A/N

Happy Fourth to all the US readers out there!

I know it's been forever since I've updated this, but here we are! And at the end as well.

Please enjoy~

MWG

After twenty-odd years as Julie's son, one would think Ren would be unsurprised by his mother's bluntness and blind faith in the power of love. That was not of course the case as he valiantly attempted to process the revelation his mother had laid out so succinctly. The finale had planted the suggestion that his feelings were possibly requited or at least not completely one-sided. But he hadn't been prepared to have his mother call it out so openly and plainly, as if Kyouko's affections were some forgone conclusion. AS if there wasn't a doubt in the world that Kyouko longed for a relationship just as much as Ren did. In a few short moments Ren's world had titled on its already askew axis, and he needed a few moments to readjust before he did something logical, such as toss his lovely, amazing mother out of the room so he and Kyouko could discuss any changes to their relationship quietly and privately.

And quite possibly engage in a good deal of kissing, but Ren didn't want to get his hopes too high just yet. Kyouko would mostly likely want to progress their relationship slowly, and he would have to be patient. He'd already waited a few years for this; a few more to know Kyouko as completely as possibly wouldn't be hard, especially if it meant Ren could always have her by his side.

Mind whirling ahead at light speed, Ren glanced at Kyouko, analyzing her taunt poster and shocked profile.

Frozen in her chair, the actress stared at her pseudo-mother, eyes wide with betrayal and disbelief. The firework finale had been one thing, easily written off as a joke, but this? This was a betrayal of her confidence on some ludicrous premise that her sempai felt the same.

Kyouko couldn't remember a more mortifying occasion, not even I middle school where she'd trotted after Shou like a lovesick puppy. She couldn't so much as glance at Ren-san to guage his reaction, lest he laugh in the face of her affections or gaze upon her with disappointment; her fragile heart wouldn't be able to cope with such a blunt rejection. Staring at Julie, Kyouko struggled to understand her motives. She had been nothing but kind to Kyouko, and held no malice that the young actress could tell. Julie was an astute observer and keen woman as well, meaning she couldn't honestly believe that Ren-san saw her as anything but a kouhai.

And even that small comfort, of holding some small significance to the man she loved, was gone. The most Kyouko could hope for now was that her sempai would be willing to forget this entire fiasco ever happened and forget that Kyouko had ever been anything more than an actress working for the same company.

Julie's heavy sigh broke Kyouko from her maudlin thoughts, and the young actress watched blankly as her pseudo-mother retrieved the pitcher of ice tea from the refrigerator and poured both of the LME actors full glasses.

Julie set the jug between her dunderheaded children and gave them disapproving looks. "You two are talking this out or, so help me God, I will call Lory and have him lock you two in a closet the minute your plane touches down in Tokyo. But for now, I am going to bed."

That said, Julie dragged two high stools over for her hard-headed children before trooping up the stairs to the master bedroom.

Kuu, already tucked into bed, glanced up from his book as she closed the door, none too gently, behind her. He studied his wife's weary and exasperated expression for a moment before asking, "Still locked in a stalemate?"

"Not if they don't want Lory getting involved," she grumbled, climbing into bed without changing.

Kuu just shook his head, amused and unsurprised. "I'm sure they'll work it out."

"They'd better," growled Julie, face-down on her pillow.

Kyouko fidgeted with her glass, watching the ice spin as it melted from the residual summer heat. She still couldn't quite muster up the courage to look at Ren-san, let alone engage in conversation. Her sempair didn't seem too keen to start talking yet either, though she could feel the weight of his gaze on the side of her face. At this point, only sheer willpower prevented an embarrassed flush from destroying her illusion of calm. That illusion of calm was also the only reason she hadn't broken down or locked herself in her room for the remainder of her time in America.

Really, there was no way Kyouko could imagine that this whole mess could end well, not outside of her foolish, idle fantasies.

And knowing pain was imminent did nothing for her courage, but Kuouko figured it would be better if she faced rejection sooner rather than later. If nothing else, her imagination would have less time to run rampant.

She took a deep, fortifying breath and glanced up, determined, only for the words to die on her tongue as she saw Ren-san's face for the first time since Julie had ushered them into the kitchen. His eyebrows were nearly hidden under his bangs, eyes wide and almost awed as his mouth hung unconsciously open just a fraction. He looked as though he'd found a diamond while digging through a mountain of gritty coal.

Kyouko felt her face flush bright crimson and asked, a bit more snappishly than she intended, "What?"

He ducked his dark head sheepishly, cupping his glass of iced tea between his hands. "Sorry," he apologized quietly. "I'm just surprised. And a little awed at your horrible taste." He glanced up at her, smiling tentatively and a little teasingly.

"Excuse me?" asked Kyouko, partly indignant but mostly confused.

Ren-san shrugged, hunching ever so slightly as his shoulders filled with tension. "I'm not exactly the catch everyone seems to think I am. I'm stubborn, prideful, and a workaholic. Not to mention my past before acting was…rocky, to put it mildly."

She stared at him for a long moment before gently fishing an ice cube out of her tea and flicking it at his forehead. It bounced off, landing on the hardwood floor as he recoiled in shock. Ren-san glanced down at it on the floor before looking at Kyouko, confused and in disbelief. "What was that for?"

"That," she replied tartly, "was for insulting one of the greatest men I've had the honor of knowing and working with. I may not know about his past," Kyouko admitted, flagging a little before regaining strength, "but he has been nothing but kind and inspirational to be. He's pushed me and challenged to become the actress I am today, and I will always be thankful. He might be stubborn, but so am I, and anyone who can't stand up for themselves and their opinions is not someone I would be able to look up to. And he has every right to be prideful; he's the greatest actor and entertainer of his generation, the pinnacle of the acting field in Japan. So whenever you think of disparaging him, remember that I won't hear a word of it. Not even from himself."

Ren stared at her, speechless and awed, and couldn't stop a smile, full of his love for this wonderful and amazing woman, from spreading across his face. Kyouko's look of determination faded into one of disbelief and wonderment, and they fell into silence once again. But it was a softer quiet, still full of unspoken confessions but also filled with the promises of things to come and mutual wonder.

Ren wasn't surprised when Kyouko looked away first, glancing down at her hands folded primly on her lap. He looked down at his own, flexing his hands as he searched for words to convey the tangle of emotions in his heart, to show Kyouko what she looked like through his eyes.

"I didn't want to fall in love with you," Kyouko blurted out suddenly. Ren-san's head snapped up, and he stared at her wide-eyed. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, but couldn't quite bring herself to look him in the eye. She settle for staring at the bridge of his nose as she continued, "You'd taken me under your wing, and I was so thankful, but love was—is—a distraction I can't afford; not if I want to reach the top. And you—you were already on the top, and barely had time to relax, and being seen alone with an underage actress would've called your reputation into question, let alone if it became known that your kouhai was in love with you.

"But I couldn't stop myself," she said quietly, wringing her hands. "And I figured that you wouldn't want to know because I didn't have a chance, and that you would be disappointed in me because I'd be just like every other actress who's fallen for the great Tsuruga Ren's charm." She glanced up at Ren-san, and said, "I thought that being your kouhai was better than being nothing."

Ren's heart swelled with compassion for Kyouko, and anger towards all the people who'd made this wonderful young woman wasn't worthy of being loved. He gently separated her hands, taking one into his, pressing a soft kiss into the back. Her breath caught, and she stared at him wide-eyed as he rested their joined hands on his knee.

"I didn't want to fall in love with you either," he admitted. "You were so young and so heart-broken, but you were able to find joy and love in the most unlikely of places and your smile lights up a room effortlessly. You were my kouhai, you had put your trust in me to guide you in this cutthroat world, and any hint of interest could've destroyed your fragile wings of fame before they'd even sprouted. But you are also one of the strongest women I've ever met, the most determined by far, and really, I think falling in love with you was inevitable, no matter my thoughts on the subject."

Kyouko laughed quietly, and squeezed his hand gently. "Well, aren't we two birds of a feather?"

"Should we flock together?" Ren asked, cautious of their tentative new understanding.

She watched his face for a long moment, and glanced at their joined hands before replying lightly, "Well, I don't know about you, but I don't want to be locked in a closet in Tokyo."

"I—You know that if you really don't want to, no one will force you—" Ren reassured, cut off as Kyouko covered his mouth with their joined hands.

She regarded him seriously as she replied, "I know. And I want to." Slowly, the actress lowered their hands. "Do you want to?"

"Yes."

Kyouko smiled at him, blushing faintly and more radiant than Ren could remember. "Good," she said, and kissed him. It was little more than a peck, the lightest brushing of lips, but it was sweeter than anything Ren could remember. Her cheeks were crimson as she hopped off her stool, but she had a tiny little smile as she said, "Goodnight, Ren-san," and bounded up the stairs to her room.

Ren gazed at the stairs for several moments before chuckling quietly to himself. He gathered up the glasses of ice tea, pouring the lukewarm tea down the sink and placing the glasses in the dishwasher. He stood for a moment at the window, looking out the window at the woods he'd played in often as a child and was overwhelmed with gratitude towards his parents.

He wouldn't be where he was without them, and there wasn't anywhere else he'd rather be.