***Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or its characters. They are the intellectual property of Yoshiki Nakamura. This fic is written for entertainment purposes.

She would quit. Quit being Setsu. Quit the Heel siblings job. Take some time off from certain things. Honestly, she probably wouldn't rest at all. She would just bury herself in her other work. She would try to fill every minute with something, either work or hobbies, just so that she could have a break from her mind. But the truth, was that she needed a break from him. Being around Ren made her head spin. Every minute she was around him, every time he spoke, every time he touched her, her mind was flooded with panic, dread, and a tidal wave of other emotions. All of her thoughts were murky. And she couldn't stand it anymore.

She needed time away from him. Thanks to Yashiro and the Heel siblings act, she had Ren's schedule for the next three weeks. She would schedule extra work for herself, but she would be sure to plan carefully. She would use back doors, delivery entrances, or even climb through windows if she had to, if it meant she would be certain that she wouldn't run into Ren anywhere.

"I will just have to be bold, and tell him that I'm quitting this job. I'll take a few weeks for myself, and focus in my finals. And then maybe my heart will settle down. Maybe I can put these feelings behind me once and for all."

That was the plan. But … things rarely go according to plan.

TTTTT

"What?!" Ren cried out. "What do you mean, you're going?"

Kyoko froze for a moment. She hadn't expected Ren to have such a strong reaction. He didn't sound angry, but he did seem strongly upset by her announcement. "Was he that desperate for someone to cook for him and do his laundry?" she thought. But, looking into his pleading eyes, she saw something else. Something that she couldn't, or rather, wouldn't acknowledge.

"I can't stay here any longer. My finals for this semester are coming up and I haven't studied at all," she explained as she pulled her clothes out of the drawers. "Well, I'm not lying," she thought to herself. "I'm just not telling the entire truth."

"And on top of that, I need to get some rest. This job has made me so busy, and worried all the time, that I've hardly slept at all this past week," Kyoko stated as she arranged her toiletries in her suitcase.

"Worried? Has she been worrying that much about me lately?" Ren thought to himself. "She has been acting a bit differently around me lately, but - No, it can't be me. She must be worried about school and her work suffering. She doesn't see me in any special way. At least, not yet. But I'm not about to give up on her."

"If you need a few days off - " he tried.

Kyoko's sigh cut him off. Leaning over the open suitcase, she felt exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. All she wanted was to finish packing and get out of there. "I just can't handle this job anymore," she mumbled. She turned her head slightly looked at him, and he met her eyes.

When she saw that same desperate, pleading look in his eyes, the slightest blush started to rise in her cheeks. She broke her gaze, and focused on placing her clothes into the pack as well. Those clothes. Setsu's clothes. The clothes that Ren bought her for her role. "He's done so much for me," she thought. "He bought me clothes, helped me along when I was figuring out my character. And here I am, abandoning my role. I owe him so much, and I can't even stick around and support him. Maybe …" She stuffed the rest of her clothes in the suit case and closed it with a decisive click. "No! I have to keep my resolve strong," Kyoko chided herself in her mind. "I have to keep my heart safe."

As she slid the suitcase off the edge of the bed, she said, "I already told Prez about it. He and Jelly are here to pick me up." As she began to leave, another thought occurred to her. And, this one, she could say out loud. She turned back to bid him goodbye. "I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san."

TTTTT

He had stood there almost motionless the entire time. He was in shock, and, like a deer in the headlights, he had no idea what to do. "She's leaving?" he thought in his panic as he watched her pack her suitcase. Everything in the hotel room that belonged to her was in that suitcase. She had no intention of coming back. "I have to stop her, but …" His mind was in a flurry, and hundreds of ideas flashed through his mind. But she was Kyoko. And she was special. None of those ordinary things would work on her. Not to mention, he wasn't exactly accustomed to chasing after women when they chose to leave.

Lory's words echoed in his mind. "If you fall seriously in love, you'll chase after her. You won't care if you look foolish. It won't matter anymore. Because she'll be more important to you than your pride."

So he did the only thing he could do.

TTTTT

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Kyoko heard shifting behind her, and was startled when something grabbed her. She turned, to see that Ren's long, slender fingers had wrapped firmly, but gently, around one of her arms. He was holding on to her steadfastly with both hands. Her gaze trailed cautiously up to the source of this action, past his wrists, elbows, his firm chest, and elegant neck.

Finally, she met Ren's eyes. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight. She had never seen so much pleading, so much desperation, in a person's eyes. This was beyond any puppy eyes that Cain had ever given her. The look he gave her told her that she was his only hope. Her heart pounded in her chest. The cool, collected Tsuruga-san was completely gone. The man standing in front of her was simply a man who was desperate for the kind of patience and gentle support that she could no longer give him.

Though his eyes spoke volumes, nothing told her more than what he said next. Even though he only said three words, they were the most important words he could have said.

"Please. Don't go." His voice was barely above a whisper.

She stared back at him. She felt like something was crushing her chest and warming it at the same time. The dangerous emotion was coming back.

But the look in his eyes took her attention off the pangs in her chest. Her mind flashed back to that night in the hallway. When those elevator doors opened, and he stood there, sad and broken with his arms outstretched, she felt that he might fade away from existence if she didn't hug him close.

This time, she couldn't go to him. After weeks of fighting off her feelings for him, she didn't think her heart could take any more pain. But she couldn't just walk away, either. He might really just fade to dust this time.

She couldn't step nearer to him, and, looking in his eyes, she couldn't walk away. So she had no choice but to stay where she was, and say something. But her voice failed her. As she parted her lips to try and speak, nothing but a shaky breath escaped. So Kyoko just stood there, with her heart aching in her chest.

TTTTT

He said the only thing that made sense. The only thing that he could say. The only thing that needed to be said. And he waited for her answer.

But she just stood there, staring right back at him, unsure and uneasy.

When she finally moved her mouth, nothing came out except for what seemed like a small, shaken sigh. And then he saw the beginnings of tears glinting in her eyes.

A tight knot balled up in the base of his throat, and, for a moment, he couldn't breathe. "This is more to her than just a job." The tension in his neck was replaced by the warm feeling of hope welling up in his chest. "Maybe, just maybe … she's beginning to feel the same things for me."

He felt the sudden need to be close to her, to hug her, to make her feel safe with him. He wanted her to trust him enough to love him. He took an eager step towards her.

Panic immediately flickered across her eyes as she turned for the door once more.

"No!" he thought. "Please, don't walk away again. I don't want to lose you."

Panic and instinct took over, and, without time to think, he did the only thing he could.

In one swift step, he had the gap between them closed. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and her suitcase fell down with a clatter. Before she had time to react, he embraced her with a passionate kiss.