Dear Readers!

Last Chapter! Can you believe it? I didn't think that it would ever get this long. It was originally supposed to end at chapter 1! But now I'm REALLY happy that I wrote this!

Please review even if you do not have an account!

I'm always open to criticism, so I won't feel bad if you totally hate my story!

Enjoi!

Kyoko stared at his hand, it looked so warm, she slowly placed her hand in his, accepting the invitation to walk

Kyoko stared at his hand, it looked so warm, she slowly placed her hand in his, accepting the invitation to walk . . . and realized something.

"Ren-kun your hands are really cold," Kyoko's voice was curious. Now that Ren was here, she wanted to know everything about him.

"Well, you know what they say, 'People with cold hands have warm hearts," Kyoko blushed as he lead her away onto a path.

They walked together, content with just the others presence, but one of them was a bit troubled.

"Ren-kun, can I ask you something?" Kyoko fiddled with her skirt, which was billowing in the wind.

"Well, I don't see the harm," Ren turned and gave her his full attention. She could feel his eyes bore into her, and she found her she could no longer for the words that she really wanted to say.

"Ano . . . you see . . . I . . ."

"Yes?"

"I . . ."

"You?"

"I want to know why you never called me," Kyoko stopped, she was fighting back tears. Ren looked at her, surprised at her sudden outburst.

"I was so lonely, I don't know how I made it," She felt the tears rush down her face. They weren't the kind you would see in a Shoujo manga, these tears were warm and included a runny nose a squished up face. She felt absolutely terrible.

But then something absolutely remarkable happened.

Ren jerked his hand and buried her face against his chest. Although she was surprised she couldn't do anything but cry. Her body wouldn't stop shaking, she felt like a dog that had been left out in the rain . . . only . . . only, a kind passer-by came and pick her up.

"Please forgive me, but this was the only way that Maria would approve," Kyoko stopped crying.

"What did you say? Maria-chan?" she looked up at him, "Approve of what?"

"Well you remember last Thanksgiving . . . when you found out and you . . . and you . . ." Ren couldn't finish, all he could do was stutter like a little boy.

"Yes, I know what you are saying," Kyoko finished, letting him off the hook, "But what was it that . . . wait, she didn't see did she?"

Ren nodded his head slightly and Kyoko began to feel her stomach lurch, as if she was heading down the first hill of the universes tallest rollercoaster.

"OH MY GOSH! SHE MUST HATE ME SO MUCH! SHE LOVES YOU! I MEAN SHE REALLY LOVES YOU AND SHE SAW?!" Kyoko ranted madly, slipping out of Ren's arm, so not to hit him when she made crazy arm movements, "I SHE IS GOING TO COME OUT TO GET ME, LIKE I DID TO SHO! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?"

Ren chuckled to himself. Kyoko stopped raving and took a good look at him, from top to bottom.

"Just what is so funny?" Kyoko asked, not wanting to be out of the joke.

"I was just thinking you looked a lot like I thought you would when I told you, "Just like I thought you would Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko pouted.

"I'm being serious though, Maria must really be mad a me. She does like you more than she likes me anyhow."

"That isn't true," Ren's tone softened, "She likes you quite a bit, do you want to know what happened last Thanksgiving, why I disappeared at the party?"

"Why did you take that person off? Did they cause you to collapse?" Ren had an odd feeling inside him.

"Yes and no."

"He did make me collapse, but that is not the reason why he was replaced by Moko-chan"

"Why then?"

"It was because he was the same person as my prince." Kyoko's face softened and became whimsical, "Isn't that right Corn?"

Kyoko kissed Ren on the cheek, as they pulled up into the driveway.

Immediately, a small girl appeared, cosplaying as a pilgrim.

"Ren-kun you're finally here!" Maria squealed, whisking him away. Away from Kyoko and away from the party she led him. She led him all the way to the courtyard, where only the koi would hear.

"What is wrong Maria-chan?" was concerned, since it had been awhile since Maria had acted up.

"Why, why did Kyoko have to fall in love with you?" Maria cried, her back to Ren, "I vowed I would hate whomever you fell for, but why Kyoko? She is my best friend!"

"She really said that?" Kyoko was crying too, crying from being so moved that Maria felt that way.

"Maria-chan really adores you," Ren sighed, "So she decided to punish me instead. She told me that I wasn't permitted to see, call, or communicate with you in anyway."

"So that is why you didn't call," Kyoko murmured in revelation.

"But you called me, always making sure that I was eating. I'm a grown man I can take care of myself!" Ren joked his hand covering his face, he was obviously embarrassed, "Actually those calls helped me make it through the 24/7 work schedule."

"So why did you work so much?" she suddenly asked everything on her mind, wanting to know exactly what had been going on the past few months.

"She said that if she didn't want me to just play around with you. In order for me not too, I'd have to prove it by working my butt off," Ren smirked resiliently, "Just for the record even if she hadn't made me work so hard, I would never just mess around with you."

"Then why did you work so hard?" Kyoko was touched now, how was it that she was so liked by Ren? Maybe she wasn't as hated as she though, even back then.

"The reason for that," Ren bent down so that they were face to face, eye to eye, "The reason I did what I did, was so that Maria-chan would accept us as a couple."

"What?" Kyoko's eyes widened, "C-cou- couple?!"

"Kyoko-chan, do you know where we are?" Ren snickered when she watched Kyoko slowly drift out of the trance and focus where they were.

It was the meadow from her . . . their childhood. Where she last saw the Fairy Prince Corn and where Corn gave her the stone.

"Back then I told you that I would never see you again," He stared her dead in the eye, 'But maybe the fact that we met coincidentally, years later, and loved each other . . ."

. . . Love?. . .

". . . Even as grown people . . . maybe this is what they call fate," Ren looked at her lovingly, but was surprised for it to be matched with a look of smug disbelief.

"Did you get that line from a drama?" Kyoko asked.

". . ."

". . ."

". . ."

"WHAT?!" Ren yelled, completely offended.

"I'm sure that I heard you say that in a drama before," Kyoko put a single finger to her chin thoughtfully. She was right of course; Ren was no good at being romantic. She also knew, though she didn't tell him, that that he, Tsuruga Ren, was being totally and completely sincere."

"But you know," Kyoko giggled, "Maybe you're right . . . about fate and all that stuff."

The sun began to set, and they returned to the sounds of tittering firework and the sizzling of burgers and corn on the grill.

"Did it all go well?" a small voice crept up behind the naïve couple.

"Yes," Ren answered."

"Good I was hoping that it would!" her face squished as she prepared to call for, "MR. SAWARA!"

A tired looking middle-aged, middle-classed man came running once again.

"Suwara-san, call Director Ogata and tell him to stop rehearsals. I'm going to allow Ren to play the part of Katsuya to Kyokos' Kyoko."

"Yes ma'am," Mr. Sawara gave a ninety degree bow.

"Also, please call Yashiro-san. Tell him to come back from his vacation, he can start being Ren's manager again," She dismissed him and turned back to the confused couple.

"Think of it as my consent," Maria winked at Ren all the while grabbing Kyoko's hand.

"But in return I get Kyoko-nee-chan the rest of the night!" Maria pulled Kyoko's hand and began to run off, away from Ren.

"Wait a minute! I haven't been able to see her for months! I should get to be with her!" Ren played along, beginning to chase after them.

They ran and played for a short time and then they laughed and ate by the meadow. But if there was one thing more memorable than the hanabi and the food, it was the man sitting next to Kyoko. Because she knew that from then on, they would never be apart.

And all along that is what she wanted.

Owari

Thank you for Reading!

Gah! I'm not satisfied with the ending! I think that Ren was too. . . not himself. But what can I say? He worked so hard, I think he deserved to be a little romantic! I hope that SOMEONE out there was satisfied with the ending! But so it wasn't too strange I added the 'You got that line from a drama' thing. It's just like Kyoko to ruin the moment!

Thank you for reading!

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Thanks Again!

Love,

nakima-chan