The conclusion to my mini-series. If you don't want to get very lost, please go back and read my other stories first. They are labeled in order (in the description) for your convenience.

The last month had been a trial for Yashiro. When he had heard that Ren had plans with Kyoko on Valentine's Day, he had been on a euphoric cloud. At last, his charge would have the perfect opportunity to confess his feelings to the girl that he loved.

The smile on Ren's face the day after Valentine's Day had made Yashiro hopeful, but on asking how the evening had gone, he had gotten a very unhelpful answer.

"She doesn't hate me," Ren had told him, absurdly proud of this tiny and unimportant fact.

"Of course she doesn't hate you," Yashiro had retorted. "But what happened?"

"Oh, nothing much. She made me dinner, we talked about one of her jobs, she made me something for Valentine's Day as dessert, then I took her home."

"Ren."

"What?"

"You have a smile on your face that would blind the average woman even worse than usual."

"Oh, I'll make sure to fix that."

"Why do you even have that smile in the first place?"

"Because I had a pleasant evening," Ren had told his manager. "Am I not allowed to be happy for having a good evening? Dinner was nice, we had a good conversation, and Mogami-san doesn't hate me."

"You are a hopeless case."

"Is it so bad to be happy that Mogami-san sees me as a friend?" Ren had asked mildly, ignoring the stunned silence coming from the seat next to him. It had taken a minute before Yashiro could speak.

"You really are hopeless. The fact that I am so overjoyed that she is finally calling you her friend is infallible proof that you will never, ever get anywhere with her. You are doomed to the fate of an anti-relationship."

Ren had not bothered to ask what an anti-relationship was and had not responded to his manager. He only smiled in a sort of secret way and kept driving.

The following weeks had seen repeated requests for Yashiro to arrange his schedule in such a way that Ren could have an evening free. No, he did not want to drop by the LoveMe room in the afternoon, he'd rather work and have time later that night.

There had only been about seven nights that had been free enough that Kyoko had come over to cook Ren dinner, as far as Yashiro could tell. But since this number was much larger than the once every few months that had been going on before, Yashiro had let himself hope. And every time he had been disappointed. Yes, Ren had had a nice evening. Yes the food was good. Mogami-san was doing just fine. No, nothing else had happened.

It was enough to drive a man insane.

This morning was no exception. Ren had been working very hard to have tomorrow night free so that he could spend White Day with Kyoko. Yashiro had helped, of course, but he had not been privileged to so much as know what Ren had gotten as a return gift. It was beyond frustrating.

But Ren's happy aura was catching, and by the time the two of them had arrived at LME, a side trip to invite Kyoko to dinner, Yashiro was feeling expectant and excited. This feeling lasted until they arrived in the LoveMe room to find Kotonami Kanae sitting there by herself, looking unusually vicious.

"Is something wrong?" Ren had asked once they had said hello. He was very attuned to the fact that little set off this actress faster than danger to Kyoko, and he trusted her to be a good source of information.

"Kyoko got called up to President Takarada's office. She… has a guest."

The tone of her voice was poisonous enough to give Ren a good idea of who was visiting.

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know. But when that creepy aide came to get her, he said that her schedule was clear for the next few hours. I don't think she'll be back anytime soon," Kanae added, a touch apologetically.

"I see. I'm sorry to bother you."

"It's fine," Kanae shrugged, relaxing at last. "I'll let her know you dropped by as soon as I can. Is there a good time for her to call you?"

"Later tonight would be best. If she isn't busy then. Would you let her know that I'll call her if I don't hear from her?"

"I'll do that."

"Thank you. And Kotonami-san?"

"Yes."

"Take care of her." Kanae did not question this, but nodded and the two men left immediately. Kanae sighed and her face grew dark again, her eyes drifting in the general direction of where the president's office was.

"I'm going to kill him," she muttered.

Aki Shoko wanted to cry. She was not easily intimidated, and she could handle the stress of too many sleepless nights as well as most managers could. But she had been pushed to her emotional limits this past week, watching Sho slave over a song that he would not let her touch or even look at. He had not explained himself, but had told her repeatedly, "No, I have it. Just a bit more." When he had asked her to set up a meeting with Kyoko, under any circumstances, she had been worried. When they had arrived at LME and received a cool greeting from the company president, Shoko had felt her concern swelling. When Kyoko had come upstairs and spotted Sho, had stopped and immediately frowned, and had glanced at her boss in frustration, Shoko had felt her heart stop.

Now, she was waiting in Takarada Lory's outer office, watching the man, currently dressed as a mafia boss, sort through papers at his desk. In a room off of this one, her talent was supposedly engaged in a conversation with Mogami Kyoko. Since she did not hear sounds of someone being strangled to death, the room was either soundproof or Sho had not managed to enrage the actress yet.

Sometimes, being a manager was a little trying.

Lory looked up from his desk to watch the woman across from him shift nervously. He had been hesitant to allow her and her musician to visit Kyoko, and now he was very curious as to what was going on behind those doors.

He could guess of course. The look in the young man's eyes had told a very intense story when they had rested on Kyoko, and her own expression had admitted a good deal Lory had assumed these past years. He knew it would be dangerous to place these two in a room alone together, but he also knew that it was imperative for them both. If this relationship was not reconciled, it was likely they would both suffer.

Ren was definitely going to kill him for this.

"Can I get you anything?" Lory asked Shoko, in a calm tone. Shoko forced herself to relax, but shook her head.

"Thank you, but I think I'm just waiting for this to be over." Her nervous glances towards the other room made Lory decide that further probing was needed.

"You think they'll finally reconcile?" Shoko shrugged and looked to the door again.

"If they do, it's going to be a miracle."

"He doesn't deserve it?"

"After Valentine's Day last year… I'm surprised that she even talked to him after that. He's certainly taken his work more seriously since then. But they haven't talked at all, and I have no idea what he's been thinking."

Lory knew about the events of last year's Dark Moon set fiasco. Director Ogata had contacted him to ask about what should be done in the future with Fuwa Sho in regards to Kyoko, and Lory had extracted the full story from the concerned man. He had also looked into the mysterious "Beagle" that Kyoko had mentioned. He ended up letting Ren deal with that problem, though Lory had been keeping an eye on things. The lead singer of Vie Ghoul had been on a watch list at LME security. But all of that aside, Lory could agree that it was fairly miraculous that Kyoko was still willing to speak to Fuwa.

He wondered if it said something about her feelings for him. If it did, that was not good news for Ren.

"Well, let's both hope that this goes well," Lory told her, turning back to his work.

It was not going well.

"Kyoko-"

"Don't call me that."

"No, Kyoko-"

"Fuwa-san, I don't have anything to say to you-"

"I'm not here about work," he growled, trying to reclaim charge of the conversation. He knew he was in for a fight when she had sat down and given him the look his mother used to give him when she was most displeased. Her tone set him on the defensive, and it took all of his control to force his temper back down.

"Then if you don't need anything-"

"Kyoko, please just listen to me!"

"Fuwa-san, I have work to do-"

"I want you to listen to a song," he begged. "Just this once. Please. Like you used to, Kyoko."

This made her pause. Kyoko had listened to Sho's songs for a very long time, praising them and admiring them to boost his confidence. At the time, she had also enjoyed them. His songs had been like magic to her, a skill and a power she could not reach. Since then, she had been overwhelmed over and over by the magic of Ren's acting, and had experienced herself the power of a character. She was not sure listening to any song by this boy would mean much to her anymore.

"I don't think you want me to listen to your music, Sho," she responded quietly, realizing too late that she had broken the promise she had made to herself coming into the room to keep him at every distance possible.

"Yes, I do," he insisted. "Just one more time, Kyoko. I promise, that's all I want."

Kyoko hesitated, but agreed, watching skeptically as Sho pulled out a music player and a pair of headphones. She accepted the headphones and placed them over her ears carefully, waiting for whatever was coming.

The music started, and Kyoko was surprised to hear that it was a solo performance, just like the old songs Sho had used to play for her. She could almost picture him with his guitar, sitting in his room as he played the first few chords.

The melody was nice and he sang as well as he ever had. Better, she thought. She was not an expert in music, but she felt like the song was different, like the difference between a person reading a script and a person acting a scene. The song ended and Kyoko took off the headphones, holding them out to Sho.

"It was nice. You're doing really well." Sho shook his head.

"Kyoko, did you listen to it?"

"Of course I did," she snapped back. "I listened to the whole song, Sho, and-"

"You didn't hear it," Sho cut her off, gently pushing the headphones back. "Hear it, Kyoko. Please. I… I can't say it. You have to hear it."

Kyoko gave him a confused look, but decided the fastest way to get rid of him was to comply, and dutifully put the headphones back on. Sho restarted the song and watched her carefully.

About forty-five seconds into the song, the first tear trickled down her cheek. A minute and thirty seconds in and she was crying heavily. By the end of the song, she was groping helplessly for a handkerchief, completely disconsolate.

"Kyoko-" Sho began, now worried. She shook her head, and continued hunting for a handkerchief. He shocked her by producing one of his own and handing it over wordlessly.

Kyoko used every ounce of her will to get her feelings back under control. She had not been prepared for his song. If it had only been an apology, which she had suspected, she would not be so overwrought. Instead, he had woven a master picture of their lives, evolving over time as they both had grown into different, more amazing people. The first verse had been her own tale, the second the story of her own transformation forcing his growth. It was ambiguous enough that no one else would guess the people involved, but Kyoko knew only too well what he was trying to say.

"Sho, that was…" She could not find the words.

"I couldn't think of the right words for ages," he told her, on the edge of his seat. "I'm going to have to produce it. I promised my company that I would. But I wanted you to hear it first. It's for you."

"I know. Sho, what… why?"

"Because it's true. Everything in there is true."

"What are you calling it?" she asked, dabbing the last of the moisture from her eyes.

"'Catalyst Chrysalis.' I thought it would fit."

"It's good," she replied carefully. "But Sho, that still doesn't explain why-"

"I wanted to apologize. Not with a song, because that's cheating. I do know how to say sorry, even if I don't chose to do it very often. But I wanted you to understand that I really meant it. So I had to do this first. To show you."

"I believe you're sincere," Kyoko told him, straightening. He gave her a weak smile.

"Good. Because I really am sorry Kyoko. I'm sorry for everything that I did, and I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. I'm sorry that I was such a stupid kid, and I'm sorry that I pushed you so far away. I'm sorry that I never respected you."

Kyoko was silent for a moment, and Sho held his breath. Then she sighed.

"I accept your apology, Sho. But… I think I'm glad that we went our separate ways."

"I wish we hadn't," he told her. "Kyoko, if there were any way that I could go back to when we were together-"

"You'd have to go back to when we were very young, Sho. We haven't really been 'together' since then. And the truth is, even if we could, I wouldn't go with you. I don't want to leave all this behind."

She gestured vaguely to the room and the building.

"You can still be an actress," he told her. Kyoko blinked.

"Of course I can. Why couldn't I?" Sho's mouth clamped shut. He paused for a moment before answering.

"Nothing. I was just… never mind." Kyoko eyed him suspiciously.

"Sho, what were you planning on doing if I forgave you and heard you out?"

"Nothing. I wasn't planning on anything. I just came to show you the song… and say I was sorry."

"Sho." Her voice was a warning. He might trick other people, but she could and did see right through him.

"I was hoping… that you would come back," he whispered. Kyoko shook her head.

"Sho, I don't mind if you want to try being friends again, but we're living our own lives now. I like where I am, and you've been living alone for long enough to take care of yourself. You don't need me to clean up after you, and quite frankly, I don't have the time."

"I wouldn't ask you to do that," he told her. She laughed, but it was not malicious.

"It would just happen. You're way too messy, and I'm much too used to cleaning up after lazy, sloppy people."

"It wouldn't be the same," he insisted.

"I know it wouldn't. It would be much more risky. It was bad enough when people could have found out that you live with some no name girl. Now we're both known at least a little. People are twice as likely to discover that we were staying together and assume we were in some kind of relationship."

"That would be the idea," he responded with an ironic smile. Kyoko froze.

"We- What?"

"I want you to move back in with me. But this time, as my girlfriend."

"Haaah?" Her reply was breathy and her eyes had taken on a glazed look. Sho watched her in amusement for a few minutes before snapping his fingers in front of her eyes to get her attention. She came back with a shake and stared at him in confusion.

"Sho, if you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend to help your image, you need to go through the LoveMe department." Sho rolled his eyes.

"I don't want you to pretend to be my girlfriend. I want you to actually date me, and move back in with me. Although, since it's you, I guess I shouldn't expect you to move back, should I?"

"Sho… Your girlfriend is supposed to be a super beautiful model or star that can add to your popularity. Or at least be super beautiful. Plain and boring isn't your typ-"

"Kyoko, when I said I was apologizing for everything, that included me stupidly calling you plain and boring. You're exactly my type of girl, Kyoko. I want you."

It was hard for her to swallow this. Not just because Sho was saying it, but because if she accepted it, she would have to accept other things. Things she was not ready to accept.

"You don't really mean that."

"Yes, I do. Look, I know you've probably had all kinds of guys throwing themselves at your feet-"

"I haven't," she told him. "A few people have complimented me a few times. But no one is throwing themselves at my feet."

"No one?" he asked her seriously, his stare making her uncomfortable. She looked away, and a lonely feeling came over her.

"No one, Sho. I have good friends, but no one… is interested in me."

He watched her carefully, silently, noting her every expression. His fists clenched.

"I love you," he told her, drawing her attention back to himself, and away from the tall, freakish actor he was certain she was thinking about.

"You love me?"

"More than anything."

She met his gaze and held it, but she was the first to look away.

"I can't return those feelings," she whispered.

He wanted to argue. He wanted to scream. The child in him that had always run rampant demanded that he grab her and show her just how serious he was, to make her love him.

But he had sworn he would not screw this up. And if that pin head actor still had not made a move, there was no point in ruining what small progress he had made.

"I'm leaving," he said, rising. She looked up at him worriedly. "I'm not angry. If that's how you feel, nothing I say right now is going to change your mind. But I've got time, and I know how I want to use it. Keep listening, Kyoko. The next song is going to be for you too."

He left then, ignoring his manager and the president as he made his way to the door. Shoko stood quickly to follow him, bowing to the LME head and waving to Kyoko as she hustled to keep up with her charge.

Kyoko joined Lory in the main office, looking more than a little dazed. Lory watched his Number One LoveMe Girl with interest and concern.

"Mogami-san."

"Oh, yes."

"Are you alright?" She smiled as best she could.

"I'm just fine. I just… didn't think forgiving someone could be so intense."

"Everything's good between you now?" he asked, watching her expressions. Her face fell.

"It's… not bad. I don't know what's going to happen next though."

"I see."

Kyoko had a sneaking suspicion that he did see, probably even better than she did. That he had seen all along, and had allowed this anyway. What else was she missing, she wondered.

"I need to get back to work, sir."

"That's fine. Make sure you talk to Kotonami-san first though. I think she's been very worried about you."

"Yes, sir."

Kyoko bowed and left the office, making her way carefully downstairs. Lory struggled as he watched her go. He knew if he pushed her too hard, things would backfire. But he wished that he could tell her that Fuwa Sho was not the only one who cared about her.

One look at Kyoko was all it took to make Kanae decide that her friend needed immediate emergency attention. Taking a quick look at her schedule, Kanae told Kyoko they would be having a slumber party that night, on pain of Kyoko losing her title as best friend. This not only distracted the girl enough to get her through the rest of the day, but made things easier for Kanae when she tried to probe for information later that night.

"What happened?" Kanae demanded once they had finished dinner and were safely tucked away in her room.

Kyoko answered her with as much detail as possible, requiring Kanae to ask a large number of questions to clarify points all along the way. By the time the tale was finished, Kyoko was sagging in her seat.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "People don't think of me that way. It just isn't logical."

Kanae snorted.

"You really need to get over this self-esteem issue you have," she grumbled. "You are a temptation to way too many predators to walk around so ignorantly." Kyoko looked up in confusion.

"But… no one ever says anything about liking me or anything," she pointed out. Kanae sighed.

"Men don't always use words, idiot. Most of the time, they just act."

"Act…" Kyoko was off in some other world, her depressed aura even larger. "Just pretending…"

Kanae grabbed Kyoko by her shoulders and shook her.

"Not that kind of act! They do something! Play favorites, pay compliments, give gifts!"

"Really?" Kanae groaned as she sat back, rubbing her eyes.

"Mogami Kyoko, I can only pity the men that love you."

This was not entirely true. Over the past month, Kanae had also developed a certain respect for Tsuruga Ren. She did not know what had passed between them to make Kyoko so comfortable with calling him her friend, but once it had been established that Moko-san was still Kyoko's best friend, it had been interesting to watch the play between the two fools. Clearly, Ren was still very interested in Kyoko. Clearly, Kyoko had no idea how he felt, but she also had special feelings of her own. Whether these were love or not, Kanae could not be sure. Kyoko had never said so, and Kanae knew that it would be important for her to sort this out for herself. She also knew Kyoko would tell her once she did discover her feelings.

No, the most interesting part had been watching Tsuruga Ren, most desired man in the country, struggle through loving Kyoko, and stay so constant. In spite of their new, deeper relationship, Kanae saw no signs that he was taking any extra advantage of her friend. He seemed to be working with the tools that he had. When Kyoko spoke of their time together, it was of meaningful conversations and almost childish pranks. Somehow, that man was holding his feelings for Kanae's best friend so close that Kyoko never quite understood them, but he never lost them either. Kanae had called a grudging truce that had blossomed into a tenuous trust. He could still very easily break it, but Kanae was willing to give this man a chance.

"Moko-san, men don't love me," Kyoko contradicted primly.

"Except for Fuwa Sho," Kanae pointed out. Kyoko flushed.

"He isn't a man," she countered, pouting. Kanae rolled her eyes.

"You're being silly. He's a guy, and he is in love with you. Unless you don't believe him?"

"No," Kyoko admitted. "He was being honest."

"So, it isn't impossible for a guy to like you."

"I guess… But I don't think he really understands it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm the only person who knows him very well. Even his manager has a hard time with him. He only thinks he really loves me, but he'll get over it."

"And if he doesn't?" Kyoko shrugged.

"He will." Rather than conviction, her voice seemed to hold desperation.

Kanae knew she was not going to get any further on this vein tonight. Instead, she opted for an abrupt change in conversation.

"Tsuruga-san stopped by this morning. You were supposed to call him."

"Eeeeeeh!" Kyoko dived for her bag, scrambling for her phone. When she finally got a good hold of it, she flipped it open to discover that she had several missed calls, all from Ren. "I missed him!" she wailed.

"Then call him back," Kanae ordered, standing. "I'll even step out for a minute. I have something I need to do anyway."

Kyoko smiled at her friend and dialed Ren's number, praying that she was not too late, and that he was not angry.

"Kyoko-chan?" He picked up on the second ring, sounding relieved.

"Hello Ren." She knew he was alone, since he had used her name, but using his given stage name was something of a code they had developed. He knew she was away from work, but with friends. Probably Kanae.

"Busy day?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. Moko-san didn't say you had stopped by until just now."

"You're at her house?"

"Yes. She invited me over." Kyoko paused. "I think she was worried about me," she confessed.

"Is everything alright?"

"I… met with Sho today." There was a tense silence on the other end. Kyoko had stopped worrying about making Kuon angry in general, but she never felt comfortable mentioning Sho to him. She held her breath.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. Kyoko sighed in relief.

"I'm okay. Moko-san is taking good care of me."

"I'm glad. I'm sorry that you were upset."

"I didn't say I was upset," she retorted. Kuon chuckled.

"You didn't need to."

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It's alright. I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"Are you free tomorrow night?" Kyoko smiled.

"Do you need dinner?" she asked, her voice slightly teasing.

"Just a little," he responded, his tone as light as hers.

"Should I meet you at your apartment, or will you be getting off of work too late for me to wait outside?"

"When is your last job finished?"

"Around six."

"I'll pick you up. I'm done at 5:30."

"You seem to have a lot of free time," Kyoko commented.

"Just rearranging my schedule," he responded glibly. "Trying to find extra hours for eating and sleeping so that you don't keep scolding me."

Kyoko giggled. Ren did not bother to add that he hoped to makes his new arrangements last long term. He was quickly discovering that something his father had told him was very true.

"I love your mother, Kuon. Being the best actor was nice, and having all those fans was great. But it's no fun being too busy to see the woman I love. If I'm not a good enough actor to keep their interest while I'm being a good husband, acting isn't worth it."

Kuon agreed. Kyoko was going to go far with her career, and he knew from experience how busy two entertainers could be. He had no promise that things would work out between them, but Kuon wanted to be able to show her how sincere he was when the time came, making sure that he had time for her now and in the future.

"Don't stay up too late," she told him, calling him back to the present.

"Alright. Goodnight, Kyoko-chan."

"Goodnight, Ren."

Kanae came in as Kyoko closed her phone.

"Did you catch him?" she asked.

"Yes. We're having dinner tomorrow night."

"That's nice."

"Yes!"

"And you're filming with Bridge Rock?" Kyoko nodded. "That's good. It's your favorite job right now, isn't it?"

"Yes. The Ishibashi's are really supportive, but they still treat me like a normal person. It's a relaxing kind of job, even with the chicken suit."

"Just be careful," Kanae told her friend. Kyoko gave her a confused look.

"Why? The Ishibashi's take good care of me. Especially Hikaru-san."

"You're really an idiot, aren't you?"

Kyoko demanded to know what this meant, but Kanae avoid the topic by starting a pillow fight that lasted until the girls collapsed in exhaustion and fell asleep.

The following day was busy and kept Kyoko from worrying about her encounter from the day before. She worked as hard as she could and did well. At the end of the day she thanked her coworkers and made to exit.

"Kyoko-san," Hikaru called out. "Why don't you have dinner with us tonight?"

"I thought Shinichi-san had a date and Yuusei was busy this evening?" she responded. Hikaru squirmed nervously.

"Well, I could still take you out," he suggested. His courage was wavering, but he had told himself he would do this. "Think of it as a treat from all of us, for White Day."

Kyoko smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Hikaru-san. I already have plans for tonight. But thank you for the offer."

"Plans?" "Kyoko, do you have a date?" She turned bright pink, but shook her head vehemently.

"No, just dinner with… a friend."

"Oh." Hikaru swallowed the lump in his throat. "Are you… having dinner with Tsuruga-san?" he asked in a soft voice. Kyoko looked around to see if anyone was listening before she nodded.

"He doesn't always take care of himself," she explained. "I'm going over to make sure he's alright."

"I see." Hikaru did see, even if she did not. "Have fun!" He gave her the best smile he could.

"Thank you!" And with that, she was gone. Hikaru stared after her for a while before turning to leave himself. He would tell the others about this tomorrow. They at least should get to have a nice evening.

Kyoko stopped by the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner, calling Ren on the way to tell him where to find her. He told her he would be right over.

"Hello, Kyoko-chan!" Yashiro greeted as she got into the car. She smiled and replied. It was not unusual for Ren to drop Yashiro off on their way to his apartment.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Ren asked as she slipped into the back.

"Yes. You should have everything else already at your apartment. It should still be good since I came over last week."

"You have your receipt?"

"Of course," she replied as Yashiro climbed back in. Ren held out a hand over his shoulder.

"Let me see it."

"You are not paying," she refused as he pulled back into traffic. "And keep both your hands on the steering wheel."

"I can drive with one hand. If you're worried about safety, hand me the receipt."

"So you can read it in the car? That's even worse and you know it."

"I'll read it when we pull over."

Yashiro watched the exchange with amusement. Kyoko eventually caved, figuring she could let Ren read the receipt and simply refuse any money he tried to give her. She did not know he had plans to slip the cash into her bag while she was cooking, but that was probably better for the atmosphere in the car.

They left Yashiro and had a pleasant car ride back. Kyoko started on dinner right away, banning Kuon from the kitchen.

"You don't really want to help anyway," she told him when he objected. "You just want to cause problems."

"That isn't true," he countered. "That is not my motivation at all."

"Really? Then what is your motivation?"

"Staying next to you." But he could not actually say that. "Helping," he insisted. But it was not true, and Kyoko could tell.

"Out," she told him, pushing him into the living room. He stayed out, mostly because he knew she would really get angry if he did cause her to ruin dinner. And it was absurdly easy to distract her, he had discovered. He used the time to slip the money for dinner into her purse.

She eventually let him back into the kitchen to help set out the dishes.

"Because being tall is the only thing you're good at in a kitchen," she told him as he reached to pull down the plates. He face fell into a pout.

"Is that how you treat your friend?" he asked. Kyoko's face fell.

"Coooorn! I'm sorry!" He smiled reassuringly, reaching out and catching her hand.

"You really never change," he laughed, dragging her towards the living room, holding the plates in his other hand. He left her in there and got the rest of the dishes while she started serving.

It was not until later in the evening that he chose to bring up Kyoko's meeting with Sho. Dinner was finished and the dishes had been cleaned, but as was becoming more common, Kyoko chose to linger for a while. They were sitting on the couch and a lull had come into the conversation.

"Kyoko-chan, what happened with you and Fuwa-san yesterday?"

"Not much," she stalled, shifting uncomfortably. "He just… wanted to show me a song he wrote."

Kuon, aware of the kind of song Sho might have written, shifted as well.

"A song?"

"Yes. It was a kind of… prelude. To an apology."

"A prelude?"

"I guess. It was nice. It was kind of about us- our careers really. And then he apologized, which was probably the real reason he came. And he kept talking about random things and going on and on and his manger was waiting outside and he was having us use the president's room and didn't even think about my schedule but that is just like him and he kept going on and on and o-"

Kuon cut her off with a gentlemanly smile.

"Mogami-san, it seems like you're hiding something."

"Oh no, I was just-" The smile grew brighter and Kyoko recoiled into the corner of the couch.

"Just going on and on and on and on and on," he suggested, relaxing against the couch. "I thought that you trusted me, but I guess-"

"It isn't that!" she wailed. "Kuon, it isn't like that!"

"No, of course not. You just don't want to tell me anything-"

"Kuon!"

"Yes, Mogami-san?" Kyoko pulled her knees up to hide behind.

"He said he loved me." Kuon froze.

"He… what?"

"I know! It's completely crazy and stupid, but somehow he came up with this idea that he was in love with me. And he really believes it!"

"And you don't?" It was more of a rhetorical question, but Kyoko hesitated.

"I… don't know."

"Well, if that's the case…" Kyoko could feel him retreating into the shell of reserve that had always frightened her from the first day she had met him. She reached out instinctively, catching his hand draped across the back of the couch.

"Don't go!" It was technically the wrong words, but they reached Kuon. It took him back to those days long ago, when she had begged him for the first time not to leave her.

If only he could tell her how impossible that was.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised, twisting his hand to hold hers. "I just thought, maybe you were."

"Where would I go?" she asked, pulling her hand back. She paused partway, frowning. "Not back to him," she grumbled.

"Back to- Did he ask you to go back?" His grip on her hand was suddenly tighter and there was a black look on his face. She could not find the words to answer him and his voice got more anxious. "Kyoko, what did he-"

"You shouldn't call me that," she whispered, stopping him. "It isn't good."

"What, 'Kyoko?' Sorry, I just…" He watched her face carefully, worried as she looked away. "Kyoko-chan?"

"It's what he calls me," she told him, still looking away. "It isn't nice to hear you say it. It sounds just like how he says it."

Kuon released her, guilt causing him to look away as well. He could imagine how Sho sounded when he called her "Kyoko." And he could imagine why it would sound that way. He did not want to be like that: so selfish, so possessive.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, looking back at her. She shrugged as carelessly as she could.

"I'm just being silly," she answered, trying to smile. Kuon shook his head.

"It isn't good, having bad things tied to yourself like that. It can be painful. It isn't silly to be like that, but you should think of ways to change it. It's your name."

"Like how?" she asked, smiling more sincerely.

"Like letting people use your name who don't make you unhappy," he stated, watching her expression. It became confused, rather than angry or flustered.

"I get happy when Moko-san calls me 'Kyoko.' Does that count?"

"Do you still hate other people calling you 'Kyoko?'"

"I don't… hate it. I just- It felt weird to hear you say it that way."

"So I'm not allowed to call you 'Kyoko?'"

If he had said it the same way as before, she might have told him yes, she did not want that. But unlike the first time he had said it, this time her name sounded different. Softer, warmer. Almost… special.

"It isn't that," she mumbled, a touch of pink coloring her cheeks. "It just seems weird when you already call me 'Kyoko-chan.' That's all." Kuon smiled.

"Then, we'll just have to have you get used to it." Kyoko turned a deeper pink and shook her head.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" she asked nervously.

"Wait here," Kuon told her, standing abruptly. "I'll be right back."

Kyoko watched him disappear into the back, waiting anxiously for his return. When he did come back, he had a small box in one of his hands with a soft white ribbon tied in a bow. She was immediately on the defensive.

"Absolutely not," she told him, sliding back into the couch. "Whatever it is, the answer is no."

"But Kyoko," he whined, "you haven't even let me explain."

"Don't make that face. No, don't you dare! That sinful, pathetic face is not going to help you!"

But it was already working.

"I just wanted to give you this."

"Kuon-"

"It's only fair. It is White Day. And you gave me something on Valentine's Day."

"You shared," she protested weakly, trying to avoid looking directly at him.

"That doesn't count as a return gift," he countered, taking a seat on the floor in front of her, watching her get increasingly flustered. "I have to get you something different."

"You didn't have too," she retorted. "I wasn't expecting anything."

"Well that wasn't very smart of you. I always return the gifts that you've given me. No matter how much you protest. It's my duty as a gentleman."

"But I don't want them," she pouted.

"That is not true. You just don't want me spending money on you that you don't think you can repay." Kyoko looked up guiltily. "But I don't want you to try and repay me. I like giving you gifts."

"Why?" she asked, completely confused.

"Why do you like giving your friends gifts?" he replied. She thought about this for a moment.

"To show my feelings for them. Like my gratitude. But that can't be why you do it. Because I never do anything that you should be extra grateful for." Kuon chose to ignore this blatantly untrue statement.

"There are more reasons than gratitude that people give gifts, Kyoko. Cain didn't give Setsuka gifts for such a tepid reason."

"No. Cain loved his sister and wanted to spoil her," Kyoko stated. "But I'm not your sister, Kuon."

"A truth I will never stop being grateful for."

"Why?"

Kuon paused for a moment before replying.

"If you open this, I'll tell you," he responded quietly. Kyoko was confused by his sudden seriousness and took the package from him before she could stop herself. She blinked suddenly as she felt the ribbon slide under her fingers.

"I shouldn't," she murmured, even as she began to pull at the bow. Inside, she was kicking herself for such childish behavior, caving to his whims because of curiosity. What was in the box? What was he going to say?

Inside was a thin bracelet, made of three braided strands of silver. Four tiny pink drop diamonds sat at even intervals around the metal, winking up at her. They matched Princess Rosa and the earrings that he had gotten for her.

"May I?" he asked, taking the box from her and removing the band carefully with one hand and taking her wrist with his other. Kyoko gave a faint protest that probably included her mandatory refusal of such an expensive gift and her concern that she was unworthy. But she did not mean it and Kuon ignored it, carefully wrapping the silver around and gently hooking the clasp. The metal felt cool against her skin, which was probably a good thing because for some reason, her hand suddenly felt warm.

"It's… very nice," she whispered. She was not sure why she was being so quiet. She should be refusing, giving this back. But she could not muster the energy to do so. When she looked up, Kuon was still watching her with a serious expression on his face.

"Kyoko-"

"Kuon, you really shouldn't- My name…"

"You didn't mind a minute ago. I used it twice."

"I can't accept the gift. I shouldn't-"

"You don't like it?"

"No, I just…"

It was dangerous. That was all she could think. Nothing he was doing made sense. Part of her thought, even wanted to believe that it meant something. But that was impossible. She had to push him away, before her expectations became too much. It was bad enough that Sho had forced her to see that some people did want her. She did not need to be reminded that this man in front of her did not. They were friends, just friends, always friends.

"Kyoko?" He reached up and wiped away a tear she did not know had fallen. "Kyoko-chan, I'm sorry. If you don't like it, I'll stop." She shook her head to clear it.

"I'm fine." She took a deep breath. "Now, what is it you were going to tell me when I opened this box?" He hesitated.

"I was going to tell you why I was glad you aren't my sister."

"Oh, right. And?" She was calm now, in control, lighthearted. It was fine. Nothing he said would overset her.

"I love you."

Except that.

"You- Kuon we're friends, of course you like me. You've told me that before. What does that have to do with-" She stopped as she saw the bemused look on his face, as if he had expected this.

"I didn't say I liked you, Kyoko-chan. I said that I love you."

She hesitated.

"Because we're good friends," she insisted. "That's all. You don't play favorites, or pay me compliments, or-" She stopped again, watching his smile growing and realizing with a touch of horror that he had been doing all of the things that Kanae had mentioned.

"Or?" he prompted, interested where this list had come from.

"Or give me gifts," she mumbled, looking down at her wrist. Kuon laughed then.

"No, I would never do that," he teased, taking her hand in his own and brushing his thumb back, catching the bracelet over it. She blushed slightly, but still could not meet his eyes. "Kyoko-chan?" She mumbled an incoherent reply. "Kyoko-chan, I thought I already told you that I can't hear you when you talk to your knees."

She looked up.

"I think I prefer 'Kyoko,'" she told him softly. He blinked once, then smiled softly, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it gently.

"Kyoko," he whispered, "I love you."

The following moments were very stressful for Kuon. Kyoko sat silently, trying to organize her feelings. Part of her still rejected it. This was Kuon, and Ren. Her senpai. He did not have feelings for her. Not more than friendship. Part of her fell back on the evidence: how he treated her, the things that he had said, how he did not lie to her. And part of her wondered if any of that mattered. She believed Sho when he said that he loved her. He was delusional, of course, and Kuon probably was as well. He would get over his feelings, his mistake, as soon as she pushed him back. So why wasn't she just rejecting him?

"How long?" she asked. "How long have you… loved me?"

"Since before Dark Moon," he answered calmly. "Although it wasn't until a certain chicken took me to task that I actually realized how I felt."

Kyoko looked up in shock.

"I told you-" She could not finish the thought. He smiled.

"Yes, you told me that I was in love with you. And that I should seduce you." Kyoko turned bright pink, shaking her head in sudden fear.

"No, no! I didn't mean-"

"I know," he interrupted. "I was very much aware of how much trouble I would be in if I tried any of my horrible playboy tactics on you. You seem to have an irreversible aversion to my affection," he told her with a wistful look.

"That isn't true," she retorted, staring down at the hand he was still holding. Somehow, her color grew even redder. "You're just… intimidating sometimes."

"Intimidating?" Kyoko bit her lip, unable to elaborate. Kuon chuckled. "Ah. You mean I'm a man." Kyoko nodded glumly, still flustered, but Kuon could barely contain his glee. "And here I thought it was a hopeless case."

"Huh?"

"Well, up until Christmas, I was pretty sure you had never even considered the concept of me being male," he told her. "And even after Christmas, I figured I must have misunderstood your thoughts. Since you barely spoke to me after that."

"I thought you were angry," she mumbled.

"Why?"

Kyoko could no longer come up with a good answer. Before, it had made perfect sense for him to be upset with her for her forwardness. She stared at him, perplexed.

"I don't know." She paused again. "Wait. You've been in love with me since before we were filming Dark Moon together?"

"Yes."

"All this time?" Her eyes widened in shock. "During Cain and Setsuka!"

Kuon shrugged.

"Then too."

"So all this time, we both…" She trailed off and glanced away, missing his look of surprise.

"We both what?" Kyoko looked back at him, a small smile on her face. "Kyoko, what-"

"I love you too," she whispered, cutting him off. "Probably at least since before last Valentine's Day. I just… tried not to."

"Well, in that case…" He pulled her off the couch and onto his lap, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Please stop trying."

Kyoko shifted to put her arms around his neck, tucking her head under his chin.

"Are you sure?" she asked. She heard a growl.

"Yes."

"Sorry." She was just starting to get really comfortable when something occurred to her. "Kuon, did I hurt your feelings after Christmas?" He shifted, moving her off his lap so that he could look at her. She let go of him reluctantly. Some part of her still believed this was a dream she could wake up from at any moment, and she needed something solid to convince her it was real. Kuon was delightfully solid.

"I was more resigned than hurt, I think," he told her. "I've gotten used to the fact that you don't behave in ways that normal girls would. I figured that so much puzzle piece pixie dust had gotten to your head, you probably weren't really thinking about it very much when you kissed me."

"Oh." This was not too far from the truth. Kyoko still could not decide if it had been the happiness she had felt, or the unexplainable feeling that she needed to pay him back in some way for all that he had done for her. But somehow this had translated into her giving him something she had never considered giving to anyone else.

"When you stopped talking to me after Christmas, I figured it must have been a mistake you didn't intend to repeat."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not," he stated. "It's nice being kissed by the person you love."

"I wouldn't know," Kyoko pointed out, tracing patterns on the carpet, suddenly too shy to meet his eyes. Kuon reached out to cup her face, pulling her gaze back to him.

"Well, we'd better fix that…"

At that moment, neither of them knew that the next several weeks would bring a bout of insanity that would drive the press into a state of euphoria. They did not know that Sho would release "Catalyst Chrysalis" two days later, announcing it as a gift to his childhood friend, who would be the topic of much discussion and speculation. They did not know that two weeks later, their public announcement that they were dating would coincide with the debut of Sho's second song for Kyoko, a love song that would sit at the top of the charts for two months. They did not know he would disappear after that for half a year, before coming back to an even more successful career that would carry him through the rest of his life.

They did not know that Kyoko would have a painfully funny conversation with Kanae, where the usually cold girl would end begging Kyoko to never forget her best friend. They did not know that Yashiro would almost faint when Ren told him the next day that he had finally confessed to Kyoko. They did not know that Maria and Kyoko would have a very long conversation about betrayal and love while Kuon had to sit through an interview with an ecstatic Lory that would push him past the edge of his patience.

They did not know that the media would go wild not long after the announcement of their dating, chasing half truths and rumors as to why, after so many years, both Kuu and Juliena Hizuri had returned to Japan together, with the intention of staying for a full month. Kyoko and Kuon did not know that he would reveal his identity the day after his parents' arrival. They did not know that Julie would kidnap Kyoko for forty-eight hours to get to know her better, worrying her boyfriend, best friend, and even her adoptive father who would spend both days demanding to know where his wife and "son" had disappeared to. They did not know all the other wonderful things that the following years would bring to them both.

The only thing Kuon knew was that he was blissfully happy right where he was right now, and Kyoko was certain that being kissed by the person you loved was a very nice thing.

The end. I hope that you all enjoyed the story and everything else. Happy White Day (and Pi Day!) to you all. Still working on Broken Slipper but things are looking hectic right now. I'll try and post again as soon as possible. If it looks to be another long wait, I'll post another one-shot that I have sitting around that's almost finished.

Hopes and prayers to those in Japan, to other areas hit with disaster, and to all those who live elsewhere but have family that have been affected by the events. May you be safe, comforted, and taken care of no matter what your circumstances.