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Sariah Loire

Skip Beat! And its characters, locations, terms, etc, do not belong to me.

"I… I don't understand." Kyoko pleaded, trying to stop herself from squirming under his glare. Her eyes were full of worry, and she had to concentrate to stop her voice from squeaking. "Could you tell me what's wrong?"

"I thought you were taking this seriously?" Ren Tsuruga took one careful step closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"But I-"

He cut in, not letting her get an excuse out. "A serious actor wouldn't have said that line so flippantly. A real actor takes pride in their work." The emphasis on his words rang in her ears, letting everyone around know how he felt about her 'talents'.

Kyoko dropped her head, feeling tears of shame prick her eyes. He was lurking over her, scowling heavily. The absence of his sparkling fake smile made it seem even worse to her. It was bad enough that she was getting nowhere in her career, but now her esteemed role-model was cutting her down? "I… I," Two lone tears made their way down her pale face. "I'm sorry."

Her words were little more than a whisper, but they struck Ren's heart. His glare softened, and he reached a hand out to her face. With his other hand, he pulled her close, until they were almost touching. He searched in her eyes, longing for her to see anything, no everything, that was in his heart.

He wiped the tears away as he brought his face close to hers. "Why don't you apologize correctly, then?" His lips moved close to hers-

"CUT! That was perfect, you two!" The director gave them a thumbs up, beaming brilliantly. "Kyoko, please go prepare for scene five, we'll shoot it in 15 minutes. Ren, you have a 35-minute break, and then we'll need you for scene 13."

"Of course, thank you." Ren stepped back from Kyoko, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. He extended it out to his co-star, resisting the urge to dab her face with it.

"T-Thank you," Kyoko stammered, taking the lace-trimmed handkerchief. She always had a hard time stopping the tears after her scene was over, which led to many make-up fixes. "I'll return it later."

Ren smiled softly. "Keep it, we have more sad scenes to film this week." Kyoko nodded, and made her way off-set, presumably headed to her dressing room. He sighed, running a hand through his professionally-styled hair. It took all his willpower during these scenes to not forget the script and hold Kyoko tight. Her innocent eyes were enough to drive him mad.

Walking off the set, he took off his long over coat, draping it over his arm. Mr. Yashiro was nowhere to be seen, having run off on an 'errand' during the last scene. Ren believed these 'errands' had more to do with his interest in Ms. Kotonami, than with actual jobs.

The dressing room was a nice trailer, but only feasible for two, at best, three people. He opened the door that had 'Tsuruga' printed on it, stepping into the much-needed air conditioner. Kyoko sat inside, having just finished changing into the clothes for her next scene. She was laying on the couch with air vents blowing her hair messily.

Ren reached down, picking up a small jacket, and tossed it on Kyoko. She opened her eyes lazily, not willing to move off the couch. The heat wore all the actors out, especially when the sun was glaring so strong that it caused re-takes. "Mmm?" She mumbled.

"Don't 'Mmm?' me, you forgot part of your wardrobe on the floor."

"It's too hot to put it on until I'm on the set." She reached out a hand for him to give it to her, but he took her fingers with his own, pulling her up to a sitting position. He moved around the couch, sitting behind her, so that she could rest against him.

"Share." He said softly into her ear, letting the cold air cool his tired body. But every time Kyoko shifted against him, he felt his temperature rise again. He pushed her hair out of the way, kissing the back of her neck, until she pulled away from him slightly.

Kyoko turned to face him, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "N-Not while we're working!" She moved to the other end of the couch. "You never know when Mr. Yashiro will decide to sneak up on us."

Ren sighed; sometimes Kyoko's dedication to work outshone his own. Especially on days when they worked together on their current project, which was much more difficult than he had expected. He got to his feet, pulling Kyoko up after him. "It's almost time for your scene." Her scene called for heels that put her almost on-level with him, so they were face-to-face. "Are you ready, Mrs. Tsuruga?"

A mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes as she rested her forehead against his. "I take my work seriously, unlike you… Ren." She dropped her gaze slightly. "Your lips are chaffed, what would the director say?" Her own glossy lips shone in the light of the trailer, not escaping Ren's notice.

Mr. Yashiro silently opened the trailer door, taking the fact that it was unlocked as a sign all was safe. Peeking in, he found Ren and Kyoko in a scuffle, as Kyoko was trying to put a small tube of lip balm to his lips. Ren eventually overpowered her, and took some of her gloss instead, in a stolen kiss.

"What are you two doing?"

They both turned to their manager, as he stood in the doorway. Mr. Yashiro was trying to look stern, but he had never been able to hold a straight face when he was around the newlyweds. He cleared his throat, looking at the two stars' disorganized appearance. "Well?"

Ren and Kyoko Tsuruga looked at each other, then back at Mr. Yashiro with innocent eyes.

"Sharing?"