Ren was listening to Kyoko's conversation with only half an ear. He had been thinking of ways to stop her from getting those last two numbers when he had heard her handcuff unlock. One moment she had been there, and the next, she was gone, sprinting down a hallway of LME. He looked down at his handcuff, trying to recall what she had been saying.

I have no such intentions towards Tsuruga-san...

Ren spun towards the president.

"President." He said, breathless with anticipation. "Is the lie detector on these still working?"

Lory wasn't paying attention to them. He was still on the stage, talking to Sebastian.

"Yes, they are battery operated" said Lory. "So as long as the light is on, they work."

It was all Ren needed.

"Go for it Ren!" shouted Yashiro as his charge sprinted off down the hall.

"Should we go eavesdrop?" asked Kanae.

"Probably not a good idea." said Yashiro, his smile reaching his ears. "Ohhhh, but I wish I could be there. Sense when did Kyoko like him?"

"That's what I'd like to know." mumbled Kanae. Apparently her best friend hadn't been honest with her. She smiled as she watched Ren's back disappear through the door frame. Yashiro placed an arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. She would be sad to share her best friend, but she decided to allow it. Only because she knew it would make Kyoko happy.

The phone in Kyoko's pocket was vibrating, but she didn't answer it. Even without looking at the caller ID she knew who it was. Eventually it stopped vibrating, then it gave a quick shake, indicating she had gotten a message. She took it out, glancing at the message from her senpai asking her where she was. Which honestly was a good question, one she would like to know. She glanced around the space she occupied.

It was an empty conference room with a long table in the center surrounded by comfy looking chairs. She had been in several conference rooms similar to this when doing readings for shows, but she didn't recognize this particular one. She had a vague recollection of sprinting up stairs and running down hallways before tumbling into this room and shutting the door.

At that moment, the door opened. Her Senpai stuck his head in the room and looked around. He spotted her, curled up in the corner behind the door.

His face softened, then turned to a look of frustration.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" he asked, stepping into the room and closing the door.

He flicked a switch, bathing the room in light. Kyoko looked down, both in shame and to shield her face from the sudden glow.

"I-" she swallowed. "Wasn't sure where I was. When you asked in the txt message." she said

"I see."

Kyoko kept her head down, but she could feel his eyes on her.

Ren was currently calming down his heart. It had been pure luck he had found her. That, and Lory's lack of subtly. After asking some people in the hallway, he had managed to find her. If her pink uniform hadn't been enough to make her stand out, the fact that she had been running at top speed had definitely contributed to his ability to find her. A pink specter sprinting down the hallways was sure to get attention.

The handcuffs were still on his wrist.

"I don't have my hopes up." he mumbled, then slid the now unlocked handcuffs off his wrist and sat down in front of Kyoko. She still wasn't looking at him.

"Mogami-san." he said, watching with little pleasure as she flinched. He didn't want to distress her, but he had to know. "Before you ran off, you were talking to Kanae-san. You said that you 'didn't have any such intentions towards me.' or at least, something of that nature. Am I correct?"

Kyoko nodded.

"After that, the handcuffs came out. Indicating that it was a lie."

No answer.

"Mogami-san. Is it possible? Do you like me?" he asked.

Kyoko didn't move. She could lie. Those horrible cuffs were no long on her, and he would never know how she felt. She seriously considered it before rejecting the idea.

No. She had decided to give romance another try. Even if she already knew the answer. Her stomach churned at the thought of rejection, but she knew he wouldn't hate her. It would change their relationship, but he wouldn't hate her.

It was time for her to stop running from the fear of being hurt. She trusted Ren, and knew that he wouldn't stomp all over her feelings like a certain idiot had.

The thought gave her courage, and she took a deep breath, willing her voice not to shake.

"No Tsuruga-san." she said. "I do not like you. If my feelings were that simple, then I could have ignored them."

She clasped her hands together in a vain attempt to stop them from shaking, and looked up. Ren was watching her, his face a mixture of confusion and... hurt? Why would he be hurt?

"I love you Tsuruga-san." she plunged on. "I know you're probably sick of hearing this from women. But I at least that I fell for you as a person, not an actor. You have shown me many time your kindness and help, both on and off set. You have shown me that there are people I can trust, and come to l-love. I know you don't see me as anything more than a kohai, and could never hope to return my feelings, but I have to be honest with you."

Ren was silent. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. She loved him? He had thought that maybe, she saw him as a man, but this was... much more than he had ever dared to hope for.

He reached for her, cutting off whatever Kyoko was about to say next. Gently, he cradled her head between his hands. Kyoko was instantly frozen, locked inside his gaze. The place where his hands touched her cheek felt like they were on fire.

"Why." he said, his deep voice sending chills down her spine. "Do you think I could never return your feelings?"

It was hard to keep her head on straight when he was looking at her like that. "Well...Because you love that high school girl."

Ren let out a long sigh, the kind of sigh her gave her when she got a NG's while acting.

"Mogami-san." he said, firmly. "Did you ever think that the high school girl I was talking about was you? I love you Mogami-san."

That did it. She was broken. Kyoko immediately began to sputter, face red and eyes spinning in circles. Ren could barely make out anything, but he was sure she had called him a playboy, and told him not to tease her.

Ren couldn't stop himself from sighing again. He wanted nothing more than to hug her, kiss her, show her with his actions how much he loved her. The desire had been building all day, the only thing stopping him at the moment was fear. He knew that doing exactly what he wanted to would hurt her. If a simple declaration of love sent her into this kind of frenzy, his actions were sure to confuse rather than comfort her. How could he convince her of his sincerity?

He spotted the handcuffs he had lain on the ground and scooped them up. He attached one end to his wrist then held it up for her to see. Kyoko stopped sputtering, her eyes now fixed on the handcuffs.

"First question" he said. "What is the most attractive thing about your partner. My answer is simple. Everything. Your smile, your compassion, the energy you put into everything you do. Even your blushing face." he couldn't help a teasing smile as her face complied with that description. "In my eyes, you are the most beautiful women I have ever met."

"Second question." he continued, ignoring her protests at being called beautiful. "What is your worst fear? I have many fears, but my biggest was that I would be too late, and you would fall in love with another man."

Kyoko's mouth was opening and closing, much like a fish out of water.

"Third question." he said, and at this point she was no longer looking at the handcuff. She was staring at him, eyes as big as saucers. "What secret have you been keeping that might make the other one hate you? I have quite a few of those, not the least of which was my desire for you." If there was any blood left in Kyoko's body, it was in her face at that moment.

"And before I heard your answer, I was not scared that I had misunderstood your lie and allowed myself to hope again in vain."

The cuff unlocked, and he set it aside. He stood, taking Kyoko by the hand and bringing her with him. He kept hold of her hands, loving the sensation of his skin against hers.

"I love you Mogami-san." he said again. "And I'll say it as many times as you need me to until you believe me."

"You were talking about me?" she managed to say. "You love me?"

"That's what I said."

"Really?"

"Really."

A smile lit up her face. It brightening the whole room. She hugged him, wrapping her arms around his torso. It was a simple gesture, as gestures go between lovers, but it's significance was not lost to Ren. Kyoko had never initiated contact between them before. It had always been on his end. The surge of warmth and love that coursed through Ren almost overpowered him. He returned the hug, wishing to never grow tired of the feelings that holding her in his arms brought him.

"I love you Kyoko." he said.

"I love you too Tsuruga-san."

"Ren"

Kyoko leaned her head away from him, but kept her arms around him. She gave him a questioning look, her face almost back to its normal hue.

"I want you to call me by my first name." he said.

"But..."

"No excuses." he said, his childish nature coming out. "It doesn't make sense for you to call your boyfriend by his family name."

"B-Boyfriend?" she said.

"How else are you going to appease the president? Or do you still want to get more numbers from other men?"

"I don't-"

"After all those pocky games we never did kiss." He continued.

Kyoko blushed

"I admit, I'm a little jealous. After all you did kiss Corn, and I don't think it's fair that he got a kiss while your boyfriend doesn't get one."

"Bully!" she shouted, but he just laughed. He felt like he was on cloud nine.

Kyoko felt like she was losing. Her emotions were frazzled as it was, but him teasing her was the last straw. She did love this side of him, though it could be frustrating, but her competitive nature was getting the best of her. She saw the handcuffs he had left on the table, and snatched them up.

"Last question." she said, slapping them around her wrist. "Did you want to kiss your partner? My answer: Yes."

Before he could say anything, she grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss.

It tasted like chocolate.

Yay! So there you have it. I hope you have enjoyed this romantic comedic adventure as much as I have.

Thank you everyone for making my first fan fiction experience a good one. I appreciate all the comments and suggestions from everyone. Especially those that stayed with me from the beginning. Your comments especially cheered me on through the whole thing. Thank you! This has been educational to me for sure. I hope to remain (somewhat) active on fan fiction in the future, as long as my schedule will allow it.

Cheers to Ren and Kyoko!

-Blushweaver