Sorry this is "hot off the press", but I promised Christmas. Happy Holidays, everyone!

In all his years, Ishibashi Hikaru had seen… very little.

Yeah, there was the infamous Fuwa outburst, and who could forget that time on the stairs, but aside from that, he couldn't boast on having a great insight of Mogami Kyoko. The girl was polite, accommodating and kept to herself. She was nice to him, but she was nice to everyone. He had hoped that maybe they might get to know each other better one day, but those hopes had been dashed into Hell as soon as he'd seen her with Tsuruga Ren.

Like most of Japan, he had found the press release of LME (the one that stated the two actors were not intimately involved) ridiculous. Unlike most of Japan, he had had a chance to watching Kyoko nearly every day since the function. He had never asked her about it (and suspected that if he had, she wouldn't tell), but he was pretty sure that her luster had somehow dimmed. He could tell she was troubled, but why exactly, he had no idea.

That's why he was not too surprised when Tsuruga Ren (dressed in an outrageously pink jumpsuit), appeared thirty minutes before the filming for next week's episode began and demanded to see Kyoko. Since the latter was still busy assembling her suit in the back room, Hikaru couldn't in good conscious let a man close by.

"Why do you need to see her?" Hikaru asked. "I can tell her and see if she can come out and talk to you."

"If you tell her I'm here, she'll refuse to see me."

"All the more reasons why you shouldn't be here."

Ren groaned. He had to hand it to the guy – he had guts, but he didn't have time for this. He had to talk to Kyoko, now. So he resorted to begging.

"Please," he said. "I have to talk to her, now. If not… I don't know if I'll have the guts to do it."

Hikaru frowned. There were thirty minutes before filming began and he had yet to go and get ready. He didn't have time to argue with Tsuruga, and a small part of him wanted to see where this was a going. Maybe Kyoko would shoot him down to hell. Maybe she would have closure. Maybe they would get together and make every romantic swoon. And hell, didn't every man deserve a shot at confessing his love properly?

"Come with me," he said. "I'll see if the manager can figure something out."

Kyoko was not looking forward to this episode, not least because Sho was in there somewhere as well. She was tired and restless, especially since she'd had that talk with Ren. She had thought, at first, that she could do the same thing she had done with Sho – close her heart off and hate. But things were different. For one thing, what she had felt for Sho had been a crush. A childish infatuation which had stung, but not left too much of a lasting impression.

Ren, however… she didn't know how to call it, but he was more than just a crush. He knew her. She knew him. They had helped each other through high and low – they were friends, and she wanted that back.

But could they be friends? Really friends, with no lies and no manipulation?

She was so busy with her thoughts that she almost didn't hear the manager call her name. She almost toppled over. "Sir?"

"Stop spacing out, Mogami. You have a visitor."

"What? We're going to start filming now…"

"We can wait for five minutes. He says he won't move unless he talks to you."

He? Kyoko's heart made a little leap, but it settled again when she was lead towards the dressing rooms. Her grudges hissed when they saw Sho leaning against the wall. "Well, well, well," he said. "If it isn't Chicken Little."

She sighed. "Are you actually holding back the team again? I thought we went through this once before."

He sneered, but the look lacked venom. He actually looked a little bit… sincere. "Look, I wanted to talk to you, but LME wouldn't let me have your phone number."

"Maybe they wouldn't let you have it because you're annoying," she said and turned to leave. "Stop being a child, Shotarou. We have nothing left to say to each other."

"Wait!" He reached for her hand… er, wing, and then stopped himself. "I heard you and Tsuruga aren't together after all. I… um, I'm glad. He's not good enough for you."

"That's really not up to you to decide."

"Yeah, well… I thought I ought to do something good for you, at least once. You were looking after me for so long."

"Are you still trying to pay me back?" she said, contempt dripping from her tone. "Why can't you just let this go, Sho? It doesn't matter. I'm fine. You're fine. Let's just go on our separate ways and leave off."

"So what, now you're going to pretend you don't know me? Like the first fifteen years of your life meant nothing."

"No, that's more up your lane," she said, and felt bad instantly. There she was again, letting him get to her, when she thought she had outgrown this. "Why do we keep doing this?"

"What?"

"This. We used to be friends, and now all we do is go at each others' throat every time we're in the same room. Can't we just… let it go? Just admit that we both made some stupid decisions and get on with our lives?"

Sho looked off-balance. He was prepared for everything – anger, sarcasm, tears of rage – but the truth. And he found he had no answer to her.

Kyoko gave him a minute for a comeback, and then left. This whole thing was pointless.

She went to where she was supposed to enter the stage. She was so busy with the chicken mask that she almost collided with someone else. A seven-foot tall rabbit. "Oh, sorry," she said, and then gave a double take. "Wait, what are you doing here?"

Before the rabbit could answer, Hikaru appeared from behind her and gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Kyoko-chan, it's a sudden change of plans. The screen-writer wanted to introduce something different this time, and we're having two mascots instead of one. This is Corn."

She was dreaming. This was a dream. There was no way such a big change could happen without everyone being told of it. And… Corn? This was a dream, and a crazy one at that. But then the rabbit removed its head, and, sure enough, Tsuruga Ren was in the suit and bowed low.

"Good Day, Kyoko-san. Let's work well together today."

She barely had time to formulate a response before Hikaru left them alone and the countdown began for the episode. She quickly put on her mask, and Ren did the same, and they stood in the entrance, ready for their cue.

Okay… so apparently Ren was starring in Bridge Rock with her today, and he was going to be a mascot too. Fine, she could work with that. She was Miracle Actress Kyoko, there was nothing she couldn't do. "Just follow my lead," she said. "And you'll be fine."

In the confines of the rabbit suit, Ren grinned like a maniac.

"So, Fuwa-kun, tell us about your new single," Shinichi said, hoping to break the ice. The moody star had already shot down three questions and the manager was fuming in the side lines. No matter how many times Shoko-san had given him the cut, he still did what he did.

The only highlight had been Bo and Corn, who, in the background, had pretended to be rock musicians. Corn, the high and mighty one, who constantly got tripped up by Bo. Their pantomime was pretty good, especially because every time Fuwa acted like a child, Corn deliberately took a harder fall.

Hikaru was almost sorry for Tsuruga, but the guy had assured him that he would fall as many times as he liked and wouldn't hurt himself.

But it was funny. And it took the audience's minds away from the failure with Fuwa.

Kyoko was on the edge. She was acutely aware of the fact that Sho was blowing this whole episode and she needed to step up her act. She also worried about Ren, and whether he'd be able to follow through. She flinched every time he fell, wondering if he broke something, but he never did. It was like the man was made of rubber – ugly animal costume or not, he knew his stuff.

"…It's a song about heartbreak," Sho was saying. She snapped out of her reverie and realized that he had only spoken one sentence. She panicked, wondering about what reaction she should pull, and then realized she didn't have to. Ren had flopped on his back, hands dramatically over his chest, as if he was having a heart attack.

Or… what if he was?

NO!

She dropped to her knees by his side, and fluttered her wings around, trying to get her fingers out to find a pulse. She somehow got one hand under his head and moved him upward, and then…

The rabbit moved forward and their masks pressed for the briefest of moments, before he hopped to his feet. She stood motionless before the audience burst into applause, and realized what he had done. He'd kissed her!

Well, Corn had kissed Bo, but still…

Oh, boy, the fanfics that would be written!

She burst into action, fluttering her wings madly, but Corn was already onto the next act. No way! She wasn't letting him take the lead.

They ran around the studio, with Ren choosing his route carefully so that Kyoko wouldn't trip over any stay wires, and then slowed enough for her to land a chicken-karate chop to his side. He then made a show of falling down, while she made a show of dusting off her hands.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten about Sho. Even the Bridge Rock trio. But Kyoko hadn't – she shot her old friend a look over her shoulder, and it was one that would translate even through the mask of a chicken. Fix this, or die!

Sho, never to disappoint, cleared his throat and launched into his spiel.

"The song is about a boy who wants the world—" here, Ren pretended to reach for the light bulb, while Kyoko smacked him on the back of his head, "—but he never seems to get what he wants. There is a girl, to whom he's talking to, who has stayed by his side throughout all this time. He goes through all the stages of grief when his dream won't come true – anger, denial, bargaining, depression and acceptance – with her, and in the end realizes that she's all he needs. But it's too late – she has left him."

It was a very sincere song, Kyoko thought while she waited for Ren to make a reaction. But he didn't. He was looking at her. She was looking at him. And she realized that this pretty much applied to them as well. Maybe Sho hadn't intended it like this, but there it was. She was the girl Ren let go because he was too stupid. And he knew it.

"That's very sad," Hikaru said. "How does it end?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I just told you. It's a tragedy."

Ren and Kyoko exchanged a look, then they both gave Sho a stern stare-down. So what? He was just going to give up? Let the love of his life go? Well, then he deserved to be unhappy.

Corn made a step towards her, and she froze. Her heart started beating fast. Somehow, the lights seemed a lot brighter, and they were suddenly in their place in Kyoto. She knew she was being silly – it was just Ren in an animal costume, but she couldn't help but feel warm. Then, with a flourish, he dropped to one knee and presented her with a paper rose. She laughed, took it and then presented him with a paper bouquet. The audience roared its appreciation while the Bridge Rock crew whistled and applauded.

"I think what Bo and Corn are trying to say here," Hikaru explained, "Is that you have to fight for the person you love. Maybe you should change the ending, Fuwa-kun."

"Yeah," Sho muttered. "Maybe I should."

A minute later, the lights were on Sho as he took center stage and the microphone. Whether it was his recent conversation with Kyoko or the display the chicken and rabbit had put up, his voice was so full of raw emotion that it tore the hearts of every woman in the audience.

Or, nearly every woman. When the lights had blinded Sho for the rest of the world, Bo and Korn had slipped into their nook behind the scenes and taken off the animal heads. Kyoko and Ren were both sweating and red-face, but their eyes were bright with excitement. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"That was…"

"Amazing!"

"You did so well!"

"Only because you led me to it."

"No way," Ren shook his head. "That was all you. You can tell you love this role, Kyoko-chan. You're really one with it."

She blushed deeply and bowed her head. And then it occurred to her – he knew who she was. He had somehow figured it out. Her cheeks burned harder than ever and she wished the floor would swallow her up. Only… he didn't look mad. And hadn't she decided to stop apologizing for everything she did. She braved to look at him in the eye, and for once his divine smile didn't hurt her. She actually felt quite warm.

"You don't seem mad," she said.

"How can I be? This is your role," he said. "Although it all adds up to a pretty interesting comedy of errors."

"Indeed. But… how come you're on this show? They told me it was very last minute…"

"Ah, that… I have to confess, it's because of me." Ren seemed embarrassed. "I needed to talk to you, and I needed to do it now. So I came up here, but they wouldn't let me in because they would start filming any moment now. So I went and convinced the manager."

"What… what did you say to him?" Knowing the manager, some pretty smooth talking must have happened.

"I told him, "Excuse me, sir, but I must confess to your chicken.""

Kyoko, not knowing how to react, burst into hysterical laughter. And then it died down, replaced by dread. Oh, God. "Ren, you don't have to…"

"Please," he said, holding his hands up. "I'm sorry if this makes you uneasy. I promise, I'm not looking for a reaction out of you. But I need to say these things, and I hope you will allow me to do it."

She nodded, slowly. Ren took a deep breath. Don't screw this up!

"It… seems like we never fully understand each other," he said. "And my most important secrets are always told to you. I know it may seem odd, but I truly care for you. I… I love you. I don't know for how long, but… well, actually, you helped me realize what it was."

Kyoko ducked her head, blushing. He reached out and touched her cheek, making her look up. "I realized I loved you, but I was too scared. I told myself I wasn't for you and that only made me worse when it looked like someone made a pass on you. I lashed out, acting like a jealous jerk, and I'm sorry."

"We all made some pretty weird mistakes, huh?" she said, smiling. "I'm not saying it was right, but… I understand, at least."

He nodded. "But… I want you to know, I'm working on fixing it. All of it. I'm talking to my parents. I'm seeing someone for my problems."

She stared. "Why? I mean, it's been nearly six years. Why now?"

"Talking to you, I realized something I should have realized a long time ago. I came to Japan to make a new me, but all I did was bury my head in the sand and ignore all the garbage around me. I wasted precious time I should have spent with my parents. And… I don't know how much I have left." He swallowed. "Obviously, my strategy didn't work for me – I ended up pushing away the only girl I love."

Kyoko took a deep breath, shrugged her hand out of the suit and reached out to touch his face. "What you're doing is very brave. I can't imagine how hard it must be, or how it is for you. But I admire you for this. Most people would be content to bury their heads in the sand."

"I know. I… don't expect you to say anything. Not really. But I don't want to keep secrets from you. From now on, I want you to know that I'll work even harder than before. I will prove myself worthy of trust. And if some day you decide to forgive me, and give me another chance… I swear I won't blow it. I swear it. I'd rather cut my hand off than disappoint you again."

Her eyes filled up, because, really, what is there to say to this? All her years, what her orphaned heart had wanted most was for somebody to love her, unconditionally and powerfully, and go to the world's end for her. She loved him. And, for some reason, her heart felt strong enough to take it.

She caressed his face and leaned in until their foreheads touched. "I'm giving it to you now. You better remember that promise."

The look on his face made it abundantly clear that he would. His eyes were on her and her alone, like she was the most important thing in the world, and that she would be until the end of time.

They kissed, (but not too passionately. There is only so much hot action you can get in a bulky animal suit). They undressed (separately), and then got out, both clad in their pink Love Me! jumpsuits. He took her hand and she blushed prettily as she leaned in for another kiss. They progressed, slowly down the corridor, until they almost reached the lobby.

"I should probably warn you," he said. "A lot of people saw me drive over. Chances are, fans are flocking the street."

She peeked around the corner and, sure enough, there were faces pressed against the glass windows at every side. She turned to look at him. "Ready to send that LME press release to hell then?"

He grinned and swung her in his arms, bridal style. "You're a demon on a bike, but I've got the longest legs here. You think I can outrun them?"

She laughed. "Go for it!"

One last A/N: Once again, Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for sticking with this story, your reviews really made it worth it. Happy Holidays, and lots of love.

F.S.