I wanted to write a fic based on the events of recent Skip Beat! chapters, so this is the finished product! For those of you following Love is Immortal, don't worry about this taking update priority since I've already written this whole fic and am uploading chapters as I finish editing them! Thank you for clicking to read this story, and I hope you enjoy! This story takes place right after Act 256 before 257 since it happens after Kyoko passes the audition for the role of Momiji before Kimiko resorts to drugging Kyoko and trying to push her off a building.

I don't own Skip Beat!


As Kyoko was asked by Producer Kuresaki to play the part of Momiji, she couldn't help but be delighted that she had passed the audition but also sad that Kanae hadn't gotten the part of Chidori as well. When exiting the studio where the auditions had been held, Kyoko saw Kimiko outside the building who had been waiting for her to come out.

"You might have gotten the part, but I still have something that you don't," Kimiko said as she showed off the ring on her pinky finger. Kyoko started to fume in rage as she remembered the conversation between Erika's servants she had overheard earlier. There was no way Ren was in love with Kimiko. He had never taken her seriously, not even when he gave her the ring two years ago. The rumors of them dating from before had been only rumors since Kimiko had only clung onto Ren and believed in fantasies like that hamster Manaka.

"I doubt that Tsuruga-san would associate with a lying actress like you who tries to get roles based on family connections," Kyoko responded cruelly, shocking Kimiko for a second before she regained her composure.

"He does love me! How would you know who he's in love with? I doubt you're close friends with him that he would confide these kinds of secrets with you," Kimiko responded, still keeping up the innocent and naive act.

"I might not be friends with him, but Tsuruga-san is my well-respected senpai and I don't see him stooping to your level," Kyoko glared at her.

"So you really think you know Ren-san that well even though you're just a kohai? You haven't even been in the entertainment industry long enough to get to know him! You can't possibly say that you know anything about him!" Kimiko shouted back, her anger finally starting to bubble out from under her fake, sweet exterior.

"As Tsuruga-san's kohai, he's confided in me things that he's never told anyone else! I know him better than someone who only thought that she was special to him when his White Day present was only a polite gesture!" Kyoko screamed back.

"From the sound of it, you're just jealous! How do you know if the white day gift he gave you wasn't a polite gesture?" Kimiko sneered. Kyoko's mood darkened for a second, remembering how Ren hadn't even given her a White Day gift.

"I didn't receive a White Day gift from him this year," Kyoko looked down dejectedly.

"Then why would you think you hold any special meaning to him?" Kimiko scoffed. Kyoko realized she was right. Ren had already given out White Day gifts to others, but she had never received one. She had thought she was special to him at least as a kohai, but was it just her imagination? Didn't they get closer during their time as the Heel siblings? Why had he never given her a White Day gift?

"If you really think you mean anything to him, then what about we make a bet? If you can get Ren-san to confess to you in a week, then I'll declare defeat and never get between you and Ren-san or you and any part you ever want again. I'll also tell the truth about what happened to Koenji Erika. But you have to have real evidence that he confessed to you that you can show to me."

"But if I get him to confess to me, then you will resign from the part of Momiji and cut off any relations with Ren-san, never speaking to him again," Kimiko said.

"What if he doesn't confess to either of us?" Kyoko wondered.

"Then I won't bother you ever again," Kimiko said, but she knew that she wouldn't let that happen. She would definitely win especially if she used her usual tricks to be victorious.

"Isn't that result a bit unfair towards you?" Kyoko asked.

"It's my terms of the bet. You can take it or don't. One more thing, if you tell him about our bet, then it's an automatic win for me and vice versa. Do you accept or not?" Kimiko asked as she held out her hand. Kyoko bit her lip nervously. Even if Ren didn't reciprocate her feelings, she would still win the bet if Kimiko couldn't get Ren to confess to her, and Kyoko knew that Ren wasn't in love with Kimiko, right? This was a way to get Kimiko off her back, and Kyoko knew she couldn't lose. Kyoko became determined to win and shook Kimiko's hand as she remembered what else Ren had told Bo. He had no intention of pursuing a relationship with that girl he was in love with, so even if there was a small chance that he loved Kimiko, he wouldn't confess.

"You're on."

...

When Kyoko got back to the Darumaya later that day, she started to pace around in her bedroom. She knew that she would be able to win if Kimiko didn't get Ren's confession, but did she want to try to get Ren's confession herself? If she could do that, then she would get justice for Erika. She had been hurt badly, and Kyoko had a chance to stand up for what was right. But how could she get Ren to confess to her if she knew he was already in love with someone else? As Kyoko paced around a bit more, she heard her phone ring. She immediately picked it up, not checking the caller. If it was Sho, she would just hang up immediately.

"Good evening, Mogami-san," Kyoko felt her heart melt at the deep voice on the other side of the call.

"Good evening, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko chirped happily.

"You sound pretty enthusiastic. I'm guessing the audition went well today?"

"Yep! The producer said he would love to have me play Momiji!" Kyoko smiled.

"That's great. I just got back to Japan and met with the president. I wish I could have seen your audition, but I felt you would get the part," Ren smiled as well as he sat on his bed. It was great to hear his love's voice and enthusiasm even if the picture he had seen earlier had made him furious. However, just hearing her made him almost forget about that horrid picture.

"Hey, Tsuruga-san? Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, Mogami-san," Ren replied, thinking she was going to ask if he had more of those meal videos ready for her to see.

"Do you know Kimiko Morizumi?"

As Ren heard her question, he tried to rack his brain for that name until he finally remembered who she was.

"I can't say I know her that well. We were costars before on Purple Down, but last I heard she had left Japan and that was about two years ago," Ren replied.

"Are you sure you weren't close with her? Didn't you give her an expensive ring as a White Day present?" Kyoko blurted out before she could stop herself.

"How did you know what I got for her on White Day?"

"Eh, I just heard her say it to Yashiro at the audition," Kyoko lied.

"Well she was a little clingy back then, and she told me that she would leave me alone if I got her this expensive ring that she had been wanting for a while. She stopped pestering me for a while after that, but soon she broke her promise and kept insinuating a relationship between us. I guess she left when I stopped indulging her fantasies, though," Ren replied. Was this Kyoko's way of guilting him about not giving her a return gift yet for White Day? Ren was suddenly feeling very guilty that he hadn't given Kyoko her White Day present yet.

"Oh, I see," Kyoko responded quietly. Ren panicked. What kind of a reaction was that? Silence ensued between them for a few moments as they both thought of what to say next.

"W-was Cain alright without his little sister for so many days?" Kyoko asked to break the silence.

"He was a little more easily annoyed than usual, but filming went smoothly. I even kept up with the meal videos that you made me do," Ren responded. Kyoko couldn't help but smile.

"Mogami-san? Would you want to meet tomorrow so I can show the rest of them to you? I have time after work, so I can pick you up and we can watch them together over dinner," Ren said, hoping that she would say yes. For some reason, not seeing her for so many days gave him the urge to just spend time with her again.

"I wouldn't want to be a burden on you, making you drive all the way to the Box R studio to pick me up-"

"You are never a burden, Mogami-san. What about you make dinner so that we're even and so that you can make sure I'm eating something healthy?"

"Okay..." Kyoko replied.

"What time do you get finished?"

"Around six."

"I'm finished at 5:30, so I'll make it there right as you end work. I'll see you tomorrow, Mogami-san," Ren smiled.

"See you tomorrow, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko replied before ending the call and clutching her phone to her chest as her face heated up. Why did that man's voice have to make her react in such ways?

At least she had found out today that there was definitely no way that Kimiko would win their bet. Ren had no feelings for her.


Thank you for reading the first chapter of this fic! I would love if you had the time to leave reviews/favorites/follows!

As a little side note, did you guys know that as of publishing this chapter, the Skip Beat! character list on this website doesn't include Kimiko? I was going to list her as a character for this fic, but I couldn't. Although, I guess the title and description of the story imply that she's in it.