Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

10-Feb

Kyouko combed her fingers through her fringe before reaching up to ring the doorbell. It did not take long before she heard the lock being released and the door opened to reveal a tall distinguished figure, dressed in a blue pullover shirt and immaculately pressed chinos.

"Hello, Kyouko." Tsuruga Ren smiled in greeting as he ushered her in, glancing at the clock on the wall. "You're actually quite early; they won't be at the basement parking for another thirty minutes."

"Good afternoon, Tsuru- I mean R-Ren!" Kyouko quickly corrected herself, mindful of the bet she lost last night which required her to call him by his first name for the entire day. He obviously caught her slip, but only raised an eyebrow in warning and let it go at that. Kyouko deftly removed her boots and slipped her feet into a pair of fluffy yellow slippers that seem to have taken permanent residence on her senpai's shoe rack.

"I wanted to come here early to give your gift," she explained, unable to tone down her own excitement as she handed him the paper bag she was carrying, "Happy Birthday, Ren!"

"Thank you, Kyouko," he gratefully replied.

And there it was again - that divine smile that could so easily be misconstrued for something else. Her own defenses were being worn away by that dangerously tender expression of his. Her heart, in its locked box, was in grave danger. She could hear the locks rattling in the dark recesses of her mind, and it scared her to think that falling for him was something inevitable.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" she suddenly prompted, desperate to have his attention focused on something else, "I feel fairly confident about this one."

Ren gave her a wink that had her toes curling inside her fluffy slippers, "I could tell."

"Do you mind if I try it on?" he asked, lifting the gray cable knit sweater from underneath the colorful wrapping tissues. She shook her head and giggled at his boyish exuberance, offering to hold the paper bag for him. It took him no longer than five seconds to slip it on over his shirt, and flash her a smile that rivaled the sun in it brilliance. "So, how does it look?"

"It looks wonderful on you!" Kyouko returned his smile, appreciatively eyeing the perfect fit of the sweater across the broad line of his shoulders. She was starting to feel less guilty for accidentally walking in on him naked in the shower.

"Another 'thank you' would be so underrated, don't you think?" he whispered solemnly, reaching out to trail his finger along the line of her jaw. A cacophony of deafening alarm bells started going off in her head. She jerked back in surprise, accidentally dropping the bag she was holding.

Ren bent down to pick the bag up from the floor and noticed something amongst the wrapping tissues. "I think there's something left inside-" he said, reaching inside the paper bag once again, and came up with a fistfull of red lace and satin. Kyouko blanched in horror even as his smile morphed into a dangerous looking smirk, "Is this part of my birthday gift as well?"

"GAAAHHHH!" Kyouko screamed, shaking her head even as she lunged at the piece of lingerie in panic, "NO! Nononono-No! Th-that's Setsu's! "

She could not even begin to understand just how IT could have possibly ended up in HIS gift bag!

He chuckled as he dangled the article just beyond her reach, closely scrutinizing it before nodding his approval, "I'm trully impressed. You got her planned right down to her frilly underwear."

Kyouko grumbled under her breath about playboy bullies who badly needed their knees chopped off for being perverted.

"What's that? I did not quite hear what you just said, Mogami-san."

'He's thoroughly enjoying this!' Kyouko noted sourly as she held out her hand, demanding the return of her... unmentionables, "Could I have that back, please?"

He ignored her demands to ask a question of his own, "Is this part of a match set?"

"Uh- yeah," she replied distractedly, making a futile swipe at the dangling bit of satin and lace.

"So, if I gave them back..." Ren's smirk turned downright predatory as he leaned closer until his eyes were at the same level as hers, "Would you wear them for me, Kyouko-chan?"

_.o._.o._.o._

Setsu stood in front of the mirror and cringed at her mis-matched underwear set. She had the irrational urge to stomp her foot in annoyance at this fashion faux pax. The rational part of her personality reasoned out that it shouldn't really matter anyway; what she was wearing under the slinky crimson dress that Jelly was currently zipping her into was nobody's bloody business, but hers... Which brought the argument to a full circle, since this was HER underwear, and her underwear meant SERIOUS BUSINESS.

After she thanked Jelly for her beautiful transformation, Setsu slipped on her strappy stilettlos and disembarked from the mini-trailer. Cain, despite his silent antagonistic aura, looked quite fetching in his all-black Armani ensemble. The only splash of color being his necktie, which incidentally, was the exact same color as her dress. He was already waiting for her beside the company limo, smoking another cancer stick.

"Nii-san! I think you have something of mine," she declared without preamble as she marched up to him, eyes narrowing as she held out a gloved hand, "I suggest you fork it over."

Cain dropped his unfinished cigarette and crushed it underfoot before turning his attention to her. He blew out a stream of smoke and opened his blazer to point at the bit of lace poking out from his inner pocket, "Oh, you mean this one?"

"What the hell are you doing with THAT in your pocket!" Setsu hissed.

He merely shrugged as he opened the car door and bundled her into the vehicle. "It's my lucky charm."

"That's not your lucky charm!" She protested, tugging at his necktie to bring him closer as she breathed into his ear, "I'm your lucky charm, remember?"

"Nice try, Setsuka-chan." Cain chuckled as she struggled against his grip. He caught her just as she was trying to inch inside his blazer pocket for the 'prize'. "Now, promise to be a good girl. Otherwise, I won't be letting you go anytime soon."

Setsu considered his words carefully before she settled back into the plush leather seat. She tucked her arm through his, smiled beatifically and tilted her head to the side for the full effect, "Since you put it that way, I guess I'll just be a very bad girl then."

_.o._.o._.o._

The wrap up party was being held in one of the upscale bars in Roppongi. One of the VIP rooms that bordered the club was reserved for the film crew and cast of Tragic Marker. It was not Kyouko's first time to be in a club, she had been to one or two before, when she still had time to watch Shou's live performances. But those hole-in-the-wall places could hardly hold a candle to the luxury of this place. She looked down at her drink stubs, her thrifty sensibilities seriously affronted at the price of 1000 yen for a drink. Though she was never asked for an ID when she went in (probably because of the virulent glare of the man who had his arm on her shoulders), Kyouko was still adamant not to touch any alcohol for tonight.

"So, what are you having?" Ren asked in English, which meant he was still Cain for tonight, and she had to follow through as Setsu.

"I'll have some orange juice," she replied in a fairly bored tone. Her amber eyes took in the decadent atmosphere with a seemingly detached air.

"Ano~ sumimasen, Setsu-san... Cain-san," Manaka-san smiled politely as she approached their table.

Even with Murasame exposing the fact that Cain could speak Japanese in the early part of the filming, people still gave him a wide berth due to his unsociable personality. Hence, they would usually approach Setsu for anything related to her brother. It was no surprise that the ladies soon managed to get along with Setsu fairly well. They figured that behind the hardcore rocker-gal outfit was a sweet girl who just happens to have a serious brother-complex. The male cast, except Murasame, wisely kept away, since the murderous-looking brother seemed to return his sister's twisted affections.

"What is it, Manaka-san?" Setsu asked with a smile of her own.

"I was wondering if you two would like to join our table?" she asked, gesturing at one of the tables near the bar. "I know it's a bit of rude of me to ask for this, Setsu-san. But it would really help if someone was there to mediate and translate for us."

Roppongi was also known to be very popular with western foreigners. It being a Friday night meant that the place was packed with quite a number of them. A couple of good looking guys were trying to chat-up their make-up artist and the assistant director, both groups looked as if they were having fun, but were obviously struggling with the language barrier.

"Go on ahead," Cain urged even before she could ask his permission. "I'll just be at the bar, keeping an eye on you," he glanced at the said direction, his smile reminiscent to that of shark smelling blood, "Besides, Murasame-san seemed to have parked himself next to the beer tap without a drinking buddy."

"Alright," she said, and leaned over to press her ruby red lips just above his jaw line. She pulled back and scrutinized the kiss mark, "That should keep those hags away, for the mean time."

_.o._.o._.o._

Kyouko had never been so thankful for the time she spent obsessively studying English as she did now. She was leagues away from being a proper translator, but her meager knowledge seemed to be enough to get the conversation going. It also helped that one of the guys who just joined their small group was surprisingly fairly fluent in Japanese. Manaka-san seemed to have taken quite a liking to the friendly British who explained that he had been working in Tokyo as an editor for over a year.

"Ne, Setsu-san. Do you think Eric-san likes me?"

Kyouko paused for a moment, lipstick hovering above her pursed lips. She looked down and sighed, bringing a worried frown to the girl standing beside her in front of the mirror.

"Setsu-san...?"

"Do you like him?" Setsu asked, catching Manaka's gaze in the mirror, the corner of her lips tilted in a half smile as she raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the suddenly bashful actress.

"I-I think so..."

The rocker-gal snorted and continued to apply her lipstick, pressing her lips to even out the color and finished it off with a dewy gloss that made her lips irresistibly kissable. "Either you do or you don't. That's all that really matters. Otherwise, you wouldn't even bother wondering if you should continue seeing this guy."

"Thank you, Setsu-chan! I'll make sure to-" whatever Manaka had to say was drowned out by the loud chatter of two women who swept inside the ladies room.

"Have you seen those two gorgeous guys sitting at the bar? I think one of them must be Murasame Taira."

"The one beside him seemed kinda scary, but I find him sexier, you know? In a dangerous sort of way."

"Tough luck. I just saw Kimiko shamelessly hanging on his arm and buying him a drink just before we decided to hit the dance floor."

"That bitch must really wanted to get into his pants if she's going all out."

Setsu dropped her lip gloss into her purse and closed it with a decisive snap. "I'll go on ahead, Manaka-san. Looks like someone has been poaching on my property."

_.o._.o._.o._

The music blared from the DJ booth overlooking the packed floor as spotlights flashed and spun madly, painting anonymous faces in psychedelic hues. Bodies writhed and danced to the synthesized measure of the techno music. Setsu skirted the edge of the dance floor and reached the bar just as Cain was finishing his drink. The woman sitting beside him laughed, a sound that was sickeningly cloying to her own ears, and reached up to wipe the kiss mark that Setsu left on Cain's cheek.

"Nii-san, I'm back!" Setsu announced as she brushed past the woman and firmly planted a kiss on the exact same spot as before. "Did you miss me?"

"Ah! Setsuka-san," Murasame quickly intervened, "This is Kimiko, she was just kind enough to keep Cain and myself company while you were away."

"You two don't look anything like siblings," Kimiko commented, her syrupy tone barbed with dark malice, "Ne, imouto, isn't it way past your bedtime? Why don't you head home and let the adults have their fun."

"You're right, Kimiko-san," Cain suddenly replied, standing up and placing an arm around Setsu's waist, "It's about time I bring my sister home, she needs her beauty sleep, after all."

"Wh-what? N-no! That's not what I meant at all!" Kimiko protested, watching her best-laid (pun intended) plans fall into pieces in the face of dangerous sibling love.

"Nii-san, do you promise to hold my hand till I fall asleep?" Setsu practically purred, putting up quite a show as she leaned against his body, her own arm curling along his side.

"More than that," He whispered, playing along as he leaned down and surprised her by stealing a light playful kiss on her lips, "I promise to be there when you wake."

_.o._.o._.o._

The first thing Ren did when they entered the limo was to kill the heater and open the window on his side. He jerked his tie loose and unbottoned his shirt all way down to his belt buckle. Kyouko was still comfortably warm under her thick cloak despite the open window as she watched him worriedly. He was slumped back in his seat, a forearm over his eyes. It was almost minus two degrees outside, but he was practically sweating buckets and panting so hard that she could see his breath misting in the crisp February air.

When they finally reached his place, Kyouko immediately moved to help him, only to be stopped by his words, "No need, Mogami-san. I can manage by myself."

She almost flinched at his formal tone, it did not help that he was back to calling her by her last name. "But you're ill, I can't just-"

"Would you listen to me, for once?" he grated harshly, shrugging off her hold on his sleeve with a sudden jerk of his arm, "With the way I am now, I don't even want you anywhere near me."

Kyouko jerked back in surprise when he slammed the door close. Though his words were harsh, the frustration and pain reflected in his eyes told her that it wounded him to say those things to her. She could hear him gruffly giving the driver instructions to the Daruyama. As the car pulled away from the curb, she watched his back and wondered why he would push her away to such an extent.

Was it because she had ceased being Setsu? Had she lost her effectiveness as a protective charm?

She bit her lip and struggled against as the suffocating feeling of abandonment that threatened to drown her. Memories of those times when Ren drew strength from her presence and thanked her for saving him helped alleviate her fears. She shook her head, resolve hardening with every deep calming breath. He needed her, but he was just too damn stubborn to admit it this time. Too bad, she could be equally stubborn as well. Sometimes people needed saving, even from themselves.

Kyouko slid the divider open and caught the driver's attention. "Yes, Madam?"

"Please turn the car around. I need to go back."

_.o._.o._.o._

Kyouko alighted from the elevator and walked the familiar route to his front door. She rang the bell for almost a full minute before she heard him cursing quite succinctly behind the locked door. It did not take long before the door was violently jerked open and she was treated to the sight of Ren, dripping wet from his shower, with nothing more than flimsy towel riding low over his hips as his only claim to modesty.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, glowering at her from across the threshold of his apartment. He was beautiful even in his anger, like some dark God that only a stupid mortal like her would dare to offend.

The door to the next room swung open, which inevitably curtailed the interrogation, leaving Ren with no other option but to grab her arm and pull her inside. His grasp was icy cold, but she could see that his neck and cheeks were suspiciously red. Against her better judgement, she reached out to grasp his shoulder and was shocked at how hot it was, "Gods! You're burning up!"

"Don't touch me!" he practically snapped at her, brushing off her hand. He refused to meet her eyes as he staggered past her on his way back to the bedroom. Kyouko followed him at a discreet distance, stopping at the doorway of his room. She noticed that his hand was visibly shaking when he picked up the phone from his bed.

"I'm calling a cab. The driver will call your number when he's here. I trust you know the way out."

"Why are you pushing me away?" she asked in a low whisper, taking off her wig and letting it fall from her slack fingers. "Am I not good enough to be your protective charm anymore?"

Kyouko steeled herself for another verbal backlash and was totally unprepared when he suddenly threw down his phone and rushed at her. The room tilted crazily for a moment, until she found herself with his shoulder under her stomach and her eyes staring at his tight ass. She quickly closed her eyes and let out a scream when she felt herself falling backwards, only to hit a soft bed and even softer pillows that carried that unique masculine scent of his. Her senses were still reeling when he straddled her, his left hand easily pinning her wrists above her head against the pillows. It took her a while to notice that he seemed to have lost his towel somewhere along the way. Kyouko opted to stare at Ren's face instead and felt herself blush up to her ears. She had always hoped for a prince to sweep her off her feet, but she never expected the experience could be quite... mortifying.

"You want to save me from myself?" he laughed derisively as he reached down with his free hand and smeared the lipstick off her bottom lip with his thumb, "Ever spared a thought on who's going to save you from me?"

"That drink... there was something in it." Realization hit her with the force of a freight train as she hesitantly voiced out her suspicions, "Ren, did she... did Kimiko drug you?"

"Yes, she did." He touched his forehead to hers and took a shuddering breath with his eyes closed, "And you being here makes it very, very hard for me."

"I'm so sorry! I didn't m-mean t-to turn you on!" she winced at her badly-worded apology and sighed in defeat. "Gods, that sounded so wrong."

"Kyouko..."

"You know what I mean! I'm not even beautiful, or fashionable, or sexy! You shouldn't even want me like this!" She squirmed to move away and ended up accidentally rubbing against his erection. He bit out a curse and clutched desperately at the pillows beside her head.

Kyouko flushed in acute embarrassment, "Ren! Oh dear! I'm so-!"

"Shut up, Kyouko," he whispered coarsely, leaning over her to reach for something near the edge of the bed. It all happened so fast. She caught sight of his necktie and the next thing she knew her hands were bound. "I think it's about time you realize that I'm not entirely indifferent to your charms."

Her voiced seemed to have gotten stuck at her throat as he pulled her up to kneel on the bed, and positioned himself behind her. He guided her arms up and over his head, her bound hands resting against the slope of his shoulders. She gasped as his deft fingers made quick work of her red tube dress, unzipping the side and pulling the soft material down to her knees.

"Look, Kyouko," he urged softly, directing her gaze at the full-length mirror mounted on his wardrobe, "Don't you find yourself beautiful?"

Kyouko closed her eyes and counted to three, hoping to wake up from the embarrassing nightmare. She finally pried one eye open and groaned in defeat. The wrongness of it all was just making her angry, and she could not help the note of bitterness in her voice, "What so beautiful about a pale skinny girl wearing mismatched underwear?"

She could almost feel him smiling against her cheek, "Want me to get rid of them?"

"No!" she cried out in panic, struggling against her silken bonds, "You wouldn't dare!"

"But how could you appreciate yourself if you see something that displeases you?" Ren reasoned cunningly as he opened the front clasp of her red satin bra with a simple flick of his fingers, letting it fall from her body and onto the bed.

"Besides, you have such lovely breasts," he continued, causing her to gasp as his hungry fingers raced over her flushed skin, "They're soft, perky and just the right size. See?" He demonstrated, thumbs circling her nipples while cradling her breast in his calloused palms, testing their luscious weight in his hands.

He kissed her shoulder, a chaste press of lips against lily-white skin. "And I've always wondered how you would taste," his tongue laved over her collar bone, sliding, sucking, enjoying the salty flavor of her. "Better than I ever imagined."

"You fantasize-" she choked out, goosebumps prickling from her neck all the way to her arms, "A-about ME?"

"Would it be so bad?" he nuzzled the secret place behind her ear, lips tracing the delicate line of her throat as he pressed himself against her back. "If the thought of you could turn me on?"

It was getting harder and harder to think, especially when he was literally breathing down her neck. She was feeling lightheaded, utterly overwhelmed by the onslaught of sensations he visited upon her body. "I don't know," she turned her head to catch his molten gaze and whispered her own confession, "Sometimes, I can't help but fantasize about you, too."

The only warning she got was the feel of his fingers sliding into her hair, cradling her head, holding her in place before his lips caught hers. He lured her with soft kisses, savoring the sweetness of her lower lip and teasing her with a light flick of his tongue. It didn't take long before she was desperately pressing her mouth against his, aggressively prying at the seam of his lips, wordlessly begging him in her desperation. He moaned into the kiss and slanted his mouth over hers, tasting vaguely of beer, coaxing her to drink deeper until she was drunk on him.

"Open your eyes," he gritted out, his voice dark and commanding.

Their gazes met on the mirror, amber eyes widened in surprise at the scandalous scene, her body going rigid in his embrace. His right hand relinquished its hold on her breast, the back of his fingers tracing the dip of her waist to the waistband of her striped panties.

His fingers splayed over her abdomen, admiring the softness of her skin and the tautness of her muscles before it slid lower... She dropped his gaze, cheeks flushed with shame at the liquid heat pooling between her legs.

"Don't hide from me," he whispered urgently, cupping her mound, pressing the broad of his hand against her, not doing anything other than hold her. "Look at me, Kyouko."

Kyouko whimpered, a cry trapped in her throat, her nails digging into his shoulders as her body trembled in anticipation. She mouthed his name, her voice breaking on the syllables.

"Re-n!"

He drew his fingers up and rubbed against her wet folds, watching her with his heated gaze. She continued to hold his gaze even as she could feel him parting her lips, sliding his fingers against bundle of nerves that all but throbbed in need. His other hand squeezed her breast, fingers teasing her nipple. Her knees gave way and she all but cried out at the sudden pressure of his fingers delving even deeper inside her wet core. Half-drunk on desire, she watched him sink his teeth against the tender skin of her shoulder, not enough to break the skin, but enough to leave a mark. He suckled her flesh between his lips, swirling his tongue over the bruise, laving it in apology.

"Come for me," he urged darkly as he continued to stroke her, pressing his arousal hotly against her back.

He pressed back in, wanting- no needing to feel her spasms against his fingers. Her eyes clenched shut when she finally reached her peak, her body going stiff and then shuddering violently against him. She vaguely registered him stifling a groan against her neck as he climaxed, his come coming out in hot spurts against the small of her back, dripping between the curve of her buttocks and down her thighs. He continued to massage her softly, helping her ride out her orgasm as he kissed her tenderly.

Kyouko languidly opened her eyes as they broke apart for air and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror: Naked, satisfied and so vulnerably beautiful.

"Now, do you understand?"

Not trusting herself to speak, she merely nodded her head in response.

Ren untied her hands and gently pressed a kiss on her wrists in apology. He then pulled her down to sit between his legs, embracing her tightly with one arm wrapped around her torso, the other folded along her shoulders . Kyouko could feel tears prickling behind her eyes. Never had she felt so cherished as this moment, with his large frame almost enveloping her completely, comforting her with his warmth.

"Ren, do you l-love me?"

She was almost in the verge of panicking when he didn't answer immediately, only to squeak in surprise when he suddenly tipped them over. Ren pushed her onto her back and levered himself up at the same time, arching over her supine form.

His smile was her answer. It banished all her doubts and gave her the strength to believe in love once again.

"I love you, Kyouko - more than anything in the world," he whispered softly, showering feather-light kisses on her breasts as his fingers brushed her flimsy panties down the length of her legs, "Allow me to show you just how much..."

_.o._.o._.o._

"Shima-pan." Ren picked up the blue and white striped panties from Kyouko's freshly laundered pile and grinned, "Who would have thought."

Kyouko swiped the small bit of cotton from his fingers and turned away to stuff her clothes in a plastic bag. "Says the evil man who was holding my new panties hostage yesterday."

"I was not. They're MY birthday present," Ren insisted, stealthily lifting the hem of Kyouko's borrowed shirt to peek at the red confection of satin and lace hugging her glorious behind. "Besides, you look sexier wearing ero-kawa panties anyway."

~ 3/3 ~

Finally managed to finish this story, though it is a week late for Ren's birthday. And that marks the end of this little experiment. Thanks for reading.