Hi everybody! I know...REALLY LATE UPDATE. I'm going to keep making these apologies, and I'm so so sorry. It's no excuse, but life is just hitting me hard. Still, I hope you like this chapter! Thank you so much for your patience and support. Please read and review!

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

Ren eased himself down onto the carpet with his favorite whiskey in hand. Preferring his drink neat, he took a small sip and relished in the smooth fire that traveled down his throat. It had been quite some time since he turned to alcohol for answers, and while the rich drink provided no solution to the tightening in his chest, it at least provided a familiar buzz of hazy distraction.

His black trench coat was thrown haphazardly across the back of the couch; his tie was now a loose knot at his neck with the top two buttons of his pale blue dress shirt unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He sighed and tilted his head back against the leather cushion, letting his eyes droop closed. It was strange how time could feel both fast and achingly slow. Barely able to recall what he had done during the day, but surprised to see that only a few hours had passed, Ren could almost sense his slow descent into madness.

He wearily opened his eyes and stared at the high ceiling, remembering the tears that streamed down her face as he planted the seed of doubt. Was it fair to her? Probably not. Was it what he needed? Yes. He might not have wanted to tell her the truth himself, but damn, he wanted her to figure it out. Ren smiled grimly.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

He let out a deep breath and sat up straight, placing the cup down onto the table. A silver ring caught his eye. Slowly reaching for it, he held the circular piece between his fingers. Ren could draw this ring from memory. He remembered the day he bought it for her, the joy in her eyes when he slipped it on her finger, the warmth he felt when they held up their hands with the matching set. With his name engraved on hers and hers on his, it was a symbol of their love, that they would always carry a part of one another wherever they went.

His mood darkened as those foolish words drove a knife deep into his gut. He no longer held a part of her life, love, or heart. All he had was the hollow memory of someone he missed more than he needed air. Having her ring meant nothing.

He looked down at his own on his right hand and out of habit twisted the circular piece around his finger. Ren had taken it off weeks ago, hoping that it would ease the weight in his chest, but its absence only made it worse.

Gods, He missed her. He missed her so much it was nearly killing him from the inside. But the more he saw her, the more it hurt. Was it sad that a part of him enjoyed the torture? Was it sad that he would rather stomach the suffering than live a life without her at all?

Does that make me a masochist?

His landline responded with a ring.

Picking up the device, he switched it to his other hand and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Ren flinched. "Nowhere. I've been at home. Is everything alright?"

"Well, now it is!" Yashiro cried. "What in the world took you so long?"

"It does take some time to drive across town."

"Right, right," he agreed as if the thought hadn't crossed his mind. "Well, just don't go anywhere, okay?"

"I wasn't planning to, but why the demand?"

"Just trust me! I don't want to jinx it, but if she was serious, then she'll be there pretty soon."

"She?" Ren repeated, straightening up in an instant. "Who's coming by?"

His doorbell chimed.

"That was the door! That was the door, right?" Yashiro asked in an excited voice. "Alright, alright, I'll let you go. Good luck, Ren! And please, for all that is GOOD in the world, PLEASE don't mess this up!" And with that, the line ended.

Ren stared at the phone in confusion.

Shaking the urge to call his conniving manager back, he returned the black phone back to its receiver and placed the ring upon the coffee table. He rose to his feet with a grunt and made his way towards the front door, glancing through the peephole as his hand reached for the doorknob. Then just like that, the whole world stopped.

Unable to move, he watched her glance back and forth down the hallway, biting down on her lower lip while holding a yellow plastic bag in her hand. Wearing a white dress that delicately hugged her curves, she looked lovely—innocent and desirable all at the same time. Ren noticed the slight tremble in her stance. Had she walked here without a jacket? When their eyes met, his heart jumped in alarm, but she just as quickly turned back to look down the corridor once more.

Swallowing the heavy lump in his throat, he unhooked the golden chain and pulled the door open.

The minute their gazes locked, a burst of flame ignited from within. Normally, he would have yanked her to his body until there wasn't an inch of space left in between them. Normally, he would kiss her until the need for air demanded for him to stop. Normally, he wouldn't have remained frozen at the door, as if he had no idea of what to do.

The beautiful hazel color of her eyes, the timid smile at the corner of her lips, and the way she unconsciously leaned towards him almost fooled him into believing she was here because she remembered. His stomach twisted.

Kyoko noticed it immediately. The change in his demeanor was slight, but present. She would have been more distracted by it, if not for the haze that seeped into her consciousness as she took in his chiseled jaw line, the messy yet stylish tussle of his dark hair, the smooth column of his throat that disappeared behind the low collar of his shirt. Even while looking so normal, the actor exuded strength, confidence, and undeniable masculinity. But while she felt small in his dominating presence, she also felt safe, protected...warm.

But perhaps he didn't welcome her presence as much as she did his since he hadn't said a word. Instantly regretting her choice for coming, she bowed at the waist and said, "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san. I came here without asking you and you're probably tired after a long day. Please accept my apology for being so rude and rash for coming here. I can go and—"

"Mogami-san."

His gentle voice pulled her attention back up.

Ren showed her a controlled smile. "I'm happy you're here. Please," he stepped back and opened the door wider, "come inside."

Not trusting her voice, she nodded and picked up her heavy-leaden feet, fighting to control her unsteady breaths. She couldn't believe she was going to enter Tsuruga Ren's apartment. In just a few short steps, she was going to enter another man's home. Was this right? Even if her situation was dire, shouldn't she rethink this?

When she had first made the decision to stop by his place, Kyoko wasn't relying on logic to steer her way. Instinct was her driver. She didn't have much time to think about whether or not this was proper, or even what his manager would think when she asked for the actor's home address. Although, Yashiro's palpable excitement from her call did leave her feeling slightly unnerved. It hadn't crossed her mind that this could be wrong. But alarms and bells were now blaring inside her head, telling her to back out, to step away, to go home and—!

Kyoko stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes moved from one object to the next, taking in the sleek leather couches, the clear glass tables, the tall white walls, the glass of whiskey sitting on its wooden coaster, the fluffy white carpet that looked like it was made from the softest cloud, the black bookshelf that held hundreds of books and movies, and the wide open space of a room that seemed far too large to belong to a one story condo. Her head reeled, a pressure climbing so quickly she could barely keep her eyes open.

Kyoko swallowed the knot tightening in her throat.

I've been here before...

"I'm sorry my place is such a mess," he said from behind her, the door clicking shut. "It's usually more presentable when I have guests over."

"I-i-it's fine, Tsuruga-san. It's my fault for coming by on such short notice."

Ren stopped. "Mogami-san?" Perplexed by her sudden rigid stance, he walked towards her and looked down into her wide-eyed gaze. "Are you alright?"

She blinked quickly and raised her head. "Yes! I'm sorry. You—um, you have a beautiful home."

Kyoko had always been a terrible liar. It was one of the many things that made their relationship easy. She could never truly hide exactly what she was feeling, especially from him. But just as Ren was about to press further, she suddenly turned to him with too controlled of a smile and asked, "Have you had dinner?"

Ren inwardly frowned, but shook his head.

"Then is Ramen okay? I got it from the same place downtown," she said, although she stretched the last syllable into a question.

He smiled as she held up the bag with a timid expression. "Mogami-san, you really didn't have to do that."

"It's the least I can do, coming here unannounced and all. Shall I go in the kitchen and…?" Kyoko trailed off as she found herself turning to the swinging door on her right, as if she already knew where it was. Anxiety reared its ugly head. "Is it in here?" she managed to choke out.

Ren nodded. "Let me help you."

The actor took the lead and walked through the swinging door first, allowing Kyoko some time to cool her frantic expression. Her eyes widened in recognition as a room donned in stainless steel welcomed her. She quickly made her way to the island in the middle of the room, needing some sort of support to hold her up. Kyoko placed the bag onto the cool black marble and began removing its contents with hands that shook like leaves.

Ren grabbed some dishes from the top cupboard and a set of utensils from a drawer nearby. The memory of their many nights cooking together resurfaced, causing his heart to ache with sorrow. While Kyoko had always taken the role main chef, Ren had no problem being as her assistant, handing her whatever ingredients she needed, kissing and hugging her from behind as she playfully swatted him away, and admiring her talents that she clearly mastered from her years working at the restaurant. It was funny how simple memories like those could wedge so deep a wound.

Once the bowls were filled with steamy broth and noodles, Ren carried both bowls into the living room with a silent Kyoko in tow. They sat down on the couch, giving each other a significant amount of space, but the room had never felt smaller. Silence ensued for quite some time with neither person unable to strike up a conversation. An odd tension swirled above their heads, one they both chose to ignore until the portion of their dinner slowly diminished.

Kyoko swallowed her last bite before placing her bowl down. "You're probably wondering why I'm here."

Following her cue, Ren placed his bowl beside hers and turned to look at her bowed head. "Does it have something to do with what I said in my dressing room?"

She nodded without meeting his gaze.

"Mogami-san, I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. It was wrong of me to say something like that when you're perfectly happy with your life."

"I'm not so sure anymore," she admitted in a small voice.

Ren looked at her with surprise, his heart pounding fiercely. "Did something happen?"

She didn't answer.

Forgetting his charade of ignorance, he reached out and held her chin in his grasp, gently turning her head so that she would look up at him. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, his voice barely concealing the anger that started to churn in his gut.

Kyoko gazed back into his eyes that darkened in color the longer she stared. The low rumble of in his voice made it all too clear. "Are you referring to Sho-chan?"

Ren froze.

"You suspect him without hesitating," she continued softly at his silence, watching the alarm flash in his eyes, "as if this had happened before."

He slowly released her and returned the safe distance between them. Ren didn't know how to reply. He asked that without thinking, forgetting that there should be no reason for him to suspect the musician. But just the thought of him hurting Kyoko again made the actor blind with rage.

"I take it from your reaction that you know more about him than you're letting on."

His eyes hardened out of habit. "More so than I would like."

"Do you not like him?"

He jaw tightened infinitesimally.

"Does it have something to do with me?"

Ren's eyes grew wide with surprise. "How did you-?" He faltered. "You remember?"

"About what transpired between us a few years ago? No, I don't," she answered with a shake of her head, turning away from his astonished expression. "I don't know the details, but I can only assume it must have been serious enough for me to leave him." Kyoko inhaled deeply through her nose, feeling her nerves relax before winding back up again. "You said before that the path that I'm on now is different, that as long as I was happy everything could stay the way it was. But that's not true. It's not just different. It's wrong.

"It's clear to me now that you and I are more than just costars. Somehow, you know more about me than I do myself." Kyoko let out a small, nervous laugh. "It's actually kind of scary when I think about it. And while it's unfair of me to ask you to help me put my life back together, I don't know who else I can turn to. You told me you had answers, that it was my choice if I wanted them." She turned to look at him with pleading eyes. "Will you tell me now?"

The answer should have been easy. The words should have flowed like water. This was his chance, his chance to finally confess everything he had chained up inside of him. And yet, he said nothing. His hands tightened into fists upon his lap, nails digging into the palm of his hands.

"Tsuruga-san?"

His continued silence prompted her to sit back, her knuckles now stark white against her cream colored skin. Kyoko breathed in deeply through her nose and closed her eyes for a brief moment before locking her gaze on anything but the actor. She stared intently at a silver ring upon the coffee table, willing the words to come forward.

"Sho-chan never once said that he was at the accident," she began quietly, "but I assumed he was. He never once told me we were together, but I thought we were. He never told me anything." A dark smile graced her lips. "So was he really a liar for staying silent? Isn't it my fault for being so foolish for trying to fill in the gaps with my own romantic fantasies?"

Kyoko clenched her jaw to stop the angry tears that pricked at the corner of her eyes. "It was only then that I got to thinking. Was he the only one? Was he the only one who has stayed silent all this time?" she whispered, turning to see his pained expression.

"Mogami-san—"

"Are you one of them?"

He could say nothing except watch the answer click behind those amber eyes that saw through him like glass.

Kyoko shot to her feet, unable to sit still anymore. "Why? Why lie to me? Why keep me from the truth? I don't understand! What purpose does that serve? How does this help—?"

She fell silent the minute her cheek touched his chest, his strong arms encircling her waist. Without thinking, she grasped the front of his shirt within her fists, pulling him closer or putting some distance in between their beating hearts, she had no idea. Kyoko closed her eyes and fought the wave of weakness that threatened to pull her under. He just admitted that he had been lying to her. She should be angry. She should be storming out of here, unable to look at his face, not holding onto him as if she needed him. Kyoko inhaled his familiar scent and felt her heart tremble. "Why, Tsuruga-san?" she asked in a tear-filled voice.

He moved his head back and forth, his cheek brushing against her hair. At one point, she thought she could feel his lips, but Kyoko was too stunned to look. He continued to hold her, his grip becoming tighter with each passing second.

"I was afraid."

Kyoko pushed back to look at him, but his arms held her in place.

"I still am."

"Of what?" she whispered.

He didn't say. He closed his eyes and focused on her breathing, feeling her chest pressing against his own with every breath. The subtle smell of flowers in her hair soothed his nerves that were stretched too thin. His resolve was slowly breaking. The confession sat upon his lips. With her in his arms, he forgot his reasons for staying silent. Perhaps once she knew the truth, everything will go back to normal. Even without her memories, they could make new ones, couldn't they?

Unable to take the silence, Kyoko moved back and was about to push him further for an answer when she caught the determined look in his gaze. Her heart clenched tightly. A flash of desire shot through her. Pure heat flowed through her veins. The need to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer nearly brought her to her knees. Kyoko's eyes widen in surprise when she felt his large hand tangling in her hair.

With his arms still around her waist, Ren gently pulled her forehead to his, their lips barely a breadth apart. Her eyes drifted closed in quiet anticipation. There wasn't a single whisper of doubt that she wanted this. It was strange and it was scary, but nothing about it felt wrong. There was a part of her that always knew there was something about him that made her feel alive, like she was never broken. She may have denied it before, but there was no denying it now.

She wanted him. Even though she shouldn't, she wanted him. The tension was so thick Kyoko would have sworn she had stopped breathing. She felt his arms flex behind her back and without thinking, her lips parted and—

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Ren's eyes sprang open as he instinctively pulled her flushed tight against his body. She let out a small gasp in surprise before wrapping both arms around his torso. He traced the muffled vibration coming from his coat pocket. The cloud of passion slowly dissipated, but his heart was thumping loudly in his chest.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"You should get that," Kyoko murmured.

He nodded, gently releasing her, but not before brushing his fingers against her soft cheek. "I'll be right back," he replied, a husky and low promise that this wasn't over.

She could only move her head in response.

Ren reluctantly left the warm heat of her embrace and walked towards his coat. The phone continued to vibrate in his shaky grasp, flashing a number he didn't recognize. He answered the call and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Is she with you?"

Ren fell still.

His blood boiled merely from the sound of his voice. He didn't bother asking the musician how he got his personal number. Ren didn't trust his voice just yet, not when his anger was hovering too close to the surface. Resisting the urge to look at Kyoko who would know something was wrong just by looking at him with her perceptive eyes, Ren continued his movement towards his bedroom and replied with gritted teeth, "She is."

Sho laughed darkly. "Do I even want to know what you two are doing?"

"Watch yourself, Fuwa," Ren growled low as he swung his bedroom door, but not completely shut. "I won't take that bullshit from you."

"You want to know what's bullshit?" the musician snapped. "You said you were going to stay out of my fuckin' way and now she suddenly remembers everything after some fuckin' date with you? I don't believe in coincidences, Tsuruga."

"Make no mistake, Fuwa, I never promised you a thing. My choice to stay silent was my own."

"And let me guess, you suddenly decided to change it?"

Ren said nothing.

"Well isn't that fuckin' convenient?" he said angrily. "Was this the moment you had been waiting for all along, Tsuruga? Was this your plan? You patiently wait for the moment she starts digging around to come swooping in like some big, fuckin' hero?"

"How long did you think this will last, Fuwa? She knows what happened five years ago. She came here for answers. You may have been able to sidestep her questions to soothe your own heavy conscience, but she's going to find out eventually. You can't lie to her for long."

"DON'T YOU THINK I FUCKIN' KNOW THAT? I was going to tell her! Once we were ready, I was going to tell her everything, but now you suddenly found the balls to speak up?"

Ren swallowed the anger that rose like a geyser from deep within. Hearing the word "we" from his mouth made him blind with rage.

"It's not fair to her," he said instead. "Enough is enough."

Sho snickered. "Where was this sense of righteousness that day at the hospital, Tsuruga? Do you really think this pious act is suddenly going to save you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You can tell her the truth, Tsuruga. You can tell her whatever the hell you want, but you aren't going to come out of this unscathed. Because whether you like it or not, you fuckin' lied to her too. And what's worse, you're the man who pledged to love her. What do you think she'll say when she finds out the love of her life abandoned her?"

Ren gripped the phone tight to his ear.

"It sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?" Sho chuckled. "Maybe you and I are more alike than you think."

Unable to deny the horrid accusation that stung like knives, Ren could only shake his head and murmur, "I'm not going to lie to her anymore."

The bedroom door creaked.

He whipped around and found her standing at the archway, her back ramrod straight, her hands clenched at her sides. Like a splash of cold water, Ren watched in mute alarm as a familiar fire grew larger and larger in her amber gaze.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked, her voice eerily calm.

"Mogami-san…"

She stepped inside the room and held out her open palm, her silver ring sitting in its midst. "Once a liar, always a liar. Isn't that right...Kuon?"