Chapter 19: I'm Sorry

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Skip Beat, for if I did, Kyoko would have shut down Sho a long time ago...but then we wouldn't have such an amazing story. XD

Shoko rapped lightly on the closed door and waited. Nothing. She repeated the process but knocked a little harder this time. She held her breath waiting for any stirring on the other side. Still nothing. She banged on the door frantically as worry overcame her. This time when there was no response she grasped the doorknob and opened the door. Shoko stomped over to stand in front of the teen slumped on the edge of the bed with his head hung low.

She looked him over and tsked. He wore the same clothes from the night before when he left for his walk. Before he stomped out the door last night, she reminded him of the consequences should he go near Kyoko. He left in a huff. He didn't answer any of her calls and sent her one insufferable text stating that she was not his mother and he would be back later. Annoyed by his behavior, she turned in for the night without confirming his safe return.

Shoko turned sympathetic as she took in his poor condition. By the looks of it, nothing good happened last night. He was agitated yesterday. She assumed he expected Kyoko to come crawling back to him after his public apology. It was at the tip of her tongue to ask him if Kyoko even watched the show but she kept her mouth shut not wanting to aggravate him further. As the day wore on Shoko could see his mood darken whenever he checked his phone. His foul mood didn't affect his work per se, but Shoko had spent so much time with him to recognize the subtle change. His smile was strained and his eyes lacked the vibrancy it normally had when he greeted his fans. The fact that he wasn't showing the usual thrill when his fans focused solely on him was a telltale sign that he was trying hard to conceal his true feelings.

Despite what many thought, Sho had a strong work ethic so she tried to appeal to that professional side of him. She went into manager mode and ranted about his tight schedule. They needed to leave in twenty minutes and still, Sho remained rooted on the bed. Was he sleeping?

"Sho, are you even listening to me?" Shoko asked exasperatedly. The guy was going to give her deep wrinkles.

She knelt before him and looked up to his face. "Hey," she said, touching him gently on the knee. The haunted look in his normally bright blue eyes made her flinch. She sighed at the dark shadows beneath his eyes. It was a good thing he liked wearing sunglasses indoors.

"Sho? Is everything okay?" Shoko asked, shaking his leg to get his attention.

...

Sho blinked rapidly. His eyes were dry from staring out at nothing and keeping his contacts on for too long. He refused to close his eyes to sleep. The scene he witnessed last night replayed in his mind whenever he closed them.

He grew bored waiting for any sign that Kyoko was home. It was bad enough she had him skulking around outside of the restaurant like a creepy stalker. There was no way he could enter. Not after the way he acted with Taisho.

Since she changed her number without telling him, none of his calls were getting through. He was aggravated that she had yet to show up begging him to take her back. Didn't she realize what a privilege it was for him to dedicate a song to her? Most girls would be tripping over themselves for such attention. In the past, she would have been right there waiting at home ready to lay on the heavy praise.

He watched a lovey-dovey foreign couple walk hand in hand towards the restaurant. Where were they going? The restaurant was closed at this time during the week. They spoke English. He caught a hint of their conversation from his distance. They were both attractive. Probably foreign models, he thought. He watched the woman look up at the man lovingly as he said something to her. He whisked her into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back enthusiastically. Sho eye-rolled them. Jeez, get a room. He heard the "I love you'' the man declared before they parted ways.

Sho frowned with confusion. He watched the man stop on the sidewalk turn around then wave. Sho followed the direction of his gaze. There, in an upstairs window, stood the girl he had known all his life waving back.

Realization crashed over him like a tsunami. He felt the air expel from his lungs as if he was just sucker-punched in the gut. Kyoko was the foreign woman. He wouldn't have believed it if he had not seen it with his own eyes. It had been her standing in the street minutes earlier for anyone to witness kissing, really kissing, a foreigner. Sho mentally shivered. If that was Kyoko in disguise then that man, considering his height, could only be no other than his mortal enemy.

Sho froze in place, grateful to be hidden in the shadows. His normal response would have been to rant about the powers of that soul-sucking demoness. He would have probably even gloated about his enemy having no originality; pfft not just any Japanese could pull off blonde hair. However, at that moment, he felt nothing but despair. He clutched at the pain in his chest. The world became blurry. His other hand drifted to his eyes rubbing at them. His hand came away covered in moisture. He didn't know how long he stood there in a daze huddled in the shadows. He eventually made his way back home and collapsed at the foot of his bed in defeat.

That was how Shoko found him that morning when she barged into his room. The nightmarish scene replayed in his mind over and over until he couldn't take it anymore. The way she looked at him. The way she smiled at him. The way she kissed him. But most of all the words she said to him. Sho paused in his musings as a faint glimmer of hope replaced his morbid thoughts. Could it be? He needed to talk to her as soon as possible before things escalated with him.

He was finally aware of his surroundings. He sat up straighter and blinked down at his manager. His eyes burned from lack of sleep but he didn't care. He was on a mission.

"Shoko what's my schedule for today? No matter what, there's something I need to do!" Sho told her with renewed determination.

Kyoko let out another loud yawn while the hairstylist put the finishing touches on her hair. The stylist laughed at her.

Kyoko blushed, "I'm sorry. I'm usually an early riser but today I can't seem to shake this fatigue."

Yashiro entered her makeshift dressing room handing her a cup of tea. "Thank you, Yashiro-san. I hope the caffeine wakes me up soon."

"You know, Kyoko-chan, it's not good for an actress or model, to be sleep-deprived. You need your

beauty rest. I hope you didn't stay up playing last night knowing you had to work early."

He couldn't resist teasing her. Ren was in the same state across the way in his dressing room. He knew for a fact that they didn't spend the night together because he picked them up in their respective homes.

Kyoko flushed red and stammered, "Eh! It's not like that! I was home at a decent hour. It was the sleeping part that was the problem. I was so excited about this job that I was restless." That and a certain blonde-haired green-eyed casanova kept invading her dreams.

With the prep work finished, Kyoko stepped out of the makeshift changing room in the retail space Fuji rented to use as the home base for today's photoshoot.

Fuji clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Come on beautiful people! We have a small window to get this done. I don't want to lose natural lighting." He walked up to Kyoko and caressed her face lovingly. "Absolutely gorgeous! I love it when I'm right!"

He directed the makeup artist to keep it natural. With the right hairstyle and outfit, she could pass for a woman in her early 20s. The artist used neutral shades of shadow, black mascara to volumize her lashes and a soft blush on her glowing skin. Her minimal makeup was offset with a bold red lip. Her long raven hair was slicked back with mousse and cascaded down her back.

Kyoko felt feminine and sexy for the first time in her life. The makeover she had for the Dark Moon party could not compare. The outfit Fuji put her in was a black body-hugging skirt that stopped below the knee. The top was a fitted cropped tank top that left her toned midriff bare. Fuji held up a metallic faux leather motorcycle jacket for Kyoko to shrug on. An assistant helped her slip her feet into a pair of suede peep toe ankle boots to complete the look.

Ren walked out of his side of the dressing room and caught sight of Kyoko. His heart rate instantly sped up as he took in all of her, starting with her feet. His eyes traveled slowly up her long shapely legs, to the round of her hips, pausing a hair's breadth at the exposed skin of her navel and continued until he met her...lips. She saw, more than heard, his sharp intake of breath. His body tensed. It was only for a second but she noticed. His eyes finally drifted to hers. His piercing gaze made Kyoko's toes curl.

Kyoko felt her face heating up and broke eye contact first. She distracted herself with his appearance. He wore a black suit effortlessly. His top buttons were undone accentuating his collarbone and his tie hung loosely around his neck. His hair was windblown and wild as if he used his fingers instead of a proper comb to rake it back. God, he was sexy.

Fuji cleared his throat. "Okay kids, let's not start any fires here." He was giddy with excitement. He loved their chemistry. He could feel the sexual tension radiating off of them.

"First off, let me introduce you to our photographer, Sousuke. He's a genius with a camera. Ren has worked with him several times so this is more for Kyoko-chan's sake. I promise he'll be nice today."

Kyoko bowed to the photographer, "Sousuke-san, please take care of me. I will try to do my best in delivering a favorable performance."

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Kyoko-san. Please take care of me as well."

"Okay moving on. This first part is crucial because we have a limited time," Fuji said, turning to Kyoko and Ren. "The concept is simple. You're both lovers of the night. Tokyo is your playground. We are shooting this after a night of revelry. Where the two of you happen to meet on the pedestrian bridge in the wee hours of the morning. We'll take individual shots first and then we'll move on to the couple shots."

Everyone moved outdoors to the site the crew had set up on the overpass. There were a few commuters on the road aiding Fuji's overall aesthetic for the shoot. Sousuke positioned Kyoko under the street light. To start he had her pose looking out over the streets into the distance. Kyoko leaned against the railing with her back to it facing the camera. She made subtle changes in her pose all the while Sousuke clicked away. He drilled into her two key things: keep the garment's shape in mind and always be aware of the lighting. He spent a significant amount of time on Kyoko until he captured the right expression for Fuji.

They moved quickly to Ren staged at the base of the stairwell. His vast experience in modeling was apparent to Kyoko. He needed little guidance as he nailed pose after pose. His session was done in half the time. Fuji scanned the footage and gave the thumbs up to move on.

For the couple portion of the shoot, Fuji gave them one simple instruction that left Kyoko baffled.

"Flirt."

Kyoko froze. Flirt? What do you mean by flirt? Natsu is the flirt, not me!

Ren wrapped his arm around her waist and nipped her ear. She should have been embarrassed but the action made her giggle. Ren took the lead until she relaxed. She pulled from her experience as Natsu and forgot about the camera. Ren relinquished control and let her take the lead for the remainder of the shoot. Before Kyoko knew it, she was pulling him down by the tie, closing the already small space between their lips. Ren went along willingly.

"That was wonderful you two!" Fuji exclaimed, interrupting them before they could kiss. Ren cast a furious glare at the designer but Fuji waved him away.

Kyoko blinked rapidly. She was in a very compromising position. She released his tie and bowed in apology to hide her crimson face. She covered her face with her hands to try and suppress the heat. A few crew members giggled at her and many congratulated her on a job well done.

"Okay," Fuji said, clapping rapidly to get everyone's attention. "We're moving to the next outfits before we completely lose the ambiance."

Kyoko noticed the sun peeking out over the horizon. The rest of the shoot went by in a whirl. It was a whole new experience for her. If she didn't have the guidance from everyone around her she would have been overwhelmed. She looked at her senpai with renewed awe. It was amazing that he could juggle both modeling and acting.

After the shoot, she settled next to Ren in the backseat as Yashiro drove them to her movie location.

"Tired?" Ren asked.

Kyoko nodded. Just a few minutes ago she was running on pure adrenaline and now she felt herself crashing fast from that high. She leaned her head on Ren's shoulder and closed her eyes. Just for a second, she told herself.

Yashiro peeked in the rearview mirror when he stopped outside the Sacred Lotus set. Ren had his head back and eyes closed while Kyoko laid against him. He giggled like a schoolgirl and took a picture of them. For their wedding day. They'll thank me later.

He cleared his throat loudly, startling them awake.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I slept the whole way. I didn't mean to use you as a pillow."

"It was my pleasure," he told her with a wicked grin. Kyoko could only blush at his words.

"Next time, I'll be sure to bring my sheep along," he said chuckling. Kyoko blushed deeper at the mention of the pillow she bought him for his birthday.

There were too many people outside of the studio today that Kyoko opted to get out of the car with one final squeeze of Ren's hand.

"Will you be okay by yourself?" Ren asked as she stepped out of the car.

"I'll be fine," she assured them. Kimiko had left her alone and only stuck to Cedric whenever she came to watch. She waved back to them before walking into the building.

Koga watched Momiji and Chidori act out their scene. Filming had been going well that soon they would transfer to the outdoor location. They were ahead of schedule despite the challenges with Cedric's language barrier. He was a quick learner and with the help of his assistants, he managed to complete his part successfully so far.

His eyes darted curiously to the young woman standing next to Cedric. Kimiko told them she was taking a hiatus from acting and came often on the pretense to regain her confidence. Koga wasn't buying that excuse. It was obvious that the girl had a crush on the American. When he asked Cedric about it, the guy responded with an, "in the past maybe but now we're just good friends," type of response. Koga noticed her shift in behavior whenever Kyoko was near. It was suspicious. He sounded paranoid but convinced himself that he should keep an eye on her anyway.

There it was again. He detected a small flicker of hatred directed at either the actress playing Chidori or Momiji. He decided it was probably the latter of the two. She was one scary actress if she could hide her true nature that well behind the cutesy teenage persona. Koga scratched his head. What a pain. He felt sorry for Kyoko; she really did have it rough.

Kyoko left her dressing room after a long day of filming when the person she least wanted to see called out and grabbed her by the hand.

"Oi, Kyoko, can we talk?"

Kyoko closed her eyes and counted to ten willing the apparition of her so-called childhood friend to go away. She opened her eyes and yet his figure remained. She sighed with resignation and nodded.

"Can we go somewhere more private?" He inclined his head towards her dressing room.

There was no way she was going to leave herself alone with him. Discretion never worked out in her favor in the past.

"No, Shotaro. If you want to talk to me. We do it out here."

She watched him struggle within himself as he fought a retort. He ran his hands through his bleached blonde hair and looked down the hall nervously. Kyoko shifted uncomfortably. Maybe this place wasn't such a good idea either. It was empty since filming was still underway.

"Did you hear my song? I - I sang it for you." Sho stuttered out, rubbing the back of his neck.

Kyoko's eyes widened with bewilderment. She never saw this insecure side to Sho. He was always so arrogant and prickly. Her grudges circled her protectively waiting for him to reveal his true motives.

"I wanted to apologize to you for...for everything."

Kyoko folded her arms around her and raised an eyebrow waiting for him to elaborate.

Sho took another deep breath before continuing. "For taking advantage of your kindness. For ditching you. For hurting you. For not being able to help you with your mom. I felt like I couldn't do anything for you since my parents showered me with affection. It was like rubbing salt in your wounds. I was...an idiot! I wish...I wish we could just go ba-." He shook his head, cutting off his words.

His sincere apology surprised her and made her sad. She didn't know her relationship with her mother disturbed him so much. She knew her crying troubled him that's why she sought solace elsewhere. It was there she met her fairy prince. She looked at Sho in a new light. It was because of him that she met Corn for the first time when she was six years old. She doubted things could have been different given that knowledge.

"C-can you say something?" Sho asked, apprehensively.

She didn't know what he wanted from her. There was no going back. She assumed he almost wished they could go back to the time when she was a foolish girl that followed after him blindly.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Shotaro. It's too late. Two years ago I would have been happy hearing these words from you. You were my rock, my prince, my reason for doing my best. I felt like I could endure anything if you were by my side. You threw that all back in my face and it hurt! You hurt me and you continue to hurt me!"

She told herself not to get emotional but her control was slipping. He needed to know now that he was finally listening. The residual hurt and anger that continued to fuel her need for vengeance were finally being released.

"Kyoko, I just ..."

Kyoko cut him off as she poured her heart out in anguish.

"Were we ever really friends, Sho? Friends don't treat friends the way you treated me! I've realized it now that our friendship was always one-sided. You've never done anything for me that didn't benefit you. I can't recall if you ever said a simple 'Thank You' to me."

Sho froze at the sight of the droplets pouring from her eyes. It was the same heart-wrenching sob she used to do when they were kids. The kind that always dumbfounded Sho. Even now, almost ten years later, he still didn't know how to comfort her. She cried like that only when it involved her mother. It dawned on him now that he was on an even plane with her mother. He did this to her. It made him feel wretched.

...

Ren and Yashiro walked into the studio looking for Kyoko. The plan was for her to accompany him on his last job for the night and they would have dinner. He glanced around the main filming area but didn't see her. He stopped and asked a crew member who waved him towards the dressing rooms. As he beaded in that direction, he noticed Sho's manager fidgeting at the entrance to the hall.

Ren's aura turned dark, startling his manager. He knew what her presence there implied. That jackass was probably starting trouble with Kyoko again. He hastened his steps and covered the distance in seconds leaving Yashiro behind. Shoko clasped his arm to keep him from entering. He growled at her. She released his arm taking a step back in fear.

"Let them be for now," Shoko said after taking a shaky breath. "They need to talk to move forward. He won't hurt her."

"Like the time he slapped her? What about emotionally? How many times has he done that?" Ren couldn't keep the venom out of his voice as he accused Shoko of not doing her job properly.

Shoko turned away embarrassed, unable to defend herself. He brushed past her and entered the hall. He could hear Kyoko's faint crying. He could tell that her crying came from deep within her soul. His heart wrenched. He wanted to go to her immediately and sink his fist into that punk's face. But something held him back from doing so. He needed to let this play out. She needed to find closure. They had yet to notice him. He hung back, leaning against the wall and watching them intently. He wanted to be near in case the bastard got physical.

...

Kyoko composed herself and dashed the tears from her eyes. She always felt better after a good cry and she was done shedding tears over him. Sho finally relaxed when she was finished.

"Shotaro, I will forever be grateful to you and your family. You took me in and cared for me in your own way. It was my need to not burden anyone that caused my problems. If you had not asked me selfishly to come with you I would have still been stuck in Kyoto. I found a new life here in acting, with my friends, with Ren. I love him and he loves me! I won't let you ruin things for me."

Sho stared at her in shock. It was the last hope he was hanging on to as he realized that last night the bastard was the only one that said the words. His eyes stung and a muscle in his jaw twitched as he listened to her.

"You're naïve Kyoko! A guy like him only wants one thing from you and that's to get in your pants! He can't possibly…" Kyoko's reflex was so quick Sho didn't see it coming. She slapped him across the face. She ignored the pain in her hand.

"You don't know the first thing about him! He has shown me more kindness in the last year than you've ever shown me in our lifetime together. I don't doubt that he loves me! He treats me like a queen and in his eyes, I am the most beautiful woman in the world. He loves me for me and not for what I can do for him!"

Kyoko closed her eyes and counted to ten. She inhaled slowly regaining her composure.

"Shotaro, I'm asking you now to please let's stop doing this. I'm already tired of it. I've already given up on you and my silly quest for revenge. You were my best friend growing up. Thank you for being there for me even if it was just my delusions. It helped me cope. I'm better now. I'm fine, so just let me go. I'll see you around." Bowing to him she turned on her heel.

Her steps faltered when she saw Ren. How much had he heard? She walked towards him, taking shaky breaths.

"Kyoko!" Sho exclaimed. Her name ricocheted off the walls.

She turned to scold him for being loud while they were still filming. It was her turn to be shocked. Sho kneeled on the floor dirtying his designer jeans and dropped into a dogeza.

"I'm sorry Kyoko," he said loudly but not screaming like earlier with his forehead to the floor.

Never in her life did she think Sho was capable of doing that for her.

She smiled and said, "Thank you, Shotaro." Kyoko waved and proceeded to Ren.

It was her old smile. The one that was reserved just for him. Images of their time in Kyoto flashed through his mind. She would never call him Sho-chan again and he would no longer receive presents or treats made just for him. Tears pricked his eyes as he realized he finally had to grow up and let her go. He could never have made her happy. He was just too selfish.

For a long time, Sho had been her reason for living. Now she was living for herself. She smiled radiantly at the man in front of her. A weight had been lifted from her. He smiled warmly and enveloped her into his arms. Arms that gave her strength and made her feel safe, cherished, and loved.

AN: So I had three scenarios written out on how I wanted Sho to go down 1.) public humiliation resulting in the demise of his music career, 2.) Ren just plain kicks his ass and 3.) this one published. I think I'm a closet Fuwa fan. The more I dwelled on him, the more I couldn't hate him. In his own immature way, he really loved Kyoko. He just didn't know how to express it. Unfortunately for him, I'm Team Ren. A skip beat manga where RenKyo doesn't end up together would be devastating for me...lol. I hope this outcome didn't disappoint many readers too much.

Thanks for reading and big thanks to those that reviewed the last chapter. Criticisms are appreciated, so let me know what you think!

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^