A/N: A special thank you to all of my patient readers and loyal reviewers! Your reviews really keep me motivated! Here's chapter 15, it's a Lil longer than my other chapters. This is not the last chapter. I think I've still got about 5 chapters left at least. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it was a lot of fun to write. Thank you again!

Chapter 15: The Beginning and The End

Kyoko stared in shock at the man sitting on the President's couch. His blond hair had lost some of its shine. His clothes looked worn, as did his shoes. He had certainly gotten thinner. But the thing she noticed most- the thing that made her doubt if it was really him- was the lack of his cocky smile he always wore. There was no confidence in this man. She would have sworn it wasn't him until his blue eyes met her amber ones.

"Shotaro?" she asked quietly.

The President brought Kyoko closer and had her sit on the couch opposite Sho, while he sat in his chair. "Shotaro-kun has requested to meet with both of us. He has already told me what he needed to, but I thought it'd be best for him to talk to you as well." He nodded towards Sho and the younger man gave a slight nod in return.

Sho's eyes met Kyoko's again before he began to speak. "Kyoko, I-" he struggled forcing the words out of his mouth. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for my behavior towards you. Not just the most recent incident, but everything. Including my stupid decision to bring you along with me to Tokyo by lying to you. I'm sorry for always trying to ruin your life."

Kyoko watched in stunned silence as the boy she had never really known to apologize, was doing just that. He stood from his seat and moved to an open space of carpet before lowering himself to the ground. He kneeled and bowed in front of Kyoko.

Her first instinct was to tell him to get up because the sight of him bowing to her was disturbing. She had never thought she'd actually see him do this. When he didn't raise his head after several moments, Kyoko spoke.

"Shotaro, you can get up now." She told him quietly.

He slowly raised his head but didn't stand. Instead he watched her with anticipation and pleading eyes.

Seeing him this way unnerved her. She wanted to run from the room. Instead she forced herself to answer him honestly. "I appreciate and accept your apology. And I have already forgiven you. I gave up on holding grudges against you when Ren and I began dating."

Sho nodded solemnly. She watched as he rose to his feet and bowed to her once more. "Thank you, Kyoko." He said before returning to his seat on the couch.

Kyoko glanced back to the president uncertainly. "But- I don't understand. When you called me you said this affected the LoveMe section as well as the entire agency."

Lory nodded, he was pleased at Kyoko's decision to forgive Sho but he knew his next question was a bit more difficult.

"Shotaro-kun has come to LME because he is requesting to join our agency. Ever since Akatoki fired him, he has been unable to find other work or representation. Apparently, no one wants to take a chance on someone blacklisted by one of the biggest agencies in Japan."

Kyoko nodded, her eyes darting back and forth between the President and Sho. Her mind was racing, Sho wanted to join LME. If he hadn't been working, how was he making any money.

"It would seem, Shotaro-kun has run out of money recently and decided we were his only option." The President continued.

Sho looked down at the ground. Kyoko could tell he felt embarrassed at having to come beg for a job at the one place where he would be most likely rejected.

"Where are you living?" Kyoko asked suddenly.

Sho looked up, "Um, I've been living off of the last of my money until now. But I have to be out of my apartment by morning. I'm not sure where I'm going after that."

Kyoko searched his eyes for signs that he was lying. Certainly, at one point she had wanted to have Sho groveling at her feet praising her, but she had never wanted to see him a failure at something she knew he loved.

Kyoko turned back to the President. "Why am I here?" she asked.

The President smiled. "Because you'll be making this decision. You were the one most affected by his previous actions and if you don't want him working here, I'll have him leave immediately." He paused and leaned closer to Kyoko. "But don't you think he could use something like the LoveMe section?" he whispered.

Kyoko's eyes went wide. The LoveMe section? But, would Shotaro ever lower himself to that level? No. Although, he did bow to me. Kyoko thought of Ren for a moment. How would Ren react to this. Well, he said he trusts me.

"I am not opposed to Shotaro joining the agency in the appropriate section." Kyoko said to the President. "As long as he is willing to follow all the guidelines and requirements for the job."

Sho stared at them as he processed what this meant. Was she saying he could join LME? The president guy had said it was up to her, right?

The President nodded. "Very well then, Shotaro-kun. Welcome to LME! You will be in the LoveMe section starting tomorrow. Mogami-kun is the mentor for the LoveMe section and you will regard her as a Senpai there. You will also be allowed to work closely with our Singers section and I'll set an appointment for you to meet with the head of that section next week."

Sho stood quickly and bowed to the president. "Thank you very much." He replied.

The President stood and placed a hand on Sho's shoulder. "I'm expecting you to work hard to prove you deserve this chance."

"I won't disappoint you." Sho promised.

"You can leave for today, but report to the LoveMe section at nine o'clock tomorrow morning." The President instructed.

A moment later, Sebastian was there to escort Sho out of the office. Kyoko rose to her feet but the president gestured for her to sit again.

"Was there something else, sir?" she asked as she returned to her seat.

The President smiled at her. "I'm proud of you in your decision to accept him into the LoveMe section."

Kyoko twisted her hands together in her lap. "I just figured that if the LoveMe section could help me as much as it did, it could probably help someone like Shotaro so much more."

The President's eyes watered at Kyoko's words. "I'm so happy to hear you say that the LoveMe section has helped you!" he gushed. But a moment later his face was serious again. "Now, I wanted to tell you that because the LoveMe section has grown I think you should do some sort of team building activity. Something to help you all learn to work together and to help those still in the LoveMe section to grow personally."

"But what kind of activity should we do?" Kyoko asked, "I'm not sure I know how to plan something like that."

The president smiled at her. "If you can come up with the idea, I can help you to make it happen. I'm relying on you, Mogami-kun."

As Kyoko stepped into the elevator, the President's words echoed in her mind. She leaned her head against the wall of the elevator. "How am I supposed to come up with something like that?" she wondered aloud. Maybe Ren will have an idea? She shook her head as her thought processed. No, I can't burden him with my work. She sighed.

The new task she had received stayed at the forefront of Kyoko's mind as she arrived home and dressed for the wrap party that evening. One of the producers for the drama had offered his home for the party as well as for the viewing of the drama's first episode that would be airing at eight o'clock. Kyoko took out her dress from the closet. Ren had insisted on buying her something nice for the event and so she had been forced to accept the deep blue evening gown.

"At least I managed to talk him out of the make up and hair stylists." She said with a laugh as she laid the dress on the bed.

She was in the middle of curling her hair when her cell phone began to ring. She set down the curling iron, wondering who it could be. Ren's supposed to be working until seven. And I already saw the president, so who? She stared at the unknown number on her caller ID before answering.

"This is Kyoko." She said calmly.

"Kyoko-kun, this is Director Kaneko. I was calling you about your audition today." The woman's voice on the other end of the line caused Kyoko to remember immediately.

"Yes! Of course, Director Kaneko. How can I help you?" she replied excitedly.

The director laughed, "Well, you can help me by accepting the role for our female lead in my new drama."

Kyoko was stunned. She felt the phone slip from her hand and hurriedly grabbed it at the last second before it hit the floor. "Director Kaneko? Sorry, um.. you said you chose me?" the young actress asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Kyoko-kun. We thought you were perfect for the role and we look forward to working with you."

Kyoko beamed, "Yes, I look forward to working with you all as well."

When Kyoko hung up after ensuring the script would be sent to her agency she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "I can't stop smiling!" she said, grinning at herself. She quickly returned to her hair and make up with renewed enthusiasm. She had been successful in her audition and she couldn't wait to tell Ren.

She paused in her actions. "But I also have to tell him about Sho." She groaned at the thought.

When six o'clock rolled around Kyoko slipped into her dress and put on the silver heels she owned. She grabbed her purse before heading down to the lobby of the apartment building. She greeted the doorman to the building with a smile.

"Hello, Takao-san. Could I ask you to call me a taxi for tonight?" she asked.

He admired her for a moment. "You look beautiful, Kyoko-sama." He said with a slight blush. Kyoko had figured him to be slightly older than Ren and he was always kind to her.

He looked at her in confusion now though. "But why do you need a taxi?" he asked. He pointed out the window to a limo parked in front of the building. "That car arrived about fifteen minutes ago and the driver said he was here to pick you up." He handed her a business card that he had received from the driver.

Kyoko took it and read it. Sure enough it was an LME business card with the President's name on it. She smiled and thanked Takao before exiting the building and approaching the limo. The President sent a limo for me? She wondered.

The driver greeted her before opening the door for her.

"Thank you," she said sweetly.

He nodded to her. "Mogami-san, we will also be stopping to pick up Moore-san before heading to the party."

Kyoko smiled and nodded. As the door closed she let out a relieved sigh. "At least I won't have to ride in this huge car by myself." She spoke aloud. She quickly spotted a mini-fridge encased in one wall of the limo and opened it to take out a water bottle. Suddenly, with all the excitement of the day catching up to her, she was very thirsty.

As she stared out the window watching the city pass by, Kyoko tried to relax. If I'm freaking out when Yukia-kun and James-san get in, they'll know something's wrong. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the side of the seat. "I'll just close my eyes for a second…"

"Kyoko-chan?"

What? Where am I? Kyoko's eyes blinked open and she saw Yukia and James watching her, their eyes full of concern.

Suddenly, she remembered where she was and she sat up, realizing she had been lying down across the soft cushioned bench.

Yukia smiled at her, "Hello, Kyoko-chan! I thought I should wake you up since we are almost at the party."

"We are? How long was I asleep?" she asked.

Yukia looked at James, who shrugged.

"Well, you were asleep when we got into the car, and then you've been asleep the last twenty minutes or so." He replied.

Kyoko blushed, "I can't believe I fell asleep on the way to the wrap party." She struggled to smooth out her dress. Then looked back towards Yukia, "Did I mess up my make up?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, it still looks beautiful."

"Thank you." She responded. She was starting to feel more at ease now that they were with her. I just have to make it through the party until Ren arrives. She told herself silently.

Just then the limo stopped outside of a large gated property. She could hear their driver talking to someone over an intercom and a moment later the gate opened to allow them entry. The home inside the property was huge. It was bigger than Maria's house, which was saying something.

There was a long driveway that wrapped around through the landscape before curving in front of a decorative fountain. The car parked in front of the main stairs that lead up into the mansion. Kyoko took a deep breath as the car door opened and James and Yukia climbed out. Yukia then turned to offer her his arm.

"Please allow me to escort you into the party, Kyoko-chan." He said charmingly.

Kyoko smiled at him feeling some of her nervousness melt away as she took hold of his arm. He helped her out of the car and then led her up the stairs to the mansion's front door. There was a man dressed in formal clothing standing by a podium just inside the double door entry.

"Names?" he inquired.

Yukia spoke to the man, allowing Kyoko to focus instead on her surroundings. She found her eyes wandering the expanse of the large room. The room itself sat below the entry, down a small flight of stairs. There were tables with people standing around them eating hors d'oeuvres and drinking wine, as well as some people sitting on the few couches talking.

"Wow," Kyoko breathed the word out. She had known this was going to be a fancy party but she was still shocked by the amount of people who were there.

"Come on," Yukia said softly as he led her further into the party, James following close behind. Kyoko nodded, and followed him into the depths of the party.

As time passed and random people Kyoko wasn't familiar with came to talk to her, she found herself wishing Ren would arrive. Yukia had been swept away by some actresses who were fans of his and as she looked around she couldn't spot James anymore. She pulled her phone out of her small purse and checked the time. 7:45? She sighed as she placed the phone back in her bag. I hope he gets here soon. This is lonely by myself.

Kyoko felt a tap on her shoulder. "Excuse me, Miss. Would you care for a glass of champagne?"

"No thank you, I've already got a drink." She said as she turned to see who was offering it. She froze in place at the sight of her boyfriend standing behind her with two glasses of champagne.

Ren smiled at her. "Sorry I'm late."

Kyoko's relief showed on her face. "I'm glad you made it." She quickly accepted one of the glasses from him and set it down on the table in front of her. "Yukia-kun got swept away by a bunch of girls and James-san disappeared too so I wasn't sure what to do with myself." She told him honestly.

Ren chuckled, "Well then, I guess it's a good thing I got here when I did." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, causing Kyoko to blush deeply.

She swatted at him, "Don't do that in public!" she hissed. But she couldn't help but smile. She glanced around them. "Where's Yashiro-san?" she asked.

"Oh, he couldn't make it. He said he still had some work to finish." Ren explained, taking a sip from his glass.

Kyoko nodded. Just then, the lights dimmed and then brightened again, causing everyone to quiet. They all looked around before people noticed the host of the party standing near a doorway of the room.

"Thank you all for joining us at the wrap party for Keishi! We think it will be a great success. And now I'd like to ask all of my guests to please step into my private theater for the premier of Keishi." The producer announced happily.

"Well, let's go." Ren said with a smile as he grasped Kyoko's hand. They entered the theater and ran into the director. He seemed tipsy but was in a good mood. He took hold of Kyoko's free hand and shook it vigorously.

"Kyoko-san! How great to see you!" his speech was slightly slurred and a bit too loud.

Kyoko struggled to get him to release her hand as she forced a smile. "It's good to see you too, sir." She said through gritted teeth.

"What a pleasure to see you tonight, Director," Ren said loud enough to draw the director's attention away from Kyoko. Kyoko listened as Ren easily chatted with the director before reminding him that they needed to sit down.

"Oh yes! We all have seats reserved at the front!" the director exclaimed. He gestured to his empty glass. "I'm just getting a refill."

They watched him disappear from the room before heading towards the front seats.

"Apparently, the director enjoys his alcohol a little too much." Ren muttered to Kyoko causing her to laugh.

When they reached the front they found Yukia already seated, next to him were two empty seats marked as reserved for Kyoko and Ren. He smiled. "Kyoko-chan, Ren-san. I'm so happy to see you." He said, as the pair sat down.

Kyoko glanced around, "Where'd James-san go?"

"They didn't have a seat reserved for him." Yukia said, trying and failing to hide his disappointment.

Kyoko gave him a sympathetic look as the lights dimmed around them. The screen before them came to life and everyone began to clap. Kyoko stared in awe as she watched the drama's title fill the screen. She could feel her excitement rising and she reached out and grasped both Yukia's and Ren's hands as the title music played.

This is it, she thought, tears filling her eyes, Even though it's just the start, it feels more like the end.