AN: I am actually finally enjoying writing a Skip Beat fic again which is a great feeling. I'm starting to feel the difference between writing what I want and writing what has the most hits. (Especially since sometimes I'll have a chapter of a fic with 400 or 500 hits and zero reviews) but I really am thankful when I write something I love for anyone taking the time to read it.

AN2: Thank you H-Nala for reviewing this fic, it means a lot to me .

Chapter Two

2.1

Lory knocked on the door to the movie room despite it being open and saw Kuon staring at the screen where Cinderella was playing this time. There was an empty beer can on its side in front of him. Lory took a deep breath in before entering. If Kuon was an alcoholic then they could fix that, they just needed for him to get out of this guilt and depression.

Lory knocked again only to get no response so he went in and sat down on a chair where he could look at Kuon who was wearing sweat pants and another hoody whilst being cocooned in the blankets this time. "Hey," Lory said as he leaned forwards. Kyoko and Kuon often made jokes about how old he was getting since they were now close enough to but it didn't seem like Kuon would be pointing that out today. "Kuon?" he asked and Kuon stared at the screen.

"Do you think that's the dress she wanted?" he asked vacantly as the Fairy Godmother continued to sing her song. Lory looked at him and saw Kuon start crying again. How Kyoko was shielding Aurora from this, Lory wasn't sure of that. As much as he could read people he couldn't read Kuon, he never had been able to with his second son.

"Kuon," Lory said and sighed. "Maybe. I know that ladies are particular about their fashion, no I should correct myself, I am quite particular about my fashion as well. You know I created a male version of the fairy godmother's dress for myself one time," he smiled hoping to elicit some type of response but Kuon didn't react. "Kuon," Lory said as he knelt down in front of the broken man. "Can we talk for a moment?" he asked and finally Kuon looked up at him with glassy eyes and turned the TV off.

"Can you close the door?" Kuon said before Lory went and did so. Kuon took some deep breaths and tried to get himself into a seated position with the blankets still wrapped around him. He watched as Lory walked back over to the chair. "You should consider retirement soon, right?" he asked only for Lory to frown at him.

"I do plan on living forever, you know that right," he joked and Kuon just stared at him as if he wasn't looking at a friend or father-figure. "Kuon…"

"Are you here to fire me?" Kuon finally asked before standing and letting the blanket fall onto the ground. This really showed Lory not only that he hadn't been keeping up with his body in terms of proper grooming and health which was necessary for an actor and even more so for a model but that he had lost significant weight and muscle mass. His hair was a complete mess and longer than Lory had ever seen it before without either a wig or extensions.

Kuon grabbed a checkbook from a drawer and a pen before looking Lory over. "You have the paperwork, right? I mean…" Kuon wrapped his arms around his body as he shuddered, breaking again and put a hand on the wall, the other over his face. Lory went to stand beside him but found that Kuon just kept shaking as he stood there. The blond man slid onto his knees as he continued to cry and kept his head bowed.

"Kuon," Lory said as he walked over to him. "You -" He very slowly got down behind Kuon and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm just going to put my hand here for a moment, shrug it off if you need to," he said and Kuon nodded before standing up quickly and puking into a trashcan. He pushed his back against the wall as he trembled and wrapped himself up into a ball whilst seated.

"Kuon, you know you didn't do anything, right?" he asked scared about what Kuon's reply might be.

"Please give me the paperwork," Kuon whispered in a shaky voice as he shielded his face with his forearms. "I'll sign them. I'll pay the fees. Just give me the paperwork."

"No one is asking for you to leave the agency," Lory said and Kuon kept his head bowed. "I won't fire you. I mean, I am surprised at your loyalty in returning to the agency, we know you could get any job without representation and yet you chose to come back to LME and so I will do whatever it takes to keep you there."

"I killed someone else," Kuon whispered as he tried shakily to stand up. "Why can't anyone understand that?" he asked as he managed to rest his back against the wall and get onto two feet. He staggered back to the sofa. "I kill-lled someone. I'm responsible for the death of someone less than half my age…a kid…I killed a kid. Why is everyone forgetting that?"

"Kuon," Lory said slowly. "I was shown footage that that boy had taken with his phone. He was the one who ran out when a dangerous car stunt was being filmed. He is the one who avoided the police and the security. I also saw that when you did see him, you turned at the risk of your own life but if the other car hadn't come at that moment, no one would have died. You honestly can't hold yourself responsible for that."

"You just confirmed that he died," Kuon said before looking down. "Can you just leave?" he asked before picking up another beer bottle and opening it.

"Is your plan to drown yourself with all of this drinking?" Lory asked and Kuon chuckled bitterly.

"Least I deserve, right. Maybe there will be a special place in hell for all of those adults who kill kids. Wonder who my roommate will be," he said as he started to drink the beer and Lory stared at him. He didn't want to give up on Kuon, after all he still knew that Kuon had a promising career in front of him.

"You don't think you'll ever want to act again?" Lory asked as he went and picked up Kuon's Academy Award glad to see it was still there. "Your dad, myself, everyone who knows you and knows how hard you work is really proud of you. We really admire y—" he said but saw Kuon ignoring him. "None of this makes you want to get up and figure things out?"

Kuon looked away from him before taking another sip from the beer bottle.

"What about Aurora?" Lory asked and Kuon put the beer on the table before him. He looked at Lory before looking away. "It would be a shame if she grew up without her father."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Kuon asked and Lory smiled a little as he heard some emotion in the man's voice. At least he could try to pick at this anger to have Kuon not retreat in on himself. It was cruel to do this when Kuon needed love and support above all else but for the ones you love, sometimes you had to hurt them to help them.

"So this is the type of life you want your daughter to see?" he asked and Kuon sat up and stared at him. "You want her to grow up knowing this version of you?" he asked, "or are you going to try to get better?" Lory sighed. He watched Kuon sadly. "Do you think that you need to be put somewhere? A hospital or something…as much as you try to hide the fact that you've been hurting yourself you can't hide your wrist forever."

Kuon turned to him and brought his wrist to his chest. He looked down whilst shaking. "Don't talk to me about Aurora. You have no idea what I've done. You don't know what I'm guilty of. You try to deny it but I killed somebody."

"And you're going to let that define your whole life? You're going to let this accident shape how your daughter sees you?" he asked and Kuon stared at him. "I think there's so much good in you that I'm not going to let you wallow. One day hopefully you'll see that you're not the guilty party in this. But, before we get there, you need to get control of your life again."

Kuon sat very still on the sofa and stared at the man in front of him. He didn't know how to feel but suddenly it felt like he could actually hear the words being said. He hadn't been doing well for Aurora and that was cruel to her and if he hadn't been present for her then he hadn't been present for Kyoko either. The people who loved him. He had to try to at least continue for their sake.

"Can you leave?" Kuon asked and Lory sighed.

"We'll talk about how to handle the press another day then," he said and Kuon nodded. "And I'm going to leave details with a psychiatrist who can come over here with Kyoko although I hope that you clean this room up a little before you have an appointment," he said before seeing Kuon watching him. "We all really do care about you and love you and want you to get the happiness you deserve, Kuon."

Kuon looked at Lory and watched him leave before starting to gather up the beer bottles and sighed. He took the sheets and blankets in his arms before walking over to the laundry room and putting them in the hamper, he'd wash them later. He took a deep breath before going to his bedroom where Kyoko was surprised to see him upright. He had been spending all of his time in the movie room.

"Kuon," she said as he entered. She came up to him and cupped his cheek with her hand, letting her finger slide through the beard he'd grown during his depression. "Corn, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Shower," he pointed and she nodded unsure what to say. "You can go talk to Boss."

"Sure," Kyoko said with a weak smile as she looked across at the bathroom. "Let me just…get you out a towel and a robe and then you can take a shower," she said as she kissed his lips whilst standing on tiptoes. She quickly took the opportunity to grab anything sharp he might use to harm himself and lock that up with the bleach. She took out one of their extra large towels and made sure that the water was at a good temperature before coming out. "There, everything's ready," she told him. "I'll come and check on you in…twenty to thirty minutes so just make sure to come out when you've been in there long enough."

She walked over to him and took his hand, squeezing it, "I'm really proud of you, Corn."

2.2

Kyoko made her way downstairs after seeing Kuon slip into the shower and smiled as she saw Lory looking over Aurora who was taking a nap in the living room She walked over to her daughter and started to tidy up the crayons and coloring book she had been playing with before her nap.

"She looks so much like you," Lory said as he tucked some of the girls long brown hair behind her ear, "But she's got some of Kuon's features too."

Kyoko laughed as she went over to sit on the floor next to Aurora, "I think so too. Although Kuon always says that she reminds him more of picture he's seen of Juli-san. I don't think he realizes how much he looks like his mother but you can tell that obviously Kuu-san is his father."

"I want for Kuon to seek treatment," Lory said and Kyoko frowned. She looked down and then closed her eyes to stop her own tears from falling. "I don't want him to be locked up."

Kyoko's eyes had an odd darkness to them as she glared at the man next to her, "Locked up?" she mouthed since Aurora was there. Kyoko gestured for Lory to follow her out of the room. "Are you serious?" she asked in a low speaking voice so that Aurora hopefully didn't overhear. "You actually think from all the footage that has been leaked, from that kid's video blog recording, that you think Kuon is responsible for his death? I'm sorry but if that's what you're thinking then you can leave."

Lory sighed, "Kyoko, of course he didn't cause that. I meant that if he falls to a place where he can't even be reached by you, a psychiatric facility might have to be considered as an option. Anyone who possesses rational thinking knows that he did what he could to avoid it. It was just a horrible tragic series of events leading up to it and his name is being thrown around since he's the most famous."

Kyoko paled. She knew about how many people were saying that it was Kuon's fault. They were a very vocal minority but she didn't want for it to slip to Kuon that there were people who actively hated him and said that he killed the kid on purpose or that others were saying that he hadn't given a press relief because he didn't care about those ranked lower in society and was just a privileged Hollywood star who couldn't make time to care about anything other than money.

None of that information needed to make its way into the house. They would have a press release to take care of it but if Kuon was just going to say that he had murdered the boy due to his guilt and his grief then things would be worse.

"I can't force him to see anyone but I think he should as well," Kyoko replied. "He needs to start healing from this but right now he's here, his mind is here, I just don't want to push him too fast." She felt a few tears in her own eyes. "He's not being forced to take a shower this time, he's decided to take one on his own and I'm going to make sure he knows I support him. I hope he can go to see someone but -"

"I have the number of someone highly skilled who could come here. She's worked with other actors and celebrities and I trust them a lot, Usually sessions are an hour but if he only wants to see her for ten minutes then that's better than nothing." Lory said before giving her a card. Kyoko took the business card and looked it over. She took a deep breath in before nodding.

"I'll try to get him to see her," she promised before hearing the sound of the water being turned off. "Can I just excuse myself for a minute, there should be some hot water in the teapot if you'd like to pour yourself some tea," she said before going back to hers and Kuon's bedroom.

2.3

Kuon took another breath in as he turned off the water after washing his hair and body and face and reached for the towel. He pressed his head against the wall and turned to look in the mirror. He was a wreck even in his appearance but Lory was right. He had to live for those who loved him but especially for his two girls. The two people who mattered more to him than anything else in life.

He slid the robe on and then went into the bedroom where he was surprised that Kyoko was sitting on the bed, waiting for him. She was beyond gorgeous and more than that it was the natural beauty he had always seen in her. She didn't look as plastic or as fake as during the Dark Moon wrap party but people often gave her compliments of being that standard of beauty. What really mattered though was how she hadn't lost her personality. It didn't matter what she looked like, as long as she was still Kyoko he couldn't stop loving her.

"The president and I had a talk," she said as she looked at him and Kuon nodded, drying his face again. "I'd like to ask for a doctor he has a lot of faith in to come over here and talk to you. He said that it might take ten minutes to an hour but that he believes it will be the best decision."

Kuon looked at her again before sitting down next to her. "Okay," he nodded and Kyoko smiled happily and exhaled in relief. He turned to her, "I'm sorry," he said before resting his head on her shoulder. As he did so he shook again and Kyoko pulled him close to her. "I haven't been…I haven't treated you…I haven't -"

"You have been amazing," Kyoko whispered as she let her hand brush through his hair, she kissed the top of his head a few times as she felt his tears on her shirt, each a warm and wet reminder of his pain. "We love you so much."

"I'm really sorry," he apologized again. "Even now I'm not….I'm…I'm not the man you wanted to marry."

The actress stared at her husband as those words passed through his lips. She guided him back from her gently and looked at him with a little fear in her eyes but it changed to the strong determination she had carried with her since she was a child. "I'm sorry, I thought you were Corn the prince of fairyland, bound by an evil curse," she said and Kuon looked away. "Am I wrong that you're Corn, the boy who made me happy and gave me the strength to continue through what could have been a miserable childhood."

Kuon shifted uneasily, "I…I'm Corn. The cur-" he started to argue but Kyoko interrupted him on purpose.

"And I thought that you were also the guy who stood up for me when I was in my first drama and a more prestigious actress was trying to cut me down and you made it so that not only was I able to act in that drama but give such a performance that people still know me for it. I thought you were the one who helped me learn how to walk like a model, who gave me an expensive gem for my seventeenth birthday and then created a legend so that it would hold even more meaning to me, the man who chased after me desperately so that he could proclaim his love for me in an elevator."

Kuon stared at her and nodded slowly, he looked down about to say something but Kyoko placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face for them to make eye contact.

"I also thought that you were the man who proposed to me in a way that made me feel wanted and safe, the man who said that he felt as if the world was a better place when he saw me walking towards me on our wedding day, the man who stayed with me during my pregnancy and rushed out of a film set without even getting changed when he realized I was giving birth, the man who held his daughter and holds her with such care and love and acceptance, the man who thanked the two of us first in his acceptance speech. I thought that I was talking to that amazing man, my husband and the love of my life."

Kuon looked down before weakly laughing which made Kyoko smile again. "You give me too much credit," he told her and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm just telling you the truth, you're the one who is too humble for your own good. Do you think that my memory is that bad that I'm going to forget all the reasons why I love you because you're going through a rough patch. I love you." Kyoko looked into his eyes before teasingly flicking his forehead and saw his face soften. There was still a lot of pain and grief there but there was also the ghost of a smile.

"So, you should get changed," she told him and Kuon nodded. "Do you want me to -"

"I'll do it," Kuon said as he went to pick out some boxers, loose black pants, and an emerald cashmere long-sleeved turtle neck sweater Kyoko had bought for him the Christmas after he had decided to be Kuon and retire from the life of Ren Tsuruga. She smiled as she watched him get changed and when he had, when he next stood up, she walked over to hug him close.

"Do you want to go and sit in the backyard?" she asked him, "I saw some birds outside, they might still be there."

"Sure," Kuon nodded. He wrapped his arms around Kyoko, "Thank you, princess," he said softly. "Can you thank Boss for me next time you see him?" Kyoko nodded and closed her eyes wanting to remain wrapped up in his arms for a long long time.

End of Chapter Two