Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update. Just finished the first wave of midterms. XD Anyway, thank you for the great reviews and positive support. It means so much and I hope you like the next installment! Please Read and Review!

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

"It's okay, Ami-san. I'm already back at the hotel," Kyoko said as she closed the suite door behind her.

"We can have lunch another time," the young actress insisted into her cell phone. She suddenly let out a laugh. "Yes, I promise I will be there."

And after hearing her friend's reply, Kyoko smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you, Ami-san. Please tell the others I'm sorry as well. Okay. Alright then. I'll see you later. Bye."

Flipping the phone shut, Kyoko sighed in shame as she began to make her down towards the main lobby. Out of all things she hated the most it would have to be deceiving someone—especially a friend. She could already taste the bitterness in her mouth for not telling Ami the truth about why she denied coming to lunch.

But at the same time, Kyoko couldn't exactly tell them where she was going either. If they knew, her friends would certainly want to come along. And since she was already dreading the event, the presence of her friends would probably only stress her out even more.

Because this time around, Kyoko knew that this wasn't going to be a normal eating out. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that something bad was going to come out of this. There was no way he just wanted to eat, let alone let her pay off a debt by only making her treat for lunch. He would never be that considerate.

"Well, a considerate guy wouldn't ask me to owe him a favor in the first place," Kyoko silently countered with a roll of her eyes as she finally reached the last set of stairs. She could have easily taken the elevator, but she figured the long way down would give her time to collect her thoughts.

It had been over four years since she last saw Sho and to be honest, Kyoko wasn't entirely sure of how to act around him. A part of her said to just be herself, but at the same time, she wasn't sure she could. Any feelings she had for Sho had changed completely over the years, so obviously acting like herself wouldn't really be "herself" in his eyes.

Kyoko groaned and ran a hand through her hair.

"Maybe agreeing to this lunch was a bad idea after all."

Pushing open the door, Kyoko stepped out into the brightly lit lobby from the back and surprisingly saw more people on the marbled floor than she thought. Some people were huddled together, whispering away, and others seemed to be staring at something near the door. But deciding to dismiss the thought, Kyoko casually walked towards the center of the shiny floor and was about to go through the front doors when something caught the corner of her eye.

She swiftly turned her head to the side and felt her eyes widen in surprise.

Sho stood by the golden pillar, leaning against the carved stone with his arms crossed firmly over his chest. Kyoko remained rooted to the spot as his gaze finally met hers. He fluidly straightened up and made his way across. Everyone in the lobby seemed to be watching him, and naturally they turned to Kyoko as well as they realized the two were somehow affiliated with each other.

Silently stepping in front of her, Sho stuck both of his hands into the pocket of his jeans and asked in a low voice, "Ready?"

Kyoko gave a tiny nod of her head. "How long have you been waiting there?"

"Ten minutes or so."

"I thought you said 11:30?" Kyoko asked.

He shrugged, replying, "The practice went smoother than I thought."

"Practice? For what?"

Shaking his head, Sho answered, "Later. Let's get out of here before the real traffic hits."

Kyoko made an agreeing sound in the back of her throat as she obediently followed him out the door. She could feel the many pair of eyes staring at her back, but she was too afraid to turn around. Ignoring them all was for the best anyway. That way, they wouldn't think this was too strange of a situation, no matter how "weirded-out" Kyoko truly felt.

Sho suddenly turned around to look at her. "Anything wrong?" he asked.

She quickly raised her gaze to his and shook her head. "No, why?"

"You're walking really slowly."

"It's nothing," she said, quickening her pace until she stood beside him. "I'm just wondering where we're going."

"It's a private place down the street so you don't have to worry about reporters or anything."

Kyoko nodded. But to be honest, she didn't think about that at all. The last thing she was concerned about was the paparazzi. Right now, the only thing pestering her was him and what exactly was his true motive for getting her out here. As soon as she stepped onto the cool street, she noticed that the same vehicle last night was already parked near the curb. Sho smoothly opened the black door and stood off to the side, patiently waiting behind the door.

Hesitantly, she boarded the car first, feeling as if her debt had increased even more as she accepted another favor from him. Once he sat down beside her, the driver automatically began to maneuver the car onto the road without a word. Kyoko leaned back against the seat, keeping her eyes upon the window.

It was the same feeling she had last night. She REALLY didn't want to be here.

"How was the meeting?" he suddenly asked in, what sounded like to Kyoko, a very bored voice.

"Fine," she answered simply, turning to him. "How about you?"

He shrugged. "I finished what I needed to do."

"What are you doing in New York anyway?" Kyoko asked with furrowed eyebrows. "You didn't tell me why you're here last night."

"What else do you think I'm doing?" he answered with a patronizing laugh. "I'm recording music."

"Well, why not in Japan?" she asked with a glare, irritated by his condescending tone.

Stretching his arms, he replied, "I got another recording label here. Besides, Japan is starting to get old. I'm more than ready to leave."

Kyoko smiled grimly and shook her head. "You're an idiot."

"What the hell? Where did that come from?" Sho asked angrily.

Peering at him out of the corner of her eye, she said in a hard voice, "There's nothing like being at home."

Sho scoffed with a shake of his head. "What? Are you homesick or something?"

Kyoko didn't reply as she leaned her chin into the palm of her hand, returning her focus back outside the window.

Sho, however, continued to stare at her subdued expression with silent astonishment. No matter how long he looked, he couldn't understand exactly what she was thinking about. It was harder to read her thoughts now, unlike before when everything was spelled out upon her face. She seemed to have more control of her emotions which oddly enough frustrated him even more.

"If you want to go home so badly, why don't you?" he asked in a harsher tone than intended.

Kyoko rolled her eyes as she unwillingly turned to look at him. "You're seriously asking me that?"

"Is your job more important than going home?"

"My goal is more important than the sacrifices I have to make," she countered.

"And what's your goal?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She fully turned to face him with hard-set eyes. "To become the best star I can be," Kyoko answered, determination ringing in every word.

"That's all?"

"Why else?" Kyoko asked with a puzzled frown.

Sho suddenly turned his eyes to the carpeted floor, his jaw clenched tightly. Then in an oddly soft murmur, he said under his breath, "It's different than from what I last remembered."

Kyoko blinked back in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I thought your goal was to beat me."

She stopped, staring at his calculative gaze that looked up at her.

Sho didn't break eye contact at all. He just stared into her shocked expression as he waited—or rather demanded—for an answer. Kyoko didn't understand the look in his face; in a way, it felt like he was expecting something from her.

But with a tiny shake of her head, she replied, "I don't need to do that anymore."

"Why? Because you think you beat me?" he asked as he sat up straighter, the disbelief evident in his voice.

She easily shook her head again. "No."

"Then why?"

"Because it's not important anymore."

Sho fell silent.

The atmosphere in the car changed in a heartbeat. There was nothing else to say after that. Sho slowly turned his eyes in the other direction as Kyoko kept her attention upon her lap. The uncomfortable silence stretched on, but no one said a word. Not a single sound or breath could be heard.

But just as Sho was about to open his mouth from sheer anxiety, his words suddenly fell short as he heard his driver call from the front, "We're here, Fuwa-san."

The musician quickly cleared his throat and nodded.

"Let's go," he said to Kyoko without looking at her.

Noticing his refusal to meet her eyes, Kyoko followed him out of the car and stepped onto the pavement. They stood in front of what appeared to be a very high-end French restaurant with marble pillars and ceramic structures. Kyoko couldn't stop the awed look in her eyes. It looked like a place for royalty. But when she was about to step forward, Sho suddenly stretched out an arm in front of her.

"We're not eating here," he explained.

She raised an eyebrow. "We're not? Then why did we stop here?"

"Change of plans."

Then swiftly turning in the opposite direction, Sho silently continued down the street with Kyoko trailing after him. She didn't understand him at all. The way his shoulders were slumped and the odd tone of his voice were so out of character. She didn't know what to do except stare at his back as he led her away.

After a few minutes of walking, Sho suddenly entered a building that didn't have a name. Kyoko moved her head around in curiosity as she walked through the glass doors and realized that it was a place filled with tiny Asian restaurants—like a plaza of sorts. The smell of noodles and fried squid elicited a smile at the corner of her lips. It was almost like home.

"Wait here," Sho called over his shoulder.

He then walked into a Japanese restaurant and talked to the man at the podium. Hiding behind a tall bush to avoid being spotted by the people sitting around her, she watched him say something to the concierge whose eyes widened in surprise when he realized who EXACTLY he was talking to. And after vigorous nodding and bowing, the man scurried away.

Sho turned around and gave her a flick of his hand. Instinctively, Kyoko walked over and entered the restaurant, curiosity coloring her face.

"What was that?"

Shaking his head, Sho replied, "I just told him to prepare a private room for us. We obviously can't eat out here without getting mobbed."

Kyoko didn't answer as she looked up at him. He still wasn't meeting her eyes.

But she didn't have the chance to say anything because the concierge and his manager instantly came rushing back. Their constant bowing and exclamations of "thank-you's" bothered her immensely, but Sho didn't seem to care. The two men led them up a flight of stairs in the back and there sitting in a secluded, warm loft was a table set just for two.

"Please eat here, Fuwa-san," the manager gestured with a wide smile. "If you and Mogami-san need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

He gave a curt nod. "Thank you."

And after more bows and flustered good-byes, the two men walked down the stairs, leaving the couple on their own.

There was just one tiny table in the center of the room. It was placed in front of a large, oval glass window that overlooked the city. The loft was made to look like an outdoor temple, with cherry blossoms everywhere and a pond of coy fish to the side. Her heels clicked upon the stone-like floor as she approached the table that was decorated with colorful origami lotus flowers and cranes.

Kyoko suddenly turned around. "Why did you change your mind?"

"What?"

"Why aren't we eating at the place you made reservations for?" she asked in an unwavering voice.

He shrugged, replying, "I'm not in the mood for French."

She laughed with a sigh. "You can never be honest, can you?" Kyoko pointed out.

Sho raised his head in surprise as she looked back at him.

"You chose here because I said I missed home."

It wasn't a question. Kyoko just stared directly into his frozen eyes that seemed to show no emotion at all. Then with a weary shake of her head, she pulled out the chair and sat down. "You didn't have to do that."

He didn't answer.

"But nevertheless, thank you," she said with a gentle smile.

Sho's eyes widen.

It was genuine.

So much time had passed since he had last seen it that Sho had completely forgotten what it was like to see her happy. He completely forgot the warmth that spread all the way to his fingertips every time she smiled. He completely forgot how good it made him feel.

But quickly pushing the thought out of his head, he silently walked forward and took the chair across from her. "You were whining about it so much, I obviously had to change my plans."

Kyoko rolled her eyes at his pathetic excuse and replied, "Being considerate isn't necessarily a bad thing, you know."

Sho didn't answer.

And realizing that he wasn't going to say anything else, Kyoko decided to turn her eyes away from him and instead look at the pond behind her. She gazed warmly at the bright fish that swam around in circles. She always loved to look at fish. No matter what was going on around them, they were always at peace with the world, enjoying their simple life with the utmost grace. She smiled and was about to reach out a hand when Sho suddenly asked:

"Are you happy?"

Kyoko's head instantly whipped towards him, noticing the dark look in his eyes. From the tone of his voice, she knew that his question was much more complicated than it sounded. Sho wasn't talking about the current moment at all.

And after a slight pause, she fully turned back to him and held both of her hands upon the wooden table. "I am," Kyoko replied honestly. "I like how my life is right now."

Sho's eyes quickly darted away from her face, but as soon as his focus changed, his attention fell upon something he never wanted to see at all. The corners of his lips instantly turned downward as he stared at the silver band around her finger.

The sting that ran through his veins was sharp. It was the first time in a while that he had felt something so crippling.

In the last few years, Sho understood better than anyone that she had moved on. She had her own life to live now, a life that didn't include him anymore. But to see the evidence so clearly with his own eyes practically choked him for words. It was almost as if it was taunting him. Still, he couldn't stop staring at ring. The circular band gleamed in the sunlight, not allowing him to forget even for a moment.

Clenching his hands tightly in his lap, Sho asked under his breath, "Why isn't he here with you?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes in confusion as he slowly raised his head.

"If he was here, you wouldn't have agreed to come today," he continued.

She shook her head and frowned. "I owe you a debt. I would have come no matter what," she replied, understanding that he was asking about her husband.

Sho scoffed.

"As for Ren," Kyoko explained patiently as if uninterrupted, "he's back in Japan. I'm the only one here on business."

Feeling oddly irritated at hearing her say his name, Sho's eyes narrowed as he grumbled, "He chose work instead of being here with you? Figures."

Kyoko's jaw tightened. Then laughing darkly, she said with a nonchalant wave of her hand, "Of course. You're absolutely right. As my husband, he would certainly just leave me here of his own free will."

Sho tensed at her sarcastic tone.

Then with clearly angered eyes, Kyoko said in a cold voice, "Don't act like you know him."

But just as he was about to respond, two servers had already climbed the wooden stairs and began to set down large plates of sushi and sashimi before them. Kyoko kept her eyes on the food, waiting for her frustration to subside. Belittling her was one thing, but insulting Ren was certainly not something she would take lightly. Only Sho would be stupid enough to cross that line.

As soon as the servers left, Kyoko placed the thick napkin over her lap and picked up the pair of chopsticks in front of her. Sho followed suit and when he realized she still looked annoyed, he sighed heavily.

"Relax. I didn't mean much by it."

Kyoko's eyes narrowed, her black aurora slowly beginning to rise at his weary tone. "Then don't say stupid things."

"It's stupid to ask why you're here and he's not?" he retorted back. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks it's strange."

"He's not here because I told him not to be here," she answered in an equally hard voice.

Sho's eyes suddenly widen in surprise.

"Wait, you…don't want him here?"

She scoffed.

"Of course I do," Kyoko said with an irritated shake of her head as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But that doesn't mean I would force him to choose between me and his career."

"His career?" Sho repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

Kyoko sighed and met his puzzled gaze. "Asking him to come with me to New York would mean asking him to put his job on hold. I won't do that to him."

"But you want him here," he said again, pressing the matter further. "Isn't that important?"

Shaking her head, she replied in a quiet voice, "But I care about his happiness more."

With just that one simple statement, Sho could suddenly hear a familiar young girl's voice playing in the back of his mind, saying in earnest how she would do just about anything and everything for him, and how nothing in the world mattered more than his own success and joy. It was suddenly all he could hear.

And as he stared into her softened expression that gazed down at her wedding ring, he realized with a pang that he was wrong. Kyoko had never really changed. She was still the same girl he remembered.

The only thing different was the person who now had the piece of her heart he had lost. From the look in her eyes, Sho could easily tell that there was no room for anyone else but him. Her feelings had never been clearer.

"Would he do the same for you?" Sho murmured.

Kyoko smiled warmly. "He would," she whispered with a nod.

Sho didn't respond after that. He didn't have the heart to say anything anymore. So as they ate in silence, commenting on the food every now and then, he finally noticed what it was that changed between him and her.

Over the years, even when they hadn't said a word to each other, even when they hadn't caught a glimpse of each other, Sho would somehow find himself thinking about her—especially at times when he was alone. It was always a fleeting moment that never lasted for more than a couple of seconds, but in that short period of time, he would strangely feel hollow on the inside—as if there was something missing in his life.

He never gave much thought about it until he heard of Kyoko's marriage. Sho could remember everything about that day: how he was sitting on the couch in his hotel room, how the remote was slipping out of his grasp, and how his eyes wouldn't leave the television set as pictures of her and her soon-to-be husband flitted across the screen. Sho didn't know what he was feeling then. Sure, he felt angry and maybe even a little sad, but the news wasn't so debilitating that he couldn't accept it. In fact, Sho had even sent a text to that guy to prove he was fine.

But the strange pain that rippled through him every time he thought about it didn't seem to make sense at all.

Only now, as they sat across from each other and he could see the content look in her eyes, does he finally understand why it bothered him so deeply to see a wedding ring on her finger. Although he was the one who abandoned her, it felt like Kyoko had finally caught up and walked away without another look back.

He was now the one who was left behind.

By the time lunch was over and they had called a taxi to get back to the Mark Hotel, Sho still hadn't said anything substantial to Kyoko. It was like everything inside him was on pause. He didn't know what to say anymore because in reality, none of it mattered. Everything had already changed and there was nothing else he could do.

Before he realized it, the two had already stepped out of the vehicle and stood in front of the hotel. Sho followed her inside the practically empty lobby and walked behind her until she stood before the golden elevator and pushed the button.

And knowing that he had to say something by now, Sho opened his mouth and was about to say good-bye when she suddenly asked:

"Are you happy?"

He froze.

Kyoko slowly turned around at his silence and met his astonished gaze.

"Do you like your life right now?" she asked.

Sho didn't answer immediately. Reflexively, he wanted to say yes. His career as a musician was doing well and his music was getting better by the day. But as he gazed into her amber eyes, he realized that that wasn't what he wanted to say at all.

Then with a heavy sigh, he answered, "It doesn't really matter, does it? It's not like I can change anything."

"And what would that be?" Kyoko asked.

He smiled grimly. "I don't think you want to know."

"Try me."

Sho laughed and ran a hand through his golden hair. "Why do you suddenly care about my life? It's not like it affects you."

Nodding, she replied, "True, it doesn't. But since you asked me, isn't it fair that I ask you?"

"You want to be fair? Even to me?"

Kyoko warily shook her head and smiled, replying, "Yes, even to you."

"Are you forgetting who you're talking to?" Sho asked in disbelief. "You do realize it's me, right?"

Her eyes hardened. Then oddly murmuring under her breath, she answered, "The past is the past. Like I said earlier, it's not important anymore."

"So you don't think about it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Why should I? It's not like I can do anything about it."

"Do you want to?"

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Would you want to change the past?" Sho asked again, a slight desperation in his voice.

Laughing nervously at his strange penetrating gaze, Kyoko said, "What kind of question is that? Why would I want to?"

"What if I said I wanted to?"

Her eyes widen.

Sho took a step forward. He had no idea where this was coming from. The words were practically slipping out of his mouth like running water. It was like he lost all self-control.

"What if I said I wanted to change what happened between us five years ago?" he said in a serious tone.

Kyoko stared at him in complete silence. She couldn't say anything even if she tried. At first, she thought she heard wrong, but the look in his face was so solemn that she could feel the nervousness from earlier begin to rise from the pit of her stomach. Kyoko didn't know what to do. His gaze bore deep into her.

"You might not want to change the past, but I do," he confessed softly.

"If I had known that this was how things were going to be," Sho whispered, moving his eyes to the floor, "I would have never said anything that day."

He suddenly let out a tired laugh.

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

As the words left his lips, Sho could feel his body beginning to become lighter and lighter as he realized that he had wanted to say this for so long. They were sentiments that were bottled up inside of him, pushing for release that his stubborn side refused to set free. Although it immensely hurt his pride to voice such weakness, Sho understood that he couldn't deny it anymore.

He sighed heavily.

"It wasn't what I wanted at all."

And just as he was about to continue, she suddenly said in a low voice,

"But I did."

Sho looked at her in surprise.

The color in her face had finally returned as she shook her head with downcast eyes and said, "I didn't want it then, but now that I think about it, I'm glad you were honest with me. Because if not…"

Kyoko smiled darkly.

"…I would still be hopelessly in love with you."

Sho's heart thumped painfully in his chest. He could see the obvious traces of anger in her face, but at the same time, there was an ache that somehow dulled the usual vibrant color of her eyes. It was so hard to look, but at the same time, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"I never meant to hurt you," he said in an almost pleading-like voice.

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters!" Sho snapped angrily, feeling his frustration rise. "Even now, it still matters!"

"WHY?" she asked back just as loudly. "Why should it matter? It's over already!"

"Because I didn't mean a word of it!"

"WHAT?"

"I never meant what I said!"

"How could you not mean it?"

"Because I—!"

Sho suddenly hissed and clenched his hands tightly at his sides. He gritted his teeth together in irritation as his arms shook like leaves. He could feel the waves of emotion rolling off of him by now. He had never felt so keyed up in his life. But Kyoko continued to stare into him, prompting him to speak.

He let out a shaky breath.

"Because I…"

Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"Because what?"

Out of all things to happen, he would have never guessed that today was going to come to something like this. Sho didn't plan it at all, but here was the moment for him to be honest with himself and her. For so many years, he was able to talk himself into a reality that didn't exist. Through his own ignorance, he was able to persuade himself out of an answer that was right in front of his eyes. But now, Kyoko was giving him a chance to be sincere. She was truly asking him to say what was on his mind.

Sho sighed softly.

"Kyoko," he began in a quiet voice, "I…even now, I still—"

She gasped sharply.

In an instant, Sho raised his head in surprise at her response. At first, he thought she had finally become aware of his true emotions—as if she finally saw him for who he truly was. But when he looked at her face, he realized she wasn't looking at him at all. Her eyes were completely focused on something else behind him.

As Kyoko raised a trembling hand to her now open mouth, the musician quickly turned around in confusion and felt his heart come to a dead stop in his chest.

The three words he had wanted to say for so long were suddenly lodged in the middle of his throat. But this time around, that was where they were going to stay because he bitterly realized with a heavy heart that he was far too late.

Sho stood frozen with surprise and disappointment, his arms hanging feebly at his sides, as Kyoko murmured in the softest voice a name he hated above all:

"Ren…"