Note: I do not own Skip Beat

Hi! I'm so sorry it took so long to update, but I had a horrible writer's block and was buried in work for the past week. Anyways I had a breakthrough yesterday and wrote the next few chapters. I hope you like them, please read and review!

-LIA

Chapter 7

After then there have been several more incidents on set, including some pieces of the costumes from Ash somehow disappearing, and even the things on the countertop of my dressing room all being scattered and spilled on the floor when I arrived back from a scene. Everyone on set knew about these incidents, and I knew that the main person in suspicion was me. There was no solid evidence to prove it was me, but everyone knew it, making my reputation plummet down. I didn't know what to do about this. How was I supposed to act? I didn't have any proof that would point to Kataoka-san, even though I was positive it was her. Everyone would have to take my word, and of course no one would believe me.

On set and with everyone else she acted like a perfect young lady, polite and kind, any thought of her ever even hurting a fly dismissed just by the aura around her. She was an up and coming actress, becoming one of the best in the business while I was just a newby, barely starting in this business. My word was nothing in comparison to hers. How am I supposed to fix this? I wondered. I couldn't act in any kind of aggressive or suggestive manner without being blamed by everyone on set and having everyone against me. I couldn't move, I was trapped. I slapped myself, my cheek red by the impact. I stared hard at the mirror in front of me. I decided I wasn't going to let this happen, what was I doing here, giving up so easily. There had to be a way out. I just had to find it.

Today there would be a scene filmed with Sam and Kataoka-san acting as Harumi, his best friend in the drama and also his co-worker, one of the people in the analysis department. They were going to attend a party in order to celebrate the birthday of her father, one of the ministers of Japan, and Harumi would tell Sam that she loves him. Before then there was a scene showing about Ash's past, how she grew up, so I needed to be there. I was about to leave set, when I saw that they were now starting to film the scene where Harumi confessed to Sam how she likes him. I found myself captivated, and stood there, wearing the clothes of Ash, about to go to my dressing room, simply watching the scene.

Kataoka-san wore a beautiful wine-red dress, the straps tying at the back of her neck as it fit closely to her body, showing her incredible figure until it went down and brushed the floor in an elegant sweep, making all the females on set envy her beauty. Her brown hair was tied up into an elegant knot at the crown of her head, her lips and cheeks a rosy pink, and on her neck the most beautiful diamond necklace I had ever seen. For this scene the costume directors had insisted on using a real diamond necklace, and it was worth more than how much I could ever afford. She truly looked like a princess.

Next to her was Tsuruga-san, wearing a stunning black tuxedo that outlined his lean figure, his blonde hair brushed back from his face, leaving his face for clear view, the sight of his bright blue eyes taking my breath away. He looked so stunning, so incredible that my eyes almost seemed to burn from the sight, but I couldn't help but watch him, be drawn to him, to feel envy of Kataoka-san, who stood by him so perfectly. It felt as if a knife had been plunged into my heart as I watched the scene take place. They were in a dark room, a beautiful oak table in the middle, along with a chandelier above their heads, turned off, and a bookshelf filled to the brim with books, and to the side there was a window, moonlight seeping through to illuminate both of their faces as they spoke.

"I'm sorry Harumi, but I'll take my leave now." Sam said, standing in front of the door, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Sam, don't leave yet. The party's just getting started." Harumi said, taking a step towards him and extending her arm out to him.

He shook his head.

"I'm not fit for these kinds of things. I should get back." There was a pause before either of them spoke.

"Is it because of Ash?" Harumi said, a small glint appearing in her eyes. Immediately Sam's eyes came into focus, his voice hardening ever so slightly as he responded.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Don't act like you don't know. Every time you get out of her cell you're always acting different than normal. I always notice it." She said, standing her ground. Almost accusing.

"I act the same all the time, so how can anyone tell the difference, when there isn't any to begin with?" He said, his temper beginning to show, like a thin fog, there, but only barely.

"I can tell, because I'm always-" She cut off at the last word, stopping herself from saying the next words.

"Always what?" Sam asked, his temper beginning to show more.

"Because I'm always watching you." Harumi said, saying the words as calmly as she could. But she looked right at Sam then, her whole demeanor changing, so that she was somewhat vulnerable as she spoke. "Because I love you." She continued. Sam froze slightly, unable to speak as he stood there, not knowing what to say.

"Harumi. . ."

"You love her, don't you?" She asked. Sam paused for a fraction of a second, before he answered.

"Ash is just a criminal. She's nothing more to me." He said sternly, almost as if he had repeated the same thing over and over again to the point where it was a natural reaction to him.

"Is that true?" She asked, her eyes searching for any indication that he were lying. Sam nodded. There was a pause before she spoke. "Then can't you try to love me?" She stepped forward and wrapped her arms seductively around his neck, then before he could speak she pressed her lips onto his, and started to kiss him as he responded, his arms going around her in an embrace. There they kissed, Sam almost angry as he did, frustrated, but continuing to kiss her as if she were a life line thrown to him. To keep him sane from the typhoon that were his confused feelings, battling against each other in his mind and soul.

"And Cut." The Director called, and immediately Tsuruga-san parted from Kataoka-san, acting as if the kiss he had just portrayed in front of the whole staff were absolutely nothing to him. But to me, the scene that had just taken place had become a blow to my heart, almost knocking me back by the force of the pain that it caused to see Tsuruga-san with his arms around her, to see him kissing her, right in front of my face. Kataoka-san saw me and glanced my way, showing a warm smile to anyone that was watching, but her eyes held a sense of triumph, as if she were saying 'See? I deserve to be next to him. You're nothing but a worm in comparison to me.'

I turned around and headed right to my dressing room, not letting anyone see my face which was most definitely turned into an expression of pure shock and sadness, my eyes close to tears. I arrived at my dressing room and shut the door behind me, leaning against it for support. Tears were very close to being shed, and it was all I could do to keep them at bay. I tried to calm down, to stop my heart from aching so. Yet the pain as still there, almost unbearable. I shook my head. No, I had already known that something like this would happen at some point. Tsuruga-san would date someone at some point, he would eventually have a woman at his side, and I have to live through that. I just had to be glad it was only for a scene. Yet despite telling myself this, I still felt pain. I couldn't help it. Something about it being Kataoka-san simply made it ache even more. Slowly I calmed down, yet the pain didn't go away as I started to change, back into my original clothes. I got out and walked out of my dressing room, when I saw a glint on the floor to my right. I bent down and picked it up, realizing it was a necklace.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was the necklace that Kataoka-San had worn during the last scene. I felt shocked, knowing that in my hands I held a real diamond necklace, yet fascinated at the same time. I held it up to the light, watching as it shone, every movement making it sparkle. Just like a fairy. I thought, and smiled. I wanted to continue looking at it, but I knew I had to return it before it got lost. I better take this to the costume directors. I thought. Yet just as that thought entered my brain I head a voice behind me, startling me as she spoke.

"There she is." I turned around and there was Kataoka-San, the costume directors behind her. They all turned to look at my hands, that held the necklace. "Kyoko-San, if you had asked politely I would have let you hold it." She said. What is she talking about? I wondered. I looked at the costume designers, who looked at me me with plain shock and rage in their eyes. Suddenly more people started to arrive, wondering what was going on.

"Kyoko, why did you take the necklace from Kataoka-San?" Yamauchi-san said, the main costume director. He was tall, and despite young, one of the best in the business, with a great passion for clothes. The only bad thing about him was that when it came down to clothes, he was really strict. The way he looked at me, it was with pure anger. Himekawa-san, the other costume director looked almost as angry as her partner, though she didn't yell. Yet she also didn't stop her partner either.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Kyoko-San, I'm sorry. If you had asked nicely I would have let you hold the necklace, but telling me to hand it over to you and tell everyone I lost it is too much!" Kataoka-san said, tears starting to brim the corners of her eyes.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" yelled Yamauchi-san, and I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, this is a misunderstanding. I didn't take the necklace from Kataoka-san." I said, suddenly finding my voice.

"Kyoko-san please, you don't have to lie." said Kataoka-san. "Why won't you just tell the truth?" Suddenly people started to gather around us, watching and listening as I was accused of trying to steal the necklace.

"But I am telling the truth." I said, my voice starting to raise in volume. "I didn't take the necklace from you."

"You have it in your hand!" yelled Yamauchi-san, his voice making me flinch.

"You don't understand, I didn't take this necklace." I said, trying to explain.

"Are you calling Kataoka-san a liar?" he yelled.

"Please, Kyoko, just tell him." Kataoka-san said, a tear running down her face. I froze. I couldn't speak. Suddenly there were whispers surrounding us, and I realized my mistake too late. By not answering I had simply verified that I had taken the necklace. Some of the words could be heard from where we were. They all hit me one by one, like a blow.

"She's caught red-handed and she still tries to say it was a misunderstanding?"

"She made Kataoka-san cry."

"What else could you expect from a newby half-assed actor?"

This was the moment I had dreaded. She had planned all this. The missing clothes, the trashing of the dressing room. It was all to lead up to this moment, where it was her word against mine. She had me caught in her web; I was completely trapped. The whispers continued, overflowing, taking over my mind. Suffocating me, to the point I was becoming lost, sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness that were these lies. In this one moment, when word got out I would become blacklisted in the acting world, and would never be able to act again.

"What is going on here?" The voice came from the crowd, and everyone turned their heads to see the source of the voice step forward, as they formed a way for him. "Mogami-san?" Tsuruga-san said, his expression calm as he stood in front of us.

Thank you for reading :)