Chapter Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of characters. This is a fanfiction written merely for fun.

A/N: Whoo, chapter two is here! This will be where the drama begins. I hope you enjoy!

"Hello Hiziru-sama, Kotonami-sama," said the doorman to the expensive apartment complex. She and Kanae had come so often that all of the doormen knew her on sight by now, and even knew not to speak to them while they were in character.

"Good evening Honda-san," Kyoko said, bowing as was her habit. Kanae saw the strained but resigned look of the doorman as they walked past him into the lobby. He obviously had give up trying to stop Kyoko from bowing to him long ago.

"I'm so excited! We haven't done anything like this in ages. It almost feels like we're back in the LoveMe section again!" Kyoko said, the sound of the things in her purse moving around a sort of background noise as they took the elevator up to the Hiziru penthouse.

"Ugh, don't remind me of that stupid section. I have never done so much menial labor as I did for those three years," said Kanae, thinking fondly of it as well but refusing to admit.

"But it was a lot of fun! And without it, we wouldn't have become friends!" she said, finally finding her keys. Kanae, as usual, pretended to not notice the cute little "Ren-sama" key chain Maria had made for her. It was disturbing to see the handsome man in chibi form on a keychain.

"Yeah, that's true," said Kanae as they stepped out of the elevator into the tiny lobby. There was a keypad, and Kyoko absently typed in the passcode. The first set of doors moved aside, revealing a normal door with a normal lock. Kyoko put in her key and opened the door, holding the door for Kanae. Kyoko closed the door, and as soon as she locked it there was a "swish" sound as the other doors closed.

"Moko-san, would you like some tea?" Kyoko asked as they stepped into the small foyer, where two pairs of bright pink slippers were set. Kanae could have killed Kyoko when she had happily shown them to her the first time she had come over. Tsuruga-san had tried to hide his laughter, but had been largely unsuccessful. As usual when it came to her best friend's whims, however, she couldn't really turn her down.

"Sure, that sounds good. Do you need any help?" she asked, taking off her shoes and putting the cursed slippers on.

"Nope, I'm fine! Sit anywhere you like, Moko-san!" she called from the kitchen, clearly in her element back there as she hummed about preparing tea, taking down princess and fairy cups her husband would send to her when he was away on location.

When Kanae put down her boots, she realized with a start that Kyoko had been wearing the high-end Alain McKing boots with studs of green snakeskin that everyone had raved over during spring fashion week. She knew her friend had to dress more fashionably because of her success, but she sometimes found it hard to believe that Kyoko wasn't still wearing drugstore lip balm and things like that.

Then again, it might be the influence of her supermodel mother-in-law Julie that kept her from being a fashion disaster. She wouldn't past Kyoko to not understand that she couldn't keep shopping at outlet stores anymore.

"Here you go!" said Kyoko, setting a tray of pink cups onto a traditional Japanese table. Relieved that it wasn't fairies and just merely a baby girl pink, Kanae sat down and took her cup.

Kyoko really was very different from when she had been sixteen. She had grown taller but was still just as lean—she was not known for her curves. She had grown out her hair past her shoulders and nearly to her elbows, but it was still the red-orange color that she had become famous with. She was wearing a green-gold silk shirt and a geometric patterned skirt in various shades of green, with that same green-gold color hinted at in the skirt. The obnoxious slippers looked horrible garish with the outfit.

Kyoko may have become more beautiful as she aged, but when she smiled she was still undeniably the same Kyoko.

"Sooo…" said Kyoko, obviously leading into a question with curious and devious eyes. Kanae could almost swear demons were floating around her head, whispering questions too. "What did Hiou-kun talk to you about?"

"Mo! It wasn't as big a deal as you're making it seem. He asked to go to the premier with me as my date, to avoid having to deal with—"

But Kanae was cut off as Kyoko gasped excitedly. "I knew it! Moko-san, he's been in love with you since he was twelve! Please, pleeaaase tell me you said yes?" She gave Kanae the puppy-eyes, the ones that foretold that if she gave the wrong answer Kyoko would cry and Kanae would be forced to do something embarrassing or experience kanashibari again.

She blushed, not really wanting to meet Kyoko's eyes for some reason. Why was this so embarrassing? "I told him yes before I could even think about it." She still wasn't used to revealing such personal things.

She heard the soft swish of cloth moving, and looked up to find Kyoko coming to sit down next to her. Kyoko gave her a soft but serious expression. "Do you regret it?" Kyoko asked as she hugged her knees, leaning against them as she looked at Kanae.

"Not at all," said Kanae honestly. She was surprised to see Kyoko give such a sweet smile.

"Then you did the right thing."

Kanae sighed, and looked over at her best friend. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're more the voice of experience here then I am." It was so embarrassing this formerly love-dead girl had managed to date and get married before her! This was the reason she had avoided dates! "He said he'd call me later and plan all the details when we had more time. What does that mean?"

"Well, when Kuon accompanies me to premiers we have to coordinate things. How will we get there, what time we will be leaving, making sure our outfits don't clash or look odd together—"

"Mo! What do you mean 'coordinate our outfits?' I've never done that for a premier before!"

"You've always gone by yourself, though, or with your manager. When you go as a couple, you have to make sure your outfits don't look unusual together for pictures. One time I had to buy a whole new dress because it didn't look right with Kuon's suit, and it was his movie so we wanted the highlight to be him."

No matter how much she respected Hiou-kun, she would kill him before she bought a second dress for the same premier. Did men not know how insanely hard it is to find a formal dress that looks good on you and fits?

"Don't worry, I think Hiou-kun will probably put together his outfit after knowing what you're wearing. That's what Kuon and I normally do, but that one time we had been so busy we couldn't do that," she said, looking thoughtful.

This honestly didn't surprise Kanae at all. They had gained a reputation for being extremely hard workers in love with their careers as much (if not more) than each other. When the President had "surprised" them with a three-week honeymoon with no work. Tsuruga-san had a false smile so bright that every straight woman or gay man within a twenty-foot radius had fainted, except for Kyoko. Oh no, Kyoko had thrown the bouquet at the president along with (according to the psychic guests at the wedding) a horde of demons with a huge cloud of demonic intention behind her. Julie had tried to save the president while Kuu laughed so hard he couldn't even eat during the reception. Yashiro-san had cried during the entire reception, calling his client and his new wife "the most unromantic people alive."

"Oh, and your managers will probably release a press statement the night before or around that time so the media can keep up with who is coming with whom," said Kyoko. "Since Yashiro-san is the senior manager to Niwa-san, he writes up the statement and they send it to wherever it goes." Niwa Minako had been Kyoko's manager since she had debuted in her first movie.

Kanae groaned. This sounded like far more trouble than it was worth.

"It'll be okay, Moko-san. After all the planning is done, it's lots of fun! Seeing all the amazing dresses, going out to eat at a nice restaurant…" she trailed off, daydreaming again.

"Kyoko!" she said, waving her hand in front of her friend's face. "What do you mean by dinner?"

"Well, usually you'll go out to eat before the show. You don't want your stomach grumbling during the ceremonies, do you?" Kyoko looked genuinely confused as to why she'd be asking such a question.

"Yeah, but I figured we'd just eat separately, get ready, and then go to the premier. What will I do if I got food stuck between my teeth?"

"I brush my teeth in the restaurant bathroom really quickly before we go," stated Kyoko.

Kanae could see so many things going wrong with that. 'Maybe I'll ask if we could have dinner on another day, so I don't have to brush my teeth in a restaurant bathroom.'

There was silence for a few minutes as Kanae mentally planned all that she needed to do, and Kyoko happily watched the friend she had missed so much while she had been away.

"Would you like some more tea, Moko-san?" asked Kyoko, standing up and grabbing the two empty teacups.

"Eh? Oh no, I'm good," Kanae said. 'Damn it, I missed my moment to ask her what was bothering her.'

"Okay! I also bought some ice cream since we can't go out and eat it anymore without disguises. It's really good! Would you like some, Moko-san?" asked Kyoko in hostess mode.

Kanae secretly did want to eat the ice cream, but she decided that now would be a good time to talk to Kyoko. "I would actually—"

"Great! I'll go get it—"

"—but I'd like to talk to you first," finished Kanae weakly. She secretly hoped Kyoko hadn't heard the last part. She was no good at conversations like these! However, Kyoko quickly sat back down again at the table, placing the cups to the side.

"Is there something wrong, Moko-san?"

Kanae wished she still had her cup to keep her hands distracted. She really didn't want to intrude on their privacy, but…

"Kyoko, has something happened between you and Tsuruga-san?"

Kyoko looked shocked at the question, but then laughed. "What do you mean, Moko-san?" She was a good actress, no doubt about that, but Kanae was her best friend of nearly a decade now. That hand in her hair was the first indicator of evasion to her question, and the second was that Kyoko's smile didn't reach her eyes. "And are you still calling him Tsuruga-san? You've known each other so long, I figured at least you'd call him Kuon-san or Ren-san…"

"Kyoko, why are you avoiding my question?" asked Kanae, as tough and serious as an interrogator at a police station.

"I'm not, Moko-san, I just don't understand what you mean…"

"You looked really upset when Maria-chan mentioned calling Tsuruga-san. I'm worried about you."

Strike one by Kanae. It was the first move Kanae would make if Kyoko was determined to keep a secret from her. It obviously hit home, as Kyoko began to look sad.

"I'm really sorry, Moko-san, it's just so hard to talk about."

Kanae ignored her expression. Kyoko would keep it a secret that she had a terminal disease even on her deathbed if she thought she might inconvenience someone. Kanae continued on.

"Hard to talk about? I'm your best friend! I thought we told each other everything," she said, looking down at her lap in an unfeigned look of sadness. Did she really not trust her after all these years?

When she looked up, Kyoko looked pained but there were no tears. "Moko-san, it's just…"

Kanae didn't say anything, she just looked at her. Her pride, quiet for once, let her show her worry on her face.

Kyoko was the first to look away, looking at the table. "You're going to hate me," she mumbled quietly.

"You say that about everything, and I've yet to come to hate you" she said, worried about her friend. This was more than a passing upset mood. She was obviously really distressed.

There was uncomfortable silence. She could hear the rustling of Kyoko's skirt as she fidgeted, and Kyoko never fidgeted. The only lights on were the kitchen lights and the lamps near the table. The rest of the apartment was in darkness except for the blinking red light of the desk phone and answering machine, and in the silence it was oppressive. Kanae had the impulse to go turn all the stupid lights on, but she wouldn't leave her friend.

"…in two weeks," she mumbled incoherently.

"What did you say?" asked Kanae, leaning closer.

"Kuon and I haven't texted each other in two weeks," she said, continuing to stare down at the table. Her eyes were so empty. "He only texted to tell me his shoot was behind schedule and wouldn't be home as soon as he thought. But Yashiro-san said things at the shoot were going fine and that they'd finish on schedule. We haven't talked on the phone since he left over three weeks ago, and…we had a fight before he left."

"Why don't you just call and apologize, and tell him you miss him?" asked Kanae. "It's the truth, isn't it?"

There was silence again, and Kyoko shuddered before looking up at Kanae. There were tears streaming down her face, finally spilling over, but her face looked tense as if she was trying to keep herself calm. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath before speaking. "It's bigger than that. When he came home things were…awkward between us. It's been like that since the end of February. At first I thought it was just that we were both exhausted, so I gave him his space. But he wouldn't be drawn into conversation, and he was always distracted." Kyoko began to choke, and she was shaking with the effort. "I-I didn't want to bother him, so I drew back again. We got busy again, and the next time we were both home it was…" She put her hands up to her face, trying to wipe away the tears, but they wouldn't stop. "Kanae, it was like we were strangers. We didn't touch each other, he wouldn't eat, we hardly talked, and I couldn't wait until I had to go to my job and get into character. When he kissed me goodbye when I left for fashion week, I wanted to wipe it away. It felt…fake."

Kanae was too stunned to move. It was the middle of March. She thought at first she had been talking about a few weeks ago, this Feburary, but fashion week was in the winter. She meant that things had been this bad for over a year.

Kyoko was crying too hard to speak now, and Kanae got up and hugged Kyoko. Kyoko sobbed into her shirt for real this time, but Kanae didn't care. She had never seen Kyoko like this, and all she knew to do was hug her and pet her hair like she did her younger siblings when they cried. She felt horribly inadequate, and if Tsuruga Ren— Hizuri Kuon—whoever!—was within driving distance she probably would have gone out to murder him, or at least castrate him. She could never forgive that man for making Kyoko so upset.

A long time ago, before Kyoko and Tsuruga-san were dating, Kanae had been jealous of the monopolization she felt the sempai had over her best friend. Dating had only made the jealousy worse. She had mostly gotten over it, except for having the strong urge to be moody and sulk at the wedding.

However, she couldn't even think of feeling glad she had all of her friend's attention now. The price was too heavy.

Kanae nearly jumped when Kyoko started talking again, a bit calmer now. "But I thought it would be okay. Neither of us had said anything about it, and I thought it was just me. But when we were at the airport waiting for his flight, he just stared at me. Before he got on, he said, 'You don't even want to kiss me now?' Before I could say anything, Yashiro-san came and they got on the plane. I couldn't say anything! I've tried calling him, but before I can leave a voicemail I freeze and hang up the phone. He hasn't called me back either. I keep thinking about what I could have done wrong to make him so upset with me, but my head feels like I'm wandering through a maze. And then I get these horrible thoughts…"

"Horrible thoughts?" asked Kanae.

" 'What if he's having an affair and wants to get rid of me?' or 'What if he doesn't love me anymore?' I can't believe I could think such horrible and cruel things about Kuon!"

"Those aren't abnormal thoughts. Something is wrong with your relationship, and I don't think it is your fault," said Kanae.

"No!" Kyoko cried, her warped logic and insane amount of loyalty shining through. "It must be my fault."

"If it was, why wouldn't he just call you back and talk to you about it? He knows how you are. You'd never do anything in a million years to hurt him," Kanae replied, trying to not let her anger show through.

"No one is perfect, Kanae. I wouldn't want to hurt him, but maybe I have? I just wish I knew what was wrong. But I'm so afraid to ask—everytime Yashiro-san calls, I panic because I think he's letting me know Kuon wants a divorce. Whenever Niwa-san mentions the tabloids, I worry I'll find out something I don't want to know. And the apartment…" Kyoko sat up from the hug, and Kanae let her go. "It's so empty. I haven't felt this lonely since before Sho left me, when he would never come home." Kyoko looked out into the dark and empty spaces, and she looked so lost.

As far as Kanae was concerned, she was sure it was Tsuruga-san's fault. Kyoko would be deeply hurt by withdrawl from her husband—anyone who knew them knew that. The fact that he had the gall to make her seem like she was the bad guy made her want to scream. And what the hell made him do that in the first place? Mo! He was just a washed up actor who had peaked, and Kyoko was quickly rising to legendary status. He didn't deserve her!

"Kyoko, I'm so sorry," she finally said. Kyoko looked at her and gave her a watery but warm smile. Kanae felt like Kyoko was comforting her more than she was being comforted, and felt guilty. She hated not being good at this. She was determined to make her best friend at least a little bit happy.

"I'm going to go buy us some steaks with egg on top," said Kanae resolutely. Kyoko looked up in surprise.

"Eh? Why, Moko-san?"

"Mo! You haven't had dinner yet! Besides, isn't that your favorite food? I'll get you your favorite food and bring it back if it kills me!" said Kanae. She stopped suddenly, realizing what she had just said.

All of her embarrassment fled when Kyoko laughed and smiled. "Hai, Moko-san! Thank you for taking care of me."

"Someone has to," she grumbled, but smiling like a fool as she said it, standing up and heading towards the door.

"I'll be back soon!" said Kanae, putting on her shoes. "Go change into some comfortable pajamas and watch television. Mo, and don't you even think about starting a load of laundry or washing the teacups while I'm gone! We'll eat the ice cream after dinner."

"Roger, Moko-san! Call me when you get back!" Kyoko said, smiling cheerfully. She playfully saluted Kanae, and Kanae gave her a mock glare in response. They smiled at each other, and Kanae left to go pick up the food.

As soon as Moko-san left, Kyoko felt lonely again. Logically, she knew Moko-san hadn't abandoned her, but the emptiness made it feel like she had.

'If anything, she wants to cheer me up! I have such an amazing best friend.'

But she couldn't help but feel drained and vulnerable after crying herself out. Kyoko went towards the bedroom, turning on the lights as she went. She changed into a dark blue tank top and pair of matching blue pajama shorts. She had nicer pajamas, sexy and silky, but she hadn't worn them in about a year. It reminded her too much of the lack of intimacy between her and Kuon. They were gathering dust in the back of a drawer.

She went into the bathroom to wash off her makeup, and was unhappy with her reflection. Her face was blotchy from crying, visible even under the foundation. Sighing, she washed her face and rinsed with cool water. If she had been about to go out she would have put in eye drops and done a whole makeup routine to cover the evidence. As it was just her and Moko-san that night, she didn't bother. She put her long hair in a ponytail.

For a moment, seeing the reflection of her in a ponytail and unattractive pajamas, she felt like she was sixteen again and upset over Sho not coming home.

"Damn it, this is a completely different situation!" she growled at the reflection, storming out of the bathroom in a huff, her demons in her wake. They had been pretty docile and quiet the past few years, but lately they were just as active as when she'd been a teenager.

She flopped down on the couch, flipping on the television. Before her character Ai in her debut movie she had never "flopped" down anywhere in her life, but actors had a tendency to keep aspects of their creations even after the role was no longer necessary.

There was a variety show on, a fairly new one that was rising in ratings due to its hosts, two handsome young twins known for poking fun at their guests but just managing to not go overboard. They were pretty impressive—Kanae had been invited on for one of their episodes, and they had managed to even make her laugh.

"Unfortunately, due to personal issues, our main star of the evening will not be able to make it tonight." A very chaotic mass of boos rang out, and the twins held up their hands pleadingly. "Don't worry, Fuwa Sho promised to make it up to you by singing one of his songs from his upcoming album when he can return…"

Kyoko turned off the television in disgust as a chorus of cheers rang up, her demons whispering threats to the television for upsetting their master further.

'Are you really still so unprofessional and childish that you'll not show up to an appearance for something as vague and stupid as personal reasons?' wondered Kyoko as she stood up and picked up the tea cups off the table. She had forgotten about Moko-san's admonishment to not clean, and her first instinct when upset was to tidy up and clean things. 'It's a wonder you are still in show business! Ugh, I wish your star would fall already so I don't have to run into your presence, Shoutaro!'

Her cell phone was on the kitchen counter along with her keys, where she had set them down when she had come in with Moko-san. She scooted them over with her wrist so that she could set down the teacups, and turned on the warm water.

The kitchen had become her domain since moving in with Kuon, and it showed. There was a pink apron with lace around the edges hanging in one corner of the kitchen. Fairy and glass figurines were scattered along the countertop, completely out of place in the sleek modern kitchen. The only thing that seemed normal was a rather large erasable calendar. The squares were filled, red ink for her jobs and black ink for Kuon's appointments. There were noticeably more appointments for her than for her husband, but Kyoko didn't really notice this. In her eyes he was still her sempai and the more successful actor.

The sense of déjà vu from her past hit her in the kitchen as well. Evenings spent cleaning up for two by herself in a lonely apartment, glancing at the clock every few minutes. Glaring, she sent her demons after that damnable blinking time. There was a disturbing sizzling sound, and Kyoko started humming to herself in satisfaction as the digital clock started smoking and died.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when the phone started ringing. She instinctively glanced to her cell phone, but the screen was blank so it must be the house phone. Kyoko and Kuon didn't really use the landline for anyone except acquaintances, costars and people they wanted to befriend but didn't want to give their cell phone numbers to. Kyoko decided to let it go to voicemail—it was her night off, after all.

"You've reached Kyoko and Kuon," said her husband's voice in the voicemail. Kyoko ignored it, drying off one of the teacups and putting it in the cupboard. "Leave a message, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible."

At the beep, Kyoko picked up the second cup to begin drying.

"Oi, Kyoko," said a familiar voice, but missing all of his usual arrogance. It sounded hoarse and tired. "This is Sho—"

The cup hit the countertop and spun on the edge, before tipping and crashing to the floor. Kyoko didn't even hear it, as she had already run into the living room to pick up the phone.