"I have never been happier than when I am with you, Kyoko. Everything I was, am, and will be has been made better by you. And I would like the pleasure of trying to do the same for you for the rest of our lives." Ren took a deep breath.

"Will you marry me?"

Kyoko sat there, frozen in shock, as she stared at the gorgeous ring that Ren was holding. Was this really happening?!

"Really?" Kyoko whispered with tears in her eyes. She looked at Ren, searching for any hesitation or regret in his face. Ren grinned boyishly.

"Do you think I'd be here on one knee on national television if it wasn't for real?" Kyoko laughed and smiled through the happy tears. She put her hands on his face.

"Do you think you really need to ask? Of course I will marry you!" Ren let out an uncharacteristic whoop, slid the ring on her finger, and kissed her deeply.

The crowd erupted into cheers. Ren and Kyoko broke apart in mild confusion. Kyoko's face became bright red as she realized just how many people were watching this, in studio and across the nation. Ren also bore a faint blush on his cheeks. While they had been aware of the audience, their own little world had created a bit of a hazy barrier, keeping them from really understanding the extent of the audience.

Across the nation, there were mixed reactions from those who watched, though all in support of the newly engaged couple. Many girls cried over Ren. More than a few men cried over Kyoko. Some nodded their approval. One, Kotonami Kanae, scowled as she watched the scene, but was happy that her friend had found happiness and love. Yashiro was fan-girling to the point of tears. It was about damn time! But everyone across the nation was ultimately happy for them.

Even Mogami Saena. She had paused her work in her office when she saw the spectacle occurring on the news. She had originally been irritated that Kyoko was causing such a commotion. What if her bosses found out Kyoko was her daughter?! But as she watched Kyoko's face light up and Ren's proposal, a small smile broke the tough-as-nails façade. She had never seen Kyoko happy before, except as a baby.

A small knot in her chest formed. Somewhere. Deep within her mother's heart, she was happy for Kyoko. Saena was never the mothering type. She had caused Kyoko too much heartache out of her own insecurities. It was about time that girl found a little bit of happiness. Saena sighed a brief moment of regret, steeled her face, and went back to work. Later, when her secretary came in, she could have sworn Saena had a certain glow of… dare she say, happiness?

Itashi sat there, stunned. He had interviewed one of the most famous couples, who generally refuse interviews like this one, exposed a fraud who had attempted to destroy two of Japan's top actors, revealed the relationship between said actors, and now he had a proposal from, yet again, said actors. He couldn't keep up. This show had thoroughly exceeded his expectations. He cleared his throat and tried to get things back on track. There were still 5 minutes of air time left.

"Well, that was unexpected. Congratulations to you both!" Itashi shook both their hands. "Ren, what made you propose? From what I gathered in your previous statements, you haven't been a couple for very long. And proposing on national TV?" Kyoko's blush had begun to fade but, at Itashi's comment, came back in full force. Ren grinned at her at then looked at Itashi.

"To be honest, it was my away of shouting it from the rooftops. We have had feelings for each other for so long and they haven't faded, even when we thought they were unrequited. I didn't see any reason to wait. I want to be with her for the rest of my life. I think 8 years is plenty of time to be sure of my feelings." Ren laughed. Kyoko made a face at him.

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?" she said wryly. She rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Itashi.

"Though I do agree with him." She looked at Ren. "I certainly think we've had plenty of time to make sure our feelings are real, and with everything we've been through, I'm pretty sure that forever is now a given for us. I certainly wouldn't want to go through it with anyone else." Ren smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Well, we are out of time, and to be honest, after all that, I am thoroughly exhausted." Itashi laughed. "Again, it has truly been a pleasure having you both on our show and we wish you both all the best. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the revelation of wedding details." Itashi looked at the camera.

"This has been a night of adventure for us all and I hope you are as thrilled as I am for our lovely couple. Be sure to leave comments on our webpage on what you thought of tonight's program. Thank you for watching and have a wonderful rest of your day. Until next time." The cameraman counted down, and the "On Air" sign turned off. Itashi sighed and slouched a little bit. Kyoko and Ren shook hands with him, thanking him for having them, and then headed off stage. As he watched them go, he felt a bubble of laughter well up inside of him. He headed off to his room, where he burst out laughing. He truly did wish them all the best.

Ren and Kyoko held hands as they made it backstage. Ren could see his parents ahead and was headed straight for them when, suddenly, Kyoko stopped. He felt a chill down his spine before he even turned to look at her. The look she wore was distinctly Mio-esque.

"Ren… You proposed. On national television." Her calm voice was more terrifying than if she had been yelling at him.

"Would you like to explain your reasoning now, or would you like to just skip straight to being punished?" Stagehands stared as this tall, handsome man cowered before the petite, pixie face woman next to him.

"Umm….Well, I uhhh…" Ren stammered. Julie giggled as she watch Kyoko shoot daggers at Ren with her eyes. Kuu was conflicted on how he should feel, mostly just grateful that Kyoko wasn't looking that way at him. The two shared a look and grinned. Yeah, those two were ready for marriage. Kuu and Julie began to make mental lists of marriage tips for Ren and Kyoko, respectively.

Ren continued to stammer as he search for an explanation that would cause him the least amount of pain. A light bulb went off and he smiled. Kyoko looked at him suspiciously.

"I love you." Kyoko stared at him for a second and then rolled her eyes. Mio disappeared from her face.

"I love you too." Ren grinned and then pulled her into a quick kiss. Kyoko raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't think that will get you out of trouble all the time. I'm still frustrated at you." She stuck her tongue out at him. He grinned.

"Don't be like that. I'm the only ally you are going to have." Kyoko looked confused.

"We are engaged. Which means you are going to have to start planning a wedding. With my mother." Ren smirked as Kyoko blanched and her eyes widened in realization.

"Can we just elope?" Kyoko squeaked. Suddenly, a presence was felt next to them. Ren and Kyoko clung to each other in fright at the intense aura his mother was emanating.

"You most certainly are NOT eloping, young lady!" Julie evaporated into a cloud of happiness. "Oh, this wedding is just going to be perfect! There will need to be ice sculptures, doves, the flowers will need to be imported, and the DRESS! OH YAY!..." Julie was off in lala-land. Kuu smiled pityingly at his kids. Once Julie got started, it was hard to stop her. He hugged them both and then led Julie off gently, nodding as she spouted off a bunch of details to him in rapid fire.

Ren and Kyoko headed to the dressing room to gather their things. After they closed the door, Ren pulled her down onto the couch to sit next to him. He took her left hand and admired how the ring looked on her. Kyoko leaned her head on his shoulder and they sat like that for a bit. They were fill with many emotions. Relief that the ordeal was over, triumph in overcoming this obstacle, nervousness over the next steps they were taking with each other, and just pure bliss, no explanation needed.

Kyoko sighed and lifted her head. She looked at Ren and smiled.

"So where is home going to be for the two of us now?" Ren laughed.

"Well, the paparazzi don't know about your place yet, so perhaps I should move in with you." Ren waited for her response. Kyoko worried her lip as she thought.

"Probably the best idea. It will be a while before things calm down. But what will we move from your house to mine? I don't know if we can fit everything." Ren smiled.

"We will figure that out tomorrow." Kyoko smiled and nodded. She looked in his eyes and gave him a quick kiss.

"Let's go home."

THE END

It's done! My first fanfic is finished! Thanks to all of you who have followed me and reviewed my story. I hope you will all leave lots of reviews for this last chapter. Be on the lookout as I plan on writing a sequel, The Marriage Trials. We all know their story has more to be written. :) Thanks again!