Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat!

Facing the past, once more

Chapter One:

"Moko-san!" Kyoko cheerfully exclaimed as she held up a letter. She was currently sorting through the fan mail, courtesy of a request for the Love Me section. Kyoko took the job, dragging along a reluctant Kotonami Kanae. It was only ten in the morning, she figured Moko-san wasn't a morning person. She just couldn't stop smiling. She loved mornings! This morning was even better because she got to work with Moko-san for the first time in a long time!

"MO! What!" Kanae was in a foul mood but she couldn't scowl when Kyoko looked so, so happy. Something must have happened. Hopefully something that didn't involve a certain actor. Sighing deeply she asked, "What happened?" softening her sharp tone, then puzzled at why Kyoko was holding up a single letter. Kyoko had a bright, dazzling smile on her face, such an infectious smile. This girl... Kanae smiled back.

Kyoko was happy. She waved the letter around wildly. "MOKO-SAN! MOKO-SAN!" Kyoko kept on exclaiming. Then finally settling down she composed herself, but couldn't stop beaming. "I have a letter!"

"I can see that." Kanae was puzzled. What was on some letter that made Kyoko get so excited?

"This is a fan mail for you! It says your name! TO: KOTONAMI KANAE! Look for yourself." Kyoko handed the letter to Moko-san.

Kanae felt intrigued but at the same time puzzled. Her first fan mail letter. She was tempted to open it but thought against it and decided to open it at the end of her day. Maybe it'll cheer her up and make her day. She was beginning to open and then stopped herself. NO! I will not open yet. she scolded herself.

"Well aren't you gonna open it?" Kyoko sat interested what the person had to say about Moko-san.

"Not yet." Kanae put the letter in her bag. Kyoko looked dejected but Kanae chose to ignore. They began to sort through mail again. Kanae stopped when she held up one letter. She smiled. She looked over to Kyoko, who was concentrating on her work, unable to notice Kanae stopping. "Hmmmmm. Kyoko. Looks like I'm not the only one with fan mail today." At that remark Kanae saw Kyoko stop her work and look up. Kyoko tilted her head and Kanae held up the letter with a smirk. "And look! It's from a boy!" Kanae grinned as she saw Kyoko's face turn a bright red. Then coming close to Kyoko, Kanae whispered, "You've got someone crushing over you..." Kyoko's ears turned bright red.

"Moko-san! Don't tease me!" Kyoko pouted as she took the letter from Kanae. She looked at the letter. It is from a...wait a minute...it doesn't have a name! "Moko-san! That is mean!" Kyoko saw Kanae's shoulders shaking from her repressed laugh. "Moko-san!" Kanae let out her laugh and laughed out loud. Kyoko watched and then joined in herself. Both girls started to laugh loud. As they tried to clam down, they laughed even louder. Finally after few minutes of repeating the cycle they both settled down. Kyoko looked at the letter in her hand and had the urge to open it. As she was about to flip the letter over Kanae's hand came in her way.

"We'll open ours at the same time okay?" Kanae asked. Kyoko nodded. Both beaming as they went back to their work.

It was a peaceful day at the Fuwa Inn in Kyoto.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, look Kyoko-nee-san is on TV! Otou-san! Okaa-san!" a young boy with blond hair and light brown eyes yelled across the room. He was jumping up and down on the sofa he was seated on, knowing that the minute his mother came in she would yell at him. He was overjoyed! He saw her! He finally knew where she was! Kyoko-nee-san was famous! She was on T.V.! A coincidence really because he was just looking for a cartoon channel when he saw Kyoko-nee-san's face.

"What is it, Ryuu?" The Okami-san of the Fuwa Inn, Fuwa Akina, called as she rushed into the room. Akina was wearing a kimono that complemented her figure. Her light brown hair was held in a tight bun. Wrinkles had appeared on her face, showing the years of hard work. However, her aqua blue eyes still remained beautiful. She was sending off a customer when she heard her youngest son call out and she immediately raced to Ryuu.

"Look it's Kyoko-nee-san! She's on TV!" Fuwa Ryuu exclaimed pointing to the TV showing Kyoko dressed up as Mio. At that moment Okami-san dropped the clothes in her hand. She looked towards the screen and there was no doubt that the girl acting was Kyoko.

Akina's hands flew to her mouth in shock. "That is Kyoko! She's changed so much." Okami-san said as tears flowed down her cheeks. She hadn't heard from Kyoko since she left with Sho. She had seen Sho on the TV many times while her husband was not looking. But, this was the first time that she had Kyoko and she couldn't believe how much Kyoko had changed.

"She looks so pretty. She was always beautiful but now it's like she's more than beautiful! Hopefully she still isn't with baka Sho-nii-san. He was never able to treat her nicely." said Ryuu as he looked at the TV watching Kyoko intently. He was going to grow up and take care of Kyoko like Sho was never able to. He would become a fairy prince and make her his princess and then they were going to live happily ever after. Ryuu nodded in determination.

"Don't say that about your brother, Ryuu." Akina said sternly.

"But our son is right. That idiot left us and didn't do so much as to turn around or apologize. And moreover he took Kyoko with him." said Fuwa Daisuke, Taisho of the Fuwa Inn. Daisuke was average height. He held a knife in one hand as he observed the TV. His dark brown eyes lit with an old anger. His blond hair tucked in a cap. His face held a stern look. He was furious at his son for pulling such a stunt on him. He was even more annoyed because he took Kyoko with him. But, secretly, he was also proud that Sho made it so far on his own.

"But-" Akina tried to reason with her husband. She knew it was impossible because she knew his fury but she knew his love was much more. Through out the last months she had watched her son secretly on the TV but she had suspicion that Daisuke knew what she had watching. A parents' love is a hard thing. she thought as she smiled at her husband trying to hide his pride.

"From the day he left, he disowned himself, he is no longer welcomed around here. We only have two sons: Kyo and Ryuu. Our doors will always remain open to Kyoko but never to Sho. Do you understand?" Daisuke said as he made his point clear. He may be proud but what his son did was a clear message: he refused to take care of the Inn. And in doing so he was disowned. He dares to try to go against me.

"I understand." The Okami-san said sadly. She picked up the clothes off the floor and began to fold them. There will be a day where Sho walks in this home. Although she may not have anyway of bringing Sho back right now, she held a hope that tone day he would return.

The front door opened and the bells jingled. A tall, dark-haired girl made her way through the Inn to where all the Fuwa's were. Wow, this place never changes does it? she thought as she walked the familiar halls of the Inn.

"Ah, Okami-san! Taisho-san!" the girl bowed to the couple as Ryuu ran up to the girl. "It's been so long since I've been here."

"Sakura-chan!" Ryuu exclaimed as he ran to the girl and hugged her.

"Ryuu, look at you, you've grown up so much!" she said as she hugged Ryuu back. "Where's Sensei? He's usually hanging back and drinking sake." she asked as she spotted the empty spot.

"I have and look Kyoko-nee-san's on TV!" Ryuu said excitedly.

"Kyoko…." Sakura looked towards the TV where Ryuu was pointing to and saw Kyoko dressed as Mio. She's changed so much, what happened? Sakura was determined to find answers. "Tokyo is it?" she said as she stared at Kyoko.

The night life in the streets of Tokyo were filled with people. Shops still open and lined with customers. The city was fast-paced and stopped for no one.

A man walked down the busy streets, blending with crowd. Yet, still the girls turned to look his way. He walked with his hands in his pockets. His eyes set on the screen, displaying an old commercial of two girls. One with short orange hair and blazing gold eyes. The other with black hair and midnight blue eyes. They were staring in a Curara commercial.

Kyoko, it's been a long time. He thought still focused on the screen, replaying the thought looking towards the sky.

"Kyoko, where were you?" Kanae asked as she saw Kyoko come into the room. She had been waiting for the past twenty minutes. She took out her first fan mail from her locker in the Love Me room. Silence weighed heavily in the room, Kanae noticed Kyoko had said nothing for the entire time, not even an apology. Kanae looked back to see Kyoko sitting on the bench, her face hidden by her bangs and her shoulders slumped. She held in her hand a letter, different from the one she received in the morning. The envelope was black with Kyoko's name written in white. Kanae brightened, "What! You got more fan mail! You're becoming even more popular!" Kanae joked.

Kyoko looked up as if snapping out of a trance. She smiled, "Sorry Moko-san! I was a little caught up!" She stuffed the black envelop in her purse and took out the fan mail she had received in the morning. She took it out gingerly and waited for Kanae to sit beside her. When Kanae was seated, both girls took their fan mail and opened the envelope and slowly took out the notes. Kanae and Kyoko read their own in silence an then swapped fan mail, after a moment, reading each others in silence. "Amazing." Kyoko said as she handed Kanae's back to her and received her own from Kanae.

"I know. " Kanae was amazed she had a fan or maybe fans. They were on their way to becoming actresses. Then soon they would have piles and piles of fan mail just like the other actors. "Do you think we should reply?"

"I don't know, should we? Do we?" Kyoko looked at her fan mail. The person claimed to love their acting and thought that they were really good. As Kyoko was reading the letter she remembered her conversation with Sawara-san about wanting to be loved from the audience and fans who watch them act. It was odd, after all this time, she got fan mail and it hit her that she may have many more fans than she realized. But could she be loved by them? Was she capable? Was she worthy to be loved? She remembered her mother. Mother...

"I think we should!" Kane replied, noticing Kyoko's dark aura grow. At that comment, Kyoko snapped back out of a trance once more. "Okay?" Kanae asked as she looked towards Kyoko. She held out her hand.

"Yes!" Kyoko agreed high-fiving Kanae.

Kanae got up and closed her locker. As she was heading out the door she saw Kyoko packing away her stuff, "Well, I'll be going first!" Kanae waved goodbye.

"See you tomorrow!" Kyoko watched Kanae close the door. Kyoko went back to packing up as she was putting on her jacket and grabbing her purse. The black envelope fell out of the purse and on to the ground. Kyoko froze, looking at the envelope. Please don't let it be. Please don't let it be... She prayed silently as she gently picked up the envelope and opened it. A small note. That was all. Nothing more. Just a small note. It can't be... She thought as she took out the note and flipped it. As she finished reading it the note fell to the ground. Kyoko froze in shock. It is. She stood still in shock. She looked at the note and read it once more:

It's been a while.

See you soon.

-H.F.

What am I going to do? She thought as she gathered her things and left the office.

A/N- Okay! So I decided to kind of change the story a bit but don't worry it will be like the original with a bit more tweaks and so on. Hope you enjoy!