A/N: Hello! This is my first time writing a fanfic, so please go easy on me! Please R&R, special thanks to my friend for beta reading and helping me through writer's block. Apologies for OOC-ness. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything...unfortunately.

Thoughts

English

"Dialogue,"

"MOOOOOKOOOOO-SAAAAAN!"

Kanae casually dodged her friend, who had launched herself at her on sight. "MO. It's not like it's been that long since we saw each other, and you're already trying to tackle me," she stated as she feigned annoyance, "and the lunch thing we're going to isn't even just us, you had to invite Yashiro and Tsuruga too…" Kanae was not craving time with her best friend alone. Definitely not.

"But Moookooo, we can go to lunch any time, just me and you! And we could go for ice cream too, and then go shopping after…" Kanae watched Kyoko slip into best-friend-fantasyland in secret amusement.

"All right, fine. Maybe this will be a nice change. Let me put on some normal clothes and we can go meet them at the cafe."

Kyoko nodded vigorously. "I think I second that plan. I don't want to draw attention to you and Tsuruga-san and inconvenience you all."

The girls changed, then headed out down the block to the cafe where Ren and Yashiro were waiting. On the way, they chatted about new dramas, offers, and opportunities.

"Oh! Guess what?," Kyoko said, beaming.

"What?"

"I took down that big poster of Sho! I've decided that I can be my own motivation, and that I love acting more than I love to hate him, as easy as it is. I don't even think about him that much anymore," she smiled to herself.

"That's great, Kyoko! Just promise me that you won't leave me and Chiori-chan if you graduate the pink curse before us…" Kanae teased, grinning gently at Kyoko. "But I don't think it's just you moving on from Sho, I think Tsuruga-san had something to do with it too, right?"

Kyoko quickly averted her gaze, opting to stare at her shoes to hide the faint blush dusting her cheeks. "Maybe a little bit," she said quietly, "but revenge really isn't that important to me anymore. I just want to act for me."

The whole walk there, Kanae had a feeling that she was forgetting something. She checked her purse, just to check, and discovered that the only thing missing was the most important: she had left her wallet back at LME. She explained to Kyoko, and told her to go ahead to the cafe. "Just order something low-calorie for me. I'll be right back, ok?"

"Moko-san, are you sure you don't want me to go with you? I really don't mind," Kyoko said.

"I'm sure, I'll just be a few minutes. LME isn't even a mile away, there and back,"

"If you say so, Moko-san. See you in a bit!" Kyoko smiled at Kanae and waved as she turned and walked away. When the entrance to the cafe was only a few feet away, she stopped and stretched. I wonder how long Moko-san will be, she wondered. She absentmindedly surveyed the crowd of people surrounding her, and turned to go into the building.

That was the plan, anyways.

Suddenly, Kyoko's wrists were grabbed from behind, and she was turned and forced against the cafe, half on the brick wall and half on the window. What the-

She squirmed a little, but her hands were pinned above her head by this man's superior strength. "Stop struggling, damn it," a familiar voice ordered.

Kyoko's eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at her assailant's face. Recognition first registered on her face, then shock. "Sho? Just what do you think you're doing?" She glared at him, and he smirked at her. Due to his disguise, she hadn't spotted him among the crowd.

Ignoring her question, Sho made it clear why he was holding her in place. "I heard you talking about me with that other girl. About how you had a poster of me in your room, took it down, and that you don't think of me very often. I, of course, can't have my property thinking of anyone more than me, so we'll just have to fix this little issue."

"Sho, get this through your thick skull. I. AM. NOT. YOUR. PROPERTY." Kyoko said, emphasizing each word by stamping her foot.

Sho laughed, "Of course you are," and proceeded to kiss her squarely on the lips.

Kyoko struggled and squirmed, but couldn't do much with her wrists locked above her head in Sho's iron grip. She squeezed her eyes shut again as she reluctantly accepted that she wasn't going to be able to escape this few seconds in hell. She decided she was not going to react at all, and she would focus on anything but his warm lips on hers, or the way that this time, he wasn't trying to shove his tongue down her throat. She did not acknowledge the fact that this time, it wasn't entirely a displeasing sensation, save for the person giving the kiss. She definitely was focusing on the cold, hard corner of the brick building between the wall and window. And trying not to die of embarrassment because people inside the cafe could see half of what was going on.

People inside the cafe could see half of what was going on…

People inside could see…

People inside…

REN IS INSIDE.

Her eyes shot open as her mind arrived at the revelation. She thought about how to get out of the predicament, and channeled her inner Natsu. "Ahr yoo phineshd et?" Natsu asked against his mouth.

He opened his mouth against hers and swiped his tongue gently against her lower lip before pulling away. "That depends, how much will you think of me?"

Natsu shoved him out of her path, and said, "Shotaro, you'd have to have a lot more skill in the art of seduction to make me want more of that spitfest you call a kiss." Sho's eyebrows shot up at her tactful insult, and opened his mouth to fire off a response. Before he could speak, she cut him off and addressed the people around them: "Hey, listen up, people! Sho Fuwa is here, waiting to be bescumbered by your love! Come give him the attention he craves!" At that, heads started turning. People began looking the direction they had been previously avoiding.

Once a few people began to recognize Sho, the crowd began pressing around him closer, clamoring for his attention. Natsu flashed a smirked at Sho, who looked overwhelmed, beginning to drown in a sea of fans. Damn. This is the day when I regret becoming so popular, he thought as he watched Kyoko sashay away from the crowd. It was only now that he registered that it appeared his kiss had left her mostly unaffected.

As Natsu strutted away from the bewildered Sho and towards the entrance to the cafe, only then did she see the one person who shattered her facade and turned her back into Kyoko.

Ren.

He had a mixture of shock and dismay written across his face, and she wanted to tuck tail and run. There was a hammering in her heart so great that Kyoko thought that he might be able to hear it. Her Natsu walk had dropped off the second she spotted him, and now she slowly shuffled towards him, keeping her head down like a child prepared for a scolding. When she reached within arms length from Ren, she said, "I'm sorry! This is all my fault," and began to fall into a dogeza.

Ren stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder and gently pulling her up. "Kyoko, lift your head. I'm not going to yell at you, you can kiss whoever you want. I was just wondering if you needed any help fighting him off." Like hell she can, he thought.

She slowly looked up at him, sadness evident in her eyes. "Tsuruga-san, I DON'T want to kiss him! How could you think that?" she asked, clearly upset. "This time, the Actor's Rule of Heart can't apply because it only works once! And…so...I suppose this was my first kiss…" her face fell as she made her point.

"You remember when I told you all about my first kiss, right? At least yours wasn't some strange man." He smiled at her, sparkling and gentlemanly, neither of them noticing his clenched fist. "Shall we go in? I'm sure you're hungry."

He's mad. I know that smile, Kyoko thought with a shudder as they weaved their way to the table. Moko-san was wrong, today's turning out very bad.

As if thoughts could summon people, the beautiful actress entered the cafe looking slightly frazzled. "Great. There's a big crowd right outside and all I can hear is 'OMG, Sho-chan!'. Ugh. What did I miss?"

Kyoko visibly paled.