A/n: Wow, it's been a while, huh? Sorry that it took so long for me to start posting again. I have no excuses, except that I was out having a life (for once). But don't worry; that's all behind me now. XD

"Ren?" Kyoko's soft voice right beside his ear helped lure him out of sleep. Indeed, why sleep when his dream come true was waiting for him? "We need to get up, Ren. The shooting, remember?" She shoved him lightly when he didn't stir. "I made breakfast," Kyoko added, hoping that would motivate him into leaving his bed. "And coffee!"

Slowly, Ren rolled onto his side, facing her. So she smiled briefly in triumph. Briefly, because then Ren reached out with his long arms, dragging her back into the bed. She squeaked at the sudden motion as his arms wrapped around her torso, effectively preventing any escape. However, when he began kissing her neck, her surprise morphed to lust. Kyoko reached her arms behind her, locking them in his midnight black hair, tugging him on. Naturally, he complied, exchanging light kisses on his neck for deep ones on her mouth once he had turned her around in his arms.

"We have to," she moaned between kisses as she caught her breath, "g-get to work."

"They won't start the shoot without us," he countered, his hands working there way up the back of her shirt, fiddling with the clasp of her bra.

"Your perfect record will be stained."

He successfully removed her bra, slipping in out of her shirt. As he gazed at her through the thin t-shirt (his, actually), Ren whispered huskily, "Worth it."

His intense look made Kyoko's cheeks flush a bit, but it excited her more then it embarrassed her. It was amazing to wrap her mind around the fact that Ren wanted her just as much as she wanted him. For so long, she had been a nobody. And now, she was so deeply in love that she could hardly believe it. Every time he looked at her like that or kissed her so passionately, Kyoko felt as if they were the only people in the world. Just the two of them, suffocating in their love for one another.

With a grin of her own now as she wiggled in his grasp a bit, fiddling with his pajama bottoms. Kyoko had to bite her lip to keep from smiling any wider as it was Ren's turn to squirm. He uttered a sound similar to a growl as she slipped a hand past the waistband, reaching lower and lower until-

Bzzt! Bzzt!

With a sigh, Kyoko pulled away, allowing Ren to snatch his phone off of the nightstand. "Yashiro," he hissed, "this had better be important."

As the young woman reached for her discarded undergarment, her cheeks notably colored at being caught at such an intimate moment, she heard Ren's manager reply over the phone about the time for their rehearsal being moved up.

"I know this is really short call, but he, the director, expects you both to be at the set in forty minutes. I hope it won't be too much of a problem."

Ren sat up, running his hand through his messy hair. "It shouldn't be an issue. We'll be there." He said a quick good bye before snapping the phone shut. "Forty minutes is plenty of time to get there, and with time to spare," he told Kyoko, gesturing for her to join her back in the bed.

And the offer was almost too sweet to resist. Until a beeping in the kitchen reached their ears. "Wahh! I totally forgot about the coffee pot," Kyoko realized, dashing out of the room to prevent a fire.

Chuckling, Ren climbed out of bed, heading to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Meanwhile, Kyoko was clearly flustered as she shut down the coffee maker. Way to ruin the moment, she berated herself as she poured the pot into a mug.

Since officially becoming a couple with Ren, her confidence had skyrocketed. Her directors and superiors at LME alike had commented on it. And her friends had noticed too. "Love looks good on you," Moko had commented just the other day as they met for lunch. Was it really such a huge change? Kyoko hadn't really noticed, except for the fact that she would sometimes find herself humming tunelessly nowadays. Feeling happy all the time felt a bit strange now, and yet, a bit nostalgic. It almost reminded her of her childhood with Shotaro.

In retrospect, Kyoko had to shake her head at her own foolishness. She had been so desperate to with Shotaro, so desperate to love him. Really, that was all it was. She needed to love him. It didn't matter to her if he hadn't returned it, as long as he didn't completely reject it. Naturally, Kyoko was a very warm person and full of love. But she had never had an outlet for her love, a person who she could shower with her boundless affection. Not having a close household only added to the swelling of such feelings. Being capable of loving so much, but not being able to do it was painful, more then she had realized as a child. Actually, her younger self probably didn't even realize why she had needed Shotaro so deeply and loved him so carelessly.

When she first met Korn it was the first time she could truly be herself. She didn't have to be afraid of her mother, nor constantly doting on Shotaro, so... she was just being. Of course, she knew that she liked Korn, but the feeling was somehow weaker then her feeling towards Shotaro had been. Perhaps it was because she was so determined to give Shotaro her everything. Whatever the case, when she was with Korn, her emotions were subtle and light.

They were peaceful.

I guess I was happy to love Sho because he didn't reject me, Kyoko mused as she wiped down counters. With Korn, I was accepted, but, since it felt different then it did with Sho, I assumed being cared for in return wasn't natural. Clearly, my mind was warped when it came to love. Only to be expected.

But, living the lie that was her 'happiness' helped her compare her feelings for the only two men who she had ever loved. And her love for Shotaro paled in comparison to the endless affection she held for Ren. She found it a bit ironic that she was using what had once been considered her true love for Shotaro to make her see how much more she loved Ren.

Ren stumbled into the kitchen then, fiddling with the collar of his shirt. "We'd better hurry up, Kyoko. Yashiro will have our heads if we're late for this." One of his dark eyebrows rose as he observed the pensive look on her face. "What is on you mind?"

She sauntered over to him and quickly adjusted his collar. "Hm? Nothing much, just thinking about the past. My childhood with Shotaro." Kyoko giggled when she noticed his face darken. "Cool your jealousy, Ren. What I should have said was I realized how grateful I am to have met Shotaro. If I hadn't, I never would have met you, and I never would have discovered how love should truly feel." The auburn-haired girl winked before dashing off into the bedroom to get dressed.

A smile stole across Ren's face as he watched her skip away, his heart racing. Sometimes, he felt as though he would just burst with how much he loved her. All of her.

Since he had first met young Kyoko, he knew a bond existed between them. Kindred spirits, lost to the abyss of loneliness. And he had also come to admire the way she still tried so hard to push on through, while he himself had given up. Kyoko had made him want to try harder to get along with his father, and her belief in him had driven him to pursue acting so that Ren could surpass him. He owed her so much. He had loved her so much.

It was more friendly back then, back when he only saw her as a kind child. But he had loved her honestly.

Had she felt something similar?

He had never thought to ask her what her feelings had been towards Korn before. Since seeing her portray his younger self, he had wondered about it, however. She had acted so close to the mark! Was it merely because she was a talented actress, or because had she been observing him so closely back then? It was odd to think that a child could have understood him so well that she could mirror him so accurately. How has Kyoko dug so deeply under his skin while still in grade school? Maybe they were fated to be together.

But he would never really know. This realization made him slump against the counter. He was Tsuruga Ren, not Korn or Kuon. Not anymore. It was highly unlikely that he would ever be able to tell her everything, about his past and their entwined childhood. How would she react upon finding out he was a sham? Although he was never fake with her, he was a phony to the world. Hiding behind his pretentious mask for years as he fooled everyone into loving him. Would such a thing make her hate him?

Yet, she deserved the truth.

He had to tell her.

And soon.

"Ren? Are you ready?" Kyoko poked her head out of the room as she wiggled into her jacket, her eyes finding the wall clock.

Ren nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

She ducked back into the room then.

In a flash, he pulled out his cell phone and was dialing a very familiar number. It rang many times before he was directed to voicemail. Not wanting to alert Kyoko in the other room, he lowered his voice to a sharp whisper. "Lory, we need to talk. Tonight. Clear your schedule later. I'll be over right after work. I can't keep this from her any longer, and she deserves to know who I am. And I deserve to know if Kyoko will still love me after she sees I'm not who everyone thinks I am." With that he snapped the phone shut, clasping it tightly in his hand.

Thankfully, he was able to compose his face before Kyoko emerged from the room. He wrapped his arm around her waist, giving a little squeeze.

The gesture worried her a bit, though. Kyoko was used to Ren holding her tightly, clearly showing he wasn't going to let her go. But now, he was holding her so softly, as if she was shatter like a glass figurine. Like he was afraid he would hurt her. "Ren?" Kyoko tugged on his sleeve, a tiny frown on her face. "Is something wrong?"

He sighed. "Don't worry yourself. I was just… also thinking about my past." He shook his head at her questioning look. "I'll explain later," he promised as he opened the passenger door of his car for her and offered his hand to help her in. He couldn't help himself for place a kiss on her tiny hand, not wanting to let her go. In the back of his mind, a voice whispered for her release and freedom. Once he did let her hand go, a sense of aching took over him.

He didn't want to be without her.

Not again. Not ever.

A/n 2.0: Just so you all know, the second part to this story will be a bit short. The main part of the story is told, so the rest I will just be making up as I go along. If you have any suggestions, please send them in a comment. The same goes if you want to ask for more lemons. :O

I plan on updating about every two-three days. So keep a look out!