A/N: I don't own Skip beat, Book of A Thousand Days, or any other accidental references I may make. I do own the characters that no one else does. :D

So by the way, the last chapter ended on Friday night. It was getting kind of long, so I didn't want to go back to Kyoko. So just so you know, Kuu gave Kyoko the laptop on Thursday, then this chapter, then Kanae's date with Yukihito. :D Sorry if that was confusion.

Just a question…I have no idea what to name Kuu's agency. Any ideas? You'll get credit if I use it ;) Thanks everyone!

Chapter 21: Facing the Past

On Friday morning, Kyoko sat in the passenger seat in one of Kuu's many cars on the way to the training school. They chatted about their scripts and the agency and whatever else came to mind until Kuu parked in the back of the building. "You ready?" He asked softly as they sat in the car. She stared ahead at the building, trying to find Rosa. Giving up momentarily, she nodded.

"I'm ready." She said, a determined glint in her eyes. Kuu laughed quietly.

"Kyoko," He said as she climbed out of the car and he looked at her over the top of the car. "You do realize that this isn't an audition. Nor is it an interview. It's just me enrolling you in school." He laughed a little at her surprised look. "Did you have to have an interview or an audition to get into LME's school?"

"Um…no. I just sort of assumed that I would have to here." She laughed a little, rubbing the back of her head, embarrassed. "So I wont have to have any kind of interview?"

He laughed a little. "Probably not. The head of the school will probably want to have a word with you, but nothing formal. They are going to accept you into the school. It's an unwritten rule that if you are a part of the agency, you can get in." She smiled.

Thinking back to LME's training school, she was suddenly reminded of Maria. 'I haven't even contacted her! Oh poor Maria! She probably thinks I've forgotten about her. I'm so sorry Maria! I need to call her…or email her. She emails her father, right? Maybe she'll speak to me if I apologize.' Kuu looked over and saw the terrified look in her eyes.

"Um…are you okay?" He asked softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Maria!" She cried.

"Maria?" He repeated with a confused frown.

"Maria Takarada! President Takarada's granddaughter! I haven't called her or told the President to tell her what happened or anything!" Large dramatic tears poured from her eyes, creating a small puddle around the girl. "What if she won't forgive me! What if she hates me now?" Kuu just stared at the girl in astonishment.

"H…hey! Kyoko." He looked around nervously. "I'm sure she'll forgive you. Just call her! Or…ask the boss for her email. Okay? She's going to be fine. Just explain what happened…okay?"

The pool around her feet suddenly dried up and she smiled brightly, a little flower popping out of her head. "Do you really think so?" She asked sweetly.

"Um…yes." He smiled nervously, hoping that he was right and wondered how the flower got there. "Now…are you ready?" He asked softly.

"Yes." She said happily.

Rosa resurfaced as soon as they reached the office and walked in with Kuu. She smiled at the receptionist who looked up when they entered.

"Can I help you, Mr. Hizuri?" The woman asked with a smile. Kyoko was surprised to see that the woman had pink streaks in her hair, which she kept short and choppy.

"Hey Tanya. I would like to see the head of the school please."

The woman laughed a little and stood. "Sure. Let me get her. You can sit down."

Rosa sat next to Kuu, hands folded in her lap and stared straight ahead. He grabbed a magazine and thumbed through it for a while. When the head of the acting school appeared behind Tanya, Rosa gave a hesitant smile. A man had been at her audition, but this was obviously a different person. "Hey Rosa. Nice to meet you." She shook the girl's hand. "Hello Kuu. How's it going?"

"I'm good Mariah. You?"

"Fine." She smiled then turned to Kyoko. "Hey. I've heard a lot about you from the President. Sorry I had to send the co-head to your audition. I really wanted to be there but was…indisposed." She gave a sly smile and Kuu laughed a little.

"How's the baby?" He asked softly.

The young woman laughed, flashing two rows of perfect teeth and a tongue ring. "He's wonderful when he's not screaming." Kuu laughed knowingly. Mariah looked back down at Rosa. "So you wanna join the acting school?"

"Yes." Kyoko couldn't help slipping out of character a little. "I was attending another acting school in Japan but had to leave. Since I am a part of this agency, I thought it might be helpful."

"Okay. Come on back and we can talk. Kuu, can you do the paperwork with my sister?"

"Sure." He smiled and walked over to Tanya, giving Kyoko a comforting wink over his shoulder. Kyoko followed the woman through a doorway and down a short hallway to a room with no sign.

"Alright. Let's talk." Mariah said cheerfully, pulling Kyoko with her to a large office with a small desk in the back. She sat behind the desk and motioned to a comfortable looking chair on the other side. Mariah pulled out a folder with Kyoko's name on it while the girl sat down. "Kuu called this morning and I had Jeremy send me your folder in between phone calls." Kyoko laughed before she could stop herself, and Mariah joined her. "Isn't he horrible? Drives me crazy when I'm trying to have a conversation with the guy and he has a phone on his ear. Who could he possibly be talking to?" She shook her head and pulled her hair back out of her face. "Anyway, your name is Kyoko, originally from Japan, you have no acting experience listed because of some unspecified issues, but you completed the 'Confidence' commercial with no trouble, and you did some modeling, though you did not sign with an agency." She took a breath. "So why are you an actress?"

Kyoko was taken aback at the woman's hurried list of her credentials but smiled after a second. "I started acting to find myself." She said quietly. "And I love it. It was the first thing I ever did for myself, and it makes me happy." She gave a soft smile as she remembered acting for Dark Moon, the thrill of creating another person, and the challenges that she had overcome with the help of her friends.

Mariah smiled at the young girl. "Are you only interested in the acting school? Do you want any musical training, dance training, or model training?"

"Um…I was only focusing on the acting, but the musical and dance training could be helpful." She said with a small smile.

"Okay. Are you working on anything now?"

"Um…I'm about to start filming on a movie called "A Thousand Days."

"Oh. Director Song! Which character are you?"

"Dashti."

"The lead!"

"Yes." She looked at the floor, coloring in embarrassment.

"That's fantastic. Congratulations. I can't wait to see it. So, I'll get the schedule from her and we'll make you a schedule of classes. I'm assuming you want mostly acting classes, but I'm going to try and get you into a voice class, probably something small or even one on one training so that if you ever want to expand into singing, you have somewhere to start. Also, ballet will be necessary. You'd be amazed at the number of movies that require some ballet. Hmm…and a modern dance class. That is getting popular. If you can combine ballet and modern dance, you have a great workout." She laughed. "How do you think I got my figure back after the baby?" She winked at the girl who was now laughing along with the cheerful woman.

'So I guess I was wrong. There are some nice people here.' "That sounds fantastic. Thank you so much." Kyoko smiled and shook the woman's hand.

"Of course. I think Kuu should be done by now. He'll give me your email, and I can send you your schedule. You'll start in a week or so, but most of your classes won't begin until next week because you'll be starting your filming. Any questions?"

"I don't think so."

"Awesome. Come on, then." They exited into the office where Kuu was handing a stack of paperwork to Tanya. "Thanks, Kuu."

"No problem. See you Tanya, Mariah. Ready Rosa?"

Kyoko nodded and followed him into the hallway.

They walked into the hallway and Kuu turned to her. "Did you want to hang around here, or did you want to call Jack to take you home? I have filming in about…" He checked his watch. "thirty minutes. You can come if you want, but it might be a while." He asked softly as they made their way to the parking lot.

"Um…I'll just stay here for a while then go home." She smiled brightly. He stopped and looked back at her.

"Alright." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead softly. "I'll see you tonight. If you want to go home, call Jack." She didn't answer as he hurried away to get to his job. She checked her phone. 9:00 in the morning. It was too late in Tokyo to call anyone, but she wanted to contact Maria as soon as possible. She wandered the halls, looking for a computer lab. She finally found one in the back of the school and, as quickly as possible since she didn't know if she was allowed to be on it, logged into her email and sent one to the President (whose email she knew from the LME website) asking for Maria's email address and explaining why she wanted it.

Next, she grabbed her bag and began the walk home. She smiled at the bright sunshine and the warm air. 'It feels so nice outside…it is probably really cold in Tokyo. It's nice to walk for a change. I feel like I haven't been getting enough exercise here in America, and I miss stretching my legs. Maybe I'll go to the beach.' Her thoughts wandered until her phone started vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, reading the screen before flipping the device open. "Hello?"

"Hey Kyoko. I'm on break. Are you still at the training school?"

"Hmm? No. I'm on my way home."

"Oh. Okay." He hesitated. "With Jack, right?" He asked quietly.

"Um…well…no. I just thought I would walk." She said quickly. "It's really nice out. I was able to send an email to Maria and…"

"Kyoko." She winced at the cheerful voice. 'Just like Ren….' "Why didn't you just call Jack to take you home?"

"Because it would have been a waste of his time, Father." She said reasonably. "It's not far and I walk all the time when I'm in Tokyo. Actually, I either walked or rode my bike everywhere, so it's not a big deal."

Kuu sighed on the other end. "Kyoko, it just makes me feel better when I know that you're safe." He said softly. Realizing that this could turn into a bigger deal than he wanted it to be, he let it go. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will be. I promise." He smiled at her reassuring voice.

Kuri sat in her room, arms tucked around her legs. A knock on her door alerted her to her father's presence. "Hey sweetie." He said softly.

"Hey Dad." She rested her head on her knees, knowing that this conversation had been inevitable.

He sat across from her on the bed, crossing his legs. Looking at his daughter, he could sort of see his wife, but Kuri looked more like himself. The eyes that looked golden one second and a soft, mousey brown the next were the only thing that had split between his wife and himself. 'She's only 15, but she looks older.' He thought fondly. 'She acts older too…but this is going to be hard on her.' "I regret it." He said softly. "I regret the mistakes that I made, and the fact that I have another daughter that I never had the chance to know. I regret that a little girl had to grow up without a family because of my mistakes." He reached over and pulled his daughter into his arms. "But most of all, I regret doing this to you." He whispered into her hair. "I'm so so sorry. I know that you can never really forgive me, and that I let you down, but I want you to know that I am so sorry, baby." He clenched his teeth, not willing to let himself cry in front of his little girl.

"Of course I forgive you." She said softly, looking up at him with her gentle eyes. He could see it in her eyes. She wasn't telling the truth, but she was trying to forgive him, trying to understand the fact that her father was also a man.

"But you don't want to meet her?" She looked at the floor, pain in her eyes. "You don't have to. Not yet. She'll probably never live with us, but I would appreciate it if you would think about meeting her sometime." She nodded and he left her alone.

Kyoko sat in the pool-room, flipping through her script. She decided to work on some of her lines from the first narration. Closing her eyes, she transported herself into this girl's world and saw herself as Dashti, a maid to a wealthy, spoiled young woman by chance. She didn't know this woman very well, but she had given her word, and she never broke her word. She took a deep breath and imagined a book in front of her in which she would write her thoughts. "My lady and I are being shut up in a tower for seven years." She said quietly, matter of factly, except for the small tremor in her voice. "Lady Saren is sitting on the floor, staring at the wall, and hasn't moved even to scratch for an hour. Poor thing. It's a shame."

Jack leaned against the wall outside, listening to the young girl's voice. Smiling softly, he listened as she brought the script to life, reminding him so much of young Kuon when he had first begun acting. 'But Kuon was always fighting with the directors, refusing to put enough work into his acting. Now look at him. He's the number one actor in Japan.'

He began to listen again. Now there was resignation in the girl's voice. "The men are bricking up the door, and I hear them muttering and scraping cement. Only a small square of unbricked sky and light still gape at me." 'She's better.' He laughed a little, silently. 'She's better than he was, and she'll catch up to him soon, but I have a feeling he's looking forward to it.'

Kuu picked up his vibrating phone as he sat in his dressing room. "Hello?"

"Hey Dad." Thevoice was soft, and Kuu closed his eyes.

"Hello Kuon. What's the occasion?"

"I didn't really get to say goodbye and…" His son sighed. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. Always have."

"I'm sorry."

"We've been through this, boy." Kuu said roughly, rubbing the tears that suddenly stung his eyes. "What are you up to?"

"I'm on break." Kuu didn't ask why his son's voice was bordering on a whisper. "I have something I need to talk to you about."

"Talk away. I'm listening." He heard his son take a deep breath before he began. He smiled, settling into the chair. He was done for the day, so he wasn't in any hurry. It wasn't every day he got a call from his son.

Kuu came in late that night, after spending an hour on the phone with Kuon, and was in a good mood. "I'm home!" He called. When he heard no response, he frowned a little. 'Strange…she usually comes running to tell me hello…. I haven't spoken to her today since she called when she was walking home…' He hurried upstairs and, after knocking, found her room empty. Then, knowing how she liked the poolroom, he headed downstairs, glancing into the empty kitchen as he went. He was surprised to find Jack sitting against the wall, sound asleep. He cocked an eyebrow and opened the door to the poolroom; smiling when he found the girl asleep in a chair, script dangling from her hand. Scooping her into his arms as slowly and gently as possible so as not to wake her, he carried her into the living room and laid her on the sofa, covering her with a throw. Then, after nudging Jack awake, he went into the kitchen and began to make them dinner.

Kyoko opened her eyes groggily. 'I feel asleep reading my script. I wonder if Father…wait…I'm really comfortable. This isn't the poolroom." She looked around the living room and at the blanket wrapped around her. 'What's that smell?' She sat up and heard chopping in the kitchen. Standing, she kept the blanket wrapped around her and made her way across the hall. "Father? When did you get home" She asked with a happy, if groggy, smile.

He smiled up at her from the vegetables that he was chopping. "Good morning, sunshine." He teased her. "I got home about a half hour ago. I thought I'd make us some dinner. How did you manage to fall asleep in there?" He asked with a little laugh.

"Hehe. I was reading my script. I guess I just wanted to sit for a little while and rest."

"You're going to have a hard time sleeping tonight. Wanna help me chop vegetables?" She smiled and nodded. Looking over at his daughter as she chopped the vegetables with ease, just like a professional chef, he gave a soft smile. 'If only my wife and son were here, everything with be perfect…preferable if my son and daughter were married…and there were a few kids…' He smiled as he disappeared into his own dream world, one that involved a large family and a large house next door to his own.

Once Kyouta reentered the living room, he picked up the phone. Taking a few deep breaths, he dialed the number on the paper and held it to his ear. Waiting as the phone rang, he clenched the receiver in his shaking hands.

"Hello?" The cold voice made him grimace as he remembered everything he had learned in the last few days.

"Hello Saena. It's Kyouta. Remember me?"

A/N: Hehe. Cliffhanger. That was fun. Sorry if this chapter is sort of boring…and I'm also sorry for any typos. I'm really trying to catch them all…but as you all probably know, MS Word can't catch everything, and neither can I. If I make any big mistakes, please tell me and I will do my best to fix them. Please review (if you want to) and let me know what you think.