Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11221287.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Skip_Beat!
  Relationship:
      Mogami_Kyoko/Tsuruga_Ren
  Character:
      Mogami_Kyoko, Tsuruga_Ren, Kotonami_Kanae, Yashiro_Yukihito
  Additional Tags:
      Smut, Angst, Feels, Drama
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-06-17 Completed: 2017-12-06 Chapters: 12/12 Words: 32000
****** Deliver Me From Temptation ******
by UnicornForceWinds
Summary
     They crossed the line, and now there’s no going back. He can’t keep
     his hands to himself, and she doesn’t want him to. It feels too good
     to stop, and they’ll drown together in lust and guilt, refusing to
     come up for air until hidden secrets threaten to tear them apart.
     VERY SMUTTY, with lots of angst/feels, and a deeply unhealthy
     relationship dynamic.
Notes
     This is a sequel to ‘Crossing the Fine Line’.
     I’m not really confident/comfortable in my characterizations of Ren
     and Kyoko, so this is probably more OOC than I would like.
     I didn’t plan to continue this because I figured it would be angst-
     ville and a disaster, but here we are. Originally it was supposed to
     be pure PWP, but it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, with a
     whole lotta drama xD
***** Chapter 1 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
The morning light invaded the room from between a gap in the curtains, causing
Kyoko’s mouth to twitch as her closed eyes shut tighter. She was warm and so
comfortable, having had perhaps the best night’s sleep of her life, and her
body was not yet ready to face the world. Unconsciously, she wriggled into a
cozier position and inhaled deeply, feeling the heavy weight of arms around her
waist.
Her eyes shot open as realization dawned, and her mind was suddenly very awake.
She wanted to bolt from not just the bed or from the room, but from the planet.
How had this happened? She was Mogami Kyoko, a pure Japanese maiden, and not
some wanton creature who did that with her respected senpai! HOW HAD THIS
HAPPENED?! She felt like she was going insane; had become completely depraved.
And then he woke up, and she reallywanted to die.
“Mmmm,” he hummed into her hair, his grip tightening. “Good morning.”
She would’ve screamed if she was capable of it, but there were no words. There
was nothing. She was unchaste, impure, immodest, shameless, corrupt… and she
had relished in the feeling of his hands on her, of his… his mouth… she
couldn’t even think the words! This was so bad that there was not a word that
described how bad it was. What the HELL was she supposed to do?!
She’d smelled so good, felt so good, and he never wanted to let go. He didn’t
think it was possible to feel this happy, and then she’d gone stiff in his
arms, and Ren had crashed violently back to earth. What they’d done – or
rather, what he’d done – last night, was about to ruin everything. It didn’t
matter how much she’d teased him, or how intentionally she was tempting him. He
was a grown man, and he knew better than this. How disgusted she must be with
him; how she must hate him, almost as much as he hated himself.
With revulsion he buried his guilt and tried to think of some way to salvage
the situation he’d created. She shouldn’t ever speak to him again, that’s what
he deserved, but still, he could not bear it. Truly, he did not deserve her, he
thought, as he determined to lie and manipulate his way out of another horrible
situation of his own making.
“You’re so heavy, Nii-san,” Setsu whined, pushing at his arms.
Ren stopped breathing, and it was his turn to go stiff. Did she just…?
“Up up,” she demanded impatiently, trying to shove him off. “Go shower while I
make breakfast.”
He grunted in response, hesitating briefly before letting her go. The loss of
her warmth left him keenly aware of what he’d done, and his eyes stung sharply
as a deep pain clawed at his chest. Obediently, he rose from the bed, feet
dragging all the way to the bathroom.
Kyoko let out the breath she was holding, staring at her shaking hands. What
must he think of her now? How could he ever respect her now? She would get
through the morning by relying on her acting, and once it was over, only then
could she deal with the aftermath of the previous night. At this moment, she
couldn’t even think about it. Setsu, I am Setsu, and I’m here with my beloved
Nii-san, making breakfast. Her mind was a flurry of thought, but she would push
it all down. She had to push it all down.
The sound of the water running made her suddenly hyperaware that Ren was
completely naked; mere feet away. Her face flushed, her eyes closing, imagining
being with him in the shower. Hot water streaming down, his skin against hers,
his hands on her body… she moaned, eyes flinging open as she realized the food
was burning and her hands had begun to wander. Ashamed of her thoughts and
self-conscious of the wetness between her legs, she shook her head violently.
“Focus,” she hissed, voice barely a whisper, lest he hear her through the door.
The water was so hot it burned, but it wasn’t enough to distract him from the
pain and the guilt that flooded his mind. He was a monster already, a killer,
yes, but this was a new low even for him. She was innocent – hadn’t really
known what she was doing, and he’d taken advantage. In the harsh light of the
morning, everything that had seemed so wonderful the night before was now
unbearably ugly.
He wanted to apologize to her, not that there was any way to undo the damage,
but she’d made it abundantly clear that she wanted to keep up the pretense of
their act. After they’d returned to being Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko, he
would get on his knees and grovel - do anything and everything in his power to
make her feel even slightly better. That was his plan, but Woods-san had
finished with her first, and Kyoko seemed to disappear before his eyes.
There he was, left drowning in self-recrimination.
                                     -----
He’d tried calling, and left several text messages, but she hadn’t responded.
It’s not like he could blame her, but it was still killing him. At that moment,
he’d have gladly given up life itself just to see her face, and as if the
heavens opened up to answer his silent prayer, it was at that moment a flash of
shocking pink came barreling into him.
He looked up to see Kotonami-san smirk knowingly at him, flip her hair, and
then retreat quickly into the other direction. Fear gripped him, but also
relief, and he savored the scent of her hair for what was probably the last
time. Desperately he wanted to see her face, and yet he was desperately afraid
of what he’d see written on it.
“Please forgive me!” she yelled, dropping into a bow, and then shooting
straight upwards when she realized who it was she’d just been shoved into.
Her eyes widened in panic, mouth contorted as though in pain, and her arms
tucked into her chest, shrinking from him. He was surprised she didn’t scream,
but she must have been too shocked. He felt as though he’d just been stabbed.
She couldn’t speak – couldn’t even breathe, but the anguish she could see in
his eyes threatened to undo her. That pained look he was giving her, she did
that to him. This was all her fault! How ashamed of them both he must be. How
disgusted he must feel having touched her again. She felt her eyes welling with
tears, so she turned tail and ran like the chicken she was.
“Don’t,” he warned, unwilling to even hear the question on Yashiro’s tongue.
“Just don’t.”
                                     ----
Three weeks. It had been three weeks since she’d said a word to him. He had
sent her a few texts, but she was too much of a coward to respond. She didn’t
think she could ever face him again, and she hoped that she would never have
to. It was starting to wear on her, the lack of sleep, and seeing him again
would only make it worse – cause her to remember it all too vividly.
Just the scent of his skin lit her body on fire, drove her crazy in ways she
never even imagined possible. She could see it every time she closed her eyes,
and it had to stop, for the sake of her sanity. It wasn’t fair for him to have
such power over her, and there was no one she could talk to about it. The only
thing to do was to bury herself in her work and not have so much as a second to
spare. If she went to bed completely exhausted, she figured, then maybe she
wouldn’t have to endure the dreams.
Her plan had been going so well, that is until they ran into each other in an
otherwise empty hallway at TBM.
The last few weeks had been an agonizing and unending stretch of hell as Ren
tortured himself ceaselessly in every moment of free time. When he was working,
he was able to distract himself well enough, but his professional mask was
beginning to crumble, and Yashiro was almost too afraid to speak to him
altogether. The last thread of his self-control was ready to snap, and that’s
when he saw her.
They both stopped, dumbstruck, and just stared at one another, not speaking,
not moving; not even breathing. It felt as though time was standing still –
that the earth had stopped spinning. The air had been sucked out of the room
and nothing else existed but this moment, and these two people who couldn’t
turn away from each other, but couldn’t face each other either.
Minutes passed, but they remained like statues, stock-still and staring. At
length, he finally broke the silence, and reality crashed down upon them like a
tidal wave, and swept them out to sea.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, broken, falling to his knees.
She just stared, confused and overwhelmed.
“I don’t… don’t expect you to forgive me, but I-“
“Forgive you?” she breathed, dumbfounded.
Why on earth was he apologizing?! She was the one who… who…
“Please, Mogami-san,” he begged.
She felt like she was really and truly going insane. Tsuruga Ren, King of
Actors, and her treasured senpai, was on the floor, apologizing to her. The
profoundness of her confusion was so devastating, that she too dropped to her
knees, staring at him in awe.
With trepidation he reached for her, courage faltering briefly, before taking
her hands in his. She wasn’t running, and that’s all that mattered. It wasn’t
much, but it was something, and he’d gladly take whatever scraps she tossed his
way.
His touch, even so innocent as this, was electric. She looked down at where his
very large hands were clasped together with her much smaller ones, and her face
was flooded with heat. Those long, surprisingly nimble fingers now seemed so
provocative. Her tongue darted out to lick her slightly parted lips – when had
her mouth become so dry? For just a moment her eyes fluttered closed, before
she managed to look up into his face.
“Mogami-san?”
It was less a question and more of a plea. Even if she would never love him,
and even if he would burn in hell, he wanted – needed – to touch her. He was
damned already, and he just needed some sign of encouragement from her and he
could…
“Tsuruga-san,” she whimpered, face flushed.
It was all the permission he needed.
                                     ----
His lips crashed into hers. His mouth was rough and greedy and desperate. He
released her hands in order to make better use of them, and they seemed to be
everywhere, heating up her entire body. She didn’t even know when his tongue
had entered her mouth, but she’d accepted it hungrily. She moaned into the
kiss, but she didn’t care. The only thing they stopped for was to gasp for air,
but only for the briefest moment, but then he was back on her – on top of her
and all over her, and she didn’t even know or care anymore.
Some part of his brain told him to slow down, but he couldn’t. He knew what she
felt like, what she tasted like; what she sounded like, and he was too worked
up to be gentle. He pushed her onto her back and buried his tongue in her
mouth, and she’d let him. That was all that mattered.
Her legs were wrapped around his waist, gripping for dear life as he thrust
himself against her. Her hands had found his back, digging under the fabric of
his shirt, and clawing viciously into his skin. He shuddered, breaking the
kiss, and groaned, leaving her panting as he bit hard into her shoulder.
He lifted her hips to give him a better angle and she cried out as he rubbed
himself against her, headless of the friction from the fabric of his pants. Her
body arched upwards and he bit her breast through her shirt.
“Tsu-ru-ga-san,” she gasped, head lolling back towards the floor.
“Again,” he growled, driving harder against her, pace becoming frantic.
She clutched his back for dear life, barely able to even breathe as he built
her up, so close now to the edge, just a little more and –
CRASH
“Tsuruga-san?” she whispered, voice shaking.
He stopped, everything stopped. Fuck, he cursed, someone had seen them! They
were in a hallway, had he forgotten? If this got out… his career would probably
survive, but hers wouldn’t. This was a level of disaster beyond his wildest
imagination.
Slowly, cautiously, he turned his head. No one there, but someone had
apparently witnessed their… activities… and dropped a cup of coffee on the
floor. He sighed, relieving a small bit of tension. It was possible that, given
the distance, the person hadn’t seen their faces. He could only hope.
“We need to get out of here now,” he breathed, heart racing.
She didn’t respond, only looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights,
large eyes unseeing, but filled with fear or shock or simply just disbelief.
He’d worry about that later; for now they had a much more pressing concern.
He quickly, but carefully rose to feet, pulling her up along with him, and was
suddenly extremely thankful he’d worn black pants, as he adjusted himself. He
gave her a quick run over, to make sure she was presentable, and then they
retreated down the opposite end of the hall from the dropped mug. The last
thing he wanted to do was leave her alone, but it would be safer if they
separated, he reasoned, as he’d already put her at so much risk.
“Meet me in the parking garage,” he instructed, tilting her chin up towards him
and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.
She nodded her assent, and they walked off in different directions.
                                     ----
Yashiro looked from one to the other, seeming to discern that something was
amiss, but finding himself unable to work out what. Neither Ren nor Kyoko had
said a single word, and though the atmosphere was oppressively tense, it wasn’t
the angry tension he was used to. It was very curious, and he had every
intention of getting to the bottom of it.
“Goodnight, Kyoko-san,” he offered warmly.
She didn’t respond, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door in silence.
That Kyoko, someone who was polite to a fault, had just ignored him, spoke
volumes.
“Mogami-san,” Ren called, pulling Yashiro from his reverie, “goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she echoed, leaving the two men alone.
They watched her walk dazedly to the door, and then disappear inside the
Darumaya.
“I don’t suppose you intend to tell me what that was all about?”
“What what was all about, Yashiro?”
Yukihito glared at his charge, wanting to rip his hair out, as Ren pulled back
into the road and started driving. 
Chapter End Notes
     I realized while writing this, that Kyoko should’ve woken up with no
     panties on, and there’s no way she would’ve gotten out of bed like
     that (or even in what she wore the night before), but I’m a lazy
     bastard and because this is PWP (and technically a separate story),
     I’m just throwing my concerns about continuity to the wind.
     Thank you for reading! I hope the frequent POV switching wasn’t too
     confusing ^^
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Notes
     no smut in this chapter, but the next one is essentially all smut.
     hopefully that makes up for it xD
She woke up drenched in sweat and with her underwear completely soiled. At this
point, she’d almost grown accustomed to it. The dreams had gone from frequent
to every single night, and she couldn’t take anymore. What happened in the
hotel room was bad enough, but then the incident in the hallway… it was all too
much, and she was at a loss.
Twice she had seen Tsuruga-san, just in the past week. The first time, she was
able to run and hide before he’d noticed her, but the second time she was not
so lucky. He spotted her before she saw him, and when he’d said, ‘Hello,
Mogami-san,’ she jumped, screaming, and ran as fast as she could in the
opposite direction.
Kyoko was trying so very hard; doing everything in her power not to think about
that, but seeing him, and especially hearing his voice, seemed to cause a
powerful jolt of sensation to shoot straight between her legs. Oh, how she
wished for the days of purity and modesty, when just the sight of a shirtless
man was too much for her innocent eyes. How exactly had she fallen so far? How
was it possible for someone to be as wanton as she’d become?
She had no doubt that her thoughts, and especially her dreams, would make even
a playboy such as Tsuruga-san blush. But, he wouldn’t find out, could never
find out, not at any cost. How quickly he would stop wanting to even be a
senpai to her then. The jagged pain in her chest that stabbed into her whenever
she thought about his imminent departure from her life was about the only thing
that dammed the flood of images flowing through her mind. Thinking of it in
such terms suddenly reminded her of just how many extra pairs of underwear
she’d been going through, and made her feel even more ashamed.
Another word she could never use again/ A barrage, a bombardment, a torrent…
anything but a flood! And that was an added problem. It seemed like nothing was
safe anymore. The slightest little thing would remind her of something from the
hotel or the hallway or even her dreams, and have her beet-red and completely
distracted. Maybe she could get a job on location or something, yes, let them
send her far away from that man and his irresistible se- err… appeal. If she
didn’t find a way to get a handle on the situation soon, she was going to lose
her mind completely!
                                     -----
To say that Ren was depressed would be like saying that water was wet. The last
time he tried talking to Kyoko, she screamed and ran away. When she’d behaved
similarly before, it was because she feared his wrath, but this time, she
feared him for a totally different reason, and he’d completely earned it. Where
had his carefully maintained control gone? What had happened to the gentlemanly
ways he’d promised to uphold? It seemed that, like her, his restraint had
slipped from his grasp.
At one time, that love demon president had said that stroking was allowed, but
he very much doubted Lory meant it in that way. He let out a monumental sigh
for the dozenth time that day, shook his head, and buried his face in his
palms. What made his predicament even worse was that his fangirl manager had
fallen into a despair that seemed to rival his own. You’d think that Yashiro
was the one experiencing this hell, with the way he acted.
“You’re not helping, you know,” he told him irritably.
“I know Ren, I’m sorry. I just…” Yukihito sighed, pushing his hair back. “I
wish you would at least try to repair the damage. Whatever it is, Kyoko will
definitely understand if you just apologize to her.”
Apologize? The thought of it alone sickened him. Even though she seemed
willing, he was taking advantage, and he knew it. Fixing what he’d destroyed
was completely impossible, notwithstanding the fact that he didn’t deserve it
if it was possible. No, this disaster was his fault, and he would pay the price
that was coming his way, no matter how much it destroyed him. He would watch
out for her from afar, and do what he could to assist her, but she was lost to
him and he’d have to accept it. The worst part was that he knew she was better
off without him.
“Not this time, and whatever devious thing you’re planning, cancel it. Consider
the subject of Mogami-san permanently dropped.” Towards the end, his voice took
on a hard enough edge that surely even that obsessive meddler could take the
hint. He hoped, rather than believed, this was the case.
                                     -----
“Mo! What the heck is going on with you lately? You’re driving me nuts!” Kanae
flipped her long, black hair, letting out a disgruntled sigh.
“I’m soooooooooooooooooorrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyy Moookoooo-saaaannn!!!!!!!” she
blubbered, tears welling in her pitiful eyes. “PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!!”
Kyoko’s assaulting hug was blocked by her friend’s outstretched arms, but only
barely. It would’ve been an entirely futile defense, if not for the longer
limbs of the taller woman. As it was, even despite years of experience fending
off her siblings’ attempts at affection, Kanae found herself unequipped to
combat the overpowering force that was Love Me Member Number One.
“I guess you don’t really want to be my friend, if you’re not going to tell me
what’s going on.”
“Moko-san!” she wailed, “it’s too horrible to even think. I can’t possibly say
it! Please Moko-san, you would hate me. I hate myself!”
“You always think everything is the end of the world. It can’t possibly be that
bad.” With another mo, she rolled her eyes emphatically.
“But it really is,” Kyoko promised. “It’s horrible, it’s-“
The rest of her speech was abruptly cut off by the sudden deluge of tears,
rendering every following sound completely incomprehensible. Kanae didn’t think
she’d ever seen Kyoko upset like this before, which was impressive, all things
considered. She knew immediately that he had to be at the center of the whole
mess, because he always was. It was only because she was so broken up that
Kanae didn’t have the heart to force the truth out of her, but she still needed
to know whether or not to kill Japan’s number one actor.
“It’s fine, you don’t have to give me the details! Just tell me this much, did
Tsuruga-san do something to hurt you?”
“Tsu-tsu-tsuru-ruga-sa-san?” she stammered through labored breaths, her lungs
desperate for air after the episode of violent sobbing. “Of course not!” Gasp
“No, I’m the one!” Gasp “I’m the one who…” and then the thoughts she’d been
avoiding flashed in her head, and her face turned red hot and she couldn’t say
anymore more.
What kind of reaction is that? She wondered, even more confused than she’d been
five minutes prior. Kyoko was kneeling on the ground, staring at the floor,
with a face redder than a tomato. What does she mean that she’s ‘the one’? She
rolled her eyes, knowing the situation couldn’t possibly be as dire as Kyoko
thought it was, and knowing that she was probably not going to get a real
answer. This is exactly why she didn’t want to have friends, this kind of thing
was just too troublesome!
“Well, as long as he didn’t do anything, that’s all that really matters, but
why don’t you just apologize? I really doubt there’s anything you could do that
he wouldn’t forgive you for. Just tell him you’re sorry.”
She shook her head violently, not lifting her gaze off the floor, her voice
barely a whisper but still somehow resolute. “I can’t do that, Moko-san.”
                                     -----
Forgive her?! Kotonami-san was not exactly his favorite person to interact
with, and this had certainly been their most perplexing exchange. Without
offering any sort of explanation, she’d marched up to him angrily, instructed
him to ‘just forgive her already’ because ‘she won’t stop crying and it’s
driving me insane’, and then walked away as quickly as she’d come. What was he
supposed to do with that? He needed a drink, badly.
Resigned to at least try to contact her, despite his reservations, he finally
pressed the call button on his phone. He could barely hear the ringing over the
thundering of his heartbeat, fear and anticipation mounting higher with each
passing second, as the pit in his stomach grew teeth and claws. When he got her
voicemail, he inhaled a monstrous breath of air, steeling himself for the
monumental undertaking he was faced with.
                                     -----
She’d listened to the message seven times, and still didn’t know what to make
of it. Rather than sounding disgusted, he almost sounded kind of desperate. It
broke her heart and very nearly her will. She couldn’t muster up the courage to
call him back though, and so, like a coward, she texted him.
They couldn’t talk if they weren’t in private, and no matter how much she
didn’t want to, it didn’t seem like she had much of a choice. Still, being
alone with him was dangerous, and she was terrified of what would happen. How
did it all come to this? No matter how many times she went over it in her head,
which was more times than she could count, she was still no closer to figuring
anything out.
Kyoko paced, muttering to herself, as a dark aura of misery filled the air
around her. Don’t think about that, don’t think about that. Think about
repulsive things, like that stupid Shotaro, or that damned Beagle! Shotaro,
Beagle, Shotaro, Beagle, Shotaro, Beagle!“Aaaaarrrgghh!!!!”
She ground her foot into the floor, violently crushing the imaginary
cockroaches, as Ren waited just inside the apartment, both eager and terrified
to hear her knock. Of course, just as she’d raised her hand towards it, he
decided to open the door.
They both gawped at each other, startled, and then immediately turned to look
away. She stood motionless with her bags of groceries, staring at the floor,
and he kept his eyes intently focused on the wall, one hand holding the door
open, and the other anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. After what felt
like an eternity, he let out an awkward cough, hoping to at least break the
standstill.
“Please come in,” he coaxed, opening the door as far as it would go, and moving
aside to give her as wide a berth as was possible.
She hesitated, a flurry of inscrutable emotions running across her features, as
she considered whether or not she would. In the end, manners, and an obligation
to make sure Ren ate, won out, and she slowly dragged her feet across the
threshold. She jumped once he’d closed the door, and threw her arm back with
violent force when he reached out to try and help with the bags, but she
managed to get inside, and that alone felt like an enormous achievement.
He pulled his hand away, tears pricking the back of his eyes, and breathed
deeply through his nose while his fists clenched tightly at his sides. At least
she’s here, he reminded himself, and that’s already more than you deserve. With
a final breath, he blinked away the tears, and firmly fixed a placid mask to
his face.
She busied herself in the kitchen, grounding her thoughts by focusing on the
cooking prep. It was exactly the kind of mindless diversion she needed, but
there was just one problem - she could only stall for so long. Never in her
life had she chopped and peeled vegetables more slowly. If he observed any
peculiarity in her actions, he was good enough not to mention it, and for that
she was thankful.
Wordlessly, she served the food. When he thanked her for the meal, her only
response was a curt nod. She knew she was being unforgivably rude, but at that
moment, it was all she was capable of. Compared to the long list of her
existing offenses, it seemed like a pittance. Funny that this was what she
could forgive herself for.
He put out a hand to stop her when she made to clear the dishes, and she
assented, stilling immediately. She closed her eyes, inhaling and then exhaling
a ragged breath, preparing herself for what she knew was coming. His disgust,
his loss of respect; his wish to never see her face again. No matter what she
told herself, she still didn’t think she could bear to hear it. She tried, she
really did, but she couldn’t so much as open her eyes, let alone look at him.
For several minutes they sat in silence, until he finally worked up the courage
to speak.
“Mogami-san, I am deeply sorry for what happened between us. I know that it
cannot be undone, but I would take it back if I could. Because that’s
impossible, all I can do is promise you that it will not happen again.”
Her stomach muscles convulsed as she squeezed her eyelids tighter together,
begging the tears not to fall. It hurt so much more than she could’ve imagined,
and no matter how many times she’d played over the conversation in her head,
she was completely unprepared for it. It felt like a knife had been jabbed into
her chest and then wrenched violently back and forth. Her throat began to
constrict until she stopped breathing altogether.
She couldn’t respond, she couldn’t do anything at all. Some part of her brain
registered that she was shaking, but she was powerless to stop the tremors
wracking her body. Desperately she fought to regain control of herself, but it
was hopeless. His rejection was just too devastating. She never wanted to love
him, had tried her very hardest not to, and even as she promised herself not to
hope, her selfish and stupid heart ignored her. Now, more than ever, she hated
love. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she steadied her voice
enough to reply.
“It’s okay Tsuruga-san,” she paused, breathing in and out and in and out. “I
understand.”
How can she expect me to believe it’s okay, when she looks like that? Why is
she so worried about making me feel better, when she’s clearly devastated?!
Without another word, she got up and headed for the door.
“Mogami-san, I… if there’s anything I can do, please, tell me.”
She stopped walking, but she didn’t turn to face him, and for what seemed like
an eternity, she remained silent.
“You don’t have to spare my feelings, Tsuruga-san. I am well aware that I am a
plain and boring woman with no sex appeal.” She bit out the words as her body
shook visibly, and though he couldn’t see them, he could hear the tears in her
voice.
Without thinking, and before she could protest, he threw his arms around her
and pulled her into his chest. The sight of her suffering– of feeling so
horribly about herself, it crushed him. All he wanted to do was to soothe her
tears and pain, and to kill that bastard Fuwa. She collapsed, trembling, and he
fell to his knees, clutching her tighter as she cried.
She wanted to run away, to disappear, but she didn’t have the strength. It hurt
so much to be held by him, and she couldn’t help the bitter thought that that
was finally gone from her mind. The torture of the past several weeks seemed
now like a distant and beautiful memory when compared to the present. Oh, what
a fool she was then, and what a fool she was now. Greedily she took the comfort
he offered her, even as it tore her heart into a thousand pieces.
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Reverently, he kissed the top of her head, desperate to soothe her pain. It was
clear that they’d profoundly misunderstood each other, and while he now had
some idea of what she was feeling, he was still incredibly confused. All that
mattered though, was making her feel better. He could worry about the rest
later.
“Mogami-san,” he whispered, kissing her hair. “Shhhhh, it’s okay now, shhhhh.”
She clung to him like a child, and he knew that she wouldn’t be able to really
listen to him until she stopped crying. His legs fell asleep, but he didn’t
care. Heaven itself could not have compelled him to release her at that moment.
                                     -----
At some point, she must have drifted off, because she came to, still in
Tsuruga-san’s arms. They were on the floor, his arms enveloping her
protectively, and she desperately, stupidly, wanted to drown in the feeling.
The temptation to bask in his warmth; to breathe in the scent of him, it was
overwhelming. Large parts of her wanted to stay there, perfectly still, holding
on as long as she cool, and wishing the moment would last forever.
She couldn’t do it though, even if she’d never wanted anything more intensely
in her entire life, and even though moving without him waking up was
impossible. If she didn’t get away now, it would only get harder, and she
couldn’t bear any more of his pity. No, she had to leave this place, and she
had to do it while she was still strong enough to, no matter what.
Normally he’d have been delighted to fall asleep with her in his arms, but
tonight had been a disaster beyond his wildest imagination. Thankfully, she
woke him when she tried to get up, and as much as she wanted him to, he
couldn’t let her go. He knew that if she left now, she’d leave his life
forever, and he couldn’t let her walk away before they resolved at least this.
She could hate him and never forgive him after, but he had to seize his only
opportunity.
“Please let me go,” she begged, voice ragged. It broke his heart.
“I promise that I will never bother you again if that’s what you want, but you
need to hear what I have to say.”
“I can’t do it, please Tsuruga-san, please.” He could hear the pain in every
word, and he almost lost his will.
“Mogami-san,” she fought against his hold, but he refused to budge, no matter
how much she struggled. “You are the least plain person I’ve ever met in my
life.”
He paused for a moment, waiting to see what she’d do. When her body stilled, he
continued.
“You are captivating, and I don’t just mean as an actress, though you are
remarkably talented. No, I mean you as yourself. You are amazing, Kyoko.”
His words were too much, and she couldn’t hold back her tears. They were words
beyond what she’d ever even dared to dream of him saying, but she knew they
weren’t true. He was just pitying her, because he was too kind to tell her the
truth. It made her hate him at the same time as it made her love him even more.
Even after everything, he was trying so hard to ease the hurt of someone like
her. He couldn’t know that he was only making it worse.
“Please,” she sniffed, holding in the tears. “Please stop. I can’t bear to be
lied to anymore.”
He laughed bitterly, burying his head in the crook of her neck, his arms
gripping her even tighter.
“If you had no sex appeal, would I have to try so hard to stop myself from
touching you every time I see you? Would I have attacked you in that hallway? I
want you so much that I go crazy just thinkingabout you.” He was saying too
much, he knew, but dammit, he had to set her straight.
She shuddered, but not with pain this time. No, she was thinking of the hallway
again, and it was so much worse with his body against hers. This time she
really had to get away, because otherwise she’d lose herself in her desire for
him. She knew he couldn’t mean what he said. It wasn’t true, but it still made
her wet.
“I’m not stupid,” she hissed, shoving against him. “Stop lying to me!”
“Do you want me to prove it to you?” She shivered, not even needing to see his
face to know he’d turned into the Emperor. “Do you want me to take you to my
bed and prove to you just how badly I want you?”
Her back arched against him at the pulse between her clenched thighs, and she
couldn’t hold back the whimper that escaped her lips.
“You don’t,” she paused, breath hitching, “you don’t mean it.”
“Do you want to feel how much I mean it, Kyoko?”
She moaned, squeezing her thighs together as tight as she could, desperate for
him to touch her, and absolutely terrified that he would. He didn’t mean it,
she knew he couldn’t mean it. This was too cruel for her to bear.
He stood them up, keep one arm around her stomach to support her, and dragged
his free hand up and down the skin of her arm and savoring in the way she
shivered at his touch.
“Do you want to feel it, Kyoko? How badly I want you. How badly I want to feel
you, to touch you; to taste you. If you’d let me, I’d lick you until you begged
me for mercy. I want to hear you cry out my name as I make you cum for me again
and again.”
She clung to him for dear life, her logs wobbling beneath her and completely
useless. He was lying, she knew he was lying, but she couldn’t help the way her
body reacted. She should’ve been horrified by the vulgar words he whispered to
her, but she wasn’t. His words shocked her with their indecency, but it was
only frustrating her more, and making her even more desperate for him to do
what he pretended to want to.
“Say yes, Kyoko, tell me you want me to run my hands along your body. I ache to
lay my hands on you; to touch your perfect breasts again.”
She moaned again, louder, but it didn’t make sense. She didn’t have the kind of
breasts that excited men. Did he really think she was so stupid?
“Say yes, just that one word, Kyoko. I want you so badly it’s physically
painful. Let me show you, let me prove it to you.”
She was upright still, only because he was forcing her to be. Her eyes rolled
back in her head, her entire body shuddering wildly, and he hadn’t even done
anything to her. He was too good an actor – too good a liar - and his magic had
fooled her body, but she needed to resist. She couldn’t let him fool her mind.
No, what he was saying was impossible, no matter how crazy he drove her with
that velvety smooth voice coming out hot against her skin.
“Kyoko,” he whispered, nuzzling into her neck and dragging his nose up her
throat and along the edge of her jaw, nipping gently and making her yelp.
He chuckled breathily with that same voice that was making her lose her mind,
and then he licked her in the same spot, just once, and far too quickly. She
wanted him to lick her again, to lick her everywhere, but she… it was… they
couldn’t… it was too much, and she couldn’t take it any longer.
“Please,” she panted, too far gone to fight against the truth.
“Please, what, Kyoko?”
If she had any strength, she’d have elbowed him in the ribs, that jerk was
bullying her at a time like this!
“Yes,” she whispered, “please, yes.”
He picked her up like she was a princess, but she couldn’t think of fairy tales
now. She didn’t even care where he took her, so long as he touched her. Nothing
else mattered.
“Wuh?” She tried to ask, barely even able to speak.
“I’m going to show you, Kyoko,” he promised, the Emperor smiling at her
wickedly in the mirror.
She had no idea why he’d brought them into the bathroom, but she was one
hundred percent sure this was a terrible idea. Why was she completely unable to
resist him? It wasn’t fair! How could her wanton body betray her like this?
He set her down, pulling her tight against him when her legs proved to unsteady
to stand. Her reflection in the mirror was startling, once she’d mustered the
courage to look. Her face was flushed, her eyes half closed, and her mouth
parted slightly. She noticed him looking at her face, and when their eyes met,
he looked at her like a hungry animal eyeing its prey. She should’ve been
terrified, but more than anything she was excited, and near bursting with
anticipation.
“Do you want to feel how much I want you, Kyoko? Tell me yes, say yes for me
one more time.”
“Yes.”
He grabbed her hand in his and guided it to his thigh, watching her in the
mirror. She looked away from his face to watch his hand as he slid it slowly
upwards until she gasped and jumped against him, but she didn’t pull away. He
pushed her hand against his hardness, thrusting gently against her palm and
letting out his own low, pleased moan.
He moved her hand up and down against him, and he became even harder under her
touch, twitching against her. She didn’t think it was even possible, but she
felt herself getting even wetter. He buried his head in her neck as her hand
continued to rub him, and she suddenly wondered what he’d feel like without his
clothes. Her face instantly felt enflamed, and he chuckled against her skin.
“You feel so good I can barely control myself. I want to bend you over the
counter and bury myself inside you.”
Feeling the girl he loved shuddering in his arms as she stroked his cock was
infinitely better than even his most vivid dreams. He was so worked up that it
wouldn’t have taken much to finish him off, but he couldn’t do that to her.
This wasn’t about him, and it didn’t matter how badly he was straining. His
pleasure wasn’t what he wanted her to see, even if all he’d have to do is just
let keep going, and how fucking badly he wanted her to keep going. If he didn’t
stop her now, he’d forget everything. The flash of what looked like
disappointment in her eyes, when he pulled her hand away, very nearly undid
him, and he cursed himself for his own idiocy.
“Do you trust me?”
“No.”
“Good,” he chuckled, “you shouldn’t.”
Her shirt was going to be a nightmare in this position, and she’d probably want
to kill him for it later, but he didn’t care. He’d buy her a new one and force
her to accept it.
“Close your eyes,” he commanded, “and lean against me. It’ll only be for a
second, but I have to let go of you.”
She hesitated briefly, and then obeyed. A devilish grin curved up his lips as
he grabbed a small pair of scissors from the bathroom cabinet. She was going to
be furious with him for this, and he couldn’t wait for her reaction. Carefully,
he released her, angling his body to better support her weight, and began to
tease them hem of her shirt with his free hand. He saw her eyes twitch in the
mirror, but she kept them closed. With one quick motion he cut a slit in the
front of her shirt, and with a hand on either side of the tear, he ripped it
all the way to the top, tossing the scissors before she had a chance to react.
Her eyes flew open and she stared at his reflection in surprise, and then he
saw an unmistakable hint of anger in her gaze. His eyes dropped quickly to rake
over the newly exposed flesh, and then his hands quickly followed, gripping her
hips and then slowly dragging his way up her stomach until finally reaching his
goal. He kissed her neck, watching her in the mirror as his fingers pushed her
bra up and out of the way, in order to cup her breasts. Her back arched, giving
him even better access, and he squeezed gently, causing her to cry out.
“Perfect, just like I remember.”
Her face turned that beautiful shade of crimson he’d learned to appreciate so
much, delighted to find that the color extended all the way to the tops of her
breasts.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, teeth teasing the curve of her shoulder.
“Please,” she whimpered, desperate.
“I want to ask you what you want; to hear you say the words to me, but I
supposed I’ve tortured you enough for right now.”
“Too… much…”
He chuckled, nipping at her jaw again as his hands worked to unfasten the
button of her pants. As with her shirt, the logistics of their position meant
that removing them altogether would be difficult, but he was able to push them
down enough, and that was all that mattered.
He brought one of her hands up to her breast, instructing her like he had
before, until the hand under his was massaging, squeezing. Fuck, she had him so
wound up, he was hanging on by a thread and probably wouldn’t last much longer,
but that wasn’t important.
His other hand, he worked slowly down her stomach, and she tilted unconsciously
upwards, trying to quicken his descent.
“So eager,” he teased, as he slid under the band of her panties. “Oh fuck,” he
cursed, his fingers drenched in her wetness.
Reflexively he pulled her against him, lifting her slightly, until her ass was
cradling his cock. He put his feet inside of hers, using them to push her legs
apart, until she was effectively sitting on him. She moaned loudly as his hand
cupped her center, and he couldn’t hold back, thrusting himself once against
her ass as two fingers slipped inside her.
She wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t. It didn’t even matter anymore that
he was lying. None of it mattered, not when he made her feel like this, and she
didn’t care anymore that it was wrong and that she was a wanton creature
because everything besides his body against hers had ceased to exist. He was
like electricity, sending shockwaves through her entire body, each one more
powerful than the last.
One of his arms gripped her tightly, keeping her upright as his fingers inside
her thrust against her walls in rhythm with his hardness rocking against her
backside. It was too much, too overwhelming, and she never wanted to come down
from this high as her brought her up and up and she was so close now. Some part
of her brain registered the lurid moans of pure pleasure spilling from her
mouth, but she didn’t care, and he seemed to enjoy them, his fingers driving
harder and faster inside her, his arousal pressed firmly against her.
“Are you watching, Kyoko?” he asked her, voice rough and breathing labored. “Do
you see how sexy you are?”
He began to pant between the words, and she found it only made her like hearing
them more. It wasn’t longer now, just a little more, she was practically
screaming.
“Your… perfect… breasts, ahhh.” His own eyes glazed over, closing briefly,
before he opened them again to capture her gaze. “Your… tight… stomach, uhhhh,
and…. those… perfect… hips.”
She couldn’t keep her head up anymore as her neck stopped working. Her hips
bucked wildly, it was too much. Her eyes closed, bursts of white filling her
vision as her walls contracted uncontrollably around his fingers, the tidal
wave finally crashing down upon her. His fingers continued stroking her,
guiding her expertly through her climax, and leaving her floating once again in
a sea of marshmallow.
His jaw clenched tightly as he gingerly carried her into the bedroom, some part
of himself wanting to curse her for not letting him cum with her. Even if he
had stopped himself, because he felt that it was wrong. Unlike last time, he
needed to take care of it, and he couldn’t exactly finish himself off in front
of her. Gently, he set her on the bed, not wanting to leave her but much too
desperate now.
“Tsuruga-san?” heavily lidded eyes looked up at him questioningly.
“I’ll be right back, shhhh, you just sleep.”
“Mmmm.”
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before making his way back to the bathroom,
alone this time.
Chapter End Notes
     I was wondering if anyone had any requests for specific things they'd
     like me to include in this fic. Drop me a comment if so, and so long
     as it's not something that squicks me out, I'll do my best!
     Also, was that end too abrupt?
     Thanks for reading ^^
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter Notes
     I fully intended for Ren to come out of the shower (I’m such a child,
     I actually laughed at that, excuse me) and have things pick up where
     they left off. That did not happen.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
He shuddered as he came, seed spilling across the shower wall; his mind thick
with the memory of Kyoko’s body writhing against him. That liberty alone wasn’t
right for him to take, and so imagination and his hand would have to suffice.
What he was doing was wrong, he knew, but the idea of letting it be only about
her pleasure made him feel less guilty somehow.
When he’d cleaned himself up and went back to the bedroom, he found her
sleeping soundly, just as he’d left her. Her clothes were a mess, her bra
pushed up and her pants pulled down. He couldn’t help feeling disgusted with
himself, but he would shove it down, repressing it for as long as he possibly
could. She looked too good; had  felt  too good, and he was damned already
anyway. Just as Cain believed Setsu would one day grow to hate him and their
relationship, Ren believed that Kyoko would end up regretting everything she’d
let him do to her. Knowing this, why couldn’t he stop?
The mattress shifted under his weight as he climbed in bed beside her, touch
careful as he tried to right her clothing. Despite everything else, she was
real and she was there, and that in itself was a dream. For as long as it
continued, he would cling for dear life, hoping he never woke up, and that his
fantasy didn’t become a nightmare. One day the illusion would shatter, but as
long as that day wasn’t today, he didn’t fucking care.
Her mind vaguely registered the movement next to her, and then the warmth of
hands on her skin. She was caught halfway between awake and asleep, not quite
sure which to give in to. Then, she felt his hand brush her hipbone and she
jerked suddenly into consciousness.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
His lips were soft and soothing against her temple, as his fingers caressed the
flesh of her upper arm.
“Mmmm,” she drawled, “where did you go?”
“Nowhere,” he chuckled breathily against her neck. “Did you miss me?”
She turned her head away, lower lip jutting out, and crossed her arms beneath
her chest.
“You’re cute when you pout.”
She balked, flushing, and squeezed herself tighter. He couldn’t help but laugh.
Should he tell her how tantalizing her breasts looked, pushed together like
that? She’d go even redder, and he loved to make her blush, but she might stop
doing it, and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.
“Kyoko, look at me.”
She turned her head further away, eyes squeezed shut. The tone of his voice, so
gentle, was enough to break her. She could imagine the expression on his face;
she didn’t even need to look at him to see it. If she met his eyes, it would
destroy her, she knew it. There was a river of tears inside, just waiting to
burst forth from the dam she’d painstakingly erected. She didn’t deserve his
kindness and she didn’t understand his affection.
The tender way his fingers brushed her cheek only twisted the blade in her
chest harder. He thought she was innocent, but she wasn’t. She wanted this; she
wanted  him , and he had no idea about the thoughts in her head. What exactly
he was getting from this thing between them she didn’t know, and she didn’t
want to. The truth would end her, and so she couldn’t face it. Every single
thing he’d give her, she would take, greedily wanting more and more. For
however long he let this last, even if she hated herself for being so weak and
disgusting, she couldn’t stop.
She loved him too much, even as she began to hate herself. Inhaling and then
releasing a shaky breath, she pushed down the tears and the pain and the bitter
truth she couldn’t accept. She was everything Sho said she was, and so be it.
She didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. Tsuruga-san could never know the
truth; with all her strength, she would bury it inside herself. It wasn’t real.
He didn’t love her, didn’t really want her, but it didn’t matter. She was an
actress, and she would pretend, even though she knew it would destroy her.
Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears, but he didn’t have the strength to ask.
Like a coward, he wrapped his arms around her and cradled her to his chest. She
didn’t fight him, not even a word of protest; so he hugged her tighter, hiding
his shameful face in the curve of her neck.
“I’m sorry,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper.
“Shhhhh.” She unfolded her arms and brought them around his back. “Shhhhh, it’s
okay,” she soothed, hands fisting into his shirt.
He lifted his head from her shoulder, but she couldn’t face him. The moment he
tried to speak, with a boldness that shocked even herself, she silenced him
with her lips. Gentle at first, each movement of her mouth was a silent plea
she prayed he’d answer. The anxiety she felt before he responded was palpable,
the brief moment seeming to last an eternity. Without words he agreed to her
request, and he kissed her back, both of them ignoring the tears streaking down
her cheeks.
She was kissing him and crying, offering him a comfort he didn’t deserve but
couldn’t refuse. He matched her movements, letting her set their pace, as he
drowned in the feel of her lips; in the taste of her tongue. How long had he
dreamed about exactly this? Yet here she was, making his fantasies a reality,
and all he could feel was pain. It was a desperate sort of hurt, sharp and
cutting, like a beast clawing out his insides and devouring them piece by
piece. He would sacrifice every last one if only he could keep holding her like
this.
She clung to him tighter, desperate and needy; terrified of breaking the kiss.
Even as the sobs began to wrack her body, she still couldn’t stop. What he
must’ve been thinking, she didn’t dare to imagine. He kept on kissing her, and
for that she was more thankful than she’d ever be able to say. What a selfish
creature she had become. 
She basked in the safety of his embrace, strong arms locked securely around
her, like a weight anchoring her to the bed and her body. It was cruel to her
heart to accept the solace he offered, knowing it was fleeting and a lie. He
didn’t know that she was taking advantage of his sympathy and his kindness, and
he’d never hold her like this again once he found out the truth. This was all
she’d ever get, and she was clinging for dear life, hoping he’d never let go.
                                     -----
When or how they fell asleep, he didn’t know. They were both hugging each other
tightly, desperately, but he didn’t understand the situation from her end. He
wasn’t brave enough to ask her, and he knew she’d never tell him. He was a
bastard and a coward, and he deserved to feel even worse than he already did.
His love for her grew, alongside his hatred for himself, as he stared into her
sleeping face.
He wanted to kiss her lips, to feel her body melt into his, but he didn’t dare
wake her. It was early yet, much too soon to get up, and he resolved to savor
every moment he was able to remain like this. Her hair was mussed, and her face
stained with tears, but she was still so incredibly beautiful. Never before had
someone captivated him like this, and he could ask for nothing more than to
drown in her arms.
She could feel him awake, but she was too afraid to stop pretending to sleep.
If he wanted to talk about last night, or about  things  in general, she
couldn’t do it. It was unfair to him, but she knew the pain would kill her. So
long as he was holding her; so long as she was touching him, nothing else
seemed to matter or exist. If only she could’ve preserved this moment forever,
but life didn’t work that way.
Eventually the pressure on her bladder became emergent, and she was forced to
stir. Hesitantly, she lifted her eyelids, eyes shooting open wide when she
realized he’d been watching her sleep. His expression was so soft, his lips
curved into a gentle smile, and she barely held back the scream that
desperately tried to escape her body.
“Morning,” he whispered, turning his head away, his mouth falling into a hard
line.
Softly, she hummed her reply, terrified that once she got up, she’d never again
feel his strong arms wrapped around her. This had been nothing but a beautiful
dream, and now she had to wake up. Now, she had to go back and face reality,
where Tsuruga-san was her senpai, and she was just his plain, unappealing
kohai. That’s all she was, and all she’d ever be, and the sooner she learned to
accept the truth, the better off she would be.
She released her hold on his shirt, arms pulling away, and he forced himself to
let go of her. Was last night her way of apologizing? Even left broken by that
scumbag Fuwa, she was still such a caring person, and probably felt terrible
rejecting him. It wasn’t her fault if she didn’t return his feelings, and he
could hardly blame her.
How many times did he manipulate and lie to her? She’d seen him nearly lose
control as Cain Heel, and she didn’t turn her back on him. The debt he owed her
was one he could never repay, and even if he desperately wanted more, it wasn’t
fair to her. How far would she go out of obligation? How much of herself would
she give to him, because he was her beloved senpai?
The thought churned his stomach, even as it excited his loins. She was truly
better than he deserved, and he was a greedy son of a bitch who kept taking and
taking more and more from her. He wanted to ask her stay - he didn’t want her
to ever leave, and it was for the best that his cowardice stopped him. He lied
in the empty bed, watching her cover herself hurriedly, as she darted to the
bathroom.
She yanked her pants up forcefully, face flushed with embarrassment, as she
covered her chest with the ripped halves of her shirt. What she was going to do
about that particular problem, she had no idea, but she needed to get out of
his apartment as soon as possible. She didn’t care if she was clean or decent,
so long as she was fully clothed. A quick splash of water on her face, and a
gentle finger-combing through her hair, and she’d be presentable enough.
Everything was fine until she looked in the mirror. What had transpired in this
very bathroom, merely hours before, overwhelmed her senses and made her
instantly wet. She couldn’t face her own reflection, face bright red and
burning hot, body heating up with the memory of his touch. She hugged herself,
nails biting the flesh of her arms, as she leaned her head against her shoulder
and bit her bottom lip.
There was nothing in his closet that could reasonably fit Kyoko, her body being
so much smaller than his. She could easily wear one of his shirts as a dress,
but if it was obvious she was wearing men’s clothing, he knew that would invite
unwanted attention, and make her uncomfortable. While it was an option, he’d
sooner die than ask his manager for help, already seeing the creepy fangirl
smile Yukihito would have on his face.
He held his hand out, arm extended and ready to knock, but frozen in the air.
She couldn’t leave without a shirt, and if he just didn’t give her one, how
long could he get her to stay? He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, and let out
a heavy sigh. No matter how badly he wanted to keep her, she wasn’t his, and he
had no right. His arms fell to his side, turning back towards the closet, when
he heard a sound from inside the bathroom.
He paused, feeling as if time itself had come to a crashing halt. Did she just…
could she possibly be...? No, he told himself, it was completely impossible,
but then another noise, a whimper. He pressed his body to the door, palms up
against the wood, wanting to break it down and see just what had elicited such
a response. Should he stay there, listening, or should he knock?
“Mogami-san?” he called, breaking the stillness that seemed to drag on,
following that unforgettable sound that must have passed her lips unbidden.
“Kyoko.”
It made her shiver when he said her voice like that, knowing the Emperor stood
on the other side of the door. Her head fell back, her thighs clenching, and
the memory of sensation flooded her. She wanted him to touch her - to do things
to her she couldn’t possibly say out loud. Her wantonness seemed to know no
bounds, but it didn’t matter, not when it felt so good. Regardless of how wrong
it was, she  needed  him.
After a pause, the handle turned agonizingly slowly, and the door opened by an
almost imperceptible crack. He clenched his fists, taking a deep breath, and
shoved aside his fear and guilt. She was hugging herself, head resting on her
shoulder, eyes refusing to meet his.
“Look at me,” he urged, voice gentle.
It took every ounce of will she could muster to do as he instructed. She gasped
when she saw him, the Emperor in all his glory, eyes boring holes into her
soul. A hungry smile spread across his face as he appraised her, and she
couldn’t tear herself away.
His touch was like an electric shock, fingers whispering across the flesh of
her arms in little feather-light caresses. It was torture, and she couldn’t
stand it. Before she knew what was happening, she’d unwound her arms and
grabbed hold of his wrists. Surprise overtook his features for the briefest
moment, before he smiled even wider.
It made her so nervous to see him watching her, but the excitement she felt was
too strong to be contained. She bit her bottom lip, rolling it between her
teeth, and took a tentative step forward, moving closer to him. Her heart
thundered in her ears with deafening intensity, and she had at some point
stopped breathing. None of it mattered though, not her wantonness or her guilt,
or even her body’s need for oxygen, not so long as he was touching her.
He thought he must be dreaming, in order for this to really be happening.
Though his insides were on fire, he was frozen in place, terrified that the
slightest movement would cause him to wake up, and make all of this disappear.
No, this  had  to be a dream. It wasn’t possible that this was real.
Slowly, golden eyes shining with uncertainty, she guided his hands to her
breasts. He massaged gently, using more force when her grip around his wrists
tightened. Her eyes drifted shut, her body arching into his touch, as her mouth
parted softly and she let out a barely audible moan. He felt himself growing
harder, and stepped closer, until their bodies were flush. With a final squeeze
of her breasts, he dragged his hands down her body, her grip moving up to his
biceps, as he greedily palmed her ass.
She moaned again, louder, as his hands slid down to the backs of her thighs,
spreading them apart and hoisting her upwards. Her legs wrapped around his
waist, his cock brushing against her center and making her gasp. Instinctively,
she rocked her hips, forcing him to groan, as he dug his fingers deeper into
her flesh, and pulled her tighter against him.
She wasn’t sure which of them initiated the kiss, and she didn’t care. He was
everywhere, his touch  everything , and her entire body was on fire. Even
despite her recent practice, she could barely keep up, his tongue invading her
mouth and teasing hers with tentative flicks. Her head went light as he ground
his hardness into her, all conscious thought overwhelmed by the throbbing pulse
arcing through at the place where their bodies met.
Absently, she felt him walking her backwards, until she was half seated on the
bathroom counter. Her hands traveled up his arms to his shoulders, and then
around his neck, reveling in the feel of his strong muscles tensing beneath her
touch. When she could no longer focus enough to keep kissing him, his mouth
moved to her neck, teeth teasing her skin as he licked and gently sucked a path
down her throat.
She could feel the pressure building, the waves rising higher and higher. Her
grip grew slack, her head falling backwards, as her hips bucked wantonly of
their own accord, high off the feel of him rubbing against her sex. She cried
out and he pushed into her harder, his movements quickened, her head left
swimming.
He shouldn’t be doing this. He  knew  he shouldn’t be doing this, but he could
not bring himself to stop. She opened the door.  She  made the first move. He
still couldn’t believe it, he thought, thrusting himself between her thighs,
completely ignoring the friction from the fabric that shielded her from him.
Just the slightest bit of wetness, he could almost feel her through his pants,
and it was enough. It was more than he deserved.
She was panting, their speed verging on frantic, and she buried her nails into
the flesh of his upper back, making him growl. The rhythmic pulses were
building inside her, spreading throughout her body. It was too much,
overwhelming, as the climax overtook her, her legs shaking uncontrollably until
she went still, her body falling limp. Her mind drifted away, floating; barely
cognizant of his movements.
He groaned, struggling to stay upright as he came, his upper body falling
against hers. Her arms hugged him, her eyes glazed over, and he let out a
breathy laugh against her skin. She hummed, and he kissed her, skin hot and
slick with sweat. They would need to sort out their clothes, and she’d want to
eat a proper breakfast, and he should probably see what time it was, but the
Ren part of his brain had fallen silent.
His hands moved lazily over the swell of her ass, and up along the curve of her
back, until his arms were around her, pulling her back into him. The words died
in his throat before he spoke them, knowing the danger they represented, and it
was nearly enough to kill his post-orgasm bliss. She had the power to end him,
and she didn’t even realize. Part of him wished that she would, then at least,
he’d be put out of his misery.
 
Chapter End Notes
     Ugh. I feel like this, especially in regards to the smut, was a very
     lacklustre chapter. Maybe it’s moving stress, or just me, but this
     just didn’t work out that great and I really struggled with it. Sigh.
     Also, I wasn’t really sure if I should write out Ren’s shower
     masturbation or not. I can include more of that if people want me to.
     Like I said in a previous note, I’m open to requests ^^
***** Chapter 5 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
She tried to distract herself, but nothing she did could erase the feel of him
from her mind. It was shameful, how desperate she’d become, but she found
herself powerless against the sensation. She barely even registered what was
happening, as her fingers quickly tapped the buttons on her phone.
His heart warmed when he saw the Caller ID. Even though it had only been a few
days, he already missed her. Without her there, his apartment felt cold and
empty, and he hoped she was free his evening, for a multitude of reasons.
“Mogami-san,” he greeted, trying not to sound overly eager.
She paused, long enough that he checked to see if the line went dead. “Tsuruga-
san.”
His eyes shot open wide , cock twitching in his pants at how she’d said his
name. The heavy breathing and lurid tone were unmistakable, but she couldn’t
possibly have called because of that, could she…? Despite the fact that he’d
told her to, only in his wildest dreams did he imagine that she actually would.
“Mogami-san,” he repeated slower, voice falling into the deeper register of the
Emperor.
She couldn’t help the small moan that fell from her lips, eyes closing and
thighs squeezing together, as she felt a strong pulse right between her legs.
Her behavior was too shameless for words! He must be busy working right now,
and she interrupted his busy schedule just to say silent? And what would she
say, if she had the courage? She didn’t even fully understand why she called
him in the first place! The whole situation was unthinkable.
Yukihito stared at his charge, mouth agape, completely lost on what to say. All
Ren had said was Kyoko’s name, but it sounded positively indecent. That was not
a greeting at all, no, that was practically a proposition! Just what exactly
was going on with those two? Was this some new tactic? Ren shot him a
blindingly bright gentleman’s smile, and he was forced to look away, lest his
retinas be burned.
“Tsu-tsuruga-san, I… you sa-said I should...“ she trailed off, her voice
getting progressively quieter.
“There’s no need to apologize, Mogami-san,” he insisted. “I think I know why
you’re calling, and it’s quite alright, I assure you. In fact, I’m glad that
you did.”
She paled, simultaneously thrilled and terrified. “You… you are?”
“Yes, Mogami-san, I am always pleased to hear from you. Of course, I cannot
help you properly until I’ve finished work for the evening, but why don’t you
practice what i’ve already known you for now?’
Kyoko’s free hand seemed to have a mind of its own, gliding down the fabric
over her stomach and going to the top of her thigh, gripping it almost
painfully hard. Surely he wasn’t telling her to… she couldn’t possibly… he
wouldn’t… she was...
Yashiro was staring at him suspiciously, eyes narrowed, but Ren’s smile only
brightened. Let him think whatever he wants, he thought, trying to figure out
how exactly he should proceed. He was in a public place, after all, and that
put considerable constraints upon him.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Mogami-san. You’ll have no trouble if you just
mimic my movements. I know what a fast learner you are.”
Ren’s heart thundered wildly in his chest, not quite believing this could be
real, but desperately looking forward to what he hoped would come next.
“Mogami-san, breathe,” he instructed, his gentleman’s smile turning feral.
“Just relax and start slow. Pretend that I’m there with you.”
He stopped breathing when he heard her moan, his own breath becoming heavy,
before he reminded himself of where he was and schooled his reaction.
She barely even registered the hand snaking under her skirt and pushing aside
her underwear. Despite her shock and embarrassment, she continued, imagining
her much smaller hand was his. She gasped at the feel of her own wetness,
cupping herself gently, anxiousness and anticipation steadily rising.
“Mogami-san, are you there?” 
He knew she was - he’d heard her gasp, but he wanted to hear her say it. That
word would drive him wild, making him imagine all kinds of scenarios in which
he’d draw it from her lips. 
“Ye-yes,” she whimpered, and he bit back a groan.
It was perfect; even better than he imagined, and he needed to get to his
dressing room quickly, or everyone at the studio would see just how pleased he
was with their conversation. That was one thing he really didn’t want to try
and explain to Yukihito, or anyone else. 
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Mogami-san. Go slowly until you feel
comfortable.” 
Her middle finger dragged up her slit, parting her lips and teasing a path up
her center and towards her clit. She breathed out a heavy breath, shocked at
her own behavior, and especially at the effect of his words. Though the content
appeared innocuous, the intent was obscene. Knowing that he was in public, and
having to hide the nature of their conversation, should not have excited her so
much, but she couldn’t help that it did. 
The possibility of his being discovered should’ve given her more pause -
concern for his career, but instead she felt emboldened. The tip of her finger
circled her clit and she moaned, just a little louder than necessary, because
she wanted to fluster him. He offered no response, which was disappointing,
even though she knew he was in no a position to provide her with one.
She shifted, cradling the phone between her head and shoulder, and dragged her
newly free hand to her breast, squeezing it gently. Her eyes fluttered closed,
a small whine passing her parted lips, at the incredible sensation of her own
hands on her body. She increased her speed, two fingers rubbing her clit, as
she massaged her breast, kneading the flesh and teasing her nipple.
His grip on the phone tightened, the fingers of his other hand balling into a
fist, as he fought against his arousal. This was actually happening, Kyoko was
fingering herself, on the phone with him. Fuck, he thought, desperately wishing
he was alone and able to properly enjoy every single sound she made. How badly
he wished he could see her right now, but his desire would probably prevent him
from just watching.
“Tsuruga-san?” she questioned, nearly moaning his name, his eyes going dark and
glazing over with lust.
He coughed, clearing his throat, training his voice to stay level. “I’m here,
Mogami-san.”
“Mmmm,” she hummed suggestively, the sound making his cock dangerously hard. 
She was putting him in a very precarious position, and for the briefest moment
he wondered if it could have been intentional, before dismissing the thought
outright. No, he was being ridiculous. Kyoko was far too innocent to do
something like that, though he rather liked the idea of her intentionally
tormenting him. He wouldn’t mind that, and especially not if she was there in
person, but he was getting ahead of himself.
“Please proceed, Mogami-san. It sounds like you’re doing quite well. In fact, I
think that if you continue as you are, you won’t even need my help anymore.
Though, I am still happy to listen.”
She moaned for him, her fingers moving up and down, circling, and changing
directions. Her entire body tensed, the muscles in her legs contracting. First,
her heels lifted, arched feet eventually leaving the floor almost completely,
as her toes began to curl under. She wasn’t there yet, but she was getting
close, reveling in the sensation and the warmth in her belly. It was almost too
much, coupled with the excitement of having Ren on the phone, listening to her
and the unspeakable things she was doing.
“Yashiro,” he began, snapping her out of her trance. “I’m going to take a quick
nap until I’m needed back on set.”
He practically shut the door in his manager’s face before even giving him a
chance to respond, but he was too flustered to concern himself with manners. He
would apologize later, when he’d regained a level head. All that mattered right
now was Kyoko, and he wouldn’t let this opportunity pass him by.
She’d stilled, thighs clenched together, but not sure if she should continue.
If Yashiro discovered what she was doing on the other end of the phone, she’d
never be able to face him again! As exciting as the danger was, it wasn’t worth
the risk, no matter how good it felt. Ren probably needed to get back to work
anyway, and she was being extremely selfish and unprofessional. She was certain
he’d scold her later, and she deserved a thorough tongue lashing. No, she
thought, not like that!She wished her mind could rein in these horrible
thoughts.
“Kyoko?”
“Mmm, yes, Tsuruga-san?”
The way he said her name, deep voice edged with desire, always made her core
throb. She could imagine it - imagine him, speaking against her neck, hot
breath tickling her skin. He knew exactly how to torment her, and it seemed
that everything he did got her worked up now.
“Did you stop? Do you not want to keep going?”
“N-no, I m-mean yes! I mean…” she stammered, face on fire and flooding with
embarrassment.
He chuckled, voice taking on a predatory sharpness that made her shiver. “Would
you like me tell you what to do? Would you like me to tell you what I would do
to you, if I was there?”
She gasped, hips bucking upwards involuntarily, as her hand found its way back
between her legs. What he was suggesting seemed somehow more indecent than the
actions themselves, and yet, she once again found her body reacting
enthusiastically.
That gasp made his cock twitch in anticipation, and he palmed himself through
his pants, squeezing gently. His eyes closed, imagining her touching herself,
and then her touching him, the fantasy making him fully hard.
“Kyoko,” he whispered, voice low and heavy with desire, “do you want me to tell
you?”
“Y-yes,” she breathed, pausing only briefly.
He wasn’t quite sure where to start, or what words were safe to use. Clinical
terms were not sexy, and anything else might be too graphic for her. The last
thing he wanted was to ruin the mood by making her uncomfortable. If Kyoko was
to ever talk about genitals, which he had a hard time imagining, she’d probably
use some kind of flowery euphemisms. He sincerely hoped that she never gave his
penis a nickname; he didn’t even want to imagine what sort of thing she’d come
up with.
“I’d carry you to my bed, and lay you down gently, before slowly stripping off
every single bit of clothing covering your perfect body. Then, I’d take in
every inch of your naked flesh, committing the sight to memory… should I keep
going?”
Her only reply was a strained hum of approval, which was all the encouragement
he needed.
“I’d gently kiss your ankle, trailing my lips up to your knee, one of my hands
holding yours, and the other massaging your thigh. Slowly, I’d move upward,
tickling your skin with my lips, until… let me know if you want me to stop,” he
paused, waiting, and then continued. “I’d spread your legs, kissing your inner
thigh; teasing you until you couldn’t take it anymore.”
He was straining painfully, her moans enough to undo him. He couldn’t believe
this was happening, and fuck was it hot. Was it okay for him to join her? He
didn’t know, but he had to, it was getting to be too much. He fiddled with the
button on his pants, struggling a bit with one hand, and then undid the zipper.
Maybe she’d want to know how hard she made him? He shook his head, that was
just wishful thinking.
“With my face between your legs, I’d lick a path up your… center, devouring
every drop of your exquisite nectar. Moving upwards just a little, I’d flick my
tongue against your most sensitive spot, taking it into my mouth and sucking.”
She cried out, hardly believing the way she was responding to the completely
filthy things Tsuruga-san was saying to her. He’d kissed there there, she knew
how it felt, and the memory drove her crazy, flooding her with need. Her
fingers struggled, the immense wetness causing them to slip, as her body
writhed in pleasure.
He wrapped his fingers around his cock and dragged them upwards, thumb running
over the tip. As he stroked the precum down his length, imagining that the
wetness was Kyoko’s, his own small moan escaped his lips. The thought caused
his hips to jerk upwards, thrusting into his hand, as he pictured her body
trembling above him. He was playing with fire, and he knew he’d eventually get
burned, but at that moment, it seemed very much worth the risk.
“”Tsuruga-san?” she whispered.
“Yes, Kyoko?” he breathed.
“A-ah-are… are y-you…?” she stammered.
“Am I what?” he teased, voice like liquid velvet.
“You, uhnnn,” she moaned, “you kn-know.”
“Do you want me to, Kyoko? Do you want me to stroke myself while I listen to
you, while I think about you? Do you want me to imagine your hands wrapped
around me, feeling just how hard you make me?”
“Uh! I… mmmm.”
“Do you,” he hesitated, knowing this was crossing the line, “want to touch me?”
“Y-yes,” she whimpered.
His eyes went wide, that single word almost enough to make him lose control. He
increased his speed, stroking up and down faster, his grip firmer, as he
focused on her labored breathing and each delicious sound that fell from her
lips. He wanted to kiss them, to feel those lips pressed against him, and
wrapped around his cock. Teeth sunk into his bottom lip, holding back the groan
rising in his throat, as the heat pooled in his belly lit his body on fire.
It was hard to concentrate, her quivering body climbing higher and higher up
the wall she knew was about to break. She wanted him, wanted to touch him, and
for him to touch her. She could imagine her hand was his, fingertips feverishly
working the sensitive bundle of nerves she dared not name. Her tongue ran
across her teeth, wanting him to say it to her - to say all the words she
should never want to hear, let alone know.
“Say - ugh - my name, Kyoko,” he urged, desperate.
“Tsuruga-san,” she cried, obediently.
“No,” he growled, panting, “say my name.”
“Re-re-ennn,” she bleated.
He bit back a moan, his hips bucking up, thrusting his cock hard into his hand
as he came, followed by a few short, shallow thrusts until he was spent. Head
spinning, electric pulses shooting through him, he fought against the fog in
his mind to come down for her. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a
climax that intense, and he intended to thoroughly return the favor, in every
way that she’d let him.
“Kyoko,” he drawled groggily, “I want to hear you, cum for me.”
As if his words were a magic spell, the pressure inside her erupted, exploding
in a burst of bright white. She shuddered, shockwaves arcing through her with
punishing strength, as her walls pulsed rhythmically. Everything melted away,
her body going limp, and she sighed, releasing a breath she didn’t know she was
holding. She basked in the afterglow, feeling almost like he was beside her,
even though he was far away.
“Kyoko,” he purred.
“Hmmm?”
“I think you should call me Ren from now on.”
Chapter End Notes
     Ngl, the hardest part of writing this was trying to make the
     conversation Kyoko friendly. Most of the terms I feel like she’d be
     okay with make me want to puke xD also, holy shit are there some
     TURRIBLE euphemisms for the clitoris. ‘Butterbean’, ‘tinymeat’, and
     ‘tacoberry’ have got to be some of the worst.
     I’m sorry these disaster people didn’t work anything out feelings-
     wise, but that is happening soon. Listen, I don’t even know. I have
     no plan. It *might* be next chapter, but no promises.
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter Notes
     This chapter is the catalyst for things getting resolved, are you
     ready?! It's gonna be a bit of a bumpy ride.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
He’d become so selfish, savoring in the feel of her every touch, as she
explored his body. This would just be about her pleasure, he’d once promised
himself, cursing as her tongue teased its way up the underside of his shaft. It
took every ounce of willpower he could summon not to force her head down and
make her choke on every last inch of him, but he managed, just barely.
She was alarmingly skilled at torturing him, despite her initial clumsiness,
and her every successive attempt proved increasingly effective. Where he had
once reduced her to a quivering mess in his arms, she seemed now determined to
undo him completely, managing to fully shift the balance of power in the
process. Why she seemed to enjoy pleasuring him so much, he couldn’t quite
understand. Was it possible that she’d begun to develop feelings for him? Even
if they were purely physical now, it was something, and maybe he could worm his
way into her heart from there.
His eyes fluttered shut, his mouth opening with a gasp, as he wondered how
she’d gotten so good at this. She wasn’t taking him fully into her mouth, just
deep enough to hit the front of her throat, as she worked the rest of his
length with her hands. Her tongue flicked and licked his sensitive skin, as the
tip slid from her mouth with a pop. His eyes slit open with a hint of concern,
widening when he saw her small smile, mischief glinting in her gaze before she
hastily looked away from him.
Her face flushed a lovely shade of pink, her adorable embarrassment somehow
persisting, no matter how many times they’d done this. He relished in it, the
way she’d redden as he whispered filthy words into her ear, as his hand brought
her to climax. She never did return them, being much too shy for that, but the
way her body reacted was proof enough that she liked what she heard. The first
time she reciprocated, her fingers fumbled, touch tentative, but she’d quickly
become bolder. He wished he could lap at her juices as she sucked him, but the
logistics of it had made her feel too awkward, and he didn’t want to push her. 
When she released him completely, he was momentarily disappointed, until he
realized what she intended to do. His hips jerked instinctively, anticipation
mounting as she carefully removed her bra. Does she finally understand how much
I love her breasts? he wondered, as she took him in her hands again, thoroughly
wetting him with her mouth, before rubbing her chest against him. He groaned,
the familiar pressure building much too quickly, as he simultaneously fought
against and reveled in the waves of pleasure surging through him.
She pushed her breasts together, cradling him as his cock forced its way
between them, her tongue darting out to lick the tip when it got close enough
to her mouth. He wondered briefly if she’d come up with this on her own, or if
she’d gotten the idea from somewhere, before his brain ceased to function at
all. His hips rocked up and down of their own accord, slipping against her
slick skin as he thrust with reckless abandon.
He came inside her mouth with a groan, shuddering as she swallowed every last
drop of his seed. His hand rested on the back of her head, gently petting her
hair, as his body melted into a puddle beneath her. She climbed up the bed to
lie beside him, cuddling into his side, and wrapping an arm around him. He
hadn’t felt this relaxed in years, and she shushed him, encouraging him to
sleep as she nuzzled along his neck and jaw. He wondered absently if he was
imagining the affection in her touches, but his mind wasn’t present enough to
hold onto the thought. It would probably have only hurt him anyway.
                                     -----
She held him as he fell asleep, her heart feeling like it was about to burst.
The pain she felt was enough to overcome the shame she should be feeling,
knowing that this didn’t mean the same thing to him as it meant to her. She
knew he was a playboy, and that he didn’t want anything from her besides this
se-sehh-physical relationship. Though he seemed to enjoy their… activities, she
knew that her inexperience likely left him disappointed, and of course, he was
too polite to ever say so, no matter how true it was.
Did he really want this at all, or was he only doing it to humor her? No, he
had proven over and over and over , that he liked her body, even if her figure
left a lot to be desired. Still, she had to wonder if he was only keeping this
up because he felt obligated to her in some way. Not only could he easily find
much more attractive women to do... that with, but what about the high school
girl he was supposed to love? Wasn’t their current arrangement, whatever it was
exactly, a betrayal of his relationship with that girl?
Oh no! she thought, bile rising up in her throat, will the… thing… between us
mess things up for him? Even if some part of her wanted to scream ‘pick me!’,
she couldn’t do that, especially when she knew that he loved someone else. No,
even if she’d most definitely become something other than just his kouhai, his
heart would never belong to her, right? Even if the way he treated her was
incredibly confusing...
Sometimes he looked at her so tenderly; touched her so reverently, that she
could almost believe he truly cared for her, but she knew it was just her
imagination. Wasn’t she prone to fantastical thinking, after all? It was only a
fairy tale her mind dreamed up, and nothing more. Ren loved someone, and that
person wasn’t her, no matter how much she wanted to be. He’d as much as
admitted it during Dark Moon party, that if she wasn’t so pure hearted, that he
would ‘do something’ to her. Wasn’t that the case now?
Yes, that had to be it - he was just indulging in his playboy ways, with her,
because she proved to no longer be the clean and chaste maiden she’d been
before. Perhaps this was his way of punishing her for breaking her vow. Maybe
he intended to use her until he lost interest, and then cast her aside! No,
even if he was a playboy, Tsuruga-san would never do something like that to
her. Despite everything else, he was still a good person, who treated others
with care and respect. Most of the time. 
Why then, was she so afraid? Why did it feel like she was dangling off the edge
of a cliff, desperately hoping he would pull her up, while he just stood there,
smiling? The worst part was that she could never talk to him about it, because
the unspoken agreement that had somehow formed between them, told her that
talking about it would break the magic spell and destroy everything. Even if
she’d begun to hate herself and the wanton creature she’d become, she still
couldn’t bear to give him up, regardless of the fact that he wasn’t really hers
in the first place.
She fought against the tears that threatened, forcing aside the little
pinpricks clawing at the back of her eyes. With him asleep like this, their
bodies pressed together, she could keep the illusion going, and pretending was
now the only thing holding her together. Her grip on him tightened, and he
unconsciously brought his arm around her, pulling her in closer. It was a
beautiful dream, even if it was only a dream. Kyoko prayed that she never had
to wake up, because when her heart was broken this time, there might not be
anything left.
                                    ----- 
It was time, he’d decided, regardless of the consequences. He needed to tell
her, because not telling her was driving him crazy. The words were held back in
his throat, constantly trying to break free, every moment he spent in her
presence. It wasn’t just that he was thoroughly enjoying the sexual aspect of
their relationship, but it was the inherent intimacy of those actions, that
truly mattered to him. If Kyoko told him tomorrow that she had no further
interest in that sort of thing, he’d have been more than happy just being near
her - feeling her warmth and smelling the scent of her skin.
He didn’t know how to confess, though, and that was the problem. Even if she
would probably turn him down flat and run away screaming, it was killing him to
keep holding his feelings back, and he couldn’t do it anymore. Maybe she
wouldn’t be completely disgusted, and would actually… No, he was just deluding
himself, he knew it, but he needed to hold onto that tiny shred of hope if he
was going to get through this.
What Ren needed was advice, but the people he could turn were few, and
generally disagreeable. Yukihito would likely scream at him with feverish glee,
while the president would, as usual, be his creepy love-mon self, and he
certainly couldn’t call his parents. That really left him with only one person
to confide in, the realization that he had so few friends a little depressing.
Normally it was a non-issue, but at times like this, it was a pain. Maybe if he
was less distant, Kyoko would feel as comfortable with him as she did when he
was Corn, and that was an entirely different issue he needed to deal with.
Kyoko was busy until late, which left the perfect opportunity. He could speak
to his friend, hopefully get some useful advice, and maybe even confess to her
tonight, if she would see him. Maybe what he really needed was some reassurance
and a little shove, because to be honest, he was feeling extremely insecure and
drowning in self-doubt. He thought about waiting on the bench where they
usually ran into each other, but tonight he wasn’t willing to chance it. He
never expected, biding his time until Kappa Kimagure Rock finished, that he’d
glimpse the very object of his affection, removing the head of an all too
familiar chicken costume.
Fury coiled tightly in his chest, spreading rapidly outward through the rest of
his body, as realization dawned. His fingers curled into fists, squeezing tight
enough to puncture the skin of his palms. Here he was, terrified of bearing his
heart to this girl, who’d apparently been toying with him all along! He felt
sick, nausea pulling at his guts, as he played through all their previous
conversations in his head. What a fool she must have thought him, and how right
she was! After all, he believed she was innocent, pure; at least he knew better
now.
He stalked towards her, footsteps heavy with the weight of his anger, until he
was standing directly in front of her. The color drained from her face when she
saw him, jaw dropping open, her eyes unable to turn away as she processed what
was happening. Oh Kyoko, he thought bitterly, you never expected me to find out
your secret, did you?
“Mogami-san,” he greeted, his smile so radiantly that he was practically
sparkling.
“R-re-tsu-tsuruga-san!” she practically screamed.
“Why don’t I give you a ride home?”
He phrased it like a question, but she knew he wasn’t asking at all. That
gentlemanly smile was hiding a ferocious killing aura, almost as powerful as
BJ’s. She trembled, her jaw clenching, finding herself incapable of meeting his
eyes. Sirens were going off in her head, signaling danger, DANGER.
“Th-that’s oh-k-kay, Tsuruga-s-san, I don’t m-mi-” she stammered, before being
sharply cut off.

“I insist, Mogami-san , really, it’s no trouble at all.”
His words were like knives, hurtling towards her chest; the tone of his voice
becoming ferocious. She was done for, she knew, his trust in her now shattered
into a million irreparable pieces.
“Is everything alright?” interrupted Hikaru, foolishly trying to help..
“Everything is fine, Ishibashi-san,” Ren assured viciously. “I’m just here to
see that Mogami-san gets home safely, isn’t that right, Mogami-san?”
Intuition told her to run, but she knew there was no escape. Her fate was
sealed the moment he saw her in the costume, and it was time to face the music.
She wanted to cry or scream, or maybe beg for mercy, but it was too late for
that. It didn’t matter if she no longer had any armor to protect herself from
him, because he’d have just torn through it like tissue paper anyway.
“Are you sure, Kyoko-chan?” Hikaru questioned, reaching out to place a
comforting hand on her shoulder.
Feeling Ren’s temper flare, she recoiled from his touch, shifting backwards to
put some distance between them. He looked alarmed, but she couldn’t worry about
Hikaru-san right now, not when she had a much larger problem right in front of
her.
“I-I’m f-f-fine, Hi-hikaru-san,” she insisted feebly, letting out a small,
awkward laugh.
“Don’t worry, Ishibashi-san,” Ren promised, his smile turning feral, “I’ve
never done anything to Mogami-san that she hasn’t thoroughly enjoyed.”
Hikaru blanched, his eyebrows rising, as Kyoko’s face flooded with heat,
turning bright red. With her head ducked, unwilling to meet his gaze, she
slowly removed the rest of Bo’s costume.
“Let’s go, Mogami-san.”
She winced, eyes closing as her head nodded of its own volition, legs beginning
to move, despite every instinct in her body screaming at her not to go with
him. Her steps were slow, feet dragging slightly on the ground, her every
muscle tensing up. He followed behind her, stalking near silently, but she
didn’t need to look to know he was there. Neither said a word, the suffocating
atmosphere between them growing heavier with every stride.
They left the building in silence, climbed into his car in silence, and drove
in silence. No sound had ever felt so oppressive and deafening before in her
life, as that silence. She stared a her hands in her lap, unable to look at
him, or to even watch the familiar scenery pass, so she had no way of knowing
how near she was to her doom.
Despite her terror, her mind flashed back to what Ren said to Hikaru, igniting
a spark of lust in her belly strong enough to make her wet. Though her every
sense warned her to flee, some part of her couldn’t help but be excited, even
at a time like this! Her eyes flicked upward, for the briefest instant, but he
stared, gaze unwavering, at the road. Her focus shifted to his hands, knuckles
white from their grip on the wheel, and she could no longer breathe.
Every revolution of the tires brought them progressively closer, and she wished
the car would break down, so they’d never get there. Could she jump out at the
next stoplight, running as fast as her legs would take her to freedom? Even if
she wanted to, she was frozen in place, paralyzed by some combination of fear
and the inevitability of her situation. He was her whole world anyway, so where
could she go? Maybe Shotaro was right.  
Chapter End Notes
     I'm sorry for the bit of a cliffhanger, it just kind of worked out
     that way. The next chapter is about half done-ish though, so I'll
     hopefully be able to get it finished quickly.
     A bit shocked to pass 15k in a story with essentially no plot haha,
     but here we are. Thinking of this fic being over soon, I'm actually
     going to miss it xD
     If you have any requests please let me know now, so I can try to
     squeeze them in! Thanks for reading ^^
***** Chapter 7 *****
Chapter Notes
     There’s a bit of somewhat rough smut in the beginning of this
     chapter. It’s pretty mild, but I thought I’d offer the warning, in
     case anyone needs it.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The elevator ride felt like an eternity, her heart dropping further into her
stomach which each floor they passed. He still hadn’t said a word, and she
didn’t know if that made her feel better or worse. Despite how close they were
standing, the distance between them seemed to grow exponentially by the second,
and she wanted to reach out for him, but her fear held her back.
Once the door was open, he came up behind her, forcing her forward until she
collided with a thud into the wall. He grabbed her hips, lifting them up to
meet his, and pinned her arms above her head by the wrists. She shivered, heat
pooling in her belly despite her panic, as she felt him growing hard against
her. With his free hand he grabbed her breast, roughly kneading the soft flesh,
and causing her to cry out.
Her hips angled up, her ass grinding against his hardness, as his hand roamed
south. Dragging down her stomach, he slipped easily under the waistband of her
pants, and then into her underwear.
“Is this what you want?” he demanded, his tone uncharacteristically harsh.
She whimpered as two fingers slid inside her welcoming body, dripping wet and
eagerly awaiting him. He thrust hard, almost punishingly so, and her whole body
jerked, fighting against his hold on her wrists. Her mind could barely keep up,
intense bursts of pleasure thundering through her, overwhelming her senses.
“Am I so horrible, Kyoko?” he growled. “But good enough for this, right? Good
enough to make you cum?”
She moaned loudly, rubbing her hips against his cock, as his teeth found her
shoulder, biting hard through the fabric of her shirt. He was so angry that he
didn’t care if she liked it, he just wanted to return some of the pain he was
feeling. She fucking played him, making him believe she was so innocent;
pretending to be blind to his feelings, when she’d known all along!
Her body bucked against him, mewling at the newly discovered source of
pleasure, and his hand stilled inside her. Even if she enjoyed it, his
intention had been spiteful, and he couldn’t keep going once that truth sunk
in. The nausea returned, his stomach churning, as a bitter wave of self-hatred
clawed into his chest. He went limp, his anger fading away with his erection;
replaced by a weary sadness eating alive until he just wanted to be alone.
Everything was already so fucked up, and he couldn’t stand to make it even
worse.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed, making her whine when he removed his fingers. “I
can’t do this. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
He released her wrists, stepping away in disgust and shame. She spun around,
reaching for him, trying to pull him back to her, but he couldn’t give in.
Despite how much he loved her, he just couldn’t bring himself to keep up the
lie any longer.
“Please,” she begged, her voice a whisper, “Ren, please.”
He huffed out a choked breath, shocked by his own stupidity in loving a woman
who could be so selfish and cruel. Here he’d been, beating himself up as guilt
nearly drowned him, and it had been what, a game to her? Just saying nothing
was one thing, but she’d let him touch her, making him convinced that she felt
something , essentially feeding his delusion.
“Do you think I have no heart at all? That I have no feelings to be hurt?”
Nothing made sense, her mind desperately trying to put the pieces together,
because it felt like she was about to lose him forever. The things he’d said...
but she didn’t know what he was talking about! Was this all because she lied
about being Bo, and if it was, then why did it feel like something else was
going on? There was so much pain in his voice, and she ached to comfort him,
but he pushed her away, clearly not wanting to be touched.
“Tsuruga-san, I-” she pleaded, desperate.
“ No ,” he barked, “save your breath. I don’t want to hear it, Kyoko. You
knew!  You knew all this time, and you let me believe you had no idea. You made
me think you were so pure-hearted, but it was all a  trick . I don’t even want
to look at you anymore.”
She willed the tears not to fall, but they refused to listen, trailing down her
flushed cheeks in heated streams. It was happening, what she was most afraid
of; the thing that she anticipated all along. Unless, by some miracle, she
could convince him, he was about to expel her from his life for good.
“Please! Just let me explain!” she pleaded.
“Explain?” he laughed bitterly. “I’m not interested in your excuses, or your
crocodile tears.”
He turned from her, opening the door to leave, but she couldn’t budge. Even if
she wanted to, her body was rooted to the spot, unable to leave his apartment.
She knew that if she did, it would all be over, and she couldn’t bear it, no
matter how hard he tried to make her. Falling to her knees, she sobbed
violently, her hands covering her face as her whole body shook.
He grabbed her wrist, trying pull her off the floor, but she wrenched it free.
The pain was a jagged blade, tearing deep into his chest, and he wished so hard
that he could hate her. He grimaced, disgusted, refusing to look at her, as he
cursed them both in his head. Even if he deserved this, he still couldn’t
stomach it. She was right though, it wasn’t her fault for not loving him, and
he couldn’t help the guilt he felt for making her so afraid.
The Kyoko he knew wouldn’t hurt someone on purpose, unless that too had been a
lie. Everything they did together, though, did she not think that would affect
him at all? Was she unaware of the things he hoped for, as his hands roamed her
body, holding her close to him? How much of his feelings he put into every
touch? Was it really possible for anyone to be that naive? He didn’t know
whether or not he could believe her, or if he should.
“I didn’t mean to lie, Tsuruga-san, please.”
He scoffed. “Which time, Kyoko? Which time that you lied to me, this past
year,  did you not mean?”
She didn’t know how to fix things, or even if she could. Desperately she
wracked her brain, hoping to discover some kind of solution; something that
would put things back the way they were. The pain in his eyes hurt more than
anything, but she never meant for this to happen. She never meant for  any  of
this to happen, she was just trying to help! Yes, she wanted to  help  him. All
she needed was to make him see that, and then maybe he wouldn’t be so angry
about her lie.
“You hated me,” she began, trembling, “so of course I couldn’t tell you, but I
still wanted to help. That’s why I lied, and then, when I got to know you
better, I was afraid. I didn’t want to lose your respect, and I still wanted to
be someone you could confide in.”
“Are you finished? Is that it? Fine,” he spat. “Don’t worry about not returning
my feelings. From this point on, consider my love for you dead. I thought I
knew you, but I was mistaken. How free I feel, knowing the truth.”
Her eyes went wide, the blood rushing to her face. Stunned into silence, she
couldn’t speak or move or breath. Her head pounded, heart thundering in her
chest, unable to take in what she’d just heard. She couldn’t wrap her mind
around it, the tears falling even harder as she began to choke on her sobs,
feeling as though her heart might rip apart with the overwhelming surge of
emotion.
He was furious, practically  seething,  watching her just curled up on the
floor, crying. It killed him inside, and he was such a fucking fool. Knowing
she didn’t love him was one thing, but this was worse than he could’ve even
imagined. The worst part, of course, was that he couldn’t really blame her.
She’d seen the worst of him as BJ and Cain, been manipulated and lied to
countless times. But that didn’t make it any easier.
“I’m taking you home,” he barked, “get up.”
Kyoko refused to budge, but he couldn’t stand to wait, reaching for her
shoulders and hauling her to her feet by force. She reached for him when he
pulled away, her touch a heavy weight that carried with it so much warmth, and
so much pain. Hurt and anger coiled inside him, urging him to shrug her off,
but he knew it was probably the last time she’d ever touch him.
“Lo-love…” she stammered, voice weak.
“What about it?” he demanded.
She continued, her voice a barely audible whisper. “M-me… for, for mmmm-me….”
Her head shook wildly, tears flinging onto his skin, searing him like a brand.
“No no no no no no,” she cried, wrenching the knife in deeper. “It's a lie! you
can't, you  can’t. ”
“And why can't I,” he demanded, closing the distance between them, “am I not
allowed ?”
“Because you love someone else,” she yelled, palms slamming against his chest
before falling limply at her sides. “Because you love someone else,” she
repeated, voice barely a whisper.
He was dumbfounded, those words sending his world crashing to a halt. What the
hell was she saying?!
“What?” he wondered, confusion firmly taking hold.
“It wasn’t me. It  can’t  be me. I’m not the one you-”
“It’s a little late to keep up the lie now, isn’t Kyoko, or is even that too
much to ask?”
“When? How?! I don’t understand,” she sputtered, eyes wide but unseeing.
Her felt like she was losing her mind, head absolutely spinning. She couldn’t
find the words, struggling against the monumental weight of her disbelief, even
in the face of his confession. No, she  must  have understood, or maybe she was
dreaming. Ren was not in love with her, could  not  be in love with her.
He had no idea what was going on, or what game she was trying to play, but his
anger was winning out over the rest of his emotions.
“Exactly what do you not understand? I tell you I’m in love with you, and you
pretend not to know! Do you think I don’t feel pain? That touching you didn’t
kill me? That treating my feelings as though they mean nothing has no impact?
I’m human too, Kyoko, I bleed like everything else, as hard as that is for you
to believe from your precious  senpai, ” he snapped.
“Say it again,” she urged, wide eyes staring at him in shock.
She placed a hand on either side of his face, trying to make him face her, but
he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Please look at me,” she entreated, voice so soft.
He obeyed, like the lovesick idiot he was, turning angry eyes upon her. Her
hands pulled him down and he didn’t resist, too tired to keep fighting, his
mind and heart completely ravaged. Warm lips pressed against his, urging until
he had no choice but to return the kiss, hopeless lost now to her spell.
“I didn’t know,” she told him, “I promise I didn’t know. I honestly thought you
were talking about someone else.”
Her words crashed over him like a ton of bricks, taking her with him as he fell
to his knees.
“How is that possible?” he questioned, absolutely dumbstruck.
“You were untouchable, some kind of distant dream that I could strive for, but
never reach. I never thought it was possible that you could feel the same.”
His eyes shot open, searching her face for confirmation of what he could
scarcely hope for.
“The same?”
She nodded, staring up at him, vision flooded with tears. His strong arms
wrapped around her, pulling her into his warm chest, holding her as she cried
and pressing soft kisses into her hair.
“Tell me it’s real, Kyoko, tell me this isn’t a dream or a lie. Tell me that
it’s really happening.”
She sniffed, breathing out a small laugh. “It’s real, Ren, I love you.”
His mouth found hers, loving touch becoming hungry, as his hands moved down to
her hips, pulling her into his lap. Her tongue parted his lips, twining
together with his, as she ground against him. It was too much, his heart heavy
and light at the same time, his spirit somehow flying despite being trapped in
his body. The woman he loved loved him back, wanted him still, despite
everything.
There was only one problem, he realized, and that was himself. Though the
secret she’d been keeping was now out in the open, she still didn’t even know
who he really was, and he had no idea how to tell her. She was real and she was
here, but even if she loved him, was it possible that she’d be able to forgive
him? What if, after everything, he was still going to lose her forever? He just
couldn’t take that risk, not when his dreams had finally come true.
He kissed her hard, his touch rougher, as he tried desperately to hold on,
fighting to overcome the fear coiling in his abdomen. She moaned, urging him
on, as he stripped them of their shirts and trailed his tongue down her neck
and across her chest. Fingers weaved into his hair, pulling him closer as his
teeth grazed her nipple, sucking it into his mouth. She bucked against him,
growing needier as he palmed her ass, wishing he could keep her there forever.
“Mmm,” she moaned, increasing her speed. “I love you, Ren, I love you.”
“I love you,” he murmured into her skin, a bitter sickness twisting inside him.
“Please don’t ever leave me, Kyoko. Say you’ll never leave.”
“I won’t,” she assured, bringing his face to hers, kissing him with all her
feelings.
He laid her on the floor, dragging her pants down her legs and tossing them
carelessly away. Her arms stayed around his neck as he lied beside her, one arm
propping him up as the other snaked its way along her body, and then spread her
legs.
“Promise me,” he coaxed, two fingers slipping inside her.
“I, uhhhh, I promise,” she purred, eyes glazing over.
It was wrong, his deception and subsequent manipulation, but he couldn’t risk
letting her go. He guided her through her climax, whispering his love over and
over in her ear, as his fingers thrust punishingly against her walls. She
writhed, his name on her lips as she came undone for him, but he didn’t stop.
Forcing her body to keep going, he built her back up, pushing her through
orgasm after orgasm, until she begged for mercy. She passed out in his arms,
and he cursed his cowardice, knowing he was unable face her. He wondered, like
the selfish fool he was, if there was some way he never had to.
Chapter End Notes
     So I know this probably isn’t exactly what you were hoping for, but
     it’s progress, and they’ll get there eventually! I know, I know, I’m
     an awful person that ruins everything. I’m sorry, but it had to
     happen.
***** Chapter 8 *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks to Ashenvale, who gave me the nudge I needed to finally finish
     this chapter xD
     Also, the writing style might be a bit incongruous, because of bleed-
     through from something else I’m working on, sorry about that :/
See the end of the chapter for more notes
He was her sun, filling her dark world with light as she rotated around his
center of gravity. His ‘I love you’s blew spring into her life, blooming
flowers growing over rot and thorns. At first it was such a comfort, the way he
held her so close; so tightly, but over time it only made her more insecure.
There was safety in his arms, but also uncertainty, the fear she’d sometimes
see in his eyes, filling her with worry. It was overwhelmingly intense, his
passion, and she was swept up by it, drifting in a sea of him, dependent fully
upon him for air.
In response to her doubt, she clung to him even harder, created a cycle of
overcompensation as they lied to themselves and each other about what was
happening between them. They struck a precarious balance, speaking enough to
fill the silence, but never actually saying much. She ignored her every
instinct, the thoughts that nagged at the back of her brain, refusing to
acknowledge how much less sure she was, now that she knew her feelings were
reciprocated.
She was a goner, completely lost to his magic spell, but each tender kiss came
with a subtle sting of pain, a tiny prick in her heart warning her of imminent
disaster. He used his affection as a shield to break through her doubt, his
fingers and tongue wringing pleasure from her until she didn’t know which way
was up. Still, she was complicit, a willing party in the facade that spared her
from the pain she knew coming, the pain she knew would break her.
It was too much, too good, and she couldn’t give him up for anything. Nothing
else mattered, as long as they could keep going as they were; not addressing
the elephant in the room. If neither of them said anything, then they could
pretend it wasn’t real; pretend that everything really was fine. As long as she
never admitted it to herself, she never had to accept that something felt very
wrong.
He found himself touching her constantly, unconsciously refusing to accept any
amount of separation. She was practically living at his apartment now, she
stayed over so often, and whenever possible, he was by her side. He’d come up
behind her when she was cooking, bringing his arms around her waist and burying
his nose in her hair. It normally would’ve annoyed her, his being so obviously
in the way, but she would still lean into him, resting her head against his
chest.
It was never enough, each kiss offering a tiny comfort, but serving to make his
fear of losing her worse. He wondered if she was beginning to feel smothered by
his affection, or put off by his now voracious appetite, but she never said a
word of complaint. He could see the sheen of tears in her eyes sometimes, the
uncertainty they held in an unguarded moment, and he felt like a monster for
what he was doing to her, to them. They were finally together, but the
foundation of their relationship was built on a lie.
They were also only technically together, the details and status of their
relationship never having been discussed, because talking about it felt like a
violation of some unspoken agreement between them. He would distract her with
his kisses, with his touch, and she would let him, agreeing to the deception he
was too cowardly to admit to. It was only a matter of time before it caught up
to him, but he just couldn’t own up to the truth, not now when she was finally
his.
-----
They lied in his bed, limbs tangled together after one of many rounds between
the sheets, and were woken suddenly by his ringing phone. One eye slit open
blearily, as he rolled half away from Kyoko, reaching out with one hand to feel
for the phone on his nightstand.
“Hello?” he mumbled, quickly shutting his eyes to block out the device’s
blinding light.
“You’re an idiot.”
He cleared his throat, finding himself not awake enough for this conversation.
“Good morning to you too, President.”
“Tch, don’t sass me. You know exactly why I’m calling you,” Lory chided,
displeasure evident in his tone.
“Do I?” Ren mused, desperately wanting to avoid the subject. “I’ll be right
back,” he whispered to Kyoko, holding the phone against his chest to muffle the
sound.
He gave her arm a light squeeze, before climbing out from under the sheets and
tiptoeing away from the room.
“How could you do this to me?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Was Lory not calling about his relationship with Kyoko?
“You and Kyoko, boy, how could you not tell me?” he whined, excessively
dramatic as always.
“Me and Kyoko, what?” he dodged.
“The two of you are practically living together; if you were trying to hide it,
you’re not doing a very good job.”
“Oh,” he blanched, “that.”
“Yes, that. So, how did she take it?”
“Take what?”
“You really are an idiot.”
“What for this time?” he asked in earnest.
“Because you haven’t told her the truth, that’s why.”
Ren clenched his jaw, irritated with that man’s confounding observation skills.
Of course he would figure it out, and of course he would throw a wrench in
everything.
“What are you going to do?” he asked, his heart clenching as his free hand
balled into a tight fist.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything.”
He breathed an audible sigh of relief.
“Not yet anyway,” he continued, making Ren wince. “I’ll give you a chance to
come clean, and if you don’t, then I’ll tell your father.”
There were a dozen retorts on the tip of his tongue, but he knew he’d just be
wasting his breath saying any of them. The love-obsessed president absolutely
would keep his word, and there was no foreseeable way out of this mess he
created. He’d made his bed, and now he had to sleep in it, no matter how
bitterly he felt about being forced, and no matter how badly he wanted to blame
someone else.
“How long?”
“Hmmmm,” he paused, deciding. “Let’s say one week, that should give you plenty
of time.”
“Tch, fine,” he agreed, resigned, and hung up the phone.
His steps weighed down by defeat, he dragged himself back to the bedroom, and
climbed in beside Kyoko, who in only a week, would probably disappear from his
life for good. He wrapped his arms protectively around her, pulling her flush
to his body. Burying his face in her neck, he breathed deeply of her scent,
committing it to memory, and know that it might soon be all he had.
“Mmmm s’ev’rything kay?” she mumbled, voice thick with sleep.
“Shhhh,” he soothed, “everything’s fine. Go back to sleep, love.”
She hummed happily when he pressed his lips to her skin, cuddling in tighter,
and softly kissing his forehead.
-----
They sat on the couch, her pressed against his side, and his arms around her
waist. He wasn’t paying any attention to the movie, his mind too distracted
from the conversation with Lory, and though he tried to fight it, he could tell
he was starting to brood. Every few minutes, she’d glance up at him, large eyes
questioning, but he’d just reassure her with a smile. Of course, he knew that
she saw through those smiles, but she said nothing, plunging the knife of guilt
even deeper into his chest and twisting it sharply.
The phone call the night before had upset him, but he wouldn’t say why. It was
just another thing he was keeping from her, another secret she was too afraid
to ask about. He loved her, she rationalized, and that should be enough, but it
did nothing to quiet the fear slowly growing inside her. He insisted that he
was fine, but they both knew he wasn’t, and there was a large pit in her
stomach, collapsing in on itself and making her feel sick with worry.
She did the only thing she could think of, something he taught her himself -
she kissed him. He was surprised at first, taking a moment to react, but his
lips hungrily responded, welcoming her tongue into his mouth. His hands slid
down her back to her hips, pulling her onto his lap and kneading the flesh of
her backside.
She moaned into his mouth when she felt him growing hard beneath her, beginning
to grind against him as his fingers dug in and his teeth nipped at her lips.
One of her hands clawed at his shoulder, the other gently pulling his hair, as
he unfastened her pants. She lifted herself up enough for him slide them down,
her thin, lace panties giving him easy access.
He cupped her center, gently massaging her folds, her juices coating his hand
as he slipped two fingers inside her, curling them in and beginning to thrust.
Her back arched as he worked his way to a steady pace, hitting just the right
spot to blur her vision, as jolts of electricity wracked her body. She slid one
hand from his shoulder across his chest, her thumb teasing his nipple and
making him growl, before moving lower, dragging her way down the firm ridges of
his abdominal muscles.
His breath hitched against her neck, his tongue laving a path along her throat
as his teeth teased her skin, enough to make her shiver, but not enough to
leave a mark. She palmed him through the soft fabric of his pants, finding him
hard and twitching beneath her touch. Gently squeezing, she dragged her hand up
and down him slowly, reveling in his reactions - hips lifting slightly to push
himself further into her, as his eyes grew dark and heavy.
He slowed his fingers inside her, thrusting in unison with each stroke of his
length, as their lips brushed, tongues melting together at the dangerously
intimate nature of their movements.
“Kyoko,” he growled, her hands unbuttoning his pants.
“Mmmm, yes Ren?” she teased, breath hot against his skin.
“You shou- ahhh,” he started, words cut off by the intense pleasure of her
massaging his cock through the flimsy fabric of his boxers.
He thrust his fingers harder, faster, her speed increasing in kind, making him
groan when she toyed with the hem of his last remaining barrier between her
skilled fingers and his throbbing hardness. She freed him from his confines at
last, the contact of skin against skin setting his nerves ablaze. His want for
her was desperate; how much better he could fill her than his fingers.
She bit her lip, imagining the feel of him inside her, as her fingers worked up
and down, thumb stroking over the tip. Her hips rocked against his hand,
brought higher by how improper it was, and how much Ren was straining to hold
himself back. Part of her wanted him to let go, to devour her fully, and she
couldn’t help but tease him.
She moaned louder, matching his movements exactly, imagining that she was
actually riding him. He bucked when she said his name, drunk off the power she
had over him. Seeming to sense it, he nipped at her earlobe, making her yelp.
He chuckled breathily, looking at her like a hungry animal ready to devour its
prey.
“I swear,” he panted, “you want… me to… lose... my mind.”
“Maybe,” she whispered, breath tickling his neck.
He growled, roughly kneading her breast with his free hand, as he bit into her
shoulder. Her back arched in pleasure, hand momentarily stilling its movements.
He kissed her possessively, stealing her breath as he brought her closer to
oblivion.
“Don’t… tease me… Kyoko,” he warned, fingers thrusting even harder.
“Or… what?” she cried out, his thumb torturously working her clit.
Fuck, she was pushing him too far, the urge to ravage her overwhelming. Did she
have any idea what she was doing to him? He was so flustered he could barely
think, but he had to hold himself back, couldn’t take that final liberty, not
with all the lies between them. He might’ve been damned, but that was a line he
wouldn’t cross, he loved her too much.
His fingers drove her into a frenzy, spots filling her vision, as he thrust
harder and faster against her walls, building her peak almost painfully high.
Her own hand had grown lazy, barely stroking him at all, as every conscious
thought was lost to the bursting pleasure shooting through her body.
“Cum for me, Kyoko,” he demanded, voice rough.
“Ren!” she cried, climax overtaking her as she convulsed around his fingers.
She fell against him, panting, and no longer able to hold herself upright. She
absently felt his hand slip free of her panties, her head too light and far
away to be aware of anything but the dizzying bliss he’d given her.
He wrapped the fingers that had been inside her around his shaft, throbbing at
the feel of her juices, slick against his skin, as he stroked up and down. She
peppered lazy kisses against his neck and collarbones, his free hand squeezing
her firm breasts, pleasure pulsing through him at the combined sensations.
“Mmmm, Ren,” she whispered, voice tickling his ear. “I want you.”
His jaw clenched, his hand pumping up and down erratically, as he began to lose
control.
“You… want me… Kyoko?”
“Yes Ren, I want you.”
Sliding off his lap and onto the floor, she kneeled before him, taking the head
of his cock into her mouth. She laved her tongue across the tip as she sucked,
making him groan, his eyes closing and neck going limp, falling against the
back of the couch. He lost it at the lurid slurping sound of her mouth working
him over, as he pumped himself to completion.
He felt the familiar pressure explode, spilling himself down her throat; his
hand buried in her hair. She continued to suck, coaxing out every last drop of
his seed, and then licked him clean as the aftershocks reverberated through
him. He felt her crawl back onto his lap, her body a comforting weight against
him, as he rode out the feeling of euphoria. She fell asleep at some point,
drowning together; bodies entwined.
When finally he regained his presence of mind, he carried her to the bed, his
head collapsing the moment it hit the pillow. There were still a few days
before his timer ran out, and he would savor every moment, clinging as tightly
as she let him. It was a dream, having her in his arms; one that he never
wanted to wake from. If it was all going to end, with his heart ripped to
shreds, then he would at least make the most of it while it lasted. He couldn’t
think of anything better in the world, than drifting off to sleep beside her.
Chapter End Notes
     All the secrets should come out in the next chapter, I hope!
     Honestly, I have no clue yet how that’s going to happen, which is why
     there was a bit of delay with this one. Sigh.
     Also, if you’re wondering, Ren is wearing the kind of contacts you
     can sleep in. I haven’t put it in the story, cause it wasn’t really
     relevant, but that’s how he’s hiding his eye color from Kyoko,
     despite waking up with her almost every morning. Yes, I am actually
     concerned about plotholes in this plotless trash xD
***** Chapter 9 *****
Chapter Notes
     I really struggled with this one, and it’s probably super OOC (even
     more so than the rest of this fic ha) so just bear that in mind.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“Kyoko-”
Her heart dropped to her stomach, a chill of fear running down her spine. The
warning his tone conveyed with just that one word sent alarm bells shrieking in
her head, her hands already working quickly to untie her apron.
“-I need to t-”
“Tsuruga-san!” she practically yelled, interrupting him before he could let
loose the rest of his traitorous words. “Excuse me! I completely forgot, I’m so
sorry... Oka-kami-san asked me to help out at the Darumaya tonight, and if I d-
don’t leave no-”
He grabbed her wrist just as she reached for the door handle, using his body as
a barricade to block her exit. If they weren’t so high up, she might’ve jumped
out the window, just for the chance to escape the very thing she’d been
dreading for months.
“Kyoko, please.”
A sharp and bitter pain stabbed into her heart, and she squeezed her eyes shut,
ripping her hand free of his hold. She couldn’t look at him, not when she knew
how much sadness was written on his face. Without even seeing him she could
tell, from the sound of his voice alone. She loved him too much to refuse him,
but if he really loved her back, how could he subject her to something that
would only hurt them both?
“No. No no no no. I can’t . Ren, please, don’t...”
His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest, but she couldn’t stop
shaking. The familiar weight of his body was normally such a comfort, making
her feel secure, but now it was oppressive, suffocating. She needed to get
away, but when she tried to push him off, he just held tighter, bringing her in
closer still.
Something wet dripped onto her hair, and she realized he was crying, his body
trembling along with hers. She reached up, wiping his cheek with her thumb, and
pulled him into a kiss, a desperate plea she was begging him to accept. He
lifted his chin, gently pressing his lips to her forehead, and returned to
standing, slowly releasing his arms and letting her go.
“I can’t, Kyoko, even though I want to. I love you so much, I really do, but I
have to do this, you know I do.”

Her normally perfect posture was hunched over, hands covering her face as she
sniffled back the tears. His heart was a strangling weight inside him, too
heavy to lift; the ache exquisite and overwhelming all his senses. He wanted to
do what she was asking so badly it tore him apart, but he couldn’t, and not
just because of the president’s threat. The lie was eating him up, his mind
wracked with guilt, and this was the push he needed to finally tell her the
truth. All he hoped for now was that she wouldn’t hate him, but he deserved
every bit of her scorn if she did.
“I know,” she sobbed, tucking her head into her shoulder as she hugged herself.
“I know.”
“I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry,” he whispered, wrapping her back up in his arms.
How could the risk of them breaking apart be so great, when their love for each
other was so strong? He had no one to blame but himself of course, but that
didn’t make it any easier. How was it possible for her to love him when he was
such a despicable, broken creature, and when he was as fault for the rift that
had grown between them? He was inches away from breaking down, but he had hold
himself together; had to get through this, no matter how difficult it was to
form the words.
It wasn’t fair, and she wanted to run away; to run from him, but she couldn’t.
It would’ve been too selfish, no matter how terrified she was of what was
coming. She owed it to him now, after all the lies, to listen. Even if she was
unable to do anything else, she could still do that for him. Maybe it wouldn’t
be as bad as he made it sound; maybe...
“As you know,” he began, taking a deep, shuddering breath, “Tsuruga Ren isn’t
my real name.”
She nodded, forcing herself to meet his hard, watery eyes, as the knots in her
stomach turned to nausea, and she felt herself growing cold.
“My name...” he trailed off, clearing his throat and steeling himself to
prepare for relieving the monumental burden that was this final truth. “My real
name is Kuon, Hizuri Kuon.”
She became dizzy, her head spinning. What was he saying, he was father’s son?
“You’re father’s son?”
“Yes,” he admitted.

“But father said...” he put a hand up, halting her.
“It’s a long story, and I promise I’ll explain it all, but there’s still
something else I have to tell you first.”
She shut her eyes tightly, exhaling slowly through her nose, and sucked her
lips into her mouth, biting down on them in an attempt to relieve some of the
tension.
“...okay,” she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.
He closed his eyes, taking what he hoped was a calming breath, and ran a hand
through his hair, trying to find the words for what he needed to say.
“Kyoko, I…” he sighed, wringing his hands, his jaw too tightly clenched to
speak through.
Her head was swimming, confused but also surprised. Why would he fear this
admission, knowing how much she loved father? It didn’t make sense that she’d
be upset about it, or that it could endanger their relationship, but he’d said
that wasn’t all of it. What could he possibly be hiding that would relate to
being Hizuri Kuon? Icy fear clawed its way up her spine as the anticipation
grew, heavy dread filling her insides.
“When I was ten,” he began, his chest tightening as he tried to relax his jaw,
“my family traveled to Kyoto.”
Why was he telling her this?
“I got bored and decided to explore the forest near the ryokan where we were
staying.”
She felt dizzy, like she was going to throw up, some terrifying truth at the
edge of her thoughts, something she knew but was unable to piece together. What
he was saying, it didn’t make sense.
“There was a little girl, crying alone in a clearing, and she thought I was a
fairy prince.”
“What are you saying?” she bleated, her eyes frozen open; legs suddenly feeling
unsteady beneath her.
“Kyoko, I… I’m Corn.”
His hands were shaking, his voice so weak that he could barely speak the last
and most important syllable.
She couldn’t move; couldn’t even blink. It felt as though the air had all been
sucked out of the room, and her body had grown stiff as numbness overtook her
mind. Was she going crazy? It didn’t… he couldn’t… everything was too much.
He took a step forward, a tentative hand reaching for her, but she slapped it
away. It was the first time she moved since he’d said the words, her eyes
staring but unseeing, and her face an expressionless mask. Somehow it was
scarier to see her reacting like this, than if she was yelling and cursing him
out. He never seemed to know where he stood with her, but now, the stakes were
so much higher, and all his cards were on the table, laid out before her.
The breaths came in and out slow and shallow, her brain somehow incapable of
doing anything other than breathing. Her thoughts had all drifted away to some
other place, too far away for her to grasp hold of. The kitchen, she thought, I
was making dinner for Ren. Her hands instinctively tied the apron, her body
operating on autopilot as she walked from the room and began washing the
vegetables.
The air in his lungs felt strangled, his fear becoming a physical thing as he
watched her robotically move about the kitchen, preparing food. She hadn’t said
a word, or even looked at him, and he didn’t know what he he should do. How
would she react if he interrupted her? He was afraid to so much as make a
single noise, knowing that at any moment she could snap out of her trance and
decide to leave his life forever.
She heard him, she must have, and eventually the words would sink in. He’d give
her all the time she needed to process this, he owed her that much at least.
Still, watching her familiar actions was agony, the once comforting sight now
only served to draw out his misery, as he waited for everything to unravel.
Whether it was better or worse than having the bandaid ripped off quickly, he
didn’t know, but he held his breath and allowed the miniscule relief to comfort
him, knowing that he was more than likely going to need it.
The vegetables were rinsed and chopped and the broth had been prepared, but she
stood in front of the refrigerator, with the door open, just staring. What was
she looking for? She couldn’t remember now. There was something important, she
knew, but the memory of it escaped her. Something felt wrong, alien, but the
knowledge was distant, abstract, and inexplicably repellant, as though it
carried a sense of warning. It was better to ignore it, so she did, scanning
the shelves in an attempt to locate the necessary ingredient.
After she’d set the table, she just stared, unmoving, and it broke his heart.
He couldn’t take it any longer, and had to do something. This, he ultimately
decided, had to be worse. Seeing her like this was something he could not bear.
“Kyoko…”
He waited, hoping that some indication of life would flicker back into her dull
eyes.
“Kyoko, please-”
“I don’t understand,” she breathed, her tone full of accusation, “why are you
doing this?”
“It was wrong to keep it from you, I know that, but I couldn’t tell you. Things
were different then, and the longer I waited, the harder it wa-”
“Stop, just stop! I can’t listen to this. I feel like - like I’m going,” she
being to pant, hyperventilating, he suspected, “crazy. I can’t - can’t
breathe.”
She hunched over, a hand clutching her chest as her ribcage heaved violently up
and down. He wanted to hold her; to offer her comfort, but he was so afraid of
her rejection, and he didn’t want to make the situation even worse.
“You can’t,” she wheezed, “you can’t be him.”
He grabbed the contact case from his pocket and removed the brown lenses,
revealing the green eyes she recognized as belonging to Corn. As overwrought as
she was, he decided a full reveal would be imprudent, so he kept his wig on.
“He’s a fairy!” she yelled, the bitter knife of betrayal’s guilt twisting in
his heart.
“I never wanted to deceive you.”
“But he has magic, he flew, and my corn stone, he…”
“Kyoko, I’m so sorry.”
“No. No, you’re lying! I can’t do this, I can’t be here.”
She ran from him, flinging open the door and racing into the hall, stilling
wearing her apron and slippers. It was clear she needed space, but in this
state, he didn’t know if she was safe. He cursed himself his stupidity and
cowardice, and the ease with which he was able to lie, especially to her. If
he’d been clumsier, or if he’d… but it didn’t matter now. He had made a royal
mess of everything, and now that it was falling down around him, he had no
choice but to pick up whatever pieces were left unbroken when the dust finally
settled.
She didn’t know where she was going, but just that she had to go; to keep
moving, as far as her legs would take her. The air was cold against the bare
skin of her arms, biting her flesh as she ran headlong into the wind, but the
feeling was as dead to her as the dream she lived only yesterday. There was too
much of everything - too many thoughts, too much noise, and too many things all
around her. She needed to escape, but there was nowhere to go; no safe harbor
in the city of concrete and steel.
She thought of the solace of the forest, but any relief she might’ve felt was
curtailed by the desecration of her most precious memories. There was magic;
she had felt it, but now he was saying it was all a lie. She couldn’t get her
brain to accept this new information, not when it was fundamentally incongruous
with what she already knew and had seen. In a way, the cold was comforting to
the part of her mind that registered awareness of it, something grounding in a
sea of chaos; her mind pulled in too many directions at once.
How far she’d gone or where she was were immaterial, so long as she went away.
If she could’ve traveled to a different world right then, she’d have done it,
and she probably wouldn’t have come back.
“What are you doing here, and what are you wearing?”
She was wrong, things could get worse. Whether hearing his voice at this moment
was better or worse than her imposter-fairy-boyfriend-hero-liar-betrayer-
playboy, she didn’t know. Whatever he wanted, she was definitely not in the
mood to deal with anything else, not right now.
“Hey, shit, are… are you okay?”
The concerned tone pelted against her like a dagger, stabbing into old and
fresh wounds until anger coiled tightly in her limbs and she stiffened. Her
eyes grew hard, her hands balling into fists, and she swung, her knuckles
thudding dully into the flesh of his cheek, as he tried to reach out for her.
“What the fuck, Kyoko! What’s your problem?”
“Get. Away. From me.”
“This is that pretty boy’s fault, isn’t it? What’s he done now? Why else would
you be walking around without a coat; in slippers?”
She launched herself at him, and they tumbled to the ground, his arms wrapping
tightly around her, effectively halted her assault. As she struggled, he
squeezed tighter, until she was pinned against his chest. The realization was
uncomfortable, and she felt a desperate need to escape, but he refused to let
go. Stupid Shoutaro!!! I will kill you for this!Rage welled up inside her,
releasing her grudges in a furious wave, as strong arms pulled her away from
her captor.
It was too difficult to keep resisting, and reluctantly she gave in, letting
his arms enfold her, until the rest of the world began to disappear. Her need
to escape him was eclipsed by the warmth and familiarity he provided. Even if
the comfort was corrupted, there was little choice but to accept the the
specious offering of reassurance, in a world where everything had ceased to
make sense. What any of this meant, she didn’t know or care, and she couldn’t
think of anything beyond this moment, or even of the person whose arms
protected her like a poisoned shield.
She was shaking, but whether it was because of the cold, he didn’t know. All
that mattered was that he get her somewhere warm, and away from Fuwa. He almost
had to laugh at that, the absurdity of her running into him; always at the
least convenient times. If he could do those two things, then he’d worry about
everything else later, and if accomplishing those things meant laying his
adversary out on the pavement, then he was only too happy to oblige.
Chapter End Notes
     Phew! Anyway, well FINALLY. Better late than never, I guess? I do
     apologize for the lengthy wait. This was definitely the hardest
     chapter for me to write because everything felt too out of character
     in my head. There will probably only be one or two chapters left, and
     then a silly bonus chapter I have planned, at some point.
***** Chapter 10 *****
Chapter Notes
     Prepare for super OOC-ness ahead.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Hot tears streamed down her face, an uncomfortable contrast with the coldness
of her skin in the chilly air. His warmth was a weight that anchored her to her
body, kept her from floating away, and she clung tightly, desperate for
something substantial to grip on to, even as she wished to disappear.
“What the hell is going on?”
Ren gritted his teeth, trying to caution Fuwa off with a warning glare, but he
knew the bratty child would be too stupid to pick up on it.
“This doesn’t concern you,” he growled, Kuon coming to the forefront of his
consciousness.
“Like hell!” Fuwa yelled, trying to free Kyoko from his hold. “What did you do
to her?!”

Ren wrapped her tighter in one arm while releasing the other, using it to shove
him backwards, his body skidding roughly into the wall behind him.
“Youdon’t get to ask me that.”
“Who do you think you are?” he spit, fists balled in anger and looking ready to
get knocked back again.
“Ren,” Kyoko interrupted, her small, weak voice cutting through the hostility
and immediately distracting their attention. “Take me home. Please.”
“You call that pretty boy by his first name now, Kyoko? Did you forget what you
swore to me?”
With his free hand, Ren grabbed Fuwa by the collar, hoisting him off the ground
and then tossing him aside like the inconvenience he was. Tucking his free arm
under Kyoko’s knees, he lifted her up, cradling her protectively in his arms.
“Don’t make me tell you again,” he warned, imbuing each syllable with the
malicious weight of all Kuon’s darkness inside him.
Whether it was fear or sense that finally got him to back down, Ren didn’t know
or care. All that mattered was the precious bundle he carried, her small body
trembling and cold as ice. At some point she fell unconscious, either from
fever or exhaustion, and he cursed himself for being so irresponsible.
Her limbs felt limp and heavy, almost as though they didn’t belong, but he
lifted her as easily as if she weighed nothing. She was too tired to think, her
mind focused on the rhythmic movement of his gait, as he quickly but carefully
took her away from Shotaro. Where they were going, she was too drained to care,
the burning cold at her feet having turned to numbness. A dull ache throbbed in
her head and she shivered, teeth clattering loudly against each other, but none
of it felt like it mattered. She was no longer inside her body, merely seeing
from behind its eyes.
Once they arrived, he laid her on the couch, carefully wrapping her in warm
blankets, and turned up the thermostat. Tenderly, he massaged the warmth back
into her hands and feet, too worried about her well-being to think of anything
but making her better. This was his fault, but he could drown in the guilt
after he made sure his carelessness hadn’t made her sick. As ever, he was a
fool, and he didn’t deserve her.
-----
She came to dizzy, her head splitting with a thunderous rhythm. Sitting up
slowly, she glimpsed Ren’s form, awkwardly leaning against the couch. He
couldn’t have been comfortable, but she didn’t have the heart to wake him.
Except for the pain in her head and the lightheadedness, she felt nothing at
all. Reaching out to stroke his hair was almost a reflex, and she had to stop
her hand midair. He was too much a part of her now, her love for him eclipsing
her self, and she wondered if he’d destroyed her completely.
The fool she was for Shotaro didn’t compare with what Ren had turned her into,
and though she didn’t know which manipulation was worse, everything she knew
had been shattered. Again. Was it her fate to be lied to by everyone she
stupidly allowed herself to love? Could he really have just been playing with
her all along, teaching her a lesson for being so foolishly trusting? She
wanted to be angry, but she just didn’t have it in her. It was like a magical
feelings vacuum had sucked it all out of her, and there was nothing left.
At one time she’d been so terrified of him finding out about her affection and
turning from her in disgust. Her heart would’ve broken miserably, but she had
to wonder if that might not have been better after all. This natural con artist
who’d swindled her time and again, had finally dealt the finishing blow and
left her brutally beaten. Yet somehow, she was still unable to hate him. His
remorse, his tenderness; his guilt. All of it was real, and that made it all so
much worse.
Where was she supposed to go from here? At least, until now, she’d always had
her anger to fall back on, but that too was gone. All she felt was tired,
weary, and lost. If only time could’ve stopped, or preferably, that the earth’s
rotation would come to a permanent halt. Should she get up or stay there? The
strength to leave seemed to have left her body, and she didn’t want to be
there, but then, she didn’t want anything at all except to make everything fade
away.
There was a painful stiffness in his neck and shoulders as he woke up from a
horrible nightmare. He shifted uncomfortably as consciousness flooded into his
brain, and his terrible dream seemed nothing in comparison with reality. Kyoko
was only feet from him on the couch, apparently awake, but not making a sound.
Her eyes were open, staring absently, and his chest tightened, strangling the
breath in his throat. He was afraid to speak - what could he say?
He knew better than to think her staying was because she’d forgiven him. No,
he’d messed her up so badly that she couldn’t even fling her anger at him and
run from him in disgust. This was a worse response than he could’ve predicted,
but he should’ve known better. All this time, and all the lies, and did he ever
really consider what he was doing to her? No, he was only worried about his own
selfish fucking self.
“How can you be him?”
The words were so quiet he might not have heard them, had it not been for the
oppressive silence that pervaded the air between them. At first, he wondered if
he’d just hallucinated it.
“Are you a fairy? Did you make everything up?”
She wouldn’t turn to face him, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, but
her eyes just blankly looked ahead, her body unmoving.
“I’m not a fairy.”
“What about the magic? You flew in Guam, and you... you kissed me. You kissed
me,” she paused, scoffing. “You really do deserve the title of Japan’s Number
One Actor.”
He clenched his eyes shut and hugged his knees into his chest, letting the
force of her words impact him without offering any kind of defense. She was
right, after all. He’d been lying to her for a decade, and filled her head with
delusions that she’d held onto all this time. He was a monster; much worse than
Fuwa.
“Why? Why did you do it? Was it fun for you to trick me? Were you trying to
teach me a lesson? Yes, I’m too trusting, you’ve showed me that very well.”
The tears stung his eyes, but he didn’t fight them. Through sheer force of will
he kept his body still, as the hurt flowed down his face, dripping onto his
shirt and leaving a pool of wet fabric at his chest. All the words of apology
or explanation died in his throat, feeling not only insufficient, but
insulting. He couldn’t let her see the sobs wracking his body, lest she feel
any guilt for his sake, or think he wanted her to.
There were a thousand questions in her head, but she didn’t know if she really
wanted the answers, afraid that they would hurt too much. How much more could
he hurt her than he already had? She had a passport now, so she could flee
overseas and not see him for five hundred years, but what would it accomplish?
Could she just erase everything that happened and all the things she’d felt?
All of her most precious memories were twisted and rotten and a lie. Everything
that happened in her life lead her to Ren; lead her to this moment.
“Did I just imagine all of it, the Princess Rosa? Was any of it real? Did you
laugh when you saw how I still believed in the lies you told me as a child?”
She started to sob, covering her eyes with clenched fists as her body
convulsed. He wanted to reach for her, to comfort her in any way he could, but
he was certain his touch would only make things worse.
“I…” he began, his voice weak and unsteady. “Just because I don’t have magic
doesn’t mean it’s not real.”
She pulled her hands from her face and turned angry, red eyes on him. “Don’t
lie to me! I know better now than to listen to the deceptions of a fake fairy!”
He swallowed hard, trying to work up the courage to continue.
“Even though now you regret it, I think it must be a sort of magic that brought
you back into my life. It’s not what you want to hear, I know, but even if I
don’t have magic, I think that maybe you do. You change everyone whose life you
come into for the better, and I’ve seen you do the impossible firsthand. Not
only me, but Maria, and Kotonami-san, Amamiya-san. No matter what obstacle
stands in your way, you overcome it every time. Could that not be a kind of
magic?”
Everything that she’d experienced, from her grudges to that fiend from hell,
Reino, those were all real things, weren’t they? How could she believe any of
the words that came from his mouth, though? Why did she still want to trust
him? Why couldn’t she put the locks back on her heart, even now? She wanted to
hate him, but she couldn’t. Despite everything, she still loved him so much
that it was tearing her apart.
“Why can’t I hate you? It’s not fair. I’m so tired of being manipulated and
played with, and you made me one hundred times the fool that Shotaro did. I
just want to hate you so much, but I can’t, and it’s not fair!”
Her words felt like no kind of victory, and instead, the knowledge that she
didn’t hate him somehow made him feel worse. They sat in an uncomfortable
silence for a long time; it seemed she didn’t know what to say anymore than he
did. At this point, was there really anything more to say? He’d completely
broken everything now, and doubted that there’d be anything more between them
after this. He didn’t blame her, it was what he deserved.
Her heart was heavy, the tangled knot of her feelings and thoughts too
confusing to sort through. She’d gone from empty to a sudden burst of hurt and
anger, and right back to numb. Would things ever get better, and if they did,
how long was it going to take? A part of her had loved this man since she was
six years old, and she didn’t think that feeling would ever fade, or know if
she actually even wanted it to.
Tsuruga Ren was also Corn. Her mind still couldn’t seem to arrange the pieces
together in a way that made sense. It was like there was a part of her that
knew all along, but just couldn’t see it, and she still couldn’t, even with the
knowledge in front of her. The beloved senpai that she’d fallen hopelessly in
love with was the fairy prince of her dreams. She should’ve been so happy that
she could’ve jumped out of her skin, but she couldn’t get past the lies and
manipulation.
Even if she’d known for a long time that he wasn’t being honest with her, and
that she didn’t actually know his name, it was just too much to digest. She
remembered how upset he was when he found out that she was Bo. How many times
had they lied to each other? She let out a small, mirthless laugh. Almost
everything they’d ever said to each other had been a lie. What truth was there
between them? Years of history predicated on deception, what kind of foundation
was that to build up from?
“Has anything we’ve ever said to each other been true?” she wondered out loud,
not sure if she wanted him to respond.
That cut impressively deep, and he winced, surprised at the sharpness of those
words. At least he understood why she laughed, as a bitter chuckle came from
his own throat.
“Not much,” he admitted, as much to himself as to her. “I don’t think we’ve
been honest since we first met at LME and openly hated each other.”
She laughed again, unable to help herself. It wasn’t funny, not really, but at
the same time, it was.
“How long,” she began, stopping for a breath, collecting herself. “How long did
you know who I was?”
He clenched his jaw, swallowing the lump in his throat, and dug his fingernails
in his palms, trying to summon the strength to at give her the truth that he
should’ve offered her a long time ago.
“You called my name in the stairwell, when you dropped the stone. I realized
then, when you told me you were from Kyoto.”
“Mmm,” she acknowledged, her eyes widening in realization and disbelief.
“You’ve known since then? W-why? You, the way you acted toward me…”
“I had met you in another life, and it didn’t seem like it mattered. You were
different, and more than that, I was. As far as I saw it, that past was dead. I
never intended for us to become close, or for any of this to happen.”
“That makes two of us.”
“I want to apologize to you so badly, to make it all up to you somehow, but I
know I can’t. Everything I’ve done, Kyoko, I know how bad it is.”
“Good.”
Part of her wanted to forgive him, but even if she could, how could they ever
establish any kind of trust? Still, as awful as it was, there was an immense
feeling of relief at being freed of all the lies, and being able to speak
honestly with each other, without fear. If only they’d been able to do this
along, how different things could’ve been. She knew, of course, that that just
wasn’t the kind of people they were, both being so damaged by their pasts.
“Why did you leave America?”
He took a deep breath. She wasn’t holding back any punches, but at least he no
longer had to worry about losing her, since he already had.
“I… I killed someone.” She didn’t say anything, giving him the time he needed
to keep going. “I was fighting, I fought a lot then, and I was so angry. I
chased after them when they ran away, and there was car. My friend Rick, he… he
was trying to protect me, and he… he got hit. He died.”
He heard her slide off the couch, probably to leave. There was no point in
opening his eyes, it would only mean having to face the reality of life without
her, and he just couldn’t bear to do it. He listened for the sound of the
apartment door, signaling her departure. Any moment now and he could let
himself crumble completely, no longer having to keep himself together for her
sake. This was it, it was finally finished. Everything between them was done.
Chapter End Notes
     OKAY so there is one moarrrr chapter to resolve all this. I am deeply
     sorry that this took me so long, but honestly at this point I think
     I’ve completely lost sight of Kyoko and Ren and they don’t feel or
     sound anything like the manga to me, and it’s a huge mess. This is
     why I set out to just write pwp, and why this was so freaking hard
     for me to write. Regardless, I’m in it now, so I’m just going for
     broke. This chapter is the hurt, so next comes the comfort. It's also
     more than half finished, so it won't take anywhere near as long as
     the last two did!!!
***** Chapter 11 *****
Chapter Notes
     This is THE END, are you ready?!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
He waited, but he never heard the door. He wondered if maybe his mind had
refused to hear the sound, when he felt something brush against his fingers,
and he jerked upwards, his eyes shooting open. She crouched before him on the
floor, resting her hand over his. He was unable to meet her gaze, hastily
wiping the tears he couldn’t fight off on his sleeve.
“You don’t ne-”
“Shhhhhhh.”
Her eyes were so soft as her thumb brushed his cheek, taking his hands and
pulling him into her. He obeyed without question, his self-hatred blossoming
inside him as she opened herself up to give him comfort, even now. She cradled
him in her arms and he sobbed like a child, clinging for dear life while he
still could, and releasing the flood of pain that he’d been drowning in for
almost five years.
It was amazing that he could break her heart in an entirely different way, the
desire to soothe his hurt greater than any other feeling inside her. This
secret guilt he carried so close to his heart for so long, he’d finally been
able to let it out. No matter what the outcome, his intentions had probably
been good, just like hers with Bo, and she wasn’t so petty a person to want him
to suffer like this, no matter how badly he’d hurt her.
She wished she could have been there for him, the Corn that she never knew
about, who lost the light he had as a child. It explained his sadness in Guam;
the curse he’d said had been placed upon him. This was the truth hiding beneath
the mask of Tsuruga Ren, what she’d only really seen glimpses of until now. It
all made sense, the hatred of himself and the way he would disappear somewhere
inside himself, lost. She really, truly was a foolish woman who thought only of
love, because just then, she wanted to know this person, the real him.
When she tried to stroke his hair, the wig he was wearing shifted, and she
lifted her hand in surprise. He reached up and pulled it off, letting it fall
to the ground. She gasped at the mussed, golden strands, that must’ve been part
of the reveal he’d planned for her. Now, she was a little disappointed that
she’d missed it, but that was just the fairy tail obsessed, stupidly romantic
part of her brain talking. Hesitating, she reached out, almost afraid to touch
it.
“It’s alright,” he told her, voice dry.
Her fingers moved forward tentatively, until finally making contact. She
couldn’t help the small tug, testing to see if it was real. Remembering the
first time he’d lied in her lap, Karuizawa now seemed like a lifetime ago. How
much she’d enjoyed secretly petting his head as he slept, indulging in that
innocent little pleasure. She couldn’t help the small smile, running her
fingers through his blonde locks, but the feeling was tarnished by the weight
of emotion that separated the present and the past. So much had happened in
just that short amount of time that divided the two.
They were both emotionally exhausted, especially after sleeping only a few
hours, though she thought Ren might be more tired than she was at this point.
Ren… but he wasn’t really Ren at all, was he? She wanted to ask, but she could
wait until he was up to it. It didn’t seem like he planned to move anytime
soon, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to.
Being so close to her was a heaven he had no right to enjoy, but he couldn’t
have pulled himself away for anything in the world. Let the earth swallow him
up, before he could be moved to let go of her. It was only a matter of time, of
course, until he’d be forced to. He wouldn’t try to keep her against her will,
despite how much he’d have liked to. Even after everything, she was still
saving him from himself, his fairy princess. But she wasn’t his anymore, he had
to remind himself - had to keep reminding himself.
The hand in his hair soothed him, relaxing him more than he thought possible,
her nails gently grazing his scalp. He could’ve spent an eternity like this, if
only he wasn’t such a careless fool. No, there would be a lifetime worth of
self-recriminations ahead of him, and he wouldn’t waste these last few precious
moments that way. Instead, he would bask in the feel of her touch, of her
scent, and commit all of it to memory.
Under other circumstances, he’d have drifted off peacefully to sleep, but the
imminence of her departure kept him fully alert. She couldn’t be comfortable,
sitting like that for so long, but he didn’t want to risk her getting up.
Still, he’d been selfish enough, and she’d indulged him far more than he was
worthy of.
“If you’re uncomfortable, you...” he trailed off, unable to get out the rest of
the traitorous words.
His voice startled her, snapping her out of her reverie, and bringing her back
to truth of their situation. What exactly that was, she wasn’t sure she even
knew anymore. So much had happened, and her brain was more a mess than ever.
“I don’t mind,” she admitted, “though my legs are falling asleep.”
Wanting to less than he’d ever wanted anything in his life, he regretfully
lifted his head and sat up. He hadn’t noticed before just how painfully stiff
his own body was, and he winced, carefully stretched out his limbs. He chanced
a cautious look in her direction, and noticed her immediately turn her head
away. Had she been looking at him?
“You… really are him.”
He suddenly felt so self-conscious, as though the reality of him would
inevitably fail to live up to the fantasy in her head. After all, he was only a
man, and not a very decent one at that. How could he compare to a fairy prince?
Silly, since it hardly mattered now, but he hated to think of her seeing his
big reveal as a letdown. He always had been jealous of his other self.
“I know it must be disappointing. I… if there was a way I…” but he trailed off,
realizing the futility of saying those pointless thoughts out loud.
“Who are you really? Are you Ren or Corn or Kuon? How much of Tsuruga Ren is
real, and how much is just acting? I feel like I don’t know you at all.”
Had she meant that line to be an arrow flying straight into his heart? Probably
not, but he had to give her points for accuracy, because that was definitely a
bullseye. Then again, it was a fair question, and one he didn’t really know the
answer to himself.
“I don’t… I’m not... really sure. I became Tsuruga Ren when I came to Japan,
and I’ve played the role for so long that sometimes I think it’s who I am, but
I guess underneath it I’m still Kuon, even when I’m not aware of him inside
me.”
He ran a hand through his hair, finding himself increasingly confused. It
wasn’t something he spent much time thinking about before now, and in fact, it
was a train of thought he’d intentionally avoided, just like everything else
having to do with the part of himself he’d hated for so long. It was such a
surreal conversation to be having, talking about these things was something
he’d never done with anyone, but to be doing so now, in this situation, it was
profoundly strange.
“Isn’t it funny how easy it is to be honest when you’re no longer afraid? To
think that I was so worried about losing you, that I lost you, and now that I
have, there’s no reason to hold back.”
Was it her fault he couldn’t reveal himself? Had she not made him feel sure
enough, secure enough? If he hadn’t found her out, would she have ever told him
about Bo? Was the situation really so different, or was it basically the exact
same thing?
“I’m sorry,” she admitted, blinking back the tears.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“That’s not true,” she insisted. “I lied to you, and I knew you were lying, but
I never asked because I was too afraid! I didn’t want to know, because I… I
thought I’d lose you.”
He couldn’t help but laugh, struck by the incredulity of their situation; their
being broken apart by their desire to hold onto each other at all costs. Maybe
they had been too damaged by the past for any hope of getting things right.
Still, the lion’s share of the blame rested squarely on his shoulders, and he
wouldn’t let her minor guilt act as clemency for his failures throughout their
relationship. The lies she told him paled in comparison with the truth of his
identity; that fact was incontrovertible.
“Hey, it’s not funny!” she huffed.
“Yes it is,” he argued, meeting her eyes and smiling sadly, too timid to caress
her face like he wanted to.
She caught herself in his gaze, sparkling like emeralds, and just as beautiful
as she remembered. How many times did she wish she could see Corn, and here he
was, beside her this whole time. It was hard not to be happy to see her fairy
prince again, even if he was really just a con artist. Did that mean she’d
forgiven him, could forgive him? There was so much they’d done wrong, and
everything was so confusing, her feelings most of all.
She still loved him, maybe more than ever; there was no denying that. It was
funny, she still did trust him, even though almost everything he’d told her
over the past year had been a lie. Even though he was so mean to her, despite
knowing who she was, and that it would’ve meant so much to have him in her
life! Then again, she hadn’t given him a reason to respect or even like her,
and then he’d been fighting against letting his feelings for her develop. That,
she could understand only too well.
He didn’t know how long they’d been looking at each other, but he couldn’t pull
himself away. Was there a ghost of a smile on her lips, or was he just
imagining it? A thousand emotions seemed to run across her face, but harder to
read than they usually were. Though she was sorting through everything, and it
all was a lot to process, he didn’t think it would make much of a difference in
the end. Still, he couldn’t help the tiny kernel of hope lodged deep in his
heart.
It would be so easy to reach out to her, to pull her into his arms, but he was
rooted in place, as still as a statue - afraid even to breathe, lest the moment
be ruined. He’d use this opportunity to record every detail he could, memorize
each shifting expression and subtle change in her eyes. It was a sharp pain,
the thought that he’d never get to look into them again, or to be this close to
her. He wanted more - wanted everything, but he would eventually learn how to
keep going without her, no matter how hard it was or how long it took.
A loud rumbling gave them both a start, effectively pulling them back to
reality. Her face flushed and he smiled, appreciating just how cute she was.
Would her angry stomach be what compelled her, at last, to leave? Should he
offer to order something, or would that offend her? Did she plan to go back on
her own, or would she accept a ride home? She’d probably refuse to let him pay
for a taxi, but maybe if he insisted…
“Do you feel like eating?”
He turned wide eyes on her, surely she didn’t intend to stay even longer, not
that he was complaining, of course. Honestly, he felt less favourably about the
prospect of a meal than he normally did, but if it meant postponing the
inevitable, then he would eat until he exploded.
“If I say yes, you’ll know I’m lying, but I do want to.”
She searched his eyes, not certain what she was looking for, but satisfied with
what she found in them. Despite everything, and all the reasons why she should
leave, including that it was probably the smarter thing to do, she wanted to
stay. What it meant, she didn’t know, but even if it was only occupying the
same space, being near him felt like being home. Maybe after they ate, things
would be different, but the longer she delayed, the less she could stand the
thought of walking away from him.
“Then I’ll go see what’s in the fridge.”
He got to his feet, shaking his head when she moved to stand.
“Let me order something instead.”
Normally she’d have protested, but instead she just stretched out her limbs and
went to set the table. The silence between them bore a pregnant tension, but
was somehow companionable in a way they’d never been before, now that
everything was out in the open. What they had was broken, and what they
currently were she had no idea, but it was something they both needed to figure
out. How long that would take was anyone’s guess.
They’d barely said anything to each other, and he wasn’t entirely sure if that
was a good sign or a bad one, but she adopted an innocent facade while piling
his plate full of food. That especially was curious to him, as it didn’t seem
to be a last punishment before running out the door. She couldn’t possibly mean
to stay? He desperately wanted to know what she was thinking, but he was afraid
to ask, certain his thoughts were betraying him.
By the second plate, he longed for death, but was more than willing to keep
going if that’s what she wanted. It brought to life uncomfortable flashbacks
from his childhood, of being force fed by his mother, but at least everything
here had a pleasant taste. He shivered, pushing that memory aside, and took
another bite.
“Re-Kuon? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he assured, his name on her tongue exquisite; managing to
simultaneously be the best and worst sound he’d ever heard.
“You don’t have to keep going! I was just seeing how long before you told me to
stop.”
He laid his head on the table, the cool surface soothing in his considerable
discomfort.
“Unnnghhhh,” he groaned, relieved and defeated.
At first she was curious, but now she was just concerned. He looked like death,
and had clearly pushed past his limits. She ran to get some stomach medicine
for him from the bathroom cabinet, and rubbed soothing circles at his temples
and the back of his neck.
“Can you make it to the bed?”
“...I think so.”
He made a pitiful sound when she helped him to his feet, and though she did
feel bad about the situation, he wasn’t acting tough like he normally did,
which made her glad. Once he was settled in relative comfort on the bed, she
went to get a cooling pad for his forehead.
“Thank you for staying as long as you have,” he murmured, trying and failing to
lift his head from the pillow.
“I’m... not planning to leave,” she admitted, the words somehow freeing and a
heavy burden all at once.
He wanted to sit up; to be able to speak to her properly, but he truly didn’t
have the strength.
“You… you’re not leaving?”
“Why,” she teased, “did you want me to?”
“Not even if you made me eat this much every day.”
“Then I guess it’s settled.”
With her understanding of the world broken, she’d been drifting in a sea of
chaos, caught in a whirlpool and swept up in the waves. He was the one thing
she knew, existing both as the eye of the storm and also a life preserver. His
love was real, had always been real, and she couldn’t bear the thought of being
without him. For better or worse they seemed fated to be together, and because
she was a fool for love, she was willing to take the risk. If he ever hurt her
again, she knew she probably wouldn’t survive it, but this was the path she was
on.
To say that he was shocked would be an understatement of hyperbolic
proportions. While he’d wished for this in the smallest part of his soul that
had the audacity to dare to hope, he never imagined it could be possible. She
was forgiving him, at least enough to give him some kind of second chance, and
he would absolutely not waste it. Anything she wanted, he’d do, and he was done
with secrets and lies, at least as far as she was concerned.
Still, could they start again, just like that? He wondered if she was actually
okay or just pretending, but then she’d always gotten over things terrifyingly
fast. He thought of her sobbing in his arms when he’d returned from Guam, and
smiling moments later, seeming completely fine. Was it really possible this
could be the same? No matter what, he knew it would take time to reestablish
trust, and build back the intimacy they’d lost. He’d make sure to take it slow,
doing things the right way, and spoil her like a princess.
It was awkward at first, and felt a lot like starting over from scratch,
familiar with each other but also shy. In some ways, they were getting to know
each other truly for the first time, and there was a lingering anxiousness with
being so vulnerable, but it was also liberating to not have to hold anything
back. The price of doing so was a very potent deterrent, that would hopefully
prevent them from repeating past mistakes. If love was enough, they would
weather the storm.
Chapter End Notes
     Welp, at just under 30k words, the story is now officially finished!
     The ending isn’t conventionally happy, but they’re going to build
     their relationship from a much healthier place, and actually be
     honest with each other. Hopefully it’s a satisfactory conclusion even
     though there’s no smut haha.
     I know a lot of people wanted a piv sex scene, but *deflowering*
     scenes squick me out too much to write them. Suffice to say that
     after the awkwardness wears off, and they become more comfortable
     with each other again, I’m sure they’ll engage in lots and lots of
     coitus. Though, am I the only one that sees Ren being more sub than
     dom? He strikes me as the kind of person who would enjoy being tied
     up and tortured, and I think Kyoko could get really into the role of
     Mistress Kyoko (or maybe Lady Kyoko?), which would probably be great
     for her confidence. Just me? Okay xD
     Anyway, though this is THE END, there will be at least one bonus
     chapter, eventually. Maybe more, maybe not, but so far I have three
     different scenes planned under the premise of ‘getting caught’, (one
     will resolve the thing with Sho). Thanks for sticking with me through
     this rollercoaster and I hope you enjoyed the ride! <3
***** BONUS: Getting Caught *****
Chapter Notes
     Okay, bonus chapter time! Three little scenes featuring the theme of
     ‘getting caught’.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Sho smirked to himself when he saw the pretty boy’s porsche enter the garage.
He’d just finished at the studio, which gave him the perfect opportunity for
some payback. Even if that guy was a savage, it’s not like Sho was afraid or
anything. Him, scared of that no talent hack, getting by on his looks? Ha, not
very likely! Still, he didn’t like him being so close to Kyoko. It wasn’t that
he was interested in her, but if something happened, then what use would she be
to him? She was still his property after all.
He parked facing the wall, in a secluded part of the garage with mostly studio
vehicles. Well, that was perfect wasn’t it, the opportunity landing so neatly
in his lap. With confidence, he strode over, making sure to stay out of view of
his mirrors, so he could catch the lift wearing poseur by surprise. The day was
really shaping up to be a good one, all in all, his recording going off without
a hitch, and now the confrontation that he’d been dreaming about for weeks was
finally happening. He couldn’t wait to see the look of defeat on Tsuruga’s
face, once he found out what Kyoko had promised.
Shit, she was in the car with him. That certainly threw a wrench into his
plans, but he could probably still make this work somehow. It was even better
if he managed to get her riled up, ensuring that the space he occupied in her
heart was bigger than anyone else’s. Yeah, this would be just fine after all,
so long as… He stopped stone dead, the blood in his veins running cold.
 
“Are you sure we’re safe here?”
“We should be, this part of the garage doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic.”
It was exciting, and a little scary, the prospect that someone might catch
them. If he said it was safe, then she’d trust it, because he would never risk
her career like that. Still, it’s not like they’d have done anything too
serious, and there wasn’t very much space in the car even if they wanted to.
Her tongue trailed a path up the flesh of his neck, peppering kisses along the
way. It was so hard to resist the urge to use her teeth, to mark him as hers
again. Having to hold back was a lot less fun, but the cost was too great to
chance it. His hand moved up her ribcage to cup her breast, kneading her flesh
as he teased one hardening nipple.
She nipped gently at his jaw, her hand wandering along the firm planes of his
chest, along the smooth ridges of his abdomen, and finally sliding her palm
over his hardness and rubbing softly. He arched his back, letting out a faint
groan before capturing her lips. Her tongue slipped skillfully inside his
mouth, licking and flicking and tangling with his, as she stroked him through
his pants.
The hand on her breasts gave one last, affectionate squeeze, before snaking
down her stomach and underneath the hem of her skirt. She moved to a kneeling
position, making it easier for both of them to reach, as his thumb moved
against her clit. When she moaned into his mouth, his hips bucked upwards,
grinding against her palm. His fingers delved beneath the band of her panties,
two of them slipping easily inside her. He thrust in time with her strokes, and
she rocked against his hand, their kiss breaking when she started to pant.
They shouldn’t be doing this, he knew, but she just felt too fucking good; it
was impossible to stop touching her. Besides, he reasoned, somewhat
desperately, they shouldn’t run into any issues in this part of the lot. That’s
what he’d thought at least, until he opened his eyes for just a moment, and
caught sight of a familiar blonde head of hair.
“Shit, Kyoko stop, stop.”
He immediately pulled back, withdrawing his fingers from inside her, and
setting his clothing to rights.
“What’s wrong?”
Oh no, she thought, terrified that someone had seen them, as she hastily fixed
her hair and straightened out her skirt.
“Try to stay calm, alright. It’s bad, but...”
“Kuon,” she hissed, “tell me now.”
“Dammit,” he breathed out hard through his nose, “it’s Fuwa, he... saw us.”
Her eyes shot wide open and then narrowed into slits, her fists balling.
“What?!”
“Just let me handle this, please.”
She gave him a look that could’ve turned a grown man to stone, but he countered
her with the ultimate weapon, puppy dog eyes.
“That’s not fair, you stupid fake fairy nii-san! AARGH, fiiiiiiiine, but you
will be punished later.”
“I look forward to it,” he winked, kissing her hand before sliding out of the
car.
 
Kyoko was… with that guy! He was probably just using her for anything he could
get, a no sex appeal woman like that, but she was… with her tongue, and her
fingers moved across his body so deftly… Sho’s cock twitched and he jerked,
slapping himself. That wasn’t possible, not Kyoko, who was too shy to even see
him without a shirt on! Who’d never even kissed someone before him! He wondered
if maybe it could’ve been just a look-alike, a mature and experienced woman who
actually knew how to please a man.
Suddenly he pictured Kyoko between his legs, his cock bobbing in and out of her
mouth, and he grew hard despite himself. Dammit, this couldn’t be happening!
What was she...? She was getting on her knees, so that bastard to get a better
angle with his hand up her skirt! This was impossible! And fucking hell, why
was his body reacting like this!? He wasn’t some child who couldn’t control his
hormones, he was Fuwa Sho, and she was just some plain and boring, no sex
appeal girl!
He was furious, his head flashing with all kinds of images that had no place
being there, and then that stupid pretty boy got out of the car and started
walking toward him. Sho put a hand on his belt, using the pose to discreetly
adjust his pants. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go!
“Did you enjoy the show, Fuwa?” the taller man leered, moving forward until he
was invading his personal space.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“So you didn’t see Kyoko and me fooling around in the car?”
“Hahaha, don’t make me laugh. That yamato nadeshiko?
 
Ren was pissed, but he had to stay in control of his anger, or things would get
even worse than they already were.
“There’s something you should know,” he cautioned, taking another step forward
as Fuwa stepped back.
“Oh yeah?” he dismissed, “and what’s that? Here to tell me you’ve soiled her,
and to not bother wasting my time?”
He could feel the wicked smile curling up his mouth, as he pictured strangling
the life out of the worthless brat.
“If you breathe a word of this to anyone, or if you in any way make Kyoko’s
life difficult, I will destroy you. The people i know; the connections I have,
I will personally make sure you are laughed out of show business and forced to
crawl back to Kyoto with your tail between your legs.”
The boy was trying to put on a brave face, but Ren could see the fear in his
eyes, cowed as he towered over the shorter man. He advanced on him, pushing his
index finger into Fuwa’s chest, until the boy tripped and fell on his ass.
“I could hurt you physically, and trust me when I say I really, really want to,
but that would make her unhappy, and I don’t think it would be as effective as
threatening your career. So, if you enjoy the life you have at all, and you
want to keep it, then you’d better fucking leave Kyoko alone, or you will lose
everything. That’s a promise, Shotaro.”
All the cockiness slowly drained from his features, eyes hard and refusing to
meet his. If he was stupid enough not to heed this warning, then Ren wouldn’t
hesitate to make good on it.
“I take it you agree to my terms?”
“Yes,” he spat, after deliberating briefly.
“I’m so glad.”
Ren gave his most dazzling gentleman smile, before turning and heading back to
the car. Fuwa was stupid, but, at least he hoped, not that stupid. If nothing
else, it would probably give them a few months of peace before the pest
bothered them again.
 
 
===============================================================================
 
 
Of all the days, it just had to be today! Her family just had to call her, the
whole brood sick with the flu, and she had to run to the store to get medicine.
Did they think she was made of money? And after all that, she ended up being
late. Dammit!
She flew through the halls of LME, speed walking as hastily as was possible,
while still maintaining some semblance of professionalism. People kept smiling
and waving, trying to greet her, like she had nothing better to do than make
idle conversation! Didn’t they realize she was an actress, and too busy for
such things? At least the hideous, pink monstrosity was good at keeping people
away.
Finally, she reached the door to the Love Me section, where she could get a
moment of peace. She took a deep breath, pushing the door open, and then
immediately pulled it shut again. No no, she had to be hallucinating! She
cracked the door ajar, just enough to see inside, and closed it as quickly as
she could, while bringing a hand up to cover her face. Her stomach lurched, and
her blood boiled.
 
“Are you sure we should be doing this here?” she asked, as she wrapped her
thighs around his hips.
“Isn’t it a little late to be asking that now?” he teased. “Besides, I’m not
the one who started this, if you recall.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she smiled, biting her lip.
She let out an oof, when he ground himself against her, their bodies fitting
into a familiar rhythm.
“Oh no?” he smirked, moving his mouth on hers, “well why don’t I show you?”
 
Kanae stood with her body pressed against the door, hoping that no one else
planned on going inside. She definitely couldn’t let anyone see that, but what
was she, their lookout or something? If those two wanted to do that, then
couldn’t they at least go some place more suitable, like maybe his apartment?
She’d thought they were true professionals, but maybe she was giving them too
much credit! The idiots hadn’t even locked the damn door! If someone else had
walked in, it would’ve been a disaster. They owed her big for this, and she
would make sure they payed up.
It seemed like forever, what exactly were they doing? She cringed, nope, she
did not want to know. Still, she’d given them more than enough time, did they
expect her to wait out here all day, like some unimportant newbie with nothing
better to do? Ha, well they had another thing coming! Being careful not to
accidentally open the door, she knocked as loud and as hard as she could,
beating on the door until she heard a crash inside. Good, she thought, serves
you right.
She raised her eyebrows, glaring at a red-faced Kyoko, and then turned ice cold
daggers on Tsuruga, who cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck
sheepishly.
“Next time at least have the decency to lock the door.”
 
 
===============================================================================
 
 
Maria was in a good mood today, because not only were two of her favorite
people coming to LME, but they’d promised to eat lunch with her at LA Hearts.
Grandfather was even more annoying than usual, often whistling happily to
himself. When she asked him what was going on, he just said ‘Never you mind!’
and gleefully skipped away. It was so creepy. Maybe they would know why.
She rounded the corner and saw the very people she was looking for, walking
together down the next hallway, but before she could call out to them, she
noticed something strange. Onee-sama and Ren-sama were holding hands, and they
turned to look at each other, smiling! Was it possible they were preparing for
a role, or was something else going on? Onee-sama leaned her head against his
shoulder, and Ren-sama bent his neck down to kiss her hair!
What should she do? Two of the people she cared about most had betrayed her!
Before they got close enough to see her, she ran from them and hid. This wasn’t
how it was supposed to be. Ren-sama was supposed to marry Maria when she was
old enough, and Onee-sama was supposed to be the maid of honor! Now it looked
like they were planning to marry each other! No one was good enough for Ren-
sama except for Maria, but Onee-sama was…
She didn’t know what to think. Yes, she wanted them to be happy, and they
definitely looked very happy, but...
“Maria-chan, what are you doing down there?”
She looked up abruptly, the guilty parties smiling at her. They really did look
happy…
“I don’t feel like lunch today, please leave.”
“But what if I brought new clothes for your Ren doll?"
She perked up her head and then immediately looked away again.
“Leave them and go.”
“Maria-san, don’t you want to eat with me?”
She looked up into the face of the miniature Ren doll, his expression so
captivating. It wasn’t fair to bait her like this! Onee-sama wasn’t playing
dirty.
 
He didn’t know if he’d ever be comfortable with the hyper-realistic dolls Kyoko
made of him, but it did seem to make Maria happy, which counted for something,
he supposed. The two of them had a special bond that he didn’t fully
understand, or necessarily want to, and was glad to let them be in their own
little world. He wondered if Maria had heard about their relationship from
Lory, and was pouting because of that. Hopefully she wouldn’t be angry with
them for long.
“Everything alright?” he asked, when they’d finished talking.
Kyoko’s face was bright red, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Yep, let’s go eat.”
“Wait, what was that about?” He moved quickly to catch up with her.
“Nothing much, just that Maria said no one else but her can be our maid of
honor.”
“I’m okay with it if you are,” he whispered in her ear, making her squeak, “but
you have to say yes first.”
Chapter End Notes
     Anyway, there we are! I don’t know if I’ll add anything on after this
     or not, but good chance this is the very end. I know the Maria one
     especially was a bit short/abrupt, but I have terrible writer’s block
     and just wanted to finish already xD
     I hope you enjoyed this, and thanks for reading (and special thanks
     for all the lovely reviews, they mean the world to me) ^^
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