Yashiro followed Ren out from the set of Box-R. It had been a week since Ren last saw Kyoko and neither he nor she had made any effort to contact one another. Despite working on the set of Box-R, he had not had any scenes with Kyoko either. However, as he took another step out into the parking lot, his frustration level began to increase. Of all the women in his life, he had only ever loved Kyoko. To him, only she had become his paradise.

Yet he knew things were different for her. She had started off in love with Fuwa Sho, but had she really given up on him? He had a bad feeling about them that couldn't be denied. He hadn't wanted to believe that she could want Fuwa Sho anymore, not after all that she had gone through because of him. Although he had known about her first love, he thought he could cope with being second, as long as he was her final love.

But after seeing evidence of that second kiss, he couldn't displace his suspicion. He could no longer explain it away with just the fact that she had been dully upset at that time. From the moment when he first learned of their second kiss, he had struggled to believe it was even real, but after he witnessed how they had behave together following it, only suspicion was left. Had they been in a more private setting, would there have been more?

Wasn't Kyoko deeply wounded by Fuwa Sho, after sacrificing herself so fully towards his happiness? Had she been moved by him when he came to console her after her mother's rejection? Did his small act of care and concern sway her back to him? Had she fallen back in love with Fuwa Sho?

He couldn't stop his tormenting questions anymore, he couldn't keep making up excuses to keep deluding himself. He had to accept that something was developing again between Kyoko and Fuwa, and to him it was like an extreme torture having to bear witness to it. Yet even if it was their fate to be together, he was not going to just sit back and let it happen. Even if it meant he had to go against destiny itself, he would tear them apart.

"Ren, I know that you didn't want to talk about Kyoko, but since you will be seeing her on set tomorrow, I hope that you could-"

"You don't have to concern yourself with that, I am a professional actor, which as my manager you should already understand this point very clearly." Ren's eyes harden as he stated this fact.

Yashiro sigh heavily, "My concern is that you may have misunderstood her."

Whenever Ren pictured Kyoko in Fuwa's arms, he had to brace himself for the piercing pain in his heart. With a deep voice that bore traces of that pain, he asked, "By misunderstood, are you referring to her being intimate with another man, if so how is that possible?" Ren asked.

"Ren you may not realize this but Kyoko met with Morizumi Kimiko, and was upset after the interview over something that at that time, I deduced concerned you. It wasn't until I heard from Koga-san that they were discussing how Morisumi-san had been wearing a ring that you had given her for white day. If you add this to the kiss between you and Kana-san, Kyoko may have been amply hurt by what she sees as you favoring other women over her," Yashiro stated.

Ren was shocked by the revelation. In all his thoughts he had only wanted to treasure and give value to Kyoko. But could it be that she needed a little more from him? If so, then was she acting out, as a consequence of his oversight? Feeling an uneasy tinge of regret, Ren headed out towards his car.

He was still in deep thought when he entered a jewelry store several minutes later. Glancing at the numerous gems sparkling in the display cases, he headed towards the centered one. An elegantly dress sales clerk seemed to appear immediately before him and within minutes he was able to purchase a timeless piece that he hoped would help validate his feelings to Kyoko.

Kyoko was still in her dressing room getting ready when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she called.

Yashiro popped his head in and waved slightly as he entered. "Kyoko, are you ready for your scene with Honami-san today?" he asked informally.

Kyoko suppressed a smile at the fact that Yashiro had become so diligent in his duties to her as her manager. Even having him turn up for Box-R to help manage her was very comforting to her. "Actually, I was just learning my last set of lines for the next scene."

Yashiro went to sit in a nearby chair, relaxing a bit, he asked, "As you study those lines, be sure to speak them out, so that you can reinforce them in your mind. In fact, why don't I help you by saying Kaori's lines."

Kyoko nodded, "Yes, thank you. But the thing is, I have to be cruel, so no matter what I say, I hope you will not be surprise by my acting or take any of it to heart."

Chuckling, Yashiro said, "Your job is to act, so how can I not expect to separate fact from fiction?"

"I understand," Kyoko smiled.

Satisfied, Yashiro sat back and watched in fascination as Kyoko seemed to transform into another person. A cold blooded yet sensuous siren, Natsu.

Ren's footsteps slowed as he could hear voices coming from Kyoko's dressing room. Stopping behind the slightly open door, he listened in.

"How could I love that arrogant man? He thinks just because I have to treat him like my sensei, that I really could look up to a man like him? He even thinks he can fool me with his acting, but I am not a fool. I knew it all along how he felt about me, and this is what he gets for how he treated me when we first met. However, I can only hope that after following me around for so long, you should know the real me from the fake shell that I put on for him to see."

"So are you saying that you don't love this man? Not even a little bit?"

"No, I don't feel anything at all. I will never love someone that has lied to me about themselves or who doesn't understand what's in my past history. Only someone who has been by my side for a long time is worthy of my love but everyone else is just a fun distraction, something to help take my mind off of this boring life we are living in."

"But the way you treat him, how you always worry about him, making him meals when you can and -"

"Haven't you realized by now, I was just pretending with him. At this time, he has only been a temporary fix, so that I can even gain some experience too.

"So then you have been using him as a substitute? What you have done is cruel and might come back to haunt you, aren't you scared?"

"What's there to be afraid of, he's an adult and I'm still a teenager, so he shouldn't be able to do anything about me, right?"

"No you are correct, he probably won't do anything."

Ren had heard enough, his heart beat had been racing with fury, as he turned swiftly on his heel and strode quietly away.

Satisfied, Yashiro tried to think of something lighthearted to discuss, and after a moment, he brought up the same subject that he had discussed with Ren in the morning. "I think you'll do a great job playing Natsu in love, but I think you might have a lot to learn about being yourself in love."

"Yashiro, I don't think I'm ready to face what's happening between Tsuruga-san and I."

"I understand that you were going through a lot lately and may have misunderstood what was happening. But the times cannot stretch on without you both not talking to each other soon."

"It's not that I don't want to talk to him, it's just that I'm not sure what I can say to him anymore. He doesn't even trust me," Kyoko replied with bitterness.

"But no one is perfect," Yashiro stated somberly.

A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed my latest chapter, I really enjoy hearing from you guys, thank you for favoring my stories.

For those of you that are interested:

Ren had prior thoughts of Sho and Kyoko being fated for one another in SB ch 92.

Ren's avoiding his thoughts about Sho kissing Kyoko is also seen in SB ch 249

Kyoko was upset over the pinky ring in SB ch 250.

There is a reference that Sho is the man that knows more of Kyoko's past than anyone else in SB ch 222

Kyoko shouts that she feels nothing for Ren in SB ch 191