Okay, I lied, I won't be done before the new year. (Sniff) please don't kill me. Last week I got a call to be stage crew in a play and I've been working on a Christmas play too and my brother came home from college last week so I've been too busy to get to the computer. Sorry for the long wait. Here you go.

Kuon and Kyoko were separated for most of the day. Filming doesn't stop just for a little scratch.

Kyoko bit her lip and picked up her phone. Kuon did not have a 'little scratch'. The thing was huge. It wasn't too deep, but it was enough that he should have been in pain.

'I just want to know if he's overdoing himself. He better not be.'

The phone rang and Kyoko waited and held her breath.

"Hello?"

Kyoko gulped. Why did she feel the emperor's gaze when Kuon wasn't anywhere nearby?

"Um, R-Ren? It's Mog- it's Kyoko."

"You alright?" his worried voice almost surprised her.

"I'm fine," Kyoko said quickly. "I'm just wondering if you are alright."

Kuon grinned widely and turned to face the wall so his voice didn't carry and no one saw the face he was making.

"Are you worried about me?" he asked.

"You just got out of the hospital! How can I not worry? You're all cut up and I'm sure bruised from the crash. You must be hurting pretty badly right now."

Kuon didn't want to admit she was right. A bruise was forming on his left leg while they were in the hospital and now it was really bothering him.

"What about you?" Kuon retorted. "You were in the same crash."

"But I wasn't the one who was on the side that hit the pole."

"So your day is going well?" he asked.

"Don't change the subject!"

"Alright. What were you saying?"

"Are you alright?" she asked again.

"Yes," he answered truthfully. "I am now." since you called. He thought smiling. "What do you want for dinner?"

"I was just going to make some rice and fruit..."

"Sounds good." he remarked. "Oh, Sawara-san called me wondering where you were. He couln't reach you on the phone. He has a job for you. Look into it and we'll talk about it tonight."

"Uh, ok."

"See you tonight."

"Right."

Kuon smiled as he hung up. He was making progress.

'Is it too early to plan something for tonight?' he wondered.

Kyoko looked at the phone and blinked slowly.

'He never answered my question.'

She dialed the number for Sawara and sighed.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Sawara-san. Ts-Ren said you wanted to talk to me."

"Ah, finally on first name basis are you? Good, it's about time. Now if you would come to my desk there's a script I want you to read over."

"Ah, alright. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Kyoko made her way to the lobby to find a quiet spot to read the script Sawara-san had given to her.

"Arranged Love"

was the title of the movie. Finding a quiet spot, Kyoko sat down and read the synopsis:

Sakai Riki is content with her life, no matter what comes her way. She always faces her problems with a smile... but there is no emotion beyond that smile. Sakai Riki feels nothing. She is an only child of her widowed father who, when something goes wrong, sees only one way out. He merges his company, but the only way to merge the two companies Sakai Itami gets engaged to Riki Kenage, the son of the president of the other company. She may have everyone fooled with her fake smile, but Kenage sees that she feels nothing but pain and so wants to feel nothing. As he tries to make her feel again, can they both avoid falling in love?

Kyoko blinked. Who would want her for this? What part did they want her for? Was it like Mio and she was out to destroy someone again?

'I hope not!'

She looked at the note from Sawara.

Director: Ogata

Part requested for Kyouko : Sakai Itami

Kyoko froze. Sakai Itami? Director Ogata wanted her to play Sakai Itami?

'Maybe I should read the script first.' she thought. 'Maybe it will sound better then, and I will understand.'

Kyoko read through it quickly. As she set the script down she bit her lip. How could she do something like that?

"Kyoko?"

Kyoko looked up at Kuon who stood in front of her.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

Kyoko nodded and grabbed her things. They got in the car.

"Yukihito and Kanae took the train home an hour ago." Kuon informed her.

Kyoko was silent. Kuon glanced over at her.

"Did you read the script 'Arranged Love'?" he asked.

"Yes." Kyoko said. "Somewhat."

"What do you think of it?" he asked.

"It's..." Kyoko thought for a good word to use. "Interesting."

"You don't like it?" he asked.

"I think it's a great story." Kyoko sighed. "I just don't know if I can play Sakai Itami."

"I'm sure you would do well." Kuon said. "She's a rich girl who, though she has everything, has nothing. She marries Riki Kenage who wants her to, not just have something, but to be something."

"You read it?" Kyoko asked.

"I have read it before. Are you thinking of taking it?"

"I-I'm not sure. I want to, and I do like working with director Ogata, but I'm just not sure."

Ring. Ring.

"Kyoko your phone is ringing."

Kyoko picked up the phone. Kuon listened in.

"Hello? ... ah, President. ... yes, I read the script. ... I think it's interesting. I would like to be a part, but I'm not sure if Sakai... No I don't think you make wrong decisions. ... of course I'll do it! I will rise above him!" she closed her phone and lifted her head up and muttered. "I'll be a worthy Kohai."

Kuon cleared his throat and Kyoko blinked. She looked over and jumped to the car door like she just realized Kuon was still in the same car with her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No." Kyoko said. "Not really."

"Are you going to do the part?" he asked.

Kyoko nodded.

"Good."

"Ren, when did you read the script?" she asked.

"Earlier when Yukihito handed it to me."

"You got a script?" she asked.

"I was asked to be Riki Kenage."

"Really? This is great! This will be our first movie acting as the two main characters!"

Kuon smiled. She was happy. He parked the car and they walked into the apartment.

'I wonder if we can get a house. Somewhere more private...'

"Kyoko?"

Kyoko turned around after slipping off her shoes.

"Hm?"

Kuon was going to ask, but he changed his mind. He took one step and kissed his wife's lips tenderly. She would never have to leave his side again. She belonged to him, and whether she believed it or not, he belonged to her.

Kuon felt his heartbeat increase, like the time he had asked her to marry him. He pulled back and put a hand on Kyoko's face.

"This isn't a game," he whispered. "It's not an act. I love you," he said.

Yukihito closed the door behind him and walked up the stairs. He honestly didn't know where Kanae was at the moment. He was tired. Working so hard arranging Ren's schedule then going on the sudden honeymoon then rearranging Ren's schedule and then meeting his parents then coming home, it was starting to take a toll on him.

He dressed in his pajamas and placed his glasses on the night stand. He sat on the bed and hid his face in his hands and sighed.

'I could tear my hair out.' he thought.

He felt someone lean against his back and two slender arms wrap around his chest. Kanae's chin rested on his shoulder.

"Tired?" she asked.

"Yeah." Yukihito admitted.

Kanae kissed his cheek softly. "Get a good night's sleep. You'll be fine."

"Y'know," Yukihito grinned and put his hand over hers. "I never planned for that license to be real, but I'm glad it was." he said.

"I have no response to that." Kanae said.

Yukihito smiled. "An 'I love you too.' would be nice."

"I'll think about it." Kanae said. "Oh," Kane leaned close to Yukihito's ear. "I wanted to tell you," she whispered. "You did play your cards right."

Kuon watched Kyoko's face carefully. She was looking at him with wide eyes and a blank face.

"I- I..."

"Won't you say something?" he asked caressing her face.

"I... I don't remember the next line." she said.

Kuon drew his lips in a line. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You said Riki Kenage's line that he says to Sakai Itami in the scene before in the middle. I knew you were amazing, Ren, but knowing the script so quickly is amazing."

Poor Kuon. As Kyoko turned her back to him he hid his face with his hand. At least he knew exactly how he was going to play Riki Kenage.

"Ren, I'm just heating up some food I made before. Is that okay?"

"Hm?" Kuon looked up and nodded. "Oh, yeah. Yeah that's fine."

Kyoko paused and walked down the hall towards him. "Are you alright?" she asked. "You seem frustrated. Have you been working too hard?" she asked.

"No. I'm fine." he said.

The doorbell rang and Kuon turned around and looked out the peephole. He opened the door. A man bowed lightly.

"Tsuruga-san, this was just sent for you. I hope you're feeling better." he said and walked away.

"Who was that?" Kyoko asked as Kuon closed the door.

"That was Jou. He works at the hotel." he said opening the package. Kuon looked at the note.

'Here's a little something I got for you. Enjoy yourself. -Lory Takarada'

"Hm," Kuon looked in the box and his lip twitched.

Kyoko looked in the box and took out the bottle. She squinted at the English written on the bottle. "T-te-qwil-teqwilluh. Ren, what is 'teqwilluh'?"

"Tequila." Kuon corrected her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's a drink. The president gave it to us. Put it in the cabinet for a different occasion." he said. "I'm going to go get a shower."

Kyoko watched him walk to the bathroom and looked at the bottle.

"Tequila," she said quietly.

Kuon walked out of the bathroom and went into the main room. He stood in the door of the kitchen and watched his wife run around the kitchen.

He smiled. He liked having her there before, but now she didn't ever have to leave.

Although he couldn't believe, even after she said she loved him, she found it hard to accept his love. He said it point blank in her face and she excused it as acting.

'I could use a shot of that tequila.' he thought. Though he knew it wouldn't be a good idea. He could barely restrain himself now. Being drunk would not be good.

'For her' Kuon added rubbing his head.

Kyoko turned around and stopped as she saw Kuon standing in the doorway.

"I didn't know you were out already." she said.

Kuon had no answer so he didn't bother to speak.

"Um, dinner is ready." Kyoko said putting the food on the table.

Kyoko sat down and Kuon followed suit. On the tv was then news, there was nothing interesting until near the end of the meal.

"Actress Kyoko and famed actor Tsuruga Ren were in a car accident last night. The two actors are fine, but people are wondering what these two were doing together so late. What were they doing? The accident was caused by a drunk driver who ran a red light. Ren was driving," a video from a security camera flashed on the screen showing the crash. "And avoided being hit by the truck, but ran into a pole. He and Kyokou walked out of the hospital seemingly fine. The real question to be asked now, is: is that a ring shining on Kyokou's finger? Is actress Kyokou engaged and is she engaged to out top actor Tsuruga Ren?"

Kyoko looked at the ring and then at the tv, then back at her hand. Kuon saw her blush grinned.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No." Kyoko said lifting her plate. "Are you finished?" she asked. Kuon nodded. She took his plate to the kitchen. Kuon took the extra food to the kitchen and put it in the fridge.

He couldn't stop Kyoko from washing the dishes so he dried them and put them away. As Kyoko finished washing Kuon picked up the cup.

"You should get ready for bed." Kuon said. "You've worked hard today."

"I can still..."

Kuon stared at her and Kyoko suddenly changed her mind. She walked down the hall towards the bathroom.

'Darn. I already took a shower.' he thought.

Kuon finished putting the dishes away and looked around the room. He took out his phone. He searched for information while he walked down the hall towards his bedroom.

He sat on the edge of the bed and smiled.

"Perfect." he whispered.

"What is?"

Kuon looked up and saw Kyoko walking in the room in her pajamas while drying her hair with a towel.

"I found what I was looking for." he said.

"Oh. Ok." Kyoko walked over to a rack and hung up the towel. Her hair was almost dry now, so it wouldn't stand up when she woke up. She looked over. "Are you not dressed yet? You're not sleeping in your clothes, are you?" she asked.

Kuon looked down at his clothes and took off his shirt.

Kyoko blushed and turned her back to him.

'Progress.' Kuon thought. 'She's not stumbling over her words trying to say how I shouldn't change clothes while she's present.'

He threw on a shirt and pants quickly. Usually he didn't wear pajama pants, but Kyoko would probably freak out, so he had been wearing them since the honeymoon.

He looked over and saw Kyoko hiding her head under the covers. He smirked and lifted the cover. Kyoko stared back at him.

"Why are you hiding?" he asked.

"I didn't want to watch you dress." she said plainly.

Kuon smiled and patted her head.

"You're allowed to, you know." to his delight, Kyoko blushed.

He turned off the light and laid in the bed. He felt around and drew Kyoko close to him. She moved her leg and it brushed against the bruise on his own leg.

Kyoko froze and Kuon felt her sit up.

"You're hurt." she said frankly.

"Slight bruising from the crash."

"Nothing of the sort. I felt you tense up." she said. "You don't tense up like that for 'slight bruising.' you're really hurt."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it." he said sitting up. He couldn't see her in the dark. He wish he could.

"I don't believe you." Kyoko said. "Were you given medicine?"

"I was, but I didn't pick it up..."

Kyoko jumped out of bed and turned on a light. She opened the dresser drawer and reached into Kuon's pants pocket and took out a prescription note. She read it carefully and walked towards the door. Kuon was up in a moment.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm picking up your medicine. How could you not do that? You didn't even send Yukihito to get it." she put on a coat and slipped on her shoes.

"I'm not letting you walk out in Tokyo in the middle of the night."

"I've done it before," she said. Kuon reached out and took her arm.

"I'm fine, Kyoko. I don't need it."

Kyoko stared in Kuon's face.

"I don't believe you." she said. "I saw you in the hospital. I saw the bruises and scratches on your body. You're an amazing actor. If you flinch at all then it must really be bothering you. I'll be back soon."

"You can't pick up my medication." Kuon said.

"I can. As your wife all I need is ID."

"I'm going with you."

"You're in your pajamas. I can get this medicine down the street. I'll be back in ten minutes." Kyoko opened the door and Kuon followed her while putting his coat on.

"I'm not negotiating." he said taking her hand in his. "I'm going with you."

They went down to the lobby and walked out into the night. They walked down the street and picked up the medicine.

Kuon closed the door to the apartment and was surprised when he faced Kyoko. She looked determined. She help out a pill and some water.

"Where did you get the water..?"

"Take it." Kyoko said.

Kuon swallowed the pill and Kyoko took off her shoes and coat. She walked down the hall to the bedroom and was followed by her husband.

Kyoko jumped in bed. The lights were soon off and she felt Kuon lay in the bed next to her. Kuon moved close to Kyoko and wrapped his arms around her.

"Goodnight," he whispered. He was not expecting a response of any kind so he was surprised when she turned over and face him. He felt her slender fingers brush over his face. He felt her move and felt her warm lips on his cheek.

"Goodnight." she responded. "I promise, I'll try to be a better wife for you, Kuon."

Wow, I hope you aren't getting bored. Sorry I won't be able to finish before the new year. :(. Anyways I have a few ideas yet. Remember: the president still lives. And not to mention, this drama is totally going to change the Hizuri's lives. :) heh heh heh...