Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the ULTRA ULTRA ULTRA late update. It has been a few months since the last chapter and I'm so sorry I kept you waiting. Life sort of got crazy with classes, graduating, job hunting, and then a multitude of other things that just kept piling on. Unfortunately this chapter isn't as long as the previous chapters, but I promise that will change for the later ones. The fact that you clicked on this link means the world to me. I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot all about this story, but I promise to work harder at updating. Thank you again for the support, reviews, and patience. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Please Read and Review!

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

Kyoko knew she had nothing to worry about. It was just a regular check-up, but sitting in the waiting room made her feel like she was expecting bad news. With hands clasped tightly together upon her lap, she squeezed and un-squeezed her stiff fingers just to get her blood circulating again. It had only been three minutes since she sat down, but it felt like an eternity had passed.

Honestly, her head felt fine. There wasn't any sharp pain that they had warned her about or headaches or dull throbbing. Kyoko felt pretty much normal—except for the amnesia part. But what if that was a cause for concern? What if that meant there was something wrong with her brain?

Her heart stuttered in fear. Kyoko was always aware of that possibility. It had already been a whole month since her accident and she was no closer to remembering who she was than when she first woke up. Sure, she was learning a lot about herself, but she had yet to achieve any memories she could recall on her own.

Giving her head a shake, she raised her eyes from her lap and met the gaze of every person in the room for a split second before they all hastily turned away. Kyoko still wasn't used to all the attention she got whenever she was out in public. People were always staring at her as if they had never seen a human being before. But not a single one of them approached her. Maybe they thought her amnesia was contagious.

She grimaced at the thought. This wasn't doing any good for her already stretched nerves. Rising to her feet, she was going to make her way to the restroom for a break when the receptionist called her name.

"The doctor will see you now, Mogami-san."

Relieved she could leave the room but dreading the news ahead, Kyoko gave a stiff nod of her head and walked through the same wooden door that the many before her had done. She followed the nurse down a boring white hallway with pictures of random geometric shapes before reaching a plain green door. The nurse held the door open for her and informed her that the doctor will come see her in a couple of minutes.

Awkwardly climbing onto the elevated hospital bed, Kyoko sat down upon the crinkly sheet of paper and looked around at the scary looking utensils upon the counter top and the posters of the many human organ systems pinned to the walls. Kyoko hated the hospital. Every little thing made her feel like there was something wrong with her—except this time, there really was.

A firm knock and a twist of the doorknob revealed a familiar looking face that greeted Kyoko with a bright smile.

"Hello, Mogami-san. How are you feeling today?"

"A little nervous, but overall, okay."

He chuckled as he closed the door behind him and sat upon the rolling stool in front of her. He was certainly a younger doctor than she expected. He sported shoulder-length black hair that not a lot of people could pull off, but the look suited him well. Kyoko would bet money that he was the kind of person who didn't like to abide by the rules which only increased her surprise as to why a man like him would want to pursue a career so structured with rules and guidelines. If he wasn't wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck, she would assume he was some sort of hiking instructor or a maybe even a pilot. But clearly, he was a medical professional from the way he was looking at her. Every movement of his eyes was filled with purpose as he said with a gentle smile, "There's no reason to be nervous, Mogami-san. Do you remember who I am?"

"Yes, you were there when I first woke up," she replied.

He nodded. "My name is Doctor Juro. The fact that I haven't you seen you since the last time you checked out is a very good sign, Mogami-san."

"I hope so," she sighed.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he scooted closer to her and asked, "Is something wrong? Are you experiencing pain?"

"No, not really. It's just…" She looked down at her pale hands. "It's been a month, Doctor, and I still can't recall anything. Does it always take this long?"

"Amnesia is a tricky thing, Mogami-san. There isn't any specific timeline."

"But I've been going about my normal routine," Kyoko argued as she raised her frantic gaze to his. "I go to work, I talk to people who I'm supposed to be acquainted with, and I even try to wear the same clothes I've worn before in pictures. But…" She shook her head.

"Do you get feelings of familiarity?"

"Sometimes, but it's always very fleeting. It just comes and goes."

He clicked his blue ballpoint pen and scribbled down some notes upon the clipboard. "Can you tell me when that happens?"

"Normally when I'm in LME, the company I work at. Walking down the hallways and greeting specific people give me a sense of déjà vu. The feeling gets a little stronger whenever I watch old movies and dramas I star in."

"That's good. That means there is some improvement."

"But what if that's all this will ever be?" Kyoko asked in a forlorn voice. "What if my memories don't come back?"

"Well, that is certainly a possibility."

Kyoko let out a heavy sigh.

"But from what you are telling me," he continued in a gentler tone, "it seems that your memories are slowly making their way back. I suggest not thinking about them too much. I believe your recovery may be hindered by your stress."

"But I can't help it, Doctor Juro. It's always on my mind."

He chuckled and gave her a comforting pat upon the knee. "I know, Mogami-san. But trust me; a full recovery doesn't seem too far-fetched. You're doing everything you can and that's all you can really ask for."

She let out a tiny smile. If anything, it was at least good to know that she had a professional's approval. A part of her was always thinking it was her fault for not remembering, but maybe she should stop trying to blame herself. Maybe she should just relax. If she remembered, then she remembered. If not...

Then I guess I'll just make new memories of my own.

"Mogami-san?"

She looked down at him.

"Is everything alright?"

"Huh?"

"You were gazing off into space for a minute there. Is it your head?"

"Oh no! Just thinking. I've been doing that a lot lately."

He laughed and got to his feet. "Well, there's no harm in that. Now, would you like a refill on the pain medication or are you all set?"

"No, I still have some left, but I've stopped taking them for a week now."

"Excellent! Well, it seems like everything is in order," he noted as he flipped through her folder. "I reviewed the brain scan you had this morning and everything looks just the way it should be. The swelling has completely gone down and you don't have any signs of internal bleeding." He looked up at her face and said, "And it looks like your scar has fully healed as well."

Rubbing her fingers across the faint line, Kyoko nodded. "It's barely noticeable."

"Then I think that it's safe to say that you'll be just fine, Mogami-san. You have nothing to be concerned about. But if anything comes up, give me a call."

"Thank you, Doctor," Kyoko said with a bow of her head as she gracefully jumped down from the bed. "You've really made me feel a lot better."

"Any time, Mogami-san," he replied as he opened the door for her. "You have a good rest of the day now."

With another graceful bow, she walked out of the office with her head held just a teensy bit higher. It wasn't the news she was hoping for, but at least it wasn't any worse. So with that tiny glimmer of hope, she pushed all the negative thoughts about her amnesia out of her head as she made her way to the receptionist's desk. The young woman smiled up at her approach and said, "Everything checks out?"

"Everything checks out," she repeated with a growing smile.

"Wonderful, but just in case, I'll schedule you in for another appointment in about three weeks. You can always call in if you need to come in earlier, but that appointment will be set up for you in the time being. Is the same time okay?"

"Same time's fine."

She typed away at her computer for a good minute before she looked up with friendly eyes and said, "Alright then, Mogami-san, we will see you here on the 21st at the same time. So I think you're all set. Is there anything else you need?"

She shook her head.

"Then we'll see you in three weeks."

But just as she took about ten paces away from the desk, a nagging question suddenly came to mind. Curious, she pivoted back around and said, "Actually, I do have one question."

The lady looked up with an open expression. "Yes, Mogami-san?"

"Well, it's been about a month since my surgery and I'm not too sure how hospitals work, but I think a bill would have been sent to me by now. But I have yet to receive one. Not that I'm complaining of course," she added with a teasing smile, "but it seems a little too good to be true. Am I supposed to make these payments online?"

"Well that's odd," she began with furrowed eyebrows, "you really should have gotten something by now. You got nothing in the mail?"

Kyoko shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Let me see." The receptionist continued with her lightning speed typing as Kyoko looked around at her surroundings. She didn't want to feel like she was pressuring the woman, so instead she scanned a poster at her right about proper diet before the receptionist looked up with a confused expression. "Huh, how strange..."

"What is?"

"Well, the only reason you haven't received your bill, Mogami-san, is because it has already been paid."

Her amber eyes widened. "What?"

"Yes, everything has been paid in full," she murmured, scrolling down the screen. "Payment was received a few weeks ago."

"Who paid?" Kyoko asked as she craned her neck for a better look.

Turning the screen towards her, the receptionist pointed down at a little box that said "PAID" next to an amount of—

"TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND?" Kyoko exclaimed. "And it's all—?" She cleared her suddenly dry throat. "Someone paid it all?"

The receptionist nodded. "Unfortunately, we don't have a name for the person who did it and because it was an electronic payment we don't have a check of proof either."

"Do you think you can find out who it was?"

"I'll try to go through the records and I'll let you know. But do you have any idea of who it might be?"

Kyoko nibbled on her lower lip. The landlord and his wife were likely candidates. Knowing them, they would sell their house if it meant they could help her. And although they were pretty well off from the restaurant, Kyoko doubted they had twenty five grand of extra cash just lying around their house. If anything, they would make gradual payments, just like she would. So Kyoko doubted it was them. The next person she thought of was Sho. Now he certainly could pay that off in a snap. She knew his finances and he wouldn't even blink if that amount of money was gone. But at the same, Kyoko couldn't say for certain he would do this either. Not to say that he wouldn't be kind of enough to pay this for her, but it would be quite uncharacteristic of him to hide this from her, especially since it was such a big deal. So besides those people, she didn't have any another family or friends. She was drawing just as big of a blank as the receptionist.

Maybe it is Sho…

The receptionist smiled reassuringly at Kyoko's bothered expression. "Well, whoever it was, this person must care about you a whole lot, Mogami-san."

And that was when it happened. A flash of an image popped into her head. It was so fast, so blindingly fast that she could barely register a face. The edges of the picture were fuzzy and it was too bright to really focus on anything. The only thing she could discern was a pair of green eyes, two mesmerizing eyes that were filled with such love that her heart ached.

"Mogami-san?"

She blinked rapidly.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-y-yes," she stammered. "I'm fine." Her hand automatically pressed over her chest. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it was going to implode. Was that a memory? Was that her brain starting to remember again? Was it finally starting? But the harder she focused, the harder it was for her to pull the image back.

She gritted her teeth in frustration. It was so close! It was almost as if the memory was submerged under the thinnest film of water and all she needed to do was scoop it up for a closer look. But…nothing. She couldn't get it back. Still, it was those eyes…she would never forget such beautiful eyes.

If only she could put a face to it…

Kyoko looked down at the computer screen again. There was no name next to the payment, but a part of her knew that this wasn't some sort of humanitarian coincidence. And it certainly wasn't a coincidence that her brain was able to conjure up a face as soon as there was a mention of this mysterious stranger. Although there was absolutely no proof that the image of the person who came to mind was the same person who paid her hospital bill, Kyoko would bet her life on the fact that it was. But if that was the case, then she did know one thing.

Those green eyes definitely weren't Sho's...