Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat and its characters...

This chapter is inspired by the songs 'What was forgotten' Skip Beat OST and 'What hurts the most' by Cascada or Rascal flatts...

Chapter 9

Kuon was at the forest in Kyoto where they first met. He was standing in the clearing facing the little stream of water running on the ground. He heard rustling of leaves from behind so he turned around. There he saw Kyoko with long back hair and a bright smile on her face coming out into the clearing, dressed in a beautiful pink sundress. 'Kyoko', he whispered. Then, there eyes met and she stopped. Her bright smile faded and replaced with a surprised and panic expression. She then turned and ran away from him. He ran after her and grabbed her wrist. 'Kyoko, please don't go…' he pleaded. 'I-i-i'm not K-kyoko.'

He sat up, catching his breath. That was the same dream he had when she had fallen asleep in the couch downstairs. But what does it mean? She said she's not Kyoko. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. She's obviously Kyoko and even in my dreams she ran away from me. But she looked beautiful in her long black hair. He smiled sadly. Then Sakura's image popped in his mind. Woah… Why the hell did she come into mind when I was thinking of Kyoko's long black hair? Well, Shirogami-san kind of looked like Kyoko when she has black hair. He shook his head and got up. The clock on the bedside table says it's seven-thirty in the morning. He found his clothes on a chair and got dressed. It was clean and fresh. Sakura insisted last nigh on washing their clothes. So he slept with only his boxers because Kiri's clothes where a little small. He went downstairs and into the kitchen. When he entered the kitchen, he stopped. He saw Kyoko in the sink, washing something. She really looked like the one I just saw in my dream a few minutes ago. Is it really her? As these thoughts ran trough his head, he didn't noticed he was walking towards her. Then the woman by the sink turned around and he was met by two green eyes.

"Kyah!" She jumped and dropped the bowl full of vegetables to the floor. When she recognized Kuon, she sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that, Hizuri-san."

Kuon shook his head and composed himself. "I'm sorry, Shirogami-san." He bent down and gathered all the vegetables that scattered on the floor and put all of it back in the bowl and handed it over to Sakura. "Good morning, Shirogami-san." He greeted her and smiled a fake smile.

Sakura recognized the smile and was taken aback. What did I do? "G-good morning, Hizuri-san." She forced a smile. "Do you want a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, please." He replied this time with a real smile but not the genuine smile he used to when he saw Kyoko. That smile was gone the moment he saw that plane crash news fourteen years ago. She poured the coffee into a cup and gave it to him. "Thank you, Shirogami-san."

"Hizuri-san, what kind of breakfast do you want, Japanese or Western?"

"I missed Japanese food, especially home cooked meals. So I say Japanese."

Then it fell silent except for the sounds Sakura made while preparing for their breakfast. Luckily, after a few minutes, Hime and Maria came down and joined them in the kitchen. They greeted each other and Maria sat in front of the table while Hime helped her kaa-san by setting the table.

"So what do you plan on doing today?" Kuon asked Maria as he picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip from it.

"I want to go shopping for our change of clothes with Hime after breakfast and after that I want to go out with everyone." She said with a bright smile. "I haven't been this excited of going out for years now. Is that okay with you guys?" She looked over to Sakura and Hime.

"Well, it is Sunday, Hime and Kiri don't have school but I have to go to work at the Cake house." Hime and Maria made a pleading look. "But I guess Yuni can manage without me for a day."

"So where are we going?" Kuon asked. The three of them were silent while thinking of anywhere they could go. The three of them exchange glances and then finally settled their eyes to the big and tall problem who's keeping them from thinking of ideas of where they could go. Then, Sakura, Hime and Maria sighed and hanged their heads in defeat. Kuon knew what they were thinking and sighed too. Then, suddenly an idea came up and he grinned. "Hey guys." They all looked at him immediately. "Do you like nature?" They nodded. "Then I know where we can go picnic without being mob by fans."

"Really?" The three of them asked at the same time. Kuon nodded with a smile. Then Sakura quickly put their breakfast on the table and they all started eating. Hime and Maria were so excited, they ate quickly, shoving food in their mouth and they quickly left to shop. Sakura went up and dragged Kiri down and shoved foods in his mouth while his still half asleep. This made Kuon laugh but when he pictured Kyoko shoving food like that at him, it made him a little freaked out. After two hours they were in Kuon's tinted car. Sakura sat in the front while Hime, Kiri and Maria were at the backseat and they were on their way to picnic. But they didn't exactly know where they were going though, except for Kuon.

After an hour of driving they finally stopped. Sakura was the first one to recognize where they were and guessed on where they were going. After all she lived there for fifteen years. Oh Kami-sama! Are we really going to where I think we're going? I-i-i-I haven't been there since forever. And now I'm going back there to where we first met. But the only problem is that he doesn't now it's me. What if I get carried away by my emotions when I recall memories of him and me there? Kami-sama, what should I dooo? They all went out of the car and Kuon led the way through the forest. Sakura was the farthest behind. She inhaled a lung-full of air. Okay, calm down. Remember you are Sakura right now. No matter what happens you are Sakura. It's gonna be alright. Just enjoy it like everyone. She exhaled all the air she inhaled. Then she followed them carefully. She brushed all the leaves and branches that blocked as she came into the clearing. It was like the first time she met Corn the fairy, the rays of the sun were beautiful as it hit the leaves, the ground, the stones and everything just sparkles like the man who's standing in the middle looking down at the small stream. She gasped and then smiled a heavenly smile. The way the light hit his hair, face, skin and body. Everything about him just sparkled. He doesn't seem like a human being that he is but more like the one that she believed, a fairy. No wonder I fell in love with him, she thought. Then stepped closer the center of the clearing, raised her head and closed her eyes. She just stood there feeling the warmth of the sun. She inhaled the fresh air and breathed it out and then she smiled to herself. What she didn't know was from the moment she closed her eyes Kuon watched her with thoughtful eyes and didn't noticed that he had smiled heavenly, the kind he always give Kyoko. Hime, Kiri and Maria were busy looking around that they missed what happened with the two.

"How'd you know this place, Ren-sama?" Maria asked suddenly, breaking the sparkly moment between the two. Kuon quickly turned around to where Maria was and Sakura immediately snapped her eyes open.

Kuon faced the stream again and raised his head to the sky. I'm home, Kyoko, he thought as he smiled sadly. "This place is where it all started." Maria looked confused. Then he looked at Maria. "I found this place when my family had a vacation here in Kyoto when I was ten." Then he raised his head back again to the sky. This time he closed his eyes. Kyoko, I wish you could see me and hear my thoughts right now. I have a lot of things I want to tell you, Kyoko. I already fulfilled my dream. I surpassed tou-san. I'm done hiding behind the mask of Tsuruga Ren. I can now freely fly as Kuon Hizuri as you said. I was able to do all that because of you, Kyoko. I hoped you watched me from up there. Thank you so much. And there is also one thing that I regret not telling you the most. I'm sorry I hadn't said it to you when you were still here. I was being a coward thinking that I didn't have the right to be happy. Now, I really don't have anything to be happy about anymore. But now, I want you to know that… I love you so much and I always will... I live only for you, Kyoko… I'm yours, back then, now and forever… I'll live my life for the both of us… I hope you're happy with that… And I hope that you were listening… A tear slid down Kuon's right cheek. Then he turned around, opened his eyes and smiled sadly. Then, he jumped up high in the air and did a back flip. He landed on a small island in the middle of the stream. He did it so gracefully. The four of them watched him and were both stunned and amazed. Sakura, wanted to cry so much but cry in both sadness and happiness as she remembered when he did it when she was small and she thought he was flying. But even now, Sakura could still see something like wings on his back when he jumped up in the air so beautifully.

"Woahh…" It was Kiri who spoke first. "That was so cool! You gotta teach me how to do that, man." He said as he walked to where Kuon was standing. The tear that slid on Kuon's cheek was already dry. And Kiri who doesn't talk much with people he doesn't know very well or he's not close with, actually talked to Kuon and approached him. Sakura was a little surprised but smiled as he watched father and son bonded. Then, the girls laid a big blanket on the ground with not so much stones and took the food and everything they brought out. Hime, Maria and Sakura were playing with the water by the stream. The water was cool, it's so refreshing.

It was almost noon, so Sakura excused herself and went to the laid out blanket and prepared the bentos she made that morning for their lunch. Then she looked back to where they were. Kuon was still teaching Kiri the move he did earlier. Kiri got it in a few tries. Then they did it together. The girls by the stream clapped their hands to them. Then Hime splashed some water into Kiri's smug face. Maria copied Hime and splashed Kuon with water too. That got the guys angry and started a water splash war. Sakura tried to stop them before they got soaking wet but they just splashed her too. Then they were all laughing as they made their way to the laid out blanket and started eating their lunch.

I was listening to the OST 'what was fogotten' the whole time I was writing this chapter. And I got teary while writing Kuon's confession. :'( I had to stop writing and wipe my tears away. LOL hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks for the support and reviews guys... love yah... ^.^