Starlit Nights
Sariah Loire
Chapitre Three

Skip Beat! and its characters, locations, terms, etc, do not belong to me.

Juli may not have been a Hollywood star, but neither was Kuu, once upon a time. That didn't stop him from falling in love with her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I got held up by a few reporters." Kuu pulled off his hat, gingerly stepping around the thorny rose bushes that were lining the path. It was a bright night; the stars always looked so beautiful when he got far enough away from Los Angeles that the nightlights of the city didn't interfere with the blackness of the sky. "Have you been here long?"

"Just since nine." Juli stretched, sounding suspiciously like she had been asleep. Kuu checked his watch and winced, it was after ten. When he caught sight of Juli's face, he concluded that she had been asleep, after all. "How did the press conference go? Are they excited about your new movie?"

"Yeah, it seems like it's going to be big. Did you get called back for a part in it?" It had been almost a month since Kuu first ran into Juli at the studio. In that month, they had finished their roles on their mutual film, and afterward began meeting to talk about work. Since Kuu was far too well-known to just walk into a restaurant with Juli, they instead had chosen to meet outside of town, where they could talk in peace, usually in a quiet park. The conversation never went beyond work and hobbies, but Kuu was thankful to have a friend in the midst of Hollywood.

"I have another audition tomorrow, it looks promising." After Juli had gotten over her initial shyness, Kuu was pleasantly surprised to find just how strong-minded and outspoken she really was. There were few times that she held back what she wanted to say, and that had almost gotten her in trouble with a handful of overbearing directors, along with fellow actors who had a hard time keeping their eyes to themselves when Juli was around them.

Kuu had found himself drawn more and more to Juli as he got to know her. It didn't surprise him; after all, she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, if not the most beautiful. And in his line of work, that was saying something. But, more than that, she was real. He had met his fare share of actresses that proposed friendship, but made their desire to be with him quite clear. If Juli had any interest in him other than friendship, it would have shocked him, because nothing in her eyes betrayed it. "I'm sure you'll get the part, you're perfect for it."

The stars were shining brightly on the two young performers; it gave Kuu a melancholy feeling. Without realizing it, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply, remembering things he would rather forget. "Is something wrong?" He opened his eyes, looking over into the concerned face of Juli. She was holding out a bottle of water to him, and her free hand was tucking a long blonde curl behind her ear.

Kuu smiled ruefully, accepting the water. He took a long drink out of it; debating on whether or not he should cross the work-only conversation line they had seemed to draw after their first few meetings. 'It seems like as good a time as any.' "My father took me and my mother out on a lake at night one time. The sky looked almost exactly as it does now, down to the city lights showing in the distance." He capped the bottle, feeling his teeth clench a little. "That's one of the only memories I have of spending time with my father."

"I'm sorry, did he pass away at a young age?"

Kuu fought back a bitter laugh, crumpling the water bottle in his hands. "I don't have a clue if he's still alive or not, he walked out on us when I was a child." Juli's eyes widened, she looked like she was going to start apologizing. Kuu raised his hand to stop her. "No, it's fine. My mother tried her best to fill in for him, so there's no need to feel sorry for me. I hope your family was much more… family-like?"

Juli smiled, and shook her head slightly. "I'm afraid not. Or, I guess I should say it's not anymore. I had a normal time growing up, until I decided to move here to become a… well, to break into showbiz. My parents disowned me for choosing this life over a prestigious university, one that they had spent years saving money for the tuition."

"Ah, it's my turn to apologize. I didn't mean to open up old wounds." Kuu was surprised at the news, her sunny disposition would have never let him in on the fact that she had went through events much like the ones he had faced over the years.

"Oh, I don't mind. I haven't regretted my decision, and even if the 'dreams' I have for my life don't work out, I still won't." She leaned back, stretching out her long legs. Everything she wore accented her figure, if it was possible to make it look even better. "I just have to keep moving forward, instead of always looking back."

Kuu loved the sight of Juli's face shining in the moonlight, but it looked even brighter that night. Her eyes seemed to glow as she smiled over at him. "You have dreams, don't you, Kuu?"

That caught him a little off-guard. Sure, he had thought about it every now and then, but it seemed trivial and egotistic when he thought about saying it out loud. "I'll tell you about mine, if you'll tell me about yours first. What's this dream that you cared enough about to give up everything you had, with no guarantee that you could achieve it?"

Her face turned a little pink, a look that Kuu had come to enjoy seeing. "I want to… I want to model. I'm going to model. And not just for small-town companies, I'm going to be a supermodel." She looked bashfully at him, and then back down at her hands. "I know how hard it is to break into modeling, though, so I'm trying to become known as an actor first. I'm hoping that it will help me to find a modeling agency."

"You'll make it, there's no question about that." She seemed to glow even more, nodding her head slightly at his support. "As for me, I want to act." He raised his hands, and dropped them again. "It's that simple. If I can spend my whole life acting, then that's fine with me."

"What about a family?" Kuu thought for a moment, wondering how he was supposed to answer her. Before he had a chance, Juli began speaking again. "Sorry, that must have sounded strange. I just meant that most people I've met talk about the family they want to have one day. Do you have any hopes like that?"

"My father started a family with my mother, and then left us to start another one." Kuu folded his arms, looking up at the sky. "I'm his son, and that makes me afraid that he might have passed that… that trait down to me. I supposed I just don't want to find out that I would be a failure as a father, like he was."

Juli laughed, showing the one reaction he wasn't expecting from her. "Kuu, I saw you on set with children, they loved you." She shook her head, wiping the corner of her eye. Her beautiful smile was shining, chipping away at Kuu's resolve to stay uninvolved. "If anything, you seem made to be a…" She stopped, turning a little pink again. "well, to be around children."

Kuu thought for a moment, she was right, at least partly. Sure, the children he acted with had seemed to like him. But, that didn't make someone a good father, and he was in no way cut out to be one. "Well, what about you? You want to be a model, can you do that and still have a family? And be a mother?"

A shadow passed over Juli's eyes for a moment, and Kuu thought he had overstepped the line. She sat quietly before smiling at him again. Her smile seemed sad and forlorn, but she nodded slowly. "Yes, if I was given the chance, I could."

"Mr. Hizuri, could you comment on your newest movie for the camera?"

"Is it true that you're seeing your co-star, Claire Watkins, Mr. Hizuri?"

"Mr. Hizuri! Just a moment of your time, please!"

Kuu sprinted through the front door of his apartment, thankful for the security measures that were provided in the up-scale building. It had been nearly two weeks since he had last seen Juli at their usual spot; he had been filming on-location, and had only gotten back that very day. Juli had a semi-regular role in the drama he was starring in, but not a large enough spot to be included in the trip. Kuu had spent the two-week trip fighting off his co-star, whose only interest seemed to be in taking her male co-stars to bed.

In the three months since their conversation about family, Kuu and Juli had stayed as far away from that subject as possible. Kuu didn't want to defend his reasoning against being a parent, and Juli seemed to have her own reasons for staying away from the topic. Instead, they had gone on to talk about their schooling, and how different life was growing in the two countries, along with every other 'safe' topic they could think of.

Kuu didn't want to admit it, but on that particular day, he was more enthusiastic than he had been during his entire time on-location. As soon as his plane had landed, his manager had met him with a sealed letter from Juli. The letter simply stated for him to meet her at his apartment at seven, and that she had borrowed a key from his manager. Kuu believed the last line more than any of the others, his manager took far too much interest in trying to set Kuu and Juli up.

When he opened his apartment door, the first thing he saw was a table and two chairs, with a brightly coloured box sitting in the middle of the table. There was a single ribbon tied to one of the chairs, and a strange smell was in the room. He was going to investigate when the door to his kitchen flew open. "Kuu, welcome back! Happy birthday!"

If you asked Kuu, he would tell you that that very moment was when he knew he was in love with Juli. He'd tell you that he couldn't explain it, but some believe it was the sight of her wearing an apron and holding a massive pot of food that pushed him over the edge. He likes to say that he was already falling for her, and just didn't know it, though.

Whichever may be the truth, he dropped his luggage on the floor as he looked at the beautiful woman standing across the room from him. Before he had time to answer, Juli was rushing back into the kitchen, and she came out again without the pot or the apron. "Thank you, Juli. Did you do all of this?" He finally was able to get words out, though his surprise.

"I did, and you're to do nothing but sit as I finish getting the food ready." She walked over to the table, and he followed her, sitting limply in the ribbon-adorned chair. 'When's the last time I even acknowledged my birthday? When Mother was still alive?' "Now, don't touch the present, you have to wait until I'm in here, okay?" He nodded, and she disappeared back into the kitchen.

Kuu sat, twirling the shiny-wrapped box in his hands for what felt like an eternity. He was tired, jet-lagged, and... confused. He didn't want to think about how good it felt to have someone waiting for him at home. He didn't want to acknowledge the fact that his resolve against 'love' had begun slowly crumbling since the first time he had spoken to Juli.

After a few minutes, Juli appeared from the kitchen door again. Her cheeks were glowing red, and her eyes were shining with excitement. She sat across from Kuu, taking a drink of water from the glass in front of her. "I'm running a little behind; the food will be another few minutes." She set her glass down, looking a little nervous. "I… I'm sorry for doing all of this without asking. But I knew you didn't have anyone to celebrate with, so-"

"I'm thrilled, Juli, I can't begin to thank you enough." He reached across the table and touched her hand, only for a moment. "Your letter said you had some news to tell me, though?"

"Yes, I guess this is a two-part party." Juli fiddled with her napkin, looking over her shoulder at the kitchen. "I received a phone call yesterday, from the Avalon Agency. They're well known on the east coast, but they have a smaller branch here, mainly for their summer modeling shots. I sent them my portfolio last week, like you suggested, and they want me to come in for an interview tomorrow!"

Kuu was silent while the news set it, but once it did, he was grinning from ear-to-ear. "That's amazing! Did they give you any details?"

"No, but they said they were very interested in my portfolio." Her eyes were nearly sparkling in the room's light, nearly making Kuu forget to listen to what she was saying. 'Get a hold of yourself, Hizuri. You were never a lovesick teenager, there's no need to make up for lost time now.' "This could be the big break I was waiting for!"

"And here you are, all concerned about a little birthday!" Kuu jumped up, shoving his chair back from the birthday. With great ceremony, he untied the ribbon from his chair, and tied it to Juli's. "This should be your celebration, or at least, we'll share it."

"But, Kuu, it's your-"

"No 'buts', you sit while I go serve the food." He bowed low, mimicking a butler, before he left the room to go find out what the not-so-pleasant smell was that was coming from his kitchen. He found the stove playing host to four large pots of food, all simmering and, he was almost certain, burnt. Ignoring the sounds coming from the oven, he served up two plates of food and brought them out to the table.

"I… I hope it tastes alright. I haven't cooked for anyone other than myself in a few years." Juli watched him earnestly, her eyes studying his face for a reaction.

"I sneaked a taste in the kitchen." Okay, that was a lie. But it was a needed one. "Everything tastes magnificent." Juli's face lit up with a smile, and she began eating. Kuu picked up his own fork, and placed a huge bite in his mouth.

It was terrible.

Not just an 'I tried my best, but made a mistake' bad. If Kuu hadn't of known better, he would have thought the woman was trying to poison him. He chewed twice and swallowed, putting on his best actor's smile that was possible. Not that he faulted Juli, she had gone through the trouble of cooking for him, after all. But he knew there was no way he was letting her go home knowing that his birthday meal had went to waste. He dug his fork in again, and got to work on the massive amount of food he had served himself.

My knowledge of SB! is (I think) pretty vast, but I use the SB! Lexicon to help me fill out blank spots. It's where I got the information that Juli is an actress as well as a model, along with other info. But, when it comes down to it, we just don't have enough back story on Kuu and Juli to give them an entirely accurate fic. I'll say again, this is just my interpretation of how it could be.

As stated, this isn't an in-depth story of Kuu and Juli's past, as nothing is known about them. I'm just highlighting a few events that I believe plausible, so please enjoy this short story.

Sari*