Hello everyone! Exams are finally over and now I finally have time to write more stories! haha, once again, I really want to thank everyone for reading my last story "Can you teach me how to kiss?" Your feedback was great!

Hopefully, you'll like this one too! Please read and review! And I'll try to update soon!

I must be hearing things. This can't be happening. He would never say that about me. He cares about me. I know he does…

"So it seems you brought her only for taking care of you, and doing your household keeping and services. Right?" she asked thoughtfully.

"She used to help me in the Ryoukan, and never became upset about what I used to say to her. If not, no way would I choose her to come with me."

No…please…stop…

He chuckled as approached his manager.

"I gave her the option to choose, and that girl came here…by her own free will."

NO! I did it for you!

Turning his gaze, he sneered at her.

"From here, I'm going to rise more and more to stardom. A place a worthless, ordinary person like you couldn't possibly reach," he said menacingly. "If you want to get revenge on me, you'll have to break the entertainment world. Obviously that's impossible for you."

In an instant, Kyoko's eyes sprang open in shock. She found herself lying on her side in bed with her heart beating wildly in her chest and her hands gripping the sheets tightly in anger, pain, and humiliation. It was still early…the sky was a dark navy blue, littered with gray, stormy clouds. But Kyoko couldn't fall back to sleep.

Staring at the large window, she sighed heavily and slowly relaxed her grip. It was the third time this week that she had the same dream. "No," she thought darkly. "More like a nightmare."

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget that horrid day, that damn bastard, that excruciating ache that throbbed relentlessly. It kept replaying in her mind like a broken record that refused to give her any peace. But Kyoko understood…She knew perfectly well why this memory continued to force its way through her subconscious.

It was because she allowed it to. Kyoko gave it permission to consume her life, to drain every ounce of her power or her ability to move on. She was weak and there was nothing she could do about it.

Kyoko glared. "I need to stop this," she murmured softly. She had to, for her sanity, her hope of any happiness, and even more importantly…

Gently, she turned around in bed and stared at the person lying beside her with his body facing her own.

His dark locks were messily draped over his eyes as his chest moved up and down in deep breaths. He was sleeping peacefully on his side, with a small smile on his lips. Letting her eyes wander, Kyoko noticed that he was shirtless and when she looked down at herself, she realized she was wearing his long-sleeve shirt. Thankfully, it completely covered her bottom and her thin arms, shielding her from the bitter, winter cold of his large bedroom.

Smiling to herself, Kyoko tenderly scooted towards him and pressed her body against his. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around her body as she nestled her face into his broad shoulder. The warmth that emanated from his skin caused Kyoko to snuggle closer into his chest. He moaned softly, but remained asleep.

Breathing deeply, Kyoko could feel the stress leaving her body as she reminisced about the very first time he held her. How he consoled her when she felt so lonely and depressed…and how safe he made her feel no matter how many things went wrong. Kyoko smiled as she thought, "He must really care."

Looking up at his gentle face, she touched his cheek with her fingertips, careful not to disturb his slumber. But curious to see just how deeply asleep he was, she opened her mouth and whispered,

"Ren?"

He held her tighter, but gave no response.

Kyoko giggled silently.

Placing a tender kiss on his throat, Kyoko closed her eyes in contentment as she allowed herself to succumb to the wonderful feeling of being held.

Thinking back, Kyoko could clearly remember the day he drove her home from work, the day he told her how he felt, the day she finally accepted her feelings. From the instant she got in the car, Kyoko knew that something was going to happen, but she didn't have any idea that it would be the number one actor in Japan telling her he loved her. It was unbelievable and surreal…practically impossible.

Kyoko could see the vulnerability in his eyes as he confessed and even then, she had a strong urge to ease his worry. Because while Ren was telling her he loved her, Kyoko could feel her heart swell with an understanding that she never noticed before. Her feelings were so obvious and clear that Kyoko could barely contain herself when she finally told him she loved him as well. It felt right…as if she was meant to love him and only him.

"That's why he deserves better," she thought sadly.

Drifting back into reality, Kyoko slightly pushed herself off the bed to look at the clock over his shoulder. It was 5:57. "Just one more hour."

She lied back down. Kyoko didn't now why she was dreading it so much. She was the one who called him. She was the one who needed to see him. She was the one who wanted this.

Sighing once again, Kyoko gently untangled herself from Ren's warm arms and got out of bed. His eyebrows unconsciously furrowed and the corner of his lips turned downward when his arms were left bare and empty.

Kyoko smiled apologetically and walked over to his side of the bed. She tenderly placed the bed sheet over his bare body to make up for the warmth that she took away.

Wrapping her arms around her body and rubbing at the goose bumps, Kyoko quickly tip-toed to the bathroom in the hall and closed the door. Looking at her face in the mirror, Kyoko could barely recognize herself. Her hair was completely disheveled and her pink lips seemed slightly swollen. She looked even smaller than before as she stood in the large button-down shirt with nothing else but a pair of small shorts underneath.

Slowly, she unbuttoned the shirt and tossed it into the hamper. After stripping until she was bare, Kyoko stepped inside the shower and turned on the faucet. Thankfully, Ren's shower head didn't make any noise as it turned on so Kyoko didn't need to worry about waking him up.

Once the water was warm enough, Kyoko stepped under the rain and allowed the water to cleanse her body and soothe the knots that she had in her back. Shivering slightly, Kyoko washed her hair with shampoo and lathered herself with lavender soap. Taking in a deep breath, she could feel the stress slowly evaporating into the air, hovering above her head, just waiting for the right moment to return.

After 20 minutes in the shower, Kyoko stepped out and dried herself with a white fluffy towel that hung on a rack. Wrapping the towel around her body, she opened the bathroom door and walked back into the bedroom to retrieve her clothes on the floor. Grabbing her jeans, blouse, and coat, Kyoko went back into the bathroom to properly dress herself.

Once she was decent, she went into the living room to grab her purse on the black couch. She reached inside and pulled out a white piece of paper that she had already written on the night before. Crinkling it open, Kyoko re-read the words that she hoped would console Ren for the horrible act she was going to do:

Good morning,

I'm sorry that I'm not here to properly greet you as I should, but there was something important I had to do this morning. Where I'm going, you probably won't like. Who I'm meeting, you probably won't like. In fact, I'm sure that you would be upset if you knew what I was doing, but I need you to trust my judgment and even more so, I need you to trust me. This is something that is necessary for not only me, but you as well. I know that you're probably confused and worried, but I want you to be aware that I love you and that I'm sorry for doing this. Please forgive me.

Kyoko

Praying that he will understand, Kyoko folded the letter once more and quietly walked back into the bedroom. She placed the note with his name scrawled on top upon his bedside drawer next to the clock.

Leaning down, Kyoko kissed Ren on the cheek and murmured an apology before she wrapped a scarf around her neck and hooked her purse over her shoulder.

When she placed her hand on the doorknob of the front door, Kyoko couldn't help but turn around and look down the hall way. She felt immensely guilty for abandoning him like this, but she knew she had to. Kyoko didn't have any other choice.

Shutting her eyes tightly in anguish, Kyoko silently opened the door and stepped outside, leaving her future behind as she prepared to meet up with her past…a past that refused to let her go…a past that not only tormented her, but in essence destroyed her.