Hey all! I've finished most of this story already, apart from rereading for errors and that. There should be only 2 more chapters left till the end. As this is one of the first times I've done an AU fanfic, I apologize for sometimes being OOC. I tried to follow the plot of the movie while staying true to the Skip Beat! characters, but sometimes there were some scenes that needed to be a little OOC to work out. I'm sorry for not including any of the songs for those of you who like those, but I really don't like reading song fics or writing them.

On a separate note, I thank you all for the comments you've left me! Whenever I read them they put a smile to my face, and they really encourage me to keep going. So thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

...

While Kyoko caught her breath, Ren tried to find an exit from the cave but found that they were both trapped. There was just enough of a gap from the rock blocking their entrance to let water come rushing through, slowly filling up the cave. He ran up to the highest ground he could find and motioned for Kyoko to join him. After she was a little more safe, he dived into the water to try to find an escape, but came back up finding nothing. He dived back in to try again, and this cycle repeated. Meanwhile, Kyoto tried to bang her frying pan against the rocks around her to try to knock one loose and escape. Ren eventually stopped looking in the water for an escape and tried to push any rocks around him and Kyoko that were loose. He pushed every rock, and at one point sliced his hand on a sharp one. Ren grimaced in pain before again diving into the water and coming back up a few seconds later. He didn't think that he would find anything, but he was desperate.

"There's no use! I can't see anything down there!" Ren said.

Kyoko took a deep breath before diving in herself, but Ren pulled her out with his hands wrapped around her waist.

"There's no point, Mogami-san. It's too dark down there," Ren told her.

With the water in the cave already up to her elbows, Kyoko started sniffling. "I'm so sorry for bringing you along with me. If only I hadn't tried to follow my dreams and leave that tower, then both of us wouldn't be stuck here. Now we're both going to die down here! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san."

"Kuon." Ren interrupted her.

"What?" Kyoko was confused by what he meant.

"My real name's Kuon Hizuri. At least someone should know." Ren smiled sadly.

The water had already reached both of their necks. Wanting to reveal something about herself in response to one of Ren's secrets, Kyoko let out a small laugh. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

Ren looked at her like she was delirious. Kyoko paused for a second when she realized what she had just said.

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing!" Kyoto exclaimed.

"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine-" Kyoko sang before the water rose up to her mouth. She took a deep breath before both her and Ren plunged into the dark water.

Suddenly, her hair started glowing. Ren opened his eyes wide, and gasped before realizing he was underwater. Kyoko opened her eyes and looked around at the newly lit cave. She spotted some loose rocks near the bottom. Ren noticed them as well, and both of them swam to the rocks to start digging themselves out. After removing some rocks, Ren was able to get his hand through to the outside, and they were washed out into a lazy river. They swam up and pulled themselves onto the river bank. Both of them were coughing wildly.

"We're alive!" Kyoko exclaimed between coughs.

"Your hair glows…" Ren mumbled.

"Alive!"

"Why does you hair glow?" Ren mumbled again.

"Kuon!" Kyoko woke him out of his stupor. "It doesn't only glow," she said with a grin.

...

Sho waited at the exit of where the tunnel led out with his knife ready to strike whoever came out. Unfortunately for Sho, out came Kijima who had tried to follow Ren and Kyoko for the reward money of Ren's capture. He had been swallowed up by the water as well when the dam burst, and was coughing as he came out of the now water-filled tunnel.

"I'll kill him! I'll get that crown Ren stole and claim that reward for it! He won't take what's mine to take again!" Kijima shouted in anger.

"Hey," Sho cockily stated while strutting out holding Kyoko's hidden satchel. He pulled out the crown.

Kijima scowled and drew out his sword. Sho threw the satchel to him with a grin. Kijima looked up at him bewildered.

"Well if that's all you wanted, then you can go turn it in for the money. I was going to offer you something worth a thousand times that crown, and that wasn't even the best part," Sho smirked.

"What's the best part?" Kijima asked.

"Revenge on that pinhead Ren Tsuruga," Sho smirked evilly. Kijima smirked back.

...

Kyoko and Ren had built a fire to warm themselves up after their escapade in that freezing water. They sat next to each other on a log with Kyoko slowly wrapping her hair around Ren's cut hand.

"What are you doing?" Ren asked before grimacing in pain when she squeezed his injured hand too tightly.

"Sorry!" Kyoko squeaked. She finished wrapping his hand and looked at him to judge his expression. He was able to control his expression again, but there was still some apprehension about what she was doing. She decided to just start.

"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine," Kyoko sang with a beautiful voice that could rival that of Sho's. She unwrapped Ren's hand which was good as new without a cut anymore and looked up into a stunned face.

"How long has your hair been able to do that?" Ren asked.

"Uh… Forever, I guess. Sho said that when I was a baby people tried to cut it, but once it's cut it turns black and loses it's power." Kyoto shrugged.

"A power like that has to be protected, and that's why Sho never let me-" Kyoko stopped.

"That's why you never left that tower," Ren finished her sentence.

They both sat in silence. Kyoko spoke up first after sighing at the silence.

"So your name is Kuon Hizuri?"

"Yes." Ren said.

Kyoko really wanted to hear his story and scooted closer to him to encourage him to start talking.

Ren sighed. "I was reckless in my youth. My parents were famous merchants, and I tried to follow in their footsteps. Only, everyone chastised me for only succeeding because of my parents. I grew up too quickly into the adult world, and it was a dark place. My only friend was a guy named Rick." Ren stopped and sighed again before continuing. "I got into lots of fights, and lots of people were after me. Rick got into a carriage accident one day from guys who were trying to kill me. I couldn't forgive myself for his death. One day, Lory offered to take me to his kingdom to start anew as Ren Tsuruga, so I took the chance. He expected me to become a merchant like my parents with my new identity, but I ended up stealing food to survive when the paycheck from being a merchant was too low. Soon I found that it was a lot more easier to steal than be a merchant." He looked at Kyoko to judge her reaction.

She smiled at his revealing of a new part of himself. "Could you please not tell anyone else about this?" Ren asked.

"Don't worry. I won't." Kyoko smiled. Ren gave her a heavenly smile which made all her grudges disappear and caused her heart to beat erratically. She froze.

Seeing Kyoko's scared expression, Ren thought he had done something wrong. To clear the tension in the air, he offered to go get some more firewood for the dwindling fire. As he walked away, a certain someone strutted out of the bushes they had been hiding behind.

"Tsk. I thought that pinhead would never leave you alone." Sho clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Shotaro…" Kyoko grumbled in anger. "How did you find me?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters now is that I've gotten back my property. Let's go, Kyoko." Sho roughly grabbed her arm.

"No! I won't go with you, Sho! I'm not yours anymore! I won't be your servant again!" Kyoko pulled her hand out of his grasp.

"So you're obsessed with that thief now?" Sho smirked.

"No! I swore off love because of you using my love for you for your own personal gain! I won't fall!"

"Oh really? And what if you do?" Sho smirked.

"I- I'll come back to the tower and be your servant with no complaints!" Kyoko yelled back in anger.

Sho smirked. "You'll come back with me anyways when you find out that he doesn't even see you like that. What's there to like? You're just a plain, boring girl with no sex appeal." Sho stated. "He'll get bored with you soon enough. You should just come back with me now," Sho grabbed her arm again.

"NO!" Kyoko yelled as she jerked her arm out of Sho's grasp again.

"Fine! You'll come running back to me soon enough anyways," Sho threw the satchel with the crown at her.

"Wha- How did you get this?" Kyoko asked.

"Give it to him! This is why he's here! You'll come begging to be with me when he leaves you!" Sho fumed.

"Mogami-san?" Ren had gotten back from collecting more firewood to see the scene playing out in front of him. Kyoko quickly stuffed the satchel into her dress when she had heard a voice, turned around, and gaped at Ren's sudden appearance. Sho took the opportunity to grab her arm again. He grabbed her roughly around her waist with his other arm and slammed his lips onto hers. She tried to wrench herself out of his grasp, but it was no use. She wasn't strong enough. The kiss went on for what seemed like forever with Ren standing surprised at the intensity of the kiss. Finally, Sho released her and grinned before somehow disappearing into the night.

Kyoko roughly wiped at her lips that had just been vandalized by Sho. She broke down crying. She had always thought that Sho was her prince, but he had just stolen her first kiss! She had always dreamed that her first kiss would be with a prince riding on a horse, but it had been taken by a passionless kiss.

Ren stood silently as Kyoto poured her eyes out.

"Mogami-san… By any chance, was that your first kiss?" Ren asked to break the silence.

Kyoko looked up at him with tears in her eyes and nodded. Her jaw dropped when he chuckled.

"Is a first kiss really that important? With how much you're crying, you would think the world is coming to an end. Aren't you acting a bit ridiculous?" Ren asked.

Kyoko thought for a second and stopped crying.

"I mean, you couldn't really call that a kiss. If you call any time two pairs of lips meet without each person's feelings in a kiss then I had my first kiss at 7 years old. I ran around a corner right into someone else." Ren said.

Kyoko looked at him then tears started falling from her eyes again.

"Kuonnnnn…..What a sad first kiss!"

"I don't consider it my first kiss since there weren't any romantic feelings in it. Your first kiss is only what you think of as your first kiss. This is called the rule of the heart. I hope that you too can go by the rule of the heart," Ren explained.

Kyoko's face had dried during Ren's explanation, and she smiled up at him. "I will."

"Just remember that you can only use it with the same person once in your private life." Ren added with a hint of jealousy. Kyoko didn't notice his jealousy though.

"Yes! That makes sense! Thank you, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko exclaimed before catching herself. "Ah! I meant Hizuri-san."

"Please. Call me Kuon, Mogami-san." Kuon stated.

"B-but, if I call you K-kuon-san, then you have to call me Kyoko-chan!" Kyoko stuttered out.

"Okay then, Kyoko!" Kuon said with a heavenly smile which caused his addressee to freeze up. She then started to seethe in anger since that was how that Sho-baka referred to her. She started to mumble curses aimed towards her enemy.

Kuon was slightly hurt that she had started to become angry after he said her name. She had started to mumble Sho's name. Even if he had told her to not think of it as her first kiss, it was too hard for her to forget about that incident. He came up with an idea to let her forget about that kiss with Fuwa while also succumbing to his own desires.

"Thank you for accepting me as Kuon, Kyoko-chan." Kuon smiled while standing in front of her before placing his hand next to her on the log. He was suddenly in front of her with his lips dangerously close to her own. She froze. Kuon inched his lips closer to her own before turning his head and giving her a peck on the cheek. When he backed away, he gave her a genuine smile. She was still frozen. He decided to settle down for the night and leaned his head on a rock to fall asleep while she was still sitting frozen.

When Kyoko broke out of her trance, she found that Kuon had already fallen asleep. She blushed as red as a tomato at what he had just done. How could she fall asleep peacefully after that? Why would he give her a kiss on the cheek just for accepting him as Kuon.

Did he like her? This thought caused Kyoko to blush even more if that was even possible. No. She had locked up her heart when Sho had crushed it. But for some reason whenever Kuon looked at her with those heavenly smiles, she felt her locks being unlocked.

But why would she be special to him? She's the one who blackmailed him and almost got him killed! He wouldn't do that sort of thing to a person he doesn't like...

Or... Maybe he was one of those guys who did that to any girl. A playboy! That's the only explanation!

Kyoko nodded at the conclusion she had come to. That playboy probably did that kind of thing to any girl! He said that he wasn't from Kyoma, so he probably didn't know that kissing was a very intimate gesture in Kyoma. He probably just kissed anyone whenever he felt like it. He could get away with it. He was the most handsome guy she'd ever met.

Kyoko started to lie down on the ground and found a rock to use as a pillow. Kuon was just a playboy, so now she wouldn't be in inner turmoil thinking about his kiss and be unable to fall asleep. She sighed happily as she made herself comfortable enough to fall asleep, dreaming of her birthday dream coming true the next day.

...

In a grove of trees that hid them from onlookers but allowed them a perfect view of their targets, Sho and Kijima watched as Kyoko fell asleep. They were too far away to be able to hear any conversations between the two, but they could still see their actions. Seeing that both Ren and Kyoko had already fallen asleep, Kijima tried to venture out of their hiding spot before Sho shot his hand out in front of him.

"Good things come to those who wait," Sho said. Kijima backed down.

Sho was actually fuming inside at Ren having erased his own kiss from Kyoko's mind with a simple kiss on the cheek. When he saw the deep red blush that had appeared on her cheeks, it made him want to throw his knife at that bastard Tsuruga. Why hadn't she blushed like that after he kissed her? He had even kissed her on the lips! That pinhead had only kissed her on the cheek! The only way that he had prevented himself from attacking Ren immediately was by thinking how Kyoko might run away and never let him use her powers again if he did. He just needed to remind her of where her loyalties lied before getting rid of Ren.

Sho knew one thing for certain, though. He was going to kill that thief if it was the last thing he could do.

...

Once again, I thank you all for reading this chapter! Like I said in the beginning, I'm not sure if Kijima really fits into the role of the Stabbington brothers, but he was the only character that I could think of to use apart from Murasame who I didn't want to include without the rest of the Tragic Marker cast. Also Ren was probably a little OOC this chapter along with Kijima, but I hope you can forgive me!

Please leave me a review if you have the time! Feedback really helps me to know how to develop my writing for future fanfics in the works.