Skip Beat! is the work of Yoshiki Nakamura.

Author's Note:

I kinda hate this story. I started it sometime in June, wrote a few pages, then picked at it until mid-August. I've wanted to kill it a few times just to put it out of its misery, but I've spent too much time working on it to not publish it. I'm hoping you like it better than I do. I think it's really just an excuse to have Kuon spend as much money as possible on Kyoko, with an extra side of angst. By the way, if anyone knows how to get this platform from deleting em-dashes and replacing them with normal dashes, please let me know. I keep editing them in, it keeps editing them out when I save. Halp.

I thought I should footnote a few things, so they're denoted by numbers in parentheses. These notes are at the end of each chapter.

Thank you to Miss Mika Namariya for the beautiful cover art!

Note (1/18/2022) - I've finally started fixing the em-dash issue.

Part I.

It was time. Kuon was going to make his move, and he was going to do it as spectacularly as possible.

They were in Paris for the shooting of a new 21st century reboot of Rose of Versailles.(1) It was a multi-million dollar miniseries production, one that needed the support of both the Japanese and French governments, as the director had obtained the rights to shoot on the grounds of Versailles itself. No expense had been spared. It was even rumored that the clothes themselves were made of period-appropriate materials and construction—no zippers, no polyester, hand stitching. Real gilt thread. Godard-san, the director, was determined to make up for the debacle of the initial live-action movie made a generation ago. He was determined to hire a dream cast that stayed true to Rose of Versailles' Japanese roots, yet took advantage of the unmatchable and un-fakeable majesty of the real Paris and the real Versailles. When the "dream cast" had been announced, it had taken the entertainment world by storm. Kanae Kotonami was to be Marie Antoinette. Kuon, in black-haired 'Ren mode,' as the press often called it, would be Andre. As for the lead...well, across France, Japan, and the United States, there was unanimous agreement that it could only be one person: Kyoko Mogami.

Because Kyoko was Kyoko, she'd devoured the role. Lady Oscar was a woman who had been raised as a man—gallant, chivalrous, and deadly with a sword. Kyoko had the ability to draw out the androgyny needed to be the Lady Oscar they wanted, and she was no stranger to swords following her break-out role as Momiji in Lotus in the Mire. The Internet had been ecstatic when they'd heard she'd been cast-people didn't even pretend they were going to be subscribing to whatever streaming service would host the production just to see her act across the ever swoon-worthy (and hopefully shirtless) Kuon Hizuri. As for Kyoko herself...well, the halls of LME were still ringing with her squeals of joy when she'd found out her beloved Moko-san had been cast as the Queen. If she felt a twinge of regret that she would (once again!) miss out on princess gowns and paniers, it didn't show. After all, there was more to acting than the costumes.

Kuon, though, was determined to remedy the matter and finally see his princess in a gown and tiara. He knew she'd passed over 'princess roles' before because they had been one-dimensional and shallow. And she was too practical and frugal to indulge her 'fairy tale' tendencies. Not long after the cast had been announced, he put the wheels in motion to finally give his Kyoko her princess day—AND finally make the necessary steps towards making the "Immortal Butterfly" a Hizuri.

He'd been planning in secret for months. Guests had received their invitations to Cinderella's masquerade with an entreaty to keep the event a secret.

He was going to outdo anyone who had ever proposed before. He was going to outdo any party Lory had ever thrown. He was going to do it in a real palace, with her dressed as a real princess, with real diamonds, and acrobats, and fireworks, and an orchestra, and a masquerade ball, and enough flowers to fill a conservatory...and...and...If he had to sweet-talk the Prime Minister of France (a massive Kyoko fan, as it turned out) into letting him do it, then goddammit, that's what he was going to do.(2)

The trick would be in getting her at the right place, at the right time.

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It was a pensive Kuon who watched his lover sleeping in their bed at the Paris Ritz, his arms and legs cradling her (3). She was blonde right now, and her golden hair framed her elfin features like a halo in the pre-dawn light. She had been particularly entranced by the room, even though their burgeoning careers had meant that luxurious surroundings were the norm these days. She'd twirled—twirled!—when she saw their suite. It was almost a cliche of a Parisian room, with a sumptuous canopied bed, chandeliers, gilt furniture, and the obligatory view of the Eiffel Tower from the balcony. Of course she loved it.

The twirling had stopped when he pounced on her.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind.

He'd spent that first evening making her scream under him in the usual fashion. Now she slept on her side with her right hand entwined in his, nude under the luxury sheets. He reveled in the smell of her, the feel of her breath on his skin. He was never going to get tired of this, even if he was so lucky as to love her for a hundred years. In a few minutes, he was sure she'd wake and he'd be able to assuage the need for her that had inevitably become their morning ritual and their evening prayer.

During the three years that they'd been together, Kuon and Kyoko had become somewhat notorious in the industry for resisting attempts to keep them apart. In a world that rewarded scandal, they'd somehow kept the public on their side. Sure, they would star against other romantic leads, but their audience couldn't get enough of seeing them act together. Movies starring Kyoko or Kuon individually did well, of course, but it was the movies that featured both of them that really broke the box office. They weren't always romances, either—sometimes, he'd be the villain and she the heroine, or vice versa. But the chemistry was were magical. Critics loved them. Given the talent that the two of them had for transforming, directors clamored for the chance to hire them both. They were the ideal professionals, after all. It was no secret that they pushed each other into excellence. They were never the same character twice. They always came prepared. They never got tired. They were never late. They did everything in one take. And they were nice. Nice to their co-stars, but also nice to the gaffers and the assistants that kept the movie industry running. But god help the actor or actress who tried to step between them—Manaka-chan had only been the first to see the strength of their bond.

What troubled Kuon, though, was what the public didn't know about Kyoko. She had a tendency to attempt escape from time to time, seemingly having an aversion to her own happiness. Ever since he'd cornered her in an empty elevator, it seemed as if she tried to find reasons why they would be better apart than together, even after moments when their union was so complete it left both of them breathless. Even after having spent three blissful years with her, Kuon would catch a dark, haunted look in her eyes. He'd made the decision a long time ago not to ignore it, because he knew what that look meant. It was the same look that had landed her into the Love Me section. Every time he saw it, he'd redouble his efforts to show her his love. It's what made him want to give her the perfect day so very badly—something so bright and perfect it would burn away those doubts. Kuon knew it would just be one more step in getting her to overcome her fears. The kind of loveless trauma she'd lived through would take a lifetime to heal. He was half-afraid she'd run like Cinderella at midnight once she saw exactly what the event would be for. He was going to try anyway.

Troubled as his youth had been, Kuon had spent his early childhood surrounded by the love of his parents. He was the child of true love. He'd grown up in the shadow of a man who never stopped treating his wife like a queen. And he was a child of privilege. He'd been bullied, yes. He'd been brutal to his bullies, too. There had been a lot of darkness. But when push came to shove, Kuon's family was strong and loving. Kyoko had never had the love he'd had as a young child. She'd grown up without a shred of affection—not from her mother, not from her Fuwa guardians, not from her Sho-chan, and certainly not at school. What little love he had been able to give her as Corn back then must've been a depressingly tiny bundle of light in that lonely childhood. Despite it all, her nature was too open and generous to keep her from loving the "family" who had taken her in. Somehow her heart had survived her childhood and her separation from Fuwa in relative working order. And he reaped the benefits of that heart. The man hiding under Tsuruga Ren had been holding Kyoko's hand when he announced himself to the world, after all. She had been part and parcel of his rehabilitation, the safe harbor that he came home to every night even when they were apart physically. And he couldn't help seeking her love, greedily asking for everything her soul could give him. Kyoko was a creature who radiated love like a particularly radiant sun. He hadn't been alone in receiving that love—he saw it in Maria, in Kanae-san, and in the way her co-actors and actresses treated her.

No, Kyoko knew how to love.

The problem was that she didn't know how to receive it.

This was a fact that he had to learn the hard way. From the very start, she had refused to believe it. She'd refused to believe it as Bo, and then refused to believe it in the elevator. The first time they'd made love she cried the morning after and apologized that she hadn't been sexy enough. The first time he'd had another pseudo-romantic role against another actress after beginning their relationship, she'd offered to 'give him his freedom' if he wanted 'to upgrade.' Other women may have thrown a tantrum off of the strength of their jealousy. Other women may have been passive-aggressive, or angry, or even just irrational. But Kyoko? Kyoko would become quiet and still. She'd turn inwards on herself and then invariably, she'd say something like "Hey, I love you and I'll be here as long as you need me, but I'll understand if you don't want me anymore." Or another time, when she'd said "A man like you shouldn't have to bother with someone like me." She'd say it quietly and gently, and then turn around and kiss him as if her life depended on it. It was as if she thought his love had an expiration date, and she was a desperado trying to enjoy it as much as she could even as she waited for the floor to fall out from under her. It broke his heart. It enraged him to think that he could throw her away as if she were nothing more than a bag of trash.

He told himself that no matter how long it took, he would help her love herself as much as she loved him. Frustrating as it sometimes was, he knew that there was enough love between them to show her over and over again that he wasn't going anywhere. He would remind her every morning and again every evening if he had to, in words and in deeds, and he would never let a misunderstanding hurt her again. He would propose to her and write her name across the skies in fire if he had to.

He smiled to himself. In a few hours, Lory would be arriving from Japan, followed by the Darumaya couple, Amamiya, Maria, and anyone who chose to come celebrate over the upcoming week. His father and mother would be arriving, too, with Julienna bringing the dress she'd designed for Kyoko's 'princess evening.' The attendants would be lodging in a different hotel in order to minimize the chances of Kyoko finding them. Yashiro and Kotonami-san were already here, of course, as part of the Rose of Versailles production.

In a week's time, they would gather in a lavish but intimate gathering at the Petit Trianon, to welcome the newly engaged couple.

Or so he hoped.

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Footnotes:

1. A manga and subsequent anime by Riyoko Ikeda, Rose of Versailles was originally published from 1972-1973. This isn't really a crossover or anything, I was just frustrated because I wanted to stream the series when I started and there isn't a platform that's hosting it legally right now (that I know of, anyway.) So now you're stuck with this mess.

2. As it turns out, you *can* rent out the palace of Versailles. Or parts of it, anyway. No need to involve the French prime minister. Only a portion of the Petit Trianon is listed as available, but this is a fanfiction and if I say Kuon got permission from the French government to rent it, then he got permission to rent it. Prices start at 100,000 Euros.

3. The Paris Ritz is one of the more famous hotels in Paris. I don't think they actually have beds with canopies, and I've never stayed there so I'm not sure if you can see the Eiffel Tower from it.