Limit

#04: Skip Beat! (Ren & Kyōko)
...xXx...

Neither said a single word after Ren voiced his intention. Ren was sure the man before him would understand his decision. It was not like he wanted to run away. Well, maybe he did, but only half-heartedly. Fate was just not on his side, so there was no reason for him to fight what was coming. Either way, the end would be the same now or later. He might as well do it now.

"Are you sure about this, Ren?"

Looking up at the flamboyant president who was dressed as a secret agent, Ren nodded. "Yes."

Lory eyed his top talent while contemplating his next word. The young man he had taken from his parents to create a new identity had grown into a great actor and man. A major role was offered to Ren from Hollywood, and he had decided to take it. From the beginning, he knew Ren would be able to reach or even surpass Kuu's level of acting with his own power. What he did not like about his decision was…

"Are you sure you don't want to tell anyone about this?"

Ren gave him a desperate look. "We already talked about this, President Lory."

Lory returned the look. "What about her?"

"… Fuwa does not deserve her, but neither do I."

A sigh. "Ren, do you not love her?"

"That is why I let her go."

"You give up?" It was a statement but came out like a question.

"Maybe," he breathed out quietly. For over two years, his relationship with Kyōko remained the same. She still thought of him as her respectable senpai. He couldn't even get her to call him by his first name for all this year. She had never thought herself worthy to call him such. If only she knew that he was not even worthy to have her by his side. Still, as long as she closed her heart and eyes to love, the distance between them would stay that way.

"Julie will be happy to see you."

Ren smiled ruefully. He had hurt his mother when he decided to leave his real name behind. His only hope was that she would forgive him for his past mistakes and selfishness. "She will."

...xXx...

Yukihito studied his charge closely after they left LME. He didn't go with Ren to see President since he had arrangements to make. Without saying anything, he knew President Lory was still trying to convince Ren to tell everyone about him leaving for another country. To be honest, he couldn't blame Ren for taking the role. Since his role as BJ, Ren's skills had been recognised internationally. Since then, he had been receiving support roles, but this time, he would take the lead.

Although he had tried his best to bring Ren and the first member of LoveMe together, they had progressed too little for his taste. Their relationship was moving even slower than a snail. More than ever, he blamed Ren for not doing anything. But then, knowing Kyōko's personality, he understood why Ren kept quiet. For Ren to hold his feelings this long was a great achievement in and of itself, but like everybody else, he had his own limits. Since Ren did not want to hold a press, President Lory had decided to make a statement that Ren Tsuruga would be on hiatus. For how long, no one knows as there was a possibility that Ren would not return here.

In a month, Ren's schedule would be packed because he had to finish everything in Japan.

"Ren, I have to say that you will be so busy that you won't be able to—"

"Yukihito, I appreciate your effort, but you can stop it now. We both know that in her eyes, I'm just a mentor, no more, no less."

Yukihito wanted to argue but after seeing Ren's painful expression, he let it go. He heaved a sigh. "As you wish."

"Thank you," was his only response for the rest of the day.

...xXx...

Two weeks felt like two months. Kyōko did not know why time had somehow moved so slowly. Soon, she found her answer when she caught a glimpse of her tall senpai. She had actually missed Ren! Now that she thought about it, they hadn't talked for the past two weeks. She steadily approached him, but he didn't notice her. Well, it was obvious since he was speaking with someone… precious. His gentle expression was enough to tell her that. Was he talking to that girl? The question alone brought a little bit of pain to her heart. If she could be honest with herself, she was jealous. As Bo, she knew Ren loved that girl very much, but the girl never realised his feelings. Every girl, including herself, would want to be in that girl's position, but of course, it was just wishful thinking on her part. Ren would never love someone as plain as her.

As soon as he shut his phone, she saluted, "Good afternoon, Tsuruga-san."

She furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed him suddenly stiffen. However, his posture returned to normal as he turned to her. "Good afternoon, Mogami-san."

Before she could utter another word, his phone rang again.

"Please excuse me."

"Ah, don't worry… about it…" she trailed off as he walked off to speak with the caller. This time, Ren had a serious face. He seemed so busy. When he was done, he returned to her only to excuse himself. Of course, she put on her best smile for him. Though they didn't get the chance to talk, she still got to see him. That was more than enough to brighten her day. Moreover, they would be able to talk next time.

However, that next time never came. Well, it came, but it was when she was Bo. Ren was sitting at the same place when she helped him the first time. The atmosphere around him was not as heavy as usual, only a little bit melancholy.

"Yo!"

Ren blinked before turning to her with a small smile. "Ah, it's you."

She crossed her wings. "What's with that look? You seem a bit down."

Ren let out a sad smile. "I have been avoiding her."

She felt someone stab her in the heart. "Oh? Why is that?"

He didn't answer her question until someone called for him. A grateful smile touched his lips. "Because I have to get used to the idea that she won't be around me any more. I'm going on hiatus starting tomorrow. Anyway, thank you for your help until now. I really appreciate it. Good luck with your work."

He truly left her speechless and her mind stopped functioning. Hiatus? Why? As he got up, she inquired, "Tsuruga-kun! You will come back soon, right? I mean, everyone will miss you, including her." It was difficult for her to talk about that girl, but she desperately needed reassurance that he would return soon.

"She will, I think, but it won't be for long. I mean, we're not even friends."

"I thought—"

"Yes, she and I are close but nothing like you thought. She only thinks of me as her mentor and senpai."

Her entire being froze.

"About your earlier question, I don't think I'll be back soon. Once again, thank you. Until then."

She didn't know how long she stood there, dumbfounded. Despite her current state of mind, she managed to do her LoveMe tasks and went back to Daruma-ya safely. Luckily for her, she didn't have any shootings as she doubted she could work properly when she couldn't stop thinking about his statement. Ren wasn't talking about her, was he? She shook her head violently. It was impossible! Wait, did he say that he wouldn't be back soon? Why? For how long was he going to leave? She stared at her phone. The urge to call Yashiro was unbearable, but… after a minute of contemplating, instead of calling Yashiro-san, she rushed to Ren's apartment immediately on her bike. She did not notice that it was nearly midnight when she reached his place. Since she often came here, the doorman let her in. She anxiously pressed the bell and waited. When she was about to press again, the door opened.

Ren blinked in surprise to see the love of his life in his doorway. Under normal circumstance, he would be happy to see her, but now, he dreaded this meeting. For goodness' sake, he had been avoiding her for the past weeks for a good reason. Their last meeting was purely accidental, too. He didn't expect to see her after he received a call from his mother.

They stared at each other for a while.

"Mogami-san?"

She flushed red. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san! I—"

"Please come in."

Both remained silent as they made their way to the living room. Right then, she shrieked in horror. She obviously just noticed the time.

Ren caught her arms in time before she could drop down to her knees and start apologising. "Really, Mogami-san. It's okay. I just returned from work a few minutes ago, so you are not bothering me."

Judging from his attire, the very same one from earlier today, she believed him. She sighed in relief.

"So… to what do I owe for this visit?" he asked as soon as they settled down.

She stared at him. Somehow, she had forgotten why she came here. Not wanting to make him wait, she blurted out the first thing that crossed her mind, "Have you had dinner, Tsuruga-san?"

She blushed scarlet while scolding herself mentally. What a stupid question! Whenever Ren looked at her with that intense gaze of his, she easily got flustered. Hence, whatever she was trying to say would be long forgotten. Did this man before her know what he could do to her merely by looking at her?

Ren smiled at how cute she was. He knew that she probably had a lot to think and forgot the purpose of visiting him. Although he wouldn't mind helping her with her roles, he was hoping they could spend this night without thinking about work. After all, this would be their last night together before he left to America in the morning. He wanted to tell her about his departure, but a part of him didn't want to as it wouldn't really matter. Even if she knew, she wouldn't ask him to stay. He didn't think his heart could bear another rejection from her. Giving her a soft smile, he replied, "I haven't. The last meal I had was lunch."

That caught her attention immediately as she scolded him about his bad habit, as always. He smiled to himself as he was going to miss this moment. In the end, she made a light meal for him from whatever ingredients she could find. By the time he finished his supper, it was already incredibly late, so he asked her to stay for the night. Surprisingly, she agreed without a fuss. Once she left to her usual guest room, he walked to his own. All of his important things were already packed and sent to LME this morning, and someone from LME would come to pick him up tomorrow. After a few minutes of twisting and turning in his bed, he found himself unable to go to sleep. He sighed heavily.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door. He narrowed his eyes before opening the door, and soon, his eyes met with Setsu. Of course, no one would dare to approach him like this but his sister. He closed his eyes momentarily to let Cain take his place.

By the time he opened his eyes, Ren was gone. "Setsu."

Setsu looked up at her brother pleadingly. "Can I sleep with you, Nii-san?"

He answered by widening the door to let her in. Soon, they were under the same blanket with her snuggling close to his back. During his time as Cain, he had gotten used to her presence beside him. Though it was still hard not to touch her, he endured just fine. This night would be no different. As soon as he was sure that she was asleep, he turned around and watched her sleeping face. He then reached out to touch her face, but his hand didn't meet her skin as he didn't want to wake her.

"I love you, Kyōko… but… I don't deserve you…" he whispered so quietly that he could barely hear himself.

Unknown to him, Kyōko was pretending to be asleep and had heard every single word he uttered.

...xXx...

Kyōko looked up at Ren, who was reading a script – she only guessed, while she ate the breakfast he ordered for her. Thanks to his confession last night, she couldn't sleep, but since her mind was too overwhelmed with yesterday's events, she eventually fell asleep. She had planned to leave before he woke up, but he beat her to it.

How strange.

Usually, she was the first to get up. She then reasoned it might be because of his spacious, comfy bed. Or maybe because of his comforting scent around the room that made it difficult for her to wake up. Last night, she had acted on impulse. She wanted to ask what his plans for tomorrow were, but as soon as she saw the door open, she quickly became Setsu in panic. If anyone could interrupt him, it would be Setsu since Cain adored his sister.

"Tsuruga-san, why did you wake up so early?" she asked timidly.

"President Lory wants to see me this morning."

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't—"

"Mogami-san," he interjected gently. "I don't like it when you have to apologise when you did nothing wrong."

"I'm so—"

"What was that?"

"I mean, thank you for your hospitality last night."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

As soon as they both were ready to leave, she switched back to Setsu. "Nii-san…"

Cain resurfaced as he turned to his sister. "Yes?"

She reached out his hand. "You won't leave me, right?"

It took him a while to reply. "Setsu, even if I leave, you will always be in my heart."

Neither knew that both wished he could say that as Ren, not as Cain.

Kyōko closed her eyes as Ren pulled her into a hug. Unfortunately for her, it only lasted for a moment. Before they could truly pull apart, she stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"See you, Nii-san."

She didn't see Ren's shocked face as she quickly turned around.

Ren stood there frozen. This was the first time Setsu kissed her brother. Even though it was just on the cheek, it was still a kiss. It seemed both had become, if he dared say, rather affectionate to each other. Were they breaking out of character? He was not sure. He only knew that the place she kissed was burning, and he wondered if she would feel it, too, if he did the same. He decided to take the risk and captured her wrist. When she looked up at him, he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Be careful on your way, Setsu."

If she was Kyōko, her face would have turned as red as a steamed crab. Thankfully, she was still Setsu and only a light blush coloured her cheeks. "You, too, Nii-san."

With that, they parted ways. Kyōko did not notice Ren's sad eyes as he watched her go.

...xXx...

The news came in the afternoon.

President Lory himself had made a statement to the public that Ren Tsuruga was on hiatus. For how long, he did not know since Ren had decided to take a break from showbiz. After that announcement, everyone was in shock. No one had seen that coming. She was a bit upset that Ren didn't tell her. Well, he did tell her, but that was when she was Bo. He should have told her himself. Didn't he say that he loved her? She froze. How could she forget that?! He just confessed to her last night! The girl he had been talking about all this time was herself?

Butterflies flapped furiously in her stomach. No, she couldn't believe this. Did she feel the same? Her cheeks turned hot as she remembered what they did this morning. She had forgotten about it as soon as she received a call from Sawara-san. However, she was still confused about his confession. What did he mean by he didn't deserve her? If anyone, it should have been she who did not deserve him. He was, after all, the Most Desirable Man in the entertainment industry. How could he love someone like her? She was only a plain actress. For her own good, she pushed the thoughts away, for now.

For the next six months after Ren's departure, Kyōko worked herself to the limit. She took every role that was offered even though most of them were bully roles. One month after the announcement, she finally noticed two things. First, Yashiro and Ren's numbers were not in use any more. Second, Maria-chan's mood had grown solemn. After a week of persuasion, Maria-chan finally told her that Ren and his manager had left Japan and probably would not come back here.

On that day, she couldn't stop her feelings. It took her so long to admit that she reciprocated his feelings. Who would have thought that his words as Cain would come true? She never thought that he would truly leave her, with or without saying goodbye. That night, she cried herself to sleep. The routine repeated for a week. Kanae and Chiori kept asking her about what happened, but she brushed them away. However, she couldn't do the same when President Takarada called her up to his office the next morning.

"Do you love him, Mogami-kun?" he asked calmly. His expression was gentle, but his eyes expected her to answer truthfully.

If she was the old Kyōko, she would have started denying such implications with hundreds of reasons. She closed her eyes. "Does it really matter, President Takarada?"

A gentle smile was on his face as he replied, "It does."

Silence.

Opening her eyes, she looked at the carpet below. "I only realised it after Maria-chan told me he was gone."

It was then President Takarada approached her and pulled out an envelope, a letter from Ren. She looked up at President in shock and surprise.

"Ren didn't plan to write a letter for you, Mogami-kun. I forced him to write one since I was able to see something he could not."

She accepted the letter with trembling hands. President Takarada left her alone as she opened the letter.

Mogami-san,

I'm sorry for not telling you about my departure. It was not my intention to hide it from you. I just didn't know how to tell you. Anyway, President Lory forced me to write this letter. It's not that I don't want to, I just didn't know what I should write. I would like to thank you for giving me your time to cook for me all this time and also for helping me with my Katsuki years ago. I enjoyed our time together, and I know you will become a great actress in the future. Lastly, I'm sorry for the trouble I have caused you in the past. Good luck.

Sincerely Yours,

Ren

From that day onwards, she never looked back. She missed Ren badly, but she decided to push him out of her mind. It was not that she hated him or anything. It was just whenever she remembered him, her eyes would become misty as she tried to hold back her tears, and at night, she would cry herself to sleep. Sometimes, she wondered if her tears would run out from crying so much. The Daruma-ya couple had been worried about her as well, and she felt guilty for making them so.

She bid everyone goodnight and left the set. Today was the last the day of shooting for one of the three dramas she had. The other two would end next week. She had wanted to take another role for the week after, but Sawara-san, under President Takarada's command, had ordered her to take a break for a week. What would she do for that one week? Her life would be miserable for sure since she had nothing to do. After she changed into her pajamas, she clutched Corn and wished she would be able to see Ren again.

...xXx...

If she didn't know better, she would think President Takarada had been planning this vacation for her. Two days before her short break, Kuu-otou-san had sent an invitation to his home in America, so here she was. She was welcomed by a chauffeur and immediately led to Hizuri Residence. The mansion was huge, and she absentmindedly wondered how many maids he had in the house to keep the place clean. She pressed the bell and waited. Never in her wildest dream would she see his manager opened the door.

"Yashiro-san?!"

Yashiro-san was just as shocked as she. "K-Kyōko-chan!"

"What are you doing here?" they asked simultaneously with wide eyes.

The spectacled man smiled. "It's good to see you, Kyōko-chan. I guess you're the special guest Kuu-san has been talking about. Come in."

As soon as they reached the spacious living room, she heard his voice. Her heart raced erratically. Of course, since Yashiro-san was here, he would be here, too. She never realised how fast she had walked to the dining room where their voices came from. She smiled as she heard Kuu-otou-san's voice, but her smile dropped instantly when she heard his next words.

"Julie, honey, you have to give Kuon a break. He doesn't eat as much as I do."

"He should eat a little bit more," replied a feminine voice, which was obviously Julie-san's.

What greeted her eyes next was a blond man with a pair of green eyes.

"One plate is more than enough, Mom."

It was his voice.

Yashiro-san cleared his throat, and that was when silence filled the room as they finally noticed her.

"Ah, you must be Kyōko-chan!" Julie-san smiled and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Welcome to our house, Kyōko-chan."

Kyōko couldn't help but blush from her greeting. Julie-san was truly a beautiful woman.

"Kuon, you finally came!" Kuu hugged her before patting her head.

"Kuu, don't you think you should call her by her name since Kuon is here with us?"

Everyone turned to look at the blond young man.

Kuon gave them a look that said why-are-you-looking-at-me.

Kuu laughed. "I guess so. Kyōko, meet my son, Kuon Hizuri. I'm sure you've already talked to him plenty of times when he was Ren Tsuruga. I know you have many questions, so we will fill you in while we have our breakfast, okay?"

Kyōko nodded numbly. She couldn't believe that Ren Tsuruga was actually Kuon Hizuri. Well, she knew from that stupid Reino that Ren Tsuruga was just a stage name, but still… to know that the man she loved was actually Kuu-otou-san's son was quite a shock. Soon, her respect for Ren as an actor grew hundredfold when Otou-san told her how Kuon wanted to build his own career without using Hizuri's name. Now that she remembered what Ren had told Bo about how he was fired many times when he first became an actor. It must have happened before he moved to Japan and started his own career as Ren Tsuruga. She gazed at Ren as she studied his visage. After a few moments, realisation dawned on her as her eyes widened and stood up. "Corn!"

Everyone, but Kuon, stared at her in surprise.

Kuon looked up before grinning. "Yes, Kyōko-chan?"

Her breath hitched as she saw the same grinning face whenever they met up at the creek. Kuon's story made a lot of sense now. Corn had told her that he couldn't fly freely because of his father. Kuu-otou-san's shadow was always with him, and everyone would always compare him to Otou-san, just like Director Ogata. That was why Ren or Kuon understood Director Ogata's feelings about their famous father. And that was why he knew Corn was still alive.

Tears gathered in her eyes. "You knew, and you didn't tell me."

Kuon's eyes widened as he quickly approached her. "No, Kyōko. I didn't mean to hide this from you."

Everyone in the table looked between the two in confusion. They didn't have a clue what they were talking about.

Kuon wiped her tears. "I wanted to tell you everything, but when I found out, we were not on good terms, and then… I'm not the same person you knew from before."

Kyōko threw herself at him. "How could you say that? I've been hoping that I could see you again. I don't care about what happened in the past. You will always be my Corn."

Kuon was so happy that he swept her up. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I promise I won't hide anything from you again."

The way he held her made her feel like a little girl, but with this, she didn't have to look up at him. She pressed her forehead to his. "You won't leave me again, right?"

"Never," he promised almost immediately, and she laid her head on his shoulder in relief. "Promise me."

He tightened his hold. "I promise."

Neither noticed that Yashiro had gone into hyper fan girl mode.

"So… can one of you tell me what happened just now?" It was Kuu-otou-san.

Kyōko laughed tearfully as Kuon set her down on her feet. She looked up at her prince with a smile.

Kuon returned her smile. "I will give you the honour to tell them, Princess."

Her face heated up, but she didn't say anything to argue with him.

Once the story was told, in her eyes, her life was back, full of colours. On the same night, she told Kuon her feelings. To say Kuon was happy would be an understatement of the year. It went without saying that they both became a couple within the same hour. However, their relationship would be known only by family and close friends. Just like Kuon, Kyōko didn't want to increase her popularity as Kuon's girlfriend. She wanted to make her own name with her own power, something Kuon could understand. And so, they agreed to reveal their relationship when she stood on the same level as him as an actress.

Her break was extended until Kuon finished shooting. She had felt guilty for staying too long, but President Takarada had assured her that it was okay. And since she had successfully graduated from LoveMe section, she could treat this as a vacation before starting her own debut, which was as soon as she returned to Japan in two days time. Kuon and Yashiro-san would be returning with her as well.

"Kuon... are you sure about this?" she asked the man sitting beside her.

"Yes," he replied without averting his eyes from the setting sun.

"I—"

A finger on her lips stopped her from continuing, and she looked up at his handsome face.

"You know I love you, right?"

No matter how many times she heard his love confession, it never stopped her from blushing brightly. "Yes."

"Then, no more question. You're my girl, and I won't leave you alone in Japan."

Her heart filled with warmth. "Kuon..."

He smiled.

"I love you," she said breathlessly.

His smile grew wider before he leaned closer to her. "Now."

"Forever," she murmured, leaning up to align their lips together.

And ever, both thought at the same time when their lips met in a kiss.

The End

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