In the cool of the evening, as the sky took on orange hues, the street was blocked to traffic. Onlookers gathered behind ropes to watch the filming, speaking amongst themselves about the actors and wondering what the cinematography was for.

"Nii-san, let's get this done in one shot, okay?"

"Ah."

Kurosaki addressed the group. "Alright, is the fog machine set up?" The answer was affirmative. "The extras are assembled?" They were. "Heels! Are you ready?"

"Yup," Setsu popped the 'p', rolling her eyes. Of course they were ready, they'd had several hours to prepare.

"Places!"

She walked away from her brother without a second glance. Her part called for her to exit the RockIt store and walk through the fog while holding a shopping bag. She would cross the sidewalk, moving toward the curb where Cain would be waiting on a motorcycle. She'd pull on a leather jacket, handed to her by her co-star, place a helmet on her head and get on behind him. They would ride down the street to the blockade.

"Easy," she scoffed. Why the director felt the need to begin preparations so early in the morning was beyond her. She and Cain could have stayed away until just before filming and still got the thing done in one. "Waste of time."

As she waited for her cue she observed the vehicle given to her brother. She didn't know much about motorbikes, but she'd heard the staff talking about the one they'd been able to procure. It was a Kawasaki, some brand name she'd never heard of and likely would never come across again, a new model, Vulcan?, something.

Honestly she couldn't have cared less.

Her sole concern was that it would fit their image. God forbid they put Cain on some brightly colored sport bike; trendy was not a word she wanted added to their vocabulary.

To her satisfaction it was black and, in her not so humble opinion, he looked nothing short of perfect with it.

"S—Setsuka-san," an assistant mumbled from her left.

"What?" she snapped, her eyes moved to observe the clearly nervous man.

"They'll be ready for you in... In just a moment."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wonderful."

They had to do it twice because the fog machine needed to be readjusted.

"God," she groused as she returned to the building. "What a pain."

Not that she minded getting to sit behind Cain on the bike for a second time, but they could have been on their way back to the hotel.

Then again, what was waiting for them there? Would Kyoko finally loose it? Would she pack up and run away like the coward she was?

But, no. She wouldn't do that; not yet at least. She had a job to finish and it would be a couple months before they reached the conclusion. That was time that couldn't be wasted.

"The fool," she muttered. Stupid. Idiot. How simple minded could one person be? Like she was the only one affected by this. "As if I'd let her get away with it." It wasn't only her own life she'd be ruining.

She heard the director call for the camera to roll and took her cue.

"CUT!" Kurosaki yelled with a megaphone as the actors reached the end of the street. "I think we got it!" Honestly, he was still pissed off at the two for the way they'd arrived, but he had to give credit where it was due. They'd nailed their parts. Two takes and the shoot was done. As long as the cameras had their angles, and it looked as though there hadn't been any mistakes, they were finished.

The Heel's were dismissed by the director with a grudging grunt of approval and departed the set as the hour moved to eight.

"Almost eight hours," Setsu moaned. "And ninety-nine percent of them completely dull! What was the point of having us there so early? It wasn't even one yet! Ridiculous..."

"Do you want to go eat?" Personally he was against allowing her to be seen by the public for any longer than necessary, but he knew she hadn't eaten since the lunch hour.

"No. I want to go back to the hotel and order room service. I'm tired of being out." She leaned heavily on her brother's arm. "This whole day was stupid," their fingers interlaced. "I want to be alone with you."

His grip tightened.

They'd forgone the LME company car that morning, the hotel wasn't far from the filming location, so the Heel's made the journey on foot.

The walk passed mostly in silence, both actors too lost in their thoughts to make conversation, though Cain did shoot a few menacing looks at passersby who took too much interest in his sister.

He moved silent as a thought, invisible as the wind, drew strange looks from those who watched as he ducked behind a collection of garbage containers...

This was perhaps the most dangerous mission of his life.

All it would take was one look, one glance over the shoulder and he would be outed. Though he'd dressed in street clothes he held little confidence in the disguise, but he could no longer keep his curiosity at bay. He had to know how the act was progressing without asking them directly. Calling the two in for a meeting was no good; direct questions could be deflected, ignored or answered with lies. It was better to observe, unnoticed, from a distance.

It had been a blow to his plans when they chose not to use the car, he'd had hidden cameras installed, but he was determined regardless. He needed to see it for himself. It was one thing to get secondhand reports from the laymen and another to witness the act first hand. He was looking for indications of something greater, something deeper than a simple pair of actors doing a job. He needed to see beyond the exterior.

He watched the way Setsu and Cain walked, hand in hand with matching strides. Truly they appeared to be a coordinating couple, a duo no one wanted to interact with. Alarmed glances, furious whispers and a few admiring stares cast by others in the plaza were observed. Not one of them suspected the truth. What would they have done if they'd realized LME's number one male talent traveled among them?

Lory rolled his eyes at the thought. No doubt there would have been screams of pure joy and blinding flashes as camera's sought pictures of Ren. Traffic would be congested for miles in all directions.

Thankfully that wasn't a concern. From what he'd seen the pair had been near perfect in their portrayals, though he'd also noted a hint of something else.

While the Heels were taking their tour of the RockIt store, Takarada had followed from a safe distance. Disguised as a common worker taking measurements of display cases he'd successfully watched the momentary breakdown in their acting.

Mogami had lost character. He hadn't heard the conversation, but he'd seen her dash off and the look on her face had been nothing short of stricken. He was deeply suspicious of that expression, so much so that his hopes were raised. Could it be that Kyoko had finally fallen for her co-star and admitted it to herself?

If that was the case he'd have to have a word with the girl before she did anything drastic.

"That girl," he murmured with a sigh as he watched them enter the hotel lobby.

She was completely unaware of her potential, in total denial of her worth and wholly ignorant of her accomplishments.

A perfect score on her entrance exam? Anyone could do that.

Starring in a hit drama remake and becoming one of the most talked about characters? All in a day's work.

Pulling a depressed and disturbed child out of her shell? Eh.

Holding the heart of Japan's top actor? Achievement unnoticed.

Mogami Kyoko was perhaps the single most difficult person he'd ever dealt with and that was saying something. Between her extreme personality shifts and determination to never feel romantic love, Kyoko had effectively staved off any advances he might have made in changing her perceptions. If she'd come to acknowledge love on her own it would open the gateway to betterment, but only if he could convince her to face her feelings head on.

There was work to be done.

Dinner passed uneventfully and Kyoko found herself outside the bathroom with her ear pressed to the door. He hadn't been in the tub long, there was no reason to worry, but ever since the end of the day's work she'd had the awful feeling that something was about to go wrong.

She didn't know what it was, but the premonition left her unsettled.

"...Sounds fine," she muttered as she stepped away. "But, I can't help feeling nervous."

Whatever the case she couldn't allow her unsettled feelings to ruin the act. As long as she was employed she would do her best; it would be wrong to slack-off just because the end was near. This was her last role and she would rather go out on a high note. Perhaps she could convince the president and other coworkers to write references; at least she could show the Fuwa's she hadn't totally wasted her time away and maybe they would take her back without a fuss. She couldn't imagine they'd found anyone suitable to replace herself or Sho, but they would be right to deny her the opportunity.

"I can't believe I ran away with that jerk," she hissed. "What was I thinking?" The problem was she knew what she'd been thinking. She'd been totally in love with Shoutaro and blind to how he felt about her. Well, that mistake wouldn't be made a second time.

She tried to shake the unease; she needed to be in character and Setsuka wasn't one to worry unnecessarily.

"Setsu..." She had a totally different outlook on life. The girl was emphatic that she would never, ever, ever, never be parted from her brother and that she would use whatever means necessary to keep them together.

Kyoko wondered how Tsuruga interpreted Setsu's behavior, hoped he didn't think on it too deeply. It wouldn't take much and she'd be exposed for the fool she was. Her actions within the RockIt store had been erratic and unforgivable. To run away from the scene! To come back behaving so strangely! Setsuka had all but confessed there was something very wrong. Surely he was questioning her ability to preform this role, heck she was questioning her ability to preform this role.

"Even so," she muttered as she turned to gaze into the mirror that hung above the dresser. "I can't just give up in the middle of it all. And..." Another thought had occurred to her as they walked the streets on their way back to the hotel. "And, I guess..." It seemed almost wrong though. Like cheating. "Real experiences are used in acting, right?" Was it fair of her to savor this relationship while it lasted? Honestly she wasn't sure she could help it, but could she let go of her inhibitions for her own sake? Wouldn't it hurt more when the end came if she allowed herself to find enjoyment in the act? "To use my real feelings here just seems..." Unfair. It seemed unfair. Tsuruga-san, hopefully, had no idea what she was experiencing. "But for him, it would still be part of the act," she stared at her reflection. "I told myself I would learn to act without restraint. I said I would do this part fully. Until now, until I knew what—what love," she whispered the word, as if someone might overhear her speak it, "felt like again I couldn't do that. I think it would be wrong of me to hold back, just because I'm afraid of hurting myself later."

A small voice inside her mind accused Kyoko of using this act to her advantage, said that she was loosing some inner battle by allowing her own emotions into play. Oddly, it sounded distinctly like Shoutaro.

Seemingly of it's own volition her left hand perched on her hip while the right raked through her blond, pink streaked hair.

Setsu was growing tired of the cowardice. This was more than an act and Kyoko knew it. Something would have to be done, but it seemed to her that an outside opinion would be the only way to shock the actress into action. Unfortunately no one was aware of the developing feelings harbored by Mogami, so no one could call her out on them. What she needed was a way to force her to confront the emotions to their fullest extent.

"Tch." It was all such a pain. "At least she's decided to take me seriously. About damn time, too!"

Enjoy this Mogami, she thought acerbically as a near feral smile quirked her lips. Because I know I will.

Cain left the bathroom to see his sister posing in front of the mirror with his cell phone.

"Look nii-san, I've put a bunch of new pictures on here," she moved to stand beside him. "Now, hold still for just a second-," she stood on tiptoe, pressed her lips to his cheek and snapped another shot. "Hm, that one's nice, but we definitely need another because it seems to be missing something." She frowned in thought, snapping her fingers a moment later as an idea came to her. "I know! A different angle! Come here!" She pulled him toward his bed.

He allowed himself to be pushed down, considered momentarily that perhaps he shouldn't permit this, and dismissed the thought just as quickly. He would deny her nothing.

"Okay, so you sit there and I'll," she plopped beside him, "sit here. Like this!" Rather than staying on the edge, as she'd instructed him to do, she got to her knees and moved behind him. With one arm wrapped around his neck, the other holding the phone as far out as she could reach, she kissed him on the cheek once again. "Need another!"

This time she moved back to side, though still kneeling. "Put your arm around me," she ordered. "No not there, lower nii-san."

The shutter sound punctuated a brief silence.

"Alright." She took a moment to look over the pictures. "Another angle? I think so!"

"What's gotten into you?" he asked as she shoved him to his back. "You're very...peppy."

She clambered atop his chest, leaning down to put her face beside his. "Do you not want to see me happy? Does this bother you? Would you rather I delete all these incredibly special pictures of your adorable imōto that I took so carefully?"

Snap.

"Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say anything like that."

"Words?" She widened her eyes; a look of false innocence. "Nii-san, words aren't what I want to put in your mouth."

He blinked.

"Oh shoot! Why'd you do that? Now we need another of the same pose!"

Snap.

"Don't blink or you'll ruin my creative flow." She laid beside him. "You take this one, but wait until I tell you to!"

Phone in hand he waited for Setsuka to find the 'perfect pose', which turned out to be her head on his shoulder, an arm draped across his chest and one of her legs hitched up around his-

He growled darkly, glared at her.

"Stop that, it's just for a picture. Now hold your arm out and take it like a man!"

A sharp intake of breath. Really, what had gotten into her? He couldn't exactly complain, but this—

Was exactly like Setsuka Heel.

Ren almost lost character, but recovered before his cover was blown.

Cain took the picture and his sister snatched the device away immediately afterward.

"Damn, the space is almost used up. You can save these to the cloud right? An external drive or some shit?"

Actually he couldn't. Ren was no good with most technology; Yashiro, despite his disability, handled all of that. However, Cain would never admit to that kind of failing, so he did the only thing he could do:

He sent the pictures in a file to Yashiro.

Brrrr. Brrr. Brrr.

Yashiro's phone was vibrating; after taking the usual preventative measures he picked it up to find a text from Cain Heel's phone number, code name The Man Ren Wishes He Was In Real Life, or TMRWHWIRL for short. He'd never received any kind of contact this way before...

"KYA!"

He jumped to his feet, stared at the photos incredulously, read the short message and nearly fainted.

With furious speed, though lightheaded from a sudden, gushing nosebleed, he saved the files and blasted back a verification text.

Obviously, after sending the data to the President as he'd been instructed to do should he ever receive news from a Heel, he ogled the shots and commiserated (from a distance) with the predicament his charge found himself in, all the while giggling like a deranged school girl.

Though on the inside Ren was burning with embarrassment, Cain felt no shame as he gave the cell phone back to his sister.

"They're somewhere safe?"

He nodded in confirmation.

"Ehh, my nii-san can do just about anything." She moved to lay on top of him and petted his hair adoringly. "We need a better camera though. I want loads of pictures and I'm getting tired of holding my arm out!" Her eyes gleamed as a new thought came. "I know, how about you take the pictures now? I'll pose for you."

"NO!" was what Ren wanted to shout from the top of his lungs, but he couldn't do that. He'd thought Setsu difficult to handle before, but he knew now that he'd had no idea what kind of bullet he was dodging. Apparently his luck couldn't hold up forever. Maybe this was karma in action.

Cain's feelings for his sister were disturbing to him, though not for the obvious reason, but the man knew how to keep himself in check; at least he used to. What could match with an unrestrained portrayal of Setsuka? There was only one answer, but that was a truly dangerous road to travel.

"Do what you want."

He was dying. This was it. He'd reached the end of the line. He was sure the Reaper stood nearby to take his soul away from this hell (or was it heaven?).

She was on the bed, an arm raised above her head, a finger barely touching parted lips.

This was definitely the end.

She lay on her back, feet atop the headboard and arms spread.

Why wasn't he dead yet?

On her stomach, head turned toward him, hand outstretched.

There was no way in hell he was sending these to Yashiro.

"Are you sure that's all you want to take? I don't feel like that's nearly enough. Hey, maybe we should get our photos done professionally. Then again," she pouted. "I don't like the idea of other people looking at us so never mind."

Thank Kami-sama for that.

"My arm is a little rested now, though I think a kiss might make it all better," she waved her arm and stared up at him.

He'd finally lost his will to continue the photography session, but she had yet to leave the last pose and was still on her back, on his bed, her head on his pillows and reddened lips; she'd purposely pinched and bit them to make them look recently kissed when he refused to do it despite her insults and pleading.

Cain snatched the limb mid-gesture and pressed his mouth to her fingertips.

"That's not where it-" She was silenced when he continued to kiss his way up her arm. The wrist, forearm, her elbow and upper arm, he went all the way to her shoulder before giving a small nip to her neck and finally ending with a kiss on her cheek. She seemed slightly dazed as she said, "I guess that helped... A little. But you know what would be better-"

"No, Setsu. Done."

"Well, that's rude. You can't finish and then leave me hanging."

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head and he reached out to pinch the previously kissed cheek. "Since when do you speak that way? Where did you learn that kind of talk?"

She yelped in surprise, sitting suddenly and putting a hand to the injured area. He took the opportunity to flick her forehead.

"Stop that!" she shrieked. "What do you think you're doing? After all the trouble I went to for you, too!"

"That was no trouble on your part. I'm the one who's troubled. I don't speak to you that way, so where did you learn it?" His face darkened. "Tell me."

She eyed him with suspicion, but answered honestly. "I didn't really learn it from anything in particular. I just heard it in passing. I'm not that young, nii-san." She folded her arms across her chest and scoffed. "I'm not ignorant either."

He'd hoped she was, but that wish wasn't to be granted.

"Anyway don't worry, I'd never speak to anyone else that way."

"For their sake you had better not. "

"What do I care about their sake? Really, now that I think about it though, I might talk to some other man that way..."

He slapped a hand over mouth and pushed her back into the pillows. His eyes bored into her's as he growled, "You will not."

Several intense moments passed before she took his hand in her own, kissed it without breaking eye contact, and moved her face closer to his. Though he sat back, trying to pull away, she wove her fingers into his hair, leaned toward him and whispered in his ear, "You say you don't want that, but words aren't enough."

Cain felt trapped. He remembered having told her once before that he wanted to shackle her to his side, but the truth was that he was the one in bondage. At this point he was just hoping she didn't ask for anything too unreasonable because he was likely to give into whatever she wanted.

Without conscious consent he found her on his lap, her head tilted to expose her neck. "I want a kiss mark. Give me one. Now."

He couldn't refuse.

"Bossy," he murmured as he ran his tongue over her neck before planting his lips and sucking. His eyes closed on their own accord when she sighed.

"Did you know," she asked softly, "I never knew how to give one of these before? But I want to try next. When mine is done, I'll give you one too."

"Hm," he hummed against her skin. That would be fine, if he could tear himself away from her; at the moment it didn't seem like that would ever happen. He couldn't get enough of her taste. Kiss after kiss, lick after lick, his heading turning to make the mark larger, darker...

He forced himself back with a groan, eyes black as coal, to examine the bruising. Yes, it was certainly noticeable.

"My turn," she insisted, twisting around to face him and pushing impatiently. "Now hold still."

Nothing could have prepared him for how it felt.

He shuddered at first contact, fought to keep from quaking as she pressed herself closer, and wrapped his arms around her, hissing as he did, when she bit him.

She followed his example, running her tongue along the vein before beginning the work of leaving a mark. She enjoyed his reactions, and the way he tasted, so much that she wondered why she should regulate herself to his neck.

"Setsu," he snapped when she licked around the shell of his ear. "Setsuka!" She was sucking on his ear lobe and he didn't think he could hold it together any longer.

His tone was enough to dissuade her from continuing, but not adequate to make her pull back completely. Instead she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and refused to be moved.

"Brat."

"Maybe, but you love me that way."

An aggravated sigh. "You know that I do."

A/N: HOLY SUNUVAFRIKNHOTBEACHINTHESUMMERTIME. I can't really ask for your forgiveness; not because I don't think I deserve it, but I because I don't think I need to. If you only knew the levels of insanity that I went though (by proxy. It was actually a neighbor who legitimately lost her marbles) you would understand why this took over a year to get to you. I'm sorry it happened, but there was nothing I could do about that.

I really thought about putting this on 'Hiatus', but I want you to know I was working on this chapter the whole time. The problems with the neighbor made a bit of writer's block a 1000x's worse, but all of a sudden (on the day this chapter was posted) the block magically disappeared.

So, here you go. I hope you don't hate me, but my personality type leads me to not care too much even if you do. (INTJ, if you were wondering! Are there any others out there reading this right now?)

ANYWAY. I don't feel like I can make any promises because I learned that life will throw you HUGE, GINORMOUS CURVE BALLS, but I don't think it will take this long to update again.

P.S.- I'll be updating each of the previously posted chapters. No major changes, just fixing mistakes as I come across them. (Also, I need to re-read my own story because I'm no longer up to speed -_-)

P.P.S.- If you see any errors in this one, and there probably are some, let me know! I'm posting it after only going over it a couple times in full, at 5am after staying up since 11am the previous morning, so there are likely mistakes that I've missed, but it's been so long since I update that I wanted to get this out to you!