Disclaimer: I don't own skip beat or any of its characters.

Forever Yours

Chapter-2

Ren woke up feeling intense pain all over his body. His entire being was stiff. His head was hurting. His eyes were sour. He tried to get up but fell back down on the floor. He groaned in pain as he tried to sit up straight.

"What? Why am I sleeping on the floor in my living room?" He thought confusingly as he looked around.

"K-Kyoko..." he panicked as he recalled memories of previous night. His chest felt tight.

"She came here to see me but I kicked her out. On top of that, I slapped her. How could I do that? I have lost the last chance of being with her. She'll never look at me again"

He didn't really know what came over him. Perhaps combination of bad days, loneliness, feeling of betrayal, their fight and his jealousy over the mention of Fuwa's name had pushed him over the edge but still it had been a wrong action. He should never have done that. And now he was left with the aching feeling in his heart.

He sighed.

His whole body felt heavy. There was huge weight pressing down on his shoulders. His senses were numb. His brain had shut down. He swore he would never hurt Kyoko intentionally especially not physically but he had screwed up and broke his eternal promise. He knew she was never going to trust him again. She would never come near him again.

Ren pressed his back against the wall and let out a heavy sigh. He placed a hand on his forehead and breathed out in a whisper. "Kyoko..." he could feel tears starting to sting his eyes.

His last glimpse of Kyoko had been an awful sight. Her tear streaked face, her red and irritated cheek. She looked just as miserable as he felt. He wanted her. He needed her so badly. He had spent 6 years aching to reach her, to see her face, to talk to her again, to hear her voice.

"Kyoko..." he sobbed and tried to get up but failed. The fear that he might have lost Kyoko for good was depressing him and draining all of his energy.

"My anger's destroyed my life" he laughed at himself mockingly.

He had spent 6 years waiting for her, to see her face again, to have her close to him again, to hear her comforting voice, to talk to her again and yet when she came back what did he do? He scared her away and this time she might never come back to him again. Sure, he was angry but he wanted nothing else but to be with her again. He had been waiting for a long time in a hope that she would come back someday. He was like an addict whose body ached to have its cure and the only cure for his suffering was Kyoko but the more he waited, the more insecure he became. His heart broke pieces by pieces as the time went by. He lost his hope to see her again and that's what caused him to became insane. He changed himself because he thought he couldn't have her anymore. The pain was unbearable and the only resolve he knew was to close his heart so that it would never feel pain again.

"I love you Kyoko... why the hell did I do that? You came back. You were there, so close to me. You were right in front of my eyes and yet I messed up and let you go. Why am I so stupid? Why the hell I always hurt you?" he cried miserably.

Ren couldn't afford being locked in his apartment all day. He had work to do. He had an early meeting with the President and then he had an interview for a magazine and a modeling job. He needed to hurry up and get ready no matter how woeful he felt. He was a professional. He couldn't let his personal reasons affect his work.

Unwillingly, Ren forced himself to get up and dragged himself towards the bathroom in order to get ready for the day.

Kyoko woke up and stared at the ceiling of her room at Daruma-ya. The unbearable pain in her heart was back. She didn't feel like getting up and get ready to meet the President. It had been a week since she came back to Japan and living with Daruma-ya couple but she didn't have the heart to visit LME and face the President who was like a father to her. She knew he would demand explanations for her disappearance and she didn't want to tell anyone the truth behind it. With her phobia of human touch, she was so frightened that he would get suspicious of her so she didn't go anywhere in particular ever since she returned. She didn't even dare to go and see Kanae.

President Lory was a clever person. She knew he would get into the depth of the matter and fetch out the truth in no time but she also knew that she couldn't avoid him for a long time. She had to meet him sooner or later because he had himself asked for a meeting. How was she going to face him or Kanae? She was afraid. If Ren came to know then everything would be destroyed. She would never be able to see him even from afar. He was her life and she couldn't stand his hatred. The only thing she wanted was to see him even just for once. During her lonely days, she desperately wanted to go back and be in his arms again. He was her comfort. There were times when she cried in her sleep calling his name but he was far away from her approach and she was helpless, unable to reach him. Dark lonely nights, fear, separation from her loved one, her aching heart, everything was killing her.

She sighed.

"I have a meeting with President Takarada. I can't hide from him forever. I want to see Moko-san too but I don't know how to face them" she wanted to getup and get ready but she didn't have enough energy. Even after resting for several hours, she was still feeling fatigue.

Kyoko sighed heavily, putting an arm over her eyes.

"I guess this is it. He hates me. I lost him in an attempt to defend myself from his disgust. Didn't you have bit of a trust in me to at least listen to me first before throwing me out of your life? You didn't even bother to look at me. Do you hate me that much? How can I ever tell you the truth now? If you ever came to know what Sho did then you... I'm sorry Ren for leaving you. Please don't hate me so much. I can't tell you. Even if you don't want to be with me anymore, that's OK but please don't change yourself and be happy. Please turn back to kind Corn again." Tears started to pool up in her eyes at the memory of painful encounter with her beloved.

"I love you and I'll keep loving you for the rest of my life even if you don't but I'm giving up on you. No matter how hard I try and how much I want to, I just can't be with you. I'm impure for you. I'm a broken and violated soul. You need someone pure and worth loving not someone like me. I love you Ren" she cried confessing for the last time to herself because she knew she would never be able to tell him that she still loved him, perhaps more than before.

"I'll be happy if you are out of my life"

"I want you in my life Ren. You are my life" A tear escaped.

"Why don't you go somewhere and die?!"

"I'll die without you Ren. My life is meaningless without you in it." she sniffed.

"I don't want to see your face again!"

"I can't stand being apart from you. Your smiling face makes my day and erases my pain Ren" she hiccuped, trying to suppress her sobs

"Why don't you get out of my life and let me live peacefully?"

"I don't want to leave you but I can't be with you either. Without you I don't have peace Ren"

"You aren't worthy of my love. I regret falling for you"

"I know I'm worthless and dirty for you but I don't regret falling for you. I treasure it. Loving you was the most beautiful experience of my life. Thank you for loving me. I can spend my entire life with pleasant memories of past. The moments I spent with you, were the best moments of my life. Thank you and I'm sorry. I think this is good bye. I hope you'll find someone worth loving. The one that I could never be for you. I'm sorry" she whispered as she broke down to mourn at her loss for the last time.

There was a knock at the door that caught her attention and distracted her from her painful thoughts "Ishibashi Hikaru-kun is here to see you Kyoko-chan" Okami-san called out.

Kyoko jolted up from her futon and answered immediately "Ah, Thank you OKami-san. I'll be downstairs in few minutes" she replied back as she hurried up to to take a quick shower and get ready.

Kyoko came downstairs, wearing a simple outfit to greet her guest who was happily chatting with Taisho sitting down on a stool.

Hearing footsteps approaching him, he turned his head around and his gaze fell upon Kyoko. He smiled at her as he stood up to greet her.

"Hi, Kyoko-chan, how are you feeling now?" he asked in a gentle tone.

Kyoko smiled back.

"I'm fine now Ishibashi-kun, thank you for taking care of me and dropping me back home. I'm sorry for causing trouble for you" she bowed respectfully.

Hikaru blushed. "It's no problem Kyoko-chan. I'm glad it wasn't something serious and you were alright. You gave me quite a fright by fainting like that" Hikaru was now blushing hard.

Kyoko's cheeks burned with embarrassment. She was touched by his concern.

"You are always so kind Ishibashi-kun. You haven't changed a bit. Thank you so much" she beamed at him while his heart threatened to jump out of his chest.

"But you have gotten more prettier and taller" he whispered to himself as he looked at the beautiful lady before him.

"Long raven hair, perfect posture, white pale skin, sunny bright golden eyes deep like ocean, slim and smart beauty wearing pair of black jeans with blue top" Hikaru couldn't take his eyes off of her.

feeling that he was staring at her, she asked confusingly with her cheeks bright red "Is there something wrong?"

"N-No, Nothing. Are you going somewhere?" he was extremely embarrassed getting caught red handed for staring at her.

"Yeah, I have a meeting with the President" she told him.

"Oh, If it's OK with you then, can I drop you there? I have something to talk to you about, only if you don't mind" he asked politely.

Kyoko looked at him quizzically.

"S-Sure, let's go" Kyoko was both embarrassed and puzzled simultaneously.

"I'm off" She greeted both Taisho and Okami-san and turned to leave with Hikaru.

"Be careful and have a pleasant day Kyoko-chan" Okami-san said affectionately.

"Kyoko-chan, is something bothering you?" Hikaru asked with concern while driving slowly.

Kyoko was startled. Was she looking miserable? Was she unable to hide her pain? Did he notice something?

"I'm fine. Why do you ask Ishibashi-kun?"

Hikaru sighed.

"Last night, when the doctor examined you, he told me you fainted because of depression. I know it's not my place to ask you but you must know that I care about you as a friend so that's why if you have any problem, you know you can tell me. Why are you depressed Kyoko-chan? Is everything alright between you and Tsuruga-san? he asked hesitantly, feeling the pang of hurt for mentioning Kyoko and Ren as a couple.

Kyoko's heart gave a painful thump at the mention of Ren's name. Her face turned pale. Her eyes saddened.

Realizing that he made a mistake, Hikaru immediately apologized. The look on Kyoko's face was heart crushing.

Hikaru stopped the car, when he saw tears in her eyes. He panicked.

"Did I ask something wrong? Did I upset her that much to make her cry?"

"Kyoko-chan I am sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. Please forgive me. If you don't want to tell me then it's fine but please don't cry I'm sorry"

Kyoko brushed away her tears and turned her face towards him.

"I'm sorry to make you worried. Please don't apologize. I and Ren aren't together. We are just good friends" she told him, taking in a sharp breath.

Hikaru was astonished. His jaw dropped.

"Y-You aren't... together with him?" he asked coughing. "But I thought... you two were so close... so I thought...weren't you two seeing each other?" he was at loss of words.

"No, I'm not the one for him. He deserves someone better. Someone worth loving... I don't suit him." she stated sadly. Her heart started to trouble her once again.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?! You are perfect!" Hikaru almost yelled, Kyoko was taken aback. She flinched at the intensity of his voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell" Hikaru looked away in embarrassment.

Kyoko just nodded.

"If they aren't together then why is she crying? Did he turn her down or something? I always knew she was in love with him by the way she always talked about him then what happened? Does this mean I have a chance? he didn't know what to feel right at that moment.

"Then why were you crying a moment ago? Why are you sad? Why are you depressed? You are my friend Kyoko-chan and I can't see my friend in pain, please tell me if you trust me even just a little bit" he begged as he dared to ask her the cause of her depression. He was concerned about her ever since the doctor had told him.

Kyoko exhaled deeply, fighting with herself.

"Because I have to go back. I can't stay here anymore" she revealed to him, making him frozen in place and stare at her.

"W-Why? What happened?" he managed to ask.

"Please don't leave, I don't want to lose you again. I was heartbroken when you disappeared suddenly. I couldn't even confess to you. Please don't leave. Don't leave me again" Hikaru gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Kyoko didn't know how to answer him.

"I'm quitting show business and going back to New York. My purpose here is done. I don't belong here anymore so I'm leaving." she whispered.

Hikaru's heart was slammed into his chest.

"Y-You were in New York all this time? Why didn't you tell anyone? Why did you leave in the first place? Why are you retiring Kyoko-chan, what's wrong?" Hikaru was hurt, scared and confused. Was he really going to lose her without even telling her how he felt? Was he really seeing her for the last time? His heart started to ache. The burning feeling it caused was making him uncomfortable.

"Please say something!" he begged in his heart when he noticed that Kyoko was looking out the car window.

His heart broke.

"K-Kyoko-chan?" he tried to touch her shoulder but her reaction shocked him.

The moment his hand touched her shoulder, she screamed and slapped his hand away, hugging herself in defense as if she was shielding herself against an attack.

Hikaru was bewildered and hurt.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked himself.

Clenching his hands, feeling sad and afraid, Hikaru apologized to her.

"I'm sorry Kyoko-chan, I didn't mean to scare you. It wasn't my intention to hurt you. I was just worried about you but If I did or said something wrong that caught you off guard then I'm sorry" he let out a heart broken sigh.

Kyoko was feeling helpless. Her phobia was causing troubles for her. She couldn't get over it no matter how hard she tried. It just kept on increasing and that was the reason why she was leaving showbiz. She couldn't be an actress anymore with her current mental condition. Fear of human touch was killing her inside. She had turned into a living corpse.

"I... I am sorry, I didn't mean to act that way... Please don't be mad at me. I was just startled. I'm leaving because I don't have a passion in acting anymore" she looked at Hikaru with teary eyes which caused him to curse himself inwardly.

"It's alright. I'm not mad at you. I can never be. I worry about you so much. I was just concerned Kyoko-chan, please feel free to share your problems with me as a friend, I'll always be at your side no matter what happens. You'll always have my support" he declared with eagerness and itchy feeling in his heart"

Kyoko was touched. She felt warm. She had a friend who wasn't like Sho at all. He cared about her indeed and she knew about it from the start. He was a gentleman who had always supported her and kind to her when she as acting as Bo.

"Thank you Ishibashi-kun. It means a lot to me" she told him with a smile taking his breath away.

"Hikaru..." he muttered softly.

"Huh?" she raised a brow.

"You can call me Hikaru Kyoko-chan, no need to be so formal" he said with a light blush on his cheeks.

Kyoko turned pink.

"O-OK Hikaru-kun" she was embarrassed.

Hikaru's heart was racing wildly. He wanted to tell her. He had to, may be... just may be... she would say yes... It would be a dream come true.

He wanted to confess, to let her know he just had to. He couldn't suppress his feelings anymore now that he knew she was leaving soon yet again and he didn't know if he would be able to see her in his life again.

"I have to tell her how I feel, may be she'll accept me and won't go away anywhere. She would stay with me if she accepted me. I just hope she would" he thought slipping his hand in his pocket to find the ring that he always had kept with him in a hope to give it to her one day if he had enough courage.

With trembling hand, he took Kyoko's hand in his who stared at him with wide eyes but didn't react violently this time.

"K-Kyoko-chan, I know I am not the best one but I want to request you something" he looked at her with painful eyes making her even more confused.

"K-Kyoko-chan, I..." he chocked in between.

"What's the matter Hikaru-kun?" Kyoko asked worriedly.

"It's now or never" he thought.

"Please don't leave me Kyoko-chan, I love you" gathering all of his courage and preparing himself for her wrath, Hikaru slid the ring into her ring finger daringly as he gave his heart warming promise to her.

Kyoko gasped causing him to flinch but holding his breath for her reaction he continued.

"I'm not worthy of your love Kyoko-chan but please know that you are perfect. I'll die happily just to be with you. I have loved you for a long time but couldn't confess because I wasn't perfect but I can't hold back my feelings for you anymore. I love you and I can't lose you. Please don't leave. This ring is the symbol of my love and sincerity to you. It doesn't mean that I am binding you in a relationship with me. It means that I'll always be with you whenever you need me as your friend, as your well wisher, as your support, as your protector or may be as your family, no matter how bad the situation gets, you'll always find me by your side. You can share your pain, your secrets, your happiness with me. I don't want anything from you in return just don't leave Japan, stay here with me. If you take this ring then I'll consider it as your acceptance but if you take it off then I'll consider it as your rejection of my love and I'll happily accept your decision. Your happiness means the most to me" he confessed to her leaving her speechless who was just staring at him as if he was an alien.

See you next time. I hope you like the chapter. Take Care and Be Blessed. Please don't forget to let me know what you think.

Thank you