AN:

I know that nobody asked this but I have decided to work on some of my Skip Beat fics including this one. If the psychopath/stalker/harasser comes back then I'm going to try to ignore them because they are a lowlife who needs to be cast out from good society. Anyway, at the end of the chapter I'll be listing the ones I'm going to work on but I'll be adding new ones in on a rolling basis. Thank you

Act 98 – A Hospital Again

As the press conference continued, Kyoko watched Director Ogata and smiled. He was much more calm when he was discussing his dreams and hopes for Dark Moon. Even though he looked very nervous, he was starting to believe in himself. Kyoko admired that. She thought that she could look at him and fight through the nerves within her. She listened tot the questions before hearing something that seemed to terrify the director.

"Excuse me, this is the last question. Director Ogata, Hirotaka Date who directed the original Tsukigomori is your father. You've been using your real name Hiroaki Date until now, just like your father uses his real name. Why did you change your name to Hiroaki Ogata for this job?"

Ogata froze as he heard that and Ren flashed back onto his own father. Ren didn't have enough courage to go by Hizuri Kuon despite that being his proper name. They were both involved in the same career field and Ren had already crafted a semi-successful career for himself but he didn't feel strong enough to go by Kuon Hizuri. Ogata was hiding behind a different name for the same reason. Neither of them wanted to be compared to their parents because if they didn't live up to that reputation it would cause problems.

Ren looked at Ogata again as he nervously clutched to the microphone. He was shaking with wide eyes and even his voice was trembling which proved his fears.

"I changed my name," Ogata said, "Because…"

There was a strange silence on the stage and everyone was staring at the director. He seemed to stop speaking mid-sentence. Everyone watched and waited and then it happened, Ogata had gone extremely pale and fainted, falling off of his chair. What was happening!? What could help the director with this!

"Director!?" Everyone yelled as they saw the director faint. Was there any way that they could help him?

KyKuKyKuKyKu

Kyoko leaned over the director as he finally managed to regain consciousness. She had come with him to the hospital when they had sent him there and they had all been afraid that he would be caught in a somewhat catatonic state but that didn't happen. Kyoko kept herself positioned by the director. Everyone else was so busy but this was a man who believed in her abilities enough to offer her a role in his drama. She wanted to do her best and that involved supporting the director.

"Kyoko?" Ogata asked as he blinked at her and Kyoko smiled with relief.

"Uh…Are you all right?" Kyoko asked nervously and Ogata slowly got up.

"I'm all right," he laughed very weakly, "Am I in a hospital?"

"Uh, yes," Kyoko nodded as she reached out to touch Ogata's shoulder hoping that she could help him become steady. She hadn't seen anything like this before but she had felt something similar when she had fainted during the test with Ruriko. She had felt badly about fainting and being unprofessional. She hoped that Ogata was being kinder with himself than she was with herself.

"Oh dear," Ogata worried as he looked at Kyoko embarrassed, "I've let people down again." Ogata turned to look at the woman who was sitting at the end of the bed. He smiled weakly, surprised to see Haruki there. Haruki was a close friend and supporter to him. Haruki didn't feel ill will towards him and she didn't judge him. Hopefully she hadn't been in the middle of anything important but she had chosen him if she had been. Ogata had to feel lucky about that.

"Haruki," he breathed out feeling guilty for his close friend's presence. She looked at him sympathetically. At least she understood what had happened. Just seeing her there seemed to give Ogata hope. At least, this was what Kyoko had been thinking about inside of her head. She was just the third party here, maybe she should leave soon.

KuKyKuKyKuKy

Kyoko sat with Ogata in the waiting room of the hospital. Ogata had been able to be released early because he seemed to be much steadier but he was still embarrassed and regretful at what had happened earlier and being with Kyoko made him see that he had failed to separate his personal life from his professional life. "I'm sorry," Hiroaki said to her. "I made you take care of me."

"N-No," Kyoko said quickly. "I didn't have any jobs after the announcement like the other people did," She watched Ogata and he bowed his head, he became quiet and Kyoko wasn't sure how to handle this situation.

"Everybody must be appalled at the way I acted," he said

Kyoko's back straightened as she stared at him. How was she supposed to answer that. She didn't want to lie to him and say that there weren't people who had been whispering about him and they had said some things that she wouldn't have dreamed of saying but she didn't want to make him feel worse. She knew there were also a lot of people who were concerned in a caring manner about whether he was okay. One of those concerned people was Ren.

"What? No I don't think so," she tried to say to cheer him up and cheer him on.

Ogata sighed, "It's all right, I can tell how other people perceive me," he told her as he fell into his own depression. Kyoko wanted to tell him that Ren didn't see him that way but there were two problems with that, first of all, she didn't feel that she should speak on Ren's behalf but second, she needed to hide their deep friendship. She didn't want for people to think of her as only Ren's childhood friend. That was something she was attempting to hide but hopefully Ren would say something to show his own support.

Haruki approached them before Kyoko could say anything to them, "Hiroaki, sorry to keep you waiting," she said and then closed her purse. Hiroaki rose as she came back and Kyoko felt comfortable sitting down and letting Haruki take care of Hiroaki.

"I paid the bill," Haruki said and Hiroaki thanked her.

"Sorry for causing all this trouble," he said and Haruki shook her head. Kyoko had the feeling that this had happened before and that Haruki knew his problem and had experience with it.

"No problem," she laughed, "I'm used to it. By the way, aren't you hungry?" she asked and Hiroaki smiled softly, "Let's eat something before we head home. You too, Kyoko. My treat for staying with Hiroaki," she offered and Kyoko felt her cheeks turning red. She didn't do all of this to be thanked or to get free food. She just wanted to do what was right and she felt that she could because unlike everyone else there was nowhere that she needed to be.

"No…no I didn't do this to.." she said in a panic and Haruki smiled softly.

'Don't worry. I'll have Hiroaki pay me back later," she told them and Hiroaki laughed weakly. Kyoko had the feeling that since he had experience as a director and since Haruki-san had just paid the hospital bill that he didn't have any money on him. She knew they were joking and attempting to include her but she didn't' want to trespass and become a third wheel to them.

"But," she panicked not wanting to receive something for free when she hadn't been doing it as a favor but out of the goodness of her heart.

"If you don't come, I'll give Sho your cell phone number," Haruki threatened and Kyoko felt her stomach lurch. That was probably the thing that she least wanted to happen.

Slapping a hand to her chest, Kyoko made sure to stand up straight as if she were answering to a captain. "I shall come with you!" She told them. Truly, the last thing that she wanted was for Shotaro to have a connection with her, not when she had tried so hard to cut it off.

End of Act 98

Thank you for reading

Thank you to the reviewers of Act 97

Kaname671, kurokazeryuu, miemieo.86

AN 1:

Sorry for the brevity of this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it

AN 2:

The fics I'm going to work on are:

Are You A Fairy?, Corn You're My Hero, End of a Very Long Road Home, Family History, Little Girl Lost, Repeat Previous Song, The Little Prince, You'll Always Be My Prince