A/N: I HATE unsigned reviews/reviews from people who don't have accounts because I can't respond to them (which I feel horrible about that)! So to everyone who reviewed but doesn't have a FF account, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I really appreciated you taking time to read/review something I wrote. And thanks to everyone else too :)

Goodbye

Ren opened his eyes slowly and looked around, confused. 'Where am I?' He wondered, staring at the sunlight drenched room. Blinking a few times, he allowed his memories to resurface. 'Katsuki…acting test…hotel…hiking….Kyoko….oh.' He sat up slowly, still feeling a little weak but not nearly as bad as he had felt before. Something slid off of his head and he looked over at the ice pack sitting next to him on the bed. He lifted an eyebrow and picked it up, then sat it aside. He swung his legs over the bed and pushed the hair out of his eyes, combing it back with his hands. The sunlight streaming in through his window made him wonder what time it was. Grabbing his cellphone from the table beside his bed, he pressed the on key to light up the display. The digital numbers told him that it was a little after noon.

He sat the phone down and noticed something strange. Looking down, he realized that he was in his pajamas. Fingering the silky material, he closed his eyes. 'I don't remember changing…' His face erupted in flames and his eyes widened. 'Kyoko!'

Said girl entered the room holding a tray of food, saw him sitting up, and blushed, stepping back. "I'm sorry." She spoke softly. "I thought you would still be sleeping."

He smiled kindly at her. "Don't worry about it. I just woke up." She refused to meet his eyes, instead hurrying to set the tray on the table and then touching his forehead hesitantly. Relief showed in her eyes when they finally met his.

"It seems your fever has gone down." His returning smile made her blush, and she spun on her heels, grabbing a pitcher, and pouring him a glass of strange looking, orangish green liquid. "Here, this will help you regain your strength." He stared at it doubtfully. "It's actually an amazing drink." She told him with a small smile.

He nodded and drained the glass, then clenched the glass so tightly that it cracked. "You lied to me." He informed her with a deadly glare.

"I did not!" She cried, feeling a little nervous from the look despite herself. "I wasn't referring to the taste." She took the glass and turned back to the tray.

"Do you hate me that much?" Shocked at the question, she froze wither her back to him, hands hovering over the tray.

'Hate him? Do I? No. I certainly don't hate him. But that's not the question I'm worried about.' A gentle hand rested on her shoulder and she stiffened.

"I was kidding." His gentle voice was too close, and her heart fluttered. "Are you okay?" She suddenly remembered the way he had lay on top of her, his lips against hers, and she jerked away.

"I'm fine." She told him firmly, forcing her voice to sound even. Years of training ensured her composure, and in an instant she was the perfect hostess, serving him food and leaving before he could try to speak to her again.

Ren watched in surprise as she served his food with utmost professionalism and then left. 'Is she angry?' He stared at his food, worried. 'What did I do? Is it still about the kiss? I probably shoulnd't have done that…but why won't she just say something about it?' He took a bite, knowing that she would be back and ready to scold him if he didn't eat something. 'I'll just have to apologize when I see her later.' He sighed, drumming his fingers on the plate. 'But then will she think I didn't mean it?' Groaning he sat the plate down and dropped onto the bed. 'What is the matter with me? I've never been this worried about a girls reaction before.'


Kyoko put the last of the money into the envelope, which she stuffed into her wallet. It was just enough for a ticket to Tokyo. As she replaced her wallet in her little used purse and unzipped her backpack, she wondered at the intelligence of this decision. 'I don't even know where Sho lives. I don't have a phone number, address, or even a general location. I've never been to Tokyo.' Sighing, she began folding what little clothing she had, shoving her doubts to the back of her mind. 'I love Sho. Sho wanted me to go with him, so he must feel something for me. If he will just let me be near him and support him, then I will be happy. I'll get to Tokyo, find a job, and get to work finding him.'


Ren sat on the boulder and stared out at the stream, half hoping that the girl would come and connect the dots. Laughing mirthlessly, he watched the sun disappear slowly on the horizon. Since the incident at breakfast, he hadn't seen her all day. Another girl had brought him lunch and supper, and had given him no information about the girl he wanted to know about. He had approached the Okami-san asking about her about an hour ago, and had been told that Kyoko was sick. The woman told him that she would probably be better by the next day. When he asked where her room was, the woman had become suspicious, and then gave him a short lecture about how her employees were forbidden from having any sort of relationships with their guests.

Sighing, he propped his head in his hands and stared at the stream, reminiscing. He remembered his last day in Kyoto, how he had dreaded telling her goodbye as he made the long walk from his hotel to the stream. Slipping away without being noticed wasn't hard, but he felt like every noise he made as he climbed out the window and ran out of the parking lot toward the woods was amplified a hundred times. He waited for his father to come after him, scolding him for running off. He was pretty much packed, and they were due to leave in a few hours, but the thought of the heartbroken look on her face when he didn't come back kept him running.

As usual, she was sitting by the stream, and her face light up when he approached. "Good morning Corn!" She cried.

"Hey Kyoko-chan." He couldn't help but smile, despite the sadness in his heart. The two chatted for a few moments, and he walked over to the large boulder where he always sat. She looked up at him and he laughed softly, reaching an arm down and gently pulling her up to sit next to him. She giggled when he tickled her side while scooting over. They talked some more until he realized that he had been gone too long. Sighing, he jumped down without warning, then reached up and helped her down. "Kyoko-chan…I have to go."

The sad, disappointed smile appeared on her face, and he wondered how often she had an occasion to show such a smile. "Oh. Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

He sighed. "No…Kyoko-chan. I…I have to go home."

Realization dawned on her face. "Wh…what?" She cocked her little head. "I…I can't see you anymore? Can I write to you?"

He considered it for a second. He would love to keep communicating with the little girl, and thought about giving her his address. 'But…she'll find out that I was lying. She'll know I'm not a fairy and then…I'll have to explain to my parents what is going on. In a decision he would regret for the next eleven years, he shook his head. "I'm sorry Kyoko-chan. We live in different worlds, and your letters couldn't get to me." The girl whimpered and began sobbing.

"P…please don't go Corn." He felt his young heart break. "Please don't leave me." Suddenly an idea occurred to him. Reaching into his pocket, he fingered the blue stone. It had helped him so much over the last year. He had started acting a little, but was having trouble. His father was encouraging, but absent. The same went with his mother, and he used the stone to cheer himself up.

"Kyoko-chan." She looked up. "Hold out your hand." He commanded softly. She did so.

"Like this?" He smiled and placed the stone in her hand. "Oh! What is it?"

"Heh. It's a magic stone." He told her softly. "Hold it up to the light." He held his own hand up. "Like this."

She did so, and watched it change colors in the light. "Oh!" She cried in delight.

"That's the magic. It's taking away your sadness."

Ren wiped a tear off of his face; a bit embarrassed and glad that no one was around. He'd missed the young girl so much over the years, and still wished that he had kept in touch with her. His family had returned to Kyoto once, about three years late, but they had only spent a day there before traveling to Tokyo, and they had been too far away to see her. Still, he looked for her everywhere, hoping to recognize her face. He thought that if he could just see her, his growing depression might lift for a little while. However, he hadn't found her. Taking a deep breath, he headed back to his room, hoping to see her the next day. 'I'm going to talk to her tomorrow. I'll tell her who I am, and hope that she forgives me for lying.'


Kyoko informed the Okami-san that she was feeling too sick to work and slunk back to her room, acting as sick as she could. Then she grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled a note, and grabbed her backpack. Dressed in a rarely worn outfit, she pulled her coat on, put her backpack on, and slipped down the hall. Pausing in front of Tsuruga Ren's door, she slipped the note under the door and left the hotel without being spotted.


Ren opened his door and walked inside, heading for the bed, before stepping on a piece of paper. Looking down, he picked it up and his eyes widened.

'Goodbye Tsuruga-san. –Kyoko.'

He dropped the piece of paper on the floor, walked over to the bed, and dropped onto it. Somehow, he knew that he couldn't catch her. 'But where did she go? How can I find her?' He stopped himself irritably. 'Why would I go after her? She obviously doesn't want me to. I'll probably never see her again.' The thought was painful and he closed his eyes. 'I met her again after all these years...that has to mean something. I will find her.'


Kyoko sat on the train, staring out the window, and the fear began to settle in her stomach. 'I never had a home with them anyway…but now I really won't have anyone…until I find Sho. As soon as I find Sho, I'll be fine. Everything will be okay as soon as I find Sho.' She closed her eyes, holding her backpack to her chest, and leaned against the window, letting herself drift to sleep.

Kyoko walked down the street; trying not to run into the millions of people she seemed to be sharing a sidewalk with. They all ignored her, walking around her or pushing her out of the way, making it hard for her to get anywhere. Looking around, she tried to find some sort of clue as to where Sho would be, all the while realizing that this was a dumb thought. There wouldn't be a sign anywhere saying "Sho lives here." Especially if he was a famous rock star. She decided to find a place to stay first, with what little change she had left over, and then she could figure out what to do from there.

She had walked for a while when she stumbled upon a small restaurant. "Daruma ya." She mumbled the name and pushed the door open. It was a small, traditional place, and an Okami-san smiled up at here. The short, plump woman seemed pleasant and greeted her happily.

"Welcome. Please sit anywhere." She told the girl kindly, obviously noticing the backpack and the nervous look in the girl's eyes. Kyoko smiled gratefully and slipped into one of the booths, ordering a tea. Looking through her money, she realized that she couldn't afford anything else.

The Okami-san watched the young girl checking her wallet through the window in the door leading to the kitchen and turned to her husband. "Do you think she's okay?" She asked the Taisho, concerned. "She's been drinking that tea for ten minutes, and look at that backpack…is she a runaway?" Her husband grunted and looked out the window at the young girl sipping her tea. The restaurant was empty and nearly ready to close. Turning back to his stove, he began to cook a simple meal, a hamburger with a fried egg, a popular dish among the younger people who visited their restaurant.

The Okami-san watched with a smile, and when he was finished, took it out to the girl, who looked up in surprise. The Taisho emerged from the kitchen behind his wife, but she was focused on the food. "Oh…I'm sorry, Okami-san. I didn't order anything else."

"It's on us, miss…"

"Um…Mogami Kyoko." The girl looked away.

"It's on us, Kyoko-chan. Please take it."

"But…" She looked at the plate in front of her. "I…I'm sorry. I can't accept this without giving you anything in return…and I don't have any…I can't afford it." She blushed , embarrassed at the admission, and the Okami-san looked at her pityingly.

The Taisho was cleaning the tables nearby and glanced up at them. "Can you cook?" His voice was gruff, surprising Kyoko, who nodded.

"Um…yes. I worked at an inn…and I did some cooking there."

"You need a job." It was more of a statement than a question, but she nodded anyway.

"Yes, Taisho-san."

"And a place to stay." She nodded again.

"We have a room upstairs." He told her shortly, and the Okami-san smiled lovingly at her husband, then back at the stunned girl.

"Go ahead and eat, and I can show you your room." She patted the girl's shoulder and helped her husband clear the dining room.

Kyoko ate hesitantly at first, but since she hadn't really eaten all day, her appetite took over and she began eating in earnest when she tasted the fantastic food. She wasn't sure what had prompted these kind people to do something like this for her, but she couldn't bring herself to complain. It wasn't likely that she would find another job so quickly, nor one working for such a nice couple. Gratefully, she brought her empty plate to the Taisho and bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, Taisho-san." His smile was barely discernable, but she caught it. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He shook his head, taking her plate.

"I'll show you your room." Okami-san touched her arm and led her upstairs.

Kyoko knelt on the futon, sitting the backpack beside her, and taking out her corn stone. "I miss you Corn." She whispered. "I…I'm scared. I've found a place to stay and a job, and I'm very grateful…but how am I going to find Sho? What if he doesn't want anything to do with me? Or what if he is a big rock star and I can't get near him? Will he still be angry with me?" Laying back against the futon, she held the stone up and stared at it. Unwillingly, her mind conjured up a picture of Tsuruga Ren. A pang of longing shot through her, but she shook her head and closed her eyes. 'I don't feel anything for him. He's just a guest at the inn, a nice man and nothing more. As for what he did…he must have hit his head or something. He's an actor. He's got plenty of girls to choose from. Besides, I'll never see him again.'

A/N: Thank you for reading. I'm sorry my updates are not as fast or long as with my previous story, but this will probably not be as long of a story...maybe. That's what I thought about the last one...but I am trying to plan this one better. Anyway, thank you and feel free to tell me what you think if you like.