"You're sure you're feeling okay?"

"Yes, Kyoko-chan."

"No pain? No dizziness?"

"Yes, Princess."

Kyoko took a breath as she looked over his face in the back of Yashiro's car. "Are you lying?"

Kuon laughed. "I'm not lying. The doctor said I'm fine. It's been a week, I even got my staples out this morning." He took her hand and kissed it. "I promise you, I am fine. Can we go to work now?"

Kyoko nodded. "Okay. But if you feel even a tiny bit unwell, you go sit down, okay?"

He smiled brightly at her. "I will."

They got out of the car and went inside the studio. When they got to the set, as soon as everyone saw Kuon, they broke into applause. He ran his hand through his hair and blushed, embarrassed that he was receiving so much attention. Director Nakamura dashed over to him and shook his hand fervently.

"Welcome back, Ren! How are you feeling!?"

Kuon bowed to the director. "Perfectly fine, and ready to return to work."

"So glad to hear it! I think I speak for everyone when I say you scared the hell out of us."

Kuon laughed nervously. "I apologize for causing a scene."

"Nonsense! You saved that man! You're a hero, Ren!" None of the cast had actually recognized Sho Fuwa.

Kuon shook his head. "I only did what anyone would have done, sir."

The Director laughed and shook his head. "Too modest." He realized Kyoko was there, and he bowed to her. "We have you to thank for saving Ren, Kyoko-chan. You took such good care of him."

Kyoko blushed. "I tried my best, Director-san."

The Director smiled slyly at Kuon and winked at him. "This one's cute and has her wits about her, Ren. She's worth keeping around."

Kuon smiled warmly down at Kyoko. "Noted."

They made their way to hair and makeup through a sea of people wanting to wish Kuon well and shake his hand or clap him on the back. When they sat down in the chairs to get airbrushed, he sighed in relief. "I wasn't expecting so much fuss."

Eri, the makeup artist, chuckled. "Too much hero worship, Tsuruga-san?"

He chuckled. "Perhaps a bit. I don't feel like a hero."

"I heard that Kyoko-chan was quite heroic, though!"

Kuon beamed. "She was. When I woke up in the ambulance, they told me that the bleeding had pretty much stopped already thanks to the cute girl on set. I have much to thank her for."

Kyoko blushed at his open use of the word "cute". "It was really nothing, Tsuruga-san."

Eri smirked as she looked at the pair of them. A rumor had spread like wildfire when they were in Kyoto that Ren and Kyoko had been sneaking away together. Ren's particular attention towards her did not go unnoticed, as well, especially among the members of the cast who had worked on Dark Moon with them. Then, when Ren got hurt, the person to rush to his aid was none other than Kyoko, who was hysterically crying after the paramedics took him away. Kyoko's reaction to his injury had all but confirmed in everyone's minds that they were a couple.

If they are a couple, thought Eri, his comments in the makeup trailer about his girl not being ready for marriage would definitely fit the situation. Eri, like most everyone else, was fully supportive of the couple, if that was what they were. As she worked on getting them ready, she caught them looking out of the corners of their eyes at each other several times. They're so cute!

When they were ready, they went to wardrobe. An entirely new costume had been made for Kuon, whose other costume had been ruined with blood. He bowed to the costumers.

"Thank you for this. I am so sorry for ruining the other one."

They waved him away, telling him his apology was entirely unnecessary. "Kijima-san has stained his costume several times with food. You're in the clear, Tsuruga-san!"

He took the bag with the costume in it to his dressing room. Kyoko dressed in a curtained section of the wardrobe room and headed out onto the set.

Director Nakamura caught up with her there. "It's time for your final scenes today, Kyoko-chan!"

Kyoko nodded with a sad smile. She had been reading the script while filming was halted. "I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also really going to miss this. I've had so much fun on this project, Director-san."

He bowed to her. "It has been a privilege working with all of you, but most especially you, Kyoko-chan. It is my hope that you will work on other projects of mine in the future."

She blushed and returned the bow. "O-of course! It would be an honor!"

Kuon appeared on the set and the Director called for everyone to take their places. Today, it was most of the cast. Kanae, Kijima, Itsumi, and Koga, as well as Murasame and Kyoko herself. They took their places around the set, which was made up of mostly a green screen with some stalagmites strewn about. Koga's look was altered; the Tessaiga had been stolen by Naraku, and so InuYasha was starting to turn on his friends. He was wearing red contacts, an extra large set of fangs, a longer wig, and of course, some jagged purple markings across his cheeks. When the Director called for action, Kijima shook Koga's shoulders.

"InuYasha, you have to fight it! This isn't you!"

Naraku laughed from his place high up in the cave. "I think you will find that it's too late to plead with him now, monk." Kagura stood behind him, her jaw set, her eyes flickering between the scene below, and the Tessaiga, which was stuck in the ground beside her.

As if on cue, an angry red eye appeared between InuYasha's bangs. Miroku leapt backward away from him and reached into his robes for a handful of sutras, sweat breaking out on his brow. Sango was holding Kagome back on the other side of the cave.

"Sango, please let me go! I have to stop him!"

"Kagome, he'll kill you!"

"He could never hurt me! InuYasha, please, snap out of it!" she sobbed.

The rabid demon turned his eyes toward the girls. Miroku threw his sutras. InuYasha caught one out of the air and crushed it in his hand. Sango's grip on Kagome's arm slipped as she stared in open-mouthed horror when the sutra had no effect, and the school girl was running toward the half-demon. "Kagome! No!"

InuYasha was running toward her, snarling, having completely lost control, when there was a flash and a bang as Bakusaiga was buried in the ground between them.

Or rather, there would be later when the effect was added in post production.

"CUT! All right, Ren, you're up!"

Kuon joined the rest of the cast on the set and took his place by the Bakusaiga, which was embedded in the ground.

"Action!"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes on his brother as he plucked his sword from the ground where he had thrown it. "So this is your demon form up close, is it? How… unsightly." InuYasha had stopped and was staring at him with a bloodthirsty grin on his face.

"Sesshomaru! Wait! Please don't hurt him!" Kagome called to the demon lord, hoping that he would have mercy.

"Priestess," called Sesshomaru without taking his eyes off of InuYasha, who was starting to stalk toward him, "Get the Tessaiga back before this Sesshomaru has to kill him." Sesshomaru, to everyone's shock, sheathed his sword.

Kagome stammered. "W-wouldn't it be better for you to take the sword from Naraku?"

His eyes narrowed in irritation."Fool woman. Have you forgotten that this Sesshomaru cannot touch the sword? Go."

InuYasha ran toward Sesshomaru, who lashed him across the cheek with his energy whip. InuYasha stopped and rubbed at his face with his hand. He looked down at a handful of his own blood… and licked it. Then he moved with a speed that surprised his elder brother. Sesshomaru was able to dodge the Hijin Kesso, but only barely. He avoided his brother's attacks seemingly like a leaf on the wind, but Sesshomaru's eyes told the real story; he was afraid.

He layed InuYasha's other cheek open with another shot from his whip, which just served to infuriate the crazed half-demon. With a final burst of speed, InuYasha ducked beneath Sesshomaru's arm, and blasted his hand through his abdomen. Sesshomaru expelled his breath in a pained gasp, but before his brother could withdraw the hand, he slammed his forehead down between InuYasha's ears, knocking him out cold.

The elder brother coughed up a mouthful of blood as he pulled InuYasha's arm out of his body and tossed his unconscious form like a ragdoll to the ground. He stood there gasping, willing himself not to show weakness. Sesshomaru's body, however, would not listen. He fell to one knee. He looked from InuYasha up to where Sango, Kagome, and Miroku were now doing battle with Naraku and Kagura, knowing that if they didn't get the Tessaiga back before InuYasha awakened, that he would have to unsheathe the Bakusaiga.

"CUT! Ren, it's like you didn't miss a beat! I was so worried that this would be too much for you, and I'm glad I was wrong!"

Kuon bowed to the Director. "Thank you, sir."

They left the set so the crew could move the scenery around for the fight between Miroku and Kagura. The fight between Naraku, Kagome, and Sango would take place the following day, as they had to rig the whole set with special platforms and wiring for all the stunts. When the scene was set, Kyoko and Kijima took their places.

The Director took his place at his monitor. "ACTION!"

Miroku landed in front of Kagura after jumping from Kirara's back. He took his sutra beads in hand. Kagura was standing, looking down at where Sesshomaru and InuYasha were fighting. She looked over at the monk and flicked her fan shut.

"I don't want to fight you, monk."

He nodded. "I don't want to fight you either, but I'll do whatever I have to do to get the Tessaiga back."

She cast a furtive glance toward where Naraku was battling Kagome and Sango. He was obviously preoccupied. She looked back at the monk. "You sure you're willing to do whatever?"

Miroku eyed her suspiciously. "Why? What are you thinking?"

Kagura laughed behind her fan and pulled a Saimyosho hive out of her kimono. "It's time to put up or shut up, monk." Her eyes flicked over to the Tessaiga suggestively. Miroku eyed the hive. He knew that Kagura wouldn't just let him take the Tessaiga without a fight, as that would make Naraku question her, but he also knew how badly he was going to feel when that wasp venom hit his body. InuYasha, he thought, you owe me. He nodded once at Kagura, and then released his wind tunnel. The sword came flying toward him, but so did the wasps. A couple of them flew into his palm before he could close up his cursed hand. He winced as he pulled the beads back across his palm and caught the Tessaiga as it flew toward him. He thought that would be it, but Kagura had one last surprise. She waved her fan at him.

"Fujin no Mai!"

She had done it to kill the remaining wasps; she couldn't help if it put the monk in danger, as well. He dodged the attack, but it sent him staggering over the edge of the cliff and rolling down the cliff face.

"CUT! Beautifully done, you two!"

Kijima, who had landed on a mattress, gave a thumbs-up to Kyoko who was looking down at him over the side of the platform worriedly. "I'm fine, Kyoko-chan!"

They filmed other things, including the rest of Kyoko's scenes, throughout the afternoon. That evening, when it was time to go home, Kuon was slumped in the makeup chair. Kyoko looked over at him. "Are you feeling okay, Tsuruga-san?"

He smiled. "Totally fine, Mogami-san." He was lying through his teeth; he had a headache and was dead tired, but he couldn't say anything in front of the makeup artists. When they got their makeup off, the Director had everyone gathered once again on the set.

"Everyone, thank you so much for your work today. Our wrap party will be this upcoming weekend since our schedule got a little complicated last week." He winked at Kuon. "Once again, I want to thank you all for your hard work, and I want to congratulate you all on your fantastic performances. Let's wrap this thing up and I'll see everyone but Kyoko-chan tomorrow!"

There was a round of applause for Kyoko, who blushed brightly at their praise. When she and Kuon got out to Yashiro's car, he rested his forehead on her shoulder. She ran her hand through his hair. "Are you all right?"

"I'm tired," he groaned into the side of her arm.

She rested her cheek on the top of his head. "You can go home and get a shower, reheat the leftovers, and go right to bed."

"Are you sure you can't stay over tonight?"

She smiled sadly. As much as she would like to, she knew the Taichou was definitely side-eyeing their situation. It didn't look right to him that a young girl was staying with an older man. Kyoko, who didn't want to jeopardize her relationship with the Darumaya couple, shook her head. "I need to go home. But I'll call you tomorrow morning and check up on you, okay?"

He sighed. "I guess." The truth was that it was most certainly not okay. He had gotten so used to waking up with Kyoko in his bed, having his meals with Kyoko, and spending time with her that he wasn't sure how he was going to survive without her. He knew that going back to his apartment, to the bone-crushing loneliness, was going to eat him alive that night. Once again, he found himself cursing Ren Tsuruga's popularity. If he were less popular, no one would bat an eye if they spent more time together.

They pulled into the drive of the Darumaya and he went to kiss her. She turned her head away. "We can't. There might be someone with a camera."

He squeezed her hand. "Fine, but next time we're alone, I'm going to kiss you until you can't breathe."

Yashiro, who was in the front seat, was turning more red by the second. He cleared his throat to remind them that he existed. "Goodnight, Kyoko-chan."

She giggled. "Goodnight, Yashiro-san. Goodnight, Ren."

"Goodnight, Princess."

The following morning, Kyoko woke up to a text from Kuon.

Please call me as soon as you wake up. We need to talk.

Her heart fell into her stomach. She picked up her phone and hit the call button.

Kuon, who was pacing his living room, picked up immediately.

"Kyoko-chan." His voice was full of dread.

"Kuon, what's wrong?"

He paused. "I got the email this morning… I'm leaving for the states in two weeks."

She forgot to breathe for a moment. "What?" was all she could manage.

"I know. I wanted to tell you as soon as possible… I'm so sorry for this bad news first thing in the morning."

She took a breath and blinked back her tears. "Kuon… it's not bad news. It's good news. You're leaving to accomplish what you set out to do all those years ago. This is important for you."

"If it's good news, why does it feel so fucking awful?" She could hear the lump in his throat.

She smiled, allowing a few tears to fall. "Because we're going to be apart. But you have to do this. This is important to you, and I can't stand in the way of you achieving this milestone in your career. That wouldn't be fair, not after how hard you've worked."

"Kyoko-chan… I wish there was something I could say that would make this any better."

"Corn, I'm okay. Really. We both knew this was coming, and you were right before. I'll throw myself into work, and before I know it, you'll be back."

"I still want to spend as much time as I can with you until I leave. Is that okay?"

She managed to chuckle, though her heart was breaking. "Of course it is." She wiped her eyes and looked at her phone. "Kuon, can we talk more later? I have to get ready for work."

"Of course, Princess. I love you."

"I love you, too. Try to have a good day, okay?"

"Anything for you."

They hung up, and she sobbed into her hands. Of course she wanted him to go. It was important for him to do The Route Project, and to find fame overseas. But the months without him would be long and painful. She collected herself after a few minutes and went to the bathroom. She put a cold washcloth over her eyes to try and soothe some of the puffiness. She didn't want anyone to ask questions about why she looked upset, for fear that she might end up crying again.

She went back to her room and got dressed for the day and put her futon away. When she went down to the kitchen, she was able to greet the Darumaya couple with her hostess smile. "Good morning Okami-san! Good morning, Taichou!"

"Good morning, Kyoko-chan! You're just in time. Our new employee will be here in a few minutes!"

Kyoko blinked. "A… new employee?"

The Okami nodded. "We're still keeping you on of course, but we do need a little more help with your schedule being so full with acting." The Okami caught Kyoko before she could hit the floor for a full dogeza. "No no no, Kyoko-chan, please. Don't feel bad! We're proud of the work you're doing, and we're so happy for you! We just think that soon, you won't need this job, so we're preparing for that. I think you'll approve of the new employee anyway."

As if on cue, the door to the kitchen opened. Kyoko stared.

"SHOTAROU?"

He bowed deeply. "Good morning. I hope I'm not late for my first day."

The Okami shook her head emphatically. "Not at all, Sho-kun, you're just in time. Will you please start with the breakfast prep? We have plenty of fish to grill."

He nodded and snatched an apron off of a hook on the wall and went right to the sink to scrub up. Kyoko closed her mouth, which was hanging wide open and did the same. The Okami and Taichou disappeared to the pantry to do some inventory, leaving the two of them alone.

"What on earth are you doing here?" she hissed at him out the side of her mouth.

He beamed at her. "I seem to remember someone telling me I needed to get a job. I asked the Okami if they were hiring, and she hired me on the spot. You know they love me around here."

She narrowed her eyes on him as she dried her hands. "You better work hard for them, Shotarou."

He laughed. "Kyoko, you're not the only one around here that grew up at the ryokan." He set about working at the grill as though he had never been a pop singer and had actually trained as a chef. Kyoko set to work cutting up vegetables, too stunned to say much else. Part of her was flattered that the Okami and Taichou thought so highly of her that they would hire more help because they believed that fame and fortune were going to come knocking.

The other part of her was sad. She liked her simple life. She liked her part time job at the Darumaya, and she liked her classes at school, and she liked her small roles, including Bo The Chicken, whom she had grown especially fond of. Then she thought of Kuon. Dating Kuon meant that she had to become better. She had to become more than the part time helper at the Darumaya. She had to be more than the nameless talento behind the Bo mask. This thought was scary, but she knew that life without Kuon in it was scarier.

He had told her that when he came back from the US, that things would be better than they were already. He was alluding to them taking their relationship public. They could finally have public dates then. She could kiss him on set without worrying who would see it…

"Ew."

Kyoko blinked and looked over at Sho, who was looking at her funny. "What?"

"That face. You were all spaced out and pink. You must still have that stupid boyfriend, huh?"

Kyoko cleared her throat. "Kuon is not stupid. He's caring and lovely."

"Right, that's why he choked the hell out of me."

Kyoko froze. "H-how did you-"

"Please." Sho shook his head. "Tsuruga's so in love with you it's ridiculous, and I heard you almost slip up and call him Kuon when the lights fell on his head." He flipped the fish on the grill. "We're even, so I'm not planning on saying anything, if that's what you're worried about. But you need to watch yourself around that guy. He's got a nasty streak."

She turned to him. "Shotarou. Please don't ruin this for me. Please."

He looked at her eyes starting to fill with tears and turned red. He focused intently on the grill in front of him. "Fuck, Kyoko. I already said I'm not going to say anything, okay? Stop looking at me like that."

"Thank you." She turned back to the cutting board, unsure if she could actually trust him.

Y'all. This story is starting to kick Bo's butt. I'm trying to stay ahead of the post dates, but it's getting more difficult. x.x; Reviews are greatly appreciated to keep me on schedule and keep me trucking through the story. It's starting to get more complicated to write. And also with the other fic I want to write punching me repeatedly in the brain, it's getting harder to focus. ANYWAY, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. (Next Chapter is going to be spicy as hell. I blame the shirtless Ren pictures in the Discord. Damn you Snoo and Yam. Mostly Yam.) ALL OF MY LURVE - BO