After Kyoko told him where he could put his bet (and after Yayoi had a complete meltdown), Sho had left the ryokan. This single fact had motivated Kyoko to do almost all of her scenes over the following days in one take, and had put her in an incandescently happy mood. Kuon had remained silent about Sho's sudden disappearance; he doubted that Kyoko would be very excited about how he had handled himself.

Kuon had been filled with regret the morning after he confronted Sho. After years of wanting to strangle Shotarou Fuwa, finally succeeding in the act had only been satisfying initially. The hurt that he knew it would cause Kyoko filled him with self-loathing. He had almost convinced himself that he wasn't a monster, but now? Maybe he was.

Though the work was flying by, there was a lot of it, and Kyoko and Kuon hadn't been able to find much time to be together alone since Sho had left. Their last night in Kyoto found them laying on their backs side by side by the stream as the sun set.

"I'm going to miss this place when we leave. It felt good to be back here with you," he said, as he took her hand.

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I never thought I'd be back here with my best friend. I missed you, Corn."

"Don't let Kotonami-san hear that best friend bit. She'll never forgive you." He picked up their hands and kissed the back of hers. They lay back enjoying the silence for a moment, and then Kuon spoke. "I don't know how we're going to keep this a secret from Lory, but we have to try."

Kyoko shut her eyes. "I didn't even think about the President. If he finds out about this, he's going to throw a party or something embarrassing."

Kuon nodded. "With elephants and jugglers."

"We don't need to tell anybody, right? We can just keep this between us…"

He smiled. "If it was up to me, I'd rent a billboard in the middle of Tokyo and a skywriter and tell everyone, but I want to protect you. I know you're not ready to face all of that."

She shook her head. "Do we tell Fath– I mean, your Dad?"

Kuon shook his head. "Definitely not telling the old man. Not yet. And you should keep calling him Father. He'd want that."

Kyoko paused for a moment. "What's your mom like?"

Kuon cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair. "About that."

Kyoko narrowed her eyes on him. "Don't tell me I've met your mother, too, and didn't know!"

"You met her at Dayjowey Land, by complete accident."

Kyoko blinked, and then realization hit her like a brick. "Sarah."

Kuon nodded. "When you sent me that picture of you and Kotonami-san with her, I almost had a heart attack. I didn't even know she was here. Her real name is Julienna."

Kyoko hid her face in her hands. "Oh my god."

Kuon hugged her. "See? You've already got the hardest part out of the way! You've already met the parents, and they both like you!"

Kyoko side-eyed him. "One of these days, Kuon Hizuri. One of these days."

He hugged her harder, laughing. "I know. Bang, zoom, straight to the moon."

She shoved him away, smiling. "You're lucky I don't make a curse doll of you and put all the pins right in your butt."

He looked aghast. "Not my perfect model buns."

Kyoko doubled over laughing. "You're going to be the death of me."

He chuckled and helped her to her feet. "I hope not. We need to get back to the ryokan and pack."

Kyoko made it back to her room and started folding up her clothes and putting them back in her suitcase. Kanae's things were still strewn all over the room. She was already at the mini Kyoto wrap party that the Director was throwing. Kyoko and Kuon had made the decision to show up for a short time at the party. Not only had they wanted to spend as much time alone as possible before going back to Tokyo, but they knew there would be copious amounts of alcohol.

When she finished packing, Kyoko left the room and made her way to the dining area. She could hear loud singing and laughter before she even made it into the room. When she opened the door, she found Kijima and Itsumi Momose singing a karaoke duet on the dais while the rest of the cast sat drinking and clapping along.

"Kyoko-chan! You're late!" Kijima yelled over the microphone, completely obliterated. She giggled and shook her head. The rest of the cast made a loud welcoming racket as she sat down at the table beside Kanae. Director Nakamura poured a cup of sake and passed it to her.

"Kanpai, Kyoko-chan!"

She slid it back toward him over the table, laughing politely "Director, I'm still a minor!"

He blinked, appearing to be every bit as drunk as Kijima. "Oh." He took the cup and threw the contents down his throat in one shot. She wanted to tell him that wasn't the proper way to drink sake, but she thought better of it. Kanae nudged Kyoko.

"You could have just taken the cup. I did."

Kyoko noted the drunken pink blush across Kanae's nose and cheeks that suggested she probably had more than one cup. She giggled at her friend. "I think you've had enough for both of us, Moko-san."

Kanae rolled her eyes. "Mo! I've only had two!"

The door of the room opened again, and Kuon entered. Kijima yelled again over the music and staggered toward him drunkenly, abandoning Itsumi on the dais. "REN!" He threw an arm around Kuon's shoulders. "My best friend! Where were you!?" He slurred. Kuon shook his head, laughing, and peeled Kijima off.

"I was packing." He turned Kijima in the direction of the stage and pushed him toward it. "Momose-san looks lonely, you should get back up there!"

Kijima threw a drunken wink at him. "She's real cute, Ren." He whispered at Kuon, forgetting about the microphone in his hand that he was holding dangerously close to his mouth. "I'm tryna hit it!"

Kuon slapped a hand over his face to stifle his laughter. Itsumi, who, like everyone else, had heard Kijima through the speakers, quickly vacated the dais and made her way to the door. Kijima tried to follow, but tripped over his own drunken feet and fell on the floor.

"Wait! Istumi! Come back!" He slurred her name as she disappeared out into the hall. Koga got up from the table.

"I'm going to go make sure she makes it back to her room alright. She's had a lot to drink." He disappeared out the door.

Kuon grabbed a pitcher of water and a cup from the table and poured some for Kijima. He helped his friend into a chair and gave him the cup.

"I think it's time to sober up, Hidehito." He patted him on the back and went to sit with the rest of the cast. "That was eventful."

The Director poured a cup of sake for Kuon and passed it to him. "Kanpai, Ren!"

Kuon smirked. "Kanpai." He raised the cup in a toast and took a sip.

The Director got up from the table and found the microphone, which had been abandoned on the floor. "Can I have your attention, please?" They all stopped talking amongst themselves and focused on him. "You've all put in such great work over the last two weeks, and I'm so thankful for each and every one of you. So, with all of my heart, thank you." He bowed to them, and after almost falling over, was able to right himself. "We have another few weeks of filming at the set in Tokyo, so please continue to work hard! The real wrap party will be even more grand if you do!" The table laughed and applauded him as he took his seat among them again.

"I need to go get packed." Kanae said goodnight to her castmates and left the room. The party started breaking up at that point. Kyoko and Kuon waited until they were among the last in the room, and then said their goodnights to the Director, who exited out a side door to get to his room on the other side of the Ryokan. When they opened the door to go out into the hall towards their rooms, however, they stopped in complete shock.

Koga Hiromune and Kanae Kotonami were locked in a fierce embrace. Kanae had Koga by the front of his shirt and looked like she was trying to eat his face, and he had her pushed up against the wall, grabbing two handfuls of her ass. Neither of them seemed able to acknowledge that they had gained an audience.

Kyoko blinked and turned bright red. She grabbed Kuon by the hand and they backed slowly and quietly into the dining room. When they had shut the door behind them, Kyoko put her hand over her mouth in shock. Kuon pointed with his thumb over his shoulder, his face full of disbelief.

"Did you know about that?"

Kyoko shook her head, "No!"

Kuon ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do. Whose room do you think they're going back to?"

Kyoko blushed crimson in alarm. "You think they'll… do that?"

Kuon smirked. "You don't grab a girl's ass like that unless you're planning on getting some action. And Kotonami-san seemed… receptive, no?"

Kyoko hid her face in her hands. "Oh god. What do we do?"

He shrugged. "We see whose room they're in and we take the other one."

She looked around the room to make sure no one else was there and then whispered, "Kuon Hizuri, I am NOT doing that with you."

He chuckled. "I wasn't suggesting that you should. But I think we're bunking together tonight whether we want to or not, Kyoko-chan."

"We could interrupt them…" she offered. He shook his head. Koga had covered for him so much on this trip. He owed him this one favor. As a matter of bro code, he could not take this from Koga.

"Would you want to do that to either one of them? Just let them… enjoy each other's company." He opened the door just a crack and peeked to see if they had gone, and when he saw that the coast was clear, he gestured for Kyoko to follow him. Upon going down the hallway to their rooms, they heard a racket coming from Kuon and Koga's room. There was a sock stuck haphazardly over the doorknob, and a bag outside the door with Kuon's pajamas stuffed hurriedly inside. Kuon smirked. "Well, that answers that question." He grabbed the bag off the floor.

Kyoko quickly unlocked the door to her room and shoved him inside. "Quick, before someone sees!" she hissed. She shut the door behind her in a panic. She was doing exactly what Yayoi Fuwa had told her NOT to do on their first day there. Kuon took her by the hand.

"You look terrified. I'm not going to do anything, Kyoko-chan. Calm down."

She took a breath. "I know. I just don't want anyone thinking that we did."

He smirked. "I can sneak out early tomorrow. If anyone asks, I was sleeping on the floor in Yashiro's room."

"You're enjoying this too much."

He smiled, but his eyes were sad. "When we go back to Tokyo, I'm not going to get to see you every day and have time to sneak away with you. And tonight, I get to sleep next to you again. Tell me what part about this I'm not supposed to enjoy?"

She looked sadly at her feet. "When you put it that way…"

He kissed her forehead. "Do you want to shower first, or should I?"

"You go ahead. I'm going to pack Moko-san's things for her since she's… indisposed."

He smirked, picked up his pajamas, and made his way to the bathroom. He stopped at the door. "If you should happen to also want to be… indisposed, you know where to find me."

She threw a pillow at him, and he disappeared into the bathroom, laughing. Kyoko buzzed around the room, packing things into Kanae's suitcase, trying not to think about Kuon in the shower… and failing miserably. A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and he strode out shirtless with a towel over his head, wearing black pajama pants. His muscles were glistening with moisture. Kyoko stared at him for a moment, speechless.

He caught her staring and before she knew what was happening, The Emperor had pulled her flush against his body. The skin of his chest was smooth and soft, but the muscles underneath were hard to the touch. He looked into her eyes, his contacts nowhere to be found. "Do you see something you like?" He bent down slowly and… kissed her nose. "Shower's free." He let her go and continued toweling his hair. She stared after him, blinking for a moment, and then grabbed her own pajamas off the top of the dresser. When she got into the bathroom, she shut the door behind her and collapsed against it, internally screaming.

She had never felt so conflicted in her entire life. The Angel from Sho's music video appeared on her shoulder. "You're a pure maiden, Kyoko-chan! Don't fall to the darkness!" Setsuka Heel appeared on the opposite shoulder and stuck her tongue out at the angel. She whispered in Kyoko's ear.

"That gorgeous man in there would look even more gorgeous naked. Think of the noises he would make if you-" Kyoko slammed her hand down over Imaginary Setsuka, who exploded in a puff of red smoke.

"Nope, not today, Setsuka."

The Angel, happy with this outcome, disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. Kyoko showered and dressed in her pajamas, a pink cotton tank top and white bottoms with pink flowers. When she came out of the bathroom, she found Kuon sitting on the futon scrolling through his phone, now wearing a t-shirt. When he looked up, he set the phone down and held out his arms for her. She sat down in front of him and cuddled into his chest. She giggled.

"Did you use Moko-san's body wash?"

He smirked. "I didn't have very many options. It was either smell like a pretty feminine flower or smell like a dirty, sweaty pig. I decided to smell pretty." Her whole body shook with laughter, then suddenly she found herself down on the futon looking up at him. The Emperor braced himself over her, and his eyes narrowed on her. "Is something funny, Kyoko-chan?" His voice had dropped.

She stilled as his eyes roamed over her body. Her skin was still blush pink from the shower, and her damp hair formed a chestnut halo around her head. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her collar bone. She shivered. "Kuon, what did I say?"

He chuckled and slipped beneath the covers. "I know, I know." While he was wildly jealous of Koga and Kanae's escapades across the hall, he knew that there was plenty of time for such things later; he planned on marrying this girl, after all.

Kyoko slipped under the covers with him, and Kuon cuddled her from behind. He rested his forehead in her hair. "Damn I missed this." Kyoko shook with silent giggles. He sat up and peeked at her. "What's so funny?"

"I didn't get any sleep at all the last time we did this. I felt like a walking corpse."

His forehead thumped heavily onto her shoulder. "Was I that scary?" Truthfully, that had been his biggest regret about their time as the Heels. He had shown her the absolute worst side of himself. The way he had behaved the night Sho had called her still haunted him. The thought of Sho made him flinch internally. He didn't know how to tell her what had happened that night, and why Sho had really left. He knew that he had to tell her at some point, but it couldn't be now. Not yet.

She rolled over to face him and cupped his cheek with her hand. "You weren't scary. Everything I was feeling for you was scary, and confusing. But it isn't now." She kissed him softly and burrowed under the covers against his chest. "Goodnight, Corn."

He wrapped his arms around her, knowing that they were going to go numb after a while and not caring. "Goodnight, Kyoko-chan."

When she woke the following morning, Kyoko reached for Kuon but found an empty space. She blinked as her ears registered some rustling in the room. "Kuon?," she mumbled groggily.

"Shhh. No noises! God, please, no noises."

Kyoko sat up and squinted. Kanae was sitting on her futon, holding her head. Kyoko tilted her head to the side. "Did you kick Ren out?"

Kanae nodded, but it looked like the action pained her. "He agreed to go. Said it would look better for everybody involved."

Kyoko stretched and grabbed her jeans. Though she was sad that Kuon had to go, she knew it was for the best. She took her pajama bottoms off and slipped her jeans on. "Are you okay, Moko-san?"

Kanae pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mo. If I ever drink another cup of sake, it will be the last thing I do."

Kyoko wiggled her eyebrows "I thought the last thing you did was Koga. Or am I mistaken?"

Kanae narrowed her eyes on her friend. "You're very funny. Haha."

"He didn't force you, did he?" Kyoko didn't think that Koga was the type to do such a thing, but she had to be sure for her friend's sake.

Kanae shook her head, a dark blush appearing on her cheeks. "No. I just did something very impulsive and very stupid. We both did. That was heavily agreed upon this morning." She hid her red face in her hands. "This is the last thing I want to talk about, okay? Do you know where you put my sunglasses? The light is burning my retinas out right now."

Kyoko rushed around helping her friend get dressed. When they finished applying makeup to hide the many hickeys on Kanae's neck and made sure everything was packed, they went to the dining room for breakfast. When they entered, they found Yashiro and Kuon eating. Kuon's eyes locked on Kyoko's.

"Good morning, Mogami-san."

"Good morning, Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san."

Yashiro grinned at her like the cat that ate the canary, and Kuon kicked him under the table. Oh good, thought Kyoko, Yashiro knows. She and Kanae sat down at the table, where there was an assortment of breakfast food. Kyoko got herself a bowl of rice and fish. "Is anyone else still here?"

Yashiro nodded. "Hiromune-san and Kijima-san. Momose-san took a cab with the Director early this morning. Yours and Ren's flight leaves in," he checked his watch "Two hours. So we need to be out of here in about 30 minutes." He gestured at Kanae. "If you would like to come with us back to Tokyo, Kotonami-san, you are more than welcome."

Kanae bowed to him. "Thank you, Yashiro-san. I think I'll take you up on that offer."

After they finished eating, they went back to their rooms. Kanae grabbed her bags quickly and headed straight for the car with Yashiro to avoid Koga, but as it turned out, that was unnecessary; Koga had checked out while they were at breakfast. Kuon came out in the hall with his own luggage, and slipped Kyoko's carry-on bag over his empty shoulder. She smiled.

"You don't have to do that."

He shook his head. "I want to do it. I owe you for not being there this morning."

She blushed. "It was better for everyone."

He cupped her face with his hand. "It wasn't better for us."

Kyoko smiled sadly and kissed his palm. "But it was, and you know that. You go to the car, I have to say my goodbyes to the Okami." They parted, and she made her way to Yayoi, who was in the kitchen. When Yayoi saw her, she set down the dish she was cleaning and smiled at Kyoko.

"I see you're leaving us again."

Kyoko nodded. "Filming is continuing in Tokyo, so that's where I'm needed." She bowed to Yayoi. "Thank you for hosting us."

The older woman waved her hand. "Not a problem. I was being paid, after all." She patted Kyoko on the cheek. "We'll see you sometime soon, yes?"

Kyoko nodded. "Of course." She turned to leave, and Yayoi caught her by the sleeve.

"Please be careful, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko knew that her warning was specifically about Kuon. She patted her hand and nodded. "I will." She made her way out to the car, where Kuon was waiting to put her luggage in the trunk for her. They drove to the airport and boarded the plane. When they landed at the Takarada Estate, Kanae cast a pointed look at Yashiro.

"Yashiro-san, could you help me with my bags?"

He looked quickly from Kuon to Kyoko and then rushed to help her, leaving Kyoko and Kuon on the plane, alone. Kuon took her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers.

"I don't want to get off this plane right now."

Kyoko nodded. "Same. But we have to. We have lives to go back to."

He sighed. "Ren Tsuruga has done a lot for me, but right now, I kind of hate him."

She giggled. "He's not that bad. I think he'd look better blonde, though."

He kissed her and held her tight to him for a moment, and then released her. They left the plane, and their freedom, behind.

Thanks for reading. I changed the story officially from T to M, as we've got some steamy times ahead. - BO