Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat!

Before I started writing this chapter, I read through chapters 1 to 13 (because I sort of forgot some of the names I gave the other characters and when I should continue). And reading through some of the things I wrote, especially in the earlier chapters, I couldn't help but do multiple face palms. Most parts screamed "JUVENILE!" at me. But it was never my habit to go back and change things because I also want to know whether or not I have improved as I continued to write the story (and also this would erase most of the precious reviews you gave!). So there… I'm sorry if some parts of this story would make you cringe or cluck your tongue in disappointment. I really am. I will try to get better.

Chapter 14: And then SHE arrives

She worried about him. They would be filming some scenes together today and it was the first time that he did not offer to pick her up on his way to the filming location. It was a good thing, she told herself, because she didn't want to burden him more than she already had and she didn't want to develop a habit of relying on him too much. After all, she promised herself that she would learn to stand on her own. Also, she had no right to impose on him or demand his time and attention. He was a very busy man and she is just his lowly kohai, nothing more.

"Are you ready, Kyoko-chan?" Director Ayane asked. Startled, she nodded in response and willed herself to rid her mind with thoughts of him. She had been briefed earlier. The first scene they will film for today is the one when Aiki and Keiji meet for the first time – in a ticketing booth at the subway station. The crew created a set that looks like a real ticketing booth – beside the actual train tracks – on an area that was used as a waiting lounge of sorts. To discourage spectators, the place was cordoned off and guards have been posted to regulate all forms of traffic.

To her right, the extras are finishing up their preparations. They were dressed like normal people, like day-to-day travelers who only worry about catching the train to work or to school, so they can do what they do every day, living uneventful, normal lives.

She closed her eyes and let the noise of her surroundings slowly fade into a sort of an inhibited roar, a blur, to coax Aiki out of her shell. She got a little distracted when she overheard one of the crew telling Director Ayane that their lead actor has not yet arrived – 30 minutes after his call time. Feeling embarrassed and unprofessional, she took a deep breath and continued her transformation.

Aiki opened her eyes, just as the Director started telling everyone to get into position.

"Is Tsuruga-san ready?" Director Ayane shouted over the noise.

"He'll be out in a minute! He just arrived!" the Assistant Director answered from the wardrobe area.

True enough, after a few moments, their lead actor finally came out looking perfect in an impeccable chocolate brown suit.

Her heart lurched at the sight of him. Recently, it had been doing that a lot and she felt like she was on the brink of a very dangerous revelation.

Ren nodded towards the director who replied with an equally serious nod of his own. Then he fell in line with the rest of the extras. Choosing the one leading to the booth where she was seated.

The crew waited for the train to pass before they began capturing the first scene. Keiji stood taller that the rest of the passengers. Some women, without being cued, took notice as he moved along the line. When he reached the counter, he said "good morning" before he accepted his ticket – making her stop and stare at him longer than what was appropriate. Finally, she was able to release the ticket to his waiting hand and watched as he walked away.

"Cut!" Ayane shouted. "Kyoko-chan that was perfect! Now let's go to the next set!"

Damn, she thought, I wasn't even acting. From the moment he said "good morning", Aiki left the scene. Her expressions were purely Kyoko – the breath hitching, the hands trembling, as their fingers brushed lightly. Plus, there's that lingering look as he turned away.

With one smile and that look, he defeated her. Again. Damn. Where has my perfect Aiki gone to?

Unbeknownst to his kohai, Ren was equally worried about her. When he saw her, she looked tired – with dark rings around her eyes. Though it looked well with her character, it was still worrisome. He should have picked her up this morning. It pained him to not be by her side, yet he didn't want to burden her with his own troubles, knowing that she could easily detect the slightest change in his temperament.

For the first time in his career, he was actually late. He wasn't able to sleep the night before – wondering what Lory intended to do, why the love-addicted president was purposefully trying to destroy his meager chances with Kyoko. The man could have hired a local actress, as it was just a supporting role… instead, he hired a model, a woman who had a connection with him in the past. Only Lory knew about this connection. Wanting to find out about the president's intentions, he went to LME to visit him and ended up having quite a heated conversation – which resulted to him and arriving on set late.

He sighed as he got in the train. The next scenes would follow him traveling to Keiji's place of work. At the next stop over, another camera crew would be waiting to film his exit from the train and his entrance to the bank where his character worked as a manager.

As the train crept to its destination, he thought about Kyoko. She would be waiting for her next scenes at the hotel. They couldn't even spend time together during breaks. This is going to be one long day...

Beside the cameraman, Director Ayane nodded in approval. He liked what he saw – the lead actor's inner turmoil straining to break away from his cool façade. There is hope for him yet, he thought, fighting the smirk that is threatening to appear on his face.

She could hear their murmurs. Pretty soon someone will approach to get her autograph or take a photo. She sighed inwardly and concentrated on what lies ahead when she finally reaches her destination. She would be seeing him again! After 2 years, she would see his face – feel his warm gaze fall upon her. Even in Taiwan, he was popular. She never missed a single gossip or any bit of news about Japan's number one male celebrity. Ren.

My Ren.

It was already late afternoon when Ren finally met up with the rest of the cast members. Tomorrow will be a break for filming and Director Ayane requires that all staff, crew and artists plan before the next filming date to ensure efficiency. And so at 4pm, he found himself walking towards the old hotel where the rest of his colleagues have filmed their scenes. He rubbed his temples, feeling weary from the lack of sleep the night before and a whole day of filming at two different locations. The only positive thing about this whole meeting is that Kyoko will be there – finally he would get the chance to talk to her, see how she's doing with her character. Perhaps he can take her out to dinner. The idea made him smile.

Then his phone rang.

"Hello, Ren. It's me", came the President's introduction before he even had a chance to say anything.

"Hello, President. I'm on my way to Director Ayane's post-filming briefing. May I inquire as to the nature of this call?"

"She's here. She's arrived. Yashiro informed me earlier that you won't get off until around 6 today so I asked Sebastian to pick her up. She will be staying at the mansion until you come for her".

Shit. There was silence on both ends of the line.

"I see" he answered, trying to hide his irritation.

"I'll be there by quarter past 6" he finally answered and then hung up.

Yashiro looked up at him. "Was that the President?"

"Yes".

"Erm—did he schedule another meeting?" the manager asked worriedly.

"No. Look, is it okay if you send yourself home tonight? I have to – take care of something…" he trailed off.

His manager continued to stare at him with curiosity. "No problem, Ren. Are you sure you're alright?"

He nodded in response, though he very well knew that Yashiro can tell he was still troubled. "I think it would be best if you'd take Mogami-san with you. You can share a cab with her and send her home".

"Sure. You just tell her you won't be coming with us". It sounded like a scolding to him. To Yashiro, it would have been a great disappointment for him not to send his kohai home. And it is. It truly is – especially now… and especially for something as complicated as this.

He sighed as they entered the building.

The meeting was in the conference room. As they entered, he saw that everyone else has gathered and were waiting for their arrival.

"Ah, there they are!" the Director exclaimed, seeing him enter.

He immediately scanned the room for a familiar pair of golden hued eyes. He spotted her beside the Assistant Director. And she was looking at him with something similar to relief etched on her face. He wanted to smile but he remained impassive – knowing full well the ill effects of showing too much of his true feelings.

"Sit down. Sit down" Ayane instructed excitedly and he complied, sitting right across from his lead actress, who has resumed browsing through her script book.

The Director's smile was wide and genial as he began his briefing. "Well, firstly I want to congratulate you all for a job well done today! We actually finished on time, had minimal retakes and both our lead actors as well as our supporting cast were marvelous". The rest of the people gathered around the big conference table applauded and cheered.

"Tomorrow, we will not be seeing each other. But I trust that come the next day, you will be here at the designated call time and ready to resume filming of the rest of episode 1".

"I have a few more reminders here.." Ayane rattled off some pointers from his list. As the director did so, his gaze wandered back to her face. She must have had a break earlier and conversed with the director. She had more color on her cheeks now as compared to earlier. Still, he worried about the diminished luster in her eyes.

As if feeling his thoughts, she actually met her gaze… and blushed.

He wanted to say sorry, wanted to tell her everything in his mind. But he couldn't. Not now. He had been working his way closer to her and he had hoped that being with her in another drama would finally give him a better chance. But with what is coming, he was suddenly unsure. Why would it matter if she found out? It's not like she's going to act all jealous? Not her. She doesn't look at you that way, remember? Not yet…

So instead of giving her a reassuring smile, he looked back at the director. He decided it would be better that he take care of this himself. There's no need to involve her. Right.

What have I done wrong this time?! Oh no! Was it because of that – that touch earlier today? I didn't mean it to go that way? Or maybe there was something wrong with my acting? She tried to remember every detail of the day that has passed. All she could think of was the scene at the ticket booth. That was the only time they were together. And she could think of no other reason for him to act this way towards her AGAIN. He only does this whenever she had done something wrong.

But, he had been acting aloof since yesterday, after the President said something. Could it be that it wasn't because of her but because of what the president said? But why couldn't he look at her? She could only conclude that it was her fault. You keep disappointing him, Kyoko. Not only do you act like some child who always depends on his advice, but you also keep disappointing him with your sub-par acting. She sighed and finally averted her gaze.

"Do you have any more questions, then?" Director Ayane asked. She looked up to him. She had actually drifted off while the Director was discussing their schedule for the next shoot. So unprofessional. Perhaps she could ask her senpai… No! That would be too much for today! She shook her head. She would have to talk to Director Ayane to catch up. She would apologize first. The next time she would really pay attention and stop thinking about useless things.

"Well then, if you don't have any more concerns, let us see each other the day after tomorrow!" And with that, they were dismissed.

She stood up, finding the courage to approach the director when Yashiro-san caught her attention.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan! How are you?" the manager asked cheerfully.

She smiled tentatively, looking around for her senpai.

"Oh Ren won't be going with us, sorry" the bespectacled man answered. "He had to run an errand for the President. But he asked me to send you home". Then he smiled, looking embarrassed.

"You don't have to Yashiro-san! I can go home on my own!" she protested. Why does she feel quite disappointed?

"Nah. Ren will strangle me to death – I mean will get angry at me if he finds out I didn't send you home. He made me promise. Okay?" Yashiro replied a little too eagerly.

She smiled. She was relieved that he still remembered her. Something urgent must have come up which made him leave so soon. "Hai. But can I talk to the Director first?"

"Sure. Take your time".

She turned around to look for the Director, but not without throwing another brief glance at the door, hoping she would at least get a glimpse of her senpai leaving.

The double doors to the mansion's spacious tea room opened. She turned around, excitement flowing through her veins. And then he was there; even more handsome than when she saw him last. He must have grown even taller and more muscular, but his face was as she remembered it. Beautiful.

And all of sudden, she was a child again. She ran to him and jumped into his strong arms. "Ren!"

He couldn't help it. Suddenly he was standing there stiffly. He was not expecting that the ever so poised Eliza Lee would jump him so needlessly, much like how Maria would do it. But it was not cute, not endearing. He did not feel a thing. Two years ago, he thought he might have broken his heart because of her leaving. But surprisingly, it didn't. And shortly after that, he found his true love and that was that. Eliza became just one of 'those girls'. And even now, with her arms around him, he felt no different. She was not Kyoko. Everything has changed.

"Hello, Eliza", he answered, detaching his tall frame from her.

He saw her smile begin to falter.

"Ren. I'm so happy to see you!" she persisted.

He just smiled wearily. "Welcome back to Japan".

She smiled again. She was beautiful – with shapely legs, small waist, slim arms and a tiny face. She was perfect.

"I asked the President to give you a day off tomorrow. I want you to show me around Tokyo. I haven't been here in ages" she exclaimed gracefully while pulling his hand towards the sofa.

"You know I can't do that, Eliza. My commitments have been etched in stone months in advance. My clients would kill me and the President knows that", he answered calmly as he followed her.

"Hmm.. Not even for old time's sake?" she said with a pout. "Well, how about tomorrow night? Surely you don't have any engagements then. You're finished with Dark Moon. Your schedule must be more flexible now. Please Ren?"

He sighed. "I'll check with my manager and let you know".

She giggled and held his hand. "So, will you take me now to my hotel? The president left – he was talking about taking out Maria-chan for dinner" she said. "I think that was his granddaughter".

Maria. Maria had been too little when he and Eliza had been together. But now, when she finds out – well that would be quite a show. "Okay. I will just send a message to the president that I have come to pick you up".

"Great. I'll call Sebastian for my things!" and she sauntered off towards the door.

He ran his hands through his hair. It had been a long day and it would be an even longer night. Lory had entrusted her to his care. He was not irresponsible to just let her be without company. It was impolite. He would bear this for now. But the prospect of not seeing Kyoko for the next 24 hours is already taking its toll.

"Corn" she whispered. "Are you there? I know you are. You're the only one who never leaves". She sighed. It felt like a weight is pressing upon her chest – that something, some dreadful thing is coming. She had checked her locks and even added a few more. She had thought them reinforced. They are, aren't they?

It had been months since she held her Corn stone. "Why do I feel like this? What is this?" she whispered again, softly caressing the stone between her palms.

She closed her eyes. Corn would make her feel better. She had to be in the Box-R shoot early tomorrow and cannot waste precious time for sleep feeling sorry for herself – sorry for something that wasn't even there.

She had left him, cold. Eliza fumed. She had tossed all her clothes on the bed. She was like a puppy who pleaded for his attentions. But he wasn't the same. Yes. He had been stoic when they were still officially together – he was never much of a romantic, not when he didn't want to be at least. But she used to able to seduce him, to get what she wanted from him. This time, he had acted so… so indifferent. She screamed. Is it true? What the rumors said about that girl and him?! It can't be. It can't be.

She switched on the television and browsed the channels to get her mind off of things. They would be together tomorrow night, after all. He promised. And she will not leave him alone. One channel caught her attention – Ren's drama. It was the last episode of Dark Moon. She watched as the only man she loved played out a scene with the dark haired girl. The looks he gave that girl – she had never seen that before on his face. Not even when they were still together.

She touched the screen with her delicate hands. "What happened to you, Ren? What happened?"

End of Chapter 14

Note: I say screw the timeline! Ahaha.. Sorry. The timeline will be quite confusing from now on and I apologize in advance. Anyway, I don't want to be overly OC about all of it. Now I'm just writing what I feel. No more overthinking – it damages the brain. Also, I didn't mean Eliza to be some creepy ex-girlfriend. It's just that from here on, everything will be a little darker. Not too dark. Just a little bit. Okay. See you next chapter!