Hi there! So this chapter was quite difficult to write. I don't know if I was able to convey their emotions realistically and I'm even scared they might be slightly OOC. However, I hope you all like it because I worked hard writing it. Thanks again and please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.


Her words had completely taken over his mind. Ren couldn't feel anything, but the warmth of her body against his. Everything inside of him erupted into flames as his arms slowly wrapped themselves around her shaking shoulders.

He heard her sharp intake of breath at his touch, but eventually felt her body relax as he held her in his embrace. Ren didn't have the voice to speak, to say what he had wanted to tell her ever since he rescued her. But knowing that he had to respond in one way or another, he gently took a step forward, causing her to walk backward into the suite. And with one small kick of his feet, the door quietly closed shut.

They stood in the hallway together, allowing the darkness to hide the embrace they shouldn't be sharing. Ren knew that as soon as he stepped inside her hotel room that he wasn't going back. It was almost as if some kind of barrier had shattered to pieces and sooner or later, every emotion that he had bottled up inside of him was going to be released. And Ren wouldn't have the strength to stop it even if he wanted to.

He held her for an immeasurable amount of time, feeling her breaths come and go. If Ren had the choice, he would have stayed there forever. He didn't want to move at all in fear that he would wake up from his dream and realize that he was truly all alone. Ren didn't want it to end.

But suddenly, her hands went to his chest and she slowly leaned away from him, raising her head to meet his gaze. Kyoko stared back into his dark eyes and could feel her stomach tighten into knots. The beating of her heart increased dramatically to the point where she wanted to clutch her chest, hoping to ease it into a slower pace. And forcing her mouth to open, she whispered, "I should go change."

Ren waited to see any hint of her breaking down before he released her. After what had happened, he had expected for her to crash, to fall apart, or even cry. But she remained standing with a strength that surprised even him. And seeing that she was truly okay, he nodded and allowed her step away from him.

She turned around and walked towards her bedroom, silently making her way down the hall. Ren ran a shaky hand through his hair, in hopes of coming back to his senses now that he was by himself. But all he could think about was the warmth of her body and the tender words that she murmured outside in the hall. They rang in his ears like tinkling bells, a sound that he never wanted to forget.

Taking in a deep breath, Ren made his way to the living room. He sat down on the white couch and leaned his head back onto the cushions, closing his eyes. Ren allowed his sense of hearing to take over every part of his mind, trying to hear her movements, but not a single sound came from her bedroom. All that could be heard was the soft ticking of the clock above the fireplace and the calm silence of the darkness. Ren opened his eyes and stared at the dark ceiling.

He waited for the rage from earlier to return. Now that he was alone, he was free to express everything that he felt, but nothing happened. The only thing he could feel was an ache throbbing within his heart that had nothing to do with pain or fury. He looked around the room and realized with a burning desire that they were alone together, that she had indeed asked him to stay with her.

Groaning softly at his weakness, Ren placed his head in his hands. How could he think of something like that when she was obviously in pain? He should be focusing on her first. Her emotional and physical states were what mattered, not the wave of uncontrollable emotions that swirled around in his body and mind. And while Ren tried to ease the rapid beating of his heart, he suddenly heard a faint sound echo from down the hall.

A sob.

Standing immediately, Ren moved with great, long strides down the hall. He followed the noise into the room on the left side and entered without a second thought. Ren froze to a standstill as he saw her standing in front of the mirror with her thin arms wrapped around her waist and his jacket lying crumpled upon the floor.

Kyoko slowly turned her head towards him and smiled feebly, fresh tears streaming down her face. "I look horrible, don't I?" she murmured in a surprisingly steady voice.

She looked back at the mirror and picked at the torn strap on her right shoulder with shaky fingers. "Moko-san is going to be so mad. She bought this just for me and I already ruined it."

Kyoko smiled weakly as another tear fell from her eyes. "I'm so clumsy."

Ren slowly made his way towards her, seeing her body tremble and her arms shake violently. He noticed the silent tears that fell from her eyes and how she tried so hard to pull herself together. Kyoko hated looking weak; it was the one thing she tried to avoid no matter how dire the situation seemed to be. And to watch her desperately try to uphold her bravery nearly tore Ren apart.

He stood behind her and without the slightest hint of hesitation, wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. Kyoko gasped softly as soon as their bodies touched.

"Don't fight it," he whispered gently into her silky hair.

Kyoko shook her head as a sob began to rise up in her throat. She didn't want to act like this in front of him. She didn't want him to see her like this. No matter how much it hurt, Kyoko knew she had to keep it together.

"I know those men hurt you, Mogami-san," Ren said in a pained voice. "I know that you're suffering."

She turned away from the mirror and looked down at his arms around her waist. Even though he was wearing a long sleeve shirt, she could see how his muscles stretched from holding her so tightly, but at the same time, she could see how much he was holding back. Kyoko could feel his warm breath on her neck and his soft hair falling on the side of her face.

And even though she felt as if her whole world had crashed, Kyoko couldn't forget the fact that he was still here. That even with all the trouble she had caused, he didn't turn away from her. Ren was holding her in comfort, not from pity or sense of duty. He was here because he cared about her and wanted to make her feel safe. Ren protected her and saved her, even when his own life was in danger. He placed her before everything and Kyoko understood immensely how much he sacrificed just to keep her safe.

Ren didn't deserve to see her like this. He didn't deserve to see her fall into pieces. He shouldn't be the one who puts her back together when he himself was in pain. But Kyoko couldn't stop herself. She couldn't hold back any longer because as soon as those words left his lips, she could feel the fear from earlier rise up within her body, begging to be freed.

So in one fluid motion, she turned around and helplessly sobbed into his chest as she felt her legs give out on her. Ren instinctively held her tighter, holding her to him and feeling her shake from the violent tremors that coursed through her slim body.

"I was so scared," she said with a breaking voice as her hands gripped the front of his shirt. "I was so scared of what they were going to do to me."

She gasped painfully as the memory flooded her mind, bringing back the terror she couldn't voice in the alley. "When they dragged me out of theater, I could feel my heart throb inside of my chest. It hurt so much. And when I realized that you weren't there anymore, I had never felt so alone."

A sob escaped her lips as she bit down on her tongue. Ren hissed in fury at the thought of what she had to go through. A part of him wanted her to stop, but another part of him knew that she needed to let it all out. Kyoko needed to voice her pain and Ren was going to help, no matter how much it would hurt to hear.

"They told me they were going to rip me apart," she whispered in a shaky breath. "They said that no one was going to come save me. I tried to put up a fight. I didn't want to give in so easily, but they…"

Kyoko shut her eyes tighter and moved her head from side to side, feeling as if their hands were all over her body right then. "They hit me and pushed me against the wall. I could feel their nails digging into my skin and tearing at my dress. Their sour breaths blew onto my face. Their lips trailed down my neck…I tried to scream, but I completely lost the will to speak."

Ren closed his eyes, trying to stop himself from imagining the painful pictures, but they flooded his mind like a horror movie he couldn't turn off. It was all too clear.

She sucked in a shaky breath as she murmured in a breaking voice, "I felt like I was dying. They wouldn't stop. They wouldn't let me go and when I thought everything was finally over—"

Kyoko suddenly raised her head and stared into his pained face with tearful eyes.

"—you came."

Ren leaned his forehead against hers with a grimace. "Not soon enough," he whispered in a low voice. "I should have been there sooner."

Kyoko shook her head. "When I saw you, I had never felt so relieved. It was almost as if I knew for a fact that everything was going to be okay. You came just in time."

A tear fell down from her eyes as Ren gently brought his hand to her cheek, wiping it from her face. "But when I saw the hatred in your eyes, I was so…"

Her breath hitched, rendering her speechless, but Ren could infer what she was going to say. It was exactly as he feared before. She was afraid…of him.

"I know you were scared of me," Ren replied in a strained voice, uttering the words he never wanted to speak aloud. "But I promise I won't hurt you."

And to his surprise, she laughed feebly and shook her head. "Scared of you? How could you think that?"

Kyoko looked at him with tearful eyes as she whispered, "I wasn't afraid of you, Tsuruga-san. I was afraid for you. Because of me, you got hurt."

And with nimble fingers, she brought her hand to his shoulder where the silver blade had cut into his shirt and skin. The wound wasn't deep enough to bleed, but the skin was broken, revealing the red, tender flesh underneath. "You saved me at the cost of yourself."

Kyoko slowly placed her head over his beating heart, breathing in deeply. "And for that, I'm so sorry."

Ren couldn't take it anymore. The words that left her mouth were hurting him more than any blade or knife. He didn't give a damn about himself yet she was the one that was worrying about him. Ren had never felt so useless.

"Tsuruga-san," she murmured quietly as her fingers dug into his shirt, bringing him back from his painful thoughts. "I don't want to remember anymore. I want to forget what happened. I want to forget it all…please."

At that last word, Ren's heart thumped loudly in his chest as he could hear the sound of her pleas ringing in his ears. He couldn't believe what she had said. Kyoko had completely made herself vulnerable to him, without worrying what would happen after.

And knowing well enough the serious consequences of what he was about to do, Ren brought a hand down to her chin and raised her wet face to meet his gaze. Her eyes slowly widened as she stared back into his face, filled with an emotion that practically strangled her for breath.

"Tsuruga-san," she whispered as he lowered his face closer to hers.

And with a heart that was on the verge of bursting into pieces, he murmured huskily against her skin, "Let me help you," as he pressed his lips against hers.

Ren knew that he shouldn't. That the kiss was wrong, that he should stop before it got any farther, but he desperately wanted to do as she asked. He wanted to erase everything from her mind, body, and heart. He could feel the shock that ran through her like an electric current as his lips moved against hers, but he didn't have the will to stop. She tasted just as he thought she would, sweet and warm.

Kyoko couldn't believe what was happening. A part of her told her to bring an end to this immediately, but another part of her yearned for him to continue and before she knew it, she was responding to his urgent kiss. Her mouth parted and gladly allowed him to take control of her. Kyoko realized that she needed this; she needed his warmth and tenderness. After the coldness she had endured, he was exactly the person that could save her.

Ren felt her hands cling to him as if she never wanted to let him go. He could hear the soft noises coming from her throat, causing him to tremble involuntarily. And when her arms reached up to his face, he offered everything he could to her. He was hers to take and Ren was willing to do anything for her.

He had no idea when he had picked her up and cradled her to the bed. All he could remember was lying her down on the white mattress and breaking off the kiss to look at her flushed face. Ren tenderly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and realized that the nervousness he expected to see in her eyes was entirely absent. Kyoko looked back at him with a hazed expression as if she was still trying to understand what was happening.

Leaning down and placing his forehead against hers, Ren murmured, "I can stop."

Even though he didn't want to, even though he wanted to feel her lips forever, he had to take this slow. Kyoko was still broken from pain and he would never want to take advantage of her. After losing so much control tonight, the one thing that Ren didn't want to do was force her into something she had no desire for.

But suddenly, with an ease that she would have never thought she could act upon, Kyoko lifted herself off the bed and placed a tender kiss on the cut on his shoulder. Ren sucked in a sharp breath at the warmth of her lips as she whispered against his skin, "I want to forget, Tsuruga-san. Help me forget."

At that instant, every ounce of his control and every doubt that existed in his mind were blown to pieces as Ren roughly pressed his lips against hers, feeling her respond just as strongly. He slowly climbed on top of her, placing one knee between her legs and the other at her side. He held one of her hands to his chest while the other was placed at the side of her head so that she wouldn't have to feel his entire weight.

Kyoko felt as if her body was on fire. Whenever his hands trailed down her sides, sounds that she didn't recognize would bubble up inside her and escape from her moving lips. Everywhere he touched her, Kyoko could feel her heart beat faster and faster as if it was threatening to come to a dead stop. But she didn't care. She didn't care about anyone except the man who was holding her so tenderly right at that moment.

And while he trailed kisses down her neck, she realized that all she could focus on was his movements. Nothing filled her mind except for his flaming and gentle touch. Everything in her body screamed for him. The weight of his body, the softness of his lips, and the familiar smell of his skin…they were the only things that mattered to Kyoko. Ren was the only person that mattered.

Their breaths became more ragged and ragged as their hands reached out to one another. Ren could feel the desperation in her movements and he allowed her to take whatever it is that she wanted. He was here for her and only her.

And once the need for air forced them to lean away, Ren returned his gaze to her face and felt his heart ache at the sight of her. Her mouth was slightly parted and her skin was flushed a light red, but her eyes glowed like two amber candles. He could see the trust that she still had in him and how willingly she accepted his feelings. It was more than he could ask for.

Kyoko breathed in deeply as she looked up at his loving face. She reached up a hand and tenderly ran her fingers across his cheek. She watched him close his eyes in contentment before he reached up and took her hand in his. The last thing Kyoko remembered that night was her vision becoming more and more unfocused as he pressed another kiss to her lips and murmured to the quiet darkness,

"I love you, Kyoko."


Kyoko tiredly turned to her side, moaning softly from the heavy sleep that rested comfortably on her eyelids. She could tell that morning had arrived already, but she wanted nothing more than to sleep for just a while longer. She remained in bed with her eyes closed as she allowed her mind to focus on her surroundings. It felt so relaxing lying on the sheets as her body seemed to unwind. If Kyoko had the choice, she would never leave.

But realizing that it was impossible, she slowly pried her eyes opened to be greeted with a hazy sunshine that shone through the white, sheer curtains. Kyoko rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand as she sat up, yawning and stretching her arms. Mechanically, she swung her feet to the side of the bed and was about to walk into the bathroom when a note on the bedside drawer caught her eye. Picking it up, she read:

Saw that you were deeply asleep last night so I decided not to wake you. I'll meet you for breakfast later. –K

Looking at the clock, she realized that it was only nine o'clock and wondered where Kanae would be at this hour. But not too worried about her friend, she slowly got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom.

After closing the door behind her, Kyoko slipped out of her red dress and turned on the showerhead, causing the room to fill up with smoky steam that obscured her vision. She tentatively stepped into the glass case and felt the warm water rain upon her bare shoulders and head. After lathering her hair with melon shampoo and washing her body, she easily stepped out and wrapped a long, thick towel around her chest. Clean and fully relaxed, Kyoko shook her head a few times and stood before the bathroom mirror. Raising her hand, she made large circular movements upon the mirror to remove the perspiration, but when her eyes trailed down her face, she let out a loud gasp as her hand flew to her neck.

With wide eyes, Kyoko gently ran her fingers across the deep colored mark. She had no idea where it came from. Thankfully, there was no pain or sting as she touched it, but it looked as if it was caused by something external. The mark was only the size of about two fingertips, but could be easily noticed if anyone paid any attention to her shoulder up. She shook her head in confusion and was about to disregard it as nothing serious, when her lips caught her eye.

They were swollen. And as if struck by lightning, Kyoko felt her body burst into flames as she remembered familiar hands running down her body. Her cheeks flushed scarlet at the memory of his warm lips that trailed kisses down the curve of her neck and how his strong arms held her body to his.

Feeling as if everything was put on blast, Kyoko quickly threw on some old clothes hanging on the rack and flung the bathroom door open. She stepped inside her bedroom and looked around for any piece of evidence to prove that last night actually happened. And when she was about to deem it as nothing more but a dream, Kyoko suddenly saw it.

His jacket was lying upon the floor. Slowly, she bent down and held the garment in her hands. She remembered how he had wrapped it around her shoulders last night…how he had walked her home…how he had held her and kissed her right in this very room…Kyoko could remember everything.

And with a rapidly beating heart, she walked outside and into the living room. She slowly looked around the room until finally, she saw him. Her lips naturally curved into a tender smile as her eyes fell upon his sleeping face. He was wearing the same clothes from yesterday with his head leaned back against the couch. He looked so peaceful sleeping, as if there was nothing in the world that could bother him from his rest.

Not even realizing that she had made her way across the room and was standing right in front of him, Kyoko was about to reach out a hand towards his face when a soft knock came upon the front door. Curious as to whom it was, she quietly ran towards it in haste, hoping that the noise wouldn't wake him. To her surprise, it was—

"Ruriko?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What? Not happy to see me?"

"No, that's not it! It's just—never mind, what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" she asked irritably, "I'm here to get you. Everyone's waiting downstairs."

Kyoko smiled. "You wanted to come and get me?"

Ruriko scoffed as she replied, "You wish. I was hoping to bump into a certain someone on the way, but he wasn't there."

Kyoko furrowed her eyebrows. "Who?" she asked curiously.

"None of your business!" Ruriko exclaimed angrily as she stomped her feet. "Now hurry up and get dressed, loser. I don't want to have to wait for—!"

She faltered as her eyes fell upon the jacket in Kyoko's arms. There was no mistaking who it belonged to. She clearly recognized it from the night before. It was HIS.

So swallowing the heavy lump in her throat, Ruriko said in a hoarse voice, "Isn't that Tsuruga-san's?"

Kyoko looked down and smiled. With a nod, she replied simply, "Yes."

Ruriko's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she cried, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HIS JACKET?"

"He left it in my room."

Kyoko gasped at her blunder. "Oh crap…"

"YOUR ROOM?" she shrieked. "YOUR ROOM?"

"Ruriko, stop yelling!" Kyoko said as she nervously waved her hand at her to be quiet. "People are still sleeping!"

"WHY WAS HE IN YOUR ROOM?" she hollered even louder.

Kyoko's heart thumped loudly in her chest. She immediately looked down at her feet, too embarrassed to say anything. She couldn't speak of what happened. It was way too personal.

Ruriko, on the other hand, felt as if someone had pulled her feet right from under her. And on the verge of a heart attack, Ruriko shakily threw her dark hair over her shoulder and held out a hand. Kyoko raised her head with confused eyes.

"Give it here," she demanded as Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I'm going to give it back to him, of course!" she exclaimed with snarl. "Now give it!"

Kyoko shook her head. "There's no need for that, Ruriko. He's sleeping in the living—"

And like a slap to the face, she immediately placed a hand over her mouth as Ruriko's body froze up like a statue.

"What did you say?" she asked in quiet tones.

"NOTHING!" Kyoko cried. "Nothing at all!

"You said he's SLEEPING in your—!"

And like a nuclear bomb, Ruriko suddenly gasped in horror as she pointed at Kyoko's neck with a shaky finger. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

Wrapping a hand around the mark, kYOKO shook her head vigorously and exclaimed, "No, don't Ruriko! It's not what you—!"

"IT'S A HICKEY!"

"Ruriko please!" Kyoko begged. "Lower your voice! If someone hears—!"

"OH MY GOD!"

And seeing that she wasn't going to give up, Kyoko sucked in a breath and yelled at the top of her lungs, "STOPPPPPPPP!"

Ruriko fell silent, with her hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. He couldn't have…he just couldn't have…Kyoko had to be lying. This was all some sort of joke, some cruel, twisted joke!

So with a new found vigor and a belief that Kyoko was fooling her, she angrily opened her mouth and was about to yell some more when Kyoko suddenly jumped in with,

"Thanks for coming up here, Ruriko, but I got to go! See you!"

And without bothering to let her speak, Kyoko quickly slammed the door in her face and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She gulped for air as she felt her heart hammer loudly in her chest. Kyoko couldn't believe that Ruriko had actually spotted it. Out of all people to reveal it to, it had to be her! After what happened on the plane, Ruriko was relentless. Now, she was never going to make her life miserable. Kyoko sighed and slumped down onto the floor.

But while she sat on the ground, Kyoko realized with a heavy heart that that the mistake had already been made and that people were going to find out, one way or another. Moping wasn't going to stop the wildfire that was sure to ensue as soon as Ruriko met up with everyone else. So deciding to get up, she quietly made her way into the living room to see if he had awaken from the yelling, but saw that he remained in his undisturbed slumber.

And feeling as if all of her troubles melted away at just one look of his face, Kyoko smiled warmly as she draped his jacket over the arm of the couch and stood before him. Slowly and gently, she climbed into his lap and placed her head into the crook of his shoulder. He moaned softly as his arms instinctively wrapped around her curled body.

With a small giggle, Kyoko placed a chaste kiss upon his lips as she whispered, "Time to get up…Ren."