I don't own Skip Beat! I wish I did though.

Who's excited about the next chapter, though? I wanna know what Sho was alluding to! And Ren! That chappie definitely lacked Ren!

Seeing the Fuwa Ryoken after two years of absence was a strange experience. The park seemed smaller, the lanes harrower. Was it really so long ago that she was running around here, pretending to be playing with fairies? She wasn't much taller than she had been when she'd left for Tokyo, yet everything seemed different from where she stood.

The resort itself was largely unchanged, although she noted that it had been recently repainted. She felt a familiar tension building up, and tried to remind herself that her mother no longer lived here.

She entered and almost immediately saw Yumiko, one of the girls who had been starting their apprenticeship at the time of her leaving.

"Welcome," she said, smiling. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yumiko-san," Kyoko said. "It's me."

The girl stared at her, then dropped her pencil and rushed out from behind the reception desk to hug her. Then, without preamble, she rushed her into the staff room, where more hugging and squealing was initiated – as it turned out, most of the staff had remained the same, and they were all glad to see her. Kyoko was starting to get light-headed, when a voice cut through the commotion.

"What's the meaning of this?"

The women around her scattered, revealing a tall figure in a traditional kimono. Kyoko froze, then straightened up and bowed politely.

"Good day, Setsuie-sama."

Sho's mother was one of those women that made you feel uncomfortable even when you weren't doing anything odd. Kyoko wondered if she had always known that, or if she had just come up with that ridiculous observation.

They were sitting in a little side room and Setsuie was preparing tea.

"I must say, I didn't expect you to come," she said. "I've wanted to see you, of course, but I never thought… I do hope it hasn't caused you much inconvenience."

"No, it's alright," Kyoko said. "I managed to shift work around and freed a few days."

"Ah, wonderful," Setsuie said, and arranged her sleeves more carefully. "I take it you didn't get to see my son before you left?"

Kyoko hesitated. If Sho hadn't called already, it was likely that he wouldn't. "I've tried leaving a message for you. His manager will probably hear it."

Sho's mother sighed. "Never mind. It's not that important." She played with the tea things, then gave Kyoko a small smile.

Both women were silent. Kyoko stared at the familiar surroundings and tried to work up the courage to speak up. She had so much she wanted to say, yet no words to put together. There was simply no way to say what she needed to without coming off as ungrateful or shameless.

"I'm really glad you came, though," Sho's mother said. "It really does mean a lot."

"Thank you. Fuwa-sama," Kyoko said, "I'm really sorry about the manner with which I left your care. It was foolish and inconsiderate, and I don't deserve your courtesy, but I do hope that you will be able to forgive me, after a time."

Because she was bowing, she could not see the expression that passed through Setsuie's face. She hid it well though – it was gone as fast as it had come, so that when Kyoko raised her head, she was met with an image of perfect serenity.

"I never blamed you to begin with," she said, while pouring them both tea. "True, you left rather abruptly, but you were nearly sixteen at the time, and Shotarou could already travel on his own. You needed to find your own way, and if it meant going to Tokyo, then so be it." She gave Kyoko a penetrating look. "He hasn't acted inappropriately towards you, has he?"

Kyoko thought about Sho – how he had used her, tossed her aside, how he had repeatedly insulted and belittled her. It stung as badly as the first day, but she realized that Setsuie wasn't asking about that.

"No," she said. "He treated me like a sister."

"That's good, at least," Sho's mother said, and then changed the subject. "Do you plan on being away from Tokyo for long?"

Kyoko shifted in her seat. "No, unfortunately. I only got time off from work until Friday."

"I see." She didn't ask what kind of work that was. "Well, we have kept your room as it was – you can always stay here."

"You're very kind."

"Nonsense. You're practically family," Sho's mother said. "And if you were to return to Kyoto permanently, I wouldn't hesitate to give you a job. You were one of the best of our staff, and I wouldn't mind having you here again."

Later, Setsuie brought Kyoko to see Sho's father. Fuwa-san looked a touch more animated than his wife had made him out, and immediately sent for someone to bring a radish and a knife. Kyoko had laughed while doing her old trick, but the rose she made was a touch less perfect than the others. She could tell Fuwa-san thought so too, and quickly justified her lack of skill with the lack to practice time.

"So you're really busy, eh?" he had said, examining the radish. "Those people you work for in Tokyo must work you in the ground."

"Not at all. It's just that I have so many jobs, and I have to go to school…"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course, you're still in school." Fuwa-san had patted her hand. "I always forget you're only sixteen, Kyoko-chan. You always had such a gravely air around you, like you had to take care of everyone."

She smiled, and didn't correct him.

"So what kind of place are you working in?" Fuwa-san asked.

"Oh, Daruma-ya is a traditional restaurant. I mostly cover the floor, although the Taisho has me help him from time to time. And I also get jobs through LME."

"LME? What is that?" Setsuie asked. She had been preparing her husband's medicine by the side of the bed.

"It stands for Lory's Majestic Entertainment," Kyoko said. "It's a talent agency for actors and singers."

Both of Sho's parents gave her a long, surprised look.

"So… you're an actress, Kyoko-chan?" Setsuie asked, at length.

"Yes. I only do small jobs, but recently I've gotten a couple of bullying roles," she said. "I played Mio in Dark Moon."

The Fuwas reacted like everyone else did, when hearing of that for the first time – with disbelief, followed by surprise and awe. Later on, the other employees in the ryoken asked her about it too, and gasped and giggled when she told them all about it. Yes, she had come three hours earlier to have her make-up done. Yes, she did get a lot of role requests after that drama. Yes, Tsuruga Ren really did all his stunts by himself.

Her sempai was a favorite subject in Kyoto as well as in Tokyo, never mind that the son of the owners was rising in popularity at an incredible speed. Kyoko took pleasure in listening to the other girls fawn over him, but deep down, she felt worry worm its way into her heart. Had he decided to go along with the Cain Heel act without her? Probably. His words, I don't need you, rang into her mind again and again, making her increasingly miserable.

At last, she decided to step outside and take a walk outside. It was spring, and the woods had just started to waken. She strolled down the familiar alleys, before veering off on her usual route. Soon, her clearing came up.

Except, like everything else, it looked much smaller. The creek, which had seemed like a river when she was little, was so narrow now she could easily jump over it without getting her shoes wet. She chose to sit down on a fallen log instead. And thought.

Tsuruga-san had said that he didn't need her. Maybe earlier, she would have believed that, but they had gone an admittedly long way since they first met. She wasn't so shy about asking him what the matter was, and even if he was as evasive as ever, he seemed to trust her more.

Or, you know, just clung to her like a lifeline from time to time.

The thought brought a blush to her cheeks, but also brought back the dread she had first experienced, when faced with the prospect of leaving Tokyo. The same questions ricocheted in her head.

Would he really be alright, without Setsu?

Would Mursame push him too far?

How much of the act was Cain Heel, and how much of it was Tsuruga Ren?

She tried telling herself, for the umpteenth time, that her sempai could handle it, but her previous revelations contradicted that idea. Tsuruga Ren had issues. Lots and lots of issues, and some of them were far too great to handle, especially for someone like her. He obviously blamed himself for something horrible, and that self-loathing ran deeper than he let people believe. In a way, Tsuruga Ren was an acting himself.

No.

No, that wasn't right.

Tsuruga Ren was an act. It was easy to forget, but she did remember when he had told the Beagle that this was a stage name. But for the life of her, Kyoko couldn't remember his real one. He was never referred to in another name, at least around her, and even the president always called him Ren. Added to that, his lack of knowledge about some traditional aspects of Japanese life, as well as his spelling difficulties, all pointed towards the fact that he was not, in fact Japanese.

She guessed it would make sense, but it also meant that she would have a harder time discovering what had happened to him. For one thing, she didn't even know where he had come from.

What are you doing, Kyoko, she thought. If he really wanted you to find out his secrets, he would have told you.

He probably would have. But… still…

She remembered him waiting for her, that night when she had gone shopping. He'd been shivering from head to toe, and his hands were ice cold, even under the blanket. Try as she might, Kyoko couldn't bring herself to think of him as just her sempai after she'd seen him so vulnerable.

She dug through her pocket and retrieved her phone. If his schedule had been unchanged, he would be home right now. Kyoko wondered if he would be upset if she called him. Then she decided she just didn't care.

If she just heard him reassure her again, it would be okay, even if it was fake.

Ren answered on the first ring. She was so surprised she almost hung up.

"Hello? Hello, Mogami-san, is that you?" He sounded nervous, and even… a little breathless.

"Um, yes, hello," she said. "I'm sorry, this is an inconvenient time. I'll call you tomorrow."

"No, no, no," Ren said. "It's okay, I just… forgot the stove on, that's all. Sorry, it's off now. How are you, Mogami-san?"

"Fine, thank you," she said, while wondering how on Earth his stove was on in the first place. He didn't know how to cook.

"I heard from the president about your leaving. Did you arrive safely? Is your family alright?"

"Yes, yes, they're fine. I'll be staying for a few days to help them out." When Setsuie had mentioned that they wouldn't be getting a nurse until the weekend, Kyoko had offered to stay and help out so that Sho's mother wouldn't have to worry about both her husband and the ryoken.

"So it's very serious then? I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's… not so much serious as it is very inconvenient. The family who raised me… they're running a big business, and they need as many people as possible." She hesitated. "You're carrying on with the Cain Heel act."

"Yes," Ren said. "Unfortunately, I couldn't shift my schedule around, but I spoke to director Konoe, and he will arrange for me to have as little contact with Murasame as possible."

"I'm really sorry for the inconvenience," she said, wincing.

"Your family is more important," Ren said. "You wouldn't be able to focus while worrying about them, would you? It's better if you went and reassured yourself, instead of staying away."

Was it her, or did she hear wistfulness in his voice.

"I took my wig and clothes with me," she said. "If everything goes according to plan, I'll join you as soon as I step off the train on Friday."

"In that case, can you give me the time when you arrive? Cain Heel wouldn't let his sister walk alone to the hotel, after all," he said, no doubt sensing her confusion.

"But it might coincide with the filming," she said.

"It won't. Trust me."

Mollified, she complied. Then there was a pause. She didn't know how to close off, and she wanted to say something to reassure him, and prompt reassurance in return.

"Is there anything else, Mogami-san?" Ren asked. He sounded so eager, she blurted the first thing on her mind.

"I just wonder what would be in-character for Setsuka to do, when parted from her brother," she said, and kicked herself.

Tsuruga-san, however, considered the statement seriously, and replied, "Well, I'm guessing that she would miss him. I told the director that you went on a visit to a relative, so I guess he will modify that to suit our cover story. Setsuka would probably be annoyed."

"Yes, that's true. She would probably call her brother every day," Kyoko said, wondering if she was too transparent.

"And because her brother adores her, he would be looking forward to her phone calls," Ren said. "He might go as far as to keep his phone on during filming."

That made her freak a little. "That would cause so much trouble."

"It would. But if perhaps Setsuka was told very sternly to only call when there are scheduled breaks…" Ren trailed off.

"Yes, yes, that would make much sense," Kyoko said.

"Alright then." The voice on the other side shifted to a deeper, darker tone, and the next sentence was spoken in English. "Setsu, I'm serious. You better not call outside of those times, or else you'll be into a lot of trouble when you get back."

Kyoko smiled. "Okay, okay, jeez! It's not like I'll be interrupting anything important." She tried to throw as much petulance in her voice as she could muster.

Tsuruga-san chuckled, and the sound caressed her ears. "It's common courtesy to visit our relatives. Just bear with it."

"Fine," she said. The next words came out alone. "I wish I was back with you already."

It shocked her, and she held her breath. Was that a Setsu-like thing to say? Could he give her an NG sigh from Tokyo? But Ren's answer was pitch-perfect.

"I wish you were back too," he said, and she could feel the Emperor of the Night from across the line. Her heart skipped several beats, but she kept her voice cool.

"So why shouldn't I come back immediately?"

"Be patient," he said, and then added, "Be safe, Setsu. I miss you."