Hi everyone! I'm so pleased you all enjoyed the "rescue" chapter. I always love writing out Ren and Kyoko's interactions, warms me up every time. LOL. Well, I hope you enjoy this new chapter as much as the others. Thanks again! Please Read and Review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.


"Are you hurting anywhere, Fuwa-san?"

"Fuwa-san?"

Sho blinked and turned to the man kneeling before him. "What?"

"Are you alright?" the paramedic asked worriedly. "You seem a little…out if it."

Shaking his head, Sho jumped off the bench and replied in a hard voice, "I'm fine."

The brown-haired man furrowed his eyebrows and rose to his feet. It was clear that the musician was not fine. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw tightened like he was in pain, and the obvious frustration that swirled around his body could not be ignored. Although he didn't see any scrapes or scratches, the paramedic would bet his life on it that there was something bothering the young man.

But before he could insist on trying to help, Sho had already started to walk away down the hall.

"Wait , Fuwa-san! I haven't checked—!"

With an irritated flick of his hand, he brushed the paramedic's words away without another thought. He couldn't stand the scrutiny of his gaze anymore. It took nearly everything he had not to tell him to back the fuck off. Of course, Sho realized how unreasonable he was being. The man was only doing his job.

But that didn't change the fact that Sho was pissed, more so than he had ever felt in his life. He could feel his head throb as if someone was pounding his brain with a meat cleaver. The tension in his shoulders and hands screamed for relief, but he had no idea what to do. Sho could find no solution to appease his blinding fury.

Just thinking about it had him scowling in frustration. The way he held her, the way he looked at her, and even more infuriatingly the way she looked back at him made the musician's blood boil like mad. He didn't give a damn that Ren had saved them both. He didn't give a damn that he was just being helpful.

All Sho cared about was that Ren touched someone who didn't belong to him.

Any fool could see that he did not treat her like the pupil he claimed her to be. He held her as if she was more. He smiled at her as if she was the only person he saw. Sho could see his intentions in his every move. Kyoko may be oblivious to them all, but he saw right through that guy's ruse.

So as he determinedly made his way down the hall towards the lobby, Sho could feel his rage pulse throughout his body. Fuck, Ren's status or age. He didn't care that he would be over-stepping his boundaries. All he could think about was setting that guy straight. No one was going to snatch Kyoko from him. She made it clear that her only goal was to beat him and Sho would be damned to let anyone distract her—especially Ren.

Thus, it didn't surprise the musician at all to see him standing by the wall. Leaning against the flat structure with his arms crossed over his chest, Ren stared down at his feet as if he was deep in thought. Sho could feel the scowl upon his lips deepen at the mere sight of him. While he was reeling with relentless rage, Ren stood with a calmness and grace that made him grit his teeth together in agitation. Did he always have to be so damn composed?

But refusing to lose, Sho loudly cleared his throat and took a step forward.

Ren raised his head at the odd sound, his eyes ridden with curiosity until his gaze met the stone-cold person before him. Fluidly straightening up, he removed himself from the wall and stood in front of him with an expression that chilled like ice.

At his full height, Ren certainly emanated an aura of unrelenting power. Sho had tried to get a fight out of him once and in the end failed miserably when he was dismissed like a nuisance. But this time around would be different. Right now, Sho had better reasons to retaliate—more important reasons than his own ego.

So feeling his lips curl into an angry snarl, Sho narrowed his icy-blue eyes and demanded in a low voice, "We need to talk."


Kyoko patiently sat on the bench, folding her hands onto her lap as she watched the firemen run about. Although the big issue was now over and done with, they wanted to get the elevator up and running to avoid any other problems. They moved around at lightning speed, all with a purpose and a place to be.

But as she casually turned her head to the side, she saw a red-haired female paramedic walk up to her with a friendly smile upon her face. Kyoko smiled back tentatively and watched her kneel before her. "Hello Mogami-san. My name is Noki Ryoko and I'm here to check up on you. How do you feel?"

"Nice to meet you, Noki-san, and I feel fine," Kyoko replied with a reassuring smile.

"No headaches? Anxiety? Pain?"

Kyoko shook her head.

"Did you hurt yourself at all while they were helping you up?"

Instantly, her cheeks flushed scarlet as his handsome face came floating back. She thought she was finally able to push the memory to the back of her mind, but clearly that wasn't the case. The slightest mention had her heart constricting painfully against her chest.

"Mogami-san?" Ryoko asked at the young girl's frozen stance. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh—! Yes, I-I-I'm fine. I guess I'm still a little shaken up."

She nodded sympathetically. "Well, I'm not surprised. It must have been a frightening ordeal. I'm not exactly a big fan of cramped, dark places either."

"Yeah," Kyoko mumbled, careful to avert her eyes to hide her unease. "It wasn't how I wanted to spend my Friday night."

Ryoko laughed. "Of course not! You probably had a date or something."

"WHAT?" Kyoko nearly shrieked. "No! No! No date! I just had other plans. That's all! I swear!"

Widening her eyes in alarm at Kyoko's pitchy voice, Ryoko only gave a tiny shake of her head and giggled. "Must be some pretty important plans."

"Well I—!"

"Hey you two!"

More than grateful for the new distraction, Kyoko turned towards the eager voice and saw Hisao happily waving at her in greeting. She waved back. Everything must have checked out well with security now that he was here.

So with all the previous drama from earlier gone, Kyoko was now able to observe the friendly fireman at a closer distance and realized he reminded him very much of an older uncle of sorts. He had a few strands of white hair around his sideburns and wrinkles around his mouth, but it was evident that those were all laugh lines. Of course, as a fireman, there was an undeniable strength that he exuded, but at the same time, Hisao naturally expressed a lively youth about him as well. He was probably quite the looker in his younger years.

"Is everything alright?" he asked as he walked towards Kyoko, but directed the question to Ryoko.

"Mogami-san is just fine," she answered with a nod. "Her nerves may be a little frayed, but nothing a little rest won't fix. I advise you to go home as soon as you can, alright?"

Kyoko moved her head obediently as Hisao said, "That's good to hear. Thank you again for coming, Ryoko-san."

"Not a problem," she replied, placing a friendly hand upon his muscled arm. "Well, I don't think you need me anymore so you both have a good night, okay?"

So with one last farewell, the paramedic made her way down the brightly-lit hall and left the two alone. Hisao then comfortably took a seat besides Kyoko and flashed her a fatherly smile. "How you holding up?"

She smiled kindly in return and answered, "Great, thank you so much for everything, Hisao-san. I'm sure I would be in much worse shape if you and the other firemen hadn't been there."

"I'm just doing my job, Mogami-san. There's no need to thank me for that."

Kyoko frowned and shook her head. "Nevertheless, you saved my life, Hisao-san," she argued. "There's no way I can express my gratitude."

Chuckling, he patted Kyoko's slender hand and responded, "I'm not the only one who came."

"Right, the other firemen too."

He laughed and shook his head. "Aren't you forgetting someone important, Mogami-san?"

Her face blanched.

Hisao laughed in amusement and leaned over his knees to stare up at her from under his lashes. "He was the one who actually pulled you out," he added with a grin, pleased to see that his suspicions were true. The minute he watched Ren hold Kyoko in his arms, Hisao knew that there was something special between the two actors. It didn't take a genius to see that the look in the young man's eyes was more than just relief that Kyoko was safe. As a matter of fact, it was clear that she meant more to him than he let known.

Kyoko instinctively turned away from Hisao's amused gaze and looked down at her hands that were now tightly clasped together. Her knuckles were turning stark white and she was quickly losing the feeling in her fingers. If only she could lose the feeling of weakness in her knees. Thank goodness she was sitting down.

"Are you and Tsuruga-san close, Mogami-san?" Hisao suddenly asked, deciding to let her breathe just a bit, regardless of how much fun he was having making her fidget. Nothing was as amusing as a girl who was blinded to her suitor's feelings as well as her own, but he also realized how sensitive the topic may be. Kyoko was still so young after all.

She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat and replied shakily, "I-I-I-I wouldn't say that, Hisao-san. He's just my senior at the agency we work at."

"So you met through acting?"

She nodded. "Tsuruga-san has been more than helpful to me. I don't think I could have gotten here without him."

"Well, it's obvious that he cares about you."

She turned to him with wide eyes. "What do you mean?" Kyoko asked hoarsely.

Hisao smiled happily. "He sounded very concerned when I got his call. I could practically feel his anxiety pouring through the phone. To be honest, I thought he was your boyfriend at first."

"BOYFRIEND?"

Vigorously shaking her head, Kyoko jumped to her feet and turned towards Hisao with eyes that seemed to be popping out of her head. "You're absolutely mistaken, Hisao-san! Tsuruga-san and I aren't anything of the sort! We're not even friends! He's my mentor and I'm just someone who follows his advice. That's all!"

"Not even friends?" he asked curiously.

Kyoko shook her head. "Not even friends."

"Hmm, that's…shocking."

"It is?"

Hisao nodded and said, "I know it's not my place, Mogami-san, but I can hardly believe that the both of you only have a teacher-student relationship. To be frank, I don't think Tsuruga-san sees you that way at all."

There was no way she could explain it. Instead of feeling blatant horror surge at his dangerous words, all Kyoko felt was this odd curiosity and almost pleasure flow throughout her. She knew that Hisao couldn't be farther from the truth. He didn't understand the kind of relationship that existed between her and Ren. He was, after all, a stranger to this whole situation, but Kyoko couldn't dismiss her desire to know what he meant.

He smiled, seeing the interest sparkle in her amber eyes. "I walked in while he was talking to you on the phone," Hisao continued casually. "It sounded like you were extremely distraught."

She nodded, murmuring, "I was."

"Now, I can't say I know Tsuruga-san on any kind of personal level, but I doubt he would have been so attentive to everyone. In fact, he seemed to know exactly what to say to you."

Kyoko looked down at her feet, unable to reply. She clearly remembered how his soothing voice brought her back from the edge of outright terror. Although she was not proud of her foolish reaction, Kyoko couldn't help but be comforted from the fact that Ren hadn't judged her. It was clear that he only wanted to help her—that he sincerely worried about her.

And what was even more astonishing was that he effortlessly understood what she needed when even she herself had no idea. Ren gently coaxed her back into a relaxing state without ever once making her feel inferior or pathetic.

Ren truly did know her well.

"Not to mention," the fireman added, breaking through her reverie, "he seemed quite gentle with you when he pulled you out of there."

In an instant, Kyoko flushed scarlet. She could still feel his strong arms around her, the steady thumps of his heart underneath the palm of her hand, and the warmth that emanated from his chest. Even though it was certainly not a proper position for her to be in, Kyoko couldn't deny the fact that she felt incredibly safe with him. His arms were like her new safe haven.

She also didn't disregard the fact that she had returned his embrace. Her action was practically on instinct. The will to let him go just would not come. But that didn't have to mean anything...did it?

Hisao smiled sympathetically as he watched Kyoko's eyes glaze over in thought. She unconsciously nibbled on her lower lip and switched from foot to foot. It was clear that she felt agitated. In fact, Hisao could practically see what she was thinking from her facial expressions. Kyoko was very much like an open book.

But aware that it certainly wasn't his place to interfere in her personal life, he let out a quiet chuckle which pulled her attention back to his face. He smiled gentlyy and murmured, "Well Mogami-san, I don't want to go and put any thoughts in your head. Those are just merely my observations so you certainly don't have to take them to heart."

Kyoko didn't reply.

"Though, I do stand by what I say," he said with a wink at her silence.

She laughed shakily and ran a hand through her hair. "Well I appreciate you telling me anyway, Hisao-san," Kyoko replied good-naturedly.

He laughed. "Then I think that's enough talking on my part. And since everything has been checked out, you should probably go on home. I'll have your belongings sent to you, is that okay?"

"That'll be perfect."

"Then go on and make your way downstairs. I believe Tsuruga-san is waiting for you to take you home."

Kyoko nodded, feeling her throat close up again at the mention of his name. But quickly bowing low in farewell, she said, "Thank you again, Hisao-san. For everything."

He stood up and warmly patted her on the shoulder. "Not a problem, Mogami-san. Have a good night, alright?"

"Thank you, and you too."

After one last polite smile for the fireman, Kyoko turned around and made her way down the hall, her heart still hammering loudly against her chest. She needed to get a grip. Too many things were happening at once and at this rate, she was going to have another panic attack. This wasn't the time to think about this. She had more important things to focus on.

Besides, Hisao said it himself. It was just his thoughts. That didn't make them true and tonight was certainly a once in a lifetime experience. Ren wasn't normally like this with her. Not to mention, she was pretty shaken up as well.

Kyoko smiled in relief and nodded. That was exactly it. She shouldn't take anything that happened today to heart. Not only was it an extremely hectic day, but she was still a little freaked out from what happened. Once she got some rest, she would be able to think clearly and all of these intense emotions will fade.

"Everything is normal. I don't have to worry. My nerves are just frayed, like Noki-san said. Nothing's changed. I'm fine."

Feeling slightly calmer now, Kyoko took in a deep breath and was about to turn a corner on the first floor when she suddenly froze at the sight before her. Without a second thought, she instantly hid and pressed herself against the wall.

Kyoko couldn't believe it. Ren and Sho were talking—together. She had never seen the two interact before and it didn't take much for her to realize that they weren't just being friendly. The entire hallway practically crackled with tension.

But before Kyoko could think another thought, she suddenly heard:

"No more damn pretenses, Tsuruga."

"And what pretenses would those be?"

A dark laugh echoed off the walls.

"Just fucking say it. You love Kyoko, don't you?"