Hi everyone! Thank you so much for being patient with me. Most likely, updates will happen every two weeks since the quarter is getting pretty crazy, but thank you for continuing with this story. I really appreciate it. Please Read and Review!

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

"That could have gone better," Yashiro muttered as he swung the trailer door open and turned around. "Actually, that was just downright terrible."

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps? They barely asked about the movie! Honestly, was that an interview or an interrogation?"

Ren walked up the concrete steps and stepped through the doorway of his silver trailer. "Did you really expect otherwise?"

He rolled his eyes. "They need to stop asking questions that don't pertain to them," Yashiro grumbled as he followed in behind him. "It's none of their business about what happened to Kyoko-chan. And what's the point of asking you? You've already said on countless occasions that you have no comment."

"I suppose they figure that if they keep pushing, I'll crack eventually."

"Well they should take it from a guy who knows." Yashiro closed the metal door behind him with a resounding thud and glared at his friend's back. "You won't."

"You sound disappointed." Ren slipped off his fitted blazer and loosened his silk tie, draping them both over the back of a wooden chair. "I thought you said the most important thing to do when you're in front of the press is not to let them see you sweat."

"Sweat, Ren. Not unfeeling."

Ren didn't answer. He walked over to the vanity mirror at the far end of the trailer and ran his hand through his hair, letting the brown tresses fall wherever they may. He glanced at the mirror, not recognizing the man that stared back at him. With deep hollow eyes and pale, translucent skin, Ren was certainly not at his best. But it was more than just physical health. From the inside out, Ren felt drained. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. Closing his eyes, he felt his head throb with a familiar sharp pain that had been occurring for the last few days now. Yashiro would flip if he knew that Ren was hiding it from him, but he was just going to blow it out of proportion. Ren knew it was only sleep deprivation. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since…

Actually, he couldn't even remember. Although his eyes drooped with weariness, he refused to give in. He didn't want to dream only to wake up to realize that it was just that—only a dream. Ren leaned both of his hands onto the wooden table and lowered his head. How much more of this could he take?

"Ren?" Yashiro walked over and placed a hand upon his back. "Is everything alright?"

He opened his eyes and lifted his head. "Yeah, just a little tired."

"Maybe we should reschedule the photo shoot today."

"No, that would be too much of an inconvenience."

"Ren, look at you. You need a break."

"It's alright, Yashiro," he replied as he straightened up and turned to face him. "I'll rest after the shoot."

"Like hell you will. Even the make-up can't cover how weary you look, Ren."

"Thanks."

Yashiro cracked a smile. "Well, it's good to know that at least you still have your sense of humor."

Ren met his friend's eyes and gently returned his smile. He didn't deserve Yashiro's patience. Any sane person would have given up on him by now, but not Yashiro. He would stick by Ren through anything. So with a deep breath, Ren mustered up what little strength he had and placed a steady hand upon Yashiro's shoulder. "One more job and then we'll call it a day. Deal?"

"I can't believe we're negotiating your health."

"Yashiro…"

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when you fall dead on your feet."

Ren smiled. "I won't."

"Alright, since I can't convince you otherwise, I'll go grab you something to eat. You stay here and rest for a bit."

Ren nodded.

Once Yashiro stepped out of the trailer and closed the door behind him, Ren obediently made his way towards the leather sofa and sat down. He leaned his head back against the cool cushion and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to allow himself to sleep. He just had to rest. As long as he stayed semi-awake, he wouldn't be plagued by delusions or dreams. But still, even while conscious, his focus drifted.

She was always there, deep within his heart and always on his mind. It hurt, but at the same time, Ren wouldn't have it any other way. She was both his source of anguish and happiness, despair and warmth. Without her, he didn't know how else to survive.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Ren groaned. "He doesn't give it a rest, does he?" he mumbled under his breath as he reached for the phone in his trouser pocket.

Tiredly opening his eyes, he looked down at screen and was just about to flip it open when—

Time screeched to a halt.

His heart pounded like a drum as he read and reread her name.

The insomnia was finally getting to him. He was really starting to lose it.

But the phone wouldn't stop shaking in his tense grasp. The blinking light flashed like a beacon, threatening to give out if he waited any longer. It couldn't be her. She wouldn't be calling. But without thinking, he flipped it open. Without thinking, his heart leapt in eagerness. Without thinking, he held the device to his ear and answered, "Hello?"

"H-h-hello?"

His eyes widened.

"Um, m-m-may I speak to Ts-s-surga-san, please?"

Ren gripped the phone tightly. "This is him."

"Oh! Um, this is Mogami Kyoko. We met in my dressing room? Well actually, I'm sure we met way before that, but it's my most recent memory so for me I guess it was in my dressing room. But if you knew me beforehand, that's okay too! I mean, you must have because you knew me when you saw me. Wait, I'm rambling again, aren't I? Let me start over. Hi! My name is—"

"Mogami-san?"

"Yes?"

"I remember you."

She let out a nervous laugh. "You do?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Yes, yes! Everything is fine. I mean, there is a reason I called you of course, but you're probably busy so I'll just—"

"It's alright." Ren cleared his dry throat and gave his head a shake, before asking, "Did you need something?"

"Oh…well, if it's okay with you, I was wondering if we could talk."

"Talk?" He sat up straighter. "About what?"

"Dark Moon…perhaps?"

Ren blinked in confusion.

"I was wondering if you could tell me what happened during filming" she continued in the same timid voice when he provided no response. "I just finished watching some of the episodes and there's a lot I was curious about. And Momose-san said that you would be the best person to—"

"Momose-san? You met her?"

"Yes. She's right here, actually. Would you like to speak to her?"

Before Ren could reply, he heard a familiar voice answer Kyoko's question in the background, the exchange of a cell phone, and finally, "Tsuruga-san?"

"Hello, Momose-san. It's been a while."

"It has. How are you?"

"Alright. You?"

"Fine, thank you. I'm really sorry for disturbing you, Tsuruga-san. I know how incredibly busy you are, but Kyoko-san has a lot of questions about the drama. And considering I don't know much about the start of her career, I told her to call you. I hope that's okay."

Ren made a noise from the back of his throat. He didn't know how else to answer that double-edged question. But Itsumi didn't think much of it since she replied in an eager voice, "Great! Well, I won't delay this conversation any longer. Besides, I really should get going anyway. I have to meet up with my manager so you two have a nice talk. And we'll meet up again soon, okay Kyoko-san?"

From a distance, Ren heard her say, "Of course, Momose-san. Thank you for your help."

"No problem. And I'll talk to you another time, Tsuruga-san," she said into the phone.

"Of course. Goodbye, Momose-san."

He listened to their two muffled voices exchange farewells, the noise of a chair being pushed back, and a short period of silence before her voice returned. "Tsuruga-san?"

His heart throbbed. "I'm here."

"Are you sure this is okay?"

Ren didn't know. Rationally, he should hang up. Talking to her like this will only make it worse. Listening to her will only tear him apart. But the will to say no escaped him. He'll worry about the consequences later. He'll deal with the repercussions later. But for now, he'll ignore the pang in his heart. For now, he'll forget…if only for a short while.

"I'm not busy," he murmured in a gentle voice, leaning over his knees to control the tremble in his voice. "So what would you like to know?"

"Can you tell me a little about the history of the drama?" she asked tentatively. "Maybe how it started?"

"Well, it was actually a remake from a previous drama that played years ago," Ren explained. "Back then, it was called Tsukigomori and it was easily the most successful drama in Japan. But our director, Ogata Hiroaki, had decided to take up the challenge of reinventing Tsukigomori into something new. Many were skeptical of how successful Dark Moon would be since Director Ogata's father did an incredible job with Tsukigomori, but the drama held its own and even surpassed the original."

"Wow, that's…amazing."

Ren nodded. "Everyone was really proud of the series since there was a lot pressure from the start. Dark Moon wasn't simply a remake. In order to thrive, it had to offer something new and inventive. Therefore, as actors, we were expected to put an entirely new spin on characters that people had already come to appreciate. It was probably one of the hardest projects I've ever participated in."

"But did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, I met many good people on set and I learned a lot about acting. I would almost say it was the turning point of my career."

"Why's that?"

"Dark Moon helped me realize I still had a lot to learn."

"You? I don't think someone like you could possibly learn any more about acting, Tsuruga-san. You're the best of the best."

He smiled ruefully. "I'm not sure who told you that, Mogami-san, but I can certainly benefit from improvement."

"But I watched the show," she argued insistently. "You were amazing! You delivered your lines flawlessly! And the raw emotion on your face every time you looked at Mizuki…it practically jumped right out of the screen. How could you have possibly had any trouble?" Her voice softened. "You were really good."

His hands shook like leaves from those few simple words, but clenching them tightly, he replied, "On the contrary, Mogami-san, I struggled quite a lot. In fact, I had a lot more trouble portraying Katsuki than you with Mio."

"Wait, what?"

He smiled and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drift back to the days that had happened so long ago. "If there was anyone who defined the show, Mogami-san, it would be you."

"N-n-no, that's not true. You must be wrong, Tsuruga-san. There's no way—"

"Were you not impressed by your own acting?"

She stopped.

"I take it by your silence it means you were."

"Well…I was surprised. That's for sure."

"Why's that?"

"I guess it's because I didn't know I could…be like that."

Like a gust of wind, the direction of the entire conversation changed. Of course, she would be confused. It was a side of her she never knew she had—a side of her that was unleashed when she was wronged by the man she had sacrificed everything for.

An old anger bubbled to the surface. Ren tightened his jaw, struggling to keep composure. The words were on his lips. He wanted to tell her the reason why she played Mio so well, why she could tap into resentment so easily, who broke her heart and why it killed him to see her suffer at the hands of someone who never deserved her.

But he couldn't. He had kept up the charade for this long. Besides, she loved someone else now and there was no reason for Ren to tear her down because of his own resentment. He held his tongue, unable to voice the roar of emotions that coursed through him.

"Tsuruga-san? Are you still there?"

He opened his eyes. "Yes, I'm here. Go on."

"Oh, well, that's basically it. I just had no idea I could be so angry. Mio is such a frightening character. It didn't make much sense to me that I would choose to play such a role. Although…" Kyoko let out a soft laugh. "I have to admit I was quite proud I could do that."

He raised his head in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I guess I always thought of myself as a little boring. To be honest, when I first found out I was an actress, I was in utter disbelief. I never once did anything for myself. Even when I was younger, my moth—" She fell silent.

Ren listened to her slow breathing, giving her the time he knew she needed. He could already imagine the sadness flickering behind her golden eyes. On the very few occasions they had ever spoken about her childhood, Ren knew how difficult it was for her say it out loud. She had never seemed so dejected and fragile as memories of a broken household filled her mind. Even now, the desire to hold her was overwhelming. Ren would have given anything to have the chance to comfort her, to tell her that she was perfect the way she was, that it was never her fault.

"Mogami-san."

"Yes?"

"Your talent on screen is sight that no one will ever forget," he began gently. "You bring such passion, devotion, and love to your characters that it is no surprise that you are as famous as you are today. People have not only fallen in love with your skills, but also you as a person. Working with you on Dark Moon and seeing the process on how you created Mio were a privilege. You gave her such vitality that the audience couldn't help but hate her with every fiber of their being. Yet, due to your professionalism, you embraced their extreme resentment and established both a name and place for yourself in this industry. Therefore, you aren't merely just an actress, Mogami-san." His brown eyes softened. "You're a woman of amazing talent with the caliber and reputation to prove it."

"Now, I know you're lying," she laughed in a shaky voice.

He smiled. "I mean every word."

"Then your acting skills are unprecedented too, Tsuruga-san. I don't think anyone can fool a person so easily."

Ren chuckled and shook his head. "First, I'm too good to improve, and now I'm a liar? You certainly need a new source of information, Mogami-san, because you clearly have it all wrong."

She laughed. In fact, she laughed so genuinely that even Ren broke out into a grin, something he hadn't done in what felt like a long time. He had almost forgotten how happy she made him feel.

"Thank you, Tsuruga-san," her sweet voice said through the speaker. "This really helped. I…I'm really glad I called you."

Ren's eyes slowly drifted close. The pain was close now; he could feel it. It was going to completely tear him apart later. But his heart continued to beat with happiness. It continued to pound with joy at her words. But he wasn't going to push the feeling away, not this time. So with a voice that was barely holding everything together, he murmured,

"I am too, Mogami-san."

I am too.

Shoko pushed the elevator button for the highest floor as she rummaged through her purse. Fishing through a pile of cosmetics, planners, and a bunch of other things she really needed to throw out, she finally found the silver key to his apartment. Upon the quiet ding of the elevator, she made her way down the carpeted hall and reached the door to his apartment. Shoko inserted the key and gave the doorknob a turn.

"Wow…"

She had never seen Sho's place so clean before. Everything glittered and shone like new. Stumbling, she pushed the door shut with her shoulder and walked into the kitchen. No more stacks of dirty dishes in the sink, no more stains of food upon the counters, no more take-out boxes filling the trash can. It was practically a brand new kitchen.

"A woman is definitely living here," she murmured to the desolate room.

Curious now, Shoko walked down the hall and knocked on the guestroom door even though she knew no one was home. But forgoing her manners for a short while, she opened the door and took a peek inside. The guestroom didn't look too different except for a few lotions and feminine materials upon the wooden drawer. The bed was made without a single wrinkle and the blinds were closed shut. Walking in, she checked the bathroom and was pleased that it held all the necessary things any woman would need.

"At least he knows how to be a proper host."

She closed the bathroom door and was about to walk out when something bizarre caught the corner of her eye. She made her way towards the bedside table and picked up a magazine that was folded back to a specific page. Her eyes grew wide with alarm. The page was wrinkled from having been handled so much to the point where the ink was started to lose its color. Shoko was familiar with this picture. She remembered the exact day it was published and even more importantly, Sho's intense reaction to it.

But to find it in Kyoko's room meant only one thing. Shoko's grip tightened.

"Kyoko?" a voice called.

She turned to the door as she heard the jingle of keys and the front door swing open then close.

"You home?"

With clenched teeth, she stomped her way out into the living room and met Sho's surprised gaze with her own. "No, she isn't."

"Shoko? I didn't know you were coming by today."

"I wasn't planning onto either, but I figured it would be good to check in on how you're doing. But from the looks of your apartment, it seems you're living quite the life. Kyoko-san is taking good care of you after all."

He swung his black guitar case onto the couch with a grunt and stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's up with you?"

"Me?" She walked up to him and slapped the magazine against his chest. "Care to explain this? I found it in her room."

Sho didn't even look at the picture. He just tossed the magazine onto the coffee table and made his way into the kitchen. "It's not my problem."

"Not your problem?" Shoko followed in after him. "She thinks this man is you! She thinks you're together!"

"So what?" he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "We kind of are anyway. She's living with me, isn't she?"

"Oh my god, you actually believe that."

"Look, she didn't ask me, alright? I didn't say a word. She came to that conclusion herself, so it's not my problem."

"Is that your way of clearing your conscience?"

Sho slammed his hand upon the counter top. "Fuck! What the hell is your problem, Shoko? I'm finally treating her the way you always wanted me to, right? I'm giving her the respect she deserves! You out of all people should be pleased! Why the hell are you on my case?"

"This is not respect, Sho! You're outright lying to her!" Shoko grabbed the magazine from the living room and threw it down in front of him. "This is the man she loves!" Shoko said as she jabbed her finger at the picture. "This is not you! And yet you're using her amnesia to your advantage! It's one thing to let her figure things out on her own, but it's another thing entirely to muddle her memories! And what if she finds out, huh? What if her memories return? What are you going to do then?"

"I'll deal with it later," he growled.

"Which is another way of saying you don't expect it to happen. But Sho, you have no idea what the future holds. You know what she's been up to, right? She's trying to get her memories back. It might not happen tomorrow. It might not happen a month from now. But it will happen."

"I don't want to talk about this," he muttered, walking past her.

"Sho. Sho! SHO!"

"WHAT?" He spun around with blazing eyes. "Are you going to keep yelling at me? Since when did you become my mother?"

Shoko narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't have to be if you didn't act like such a child. And to think, I was starting to think you were finally growing up."

He looked down at the floor, his shoulders shaking with silent fury. "It's different now," Sho began under his breath. "I'm different now. I know what I did wrong in the past and now I'm fixing it. She's happy here. She likes being here. Why am I the bad guy?"

She sighed softly. "You're not. You're not the bad guy, Sho. I know what you're doing, and I am so happy that you both are on good terms now, but not like this. This is wrong, Sho. This is unfair to her. Please don't lie to her like this."

He shook his head.

"Sho—"

"I know what you're saying, Shoko. I know this is messed up. But Kyoko and I are finally back to normal. Things are where they belong and if I have to lie to keep it that way…"

He raised his eyes to her disappointed expression.

"…then so be it."

And without another word, he slammed his bedroom door.