Disclaimer: Thank God I don't own Skip Beat! cuz it wouldn't be as good if I did.

a/n: thank you 21han, for being the ONLY PERSON to review ch3. i guess no one likes fics about sho.

~I hope everyone is in character, but if Kyoko isn't, it's cuz she's in love. This is how I think Kyoko would think in the situation. I think Moko-san is fairly IC, as well as Ren (maybe). Maria was the real challenge. I think that her thought process as you will read it is fairly reasonable, though. Enjoy, just don't expect anything meaningful, it's just fluff.

Kyoko woke up in the best way she could have imagined: with Ren's arms around her. She didn't want to wake him up, so she remained as still as she could while managing to run her fingers through his hair. She felt guilty for being so happy.

Her acting career had begun to take off with the recently ended Box "R" and she was getting more offers for varying characters every week. She now had friends that loved her and a surrogate family in the couple at the Darumaya. But what she could never have imagined was the wonderful, loving man she now had in her life. She was waiting for the day when she would wake up and realize that it was all just a dream. But it had yet to happen, and last night had been way too incredible for her to ever dream up on her own.

Ren began to stir awake, and as he took a deep breath he tightened his hold on her waist, making her giggle. He nuzzled into her neck before pulling back to look at her sleepily and murmur, "I love you," in greeting. She smiled warmly and said she loved him, too.

Once free of his hold, she dressed in his shirt from the night before, a light blue button-down that almost reached her knees, and strolled into his kitchen to scrounge up breakfast for them.

Just as she set two plates of food on his table in the living room, he walked out fully showered and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, casual in a way that only she ever saw. He smiled at the sight of her eating breakfast wearing just his shirt and leaned down to kiss her. She pulled back, smirking, and shoved food into his mouth before he could react. Knowing that she would continue to do that until he ate, he sat down, pulled her onto his lap, earning a squeak from her, and ate his breakfast quickly. Once he was finished he gave her a deep kiss that she felt all the way to her toes.

Even after dating for nearly half a year, she couldn't get used to the way her made her feel. She hoped she never did.

They hadn't told anyone about them yet, not even Yashiro and Kanae. When Ren had finally made a move and confessed, bringing Kyoko to tears of shock and happiness, she had agreed to try dating as long as it was secret. The reason was that she was afraid of getting her heart broken again, so she wanted to take it slow and easy, which would be difficult if the media was mobbing them, and she was too shy to tell her friends or the general public about their relationship while she still had fears and doubts. She had assured Ren that the doubts weren't about him, just about her ability to be in a love relationship.

Ren had agreed to the condition. He would do anything to make her more comfortable. He had also acknowledged that it might be bad to be in a public relationship so early in her career. That idea simply made her try harder to make a name for herself in the acting world.

Every time they saw each other over the last months the love he had showed for her had melted away her doubts bit by bit. He hadn't tried to push her, he just loved her unconditionally and waited for her to trust him. It seemed that his patience had paid off when she showed up at his apartment late last night.

Would he ever have guessed that she would make that first move? Never. But he decided that it was so much hotter that way.

Besides the obvious enjoyment of the night, the emotional result was astounding for Kyoko. She no longer felt shy and awkward with Ren. Physical contact had used to make her nervous, but after that, eating breakfast on his lap was the most obvious place to be. She was confident of his love for her, and hers for him. And she decided it was time to tell their friends and families.

But not the media. She didn't think she could handle that.

Leaning her head back against the chest of her lover, she could hear his steady heartbeat. It made her smile. "My heart beats just for you," he loved to tell her. She loved listening to it pound, hearing the rhythm change with his emotions.

They were relaxed, reveling in each others company. By some miracle, neither of the had work that morning, so they had no intentions of breaking the tranquil moment.

Kyoko decided that it would be the best time to bring up her decision, so she started, "Ren."

"What, love?"

"I think it's time we started telling people. About us I mean."

She looked up at his face, which was lightly tinted with surprise, before it changed to a warm smile. She rushed to finish before he distracted her. That smile of his made it hard to think.

"Just, you know, our close friends, and family. They should know, I feel bad for not telling them. Do you- do you think they'll be happy for us?"

Ren was relieved that she had decided this finally. He had been worried that she would never feel able to confess that she had learned to love again. "I'm sure everyone who loves you will be overjoyed as long as you're happy."

He kept smiling at her, until she blushed and looked down. She leaned back once again, and sighed contentedly. "I am, Ren. I'm so happy."

He squeezed her, and rested his chin on top of her head, careful not to put too much weight on her. They remained there for another long while. Until Kyoko thought of something that made her gasp and bolt up into a ramrod straight position on his lap.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked. Her eyes were open wide, and he was worried that she had somehow changed her mind. His heart was ice cold with fear as he awaited her answer.

She looked at him with big eyes, and asked, "How am I going to tell Maria?"

Ren burst out laughing. Kyoko pouted, thinking that he was teasing her again. It seemed to be his favorite pastime.

"What's so funny? This is a serious problem!"

Ren struggled to talk through the chuckles that still erupted, though he tried to stem them. "It's not you, Kyoko, it's just that I was sitting here terrified that you had changed your mind, and it turns out that you're worried about explaining our relationship to a nine-year-old!"

Kyoko very gently punched him in the shoulder. "This is no laughing matter. This is a little girl known to throw live bugs at girls who get near you. Even if she does love me, she's convinced that she's going to marry you someday. What if she hates me for this?"

Ren's laughter stopped instantly when he saw her tearing up.

"Kyoko, don't worry. Maria loves you far too much for that. And honestly, I think she's noticed my feelings for you. She's a very bright little girl. I'm sure she'll be happy that you're happy."

Kyoko seemed a bit doubtful still, but was determined to tell Maria herself. She felt she owed it to Maria to be honest with her. Ren decided that he would tell the president, and Yashiro of course. He didn't want to subject her to the torture of those two's effusions of happiness and triumph. Kyoko would, obviously, tell Kanae. She could only hope that her best friend wouldn't hate her forever for keeping this from her.

When she brought up the Darumaya couple, Ren mentioned that he wanted to formally ask their permission to date her. She smiled at that. It was just another way he showed her how serious he was about her, and how much he loved her. She knew how intimidating the taicho could be.

As for his parents, who Kyoko did in fact know to be Kuu and Julie Hizuri, Ren suggested that they tell them in person, since he hadn't been home in so long after all. He had correctly anticipated her excitement at the idea of visiting her psuedo-father.

Their conversation, interspersed with comfortable silences, took most of their morning. Before they knew it, it was almost time to leave. Kyoko used his shower and got dressed in her clothes from the night before. She had only worn them on the way to his apartment, so they weren't really dirty. Ren changed into his usual style. He drove her to LME, explaining to Yashiro that he had picked her up that morning before getting him. As they parted, they shared a brief look that said everything that they couldn't at the moment. Luckily, Yashiro missed it. He would learn the truth soon enough anyway.

Kyoko found Kanae in the LoveMe room, reading a script, grumbling over something she was reading. For once, Kyoko didn't rush to hug her best friend. Instead, she went to kneel in front of her, and went into a dogeza.

"Mo! Stop kneeling, an actress shouldn't be seen on the floor!"

"Moko-san, I'm so sorry, I'm not worthy to be your best friend, I hated hiding things from you but I just couldn't tell anyone, and now I'm telling you first, no one else knows yet, so please don't hate me and please don't stop being my best friend, I'm so sorry, so very very very-"

"Stop groveling! Mo! Explain first, then I'll know what to forgive you for."

Kyoko sat up, and with her eyes cast down she mumbled something indistinguishable. All Kanae got to say was one last annoyed 'Mo' before Kyoko just burst out with, "Ren and I are dating!"

Kanae looked at the blushing girl for a moment in surprise. She had expected the two to end up as a couple eventually, with the way that guy looked at Kyoko.

"I suppose that explains the way you've changed."

Kyoko quirked her head, "I've changed?"

"Yeah, I guess love suits you. You've been practically glowing with happiness. You've gotten prettier. I was starting to get freaked out, actually. How long have you been dating?"

"Um... It's been just over five months."

"Mo!" Kyoko flinched. "You kept something this important a secret for that long?"

"I'm so sorry Moko-san! I just couldn't tell anyone while I was afraid..." She couldn't continue but she didn't have to. Kanae understood what she had been afraid of. Not wanting her to dwell on past heartbreak, Kanae moved on.

"It's alright. Who else are you two telling?"

"Well, we're going to try to keep it from the media for as long as possible. Right now Ren is telling Yashiro-san and President Takarada. I should find Maria and explain before her grandfather tells her-"

"WAIT! If you've fallen in love, then that means- NO! You will NOT leave me alone to suffer the pink curse!"

For the first time, Kyoko realized that this did mean that she would be graduating the LoveMe section. She had been so caught up in the tumble of her emotions that she had not thought of it like that. If the president kept his promise, this meant that she would be allowed to have her movie debut.

Kanae continued ranting about the pink nightmare, and being left behind by her rival. When Kyoko finally managed to appease her, Kanae told her that she wasn't mad at her for falling in love. Content that she still had a best friend, she left to face her next challenge.

In the president's office, loud squealing was heard.

When Yashiro fainted, to the relief of his two companions, who both believed that a man should never be heard making such a sound, the president chuckled. "I was wondering when you would finally tell me."

"You... You knew?" Ren was shocked.

Lory shook his head. "Ren, never underestimate my information networks."

Ren got chills at the idea of what else Lory might know about him and Kyoko, but decided to overlook it for the moment, and asked, "Then why didn't you say anything? I thought you would've tried to plot and interfere once you knew."

Lory acted affronted, saying, "I support love any way I can, Ren, and the best way to support Mogami-kun was to let her slowly accept and gain confidence in her love without any interference. Did it work?"

Ren just nodded. He was once again indebted to his crazy boss.

"Well then, shall we call up Mogami-kun? We need to talk about her graduation, her debut, and ways to keep this from the press. I assume you do want to keep this from the press? It would be the best plan, considering her budding career."

"Yes, we do want to keep it private, but Kyoko said she would come up as soon as she was finished telling Kotonami-san and Maria-chan."

The president was thoughtful. "Yes, I believe it would be best for Maria to hear this from her. I hope she takes it well."

"So do I. It would break Kyoko's heart if Maria-chan was mad at her."

After a brief pause, Lory summoned his assistant, Sebastian, and asked him to find good options for Kyoko's debut that he could look over before she arrived. He returned shortly with four scripts, all romantic dramas, but Lory had barely read over the summaries before Maria herself barged into the office, dragging Kyoko behind her.

Kyoko had found Maria in the talent section harassing Sawara. When Maria noticed her, she ran over yelling, "Onee-sama!"

Kyoko lifted Maria into a hug, nodded to Sawara in greeting, and the started walking back the way she'd come holding onto Maria's hand, explaining, "Maria-chan, we need to talk about something in private."

As Kyoko headed towards the LoveMe room, which was empty since Kanae had left for a job, Maria chatted to Kyoko, who was trying to think of the best way to tell the little girl.

Once they were in the LoveMe room, Kyoko lead Maria onto the couch, and knelt on the floor in front of her, much as she had with Kanae but without doing a dogeza.

"Maria-chan, I have a confession to make, but I'm afraid that you'll be angry with me when I tell you."

"Onee-sama, I won't be angry with you!"

"You promise?" Kyoko asked sadly, though she knew it wouldn't make a difference when it came to it.

"I promise! So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, but I'm worried that you won't agree. You see," Kyoko paused for a deep breath, clutched Maria's hands, and said, "Maria-chan, I've seen what you do to girls that try to get close to Ren, I know how you feel about him, but I hope that you like me enough to believe that I'm not trying to betray you or anything. What I'm trying to get at is that Ren and I have been dating for a few months."

Maria looked at Kyoko and blinked, allowing the new information to sink in. "Dating each other?" She checked.

Kyoko nodded and watched the emotions play across he young girl's face.

First it was blank as what Kyoko had said began to register. Then it was replaced by a slight frown.

Maria thought about her two favorite people dating each other, and felt jealous. Kyoko was right about her doing terrible things to girls who got close to Ren, but even though she had always dreamed that she would marry Ren when she was older, she couldn't do something so mean to her onee-sama.

Kyoko watched Maria's frown turn into a faraway look, like she was remembering something.

As she thought about it, Ren had always seemed to have a soft spot for Kyoko. He treated her specially, and seemed to be actually happy when he was with her, which she had never seen when he was with any other girls. Maria had noticed this before, but hadn't really seen the significance. Now it seemed obvious, even to her young mind. She realized at that moment how silly it had been to want to marry someone more than ten years older than her in the first place.

Kyoko got worried when Maria's face fell. She had been optimistic while Maria was thinking, but now that she looked so sad all her hopes dropped.

"Maria-chan...? Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you-"

Maria cut her off, "Onee-sama, calm down. I'm fine."

She thought again for a second, and then popped up, asking, "Onee-sama, are you happy?"

"Huh? You mean with Ren? Yes, I'm very happy."

Maria suddenly grabbed Kyoko's hand and started dragging her towards the door. "Then let's go!"

Before she knew where they were going, Kyoko found herself pulled into the president's office, which was occupied by Ren, Lory, and an unconscious Yashiro.

The two aware men were surprised by the sudden entrance, and Lory stood up and opened his mouth to question Maria, who ignored him and walked straight up to Ren. When she was in front of him, still holding Kyoko by the hand, she had to look up at him even though he was sitting and she standing.

"Ren-sama, does onee-sama make you happy?"

Ren was surprised and confused. He looked to Kyoko for explanation, but only received a shrug. So he answered honestly, "She makes me very, very happy, Maria-chan."

Maria suddenly gave the two a big smile, pulled Kyoko so that she was next to Ren, who caught her to stop her from falling on top of him, and declared, "Then I'm happy too!"

Leaving the couple very shocked, and very relieved, Maria walked over to her grandfather, and stated demanding that she could help choose her onee-sama's debut movie.

Meanwhile, Ren turned to Kyoko, and said simply, "Well, that went well."

She looked over at Maria, and nodded. "Surprisingly well. Moko-san isn't mad either."

"I told you that the people who love you will be happy as long as you are."

"I guess you were right," Kyoko, who was still unused to unconditional love, admitted. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, keeping it clean while they were in mixed company, and then ran over to the little blonde girl who had been the first person in her life to love her, and gave her a big hug.

a/n: Really hope you liked it. Cheers