn't about work."

Ren would have given anything to have had a pin in his hand at that moment. Yashiro did not seem to move, but if he was not swelling with pride and joy, it was more than Ren was willing to bet on. He had wished he could pop all that happiness and hope into oblivion, where it would have stopped encouraging him.

"If you need to talk to Ren, I'll go run our errands while you two chat. He can use a break and I'm sure you have plenty to say," the manager had stated, slipping out of the room before Kyoko could protest. She looked horrified, and Ren suspected she had been counting on Yashiro's presence to protect her in some way or another.

Then there was a moment of awkward silence before Ren took control.

"So, what can I do for you?" he had asked calmly, waiting until she was staring back at him before smiling gently again. Kyoko swallowed, trembling.

"The truth is…" Another swallow. "Actually I…" She had looked away, her head hanging. Ren remembered mercilessly quashing all the tiny seeds of hope that had tried to blossom in his chest at that moment. Kyoko was not a typical girl. This would not be the confession he wanted to hear. He was an adult, not a child. He had stopped wishing on falling stars and dandelions. He was logical, composed-

Kyoko had thrown herself onto the floor, a stream of unintelligible babble pouring from her lips, startling Ren for a moment before he scolded himself. He had gotten so used to a Kyoko that was comfortable talking to him, he had allowed himself to forget to block her from this pathetic show of agony.

"Mogami-san, please, I can't hear you," he had told her, trying to lift her from the floor. The babbling continued, Ren only catching so many words. "Car," "sorry," and "stupid cockroach," registered, but Ren had been too busy hauling her to her feet to think about what they could possibly have meant. A rush of tears had streamed down her face, but he had not bothered to wipe them away. Until she had calmed down, it would be a pointless gesture. "Mogami-san, I can't forgive you if you don't tell me what you did that was so wrong."

She stopped and hiccuped, tears still oozing, her lip trembling. She shook her head and stared down at the floor, shamefaced.

"I- I got a ride home with Sho a couple weeks ago." She had glanced up, clearly waiting for a vicious remonstration. Ren's jaw clenched, but he forced himself to stay calm. Kyoko, he was more than aware, had the tendency to get dragged into the most awkward and dangerous situations, just by breathing. Especially where Fuwa was involved.

"Did you have a job with him?" Ren had checked, hoping he had not missed something. Kyoko shook her head.

"I ran into him after filming one night. He… sort of dragged me off. With his manager," she added, pity for Shoko escaping into her tone. Ren did his best to not growl.

"What happened?" he had asked slowly. "You'd better tell me the whole thing."

So she had. She left out what job she had come from, and she did not mention what they had talked about in the car, or the tumult of her own feelings that had brought on her stupidity, but she told him the events. Ren knew enough of her temper towards Sho to believe that he had dragged such a reaction from her.

"It sounds like you couldn't have helped it," he sighed. "Well, you probably should have had control over your temper, but once things were out of control…"

He drifted off, letting her feel the weight of her actions. He was the adult she had come to because she was a child needing a scolding. He could give her a scolding. Gently of course. Because, above all else, Tsuruga Ren was gentle.

"I'm sorry," she grumbled, still not meeting his eyes. Ren shrugged.

"If you're sorry, then it's fine. I've told you before, I don't hold grudges." She looked up and Ren relaxed. Yes, he was still the adult here. "Though I don't really see why you had to tell me. It's not like we're dating."

Well, there went the adult. Ren bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything else stupid. Kyoko had gone rigid, as if up until that moment she had not considered the fact that about two weeks ago, he had told her he loved her.

Actually, given that it was Kyoko, that was possible. Because he did not register as a man to her.

"Y-you're right," she had mumbled, taking a steadying breath. She smiled weakly. "But I had to explain to whole story, because I need your help," she admitted. Ren had nodded, trying to shift back into his scolding adult figure.

"Is it about Saturday?" he asked. She sighed.

"Can you go with me to Sho's concert?"

Ren blinked.

"What?" Kyoko flinched at his tone. The adult had disappeared again. He fought to even out his tone at least, but he could not stop his unruly mouth. "You need my help to get a ride to Fuwa Sho's concert?" The cool incredulity seemed to reach her addled brain, and she nodded.

"I don't want to go!" she wailed, reaching suddenly behind her and pulling out an envelope that was covered in homemade protective seals. "But he gave me tickets and made me promise!"

"He made you promise?" Ren's tone was still dangerous. Kyoko had explained as best as she could what had happened, trying to get him to accept why she could not have said no.

"And if I get LoveMe work, I won't have to go at all. But I need someone to go with me," she pleaded. "Moko-san and Amamiya-san both have work filming, and the only other people who know about Sho and I are you and Yashiro-san. I know you'll hate it, but please-"

"Mogami-san, if you can avoid it by doing LoveMe work, why don't you just go and hunt some down?" he demanded coldly. She stiffened then, defensive.

"I did look for LoveMe work. But with the President offering time off, even people who don't like Sho's style of music are going, because they feel like it's an order to go. And Sho got Bridge Rock to open for him, and they're an LME band, so people are going to support them. I checked with Sawara-san, but no one is going to need me!"

Ren had felt a bit guilty, but he shook his head.

"You have other options," he told her resolutely. "If you need a bodyguard to take you to Sho's concert, you shouldn't be going at all."

"I don't need a bodyguard, I need a friend!" she had shouted back.

"Well then, how did I qualify?" Ren had snapped, his control completely gone. Kyoko shrank back, blinking. Ren shoved his temper down as hard as he could, trying to backtrack. "You've said it over and over: I'm your senpai. If you want a friend going with you, why would you want me to go? To scold you the whole time?"

Ren stopped speaking then, struggling to find his character again. Kuon had reared his ugly head, snapping at people and getting angry and everything. Ren wondered for the millionth time why it had to be Mogami Kyoko that could throw him completely out of character. And why he had to lose control at all the wrong moments. It had been Kuon's idea to confess to her.

Kyoko did not answer, and he saw her floundering.

"You… don't want to help me?" she had checked softly. Ren closed his eyes and begged for patience.

"You don't want me to help you," he had responded softly. "To go and see his concert, you don't want me to come." Kyoko had considered this silently, and Ren decided the conversation was over. He knew he needed to escape before he did something even more stupid. "Maybe you'll get lucky," he told her. "Maybe something will come up. Maybe someone else will save you."

He left then, before Kyoko had time to think of a reply.

But he had not really left the issue behind. Ren had grabbed Yashiro, who was slowly making his way back, and had told his manager that they needed to talk to Lory. Ren knew Kyoko would never have pressed her boss for help, but Ren was more than willing to make that sacrifice for her. Lory would tease him, and make things difficult, but Ren was willing to endure that to make sure that Kyoko did not have to deal with the idiot singer. He might have lost his temper with her, but he was still mature somewhere inside his head.

He hoped.

The doors to the President's office opened and the secretary at the desk across the hall sighed.

"You can go in now, Tsuruga-san. Please watch out for spiders." Yashiro stiffened next to his charge.

"Spiders?" he checked in a tight voice. The woman at the desk smiled.

"Spiders," she confirmed. "Big ones."

"Ah, Ren, were you hoping to have a private speech with Takarada-shachou?" he asked. Ren chuckled.

"Yashiro, you aren't afraid of spiders?" he asked, a gentlemanly smiled accompanying his sympathetic tone. Yashiro glared.

"Not normal spiders," he stated. "But spiders that involve the president? No thank you."

Ren said nothing, but he agreed with his manager. Lory was not a man to do things on a small scale. Walking into the office, Ren was depressed to discover the room had been turned into a miniature jungle, with Lory dressed for some sort of treasure hunting expedition. The desk and chair that Lory sat in were normal enough, and misplaced with the surroundings, but Ren suspected he had actually had some important business and was considering his guests comfort. The chair in front of the desk was also normal.

"Ah, Ren. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" his boss had asked as Ren took a seat.

"I'm not really here for me," he responded as he eyed his surroundings. There were a plethora of bugs crawling over various plants, and he heard several varieties of birds chirping. There were spiders. He spotted one, as large as his hand, scuttling long the ground near his foot. He repressed the urge to kick it away. "Don't they feel cramped, being kept in like this? The birds?"

"They aren't wild, so it doesn't bother them," Lory stated breezily. "At least, we can't know that they are unhappy because they don't exhibit the usual behavioral signs of despondency or irritation, and we can't talk to them. But what did you need? For Mogami-kun," he added with a smile.

"Why do you assume it is for Mogami-san?" he demanded before he could stop himself. The spider had started crawling up his leg. Ren was not, in general, afraid of spiders, but he hoped this one got tired of him very quickly. Lory merely raised a brow at Ren's question, not deeming it worthy of an actual answer. "Well, it is for her. I need you to assign her some sort of LoveMe task that will take up her time until after six or so on Saturday."

Lory stared at him for a moment, a speculative look on his face.

"And why, Tsuruga Ren, should I do that?" he asked, leaning back, pressing his finger tips together. Ren hesitated, then decided that the truth would be the best response to this suspicious reaction. He explained, with all the calm and maturity that was expected from him, Kyoko's situation and her need for a convenient exit. The spider made its way onto his knee and remained there, sitting and staring with its beady black eyes. Lory listened silently, a small smile playing on his face. When Ren had finished, he leaned forward, propping his elbows on his desk. "No."

"No?" Ren replied, astonished. "Just… no?" Lory smiled wider in affirmation.

"Just no, Ren. If you want my reasons you can have them. But I don't think that you will like them."

"They can't be any worse than your answer," Ren grumbled, trying to think of a justifiable reason to not flick the many legged hairy creature on his knee into his boss's face. Lory rolled his eyes.

"My very first reason for saying no is that I am not the shield you get to hide behind to protect Mogami-san from the other men that want her. No, don't ask how I know. You should know better than to assume I will let a girl who openly declared revenge on the most popular singer in the industry to work in my company without having some idea of their relationship. I have not pried into her feelings, or his, but I think the flow of events between then is enough for me to hazard a safe guess." He stopped, looking Ren in the eyes, serious. "Fuwa Sho is in love with Mogami-kun, isn't he? In spite of his actions."

"Yes," Ren admitted, the word bitter in his mouth.

"Well, that is my problem, as well as yours, because of all the media garbage that I will someday have to deal with when they finally address their problems. Which is another reason I won't prevent her from going. The fact that she promised because she saw him as a human being who was capable of being wrong and needing help suggests to me that she is healing. But she needs to have more opportunities to see him if things are going to ever reach some sort of closure."

"A concert isn't-"

"I believe you said she had back stage passes for after the show? And we are both aware of the fact that this concert is a showcase for all of his love songs. Musicians rely heavily on their own feelings to influence their music. I think it very likely that something, anything, could happen under those circumstances."

"Including her getting hurt," Ren pointed out as evenly as he could. He would have sworn creature on his knee hissed. Lory sighed.

"There will be enough people there that her physical safety is less of an issue than you want me to believe it. And I can always drop a few hints that will reach Fuwa's manager that I am aware of the situation and have… expectations for how Mogami-kun will be received. And returned."

There was a dangerous light in his eyes and Ren felt a small degree of comfort. Lory might take risks, but he cared for his people and he would not risk Kyoko's safety, no matter how interesting things might get if he let them unravel on their own.

"She might find someone else to go with her," Ren mumbled, more for himself than anything. His companion snorted.

"Ren, if you want to protect her, get off your lazy butt and do it! I know you haven't done anything to make her change her opinion of you-" He cut off as Ren looked away. "So you have done something. Well, I won't ask how it went since it's plain from the look on your face that it was a complete and total failure. But you can't expect things to change if you don't put more on the line."

Ren stiffened. He had put his entire heart on the line the night he had told her how he felt. And she had completely trodden on it.

"With all due respect, sir, you're wrong." Lory gave him a probing look.

"Ren, you're up against a boy who she grew up with and who broke her heart into a million pieces. I don't know how likely she is to go back to him, even if she does forgive him. But she knows him, Ren. Head to toe, inside and out. It's plain as anything that she knows all his faults, all his mistakes, all his dreams…" He paused to make sure Ren was paying attention. "All his secrets…"

"So?" he demanded, not wanting to tread into that dangerous territory. Discussing Kyoko was hard enough, he did not need to add his family troubles to the mix. The spider had moved off his knee and was scuttling towards him, settling onto his shirt. He glanced down and frowned at it.

"Ren, Kyoko's heart was broken because she couldn't trust the boy she loved. He was dishonest with her. Maybe right now isn't the time, but even if you decide that you will never take up your parents' name again, you can't expect her to accept you if she doesn't know you."

There was a pause as Ren digested this, considered it. It was frightening and overwhelming. The fact that it was the truth was even harder to deal with. He did not want to lose Kyoko, but in spite of the fact that she drew Kuon out of him, Ren was not sure he wanted her to know about his alter ego. That was a person, and a life, that frightened even him. How could he ask her to accept that? But then, how could he not?

"I should get back to work," he said quietly.

"Probably," Lory agreed mildly. Ren stood, shook his shirt until the spider fell down, and bowed to the president stiffly. He looked around him one more time, shuddering slightly, before turning to exit. "Ren." The actor turned back. "It's worth it."

Ren blinked, not sure exactly what Lory meant, but nodded anyway and made a speedy exit.

The actor was tormented by his thoughts for the rest of the day, but he managed to keep it from ruining the rest of his work. Tsuruga Ren was a consummate professional, and that was not an act, it was part of his being.

But in the background, his mind was churning. His relationship with Kyoko was teetering on some sort of precipice, and in spite of Lory's advice to wait a little while, the actions Ren had already taken meant he had to act quickly to make this work to his advantage. The idea that Kyoko would be obligated to attend Fuwa's concert alone was disgusting, and Ren knew that he was the only one who could intervene at this point. Besides (he smiled as he thought), if he showed up with Kyoko, it would give that Fuwa brat something to think about. As he considered it, the idea grew more and more pleasing. Yashiro watched his charge's behavior shift from moody to mischievous with some misgiving. The concern peaked when Ren asked casually at the end of their day, "Do you know where Mogami-san is right now?"

Yashiro blinked.

"S-still at the office," he stuttered, having memorized her schedule for the week in the vain hope that something like this would happen. When he had rejoined Ren in the hallway earlier, he had thought the man had fought with Kyoko. What on earth?

"Wonderful. How long will she be there?"

"I can't be sure. But it's early enough that she shouldn't have left, and she doesn't have any other work…"

"Then I can drop you off at home on the way, since it's not far from here."

"S-sure," Yashiro agreed, not entirely certain he should not insist on going with Ren. Something seemed off. It was not just that he seemed so keen, or satisfied. There was an entire change in Ren's demeanor. He seemed… younger. More like what Yashiro expected in a twenty-one year old boy. "Ren, what are you-"

"Can you do me a favor?" Ren asked suddenly.

"Of course, but Re-"

"I need you to clear my afternoon and evening on Saturday. I don't have any filming, just a few interviews. I need you to tell them that something came up, time sensitive."

"Ren, that's at least three hours of work you're putting off!" Yashiro expostulated. Ren frowned, considering this.

"Would you mind a heavier morning?" he asked. "I can sacrifice part of the afternoon if you need the room, but I need the whole evening, and probably a late morning on Sunday, though I know you already said it was going to be a light load that day."

"You want me to reschedule all your interviews for that morning?"

"Only if they can manage it," Ren stated. "I have an interview at three that can probably be moved to one without too much trouble, but the others might be difficult. And I'd hate to flout my name too much, but I will need the evening."

"You keep saying that," Yashiro grumbled, already sorting through his planner and trying to reorganize the schedule. "I can move a few things to Thursday and Friday if I have to, since you gave me enough warning, but what is all this about?"

"I'm going to have a date with Mogami-san," Ren said calmly. Yashiro dropped his pen.

"You- What?"

"A date. With Mogami-san. I'd thought you'd be glad."

"She asked you on a date?" Yashiro demanded, flabbergasted. Had all the frustration of today been Ren deciding if his schedule could be moved? Had Kyoko honestly asked, asked, Ren to go on a date?

"No, she did not ask me out on a date. She asked for some of my time on Saturday. I'm asking for a date."

Yashiro peered at him.

"Isn't that… cheating?"

"No," Ren replied. "Because I turned her down."

Yashiro was very confused, but they had reached his apartment, and Ren had stopped. He stumbled out of the car, remembering to reach down and grab his pen before he closed the door. He glanced at Ren one more time, and it was enough to tell that Yashiro would not be getting any more helpful information. That impish look was in Ren's eyes again, and there was no getting passed it. He stepped away from the car and fled upstairs, deciding it would be best to get things set up quickly. There was no telling what this new Tsuruga Ren would do if Yashiro failed to complete his task.

Ren arrived back at LME in good time and practically sauntered to the LoveMe room. Kuon was raging rampant in his brain, but Ren let him. He would need Kuon's reckless courage and his ability to hide his terror and anguish from even those who knew him best. Kyoko could not be allowed to see a hint of weakness in the man who was going to talk to her. He needed to be in control, and he hoped his experience as Tsuruga Ren would give Kuon the reassurance and confidence needed to pull this off.

His luck was in. When he opened the door, Kyoko was the only one in the room. She was dejectedly poking at some papers in front of her, sighing sadly every few moments. Part of Ren felt guilty, but another part was amused and touched. Really, she was such an open book, his Kyoko.

"An actress shouldn't wear a face like that," he told her, leaning his shoulder casually against the doorframe. Kyoko jumped up and back with a squeak, turning a frightened eye to the door.

"Tsu-Tsuruga-san!" she gasped, eying him fearfully. His lackadaisical posture, quirking grin, and hands shoved into his pockets were so out of character that she took a step back. "What are you- I mean- Umm."

She glanced around the room as if she were trying to figure out if she had slipped into a different reality.

"I came to ask you something," he told her, his tone enough like his usual self that Kyoko relaxed slightly.

"Y-yes," she stammered, smoothing her skirt down and staring at the floor like a miscreant child. Ren chuckled, causing her to raise her eyes in anger.

"Sorry," he said, without a hint of apology in his voice. She glared at him. "I was wondering if you were free this Saturday?"

This was so insensitive as to rend her speechless for a moment, her mouth agape. Her eyes blazed.

"I have an appointment," she hissed angrily. Ren shrugged, giving her a smile that was much more apologetic than his words had been.

"I was just thinking I should take you to Fuwa's concert." Kyoko's face was full of relief. "As a date." She froze.

"A… date," she gulped, her mind spinning. The man in front of her nodded.

"As a date. Not for work, not as a LoveMe assignment, not as an acting practice, not as a favor. A date."

"To Sho's concert?" she asked, baffled.

"It isn't my ideal choice for a first date, but it should be fairly romantic, and since he gave you tickets, you don't have to worry about me spending too much money on you."

"First date?" she blanched.

"If you hate it, I can always make it up to you on the next one."

"Next one?" was her breathless reply. Ren pressed on Kuon, warning him to ease up. Become too presumptuous and she would bolt.

"Only if you'd like," he said gently. Kyoko dithered for a minute before stepping forward and placing a hand on his forehead. He stood still, waiting patiently for her to assess that he did not have a fever.

"So, you'll go with me to the concert?" she checked again, pulling her hand back slowly.

"I'll go on a date with you, Mogami-san, to Fuwa's concert. But it's a date and aside from the tickets, I get to pay for everything, and take you to dinner beforehand."

He could see her hesitating, considering.

"But… I can't go on a date with a man who isn't my boyfriend," she told him, poking her fingers together sheepishly. He had the feeling she was searching for an excuse to say no, even though earlier she had asked for his help.

"Then while we're on the date, we're a couple," he told her, watching her eyes grow wide at his simple solution.

"B-but, Tsuruga-san would never, never, date a girl like me! Never!" Ren sighed.

"Haven't I already told you that isn't true?" he asked in frustration. She shifted.

"You didn't mean it," she protested quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"I did. I meant all of it, Mogami-san. Every word." Kyoko hesitated again, twisting her hands.

"Just for that night?" she confirmed. Ren nodded.

"The concert starts at seven. We'll have an early dinner and be in line by about six. It will be a long wait, especially since it will be at the Tokyo Dome, but I don't think we're that worried about getting there early and singing his praises with his other fans. From the time I pick you up until… eleven, we're dating." Kyoko shivered.

"If- if you think that we should," she said quietly. Ren reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"This is what I want," he said quietly, his thumb running idly across her jaw once. She shivered again and Ren fought to keep a satisfied smirk off his face. "Just this."

The second meaning of his words suddenly occurred to her and she stepped back. He let her go, his hand falling to his side. No need to scare her away when he had finally gotten his first victory.

"Then… when should we meet?" Kyoko asked, redirecting the conversation. Ren paused for a moment as a sudden thought popped into his head.

"We'll need to meet early and put together some sort of disguise." He smiled suddenly as another thought occurred to him. "I'll call you and let you know when I will pick you up. When does your work end?"

"By noon," she sighed sadly. He could see that it upset her to have so little work. Ren forced himself to keep his hand at his side instead of reaching out to grab hers reassuringly. She had been pressed far enough for now.

"Then we should be fine. Just keep your schedule free."

She agreed and he bid her goodnight, his eyes not leaving her until he had completely passed the doorway, her own eyes locked onto his.

When he had exited the building and slipped into his car, Ren pulled out hid phone and dialed Loy's personal number. The voice that greeted him was slightly testy.

"What trouble could you have possibly gotten yourself into in the past seven hours," it demanded furiously. Kuon reclined against his leather seat, grinning.

"Hey Boss, I have a favor to ask you," he said breezily in English, grinning like a kid at the silence on the other end.

"Where are you?" Lory demanded, matching his language switch.

"In my car. I dropped Yashiro off already. It's just me."

"You've developed an accent," came the accusatory reply. Kuon snorted. "So, what did you need?"

"Is Miss Woods in the country, or is she still on vacation?"

"She's here. And bored. What do you need from her?" Kuon explained it briefly, certain the silence on the other end was shifting from confused and curious to stiff and worried.

"Do you think you can arrange that for me?" he asked. There was some more silence before the boss sighed.

"This is a bad idea, you scamp."

"It could be," he conceded. There was some grumbling from the other side of the line.

"I'll call her right now. You're sure about this?"

"I can always change my mind," Kuon answered. "There's still some time."

There was a snort before the line went dead. Kuon closed his eyes and snapped his phone shut. He knew it was a risk, but it was time to start being risky. No that was not it. He had already taken risks.

It was time to put everything on the line.

And end chapter one. I hope that you enjoyed it. I'll try and get chapter two up as soon as possible. Thanks to Will for editing as usual. You catch the worst of my stupidity before these people are subjected to it.