Disclaimer: uhm, this is FANfiction so Original Skip Beat story, plots, character, whatever... I don't own them... Capice?

Soo... Here's another one to make up for my very late update before the previous chapter. Excuse my grammatical errors and typos. Me only human. Lol so I hope you will enjoy this chap. Ta ta~ ^_^

Recap:

Memories came flooding through his mind as he drove through familiar roads and areas. He saw all the things that remained unchanged and those that didn't. There were a lot of changes, since the constant thing in this world was change, especially in a city like LA.

He drove around to acquaint himself of his hometown again until, he finally arrived at the place where he had unconsciously wanted to go.

He gazed upon the many flat headstones on the vast green grass lawn as the sky was starting to be painted in orange as the sun began to set.

It was a beautiful view from the hill...

...from the hill where one of those headstones had his best friend's name on it...

The Great Escape

Chapter 14:

I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day

Take me to the place I love

Take me all the way

Kuon didn't know how much time passed but he just keep on watching that beautifully painted sky and occasionally glancing in the direction of where he remembered the headstone which bore the name of his one and only best friend.

He just looked and looked... But he could never find the courage or the strength to move and get out of his car and walk to where his best friend was laid to rest. He couldn't... He just couldn't do it. He was paralyzed by the same darkness that had drowned him in the last five years of his life.

Ringggggg! Ringggggg!

The cellphone that his dad gave for him to use in the country rang. It woke him up from deep in thought. He looked at the phone and saw his mom's picture and name. He took a few moments to take a deep breath and calm himself.

"Hello, mom?"

"Tsuru- I mean, K-kuon...san!"Kyoko just couldn't say his name without honorifics. "Please help me!" She pleaded at the other end.

"Kyoko? What happened?" Kuon replied in surprise and worry.

"I-it's too much! K-ka... K-kaa-san's giving me a lot of clothes!" Kyoko exclaimed. "They're so expensive! I think she's planning my wardrobe for the next whole year! And I don't even know where I'll put even a quarter of these when I get home! It's not like I can just accept all these. But I don't want to be rude so I should accept just a little but THIS IS JUST ALL TOO MUCH!"

Kuon was stunned for a few seconds at his new wife's outburst. Though he saw this coming when he dropped them off before at Rodeo Drive, known throughout the world as the epicenter of luxury fashion. He also knew his mother was so excited and predicted she would go overboard. So, surely Kyoko would freak out. He smiled a small smile as he remembered how he made up a fairytale story just to make sure that Kyoko accepted the princess Rosa stone.

"Okay, okay, calm down, babe. Mom's just excited since her wish came true to finally have a daughter and have mother-daughter bonding with her." Kuon assured her. Getting familiar of his hometown again had made him be himself again. Hence, him calling Kyoko, 'babe'. "Just wait for a while and I'll be there as soon as I can. Oh, and I'll talk to mom when I get there, okay? Just hang in there for a little longer. Bye."

Kuon hang up and drove as fast as he could. Good thing he still remember his way around and that three in the afternoon to eight in the evening were the rush hours in Los Angeles. Traffic in those hours in the freeways are really horrible. So, he took one of the canyons and enjoyed the dizzying ride there. After more than half an hour, he looked for a place to park near his mom's boutique and got out of the car to go save his wife from his overexcited mom.

He opened the door of his mom's boutique and he was feeling nostalgic. One of the sale's lady hired by his mom, went to him and asked if she could help him. The lady was obviously batting her eyelashes at him and he had obviously ignored that fact too.

He smiled his fake bright smile to her and said, "I'm here to pick up my wife."

The lady's eyes widened and her mouth opened in surprise. But she caught herself and tried to compose herself again.

Kuon took pity and told her, "She's with the owner."

"Oh..." The lady said. "I see. This way please."

She led him to the back where the private rooms for fitting were located. Even though he knew his way around the store, he just let the lady show him because he was still not ready to announce his presence as Julie and Kuu's son again in public. It might leak to the media who always had ears like a bat and everything would be blown out of proportion. He wasn't ready for that, so he went along and enjoyed anonymity for a while.

The lady was about to knock on the door and announce his presence to the people inside the big luxurious fitting room. But he stopped her and told her to leave. She looked like she was about to protest but Kuon told her that he personally knew the owner/designer Juliena Hizuri and the lady left reluctantly. Kuon knocked on the door and waited for someone to open.

"Tsu- Kuon-san!" Kyoko called desperately when she opened the door obviously in a hurry or just wanted to flee the room. "I'm so glad you're here! Please make her stop!"

But Kuon was so stunned as he looked at Kyoko. Her hair were slightly tousled, eyes bright, lips pouty, and she was wearing a very, insanely sexy white body hugging lace halter babydoll. Kuon's mouth went dry. An image of Kyoko flashed through his mind. She was wearing her wedding dress and holding a single stem of rose and she was walking towards him.

~Kyoto, Tanaka Ryokan on the 25th of Decemeber at 4:30 PM~

The man who was very dashing in his tuxedo stood waiting in the middle of the bridge with a minister to the right side of him. He was facing the the other end of the bridge where he was expecting his blushing bride would walk very slowly towards him. When he caught a glimpse of her, his breath caught in his throat and his face broke into an eager smile.

The blushing bride was walking down the aisle with her beautiful and modest white dress, her face covered by a simple white thin veil which did not in one least bit hid how beautiful she was and her slender hands held a single stem of red rose. When she saw him standing there waiting for him, her eyes twinkled and her smile lit up her face. Even though, there wasn't any music playing in the background but a beautiful enchanting wedding march was playing in the minds of the bride and groom who were gazing at each other's eyes lovingly like it was a fairytale movie coming to life itself. It was magical, enchanting and out of this world.

When she finally reach him, they held hands and still not breaking eye contact with each other. The minister cleared his throat and started the ceremony but the two still had eyes for each other only.

"Dearly beloveds and honored guests: We are gathered here today in the sight of God and the company assembled to witness the giving and receiving of the marriage vows." The minister started the ceremony, still looking at the eager bride and groom in front of him who looked like they were not paying attention to him.

"Marriage is an institution ordained of God and is not to be entered in lightly or in jest and only after much consideration." He advised to the bride and groom and looked for any indication of them hearing him and paying attention to him. But nothing, they only stared at each other hungrily and longingly. So he continued.

"Do you, Hizuri Kuon, take this woman, Mogami Kyoko, as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her as long as you both shall live?"

Kuon's beam widened in excitement and eyes glittered in happiness as he answered in a clear voice. "I do."

"Do you, Mogami Kyoko, take this man, Hizuri Kuon, as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do!" Kyoko squealed in pure delight and she was beyond ready to kiss her husband. But the minister told them to put their rings on each other and add their own vows if they wanted as he held the rings out to them in his hand.

Kuon picked up her ring and positioned it in her ring finger.

"Kyoko, I give you this ring as a promise of my love for you and a symbol of our unity. Your beauty, heart and mind inspire me to be the best person I can be. I promise to love you for eternity, respecting you, honoring you, being faithful to you and sharing my life with you. I love you." Kuon vowed as he slid the ring to his finger.

"Corn, I don't know what to say..." Kyoko told him honestly with a teary voiced as she was so touched by his vow to her. "But I know that when we are apart, we are clumsy and make stupid mistakes. But when I am with you, I am healed and happy as you are with me. I, I love you. I love you as my fairy prince Corn. I love you as my respected sempai Ren. I love you as my brother Cain. I love you the most just as you are, Kuon. And I will love you for the rest of my life. Forever."

"By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife and what God hath joined together, let no man nor woman put asunder." The minister didn't bother to hide his smile as he saw how eager the two were for his next words. "You may now kiss your bride."

Kuon immediately pulled Kyoko to him and swooped down to do what the minister just told him. He kissed his new wife. Now, there was no holding back.

The minister blushed a little as he left the couple to their own world and thoughts of their honeymoon as people can clearly see. They were devouring each other with their lips. A love suppressed, now finally was free to follow its wants and needs to its hearts content.

~Back to present...~

"Koun-san?" Kyoko looked at her frozen husband.

Kuon was startled awake. What the hell was that? He yelled inside his head at the memory that flooded trough his mind.

"Kyoko, honey! Here's some summer outfits that I've design just for you when Kuu told me you were coming for new years." Julie called from the adjoining open door of the stock room.

"Kuon, please!" Kyoko pleaded him in panic to the point of calling his name without honorifics at all.

Kuon did not have time to think because from the tone of his mom, he was a hundred percent sure that she could not be talked out of letting Kyoko go anytime soon. So he did the only thing he could before his mom came out and trapped them all day in the fitting room. Kuon took off his jacket and wrapped it around Kyoko. He scooped her up princess style as Kyoko screamed in surprise. Kuon bolted out of the boutique with Kyoko in his arms and into one of his dad's car, a Mercedes Benz CLS. Kuon started the engine and shifted the gear into drive and off they went.

Three minutes after Kuon drove off, his phone rang and he knew it was his mother. He gave it to Kyoko and told her to not answer it.

"Are you sure?" Kyoko asked worriedly.

"She'll get over it." Kuon replied. "Just ignore it and text her that she can bring everything she wants you to try on home and we'll look at it later."

Kyoko didn't argue and just obeyed because she just wanted to escape from Julie's fashion bombardment. She had been changing outfits nonstop for the whole two and a half hours. Imagine hour many clothes she had tried on in that span of time? She was so happy and excited at the beginning and she didn't want to disappoint Julie. But Julie started letting her try on the winter and the spring collection and she was on her way to the summer collection when finally Kuon arrived. But what really freaked Kyoko out was that anything that looked good on Kyoko, Julie gave it to her, which were most of the clothes she had tried on. So she started panicking.

"Call dad too and tell him to pick mom up. He should be done with his interview already. He went out ahead of us this afternoon." Kuon told her.

Kyoko dialed Kuu's number and then put in on speaker. Kuon explained to his dad what happened and Kuu told Kuon to not worry and just take Kyoko out in town and enjoy themselves. Kyoko hang up and Kuon told her to turn off his phone. And silence filled the car.

"So, where are we going?" Kyoko broke the silence and asked curiously. "I can't really go out in this outfit, you know. I don't even have shoes on."

"Oh, sorry about that." He apologized and they headed to the nearest store. Kuon left her for a few minutes in the car to buy her flip-flops and they went on to the destination Kuon had in mind. Santa Monica pier.

They rode in silence and Kyoko was engrossed by her surroundings. After almost half an hour, they finally arrived and Kuon parked the car. Kyoko was still wearing Kuon's jacket which covered her to just above her knees. Kuon offered to carry her to the store around the corner at 3rd street promenade, but she protested vehemently because it was very embarrassing.

They rounded the corner and went into American Eagle outfitters. Kuon immediately went in search for an outfit for her so she can change into something decent. After much browsing and arguing with Kyoko, she was finally inside the fitting room and changing into a white sweater dress and a suede bootie. They couldn't find a thick coat for her in there so Kyoko was still wearing Kuon's jacket. Kuon paid for the items and Kyoko couldn't argue because she did not have her wallet with her.

They went next door to Victoria's secret to buy Kyoko's sleepwear. Kuon and Kyoko awkwardly went in. Kyoko was embarrassed because everything in there were sexy lingeries for women. For Kyoko they are private and too intimate to share with somebody else especially to a guy. But there she was entering the shop with her new husband who was previously her most respected sempai. Kyoko was blushing furiously and her movements robotic.

Kuon, on the other hand, was being tortured by his own thoughts. The picture-like flashback he had when he woke up that day flooded his mind and Kyoko's sexy outfit in his mother's boutique taunted him. It was pure torture. He was at war with himself inside but his face was blank on the outside. He focused his mind on getting things done so he would be able to escape hell much faster and that he would not embarrass himself in front of lots of people.

Kyoko chose one simple cotton pajama, but Kuon added two more satin and silk pajama. She tried to argue but Kuon already walked towards other stuff. He saw some tights and picked one for Kyoko. He was on his way to pay for it but a thought stopped him. He went to Kyoko who was still a little flushed looking at all the sexy underwear around her.

"Do you want anything else? Maybe a pair of underwear?" He said and held up one of the underwear in front of him. It was a purple lace thong that if worn, it won't really cover much of anything. Kuon looked at Kyoko, curious for her reaction. But he saw a change in her eyes and she wasn't blushing anymore.

Kyoko slightly leaned her head to the right and looked Kuon straight in the eyes with a twinkle and a sexy lazy smile. "Are you gonna buy it for me, nii-san?"

Kuon was startled at first but he was determined to not be played and outdone by a mere character. He smirked at her and leaned into her ear and whispered in a husky voice, "Only if you let me see you try this on tonight."

Kuon's words painted a vivid picture in Kyoko's mind and she broke character as she blushed from head to toe.

WOW! I didn't expect this chapter to end this way. I planned to go all the way til they finish the night and their spontaneous date, but this scene just jumped out at me and it was a good way to end it... I know, I'm cruel for ending it this way but I like it. Sorry. I hope you enjoyed me torturing Kuon in this chapter. There's still more coming so look forward to it. Clue for next chapter will be closure for Kuon. That's not really a clue though coz that says a lot in itself. But I really hope that you like this chapter. Though, I had a crisis today. Something happened to my laptop charger and I was worrying that I won't be able to update because my laptop's battery was already running out and I haven't finished this chapter yet, but my dad's the best technician ever and he fixed it! I was so happy and relieved.

So anyways, thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, liking, following and fav-ing my stories. Love you guys so much. And now, I'll start thinking about my update on Baby Ren. After I eat though coz my stomach's grumbling already. Lol read yah laterzzz... ^_^