Kaorin71: I'm gonna get this over with. First of all, sorry for any OOC-ness. Yeah, Kanae and Kyoko seemed a bit cruel in the last chapter to Sho. And Sho's attitude... since he isn't very important in the story, I thought that shaping his character isn't very significant either, so he turned out like that. Well, I'm just going to apologize for anymore OOC-ness, which I feel are there since this AU was practically based off from another original story of mine, and therefore the characters may tend to be a bit… different. Phew. Now that that's over, I hope you guys would enjoy the chapter. R&R again!

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat.

Chapter 3

It was another cold Kyoto morning. The moist and cold breeze blew around the town, indicating the start of the winter season. There was still no snowfall as of this time. But even without that slushy white stuff covering the marvelous nature landscape, everyone there could feel the joyous greeting of the season.

That is, except for one person.

Pissed beyond common sense, Kanae kicked a large stone from the rocky ground. It bounced off to the east, landing on the small asphalt area. The woman grimaced as she rubbed her hands together and blew on them, trying to get herself warm.

"How long is that damn guy going to make us wait?" Kanae blurted out, shivering from the cold. Checking her watch, she saw that it was forty-five minutes past seven. "It's almost eight and still he isn't here. Mo! Doesn't he know how cold Kyoto can get during winter?"

"Hmm?" Kyoko hummed, swirling around the area like a professional ballerina. Apparently, it would take more than the cold air just to spoil this girl's working spirit. She was still excited for the arrival of the man. And if she was getting cold, her face didn't show any sign of it.

"Would you quit dancing around?" Kanae hissed, wrapping her arms on her body as if to hug herself. "A lot of people are taking notice of us. I don't want any attention."

"But isn't it great, Moko-san?" Kyoko crooned, twirling despite the pleas of her friend. "Winter is here again. Pretty soon, it's going to be my birthday." Squealing, she turned to the other and asked, "What are you going to get me this time?"

"A knuckle sandwich if you don't stop that weird ceremonial dancing," Kanae shot at her. When she saw Kyoko tear up, she hastily looked away and pretended to complain. "I gonna kill that guy once he gets here. And -"

Her act was interrupted by the sudden ringing of her phone. Reaching into her pocket, she produced a rather old looking cellular phone. Kanae accepted the call and placed it against her ears, saying, "Yeah?"

There was a short pause as Kanae listened to the person on the other line. When her face contorted into an aghast expression, Kyoko got curious and wanted to listen in. But Kanae kept her away while she replied urgently to the person on the line. After a few more seconds, she muttered a soft goodbye as she hung up.

Seeing her friend's sudden change of expression, she asked, "What's up?"

Sighing, she said, "Hiou go into some kind of childish fight. And his mother and father are out of town. I have to act as his damned maid. Again."

Smiling mischievously, she waved goodbye to her best friend. "Well, I hope the two of you would have a pleasant time in each other's company!"

Grunting, Kanae ran towards the direction of the Uesugi mansion. Kyoko still had the dopey smile on her face. She knew very well that the child had a cute little crush on her best friend. And she promised to Kanae that if she does hook up with him, she'll support them all the way, despite the age difference.

No problem, anyway. I can handle the job myself, Kyoko assured herself, puffing her chest like a wolf. Yup. I'm going to do this for the sake of Moko-san and Hiou-kun's future. I can do this. No sweat.

After a couple of minutes, she herself sighed. But I don't think I can wait in this cold any longer. Moko-san is right. What's taking him so long? He set the time so he should've been the one who arrived early. If it weren't only for my job then I would've long left this spot.

A loud grumble from her stomach made her flinch. She remembered that she was so excited that she forgot to cook breakfast for herself. She thought that she could contain the hunger since they were only to escort him to the inn. But if this continues, she might get ulcer. Or worse.

Buying food would only take five minutes, Kyoko thought, producing a wallet from her pockets. And eating it would just take me about two and a half minutes. Okay. That's settled then. I'll just buy something to eat then I'll get back here.

Making that decision, Kyoko made her way to the nearest food stall which happened to be a waffle booth. She wasn't a picky eater so she just took what she could buy. She gave the vendor her payment as she got the food. Then did she recall that she needed a drink.

There's a vending machine just at the park, she told herself. The walk would take me about two minutes. It won't be long anyway. Besides, he made me wait. It's only fair that he would wait also.

Her boots crunched the dried up leaves as she made her way to the park. Upon entering the place, she noticed the increasing number of couples who are strolling around the place. One pair nearly bumped her back as they cascaded past her. They didn't even notice her there.

It's nice to have someone there for you, Kyoko sighed. But then, I do have Moko-san and Fuwa-san. There's no need to look for anyone else. And one more thing: what kind of a man would want a plain and boring girl as his bride?

Contemplating on this matter, she reached the vending machine. She inserted some coins in the slot as she picked what she would want to drink. When she finally got what she wanted, she pushed the button. There was a loud clanging sound as the can slid down. Kyoko took it, opened it and drank right away.

After a refreshing drink, she started to leave the park. However, as she was making her way through the place, a train of kids suddenly came running towards her. She skillfully dodged the children while keeping her food and drink from spilling.

That sure was close, Kyoko thought, relieved. At least the food didn't fall. Now, I have to get back quickly.

Unfortunately for her, fate seemed to be playing with her. When she started to walk away, her boots got caught in a tangle of roots from a grown tree. It made her lose her balance for a moment. A nudge from a reckless kid finally sent her stumbling down the ground.

But she didn't fall.

A pair of hands swiftly came to her aid, grasping her slim waist. Whoever it was who sure was strong. He managed to heave her up into standing position in a graceful manner. The drink she had in her grip didn't even spill.

"Are you okay?" Asked the man.

Grateful for the save, she was about to turn around to thank him when yet again, she slipped. This time, he caught her back with his hand and held her head with the other. With the position they were in, one would think that they were doing some kind of ballroom dancing.

Kyoko blushed a little as she saw that her face was relatively close to his. And as she observed the man, she realized that she did have a good reason to feel fluttery. His glistening black hair wasn't wavy, nor was it straight. It was just perfect as was his eyes. His eyes were like dark pools of chocolate to her. Pools of chocolate staring at her with great concern.

"Are you alright?" He asked again, squinting at the girl. He could admit that her figure was something to like. But her face seemed pretty ordinary for him.

Catching herself, Kyoko began to snap out of her trance. "Ah, yeah… I'm fine. Great."

Slowly, he gently set her to standing position before removing his hands from her. Kyoko almost felt disappointed when that warm touch went away. Yet she shook this away, telling herself to stop fantasizing about the man.

Facing him, she tried to be as polite and mannered as she can be. "Uh… Thanks for the help."

Chuckling, he replied, "It's nothing at all. I was passing by when I saw you having trouble."

Staring into his eyes, Kyoko's heart skipped a beat. She hastily turned her gaze away, not wanting to be found out. What's with this crazy feeling? She thought. This isn't normal. Why am I feeling like this? Maybe it's because he saved me. Or...

"Uh, miss?" He said, waving a hand in front of her. "Are you sure that you're alright now? Do you want me to take you to a hospital nearby?"

"No, it's fine," Kyoko told him, giggling nervously. "I'm totally fine." Noticing the map in his hands, she asked, "May I ask what that is for?"

Raising the hand holding the map, he said, "Ah, this one. You see, I was supposed to meet with two people from a certain ryokan. But they didn't arrive at the place I told them."

Two people from the ryokan…? Thinking about this, she suddenly blurted out, "You must be the one who called yesterday!"

He glanced at her. "Do you know something about the ryokan?"

She nodded. "You see, I'm the one who's supposed to meet with you. My partner had an emergency so she had to go home."

Upon hearing this, he smiled. Kyoko slightly cringed, noticing that the smile was different from the one he had earlier. "Is that so? Maybe next time you should patiently wait for the customer. If you guys keep doing this, the day might come that you would run out of customers because of this rudeness."

Her jaw nearly hit the floor. Whoa, she thought. What's with that tone? Why did he transform from a gentleman into a rude bastard?

"I'm sorry if I hit a bull's eye," he further said. "I'm just saying that you should've done your job properly. You shouldn't be wandering somewhere else while you're on duty. I dislike people who take work for granted."

Who says that I'm taking my work for granted? Kyoko wanted to yell out. I was waiting patiently for you when I got hungry! You were the one who took so long to come so why are you taking it all out on me?

"Let's stop wasting our time. We should now head to the ryokan. I want to get started as soon as possible," he told her in a dismissive tone.

"Hey," Kyoko told him, getting his attention. "Don't scold me as if I'm the one at fault here. You're the one who came late. I got hungry so I went to buy some food for a while. I'm sorry if I wasn't around when you got there but that was your own fault."

Ren sneered, much to Kyoko's shock. "That's not an excuse for your negligence to your job. I didn't know that Kyoto had such rude women. Or is it only you?"

Pissed. Yes, that's what Kyoko was feeling at that moment. Pissed and insulted. Now she knew that not all handsome men are kind. And this man in front of her was proof of it.

When Kyoko raised her head to answer back at the man, she noticed that he was looking at her necklace. There was a certain curiosity in his eyes - and desire... It was as if he has found what he had been looking for all this time.

No way. Don't tell me that this man… Kyoko thought, backing away. Don't tell me that the feeling of dread I got yesterday was because of this man. This isn't good. I have to run away.

She didn't have the time to act on what she thought. Ren, seeing the piece of jewelry on her neck, grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. The girl squirmed but she couldn't get herself free. And to her horror, he was reaching out for the locket.

"No!" Kyoko cried out as she slapped his hand away. Her hands fumbled with the locket, holding it tight. She stepped backward, afraid of what he might do. "Stop it."

"That locket…" Ren trailed off, trying to get closer to her. Glancing at her, he said, "That's it, isn't it? The locket that could heal any kind of disease, any ailment."

Face pale, Kyoko shook her head. "No, it's no-not. Y-you're mistaken. I g-got th-this heirloom from my m-mother."

All of sudden, he stretched out his hand to the girl. Based on his expression, she could guess fairly well that he was dead serious with what he was doing. That expression was something Kyoko didn't want to see.

"What?" She managed to choke out.

"Give it to me," he said in a gentle but firm tone. "I want you to give that to me."

Note: Since I've written the whole story down (nearly), I guess I won't be able to take your suggestions. Sorry 'bout that guys…