Hi everyone! I hope you had a splendid Christmas! I know we're all busy coming up with New Year's resolutions and one that I hope to work a lot in 2014 is my writing ability. Your criticism, praise, and reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your continued interest! Please Read and Review!

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

No one had called him like that in years. It was a name that made him feel like a little boy, as if he was suddenly transported back to when he was 16 years old, before his career took off, before his music was finally appreciated, and before he lost Kyoko for good. But as he stumbled closer, Sho didn't see the flash of anger in her eyes he had always come to expect. She didn't burst in fury at his presence.

He knew time had passed. Just looking at her face was enough proof because even under the scratches and bruises, he could see that Kyoko had matured beautifully. With eyes that glowed like flames and a figure that was plastered in just about every model magazine in Japan, she was the epitome of beauty. Every man wanted her and all the women looked up to her, not merely just for her looks, but also the pride she had for not giving a damn about what the media thought or wanted.

Kyoko had changed. She wasn't the same girl she was five years ago. She was a woman with an acting career that all actresses dreamt of having. She was a woman living a life she had built from her own two hands. She was a woman who had moved on from the past, leaving everything about it behind.

So it wasn't possible that she had forgiven him. They had barely seen each other in three years. There was no reason for her to look at him as if things were okay, but when he stepped to the foot of her bed and gripped the metal rail, her eyes softened. "You look tired, Sho-chan."

"Kyoko…"

She looked around the room, staring at each face with a blank expression. "What am I doing in here?" She looked down at her body. "What's going on?"

"There was an accident," President Lory answered as she turned to face him with wide eyes. "You've been admitted to Jutendo Hospital in Tokyo."

Before she could reply, the nurse said, "I'll go call the doctor," and quickly jogged out of the room.

Kyoko watched her leave, feeling apprehension bubble from the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. She had no recollection of how she got here. And the way everyone was staring at her was making her feel like she had gone crazy, not to mention the fact she had no idea who most of these people were.

"I can't…" She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "I don't remember any accident."

"What do you remember?"

She looked up at the older man again. His voice was deep and soothing, but something in his expression told her he was analyzing her. It made her hair stand on end. She wanted to shrink away. She wanted these people to leave!

"Mo! Kyoko!"

She jumped and turned to the suddenly livid woman beside her.

"This isn't funny, do you hear me?" Kanae dropped Kyoko's hand and stood up to her full height. "You scared us all to death and now you're going to play games?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know who you are!" Kyoko looked around, feeling the tears prick at the corner of her eyes. "This…this is all too much. I can't—I don't know—I don't know what's going on! I'm confused and I—"

"Alright everyone, I need you to step out of this room." A male doctor with long black hair walked in with the same nurse in tow. "Your presence is causing stress to the patient and she needs to recover from her injuries. So please, if everyone can wait outside."

"She's saying she doesn't remember us!" Kanae argued as she walked towards him. "Something is obviously wrong!"

"Memory loss is a common occurrence with serious head injuries like these."

"Memory loss?" Kyoko repeated, feeling her heart stop dead in her chest. "I…have memory loss? Why—? Why—?" The hysteria suddenly started to make its way up her throat, robbing her of the last bit of sanity she was desperately trying to hold onto. But it was no use. Her head spun and her vision blurred until all the colors melted together. Shaking her head back and forth, she muttered, "W-w-what do you mean? What memory loss? WHAT MEMORY LOSS? I DON'T UNDERSTAND! WHY IS EVERYONE—?" Feeling trapped like a caged animal, she yanked the IV out of her arm and threw off the blanket. "I want to get out of here! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Nurse! Get me the sedative! NOW!"

Kyoko thrashed and kicked with everything she had. She couldn't take this anymore! She needed to escape! Everything was wrong!

Then in a swift movement, her face was suddenly pressed into a chest. Two arms wrapped around her shoulders, enveloping her in a warmth that calmed her down in an instant. "It's alright," his voice murmured softly into her ear. "Don't be scared. It's alright."

Leaning into his strength, she clutched at his jacket and closed her eyes. He was a stranger, but out of all this confusion, he understood what she wanted. His words were exactly the comfort she needed. Kyoko looked up into his brown eyes and felt her heart stutter to life at his tender gaze. But a sudden prick in her left arm blurred her focus and dulled her consciousness until finally her body collapsed in defeat.

Ren sat on the park bench and stared up at the blue sky, watching the clouds drift with the wind. Nothing about the world had changed. The birds were still chirping in the trees, people were waking up to run their usual errands, and the sun rose high in the sky just like it did every morning. But he felt like he had walked into another reality. Nothing seemed familiar any more, not the beating of his heart, the breaths that escaped his lips, or even—

He looked down at his open hands. He could still recall the warmth of her slim body pressed against his. She held onto him like the way she used to. Whenever anything frightened her or when she just needed him close, she would always reach out for him as if he was the only person in the world who could protect her. But he knew that this wasn't the same Kyoko. She may look the same and her touch still stroked a flame deep within his heart, but none of that changed the fact that the Kyoko he saw was different than the one he had held and kissed last night.

He dropped his head into his hands, feeling the weight of everything crash into him. Ren didn't know what to do. She didn't remember who he was. Her eyes held no recognition of the love they shared or the memories they made.

It killed him to see her so terrified, so unsure. And what was worse, the one man she did remember was—

Ren gritted his teeth together, feeling the pressure build in his jaw. Fuwa Sho had always been this dark cloud that loomed over their relationship. No matter how far they had gotten, no matter how much it felt like they had moved on from the past, he would always force them ten steps back. Ren clenched his hands into fists and raised his head.

But he couldn't give up. They were finally together. After everything they have been through, they finally found solace in one another. If he could remind her of how much he loved her and how happy they were together, then maybe her memories would come back. He couldn't give her up—not without a fight.

Determined, Ren got to his feet and walked back inside the hospital. He didn't even bother taking the elevator to the fourth floor. He was too anxious to stand still. Just thinking about her reaction made his hands shake. What if she refused to believe him? What if she didn't want to listen?

He gave his head a vigorous shake.

No. She'll listen. She'll listen to me…I know she will.

With the door of her room in sight, Ren briskly walked down the empty hall. He stood before the door and reached for the doorknob. Taking in a deep breath, he gave it a turn and—

"You're really going to try?"

His hand froze.

"You saw how she reacted to everything. You really think this is a good idea?"

He slowly turned around and met the same icy blue gaze he had hoped never to see again. But keeping his voice neutral, he replied, "I still have to try."

"For her or for you?"

"For us."

Sho stepped around the corner and leaned against the opposite wall, leaving the span of the hallway between them. Then crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "But there is no 'us.' She doesn't remember a thing. Face it, Tsuruga. You have no leverage."

"So am I supposed to walk out of here and pretend that nothing has happened?"

"You don't get it do you?" Sho raised a hand and pointed it at the door. "That Kyoko doesn't love you. You know it just as well as I do. She doesn't remember what happened between me and her. She doesn't hate me anymore."

Ren clenched his hands at his sides. "That doesn't change anything," he whispered.

"Doesn't it? If I never turned my back on her, do you have the confidence to say that she would have fallen in love with you, Tsuruga? Would you have even had a chance?"

"Enough."

"The only reason she loves you," Sho continued in a louder voice, "is because she stopped loving me. But now that's all changed! You saw how she looked at me. This isn't the Kyoko you know. But it's the one I know. The one I grew up with."

"And the one you abandoned!" Ren shouted, his composure slipping through the cracks. "The one whose heart you broke in nothing but pure selfishness! And you expect me to let her go back to you?"

"It's not up to you, is it? The way I see it, she already did."

In seconds, Ren jumped forward and rammed Sho flat against the wall. With a fistful of his T-shirt in his hand, he pulled the musician up to his toes until they looked eye to eye. He had never felt so angry in his life. He wanted to tear the whole room apart, but more than that, he wanted to erase this guy's presence for good. "You don't deserve her," he snarled. "You never deserved her! After the way you mistreated her, you deserve nothing!"

"I know I fucked up!" Sho hissed through clenched teeth, trying to get a hold on his erratic breathing. "But this is my chance to fix it!"

Ren stiffened.

Sho gripped Ren's frozen hand and glared back into the actor's menacing gaze. "There is a reason why she remembers me and not you. Maybe this is fate's way of telling me I still have a chance. I was too stupid to realize what I lost in the past, but now I know better. Now I know what I did wrong! And now I can fix it!"

Releasing his hold, Ren stepped back.

Sho sucked in a much needed gulp of air before rising to his full height. Forcing his stance to stay strong, he faced the actor and said, "You can go in there and remind her of what you guys have. You can try to get her to remember that she's supposed to love you and hate me. You can do whatever you want, Tsuruga. But everything happens for a reason and now that fate has given me a chance to rectify my mistake, I'm going to do whatever it takes to win her back." His eyes hardened. "I have to." Then without sparing the actor another glance, Sho turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Ren closed his eyes and breathed in deeply as he tried to regain control of the tumultuous emotions that roared through him. It took him a few minutes before his vision cleared and his hands stopped trembling, before he finally found the strength to reach for that door knob and open the door.

The heart monitor beeped in a steady rhythm. Her chest rose up and down with easy breaths, her eyelids fluttering with heavy sleep. Closing the door gently behind him, Ren took the same seat beside her and reached for her hand on top of the covers. It was warmer now, but it still lay limp in his grasp. He took one look at her face and felt his heart throb painfully at the injuries she had suffered.

He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and gently ran his fingertips across her skin. How many times had he touched her just like this? How many times had he watched her sleep, patiently waiting for that special smile she would give him as soon as she woke? But that wasn't going to happen today. She wasn't going to look at him with that loving gaze he had failed to appreciate until now. She wasn't going to lean forward and kiss him on the lips, murmuring how happy she was he was there. She wasn't going to remember him at all.

Ren squeezed her hand and felt something cool press into his skin. Looking down, he saw the soft glimmer of his promise ring. He twisted the ring around until both of their names came into view. He closed his eyes.

"Kuon…what are you—?"

He knelt down onto one knee before her and held her trembling hand between his. "There are no words to describe how much I love you, sweetheart. I can spend the rest of my life trying to find some way to explain, but it will never come close to describe how I truly feel." He tenderly wiped away the tear that streamed down her cheek. "But that doesn't mean I won't try. With this ring, I promise that no matter what the future may bring and whatever that may come our way, my heart belongs to you and only you. I love you, Kyoko, forever and always."

Upon opening his eyes, he gazed down at her peaceful expression and felt his heart pound furiously with defiance. He didn't want to. Ren wanted to disregard his words, forget the cruel reality he had forced him to face. But he couldn't. Uncertainty and insecurities had too strong of a hold.

Ren raised his eyes to the ceiling, feeling despair drag him down to its darkest depths and harden the heart he had tried so hard to free. "Is this the price I have to pay?" he murmured. "Is this what you want?"

No response came. There was no sign that told him if he was making the wrong or right choice. Only his wavering confidence guided his feet to a stand. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Is this really mine?" She smiled tearfully before she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into the crook of his shoulder. "You promise to love me forever, Kuon?"

Ren's vision blurred, a tear falling upon her cheek. "I promise," he whispered as he pressed a kiss to her lips.

"You really won't leave me?"

Ren slipped the ring off of her finger.

"I love you, Kuon."

Like a shadow, he walked out of the silent room, leaving their love, leaving their happiness, leaving everything…all but his broken heart behind.