When Ren got back to the ryokan, he found Kanae waiting for him at the back door.

"Have you seen Kyoko? I can't find her anywhere, and she left her phone on the floor of our room."

His mouth went dry. Calm down, she's fine. She lived here. She's probably just gone with the Okami somewhere or something, he thought. But she didn't take her phone. Why was it on the floor? "I haven't seen her."

Kanae looked worriedly down the hallway in the direction of their room. "Well, if you see her, just let her know I'm looking for her."

They finished shooting early enough that day that they were able to have a group dinner. Ren went to his room to wash up. As he dressed in a clean shirt, the feeling was nagging at him that something wasn't right. Koga entered the room and pulled his shirt off over his head. Ren turned to him.

"Have you seen Mogami-san anywhere?"

Koga shook his head. "Not since she left the set this afternoon."

Ren sighed. "Shit."

Koga raised an eyebrow. "What? Is she missing or something?"

Ren nodded. "Kotonami-san caught me at the back door and told me that she couldn't find her, and that her cell phone was left on the floor. I'm hoping she's simply off with the Okami somewhere and maybe she'll join us for dinner."

Koga stood still. "You don't think that asshole Fuwa has anything to do with this, do you?"

Ren smiled, and it made Koga's blood run cold. "Not if he values his life."

Ren headed off for the dining room while Koga showered and sat down at the table. Kijima was there, plying Itsumi Momose with alcohol. Kanae and Hiou were sitting at the table eating and chatting with Director Nakamura. Ren's heart fell when there was no sign of Kyoko.

"You looking for your girlfriend, Tsuruga?"

Ren took a deep breath and turned to face Sho Fuwa, who had just entered the room.

"You know, Fuwa, this is a private party. I know this is your family's ryokan, but it's still bad manners to just intrude on the guests."

Sho grinned maliciously and sat right beside him. "So, you're saying that I probably shouldn't have looked in Kyoko's suitcase and found your necklace, huh?" he whispered.

Ren gave him a sidelong glare. "Where is she?"

Sho smirked. "Hell if I know. But she and I had a bet. If she fell in love with you, she had to come back here and work at the ryokan for the rest of her life. She said she wouldn't fall in love with you, that she was just using you for acting lessons. Some lie that turned out to be."

Ren's hand flexed under the table and curled into a fist, but before he could move, Kijima appeared in his peripheral vision.

"Holy shit! Sho Fuwa? THE Sho Fuwa? Dude, what are you doing here? I love your music!"

Ren watched bemused as Kijima pulled Sho away to the other side of the table to sit down for more drinks. He got up, made his excuses to the Director, and left the room. He went back to his room, put on the most comfortable pair of shoes he had brought, and a hoodie. Though it was the end of May, the nights were still chilly. Koga stepped out of the bathroom and saw him.

"Are you going to go look for her? Do you want help?" Ren shook his head.

"You're already clean, don't worry about it. I'll find her. She can't have gone far."

There was no way he could allow Koga to follow him into the woods. That would raise too many questions about how he knew Kyoko was there. He grabbed his phone off of its charger and headed out the back of the ryokan and into the gathering darkness of the forest. He thought back to when they were kids and tried to figure out how to get to their spot from the Fuwa ryokan. The way from the neighboring ryokan was certainly different from the route Kyoko had taken, but if he could find the stream, he was certain he could find her.

Ren was hoping that she would be there, because if she wasn't, then he would have absolutely no clue where else to look. He pushed away the panic at that thought. As he walked through the forest to the stream, he wished he was a kid again; the going would be easier. He had to duck the low-hanging branches, and shake off twigs that were caught on his clothes. The flashlight on his phone highlighted the roots in front of him, and even the glowing orbs in the trees denoting the eyes of the small furry creatures of the night that were marveling at this stranger in their home.

His heart thudded in his chest. How do I explain how I found her… if I find her? The guilt had been eating at him the last few days as they filmed. Did he even want to keep up his ruse? But how would he explain to a distressed Kyoko about his lie? About who he really was?

He thought about his impending trip to America, and how Kyoko would be here in Japan, alone. She'll probably think I don't want to be with her, or that I'll find someone better while I'm there, he thought bitterly. And if she decides to take Fuwa up on his stupid bet, which hopefully I can convince her that she absolutely does not have to, it'll only be worse when I leave.

He heard something and stopped. It sounded like crying. Like someone sobbing their heart and soul out. He shut his eyes against the pain of it. She cried just like this when her mother was on TV… He followed the noise down to the bank of the stream and finally found her with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, and her face tucked into her lap.

"Mogami-san?"

She started. She had been crying so hard that she hadn't heard him approach.

"I- Tsuruga-san?" She wiped the tears and snot from her face onto the sleeve of her hoodie. "What are you do-"

He sat down beside her and pulled her flush against his side. She was stunned for a moment, but then she buried her face under his shoulder and wept even harder. He held her and rested his chin on top of her head.

"Let it out, Kyoko-chan. It's okay."

If she noticed his familiarity, she ignored it in favor of sobbing. When she finally calmed down enough to speak, she moved away from him and put her fingertips on the side of his hoodie.

"I'm so sorry I cried all over you."

He shook his head and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb."Don't be. Fuwa told me that he was nosing around in your room and found my necklace."

She nodded, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't hide it better. I got it back from him. I wouldn't have brought it if I thought he would be here."

He looked her in the eye. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. He's the one that was looking through your belongings without permission. His behavior is disgusting."

She looked away from him. "All the same."

"What else did he say to you? Because I'm sure it didn't stop there."

She swallowed. "H-he said that you didn't want to be seen with me. He said some really mean things about the way that I look… but he's right. I'll never be good enough for you, not in a million years."

He swallowed his rage. She needed comfort; he could be angry that Sho had insulted her later. Ren shook his head. "If anything, it's the other way around."

She sniffed. "But… you're Ren Tsuruga. And I'm just… me."

Ren took a deep breath. "I need to tell you something, and I've been trying to find the right way to do it, and I feel like it's now or never."

Kyoko felt sick to her stomach. She wondered if it was possible to break up with someone when you weren't officially dating. "W-what is it?"

"Did you stop to think about how exactly I found you tonight? We're pretty deep in the forest, and I'll bet that not too many people know about this place." He took the Corn stone out of his pocket and held it between his fingers. "It was a secret spot… between you and Corn, right?"

Kyoko's heart sped up. "Yes… what are you saying?"

He licked his lips. "What I'm saying, Kyoko-chan, is that I'm Corn."

She stared at him. "That's not possible."

He looked her in the eye, his heart threatening to jump out of his mouth. "It is entirely possible, and I think you know that."

"Prove it."

He held out his cell phone. "Can you hold this for me? And when I tell you, shine the light on my face." She grabbed it with shaking hands, and he removed his contact lenses. He put them in the case that he had in his pocket and turned back to her. "All right. Go for it."

She shined the light on him, and when she saw his green eyes, she yelped and dropped the phone.

"Oh my god! OH MY GOD."

He was going to apologize to her, but she threw her arms around his neck and knocked him backward.

"Corn! It's really you!" and then she sat up straight, and her entire face was red. It had just occurred to her that if Corn was Ren Tsuruga, and Ren Tsuruga wasn't a fairy, then Corn wasn't a fairy, either. "YOU KISSED ME IN GUAM AND JUMPED OFF A BUILDING!"

He stared up at her with tears in his eyes. "Kyoko-chan, I'd kiss you every day if you'd let me." They could address his having jumped off of a building later. He certainly didn't care that he had jumped off of a building; he'd do it a hundred more times if it meant preserving her fairytale.

Kyoko wasn't sure what came over her at that moment, but she leaned down and planted her lips firmly on his. He stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer. After what felt like an eternity, but was probably closer to five seconds, Kyoko pulled away from him and rested her face on his chest.

"Why didn't you tell me?," she whispered.

He sighed. "Because it goes so much further than what you think. For starters, my name isn't Corn. It's… Kuon."

She sat up and stared at him, mortified. "Not Kuon Hizuri."

He gave her a sheepish smile. "One in the same."

She scrambled away from him and covered her face with her hands. "Oh my god! I acted like you in front of you!?"

He chuckled and tried to peel her hands down. "For what it's worth, I thought you nailed it… and so did Dad."

All the pieces were falling into place. His American mannerisms, his impeccable English, his not knowing certain Japanese phrases. Kyoko mentally kicked herself. "I'm so stupid. The two of you look just alike."

He shook his head. "You're not stupid. You're so smart, and wonderful, and beautiful."

She ignored the compliments that he was lavishing on her; her mind was working too fast. "So why on earth did Fathe- I mean, Hizuri-san, not say anything when he was here!? You two acted like you didn't even know each other!"

He nodded. "That's the part of the story that goes deeper. When I was younger, I got bullied a lot for being half Japanese. It turned me into someone I'm not proud of. I drank, I smoked, I fought people. Violent, bloody fights that no 15-year-old should be a part of. Finally, it all caught up with me, and I was involved in an accident. I got in a fight, and my best friend, Rick, was trying to stop me from chasing the people I had been fighting. I was mad with rage, and had he not stopped me…" Kuon stopped and closed his eyes. After a moment, he was able to continue. "He chased me across a street, and he was hit by a car." His voice was thick with tears.

He looked away from her. "After he died… I felt responsible. I still feel responsible. Lory took me in, because my father asked him to. He could see that I needed to reinvent myself, to make myself a better man, so that Rick's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. I changed my name and started living as Ren Tsuruga, so I could get to the top of the showbiz world without using my father's name as a crutch. I think my father understands… and so does mom, to a certain degree, but it tore their hearts out when I left." He studied the ground between his feet. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Kyoko surprised him by cuddling into his side. "You're not a monster, Kuon. You're not 15 anymore. You made some bad mistakes, but you're past that." She thought back to how he had been on set for Tragic Marker. He had been scary, yes, but there had been a vulnerability there, and something told her that the wounded man that had needed her to sleep in bed with him was more close to the real Kuon Hizuri than the scary hooded demon was.

Kuon rested his cheek on her head. "You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that. I'm so sorry I lied to you. I've known ever since you dropped the stone in the stairwell… I just didn't know how to tell you."

Kyoko laughed nervously. "Since we're admitting things… I've been keeping something from you, too."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I… my LoveMe job at TBM… I'mthechicken." she muttered the last part of her confession very quickly.

He blinked. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last bit."

She looked up at him with scared eyes. "I'm Bo the Chicken. The one that gives you advice."

He stared at her. "No you're not."

She swallowed, hard. "Yes. I am."

His forehead connected solidly with his knees. "I talked about you all that time, and you had NO IDEA it was YOU I was talking about!?"

She gestured at herself. "I'm ME, and you're YOU! How was I supposed to know you liked plain girls!?"

He turned to her, not as Kuon Hizuri, but as the Emperor of the Night. "Kyoko Mogami, you are anything but plain."

When their lips connected the second time, Kyoko lost herself in the kiss. Kuon laid her down on the bank, his hand settling on the bare skin of her torso that was exposed when her hoodie rode up. He caressed the skin there with his thumb, causing parts of Kyoko that she had barely known existed before to light up. When he pulled away and looked into her eyes, she let out a breathless little, "Wow."

Kuon was doing his best to maintain his control. He knew that if he pushed too far, she'd run screaming through the woods. He sat up on his elbow. "As much as I wish this night was going to last forever, it's getting late, and we have to film tomorrow."

She nodded, upset that their time together was coming to an end. "I won't tell anyone your real name. I promise."

He touched his forehead to hers. "I trust you." He helped her up from the bank, and then popped his contacts back in. "By the way" he said, "Fuwa said something about a bet you two had. That you wouldn't fall in love with me, and if you did, you had to come here and work. So, how long are you going to be working here?" he asked innocently.

She looked out through the trees, deep in thought. "I don't know." the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and he smiled so brightly at her that it hurt. "I-I mean-BULLY." She stomped off through the trees, and he chuckled as he followed her back to the ryokan.

When they got back, they found that all the lights were out for the night. Kuon tried the handle of the back door and found it locked. "Shit." He ran his hand through his hair. "What do we do now?" He was not trying to go to the front desk and make it apparent to Yayoi Fuwa that they had been out in the woods together alone.

Kyoko pointed up at the top of the doorway. "They keep an extra key up there."

Kuon felt above the door with his fingertips until he felt the tiny metal key. He pulled it down. "They don't have some kind of burglar alarm or anything do they?"

She shook her head. "No. It's all pretty traditional aside from the modern conveniences in the rooms."

He sighed in relief. Thank goodness for small miracles. He opened the door and then put the key back. They got inside, re-locked the door from the inside, and tip-toed to their rooms. When they reached their doors, he looked down the hall both ways and pulled her in for another kiss. When she pulled away, she was scarlet.

"We can't do that up here, we'll get caught!" she hiss-whispered at him. The Emperor looked down at her.

"So you're saying we can do this again some other time?"

She eyed his lips whilst licking her own. "Yeah, maybe." She tore her eyes away from his lips and went to her bedroom door. She looked back at him shyly. "Goodnight, Kuon," she whispered.

His eyes softened. "Goodnight, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko tip-toed into her room to find Kanae fast asleep on top of her covers. She was still dressed in her day clothes, and it was obvious to Kyoko that she had tried to wait for her, but the exhaustion of the day had gotten the better of her. Kyoko smiled gently at her friend and took the comforter from her own futon and put it over Kanae.

She went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes picking leaves out of her hair, and trying desperately to process everything that had just happened. She touched her lips with her fingertips and blushed, her heart racing. Tsuruga-san was Corn? Corn was Kuon Hizuri? He was no longer just the most popular and handsome man in Japan; now he was the fairy who had kissed her in Guam. Now he was her childhood best friend. Now he was… attainable.

When she got the rest of the leaves picked out of her hair, she undressed and got into the shower. She washed up quickly and dressed in a yukata. When she went back out into the bedroom, she found her best friend snoring with her mouth wide open, her hair plastered to the side of her face. Kyoko covered her mouth to douse the laughter that was threatening to come out.

She crawled under the covers, her mind still racing a million miles a minute. When she couldn't sleep, she grabbed her phone, which Kanae had plugged into the charger next to Kyoko's futon.

Across the hall, Kuon's phone vibrated. He hid it under his covers so it wouldn't disturb Koga, who was drooling all over his pillow.

Are you still awake?

He almost laughed. She thinks I can sleep after all of that?

Kyoko's phone lit up; she had set it to total silence. She knew that if she woke Kanae up now, there'd be hell to pay. She threw her sheet over her head. Yes. Are you okay?

Her fingers flew over the screen. I just can't believe it. All of this just doesn't seem real, like maybe I fell asleep crying in the woods and dreamed it all. How do I know I didn't? Kyoko held her phone to her chest with a sweaty palm. A moment later, her phone lit up again.

I'm not sure it's real either, but I love you either way. Tears welled in her eyes. She knew she had to at least try to sleep. If she didn't, she'd be completely useless for filming.

Kuon's phone vibrated again. I love you, too. Goodnight, Corn.

He lay back on his futon with the dumbest, goofiest look on his face, staring at the ceiling. There's no way I'm going to sleep tonight, he thought. But he was excited about that. More excited than he had ever been in his entire life.

If you're still here reading this, thank you. Honor on you, honor on your cow, honor on your whole family. x'D - BO