Disclaimer: Skip Beat! is a wonderful, wonderful thing and does not belong to me physically, mentally, or emotionally. I belong to it :) No , but seriously, I do not own Skip Beat!

"I love you, Ren-san." The tender words that Ren had been dying to hear for over a year floated in the air as the cogs in his brain started turning. He honestly had no reaction. For the first time in his life, he felt speechless. Kyoko was crushed by the blank look on her senpai's face, as if he was contemplating how to politely turn her down.

Is it possible that he doesn't feel the same way? Could I have misunderstood him?

"SORRY!" she blurted out, bowing deeply to him, "Two days ago, I accidentally overheard you talking to Yashiro-san, and you said something that gave me the impression that you loved me. At first I was really scared and worried, but then I realized that I love you as well, and please don't ignore me or hate me or chop me up into little pieces. I promise, if you feel uncomfortable, we can forget this ever happened!"Kyoko was panting by the end of her rant, and she looked back up at Ren. Shock registered in his chiseled features, and he whispered hoarsely,"You l-love me?"

Kyoko's blush deepened. Do I really have to say it a third time?

"I love you." she croaked. That was all the prodding Ren needed. In a flash, his lips met hers in a feathery touch that didn't last long enough for Kyoko's liking (though she would rather die of embarrassment than admit it).

"I love you too." he replied, his warm breath sending pleasant shivers down her spine. "And you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

"Why would Ren-san love someone like me?" Kyoko blurted out loud, and instantly shot her hand over her mouth. Here, the man of her dreams was confessing to her, and she was questioning it?

"Because, you are kind and smart and beautiful." he said firmly "I can't even comprehend why you love someone as despicable as me." A year ago, Kyoko would have been shocked by her senpai saying something so self-loathing. But after their time acting as Cain and Setsu, she had been able to slowly piece together bits of his past. She didn't know anything concrete, only that he had done something horrible when he was younger; something he was trying to run away from.

"Because Ren-san is very special to me." she said, cupping his face in her hands. "You are so kind to me, and mature, but childish sometimes. And..you make me feel happy, and I want to do the same for you" Ren smiled one of his few genuine smiles, and leaned forward to embrace the teen in a tight hug.

"Thank you" she vaguely heard him mumble into her hair as she tentatively wrapped her arms around his back. The hug lasted for less than a minute, but Kyoko enjoyed every second of it. It wasn't very often she got to hug anyone, since Moko-san wasn't a fan of displays of affection, but the warmth and love radiating from the simple act made her heart swell.

Only when Ren finally pulled away did Kyoko realize just how tired she was. Her mere five hours of sleep the night before were finally catching up with her. She could feel her heavy eyes starting to close, and she leaned lazily against the couch pillow.

"Kyoko-chan." started Ren. He wanted to tell her the truth about his identity, and his past. It would be unfair to her to start a relationship while keeping such important details a secret. "There are some things you should know. About me, and about my past." This is where I lose everything I have built up with her, he thought bitterly.

'I know." she murmured sleepily. Ren's eyes widened. "I figured a while ago that Ren-san has troubled in his past. Something bad you want to run away from. But, you don't need to tell me now if you don't want to. I love Ren-san, and I promise, I won't run away." At this point, Ren was adamant on continuing, but noticed Kyoko had fallen asleep.

Honestly, Kyoko felt bad for drifting off when Ren has such important things to say. But, it seemed the sandman had paid her an impromptu visit, and had dumped five thousand pounds of sand over her eyes.
Looking at the dozing girl on his couch, Ren was about to take her to his guest room when all of a sudden, all his energy was zapped and he fell down on the couch in deep sleep. His arms curled around Kyoko's waist as the two of them cuddled on the couch.

The Ghost of Christmas Love smiled mischievously at his work as the couple slept peacefully. He had used a bit of his magic dust to make Kyoko fall asleep. She would need some rest before she learnt of her companion's past. As for Ren, the ghost thought that sharing a couch together would give them a bit more romantic progress. Plus, he had opened the bag of sleep dust already; it would be a waste not to use all of it.

The spirit wondered if it was alright to leave them as their relationship was. But, he trusted the Ghost of Christmas Future, who had told him that the next day, there would be no secrets between the couple and that they would start dating. So, the ghost pulled out his pen, and happily crossed Mogami Kyoko and Hizuri Kuon off his list of humans who needed his romantic expertise. Peeking at the list, he saw the next two names: Kotonami Kanae and Yashiro Yukihito. He smirked, and was suddenly eager to help the two, whom he remembered seeing at Kyoko's Grateful Party. However, he saw no need to wait until next Christmas. After all, he was quite friendly with Cupid, The Spirit of Valentine's Day Love.

The End

A final Author's Note: Sorry about the bizarre disclaimer..just trying to spice it up a bit! So, this is what the end feels like. It's like a piece dark chocolate. Delicious, sweet, and fulfilling, but with a bitter aftertaste which leaves you wanting slightly more. But, when you get more, you end up feeling fat and regretting you had that extra piece (story of my life here). Sorry to end a bit abruptly, but I didn't really want to go into Kyoko and Ren's new relationship, or Ren's past. Not because I'm lazy, but because I don't want to waste all my ideas in one story. I originally intended for this to be much shorter, but I found myself droning on and on a bit. This was supposed to be a story of meddling ghosts making Kyoko open up her heart, and I believe I accomplished that. But, worry not my lovelies, I will return! I'm planning to dabble in the one-short realm for a while until I can conjure up a secure plot line.

Thank you soo much to all of you who stuck with me through this story. I hope you enjoyed it and will read my future fics. Until then, happy reading!