"Hey, don't go yet dummy! You're not a pet chicken! Bo!"

Ren raised his head up, the name striking a familiar cord. He noticed the memorable silhouette of a plastic suit and huge tail plumage walk past a corner, completely unaware of the relieved actor. Ren felt his heart rise in hope of a familiar voice in the center of chaos, and broke into a hurried glide in order to catch up with him.

"Bo! Bo!" His voice echoed.

The rooster froze, mid-step. Its over-sized head turned back, in unbridled fear. Ren slowed to a trot as he approached. Ren's relieved smile was on full force, as he caught the answer to his mental pleas. The full force of his charm hit the mascot dead on, a surprise attack.

"Bo...it's you. I'm so glad you're..."

"Brwack!" A chicken shaped puff of smoke began to dissipate, as the brown feathers skidded around a corner.

Taking off at a run, Ren gave chase after the mascot, confused. The chicken had never run from him before. He never considered that the chicken would be anything less than understanding. Were the rumors really that bad?

"Wait! Wait!"

After giving chase, the winded actor finally ran into a dead end, with no chicken in sight. Worried that he lost him, Ren looked down the barren hallway, full of storage doors. Walking slowly, Ren jiggled each doorknob, each shut and locked tight. Only until he got to the end of the hall did Ren notice the tell-tale clue. The small crack of an open side door signaled where the mascot must have gone, and he made a straight bee-line to it.

Seeing that the light was on and the room empty, Ren stepped into the enclosed space and shut the door. The snap made the hiding mascot turn around, its wide comedic eyes taking in the source of all the craziness.

"Bo..? What are you doing…? I thought we were friends?"

Ren never thought the frozen mask could show expression so well, but the rooster looked so irate and hurt that it caught the actor off guard. There was the silent hum of electricity, and a flutter of time before the chicken made its move.

Ren caught the angry feather chop in midstroke, holding it still right above his head. The air was palpable with emotion, as he stared at the plastic mask of what he considered a friend.

"Wait…what are you doing?" The actor said, shocked. He wasn't expecting this sort of welcome. "Why are you angry?"

He could hear a vague murmur behind the costume, but couldn't make out the words. Ren leaned closer to the beak, to try and hear whatever the actor had said inside.

The voice was mad, but watery enough that it sounded like there were tears as well. Something had hurt his friend, and apparently it was him.

"…liar."

"..What?"

"Liar! Liar!" Bo shouted, getting free and catching Ren in the head with his heavy beak. Ren winced as the strike started stinging angrily. Bo began pecking at the show's guest until Ren was able to grab his beak and fend him off.

"You lie! You're not gay! You use people! What about that high school girl? Whatever happened to friendship? I looked up to you! You tricked me! I believed in you!"

Ren gazed into the wide-eyed rooster face, surprised at the venom and despair his friend had shown. He didn't know he had meant so much to the Rock mascot. It was both flattering and worrying.

"I'm sorry Bo. I didn't want to lie to you. In fact, I was hoping to see you. I need your opinion again."

The rooster crossed his arms and shook his head, looking away from the actor in defiance.

It was clearly an I'm not going to talk to you because you're an idiot. The vein in Ren's forehead lightly jutted out, throbbing as his annoyance built.

"You have to give me advice. After all," He glared at his chicken friend. "This is your fault."

"Bwwwaaark?" Crimson flames erupted around the suit, as lightning bolts of anger erupted from both figures' glare. When the chicken attacked again, Ren was ready. He grabbed both feather arms, and held it up into the air, pinning the mascot still.

"How could you blame me for your shortcomings?"

"I never would have realized my feelings if it weren't for you."

"Who knew you were so stupid with your emotions!"

"What?"

"You heard me! You're acting like an idiot! What kind of guy says he loves a high school girl, then goes off lying about his sexual orientation? That's just stupid! You're supposed to be a professional!" The rooster's voice cracked again, and again the pain behind the anger began to show through. "Don't you think about how your actions affect others around you? Look at your career and fans! LME! I bet you really hurt her too!"

Ren's grip eased, his eyes softening as the words rolled in his mind. The pause was just enough time to allow for another beak head butt attack.

"Stop it!" Ren grabbed the oversized hat and held it back. It felt just like it had when he had first met the chicken. The damn thing had been a spitball of spite and anger then too, but at least then the mascot had the decency not to attack him. "Stop doing that! I didn't want to hurt anyone!"

"It's your fault for lying!"

"I wasn't lying! At least not then! I have to lie now! I'm doing this for the high school girl I told you about!"

"Boy?"

"Girl." Ren corrected him, glaring more. "Woman rather. I did something wrong, and I can't reach her."

Bo pulled back slowly, the rooster's face so frozen yet so expressive.

"Well you shouldn't fool with people along the way! Do you have any idea how much your actions hurt people? You can't pretend to care for people when you don't! What if they fall for it! Don't make believe to care for someone when you love someone else! What about them…what if the other falls for it…"

Shaking itself free, Bo turned to the door.

"I'm leaving. Goodbye Tsuruga."

Something inside Ren's chest squeezed, hard. Again, he found that the chicken was able to peel back all of his layers. He went for the costume head, determined to pull it off and talk to the man behind the mask. If he could convince the mascot of his sincere feelings, he was sure he could reach Kyoko.

"No, you can't leave. Give me a second to explain."

Ren grabbed the back of Bo's tuxedo, and pulled him back. A fierce tug of war broke, tearing at the costume as each party grew more and more passionate.

"No, let me go!"

"We need to talk!"

The sudden tear of fabric of fabric made the rooster 'brawks' even louder, both determined to get their way.

"It's none of my business!"

"I need you now. Please!"

"STEP AWAY FROM THAT BIRD!"

An obsidian cloud radiated from the doorway; a furious, beautiful actress marched into the room.

Both attendants looked at the door, seeing the goddess of nightmares in a shimmery blue sundress, blushed cheeks, mile-long legs, and milky skin. The make up artist made LoveMe member number two into a gorgeous model, fit to be Tsuruga Ren's love interest. It was only the lightning bolt glares and suddenly pointed nails and fangs that showed the woman for what she was. An angry harpy, bent on revenge.

"You..."

Lashing out suddenly made Bo & Ren break apart, both intent at avoiding the vicious vampiric actress. Venomous red eyes glowed death.

"How... dare... you!"

"Wait, Kotonami-san..." Ren hesitantly took a step back, almost tripping over a small prop box. He had never seen a demonic queen before, but he was sure this was it. Large plastic feathers wrapped around her slender waist, pulling Kanae back from her oversized prey.

"You...hurt her..."

"Kotonami-san..."

"Moko-san! Stop!"

"I'll kill you!"

"Kotonami-san! Stop!" Breaking free and diving at his handsome face, Ren grabbed her wrists just in time. He lightly pushed her away, just enough to make her pause and regain her bearings. "I'm not here to tell the world I'm a homosexual. I'm not here to trick anyone. I don't want you to act as my beard. I'm here because I want to quit acting."

The silence was immediate, shock ringing from both the chicken and the actress. Both looked as if they were freshly slapped. Bo's mouth fell open.

"Acting?" Kanae said hesitantly, as if she had heard the man speak in some long lost ancient language, "Professional acting? You're quitting?"

Ren looked at both of them, and plunged in.

"I love her. I love her more than you can believe. I originally took that bet because I wanted…" He paused just for a moment, swallowing back the venom he had for that name. "…that guy to apologize for what he did to her; for destroying her faith in love. But really I wanted her to see me as a man. I wanted her to love me back, and I selfishly pushed her under these false pretenses."

Ren ran his fingers through his hair, his face generally nervous, honest, and embarrassed. He confessed to them like a guilty child to a parent, or a believer to his deity: completely opening his heart.

"I know she thinks I just took advantage of her…but that's so far from the truth. I'd rather never act again than let her think that I'm just someone else who used her. I don't want anything back. I don't need her to fall in love with me. I don't even need her to want to look at me again. I just…I want her to know I'd never use her. I enjoyed every moment we spent together."

"So…" Kanae looked at him, her pretty face completely blank. "You love her, and the only reason you took the bet is because you wanted that jerk to apologize, not because you wanted to use her to deflect media attention?"

"Yes."

"And you've been spending time with her, not because of the bet, but because you love her, and people in love supposedly want to spend time together as much as possible?"

"Yes."

"And now that you know she knows about the bet, you want to come clean to her?"

"Yes..."

"You've created this huge media mess…pretending to be gay…so you can make an idiot out of yourself in front of all of Japan, tell her that you're sorry, and prove how much you mean it by giving up everything?"

"…That's right." Ren said softly, mentally admitting that it sounded a lot more ridiculous when someone else recited it.

Kanae looked towards the stunned rooster, and back to the actor. She looked him, the Number One Bachelor Of Japan three years running, Best Dressed Man Of The Year, Most Handsome Smile, Girl's Teen Choice, suddenly seeing him under a brand new light. A love sick, human light.

"…Fine." The actress said simply, unmoved by his confession. "The only reason I took this job was because I was going to humiliate you myself, but you don't need my help. You're obviously just as crazy as the president."

Ren's lips crinkled into a small wry smile. "I suppose so..."

"Still, I'd rather you confess than him."

Breaking the moment, the following knock sounded more like a warning than permission for entry. The hurried manager flung the door open, then spotted his charge. He completely ignored the two other figures in the room, who were luckily just as surprised at his presence.

"Ren, the show's starting in 60 seconds! Get out here!"

"Okay. Excuse me Kotonami-san." Ren turned and smiled sadly at the Bridge Rock mascot. "I'm sorry Bo. We can talk after the show."

With a few long strides, both the manager and actor were gone, pulling the door shut behind them.

Pulling off her chicken mask furiously, Kyoko gaped at the door, then her friend. Kanae turned to Kyoko as well.

"Doesn't he know who Bo is?"

Kyoko threw the rooster's head toward her co-worker, already halfway out of the body.

"Moko-san, switch with me!"

Life's too crazy. Attacking from all ends. I just want to finish the stories I have. I kept this under wraps for a while because I wanted to perfect the chapter, but I know that if I don't post it now I'll abandon it all. So with Runa's suggestions, I added a few new unbeta'd tidbits and am posting it. Come hell or high water, I'll give you guys an end. The Show Must Go On is the next and second to last chapter.