Disclaimer:How on earth could I own Skip Beat!? seriously?! walk away lawyer man! no profits being made here.

This was an idea I got yesterday and it's just so much fun I had to start it. Title is a chess move, but not the last one. Enjoy!

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1 - The Offer

Mogami Kyoko was not that hard to please. If a person took care of themselves, worked hard, and gave her friendly compliments, they could make her smile. If they went along with her fairy fantasies, she became the brightest thing they ever saw. Considering her feelings like this really helped her become the nicest person they could know.

Tsuruga Ren was quite similarly easy to get along with. Like her, all he needed was people who worked hard at their jobs, treated everyone with respect, and work to keep himself busy. Having Kyoko nearby smiling also made him glow, especially if she said or did something he found particularly charming. He was usually the nicest gentleman in the business, which gained him a lot of fans rather quickly.

Unfortunately the nicest people in the world were also the scariest when mad. Both Yashiro and Sawara thought the world was going to end when the two of them were offered the same job. Kyoko was glaring menacingly while trying to smile, but Ren had that shining, sweet, ready-to-kill smile on his face. They couldn't decide which was worse.

"I'm sorry..." Kyoko started, her demons swirling around her. "Care to repeat that?"

Sawara choked back his anxiety, exchanging worried glances with the manager almost hiding behind his charge nearby. Yashiro was so terrified he was useless. "Well... since you did such a good job with Fuwa Sho's Prisoner PV, Queen Records has asked you perform in his next one. With Tsuruga-san as your co-star."

"Was this Queen Record's request, or his?" Ren was clearly controlling himself with that smile of his, but it still terrified him. What was it about Fuwa Sho that got such strong reactions from these two, usually friendly, people?

"Queen Records..."

"May I see the script?" With his smile and the grating of Kyoko's teeth, Sawara shakily couldn't help but to hand over the offer completely to the large man. At least he was being professional about it.

"I don't care what the script is! I'm not doing anything with that idiot ever again!" Kyoko wasn't. She practically exploded as she shouted at him. Wasn't she a fan of his? Why was she was she so against this? Turning on her heel, she whipped her bag over her shoulder and marched away to her section's room, forcing Sawara to chase after her.

"But it's a non-bullying role! A fantasy adventure!"

"I DON'T CARE!"

"You get to play a princess!"

"STILL NOT CARING!"

"Mogami-san!" She didn't give him an inch, slamming the door behind her as she vanished from the office entirely. Sawara sighed heavily, giving up the chase and turning back to the people who remained being professional. "Seriously... I don't understand her..."

"She and Fuwa have a history," Ren stated simply, his shining smile gone as he finished glossing over the script. His temper had cooled some, but he was easily still tense with the offer in his hands. "It's actually better if they no longer meet up. I take it she was meant to be the lead female in this?"

He nodded. "She specifically was requested by the director, saying she worked wonderfully with Fuwa-san before and brought out the best from him. Apparently they kept arguing over who the antagonist would be-"

"And I was selected." The actor snapped the folder shut, then brought back the smile from before, though not as intense. "I'm afraid I too must decline. Though I enjoy working with Mogami-san, I'm afraid things will go too far in the final scenes if I participate. Fuwa is not a professional actor and I doubt he has much control with swordplay. He might accidentally kill me."

"EH?!" Yashiro gaped at him before taking the folder and taking a look through it himself. "That's in here?!"

"Yes." Ren was having a hard time smiling at the idea. "With the woman they are fighting over flying to the hero's side at the antagonist's death. 'Spoils to the Victor' is a rather interesting title, don't you think?"

"That little..." Now the manager was shaking in rage over the PV concept. Really, what was it about Fuwa Sho that got these reactions from these people?

Sighing heavily, Sawara gave in. "Fine... I'll call them up and say we're sorry but must decline."

"I'm sorry for all the trouble we're causing," Ren stated, the menace leaving his aura as he apologized to the middle man. He didn't need the stress they were causing, but this was inevitable. Excusing themselves for another shoot, the 'dynamic duo' left his office and allowed the man to get to his unpleasant duties.

Course his first duty was something he never thought he would ever do. Sighing heavily, Sawara picked up his phone to an internal line. "I'm sorry to disturb your day sir, but you told me to report when Tsuruga-san refused a role. ... Yes President Takarada, he did. He and Mogami-san."

Kyoko was crying and pounding her fist hard against the desk in the Love Me room as she went over again and again her actions in Sawara-san's office. She and Tsuruga-san were told to come in together for a job offer and she was excited. She wanted to work with him again so much! To prove she was a capable actress to him and all the world! To be able to see him more often with his busy schedule!

And it had to be for stupid Shoutaro's PV?! That last one was a nightmare! Sure it landed her a really good role with Dark Moon later, but she hated that guy! Couldn't that sink into people's heads already?! She hated him and didn't want to see him again until she had several prestigious acting awards to rub in his face! The role felt like a trap, one she was not going to fall into. That last one he set was almost impossible to get out of.

Why did she make such a stupid promise to that guy anyway?! Kyoko's only solace was that Tsuruga Ren wasn't the man's real name. Course Shoutaro didn't know that, and he also didn't know the man showed his true self to her very often. That man could be scary, childish, comforting, and heartbroken, but she had a feeling 'Tsuruga Ren' wasn't supposed to let all of that show. The only reason she didn't call him something other than that was because she didn't know what else to call him. When she did know... if he ever told her... she was sure to change titles.

Either way, it was an escape from one trap. One name change was all she needed to find peace from that. This PV felt like it would suck her into some devious invention she could not escape from, and it would hurt Tsuruga-san deeply. She wasn't sure why the man disliked her enemy so much (she remembered Cain's reaction that one night very well) but she knew why Shoutaro hated him. The childish idiot wanted the position he had in the entertainment world and would do anything he could to destroy him. If he learned of his 'other self' who was released when he became violent, he may very well destroy the man she loved.

She had to foil those plans her hated enemy had and keep Tsuruga-san safe, no matter what. He could not lose, to himself or Shoutaro. That was why she refused to do the PV. For his sake along with her own. She still hated the idiot after all.

"Mogami-kun?"

Kyoko looked up from her hunched over position on the desk, only for her eyes to see a far too close face in Arab garbs looking straight at her. "The president has a message for you."

"KYAAAA!" Instantly she leapt away from the far too close man and back into the lockers. She didn't know what scared her more: the man's closeness or what he said. Either way, whatever the message was, it definitely couldn't be good.

Ren glared at the president over the coffee table, not trying to keep up appearances for a second. Yashiro wasn't in the room and neither was anyone else. Here he could be his true, highly displeased, self. "I said I wasn't going to do it. And that's final."

Taking a long drag from his cigar, Lory eyed the young man critically. "My my my... that sounds a lot like a certain young man I knew eight years ago. Refusing roles like a bratty child."

Feather's ruffled, he looked away momentarily as he chewed over his words. Kuon's attitude was coming out a little more than he wanted, but Fuwa always got on his bad side. He was blacklisted from his life back when they were kids and Kyoko would not stop praising him. Kyoko's problems with him now only reinforced this, and the arrogant brat's attitude every time they met kept making it worse. If it were mere jealousy, he'd shove his pride aside for the job, but it wasn't. Fuwa Sho was almost everything he despised, and he treated the most precious girl he ever knew like a servant then threw her away... "It's not like that."

"Then tell me what this is really about?" The even stare the man gave him would normally make people spill their guts to him, but this was one subject and one person who he could not break that easily. Ren did not look at him, instead focused on tending and relaxing his muscles. This was not something he could talk about anyway.

Blowing out a long stream of smoke, Takarada gave in a little. "I know this has more to do with Mogami-kun and you won't tell me because it's not polite, but her opinions cannot influence what jobs you pick. It's highly unprofessional. There are several actors and producers who don't get along, but work wonderfully together.

"When you finally are acknowledged overseas and enter Hollywood with your head held high, you will run into actors you did not get along with before. And you will have to work with them." His words struck very true chords in Kuon's heart, showing a bit on Ren's face. Several actors who tormented and ridiculed him in the past came to mind easily, and one actress he dreaded seeing again. "If you can't work with those you dislike here, how can you possibly handle those from your past?"

Guilt and pain troubled the man's face, now holding himself for support rather than for control. The president was right. If he were ever to return to the States, how was he going to handle those people? He could hardly stand the idea of working with his rival in love, yet he was nothing like... Fuwa acknowledged his existence and the fact he was a man. To him, he was human and had abilities he competed with. Though their attitude was similar, not once had the two been confused in his mind. Fuwa didn't mix with his childhood trauma, but was a completely different problem.

Professionally, and at the core of things, he knew the president was right. But... "Have you even read the script? What he wants to do?"

"He wants to kill you." The statement came out so easily, it was almost comical. "In front of Mogami-kun. Then have her in his arms."

Ren's face dropped a little with each statement. "Yeah."

"You've died on film before."

"Not by an amateur actor's hand." Now he looked up at his boss, a little annoyed. "He might slip and kill me for real."

"At which point I can guarantee Mogami-kun will take your sword and ram him through." A teasing smile crossed his face. "Probably while crying and screaming at him. You do mean a great deal to her after all."

For a moment Ren dared to hope, his heart lightening by the second. Did the president know something he didn't? But just as he started believing Kyoko may share his feelings, reality hit him and he pouted a little. "Only as her sempai. She'd be avenging my honor as a sense of duty."

Lory chuckled knowingly to himself, slightly sad. "Silly boy..."

"Either way," Ren continued, "it wouldn't be good for her to do this job. She has difficulties whenever he's around."

"She did a rather good job on that other PV," he pointed out. "And it landed her Mio."

"Because she made a rather convincing angel turned demon after killing Fuwa," he stated evenly. It was like a retelling of her life really. Kyoko was originally an angel, and thanks to Fuwa's betrayal, she was capable of being a demon. It was that darkness he made in her everyone wanted her to perform. "And she's had bullying roles ever since."

"This one though will show her ability to play a victim, a delicate lady, and a woman in love." A smirk stayed on his face as he pointed out the benefits. "Who knows what kind of good girl roles she'd get doing this."

"Lots of women can do those kinds of roles," came his weak rebuttal. It could potentially change her image, he could admit that, but Kyoko was a strong actress. It would be harder for her to act weak.

"Plus it'll be a time you could display your darker passions." This caught his attention, looking over to the man in curiosity. Now that he had his attention, the president was going to keep it. "You've only played two antagonistic roles here, and if you count Katsuki, only two dark roles. That is hardly a test of your abilities. You did read the entire script, didn't you?"

Honestly, Ren only glossed through it once since it was just imagery instead of lines. He was trying to find a good reason to reject it. Just because Fuwa was the protagonist wasn't a good enough reason for Sawara. Still, the idea of a darker role had intrigued him. And that look on the president's face was starting to nag at him. What else was in there?

Almost as if he knew what was going on in his head, Lory continued. "The script wasn't written by Fuwa-san you know. He may have written the lyrics, but the rest was by Futonami Seri. You know how she works. There's a good part in the story where the victim and the antagonist are very close."

Interest more than caught, the actor looked at the proposal on the coffee table with indecision. Seri-san was very good at giving everyone adequate screen time without anything being forced. And she wrote well rounded villains. Cautiously he picked it back up and read it in detail, his actor spirit taking control. The president's arguments were defeating his own very easily.

Once he read through every detail, Kuon couldn't help but to smile. Not only could he do this role, but he was sure it would be highly enjoyable, especially if Kyoko was his costar. It was just the scenes where she had to interact with Fuwa that worried him. He was definitely plotting something for her if he insisted she played the victim.

"Interested?" The teasing note in the president's voice pulled him away from the imagery in his head.

"The story's rather good," he admitted, "but I'm still worried about the costars."

"Then you should see this." Looking up from the folder, Ren was surprised to see a screen falling down and the lights going down. A projector turned on with a soft music in the background, music he didn't like. Takarada smirked as he leaned back to watch the show. "You've probably seen Prisoner because of Mogami-kun, but this is Fuwa-san's latest PV. Watch him carefully."

Annoyed at the order, the man closed the folder and did as he was told. As the video went on, he grew bored. The punk fancied himself a vampire this time, saying he was haunted by the memories of his many lives. That brat didn't know the first thing about a hard past and being haunted by it! Bastard didn't show any real pain on the screen, making his lyrics less believable than if he just heard the song. Arrogant twit just wandered about stiffly trying to look cool and tortured, and failed mis-

That was when he saw it, half way through the song. Straightening himself in his seat, Ren listened intently to the lyrics and compared it to what he saw on screen. They didn't match up. Yes, the song was good; he knew enough about music to admit the kid had talent. But his performance?

"You see it don't you?" Lory grinned slightly as the final chorus rang out. "Last year Mogami-kun and Fuwa-san were on the same level. Well, she was slightly higher than him and brought out the best expressions from everyone else. She was the best part of the video. Has he improved at all since then?"

"No..." Fuwa had enough acting abilities to save himself from social problems and to perform before a roaring crowd of fans. He did not have enough to draw his audience into the story and make them believe he was that character. "I think he got worse."

"Mogami-kun is the one who brought out the best in him then," his boss stated evenly. The lights turned back on and the screen flew back up. "I believe Queen Records wants to up the quality of his PVs, so they wanted her to return. Fuwa-san was the one who wanted to use you, insisted actually. You and Mogami-kun are likely the only ones who know why and won't share.

"How do you think it will go if the two of you participate in Fuwa Sho's PV?"

"Rather poorly." A small, devious smirk, appeared on his lips. "He'll never know what hit him."

"I thought as much." The same smirk appeared on President Takarada's face as he leaned back, challenging him. "If you sign up, I guarantee Mogami-kun's participation. She needs closure, you need to learn to handle those you don't like, and he needs to learn where he stands in the entertainment world. Agreed?"

Ren didn't answer. He just looked at the pen waiting for him on the table, and gave a Kuon-like smirk.

A/N: You like? I like the idea of Ren having to work with Sho at one point or another, and all the best reasons to force it to happen just came together. Kyoko's got a Love Me job now that she can't like at all too. Ren though cannot be forced into anything, but coerced? you bet. But something's going on in the background. What is it I wonder...

Anywho, this should be fun. Timing is somewhere either between Heel episodes in the future, or after Tragic Marker's done. Either way, it's after Kyoko realizes that she loves Ren, and I had fun revealing the deal's loophole.

Comment, fave, talk to me! This should be lots of fun.