Kyoko set out on her bike from her apartment to LME. She had some LoveMe work to do around the office that day, and she had asked the President to allow her to bike to work at least once a week. She felt strange having Ruto drive her all the time. Even though Kuon had specifically asked for that, it made Kyoko feel like a huge inconvenience.

The morning air was cool and crisp. Autumn had officially come to Tokyo. As Kyoko rode her bike down the sidewalk, she pulled her scarf over her nose to keep the chill from biting at it. She stopped her bike at a crosswalk to walk it across when she heard a group of schoolgirls exclaiming.

"Oh my GOD he's so hot!"

"Could you imagine getting to be that girl!?"

"Who is she!?"

"She looks kind of familiar, but I can't place her."

Kyoko stopped and listened in because she was curious. What's got them so excited? She looked up at where they were looking and her eyes shot wide open. There, on a giant screen in the middle of Downtown Tokyo, was her face, just inches from Kuon's. She stared at the screen with her mouth open for a moment, and then shook her head and tried to catch what else the girls were saying.

"She's really pretty, whoever she is."

"Well, it's not like they'd pair Tsuruga-san with some plain girl. Is it just me or do they actually look close?"

"Well, he's an actor. I don't know about the girl, but I would assume that maybe she is as well."

"AH!" The girls stopped and stared at their friend who was excitedly hopping up and down pointing at the screen. "I KNOW WHO SHE IS NOW. SHE'S MOMIJI FROM LOTUS IN THE MIRE!"

"Wait, the one Hikaru Ishibashi was crushing on?"

Kyoko blushed. Of course they'd bring that up.

"Yeah. Her name is Kyoko. She's worked with Tsuruga-san before, on Dark Moon."

"Do you think she's… dating him? Hiromune-san said she was dating someone."

"Well, she's cute enough."

"Is she, though? I mean, Tsuruga-san is gorgeous."

The girl was soundly flicked in the forehead. Her friend gestured up at the screen. "And what do you call that girl, huh? A toad?"

The other girl rubbed her forehead. "I mean, she's cute, but she hasn't done a whole lot yet. She's probably just getting close to Tsuruga-san to use him. Probably just a clout chaser."

The other girls shook their heads. "Manami-chan, I think your jealousy is showing. Come on, we're going to be late for class."

The gaggle of girls walked away, leaving Kyoko to bike on to LME. She was surprised that the girls had known so much about her, and even more shocked that they thought she was cute enough to potentially date Ren Tsuruga. Except Manami. Screw her, thought Kyoko, sticking her tongue out.

When she got to LME, there was a group of reporters outside. She parked her bike at the bike rack out front and weaved her way politely through them and into the building. When she entered the lobby, she found Lory Takarada leaning against the front counter, dressed in a sparkly pink shirt and white slacks. When he saw her enter the building, he burst out laughing.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "President-san, are you okay?"

He straightened up and turned her around to face the front doors. "Mogami-san, do you have any idea who the press are here to hound?"

"Uh… no?"

"I'll give you a hint. Her commercial with Ren Tsuruga dropped this morning." Kyoko stared at him in shock. Lory took in the look on her face and laughed into his hand. "I decided to test it and see if they'd even recognize you out of makeup. You're just that good."

Kyoko stared outside in disbelief. "All those people are here… for me?"

Lory looked down at her and shook his head. "Don't act so surprised. It was bound to happen at some point. Now we just have to decide how you want to play this."

"How I want to… play it?"

He nodded. "Come with me." She followed Lory to the elevator. When they were inside alone, he smirked. "Have you and Kuon thought about going public?"

A shiver ran up Kyoko's spine. "D-do you think it's time for that?"

He shrugged. "It's ultimately up to the both of you, but I think it might be a good time to strike while the iron's hot."

The elevator doors opened, and they walked down the hall to Lory's office. When they entered, he announced to no one in particular,"All right, she's here. You can breathe now."

"Oh, THANK GOD!"

Kyoko looked around Lory at the screen on the wall behind his desk. Kuu and Julie Hizuri were sitting there, both looking atypically pale, though there was a red tinge to Julie's cheeks.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! FIRST YOU KIDNAP MY SON, AND THEN YOU MAKE MY DAUGHTER WALK THROUGH THE SHARKS. IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON YOU, LORY, I'LL END YOU!"

Kuu knew better than to try to calm his wife, so he focused on Kyoko instead. "It's nice to see you, Kyoko-chan. Are you okay?"

Kyoko smiled sheepishly up at the Hizuris. "I'm fine, Father. They didn't recognize me." Oh god, but what if they HAD?, she thought, terrified.

Lory caught the look on her face and put his hand up. "Please, you really think I'd let you walk through there unprotected? Ruto's been out there in a suit with a microphone all morning." He looked up at Julie and beamed. "See? I wouldn't let any harm come to Kyoko-chan. You can rest easy."

Julie fixed him with a glare that only a mother could muster. "You're only digging that hole deeper, Lory." She took a deep breath and turned her attention to Kyoko. "Did he tell you about the interview yet?"

Kyoko blinked. "Interview?"

Lory sat on the corner of his desk. "Channel 22 have requested an interview with you next week about the commercial, and about your other work." Before he could say more, the screen of the laptop on his desk registered another incoming call. "Ah, fantastic." He spun it around and accepted the call. "Good afternoon, Ren."

Kuon ran his hand through his hair on the screen. He was covered in sweat. "You said there was an emergency, so what is it?," he asked, already sick of Lory's shenanigans. Then his eyes popped open in surprise. "Kyoko-chan?" Then the word 'emergency' and his view of Kyoko collided inside of his head. "Are you okay!?"

She chuckled nervously and waved. "Yes. Are you alone?"

Kuon looked worriedly around the gym room he was in. "For the moment. What's going on?"

"We're having a meeting with your parents." Lory clicked a couple of buttons on the screen and Kuu and Julie showed up on Kuon's screen.

His eyebrows raised. "Oh. Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."

Lory smiled widely. "Now that we are all gathered, we need to talk about Mogami-san's interview, and about how we're going to handle this situation."

Kuon lifted an eyebrow. "What interview?"

"Channel 22 wants an interview with her to discuss your commercial… among other things."

Kuon let out a heavy sigh. "'Other things' being our relationship?"

Lory smirked. "Bingo. We need to decide how many cats to let out of the proverbial bag."

Kuon shook his head. "We're not letting any cats out of anywhere. I can't put her in danger like that if I'm not there to protect her."

Lory pouted. "But Ruto's been taking such good care of her! She's still here in one piece."

Kuon looked at Kyoko. "What are your thoughts?"

Kyoko looked down at her feet. "I… want to."

He stared at her, stunned. "You do?"

She nodded. "I'm tired of hiding it and lying. I don't like being each other's dirty little secret."

Kuon looked back at Lory, glaring. "You swear that you'll take care of her?"

Lory nodded and saluted him. "Scout's honor."

Kuon stared at him as though he were x-raying him for a moment, and then looked back at Kyoko. "If you're sure… then I'm okay with it. But don't let this guy pressure you into anything. If you don't want to, even if the day of the interview comes and you feel like you shouldn't, then don't. You don't owe these people anything, Kyoko-chan."

Julie wiped her eyes. "Oh, Kuu, our son is so chivalrous."

Kuon blushed. "I appreciate that, Mom, but I'm a little confused. Why are you guys here?"

Julie hmphed, "Well, who else is going to dress my daughter for the biggest interview she's done yet? My pretty girl is going to tell everyone she's dating Japan's number one bachelor. She'll have to look her best."

Kyoko turned bright pink. "I can't ask you to make me another outfit, Mother! Especially on such short notice! It's too much!"

Julie smiled sweetly at her. "It's no trouble at all, my darling. I'm thinking maybe a cute fitted suit. Blush pink? Nude heels? And of course that darling little necklace you made. Lory, you will get Jelly to do her hair and makeup, right?"She was smiling that beautiful lady-like smile and Lory was withering under it like an under-watered houseplant.

"Of course. Wouldn't dream of getting anyone else."

The smile turned more genuine and less threatening. "Wonderful!"

Once they had all the details worked out, and Julie had shown a sketch of what she was envisioning to Kyoko, the Hizuris departed. Then, Kyoko and Kuon said their goodbyes, not sure when the next time they would be able to speak would be. After that, Lory called to confirm Kyoko's interview. When he hung up the phone, he patted Kyoko on the shoulder.

"I'll have a PR rep meet with you and go over how to answer their questions. Is there anything else you'd like?"

Kyoko nodded. "I don't want the media to know that Kuon and I are technically living together yet. I would prefer that they hear about that after he gets back. So if there are any pictures taken of me at the building…"

He nodded. "Nix them. Got it. I can't promise that I can protect you from all pictures taken, but there are certain sources that would absolutely call me first if they have anything. I'll do what I can."

"Thank you, President-san."

She left his office feeling both better and worse about their situation. It would be a relief to finally go public with everything, but she worried about the reactions of the fans. After hearing the schoolgirls' conversation that morning, she dared to hope that the naysayers would not be the majority, but she knew that may not actually be the case. That had only been four random schoolgirls, after all. She made her way down to the LoveMe room, deep in thought. When she opened the door, she found Kanae pacing the floor.

"Moko-san? Are you okay?"

Kanae stopped and shook her head. "Producer Kuresaki and I have a meeting in a few minutes, and I'm going to drop out of Route."

Kyoko shook her head. "Moko-san, no! You can't!"

"Kyoko…," Kanae turned to her with tears in her eyes, "I can't do it. I would need a tutor on set to make it through, and I can't ask that of them. I should be able to do this unassisted."

"Why not just see if they would allow for a tutor? They obviously saw something in you, and they want you for this role. The worst they can say is no."

Kanae's brow furrowed. "How can I ask for that?"

Kyoko took her hand. "If you want, I'll come with you. I don't think Producer Kuresaki would mind." That last part was kind of a lie; the Producer was known for being a bit finicky. It had taken a herculean effort on Kyoko's part to get her spot on Lotus in the Mire because of his immediate refusal of her.

Kanae paused for a moment and then nodded. She figured that if she was firing herself, then it wouldn't matter if the Producer got irritated with her for bringing Kyoko along.

They walked down the hall to the elevator and went to the third floor. When they got off, Kanae led her down the hall to the left to a conference room. Producer Kuresaki was already there waiting.

"Ah, Kotonami-san. And… Mogami-san?" He raised his eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting you."

Kanae nodded. "I asked Mogami-san to come with me. I apologize for the surprise." They closed the door behind them and took a seat at the table across from Kuresaki. Kanae cleared her throat. "Sir… I have decided to drop out of The Route Project."

The Producer fixed her with his perpetually bored stare. "You do understand that you are under contractual obligation to do this film, Kotonami-san? It would not bode well for you to quit."

"I understand that, sir. But… my English is nowhere near where it needs to be to do Heisenberg justice. I would need an assistant on set to help me. I am prepared to face any consequences of my dropping out of the project, but I refuse to ruin Director Herbert's film with a subpar performance."

"Do you have a tutor now?"

Kanae nodded. "Yes. Mogami-san has been helping me. Her English is much better than mine."

He looked over at Kyoko. "You speak English?"

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, I do. Very well, though maybe not as well as someone like Tsuruga-san."

"Do you have any projects lined up?"

Kyoko shook her head, confused. "Not at the moment. Why do you ask?"

"Well, why don't we just hire you to officially assist Kotonami-san and be done with it?"

Kyoko froze. "Hire me?"

He sighed. "Did I stutter? We'll put you on the payroll for the film, you accompany Kotonami-san to LA, you correct her pronunciation, Leonard Herbert gets to shoot the film he wants to shoot, and everybody wins. What do you think?"

Kanae smiled tearfully at her friend. "Do you want to come with me to LA, Kyoko-chan?," she asked, almost ready to laugh. She knew that Kyoko would jump at the opportunity to see Kuon.

"I-yes! O-of course!," Kyoko stammered, unable to believe it. I'll see Kuon. After all these weeks, I'll actually get to see him!

The Producer started packing up his briefcase. "In that case, we'll send the paperwork over to have you sign it, and you'll leave on the same plane as Kotonami-san in two weeks."

They both bowed to the Producer, Kyoko doing her best not to fall all over herself. "Thank you, sir!"

When he left the room, the girls hugged and jumped up and down excitedly.

Kanae pulled away first. "Thank you, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko wiped her eyes. "No, thank you, Moko-san! Thank you so much!"

Kyoko's mind started buzzing with all of the things she'd have to do. Box R had just wrapped up filming until next year, so she could get away with that. But Yappa Kimagure Rock filmed weekly. She frowned. She had known that she would have to eventually quit the show, and had even been encouraged to do so by Koga, but that didn't make the decision easier. There was also the matter of what seeing Kuon would actually mean. Kyoko knew that she would need certain… protection… if she intended to take their relationship to the next level. She would need to make a doctor appointment before she left Japan.

That night, when she showed up at TBM to film, she pulled the Producer aside.

"Sir, I appreciate the opportunity that you've given me here. But I have been offered a job overseas. I have to quit the show."

The Producer glared at her and took a drag off of his cigarette. "I figured this was coming. You know anybody I could replace you with?," he asked matter-of-factly.

Kyoko shook her head. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't. My new job starts in two weeks."

"You're really putting me in a spot, Mogami."

Kyoko bowed her head. "I know, sir. I apologize."

He stamped his cigarette out under his foot. "Eh, whatever. Go put your suit on. I'll deal with it."

Kyoko walked away feeling very guilty.

"Hey! Kyoko-chan, why the long face!?"

She looked up from her feet to find the Ishibashis. Immediately, she hit the floor in a dogeza. "I'M SO SORRYYYY!"

Shinichi and Yuusei picked her up from the floor. "Whoa, what's wrong!?"

She shut her eyes tight and blurted it out. "IgotanewjobandIcan'tworkasBoanymore."

Hikaru's mouth dropped open in shock. "Kyoko-chan, if this is because of me, I'm really sorry! You don't have to leave because of me!"

Her eyes popped open and she shook her head frantically. "No! It's got nothing to do with you, Hikaru-san! This job just kind of came up, and I'm leaving for the US in two weeks." She looked at her feet, her eyes starting to tear up. "I'm really sorry!"

Suddenly, she was being enveloped in a group hug. Shinichi patted the top of her head. "We're going to miss you. You're a huge part of the show, but a girl as talented and cute as you definitely can't hide that under a chicken suit her whole life."

Yuusei nodded. "You're always family here, Kyoko-chan."

Hikaru, who was keeping a respectable distance on the outside of the hug, agreed. "We can't be mad at you, Kyoko-chan. You gave Bo life, but we can't expect you to be Bo forever."

They broke up the hug, and Kyoko wiped her eyes. "Thank you, guys. I'm really gonna miss it here."

Yuusei patted her shoulder. "All right, pull it together. We got a show to do!"

They got through the show without incident, and for the first time, Kyoko actually went out with the Ishibashis for dinner after the show.

When she got home, it was almost midnight. She pulled her phone out and called Kuon. It rang four times, and then…

"Hi Kyoko-chan!"

She blinked. "Yashiro-san?"

She heard him laugh. "Sorry, I know I'm not who you were expecting. Ren is filming in the other room. We had a very early start today. Is everything okay? It's late for you."

"Oh." Kyoko blushed. She knew she would probably be interrupting him, but she couldn't wait to share the good news. "Everything is fine, I just got in late. Do you think he'll have a break soon?"

Yashiro looked up at the light above the door. It was red, indicating that they were filming, but they had been going for almost two hours. He hmmed. "Possibly. Should I pop my head in and see?"

Kyoko took a deep breath. She wanted to tell him so badly, but she didn't want to interrupt him. "No, that's okay. Do you think you could have him call me when he gets off of work?"

"Of course. You're sure nothing is wrong?"

Kyoko giggled. "Can you keep a secret?"

Yashiro looked down each side of the hallway, his heart rate kicking up. Oh god, what if she's pregnant? "Of course."

"Producer Kuresaki is hiring me to be Moko-san's assistant. I'll be in LA in two weeks."

Yashiro jumped out of his chair. "ARE YOU KIDDING!?"

Kyoko wiped her happy tears off of her cheeks. "Not at all, but don't tell Ren. I want to tell him."

Yashiro shook his head. "I wouldn't dare tell him. That's for you to surprise him. Oh, Kyoko-chan, I'm so excited!"

"What are you so excited about?"

Yashiro had been so caught up that he hadn't seen the light go green over the door. He turned around to see Kuon and immediately thrust the phone out to him. "It's Kyoko-chan, she has something important to tell you!"

"Princess, what's up?"

"Kuon, I'm coming to LA!"

He almost dropped the phone. "Are you serious!?"

"Yes! They hired me to be Moko-san's assistant! I'll be coming when she comes!"

Kuon collapsed into the chair that Yashiro had been sitting in and covered his face with his hand. He hadn't fully appreciated how much her absence had been affecting him until that moment. "You're really coming?," he asked her through tears.

"Yes! I can't wait to see you!"

Yashiro handed him a handkerchief and he wiped his eyes. "I'm so relieved. So you'll be here in a couple weeks?"

"Mm-hmm!"

He smiled. "I'm so glad you called. This is the best news I've had in months."

The set door opened next to him and Leonard Herbert peeked his head out. He was wearing a Dread Pirate Roberts mask. "Tsuruga-san, we need you in here."

He nodded at him. "I have to go, Kyoko-chan. I'll talk to you later when I get off of work, okay?"

She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Of course. Have a good day, Kuon."

"I absolutely will now that I know you're coming. Goodnight, Princess."

He hung up the phone, grabbed Yashiro, and gave him a sloppy, wet kiss on the cheek. Yashiro stared after him as he returned to the set, with his glasses askew and a dopey grin on his face.

HI EVERYBODY! :D I hope everyone had a lovely holiday, or non-holiday, whatever you guys were up to in the last week. This is our LAST chapter for 2022! I actually am set to finish writing Fairytale probably either today or tomorrow, and then we'll be on track for the final chapter to come out the last week of January! And then Bo is taking a BREAK. For at least a few weeks. I've been writing this story since late June, I am exhausted, my brain hurts, and it needs some downtime. BUT, I already have another idea for a fic (probably not going to be as long as this one... at least I don't think it will) and I will return at some point. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I will see you all next year! May your new year be prosperous, may you all have good health, and lots of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. XOXO - BO