Disclaimer : I don't own Skip Beat!

As my beta reader pointed out and with our several issues in the beta reading, I'd like to tell you that all grammar and terms are mostly in UK English. UK and US have slight different grammars and terms. Not because I preferred UK English more than US English, it's just because I was taught UK English with Cambridge (and Oxford) curriculum at schools from age 10. ^ ^

The First Victory

Kyouko was dreading the day when she had to take off her Setsuka's façade. That would only mean she had to face her esteemed Tsuruga senpai as herself anytime soon.

She couldn't stop thinking about their encounter the other night. Ren was very angry. She didn't know who he was. He wasn't Cain niisan. But to say that he was the Tsuruga Ren she knew seemed wrong as well. On top of that, he stirred the feeling that she had wanted to forget for the rest of her life.

She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff. With so many thugs surrounding her, asking her to either surrender or jump off the cliff. She really didn't want to do either, but she no longer had a choice, she was backed onto the edge where she would fall off the high cliff anytime soon.

When they were walking the distance to the studio these past two days, her hand laced with his, the feeling got stronger. It increased with each passing day. Was it love?

No, she didn't want to admit it at all. She didn't want to feel hurt again. She thought Shou loved her or he wouldn't ask her to come with him to Tokyo but she was wrong. He was only using her. He needed somebody to cater to his primary needs. She wasn't going to do the same mistake twice. Ever.

But…She stared at the mirror. Her face flushed a light shade of red. The feeling was too strong to be ignored.

She wanted to scream "kyaa" out loud for behaving so shamefully towards Ren. He was her esteemed senpai. She couldn't get over the fact that she had stripped him off his shirt, lied on top of him, bitten him and left a hickey on his neck. She was so embarrassed she wanted to die that instant. How could I? How could I? She screamed inwardly.

She wanted to drape herself in a cocoon and never stepped out of the bathroom again. Tonight they would have to part way since they wouldn't be needed for the next two days.

She sighed and put the towel on top of the bathroom counter. She picked up her black knickers and stretched it wide. She cringed inwardly. Uh! She was reminded of Chiori's comment when she bought the knickers. If not for this role, I wouldn't even consider wearing it. It indeed is lewd.

She shook her head. I need to be fast. Tsuruga-san would wake up anytime soon. I also have to make breakfast. I'm lucky that Cain niisan is a sleepyhead and had never woke up earlier than Setsu, so I don't have to worry about bathroom incident. I can rest assured but I still have to get ready fast. It will be a total disaster if it ever happens. She bent down and got both her legs into the knickers when she heard the bathroom door opened.

Cain got into the bathroom. He looked dishevelled and sleepy. He yawned and scratched his belly. He wouldn't have realised that he was entering an X territory if he hadn't heard soft rustle noise and some black material fell in between a pair of creamy legs.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to sober up. Since he was still drowsy, a minute passed before he fully realised what was going on before him. He sobered up that instant. His eyes widened in recognition. He jerked his head and found a certain orange haired girl freeze in her place with her both hands on the middle of her calves. He put two and two together and realised that the girl was putting on her underwear when he was entering the bathroom. He froze.

Kyouko was so shocked that her knickers fell off to her ankles. Her first instinct was to scream right away. She had nothing on her. No wigs, contacts or make up. She hadn't even finished putting on the first clothing material on herself. Simply put, she was actually Kyouko, not Setsu. Setsu! She summoned her alter ego desperately since it was the best she could do to cope with this situation.

Setsu's cold gaze and expression came back. She stared right into Cain's eyes and smiled.

Cain –Ren – resisted an urge to gulp though he managed to greet her calmly, "Morning, Setsu."

He tried hard to keep his eye contact. He stared right into her eyes, trying to resist looking at the rest of her naked glory. She was much shorter, so it was hard to overlook the rest of her body. It got harder when she started pulling her knickers up her legs achingly slow. He couldn't resist following her hands movement till her underwear covered all her lower parts, barely decent. It was such a tiny piece of clothing after all.

"Morning, niisan. Has hell frozen over? You are early this morning." Hurry up! Put on your clothes! It's embarrassing! Kyouko shouted at herself inwardly.

Setsu ignored inner Kyouko. She cocked her hips to the left and put her left hand on her hip. "You need to use bathroom I presume?" She looked composed and nonchalantly started to put on her bra. Nothing betrayed her expression though the real Kyouko was screaming in shame. She even adjusted the cups with ease whilst delivering a coy smile at Cain. Just kill me now!

Watching her putting on her underwear was a battle with his sanity. All her movements seemed spontaneous but it almost threw him off. This girl…Ren thought inwardly. Right. Didn't I tell myself that I would do my best to match my act with hers? "Yeah, right. Put on your clothes, Setsu. You'll get a cold if you keep parading half naked like that."

"I was about to, but niisan, you interrupted me." She shrugged. "And it will be your fault if I get a cold." What are you talking about, Setsu? Kyouko yelled at her.

"I guess so," Cain said but didn't move from his place at all. "My bad but I was in a hurry to use the bathroom."

Setsu nodded then took her top and started putting it on as well, ignoring Cain's presence.

As if on cue, Cain said, "Make it quick!" He then took a step back and shut the door close.

"Yeah, yeah. 3 minutes, 5 tops." He heard Setsu answer him.

What's just happened? Ren asked himself. She's… He groaned inwardly when he realised how aroused he had become. His trousers felt tight and uncomfortable. He covered his eyes in despair. He saw it all. He didn't mean to but he couldn't avert his eyes from her body. It was not that he never saw a naked woman before, but since it was Kyouko, it was different. Kyouko made him imagine things he had never imagined. He hoped that she didn't notice the bulge in his trousers. He was kind of grateful that it was dark coloured.

It wasn't long before the memory of her naked torso burnt into his mind. The small yet firm round breasts with dark pink taut nipples, probably due to the cold, that slim waist, narrow hips and the dark nest of curls on the apex of her pale long legs. He was in deep trouble. Their stunts as the Heel siblings would still go on for months after all. How could he stay calm around her for the mean time? It was an ultimate torture.

It's a thong, right? I don't know but it barely covers her… Don't go there! He told himself. She actually wears that kind of underwear? Or she only wears it when she's playing Setsu? He couldn't help wondering about that. He always thought of her as sexy in that skimpy outfit but never dared to guess what was underneath it to save his sanity, till this moment when he finally found out. He was genuinely surprised with her choice of underwear.

He almost laughed when he was suddenly reminded of his own shock when she walked in on his shower. She was used to walking in on him afterwards, and with no expression at all. He noticed that she had always kept her eye contact and never let her eyes wandered down lower than his chin.

"Niisan, your turn," her voice interrupted his train of thoughts.

Ren almost jumped in surprise when Setsu emerged in her skimpy top and low hip leather slacks. Her make up perfectly done. Her wig attached firmly. So fast!

"Okay. Thanks." He patted her head and got into the bathroom.

When he was inside and glanced over at the mirror, his hand automatically lifted towards his neck. He blushed when he touched the place where she left the mark. The mark had started fading but if he looked carefully, it was there.

Kyouko felt blushes threaten to creep onto her cheeks. She had to summon all her courage to stay calm. How embarrassing it was for her to be naked in front of Ren. Cain niisan, she corrected inwardly. She kept telling herself that it was Cain, her niisan, not Ren whenever the memory was coming back.

She even convinced herself that it probably meant nothing to him after seeing how calm he was. She was almost angry at his reaction though when she did the knickers pulling up stunt, she felt his eyes following her hands. Yet, he stood still with his poker face.

Even if she wasn't attractive, how come he didn't have any reaction at all? She mused. Not even a dirty comment guys usually had had come out from his mouth. She had thought that Cain niisan would tease her or something. Not that she expected him to act like he was interested in her sexually. But… he really viewed her as a kid? It was infuriating, even for her.

She bit her jam covered toast grudgingly.Wait a minute! Why do I have to be so disappointed over this? Uh! He's Tsuruga Ren, Japan's most desirable man. He wouldn't even look twice at me. I hate to admit that but it's apparently right!

Meanwhile…

Ren sighed inwardly. He was desperately trying to maintain Cain's character. He tried his best to pay attention to his food but he couldn't help stealing glances at her. Secretly. She didn't seem to notice his looking at her.

Calm as usual. So, it's really nothing to her but role playing? I wonder till what degree this act will develop? I thought last time we had already gone too far. I was wrong, apparently. Is sky the limit?

Later the night after Jelly was finished with removing Kyouko's disguise…

She thanked Jelly and stepped out of the van. She saw Lory and Ren talking or to be exact, staring at each other. They looked serious. They lifted their heads and turned their heads at her direction when they noticed her presence.

Lory patted Ren's back and gave him a long stare. He then gave up since he couldn't make the actor talk. He walked towards Kyouko and nodded when Kyouko bowed at him. Lory patted her head and left them.

Kyouko was dreading this moment, when she was left alone with Ren. They seemed to have resolved their problems when she managed to turn him back to Cain, Setsu's beloved brother. Though she didn't want to remember what had happened afterwards, that morning's incident was still hammering inside her head. She wanted to disappear.

She stood stiffly in her place. She didn't know what to do. She was scared.

Ren seemed to notice her discomfort. They were in a car parking area again and the memory of Kyouko sitting in the same car with his archenemy disturbed him. He was still wondering about the nature of the two's relationship. He wanted to get the answer from her mouth over the question he asked when he was supposed to be Cain. She didn't deny it then and instead she distracted him and made him turn back into Cain. He was thankful that he managed to seal Kuon back, though it was all thanks to her.

"Mogami-san, why don't I give you a ride home? It's already late," Ren began. "It's not safe for a girl to wander alone at night."

"Eh?" Kyouko was surprised. She hesitated. If she said okay, they would be alone and… "Um…" Alarm started to ring loudly inside her head. No, I can't! she answered inwardly.

Ren didn't want to wait for her to answer him. She probably wanted to reject his offer but he would persuade her if she started talking nonsense about imposing on him. It was already late and close to midnight.

Lory and Jelly had left. Lory knew about his strange behaviour though he didn't want to discuss it at all. That old man probably had guessed that his strange mood had something to do with Kyouko and left them alone to sort it out. Sly conniving old man! Though he thought so, he almost smiled at it.

He pulled himself together and walked towards her. He stopped right before her and still at an arm length, and held out his hand to her. "Come!"

She lifted her head, stunned, and stared right into his dark eyes. She felt like she was being hypnotised by the depth. She stepped towards him and took his hand. He gripped her hand tight and pulled her with him. Not long after, they were leaving the hotel's car park in his sleek silver sports car.

Ren drove in silence. He really wanted to take her somewhere secluded, pushed her to a corner and demanded answers to all his questions.

Kyouko hugged her bag tightly to her chest. She wasn't at all comfortable being alone with him. She didn't know why she agreed to his demand. She stole a glance at him and saw his somewhat strained face. She became even more scared.

And then she remembered about her own stunt as Setsu earlier the morning. Her face was hot. I hope he's forgotten it!

Both with their own tumults and no one seemed to have the courage to say something to break the silence. Both were fighting with their own inner mind. And the drive was ended when they arrived right before the street near Daruma-ya.

Ren stopped his car. Both of them still didn't move or say anything.

"Mogami-san, we've arrived," Ren finally said.

"Eh?! Sorry. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Thank you for giving me a ride, Tsuruga-san." Kyouko turned her body towards Ren's direction and bowed profusely whilst Ren didn't know what to say to her aside from "Okay. You're welcome, Mogami-san."

She then quickly turned back and fumbled with the car's handle. She managed to get out of the car and shut the door firmly. She ran a little and stepped onto the pavement. She turned and bowed deeply to him.

Ren nodded from inside of his car and drove off, leaving a slightly nervous Kyouko behind. Kyouko let out of the breath she was holding. "What a day!"

Ren wasn't very far from where he dropped Kyouko off when he heard a buzzing sound. He ignored it at first since he thought it was his mobile phone and he would just let it go through the voicemail. But then he remembered that he hadn't turned his mobile phone on. It's hers?

He slowed his car and pulled over at the nearest stop. He neutralised the gear lever and pulled the handbrake. He stared down and looked around as the phone was still buzzing. He found the pink mobile phones near the gear lever. Must have fallen down when she was bowing profusely. He chuckled.

He picked up the buzzing phone and flipped it open. When he saw the unlisted number, his temper flared. Fuwa! He thought. The buzzing stopped and Ren let out a deep breath. Darn it! He swore inwardly when he saw 3 missed incoming calls on the phone's screen. His eyes flickered to the car dashboard. It displayed 23.15.

He flipped the phone close and shoved it into his coat's breast pocket. He decided to turn around and deliver the phone back. Might as well finish what he had started the other day. It was like a chance to satisfy his curiosity.

Kyouko walked slowly towards Daruma-ya front door after watching Ren's car left. She sighed. She almost reached the door when she heard footsteps approaching her.

She lifted her head and found a furious Shou. Her eyes narrowed. "What do you want from me?"

"Why didn't you pick up your phone?"

Kyouko pursed her lips tight. She didn't want to deal with Shou right now. He had already made it hard for her to deal with Ren. She toughened herself. "I just didn't want to."

"Have you ever stopped and considered that I might be worried when you didn't pick up your phone?" Shou sighed. "Where have you been?"

Uh! That's a low blow but I don't want to believe it after last time. "It's not your business, Shoutarou." Kyouko snapped at him, "And have your ever stopped and considered that I might be asleep when you tried to call at such ungodly hour? You might have the luxury to sleep in everyday, Fuwa Shoutarou, but I have school and work, some people have a life, unlike you." Glaring at him, Kyouko continued, "Besides, why would you worry about me? What's there to worry about?"

"Well, he didn't… what I meant is…" He was suddenly confused. He had it lined out in his head. He was concerned that Tsuruga Ren might do her harm considering how angry he had looked the last time he tried to rile him up in that car park. He had been trying to reach her but her mobile phone was out of service and she didn't come home or at least that was what her landlord told him. He was worried for her safety.

Kyouko tapped her right foot impatiently. "I have nothing to talk to you about. Excuse…" Her breath hitched when Shou pulled her left hand and put it on top of her head. "What do you want, Shoutarou?" She glared at him.

Shou smirked and lowered his face towards her whilst Kyouko was trying to slip off. She refused to be manhandled like she was some weakling. She considered her options.

Shou was about to open his mouth when a deep voice intercepted him. "I warn you to take your hands off her, Fuwa-san."

Both Shou and Kyouko jerked in surprise. Kyouko almost slipped since her right foot was suspended in the air. She had planned to kick Shou away.

Shou let go of Kyouko's hand and turned to stare at the intruder.

Ren stood tall and stared at them. His lips pursed tight into a thin line. His fists clenched hard till he could hear his knuckles crackle. He was trying to tamp down his anger. He never once thought that he would find Fuwa at Kyouko's front door.

Meanwhile, Kyouko rubbed her reddened left wrist and her fear came back full force. She trembled a little unknowingly. Oh no! Oh no! Tsuruga-san will get even angrier than last time. This is the worst! Her fear doubled when she heard Ren's approaching steps.

Ren kept his eye contact with Shou. He smiled and turned to Kyouko, completely ignoring Shou. "Kyouko, sorry. I changed my mind. I think that you'd better stay with me tonight instead of going back to Daruma-ya. It's silly to separate now and meet up several hours later if we're going on a date tomorrow."

Kyouko was baffled though if she was surprised it didn't show on her face. Tsuruga-san called me Kyouko? And what? Staying with him tonight? Meet up later? Going on a DATE tomorrow? I don't understand!

Shou narrowed his eyes. What's Tsuruga Ren playing at? Is he trying to tell me that they're dating? Ha! Like I'd believe it?

"Come!" Ren held out his right hand.

Kyouko stared at his hand and then stole a glance at Shou. She was confused. If she refused to go with Ren, Ren would get angry and she sure didn't want to deal with Shoutarou right now. But if she left with Ren, what would happen?

Shou seemed about to open his mouth but he was interrupted by Kyouko. Kyouko made a quick decision and took Ren's offered hand. "Oh yes. Now you mention it. It's just several hours. Kind of silly of me, don't you think? You're right, Ren. I guess it's better to stay with you tonight."

Ren chuckled. "Moreover, you forgot your mobile phone, Kyouko. I thought to just deliver it to you, but then again, a situation came up. It's really better to stay with me tonight. That way, I can rest assured that you're safe." He purposely insinuated that Fuwa was a threat to Kyouko and he could hear Shou's teeth gritted in anger. He almost smiled at that.

Kyouko smiled. Okay, I'm confused. But if it gets me out of here now, I have to be grateful. She shuddered inwardly. Though I don't know what Tsuruga-san is planning. "Shall we go?"

"Sure." Ren smiled back and he laced his fingers through hers.

They were staring at each other and completely ignored Shou's presence. They turned their backs at Shou and started to walk away.

"Are we forgetting something?" Kyouko asked when Ren stopped suddenly.

"Fuwa-san!"

"Oh that's right!" Kyouko giggled.

They let go of each other's hands and swivelled. They said in unison. "Fuwa-san, please excuse us." "Shou, please excuse us."

They swivelled back without waiting for Shou's answer and laced back their fingers. They walked slowly, heading towards Ren's car. Ren squeezed her hand and her heart beat accelerated. She stared up at him and found him stare back at her tenderly. "Let's get away for now!"

She nodded. "Un."

"Kuso!" Shou spat when he saw the two of them vanished before his eyes. He was really pissed off for being ignored and treated like he was a nuisance. "I won't forget this, Kyouko!"

A/N : Hi! I'm back with a new fic. Yes. As you've seen in the title. It's about getting rid of the guy who's always bothering them. Inspired by the recent chapters from 190 to 197 but it wouldn't be strictly following the plot. Too close and if I were to write it strictly following it, it wouldn't be a story.

I hope you enjoy reading this new fic of mine. Leave a review if you'd like.

Thanks to Shiroyuki76 for the proofreading and the suggestion on several parts of this chapter.

I wonder why. Some of the words were missing after I uploaded it. =.= I've got to fix it. Sorry.

Note on terms :

Kuso : Shit!

Niisan : Older brother