I am so so so so so sorry I've been away for so long! I've had a lot of deadlines at my uni. Literally 4 serious deadlines in the past 2 weeks and I've only recently been able to get time off over the holidays to relax and finally start writing again.

I hope this fluffy chapter makes up for it, we're drawing closer to the end of the story now but I'm considering a sequel :)

Chapter 15

"Operation Jane Eyre?" Yashiro frowned in confusion, trying to understand the reason behind the unusual name.

"Yes, Jane Eyre. Are you familiar with the tale?" Lory replied, leaning back in his chair and sipping on his tea. A grin spread on his face, similar to the one that appeared when he'd made the connection between the classic love story and the two actors that were in his care. Oh how he loved his own mind at times.

Yashiro shook his head. "We discussed it briefly in high school, but that was quite some time ago now, so I'm afraid you'll have to refresh my memory."

Lory grinned, like a cat with a fresh bowl of cream, and sipped more of his tea before obliging the manager's request. "Jane Eyre; a story of a young girl forced to deal with difficult circumstances in her youth, constantly rising and defeating challenges laid before her yet still modest in her own abilities. Jane Eyre- the story of a young woman who falls in love with a man with a dark past who continues to get in the way of his own happiness. Through each other's love, they are able to overcome their own faults and become stronger because of it..." Lory sat up, resting his head on his chin, and glanced contemplatively towards the window.

Yashiro didn't need Lory to explain anymore. He knew what Lory wanted from the situation. He believed that Ren and Kyoko were like the two main characters, he wanted them to have a peaceful resolution. In order for that to happen, however, they would need to be protected.

And as he typed the message to Lory, less than a week after that meeting, the manager hoped Lory already had an idea on what to do to protect them from the media's eyes. Yashiro shuddered to think of the fallout if word of the pair got out. For now he was content to keep guard whilst the pair talked through their feelings in Ren's dressing room.

Yes that's definitely all they're doing, DEFINITELY Yashiro forced himself to think, turning red as he did so.

Ren finally, truly, understood why Lory had questioned his acting abilities before they shot Dark Moon.

He'd spent hours in his apartment, script clutched in his hand, trying to think of how he'd feel if this moment were to ever happen- if he and Kyoko would ever come together the way Katsuki and Mizuki did at the end of the drama. He would briefly allow himself to hope, to feel a sense of happiness at the idea, and he would use that in his acting.

But he'd been a fool. There was no preparing for this. His Katsuki may have been praised, people may have said he surpassed his father in his performance, but he didn't believe it now. How could he, when one of only things he'd let himself truly want in the past five years was in his arms- looking at him with an adorable blush suddenly creeping up her face? No, there was absolutely no preparing for the sheer amount of joy he felt at that moment- he'd never experienced anything like it.

Kyoko stared at him, her eyes wide slightly, and Ren fought back laughter as her small smile turned into a frown, her eyebrows crinkled and her face went from a light pink to a brilliant shade of tomato.

Impending Kyoko meltdown in three...two...one...

"I- I- I didn't mean to do that." She mumbled in an embarrassed tone, looking down at the ground. Ren blinked, surprised at her reaction.

Huh, I thought she'd go into dozega-mode. Ren thought, watching the young actress avoid his gaze in a way he found entirely too endearing. Maybe I was wro-

"I'M SO SORRY!"

Ah. There it is.

"That was so shameless, I- I can't believe I just kissed you like that!" Kyoko clutched her face in horror and tried to step away from Ren's embrace, but Ren held his arms around her firmly. No way in hell was he going to let her bow in apology for kissing him. In fact, he doubted whether he'd ever let her out of his arms now that she was there.

"Neither can I to be quite honest." Ren said, lifting his lips into a teasing smile "not that I mind." He nudged her playfully and she raised her eyes to meet his, looking somewhere between happy and mortified. The young actress sighed, worrying at her lip. Ren's eyes watched as she bit the soft pinkness where his own lips had been a few minutes before.

He couldn't help himself; he leaned in to kiss her once more when suddenly Kyoko spoke up.

"I feel as though I owe you an explanation. Especially as I m-made a promise to you, that I wouldn't k-kiss anyone that I didn't-" she paused here, seemingly trying to gather up courage "that I didn't have strong feelings for."

When Ren didn't say anything, only standing more rigidly, Kyoko didn't know what to do. She continued with her explanation, having no idea that she'd almost put Ren into a happiness-induced coma.

"I've- I've had those feelings for you for quite some time now. Only I've been fighting them for many reasons. I thought you liked someone else. When I was Bo you told me you had feelings for a high school girl. Last night it dawned on me that that might've been me, and I didn't even know it." She chuckled sheepishly and glanced at Ren's expression, slightly worried at his blank stare "Ren?"

She jumped when he face-planted into her shoulder and sighed heavily.

"You thought I meant I loved someone else. Of course you did." Ren laughed at his own idiocy.

"Ren? Did I say something wrong?" Kyoko was worried but also very much aware of the warmth of his head on her shoulder, the clean scent of his hair floated around her. It was oddly calming.

"Hmm? No" Ren replied and the vibration of his humming tickled. Kyoko found it strange- new- it wasn't like being tickled the normal way but in a way that lit a fire inside her, made her gasp slightly. His mouth was so close to her neck and she wondered, briefly, what it would be like to have his lips pressed against her skin. Just the thought made her slightly dizzy, and a little distraught, she was supposed to be a pure maiden after all.

But even Princesses don't stay maidens forever, after they find their Prince a logical thought pieced through Kyoko's perceptions of herself and cracked them slightly. But, looking at the man who was now (regretfully) lifting his head up to gaze at her, she felt this was ok. With him, it was ok not to be... completely pure.

Besides, after grabbing her Sempai (no matter what had happened between them, he was still technically that) and pulling him into quite a fierce embrace like she'd done moments before, she doubted she had a right to call herself pure anymore.

"No I was just thinking about how hopeless we both are. The night I found out you were Bo, I was upset not because you'd lied to me, but because I thought you'd known about my feelings for you the whole time yet not discussed it with me. I took that as I sign you didn't return my feelings. When all this time, we might've been together sooner."

"No. We couldn't have been." Kyoko shook her head sadly. "But that's my fault not yours."

"Kyoko-" Ren began reassuringly but she shook her head again.

"I was too afraid. I didn't want to admit my feelings because that meant becoming weak again, I didn't want to turn back into the girl I used to be before all of these wonderful things started happening to me. I was so afraid that I stopped seeing you for who you really are, and started seeing my past. My past controlled everything I did, every feeling I suppressed, even hint of your regard I dismissed and denied. I tried so hard not to allow myself to hope, but you made that impossible just by being yourself. And last night, when you told me you l-loved me I still couldn't believe it."

Ren interlocked his fingers with hers, using his thumb to caress her hand, he brought her hand up to his and kissed it lightly.

"I understand, I felt the same way. For different reasons, I tried to fight it. But really these reasons not to be in love are just excuses, just denying what's already there-"

"-just fear." Kyoko finished and she smiled up at him. "I'm not afraid anymore."

He smiled back, linking his hands into hers once more and giving them a reassuring squeeze. "No, neither am I."

"But I am confused." Kyoko admitted.

"Confused?" Ren asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Mm-hmm, confused." The orange-topped actress repeated and Ren led her to the sofas. They sat down beside each other and Ren tentatively place his arm around her. He felt nervous, in a way he hadn't been when they had just been acting during the flirting lessons. This was different, this was just them. He didn't want to force her into anything she found uncomfortable.

But she had admitted her feelings for him, no matter what he had that knowledge. It made him so ridiculously overjoyed that he was finding it hard to wipe the stupid smile off his face, a feat made practically impossible when she shuffled back into him, learning against his side. How natural it suddenly seemed to him, like they'd been doing this forever.

"It's just that you knew I was Kyoko-chan far longer than I knew you were Corn." Kyoko said awkwardly. Ren waited for her to elaborate. "And I remembered that you didn't like me when we first met, which was completely justifiable, but you see- I was just wondering if you-" she floundered slightly, realising just how silly the question was, how foolish it made her sound.

"You're wondering if I fell in love with you for the person you were rather than the person you are now?" Ren got right to the point with almost arrow-like precision. It always amazed her how quickly he could read her emotions.

Kyoko looked up at him and nodded, somewhat ashamed of questioning his feelings for her, especially considering how long it had taken for them to both be truly open and honest with each other.

Ren pulled her closer to his chest, holding his fingers under her chin so she couldn't look away.

"You told me that Corn, Kuon and Ren were all the same person and it didn't matter because they're all different parts of me. That's how I feel about Kyoko-chan. When I realised you were the girl from Kyoto it made me see you in a different light, but it was getting to know you how you are now that made me fall in love with you."

Kyoko visibly relaxed in his arms and he placed a kiss on the top of her head, earning a chuckle from the petite actress.

A knock sounded at the door and Kyoko flew across the room, far out of Ren's reach. She moved so quickly that Ren stared confused at the space she'd previously occupied for a few moments, before realising what had happened.

"Ah R-Ren? Sorry to interrupt but we have an interview we need to get to soon." Yashiro's nervous stutter came through the door and shattered the little world they'd created.

Ren and Kyoko stared silently at each other. Ren felt like he should be hurt by her actions, but he knew from the look she was giving him that it had nothing to do with her feelings for him, but rather she wasn't ready for the world to know about them. That was something they could discuss another time.

"Ok Yashiro, I'll be out in a minute." Ren called back, not breaking eye contact with Kyoko. He offered her a comforting smile which, from her reaction, seemed to reassure her that he wasn't annoyed or upset.

"Well I suppose we best get going." Kyoko said, brushing off invisible dust from her skirt before moving towards the door with a smile. "We wouldn't want your punctuality record to be broken would we?"

"Kyoko." Ren stood up as the golden eyed girl turned around to face him. When their eyes met his tongue felt suddenly rather dry. "I was wondering if you're free next Wednesday night?"

Kyoko felt her heart leap and nervously checked her mental-calendar "I- I believe I am. Why do you ask?"

"Well I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me?" Ren asked and suddenly felt like a nervous teenager again, but he held his gaze firm, his stance confident as he once more placed his hopes in the only girl he'd ever loved.

Kyoko looked up at him, a deep blush forming across her cheeks, her eyes large and bright.

"I would like that very much"

I really don't like this chapter, but it was needed in order to get to the next chapter (no pun intended) of Ren/Kyoko's love story. But nevermind that, what do you think? Let me know! :) I've missed you all so much and I don't want to be apart from this story for that long again!

Until the next time!