Just a warning I am Dyslexic so my stories will not be perfect but I now have one Beta reader to help me along the way :D
Thank you so much to rsrdiall for offering to work with me :D
Hello my sweeties,
Well this is it. the last chapter!
And how have i suddenly gone from 1000 votes only such a short time ago to now over 2000!?
All I can say is your all amazing and hope you truly...
Enjoy.
Neh xxx
I do not own Skip Beat!
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Epilogue.
"You look stunning, Kyoko," Kuon muttered as Kyoko walked slowly into the presidential suites meeting room they had been using to eat breakfast with their family and friends for the last two weeks. Many things had happened here at this table, but Kuon knew this was one he would never forget.
Kyoko, Julie and the Love Me ladies had kicked him and Kuu out for the night to get ready in his and Kyoko's suite, but he couldn't really say he didn't appreciate the surprise. Blushing beautifully for once Kyoko did nothing to avoid the compliment.
"You really do look beautiful, dear," Kuu said as he stood and hugged her tightly before kissing her cheek and walking out of the room.
Kyoko looked over to Kuon once more as he stood from his chair. Kyoko had always loved that picture of Ren she had in the suite. Even with the Cain look he pulled it off amazingly.
"You look good too, Kuon," she replied softly as Kuon rounded the table to stand before the love of his life.
"Thank you, but only your brilliance will be noticed tonight I'm sure."
Kyoko wondered if it was really possible to blush more than she already was and with the way her face was heating up she guessed it was.
"Th..thank you," she managed to stutter as Kuon released his killer smile.
"You know that makes me really happy," Kuon spoke softly. Kyoko turned back to him her eyes questioning as Kuon gently took both of her hands in his. "I'm happy that you let me call you beautiful without trying to contradict me or put yourself down," he said.
Kyoko could and never would deny the emotions in his voice as he gently stroked the back of her hands held in his. "I... I... well... that is..."
Kyoko wanted to turn away, she really did. But as those steel grey eyes stared into her own the colour slowly morphed into the bright green she knew was below them. Her breath caught as she looked at the man she loved. She had told him so when she had been talking Shane down and had said it out loud twice now. Once to get Lory to allow her to tell her friends the truth and once to talk a man away from his mental misgivings.
Kuon had told her she was beautiful, scolded her for her foolish self planning, and slept wrapped in her arms as he had cried himself to sleep that night. Even so, neither of them had said it out straight. Kyoko wondered if that was even how Kuon felt about her? Did he see her as a sister? Did he love her as a friend? Was the hope she had for more correct? Kuon looked at her deeply as if staring straight into her soul. She had to say something.
"Sometimes watching someone that you love struggle with their demons is more painful than dealing with your own," Kyoko whispered softly and Kuon's eyes widened slightly as he waited for her to continue.
"Living in the past is like scratching a wound. If you don't leave it alone, it will never go away. You taught me this Kuon so I've decided to let it heal, accept the scar, and move on with my life. Sometimes you have to stop worrying, wondering and doubting and have faith that things will work out. Maybe not how you planned, but just how it's meant to be."
Kuon couldn't help but smile at Kyoko. "You've been talking with mom haven't you?" he asked with a loving smile on his face.
Kyoko couldn't help it as she grinned slightly. "Is it that obvious?"
Kuon chuckled and nodded at her. "A little. I remember her buying most of those self help books."
Kyoko couldn't help but laugh along with him as they stood with their hands together. Kuon couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked with the now lightning blush on her cheeks as she calmed down in his presence. This was not a new Kyoko, but she was different. She had grown so much in the last few weeks, but as Kuon thought about it so had he.
"It's not about how many times you've been knocked down, but about finding the strength to get back up. Make the change and move on, even when you're afraid," Kuon whispered softly as he leant forwards. Kyoko's eyes widened as Kuon's face came closer, their breath mingling as her heart rate accelerated to a new level. "I'm not afraid anymore, Kyoko."
Her eyes fluttered shut gently as Kuon's lips approached her own.
"Come on you two! It's time to go!" Kanae called as she pushed open the door while clipping her bag shut.
"OH! Sorry. Did I come at a bad time?" Kanae asked as Kuon wondered if she was doing it on purpose or if she really had just not realised.
"No! No! It's fine Moko-san!" Kyoko squeaked out as she backed away swiftly.
"We're ready now, right?" Kyoko asked as Kuon wondered if the blush was covering her entire body in that delectable dress.
Putting his foot down on his wayward thoughts Ren shoved Cain to the forefront of consciousness dragging Kuon back before he really could cause problems.
"Of course Setsu," Cain drawled out as Kanae raised her eyebrows at him with a slight smirk that made him believe his expressions had given away his true thoughts.
"Come on then, Nii-San! The sooner we go the sooner we get to go home!" Setsu said with a smirk of her own.
When Setsu turned from him even Cain almost had a heart attack seeing the tiny bit of fabric covering the creamy white skin of her back.
'She had better bloody keep her back to the wall all night!' the two people in Cain's head screamed as Cain growled.
'Trust Setsu! How on earth had Kyoko managed to even think about leaving the hotel suite in that?
"Maybe Setsu has her uses," Kuon whispered to himself as he ogled the beautiful woman walking before him.
"Eye's up front soldier," Kanae commanded as Cain's gaze snapped to hers.
Setsu shot a confused look between the two of them. But the look Kanae was giving him said everything.
'You upset her and I'll kill you!'
All Cain could do was nod as they exited the room.
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"Cain-san, Setsuka-san! You both look wonderful this evening!" Riona said as she approached the pair who had just arrived.
"Thank you, Riona-san. you look beautiful," Setsu said kindly.
She liked the woman who had helped her more than once and even though she wondered if it was a little off for Setsu, she felt the woman deserved a true compliment as she really did look lovely. Cain nodded at his sister's words with a slight smile on his face.
"I heard you're leaving tomorrow morning?" Riona said not bothering to mask the sadness in her voice.
"Yes we are," Setsu said as she hugged Cain's arm closer.
"I will actually be glad to go home."She said with a smile and Riona could only nod.
"I suppose this has not been the best time for you the last few months," Riona said with feeling as Setsu and Cain nodded.
The final attack on Setsuka Heel had been classed as an extremist attack on the 'Incestuous siblings.' Only the people who had been directly involved knew otherwise, but the attack had only brought more support behind the family and now it seemed Japan was almost sorry to see them leave.
"It's not been all bad," Setsu said as another person split off from the crowd and approached them both.
"Cain-san. Setsuka-san," Murasame said as he nodded to them both. Cain was pleased to see his eyes did not linger on Setsu even if he did look her over once. In her outfit it was to be expected.
"Good evening, Murasame," Setsu said politely, yet without the enthusiasm she had greeted Riona.
Murasame just smiled. He was never going to be good enough for this girl. Still the fact that she would speak to him at all was enough. It was as a hand extended outwards to him though that Murasame had to catch his breath.
"You will one day be a fine actor," Cain said in Japanese with a heavy accent in his usual gruff voice.
But still it made Marusame's heart swell for some reason as he took the offered hand and shook it.
"Thank you. I would say the same but I want to at least catch up to you first before I egg you on more." The smirking smile Setsu offered him made him know he had made the right choice.
Others came over to congratulate the Heels on a job well done. The Heel seniors and the Love Me ladies stood by one of the doors watching as the Heel siblings took the stage together for what would be their last time. Sayuri couldn't help but sigh into her champagne as Calvin pulled her close.
"What's wrong, dear?" he asked as Sayuri smiled sadly at him.
"They're all grown up now," Sayuri said as she glanced back over towards her 'children.'
"I think it's something I'm only just realising when they have already grown so much and gone so far." Calvin hugged Sayuri closer to him as she allowed a few small tears to slip down her cheek.
"You know though, I think all of this will only bring them closer to you," a voice said which shocked all of the people standing there.
All eyes turned towards Kanae questioningly.
"Why would you think that?" Sayuri asked curious about the young woman's reasoning. She knew Kyoko and Kuon were in love and hoped with everything she had they would soon be married and trying for children of their own.
'A mother can dream.'
"Well, how many families would fly halfway around the world just to be there for their children and support them? To lessen any pain they may be feeling whenever possible?" Kanae asked looking around at the people staring at her with slightly opened mouths.
"OH how my Love Me children have grown!" cried another voice making them all jump as Lory swept into the room.
"Well good evening, Mr. Darcy." Lory grinned like a Cheshire cat as Kanae looked away from the man.
"Did I just hear my dear Kotonami-san praising family values?" Lory asked as Chiori smiled and Kanae's cheeks gathered a slight blush. "I see this has not only been a good thing for my number 1 Love Me girl but maybe my number 2 as well. What say you, number 3?" Lory asked turning to Chiori who simply smiled before replying.
"I still think there are too many people in the acting world who depend too much on their looks rather than talent." Lory scowled as Sayuri and Calvin burst out into laughter at the girls words which would seem harsh to Lory. Yet as Chiori looked over towards the Heel siblings mingling with the people they had worked alongside on Tragic Marker she smiled softly. "But you know with people like that in the business, I think I can take the bad parts. In the end, my only hope is that true talent shines through."
Lory looked at Chiori and then to the Heel siblings and smiled as Cain glared daggers at a man who had spent too long looking at Setsu. "Ah my dear number 3. Talent will always win out."
Chiori looked at the man and nodded. "I hope so."
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Setsu was glad the boss had said they would be using his private jet for the flight home. The security and police guided them between the crowds waiting outside the airport. Some were screaming support and others were telling them never to come back. Even as the doors shut behind them the noise of their mingled voices could still be heard.
"Ready to go home, Setsu?" Cain asked as his cute little sister clung to his arm.
"You bet. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again," Setsu said with a smile only for her brother.
"And how long 'til you are crawling into bed with me asking for your teddy bear?" Cain asked with a smirk as Setsu fought off a blush whilst pouting.
"Nii-san. Baka," she mumbled as Cain chuckled.
"You're welcome in my bed anytime Setsu," Cain whispered as Kuon agreed wholeheartedly.
It didn't take long for the Heels, Lory, Kanae and Chiori to get through the airport. Having money, power and influence from Lory had its benefits after all.
"Have a safe flight," the final steward said to the group as they approached the dock for the private jet.
The few photographers who had been allowed here for this moment snapped pictures as the Heels said goodbye to the LME president and two of their rising starlets.
"Don't forget to call now and then and make sure these wonderful pair stay out of trouble!" Lory said with a grin as Cain ignored him and Setsu scoffed slightly shaking her head.
Sayuri and Calvin smiled at their childrens' reaction before Sayuri hugged him and the girls. Calvin shook hands.
"It's been a pleasure as always. Don't be a stranger," Calvin said as he and Sayuri turned and walked towards the passageway.
Setsu stood there for a few moments undecided before the slightest push on her lower back helped her feet propel her forward and into a small group hug with the two Love me girls.
"See you soon," she whispered as she released them with a sexy smirk gracing her lips before they too turned and walked towards the passageway.
"What about me! Where's my goodbye?" Lory shouted after the retreating figures.
"Later boss," Setsu tossed back over her shoulder not even bothering to turn her head as Lory sulked.
Cain couldn't help but chuckle.
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3 days later.
The crowd was enormous. The simple volume of noise was to the point that the people with each news crew was having to use special equipment just so their own reporter could be heard. They stood outside the University of Japan hospital awaiting a glimpse of the man who had been missing in action for the last few weeks.
As the tall, dark and very handsome man exited the doors the noise volume tripled to astronomical proportions as Tsuruga Ren was finally released from the hospital. He waved and smiled at the surrounding crowds half of which swooned and fainted. The news crews would all report how the man looked a little thinner and maybe a little drawn, but his happiness at his recovery and further release was visible. It was when the smaller figure appeared from behind his manager gripping tightly to his hand that the news broke worldwide.
Tsuruga Ren had a girlfriend! It was none other than the rising star Kyoko! In the few words he said that day to the reporters, all his praise was aimed at the wonderful staff and Kyoko saying he doubted he would have recovered so quickly without her love and support.
None could doubt the love and affection in Ren's eyes for the woman beside him. Even if it did break more than one heart that day to see the man so deeply and obviously in love with another. Yet none could also deny the love that shone back in Kyoko eyes.
So when a few weeks later Tsuruga Ren called a press conference at LME, the general thought would be to announce his engagement to the young woman Japan had wholeheartedly accepted as his girlfriend. So when from behind the stage stepped a tall, blond, and green eyed American yet again the press stopped to listen.
"Hello everybody and thank you for coming today." Kuon said as he stood behind the table microphones on the table before him catching his every word as Kyoko held his hand firmly.
"I guess you're all wondering why I look like, well, this," he said as a few people in the crowd chuckled and nodded.
"The truth is I learnt a very important lesson recently. It's a lesson you can only learn whilst living." The crowd was completely silent, not a pen scratched or a paper flapped as they waited with bated breath.
"I'm glad my life isn't perfect, proud that I make mistakes, and happy I have my problems in life... It reminds me I'm real and human... that I'm me. Yet who am I? It was something I was constantly asking myself. You see I was running. Running away from who I thought I was and who I thought I could never be again. It was only recently that I realised that while running I had lost sight of who I was and even who I was trying to be. Somebody very special taught me sometimes we make wrong choices, talk to the wrong people, take the wrong advice and make mistakes. We all have bad days. It does not make us bad, but human." Kyoko held tight to Kuon's hand offering up all her strength as Kuon took deep breaths controlling the fear she knew was roiling within him.
"You see six years ago, I made a mistake. It was a mistake that not only cost me my name, but also my best friend's life. Six years ago on this day I watched my best friend die after he was struck by a car. I watched his girlfriend cry over his body and I hated myself for not being able to do anything. For not being able to save him." Kuon blinked the tears running down his cheeks away from his blurred vision as he used Kyoko's strength to plow through the hardest thing he had ever done.
"But the person who taught me all of this, also taught me something else. I always thought that holding on was the strongest thing a person could do. But now I see that it is letting go that takes an enormous amount of courage and strength. So today I will not only be letting go of my guilt but also of the name I used to hide myself away for so long. Today I would like to stand before you all and let you know the true me. The man you see standing before you not as Tsuruga Ren, but who I really am, the man behind the mask." Taking in a deep breath and squeezing Kyoko's hand, Kuon bowed to the crowd before him.
"Hello, I'm Hizuri Kuon. Please treat me kindly."
As was expected within a few weeks the true stories were dug up from the graves in which they had been buried so long ago, and the rumours ran rampant. Yet when a T.V presenter asked one Mogami Kyoko what she thought of her boyfriends true identity yet again that amazing young woman stopped and captured the hearts of all who heard her simple and yet honest reply.
"Sometimes stumbles are required in life for you to survive. Because in order to stand up and be strong, you have to know what falling down feels like. I know this firsthand because Kuon never did anything. He simply stumbled and made a mistake, but he is trying his best to make it right every day of his life. Life throws things at you and says, you can't do it. Yet he stood back up to throw things at life 100 times harder and simply said, 'Watch me.' " Even the host was enthralled at the deep loving emotions in the girl's eyes.
"He told me once it's not about how many times you've been knocked down, it's about finding the strength to get back up. You have to make the change and move on, even when you're afraid. Kuon has done this now and I couldn't be more proud."
Not everyone would forgive Kuon. At the end of the day as he and the people around him had said so many times, he was only human. But there were enough people who did which ensured Hizuri Kuon once more won Best Actor that year alongside his beautiful fiancée who won Best Actress.
So what happened to the Heel siblings? Well they did exactly what Lory had said they would do.
'That should give you at least two weeks to complete the filming and disappear,Ren. Can you do it?'
They did just that and vanished. And certainly Setsu and Cain would be happy about that. It allowed them to be the biggest mystery in show business for years to come.
And to think it all started with his Brotherly Love and her Sisterly Sin.
~~~~ Fin ~~~~
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Well guy's thats it, I can not thank you all enough for reading reviewing and enjoying this story!
I truly believe that if you do not love the story you are writing then others will not be able to love it too and this is one of my most enjoyable stories I've written.
I will be working towards the completion of other multi chapter incomplete stories such as
Living for her
and yes!
Kyoko's baby bother
so as always
thanks for reading
Love
Neh xxx
Comments and reviews please, I will happily reply to PM's and questions