Dedication: xhuizini (note, I'm not certain what paranoia you're referring to with Shou, so I'm only using the first half of your suggestion. I hope that is alright by you.)

I'm sure at one point in time all Skip Beat! readers have wondered about what would happen when Kyoko finds out Ren is Corn.

Content Rating: K

DISCLAIMER: Skip Beat! and it's characters are not my original creation, they are owned and created by Nakamura Yoshiki.

Shattered Dreams

There was NO mistaking it. She had caught glimpses before when he would turn his head a certain way in the sunlight, but with the blond wig he was required to wear for the role, it was undoubtable.

How she had missed it before, she was uncertain. Then again, she WAS awful young when she had met him, and he hadn't stayed for long. Only long enough to make a strong impression in her young and suffering mind.

Like magic, he was there when she needed him; her young handsome fairy prince.

She was filled with a strong sense of excitement as she watched him deliver his lines about his disguise to the actor playing the detective across from him, and Kyoko could not help but smile at her discovery.

As he stepped off the set she called out to him, "Co-oooorn!" and she bounded up to him, a look of surprise flitting across his features for the briefest moment.

"I'm sorry Mogami-san, what did you say?"

"Corn! I know it now, why did you not tell me?"

"I think you're mistaken Mogami-san, I had the bento for lunch."

Tears welled up in her eyes and teetered dangerously, threatening to fall from her lashes.

"I'm not wrong," she pouted.

"Mogami-san, why don't I give you a ride home today. Go ahead and change from your costume. I'll meet you at stage door 3 when you're ready."

He turned and walked away, but now that she was certain, she could only see Corn, and not Tsuruga-Ren.

She then followed down the hall from a distance, a bounce now evident in her step. As she stepped into her own dressing room and in front of the mirror, she was mildly surprised to see herself grinning and tried to wipe the grin from her face, feeling silly.

That idiot beagle was wrong! Corn isn't gone from this world and he isn't dead!

Her smile faltered.

But… he doesn't have wings still. No, of course not. Tsuruga-san … heeee… CORN-san couldn't have wings and be a top actor in the human world of course. Unless… unless his father still destroys them. I haven't seen Corn-san's father though. I wonder if he would tell me about the Fairy King now. Then again, maybe Corn-san ISN'T a fairy after all…

She shook her head and forced a smile back onto her lips.

No. NO! Corn-san just got separated from the fairy kingdom is all.

The seeds of doubt were already planted though, and try to convince herself as she might, she just could not shake the lingering disappointment. If Corn were NOT a fairy prince and a regular human, maybe the fairy kingdom didn't exist after all. Maybe she no longer needed the child's comfort of escaping reality in fantasy, but it had always been there for her when no one else had.

Kyoko set down her brush, surprised to find she had already changed and finished styling her hair. She had done so automatically and was somewhat pleased to have developed her comfort in the dressing room to the level where she no longer ogled every little nuance of the room.

She hurried to pack her belongings into her bag and rushed to the designated stage door to meet Ren.

"Where's Yashiro-san?"

"He has some paperwork to go over with the director and a few other people in a nearby office. He didn't want to keep us, so he's said he will take the metro home." That was only partly true, but when Yashiro had heard Ren wanted to spend some time along to talk with Kyoko, he had gotten all giddy and happily obliged.

Ren held the door open for Kyoko, "Shall we go Mogami-san?" He led her to where his car was parked and held the door open for her like a gentleman.

As he went around the car and sat in the driver's seat he watched Kyoko watch him. It would take some fancy tap-dancing to get out of this fiasco.

He inserted the key and moved the vehicle into drive before opening his mouth to speak.

"Mogami-san, why are you calling me 'Corn'?"

Kyoko's grin split, spreading from ear to ear.

"I know you're him! I saw it a few times but thought it was a trick of the light, but with that wig on today, I KNOW I'm right!"

"But isn't this 'Corn' a fairy Mogami-san? I'm just a regular normal man."

"You aren't! You're much greater than a normal person! You're the prince of the acting world!"

"…I'm not perfect, and I've worked hard to get here. You know how much I value perseverance and a professional attitude."

"Yeah, just like royalty." She smirked at him as he looked over at her.

He glued his eyes to the road as Kyoko continued to look at him in silence. He seemed lost in thought, and when Kyoko turned her head away blushing, he pulled the car over to the side of the street and parked in front of an unfamiliar building.

"Mogami-san…" waited for her to look back at him before continuing.

"You're saying it wrong. It's Kuon. 'Ku-on'" He pronounced it correctly broken down in to syllables as her eyes went wide.

"I KNEW it! Why didn't you tell me?!" a sudden realization seemed to set in as her wide eyes narrowed and her eyebrows dropped to a harsh angle. "You… you kept this from me all along. When I dropped the stone you gave me down that stairwell… and when that damn beagle told me you were dead… Why didn't you tell me?" Her face once again changed from anger to hurt and sadness at the unintended insult of the kept secret.

"I knew you would be upset," Ren muttered quietly before turning his upper body to see her more directly. "The only one who knows is President Takarada. He's a friend of my father's."

"The fairy king?" Kyoko shook her head. "No… that can't be right." Her eyes shimmered, trying to hold back tears.

"No Mogami-san…. Kyoko-san. That isn't right. You already know part of my secret, so I might as well tell you the rest, but please… don't repeat what I tell you to anyone. Not even Kotonami-san."

He waited for her nod of assent.

"You've already met my father, and no, he isn't a fairy king. My father is K-"

"KUU-SAMA!" Kyoko's eyes went wide when she realized and shouted his name. Kuu's son that she had thought lost had not been dead as she had thought. Understanding started to sprout deep in Kyoko's mind. Two pink spots of red grew out from her cheeks.

"Y-you're t-t-th-THAT Kuon!??!"

Kuon laughed at her knowing full well what she was thinking.

"Yeah, you had me figured out pretty well from when I was younger I might add."

Kyoko began to feel like she was hanging onto an emotional yo-yo as her emotions once again turned dark. She looked at the floor mats of Ren's car as she sat in silence an array of expressions clouded her face.

She was happy Kuon had deemed to tell her the rest of his secret, but sad he hadn't trusted her with it sooner, she was confused about the entire situation and why he was living as Tsuruga Ren instead and that Kuu seemed to talk about his son as if he were passed on to the next life.

Her face finally settled into a frown and the tears that had previously threatened to wet her cheeks began to fall.

"K-kyoko-san!? Why are you crying?" Ren really did not understand. He thought sharing this secret with her would make her overjoyed to know that Kuon – HER Kuon or Corn – was alive and well.

"J-just that… if y-you're not a f-fairy prince, t-then the fairy kingdom…"

"doesn't exist" Kuon finished for her. He reached over to her and lifted her chin gently, forcing her to look at him as he spoke.

"Kyoko-san… I know it has been important to you. I remember how your mother treated you," he spoke softly, "and I love that you can dream so vividly that it takes over your entire consciousness." He lifted his hand from her chin and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb as he laid his palm against the side of her face, "but I'm here. I'm here now, and I'm never going to leave you alone again."

She sniffled a little and leaned against his warm hand. She then let out a small giggle, and looked up to Kuon's face, and smiled.