Note: I do not own Skip Beat

Hi, it's Lia. I'm really sorry it took so long to post the next chapter, but my dictator (AKA le mama) took away my computer from me so that I can 'focus on school.' D: Anyways after much debate on my part I managed to let her let me use the computer on saturdays and sundays, so yeah. Also for what I said on my last "Author talk" with you, the whole "there isn't any fanfiction about them" was a typo on my part. I meant "there isn't MANY fanfictions about them." Sorry about that, I really didn't mean to disrespect the authors of the other Hiou-Kanae fanfictions or anything like that, just a simple typo. Let this be a lesson to me that SPELLING IS IMPORTANT lol. Well I know you don't want to hear me ramble on, so here is the next chapter! :) (Spoiler Alert) Hiou can cook! XD

-LIA

Akira Ishimaru was a young 15 year old boy born into the world of business. His father was the head of a large company in the US, and so was always abroad for his work. He had been raised since he was born proper etiquette along with being raised to be head of the business one day after his father. His mother had died in child birth, his father by her side when she took her last breath. After his mother's death, his father buried himself even more in his work, leaving his newly born son to the nannies and caretaker, unable to bear to see his child's face that took his wife from him. Every year instead of celebrating his birthday like any other child, they mourned the death of his mother. Akira himself was a genius; a child prodigy, good at any sports he tried and with an IQ of 145, along with the charisma and looks of a celebrity to boot. He had learned how to be mature at an early age, never having received any love from anyone and knowing that the only reason people were nice to him was because of his father. He had grown arrogant as a child, always having whatever he wanted given to him on a silver platter.

His father married one day while he was in school, and on that day he was taken to a nice hotel in a limo, where he met with his father, his step-mother, and step-sister. They planted the news on him. He didn't care what his father did, so he agreed to the marriage simply to leave. But that was until he was intrigued by his new step-sister. She was proud, and she didn't have any objections to her mother's sudden remarriage, but then again maybe she was a gold-digger along with her mother. He found interest in her, if only slight, but not in the romantic way. He thought of her as a new toy. His father took them to a new house in the US to live in so he wouldn't have to be abroad all the time, where it was summer break for the students. His father and step-mother took advantage that he didn't have school and went on a honeymoon to Europe, leaving him in the single house with his step-sister.

This Akira guy is kind of like me. Hiou thought to himself, looking over his script for the drama as he thought about the characters themselves. Weird. He thought. He grew up without seeing much of his parents, and everyone treated him differently because of who his family was. We're practically twins. He thought with a small smile. But how do I show love on the screen if I have never received it in my life? He wondered. He smiled sadly to himself, remembering his own situation.

His parents were never home, always working, so he left his house three years ago and got his own apartment, then transferred to LME and started to become serious about acting as his career. The stupid President had noticed he could not 'love' after talking with him, so got him into the Love Me section as a result. Hio grimaced when he remembered the feeling of pure disgust when he received the hot pink uniform in his size. He had debated with the President for hours afterwards, trying to convince him to change the color of the uniform at least. In the end he had won the debate, but only barely. He still went to school, though he missed it a few times because of work. He lived alone, his manager accompanying him and driving him to his jobs, but that was it. His parents didn't really care what he did, and it wasn't like he had any friends that would visit him. No. . . He was always alone. No. He shook his head. This isn't the time to be thinking about my life. I need to focus on this role. He thought. Yet despite telling himself this, his mind still wandered back to his depressing thoughts. I should go and cool my head. He thought, then stood up and went to the kitchen on the first floor, and to the sink, then splashed some water on his face.

He stared down at the sink for a few moments, thinking. How the hell is this going to work? he thought, running a hand through his hair.

Kanae was walking down a small path in the trees, herself doing the same as Hio and getting a grip on who her character was.

Michiko Nakamura was eighteen, already graduated from high school, and was very different than one would expect. She had been brought up in a poor house hold, working ever since she was ten by running errands for other people just to help her mother, thrown away by a husband that had been cheating on her. Her mother had worked as a stripper just to give her enough food to eat. Michiko hated the things her mother had to do and so did everything she could to get rid of that life. She had become the best in her class both athletically and intellectually, always striving to be number one and please her mother. She received a scholarship for high school, and eventually she had managed to be able to bring up the both of them by working after school, giving every penny to her mother, until they both managed to live pretty well-off, in an average household with her mother working as a receptionist. She was proud of herself, and how she had managed to be where she was now by sheer will power alone. She didn't swoon over good looking boys or men from a rich background, all she cared for was her mother being happy.

She had been at work as a librarian when her mother had gotten married, then gotten dragged off in a limo into the five-star restaurant where her mother was waiting along with her new husband and step-son. It was needless to say that Michiko was shocked. But she accepted seeing that her mother was happy with her new husband, and so wasn't angry that she had married without telling her. She thought of her new step-brother as someone who was simply mysterious and odd, giving off a mature feeling despite him being three years younger than her. She saw him as an acceptable step-brother, but she didn't really have a good opinion on his yet. She had been told that when they moved to the new house in the States that she would be able to go onto college at the same time as Akira, at the end of the summer break. She was very thankful for having her expenses paid for her, yet felt strange receiving so much. She didn't give a single word of complaint when her mother went off to Europe for a honeymoon with her new husband.

There's something wrong with this girl. Kanae thought to herself. How could she do everything just so her mom could be happy? She must be mental. She thought. But she knew that deep down inside she could understand how this character felt. She may not have been so poor as Michiko, but she had had to take care of all of her younger relatives, working hard so they could be well off. Even if she did have some problems actually taking care of them. She smiled. The brats could really get on her nerves, but they were fine at times. She stopped walking, and stared up at the sky-well, what could be seen of it through the branches of leaves overhead.

I've been gone for a while, Kanae thought. I should go back. And with that she turned on her heel and walked back down the path to the summer house, thinking about how she would meet Hiou when she arrived.

It seemed like she didn't have to worry, since Hiou wasn't anywhere in sight when she arrived. She stood at the doorway, mentally attacking herself for worrying over what she would say to Hiou, when he wasn't even there. She sighed and decided that it was a good thing that he wasn't there. She needed to get her act together, and see this as just another ordeal the President has put her through. She was sure that Hiou was thinking around the same lines, for he was a much more experienced actor than she.

Kanae went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, then went upstairs to her room, and sat down on one of the leather chairs, curling up her legs under her and sipping from her glass of water, looking outside the window and letting her mind wander.

Hiou was in his room as well, lying down on his bed contemplating with himself on wether he should act or not. He had heard when Kanae had walked past his door thanks to her heels, and had started to wonder himself on how he would talk to her. She's probably thinking of it in a professional way, He thought. I should too. In the end he stood up, and before he could lose his nerve he walked to her room and knocked on the door. There was no response.

That's weird. He thought. I was sure I heard her enter her room. Slowly he opened the unlocked door and stepped inside, making sure she wasn't there. He spotted her after a moment sitting in one of the chairs, facing outside the window. He grew a bit braver and walked towards her.

"Kanae-" He stopped when he got close enough to see her closely. Her eyes were closed, and her chest rose and fell slowly, her breathing deep as he realized she was asleep. He stood there for a few moments, simply watching her sleep, not knowing what to do. He noticed that her legs were curled under her, and smiled. It was so unlike the proud Kanae that he knew to sit in a chair with her legs curled under her.

He unfroze and before he knew what he was doing, he had sat down on the chair beside her, and simply watched her as she slept, taking close examination of her face. Her smooth porcelain skin, her perfectly shaped nose and beautifully pink mouth. He never got tired of simply watching her, and after a while, he found himself falling asleep as well, until they both sat there, sleeping a well-deserved rest after so much work, the sight of the beautiful two young actors making anyone want to sigh in satisfaction.

A Few Hours Later: 6:02 PM

Kanae woke from her sleep, though she was still groggy. She was in the land between dream and reality, and glanced around her. It seemed to be growing dark, not very late but already night. She had noticed that there was someone else on the chair next to her, and had one fleeting thought before sleep overcame her again, bringing her back to her dreams. Hiou?

One Hour Later: 7:05 PM

Hiou awoke from his sleep and glanced around him, his grogginess leaving him quickly. It was dark, he realized, and in a moment of panic glanced at Kanae, letting out a silent sigh of relief when he saw that she was still sleeping.

He had no ill intentions in mind, but he knew how it was possible for her to react to see him sleeping next to her. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was already 7:08. He got up and silently left the room, shutting the door behind him. He yawned once and went to the kitchen, knowing that soon it would be time to eat dinner.

Half an Hour Later: 7:40 PM

Kanae awoke once again from her sleep, though this time fully, and glanced around her once again. She led her eyes to the chair next to her, and saw that, unlike her dream, there wasn't anyone sitting there. Just in case, she placed her hand on the seat, though a bit stiffly, for her legs had fallen asleep under her. Like she had suspected, it was cold. Of course. She thought. Why would Hiou be sitting there? She looked outside and saw that it was dark, then closed the curtains, standing up and stretching, then going outside her room to the hall.

There she managed to smell a light scent of food coming from the kitchen. She walked down the stairs, realizing as her stomach grumbled that she was hungry.

When she arrived she saw that Hiou was setting two plates on the table, and glanced up in her direction.

"Perfect timing, I was just about to call you for dinner." He said, standing up. Kanae was shocked, but kept her composure as she spoke.

"Thank you." She said, then walked to one of the chairs set up and sat down next to Hiou, who was sitting as well. Kanae looked at the dinner itself and was a bit shocked to see what Hiou had made. It was simple chicken curry, and yet the thought of the very same arrogant little kid from three years ago had actually made a meal was surprising to her. What am I thinking? It should be normal that he can cook. She thought to herself, quickly regained her composure and murmured an "Thanks for the meal" before picking up her chopsticks and beginning to eat. When she took a bite she was surprised once again. The flavor took over her whole mouth, and she was left with satisfaction with every bite. It was not as good as Kyoko's cooking, of course, but still much better than her own failed attempts at cooking she has done over the years.

Hiou didn't even glance at Kanae, though thanks to the position they were in, he was able to see her split-second stunned expression from the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but smile inwardly over seeing her reaction. It made him proud of himself in a way, to be able to surprise her with his ability to cook he had gained after living alone. I'm not the little kid you knew three years ago anymore. He thought to himself.

They ate in silence for a few moments, almost as though there was a thick barrier over them that made it impossible to speak. It wasn't unbearable, but it wasn't very comfortable either. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a few minutes, Hiou broke the silence.

"So how have you been these past three years?" Hiou asked, looking at Kanae straight on, his gaze confident, yet refined at the same time, leaving Kanae no choice but be drawn into his gaze, at his beautiful eyes.

"I've been good, I've gotten a lot of jobs lately. I moved into an apartment with Kyoko after a while. But she moved out after a few months of dating Tsuruga-san." Kanae said with a smile, happy for her best friend who had finally grown and admitted that she loved Tsuruga-san.

"Yeah, I heard that they're dating a while back." Hiou said, remembering with a small smirk how Kyoko had reacted to his arrogant attitude before.

"What about you? How have you been?" Kanae asked.

"I transferred to LME in order to get more jobs, and have been pretty busy ever since. I moved out from my parents' about a year afterwards, into my own apartment. I'm still going to school." He answered.

"Isn't it hard, going to school and working?" She asked. Hiou shook his head.

"Not really, they're flexible because of my schedule." He said simply.

". . .Why did you move out?" Kanae asked after a moment.

"Because I wanted to be seen as me, to earn my own worth, instead of just having it given to me because of my family." Hiou answered. His tone was calm and even, but there was a fire in his eyes that came to life, showing how much he was devoted to achieve that. But then it sort of died down, so that he was back to normal once again. "Anyways because of that, I learned how to take care of myself." He said, drawing his gaze away.

After then the two actors began to talk about other things, telling a few of their stories they had from set, including one about a newby actress that tried to hit on Hiou while they were filming.

They picked up their plates and washed them in the sink, continuing to talk as they did so, until finally both of them yawned in exhaustion. It was already close to midnight by then, and they were a lot more comfortable with each other than they had been at the beginning.

"Goodnight." Kanae said when they went up the stairs to their bedrooms, giving a small smile as she did so.

"Goodnight." Hiou answered with a small smile of his own. They went into their bedrooms and both collapsed on the beds, letting sleep overtake them once more, as the first day of their two-week ordeal finally ended.

Thirteen days to go.

Thanks for reading :) Please Read and Review!

-LIA