A/N: Damn. Another insomniac update that happened when I was trying to write something else. Guess who was reading Volume 17?

Disclaimer: Don't own Skip Beat!

Runadaemon: For you. :) You bet right on Lunar Eclipse. Did I fix my mistake?

Alitablake: You. You too are starting to understand my mind patterns.

Mister Danger is No Stranger

Ren had expected it, yet to hear the shattering of glass and the resulting crunch as her body landed cracked his focus. In the building hush of the choreographed scene of Mio in her nightgown being shoved out of the window by Misao, the thud that followed the destruction sounded too final.

While he hovered peripherally of the excitement, it took every trained nerve in his being to tap at his keyboard. Then he saw another circle of people forming. In any other scene but one that required a minor stunt on Kyoko's part, he would not have leapt to his feet and overtaken the curious workers and actors.

Get away. I can pick up your morbid interest. You don't care about her. Except for the director and the medic hunched over Kyoko, he saw no need for anyone else to be around her. Held back by his gentle persona, Ren was not able to scare off those remaining.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, feeling more like a fraud. His voice came out smoother than his feelings.

"We're waiting for Ueda-san to confirm," Ogata said. "Kyoko will tell you how she is when he's done."

"Is she hurt?"

"We'll see. Will everyone please clear the space?" Ogata requested, mild-mannered and reassuring. "I'm sure no one wants to embarrass Kyoko-chan by being worried." His eyes settled on Ren who appeared not to have heard him. He knew for a fact that Kyoko was perfectly fine. There was life in her yet. Her sempai, however, became a statue.

For once, Ogata was grateful for his small frame which allowed him to discreetly kneel by Ueda-san.

"She's fine, Ogata-kun." Ueda eyed the director suddenly at his level.

"Should I get up?" asked the girl nervously. Ogata's eyes widened meaningfully at the medic.

Am I being directed? Ueda thought, amused. Ogata then flicked his gaze meaningfully to the Tsuruga fellow towering like a sentry outside the bounds of Ogata's request to "clear the space" while keeping a fierce watch over the little girl. The "fake" scar on her probably didn't help things.

"Little miss, I don't think you should get up so soon."

"You there!" the medic picked up Kyoko and called to Ren. "She needs to lie down, but I don't know where to put her. Will you take her?" Ueda let some doubts creep into his voice. Tsuruga was tall, but didn't look like he had any power in him.

Ueda was almost embarrassed by the shy blush that dusted Ogata-kun's cheeks. Compared to other directors, it took little to please the boy.

Then Ren moved, and had Kyoko in his arms before Ueda so much as blinked.

Ogata smiled at the medic's perplexed expression. "I haven't figured out how he does that either."

"Am I too heavy?" Kyoko asked anxiously, trying to discover the source of his bad mood.

"No," he said, distractedly. Maybe he was mentally reading a script, but was stuck by helping her.

Ah. "You don't have to carry me. The man said I was fine. I feel fine, too, but I didn't want to talk back to a professional."

Tsuruga paused mid-step. He hadn't counted on someone closing the door to the lounge.

"Hold onto me real tight, Mogami." She tentatively hugged him.

"Harder." Her breath and her lash were on him again. He took his time opening the door while she clutched him. They were pretty much in an outsized closet, stuffed with mirrors, chairs, and random decor from leftover segments of filming.

"You can relax now."

"Thank you, Tsuruga-sempai." She had said it as a cue for him to set her down on the sofa, but he must have been lost in Katsuki's lines.

"You can put me down, Tsuruga-sempai," Kyoko said. Despite her cautious, gentle tone, he seemed more irritated.

"Is there something wrong with the way I am holding you?" Ren asked, fixing a smile on his face that made Kyoko's skin prickle.

Kyoko began to suspect that she had hit her head against the window frame. Otherwise, she wouldn't have believed that he was angry at her.

"N- no, not at all," Kyoko said. It was hard to tell him that when she was vulnerable.

"Sometimes you deviate from the script to avoid touching me. In the minutes it took for me to carry you here, you dropped three hints that you wanted to be put down. You wouldn't have done that with medical personnel. I can only conclude that you don't like me."

"That's not it!" Kyoko wondered if Tsuruga had bumped his head somewhere, too.

"Mogami, you are more at ease with jumping through a window than being in contact with me, like you are right now. How else am I supposed to take that?"

"It's not that I don't like you," Kyoko said. "I'm not a physical person to begin with. It's not uncommon. If you are angry at me for being myself, then just let me go!"

"I'm not the sort of person to do that. You'd get hurt if I drop you. I don't understand why you don't see that."

"That's not what I meant," she argued. "I don't know why you're picking a fight with me now. Things were fine between us."

"As long as I keep my distance," Tsuruga said, coldly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please don't take offense at my modesty. I don't intentionally keep you at an arms' length. It's how I was raised. I know you get exposed to lots of people so you're not afraid to show affection and be close, but I am not like that. Please know that I respect you a lot."

"That's just it, Mogami. I know you respect me, but do you like me?" He asked her the question as though it mattered if someone insignificant like her cared about him. Here was a man who broke hearts all over the continent.

"Yes, I do. You are my sempai, but you're not acting like it," she said, her tone a little pleading. It was clear that Kyoko wanted to be put down.

He let go of her, only because he felt some of his control slipping again. There were too many ways that this was going to play out, and too many of them involved never speaking to her again.

"I'm sorry if I don't meet your expectations," Ren said.

"I'm your kohai! You are supposed to have the great expectations!" Kyoko looked ready to pull her hair out. "I could just pull my hair out! I could, too, with this wig!" She proceeded to yank it off along with the cap underneath it. Her real hair stuck up haphazardly.

Ren then did something unexpected. He smiled; it made her knees wobble.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked the guy who instigated her. His hands steadied her.

"Yes," Kyoko said, scuttling away.

"You're doing it again."

Kyoko stopped, wondering why he was going to pick another fight with her after smiling. Or maybe he was baring his teeth to attack again?

"What can I do to prove that I do like you? And that I don't mind you being near me?" she asked.

Again, too many ways that involved never speaking to her again, if he didn't play this right.

"I've got an idea. Sit down and rest, Mogami," he said, gesturing to the overstuffed yellow couch. Ren kept his gaze at her neck and not an inch further down as Mio's nightgown hiked up from her calves to her thighs. He settled next to her, making no fast movements to startle her.

"Tsuruga-san, I don't know about this." She was understandably very antsy.

"It's alright... You don't need to be afraid. I will only touch you a little." Ren had his hands where she could see them, trying not to smile in case it was too powerful. His knee naturally bumped hers and he raised an eyebrow at her as though to say Is this so bad? He must have ended up smiling anyway because she squeaked and grabbed at something to shield herself. Whereas normal people would grab a pillow or a cushion, Mogami ended up with an admittedly thick shield of plastic flowers.

Ren sighed deeply, wistfully, and pointedly as though to say You still don't like me even though I'm giving you this chance.

From her stricken expression, Ren knew he hit target. Never one to back down from a NG, Kyoko faced him, grim determination set in her pout. While Ren was aware that this wasn't the normal scene of seduction, he understood that the gods were letting him go scott-free.

Ren was amazed to hear her shallow breaths as he leaned in. Then she tilted her head and he could hear the wet sound of her tongue running nervously over her lip. Ren, being a visual person, had pictured this several times- sometimes supplementing the images with real memories of her touch and her scent. Ren was surprised by what she sounded like, and then he anticipated what she might taste like.

Then the Love gods laughed it up, and smote Ren with an epiphany.

Though he would shortly know how lovely she was to behold, to cradle, to breathe in, to listen to, and to kiss... he'd miss out on the most important sense if he cheated fate and took her. He'd miss out on that sense of love from her while being teased by the lesser feelings.

"Who's in here?" The door to the lounge banged open after one knock. Several jaws dropped.

For sprawled under Kyoko were some tacky-looking flowers. But that wasn't the important part. Sprawled all over Kyoko was Tsuruga Ren, glaring at the intruders hatefully.

After all, they had no right to see Kyoko the way he did. I won't let anyone else have you.

"I apologize, Mogami-san. Nothing was going to happen to you... "

"You deceived me," she wailed, cowering where the shadows gathered. "With your sweet words."