Chapter 13: Unleashed

After rubbing most of the moisture from his hair, Ren draped the towel around his neck and headed into this lavish kitchen for his morning drug. The delectable scent of freshly brewed coffee was as inviting as Kyoko's flushed expression. Thinking about their little lesson from the previous night, the actor couldn't help but grin handsomely. Her stunning gaze was focused on him completely. If he didn't step away when he did, Ren wasn't sure just how far he would have taken it. With that bastard Shōtaro on her tail, and now this goddamned womanising Kijima, Ren felt like he'd suffer an aneurism any day now.

Swallowing down a few gulps of the piping hot liquid comfort, he sighed heavily. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't outright pursue her. The teen saw him as nothing more than a blasted Senpai. Combined with her vehement distaste for all things romance, the beast was convinced that he'd end up driving her farther away from him, something he absolutely could not risk at all. Then again, if Kijima kept playing his cards correctly, she may get swept away in his filthy allure.

Shit, Kyoko, Ren pondered broodily. You drive me more and more crazy with each passing day. If you have any feelings for me at all, I wouldn't hesitate so much. But since you don't, I can't risk losing you.

Another deep sigh escaped his lips as he exited the kitchen and began meandering back to the bedroom to get dressed for the day. As Ren passed the dining area, he caught the thick script laying along the table's edge. Taking another couple of sips, he changed direction to grab it. Setting the cup down, he briefly skimmed the note on top.

"Ren, I've tabbed the scenes for the audition. Please go over them and prepare accordingly. We can't have you losing to that moron, now can we? Best of luck. -Y"

"Of course not," Ren mumbled sarcastically as he sat down at the table. Running his fingers along the script's edge until he found the neon blue tabs, the actor took a slow breath in anxious anticipation. He flipped to the scenes in question and wondered why he felt so damn nervous. This wasn't his first audition, nor was it anything he felt remotely threatened by, at least professionally. So, what was chewing at his peace of mind?

"Kyoko agreed to go out to dinner with me tonight to celebrate. This is going to be fantastic!"

Kijima's words resonated around him, providing him with a stark reminder of what was truly at stake. Feeling emblazoned to kick his ass even more, Ren focused on the lines intently. As his wickedly dark eyes skimmed the script, his pulse quickened with astonishment. Without realising it, Ren had stood straight up, gripping the booklet so tightly that it begun to crinkle around the edges.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he cursed in English, eyes widening the deeper that he delved. When he was finished, his curiosity became an insatiable itch within his veins, forcing him to read more and more. When the next act begun, his mind immediately played out the scene before his eyes, causing his mouth to fall open with complete shock.

"There is no way in fucking hell," he mumbled. Closing the script, he rudely tossed it back onto the dining table and stormed down the hallway to his bedroom to finish getting ready. With every movement all Ren could think about was Kyoko in his arms and the tender way she looked up at him. The limitations of his emotions and the incredibly challenging act of keeping his yearning for her at bay made him unbearably tense. The more he thought about her and this joke of a film, the more his frustrations boiled.

I cannot believe that Boss and Seishi-san want this for Kyoko. There is no way that she should be doing a goddamn role like this. It's just too soon, he thought. It's not something an innocent girl like her should be involved in. Ren slipped into a black dress shirt and began to button it up, fighting the urge to break everything around him. I knew it was bad, but this… this is outrageous.

Once he was fully dressed, he gathered his things and stomped out of the house, cursing all the plotters of the world with great passion.

Kyoko sat in her dressing room, admiring the schoolgirl costume hanging on the rack in front of her. Her hair had already been straightened into a sheen of beauty. Light colour painted her cheeks with a hint of gloss on her soft mauve lips. Yet, no matter how she looked outwardly, inwardly the young woman felt anything but confident. The more she contemplated the scene she had to perform today, the flutterier her tummy became. It didn't matter how many times Natsu had done terrible things before. None of those represented the things the she loathed more than anything else: love. While the scene wasn't one of fairy tale romance, the idea of being sexual with someone whom she didn't love made Kyoko feel uncomfortable down to her bones.

Thoughts of another life began to flood her mind. Moments she had spent with Shōtaro dreaming about a future together. In her naïve pre-adolescence, she had hoped that she'd become his perfect wife and help take over the ryōkan. Whenever she pictured that life, she also wondered how magical it would be to kiss him and be with him as a wife. If someone told her back then that Shō was nothing more than a selfish arse and that she'd be an actress on friendly terms with Japan's most talented stars while trying to beat her former best friend into the ground, she would have laughed and then cursed them into oblivion.

Yet… here she was. And she needed to accept that love and sex can be mutually exclusive. For some people, there is no other truth about it. Natsu was definitely a character who did not love anyone except herself, and even then Kyoko knew the chance of it was slim.

She continued to gaze at the uniform, trying to figure out the best way to initiate the scene, especially taking her lesson on seduction with Tsuruga-san into consideration.

Seduction.

The word sent shivers down her spine. Closing her eyes, she recalled what it felt like to have him so damn close to her. The warmth of his hands against her body and the tickle of his jeans against her thigh. Subconsciously, Kyoko licked her lips. Her entire mind was filled with the image of Tsuruga Ren.

"It's Ren," he whispered against her mouth.

Kyoko shivered again. "Ren," she said softly. "Ren."

Recognising what she had done, her eyes shot open with bewilderment. Her complexion flushed with heat. Placing her palms over her face, Kyoko shook her head and tried to subdue the growing pit of wonder swirling in her tummy. Her heart was racing so fast that she thought it'd explode right out of her chest.

What are you doing, Kyoko?! She berated herself mentally. He's your Senpai! How deviant of you. Who do you think you are?! Shōtaro?!

Placing her hands back into her lap, the young actress took a few long, deep breathes to calm her palpitating heart and the surprise stirred up by such inappropriate thoughts. After a good five minutes or so, Kyoko opened her eyes and nodded once with determination.

Even so, he found his way back to her.

He would never kiss someone like me, she thought sadly. Kyoko remembered how terribly upset Ren had gotten when that vile Shōtaro stole her first kiss from her. She had never seen him so disappointed in her. A man like that clearly has no interest in a meek and average girl like Kyoko. A boring, ugly simpleton is nowhere near someone as shining as Tsuruga-san.

Fighting off the burn behind her eyes, she stood up and decided it was time to finish getting dressed. She had a scene to shoot and she'd be damned if she let the lessons she'd learn from her dearly beloved Senpai go to waste.

Ganbatte, Kyoko!

President Lory's double doors flew open as a tall, fuming beast marched into his office and straight towards the grand desk at the room's centre.

"Have you lost your goddamned mind?" Kuon yelled in perfect American English, completely oblivious to the room's second and third occupants.

Unfazed by this grandiose outburst, Lory tapped his fingertips together as he leaned back into his large, leather chair, grinning from ear to ear. "Does this mean that you finally had the pleasure of reading the script for the film?" the president replied in Japanese. "If so, it's about time, Ren."

"Don't fucking screw with me, Boss," Kuon replied through clenched teeth. "What compelled you to allow such a farce in the first place?"

Meanwhile, Yashiro gaped from the sitting area to the president's right, where he sat with Sebastian sipping tea as they waited for Ren's arrival. The manager glanced from his superior to his charge and back again.

Is he yelling in English? Yashiro wondered to himself. Oh my god, he is totally and completely fired, isn't he? Furrowing his brow with fear and frustration, the brown-haired megane man facepalmed. When his eyes fell on Ren again, his mouth began to fall open once more. He can speak English that well?!

LME's kingpin narrowed his eyes at the stewing emotional monster standing before him, reading him like an open picture book. The grin widened even more. When he spoke for the second time, Lory's voice was unusually calm and eerie, which added to its intimidating essence. "Yukihito, if you don't mind, would you please excuse me and your idiot charge for a moment?"

Noticing that the elder man didn't look his way even once, Yashiro knew that Ren was in for the biggest arse kicking imaginable. As much as he would have loved to witness it, he also didn't want to be in the line of fire.

"Take Sebastian with you as well," Lory added as an afterthought. When both men had bowed and exited, did the veteran cosplayer finally stand and face the boy he loved like a son.

"You can't let her do this," Kuon continued, utterly unbothered by the presence of others. Whether he didn't realise they were around, or he didn't care, was uncertain amid his rage.

"You need to calm down, Kuon," Lory responded, matching the actor's chosen tongue just as perfectly.

"Fuck you," Kuon quipped. "You can't make me do this either. According to you, I'm already emotionally screwed up when it comes to her, and now you want us to practically fuck each other on screen? You said it was a provocative film, not borderline pornographic!"

"If you want to have this conversation, then you will calm down and take a seat so we can speak like adults. If you want to behave like an immature imp, then have your tantrum elsewhere. I will not tolerate it, do you understand me, boy?"

"I don't want to sit."

"That wasn't a bloody request."

Feeling his agitation reaching the brink of his patience, Kuon scowled before reluctantly leaning against the president's desk in defiance. "Fine, I'm sitting. Happy?"

Sighing heavily at the brat's moodiness, Lory relented. "I suppose it will have to do, won't it?" Walking around, he sat down in the comfy chairs in front of his desk, ones usually reserved for guests. Crossing his legs, he rested his hands in his lap and looked up at this fool of an actor.

"I can't do this film, Boss," Ren said, raking his long dark locks out of his face. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to find someone else."

"Sure," Lory shrugged as he switched back to Japanese. "I'll have Kijima step in. I'm sure he'll be more than enthused by the prospect." When Ren's face turned beet red from fury, the cosplayer smiled. "Now that I finally have your attention, you will listen to me carefully, son."

Ren gulped down the sudden lump that filled his throat. Exhaling with irritation, he moved to the empty seat beside his second father.

"Yes, the film is graphic in nature, I won't deny that. Even so, Miss Mogami is an actress. As such, she will be required to take on films like this one or others that may be far more risqué. These roles may or may not be things you'll want to see. It's the nature of the bloody business. You should know this better than anyone else being the country's number one talent."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Ren dropped his head and gritted his teeth. He hated it when Boss used logic. It was almost always indisputable, and it pissed him off.

"I have heard much talk with regard to this film, Kuon. It has the potential to become one of the finest ever made. If Kyoko can successfully navigate this role, she'll take the industry by storm. People will start taking her talent seriously. Isn't that something you'd want for her?"

"Not like this," Kuon muttered bitterly.

"Not like this?" Lory repeated like an irate parent. "You mean not with someone like Fuwa-san or Kijima-san? Or not in a manner where others can see her as a woman, a woman capable of exuding sexuality?"

Tsking, he shoved out of the chair and walked around to the floor-to-ceiling windows. "That's not it, Boss."

"You're being a broody brat and you must stop it, or you can risk losing her forever." When Ren turned around, flaming fury, Lory continued. "The film will test her talents in ways you cannot fathom thanks to your flourishing testosterone. You can either assist her in this feat with a calm and rational mind, or you can sit idly by on the side-lines and watch someone else take that crown. But you cannot come into my office and act like a complete buffoon. Do you understand?"

Feeling chastised, Ren remained silent. As the clouds of his anger started to part, he grabbed the reins of Kuon and shoved him back into the darkest depths where it belonged.

"What's really going on, son?" Lory asked with concern. Reading the ticks and twitches of the man before him, the president knew that something was askew.

"I can't do this film with her," Ren answered quietly, leaning his back against the window, feeling comforted by the chill that sunk through. "I don't know if I will be able to control myself, especially after last night." He confessed unintentionally.

Lory took a deep breath. "What happened last night?" When Ren remained silent, he pressed forth. "What. Happened. Last. Night. Kuon?"

The actor exhaled, defeated. "She asked me for some help with a difficult scene she has to do for Box-R. It involved the art of seduction." Subconsciously, Ren smiled at the innocent and nervous way she had asked. Recognising the company that he was in, the smile vanished quickly. Clearing his throat, he added softly, "If Kyoko already drives me insane, you can only imagine what that would be like with seduction thrown into the mix."

Lory's intense stare pierced Ren's composure.

"What? What did I do now?"

"How far?" The president asked, seething at the idea of his precious LoveMe member being taken advantage of by this baka

"It wasn't like that," Ren half-lied. "I merely showed her what seduction entails. I didn't do anything inappropriate at all." Well, mostly, he added mentally.

"Good," Lory stated simply.

"You know you say good, yet you push me towards her so damn much. I mean, you've got us involved in this godforsaken film where we will be doing a hell of a lot more than whatever happened last night."

"What's your point, boy?" Lory snapped.

"You're fucking ridiculous," Ren snapped back in English. "You'll be the death of me."

"Oh get over yourself. Yes, the film is highly sexualised and there will be a media frenzy as well. But it's not pornographic. It's not like I'm asking you both to have actual sex on-screen. If you're really going to be this upset about it, then maybe you don't deserve her off-screen either."

"Excuse me?!" Kuon practically shouted.

"Look, I don't have time to babysit your inadequacy issues," Lory pushed forward, ignoring the outburst. "I called you in here this morning with purpose. So, can we get down to business, or do you want to continue to be a petulant idiot?"

"Fine," the actor snapped again. "What is it?"

"This is extremely important. When you go in for your audition for The Ardent Admirer, you must not lose to Kijima-san, under any circumstance." Lory observed the play of facial expressions on the young man's face and bit back the desire to grin. The shift of confusion to offense and then back to anger once more was quite hilarious.

"Do you honestly believe that I would let someone like Kijima defeat me? Especially where Kyoko is concerned?"

"With the way you're acting right now, of course." Lory answered matter-of-factly.

Ren glared at his elder.

"If you lose, you will have no choice but to watch as Kijima romances Kyoko's heart and body on-screen. I honestly don't think Kuon shall be able to handle it. The last thing I need on my hands is a bloody mess that comes with Kuon being unleashed. Today is a perfect example, no?"

Sighing dejectedly, Ren nodded. "Yes, you're right."

Lory stood up and walked over to the young actor and patted him on the shoulder. "I empathise with your plight, Ren. You may not believe me now but trust me when I say that whatever is happening, it's for your own good."

"I'm sorry, Boss. I didn't mean to lose my composure. It's just that last night was very difficult for me," Ren spoke candidly, clearly faced with a heavy emotional burden. Lory listened quietly. "I don't want to fail in this. I haven't failed at anything in the past six years, and to lose now, especially when it involves Kyoko… My restraint is breaking. I fear that I'll lose myself and hurt her somehow."

Taken aback by such a confession, the president found himself temporarily at a loss for words. Usually when Ren is pissed off, he drinks it out of his mind and starts fresh the next day. Lory couldn't remember the last time that the idiot had confided in his second father in such a manner. His heart filled with warmth yet solemnity.

"I need you to trust me, son," Lory finally replied kindly. "I have every confidence that you won't do anything to jeopardise this film or your relationship with Kyoko-chan. Now, you must have the same faith in yourself. It's extremely vital, Ren."

Ren nodded. "Yes, Takarada-san."

"Good."

"I should leave. I have an interview and a photo shoot for Armandy." Standing up straight, he raked his hair out of his face and began to head for the double doors.

"I have one last question, Ren." Lory called out from behind him.

Halting in his steps, he briefly glanced over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"What will you do about Yukihito?"

"What do you mean?" Ren inquired quizzically.

This time Lory exhaled with annoyance. "You really have become quite the fool." Then he laughed loudly. "When you barged in here, billowing in rage, your dearest manager was sitting not too far away. You will have to explain your perfect English to him."

Ren dropped his head. "Shit, this is going to be a long day." As he left , a wave of laughter could be heard resonating from luxurious office.

I'm sorry it's been so long since we've updated this story. Life has been crazy and we didn't have time to write. But we're hoping to work diligently on this story so we can complete it for you guys in 2020. Thanks for reading. If you can, please drop a review. Take care.