A/N: Here's chapter 16! I'll try and get the next chapter up quickly for you all. Thank you for your patience.

Chapter 16: Trust?

"You were really amazing, Kyoko-chan!"

"Yukia-kun, you are such a talented actor!"

Both Kyoko and Yukia thanked the people who had crowded around them praising their performances. Kyoko blushed at all the compliments. I'm not used to hearing these things from strangers. She thought as yet another person praised her acting.

Finally, Yukia grabbed her hand and excused them politely from the crowd of new fans. He led her over to where James was seated on a nearby couch.

"Here, Kyoko-chan, why don't you sit with James and I'll get us some waters. I don't know about you but all that smiling has me thirsty." Yukia told her with a laugh.

Kyoko nodded, "Thank you, Yukia-kun." She watched Yukia weave his way through the crowd until he disappeared before turning her attention to James. "Do you know where Ren went?" she asked.

"I think he stepped over there to greet someone." He replied giving a nod towards another small buzzing crowd.

Kyoko followed his direction and spotted Ren surrounded by a bunch of other good looking famous people. Most of whom were beautiful young women.

"Does it make you jealous?" James asked after a moment.

Kyoko glanced at him, before returning her gaze to Ren. "Yes," she answered honestly. "Sometimes it does." She watched as Ren spoke with his celebrity fans, charming the women and men alike. But then as she watched him he looked towards her, feeling her gaze, and caught her eye. He smiled at her and gave a wink that caused her to blush before returning to his conversation.

"But I think it's fine to get a little jealous when you see people spending time with the person you love. As long as you don't let it get to you." Kyoko turned her attention back to James. "Do you get jealous when you see Yukia-kun talking with his fans?"

James looked surprised by her question. He sighed, "Yeah, I do sometimes. He's the first person I've ever dated, so I guess I feel possessive."

Kyoko nodded. "I can understand that." She gave James a small smile.

Just then, Yukia came back through the crowded living room carrying two bottles of cold water. He handed one to Kyoko. "Sorry it took so long. I got stopped by a fashion designer who asked me about modeling for them." He handed the business card to James. "Maybe you can check them out for me and see if it's worth doing?"

James nodded with a smile. "Sure. It's a good opportunity."

Yukia took a long drink from his water bottle before sitting down in the empty space between Kyoko and James. He glanced at Kyoko who was playing with the paper wrapper on the water bottle. "You okay, Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko was startled by his question. She had let her mind wander and had remembered that she still needed to tell Ren about Shotaro. She looked back at Yukia. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just kind of warm in here." She stood up. "I think I'm going to go outside for a few minutes."

Kyoko made her way through the crowded room before finding a door that led outside to the less crowded garden. She began to walk down one of the stone pathways letting her mind think over her day.

Today was supposed to be simple. Go to an audition, then go home and relax until the party tonight, instead I had to deal with this whole Shotaro thing. And now I don't know how I'm going to tell Ren about it. She let out a sigh.

"You shouldn't be sighing on such a happy occasion."

Kyoko turned around and was greeted by the sight of her boyfriend standing just behind her. She smiled, feeling somewhat better just after hearing his voice again. "Are you having fun?" she asked as they began walking together.

"Yes, although I'd be having more fun if I got to be alone with a certain very talented actress." He spoke longingly, giving a sideways glance at Kyoko as he tried to hide his smirk. "But she got swept away by her fans as soon as the premiere was over."

Kyoko punched his arm playfully. "Stop teasing." She scolded.

Ren chuckled to himself before holding out a hand for Kyoko. She placed her hand in his and they continued walking together holding hands in the moonlight.

"You seemed like you were thinking about a lot of things back there." He told her, "Everything okay?"

Kyoko nodded, "I think I'm just tired, and a little sad that it's all over."

"Well, it's not completely over. You'll probably be doing some interviews during the airing of the drama. We might even be asked to do one together." He said, trying to cheer her up.

Kyoko smiled at him. "Yeah, you're right." She glanced back up at the mansion that was filled with people. "I guess we should be heading back to the party now." She turned to begin the walk back but Ren grabbed her hand, causing her to stop. She looked at him curiously.

"Before we go back," he murmured. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to kiss her. When he released her, Kyoko could swear she was seeing stars in her lightheaded state.

She pushed him away lightly. "You shouldn't do things like that when there are so many people around." She scolded him.

Ren only laughed in response as he followed Kyoko back to the party. Although, he hadn't completely forgotten the serious look she had had when she was thinking by herself.

When the party had finished, Yukia, James, Kyoko, and Ren all piled back into the limo the President had provided them.

"What about your car, Ren-san?" Yukia asked as they seated themselves around the plush interior.

"The president actually had me dropped off here. I believe he asked somebody to deliver my car home from the agency." Ren answered.

"Well, this is nice since now we get to celebrate on our own." James said, happily as he opened the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne. He grabbed glasses from the storage space and handed them out as he began to pour for everyone. Once he had finished they all clinked their glasses together in celebration of the completion of filming.

Kyoko leaned back in her seat. She finally felt able to relax now that they had left the crowded atmosphere of the wrap party. She was even starting to feel a bit sleepy, that is until Yukia spoke up.

"So, you haven't told us yet. How did your audition go today, Kyoko-chan?" he asked.

All three of the men looked at Kyoko expectantly. With everything else going on, I had completely forgotten about the audition news. She thought as she sat straighter to share her good news. She forced a smile through her tiredness.

"I got the part. They called me this afternoon and said they had decided on me."

They all let out congratulatory cheers and Ren gave her a side-hug. He smiled at her. "I'm proud of you." He told her softly. She could feel her cheeks flush at his praise. "So now do we get to find out which drama it is?"

Yukia looked at Ren in surprise. "You mean you don't know either, Ren-san?"

Ren shook his head. "She refused to tell me until after the audition," he explained.

Kyoko glanced down at her lap as she tried to push away her shyness. He's going to find out sooner or later. I might as well tell him now. She looked back up. "Actually," she said, her eyes flickering towards Ren, "It's the new drama that Ren is going to be in. I'm playing his love interest."

Kyoko couldn't help but look at Ren to see his reaction. What if he's disappointed that he has to act with me like this? She wondered. But her concern didn't last long because a smile broke out on Ren's face.

"Sounds like it's going to be more fun than I was expecting." He told her.

Kyoko smiled back at him, feeling grateful for his enthusiasm. Even though her first starring role was over, working with Ren as his co-star was something she had dreamed of doing since she had first begun acting. I won't let you down. I promise.

Soon the limo had dropped off Yukia and James leaving only Ren and Kyoko to enjoy the quiet ride home. As they rode, each of them were lost in their own thoughts until Ren felt a slight weight against his shoulder. He looked down and saw that Kyoko had fallen asleep and was now leaning against him. He smiled. There was something so sweet about how she looked when she was in dreamland.

When they reached the apartment building, Ren carried her from the limo like a princess and held her that way all the way up to their apartment. He carefully laid her down on their bed and briefly considered helping her out of her dress. No, she'd be upset if I changed her clothes. He shook his head, deciding it'd be best to leave her in the dress for now.

Kyoko's first thought was that her eyelids felt heavy. She looked around with blurred vision as she tried to figure out where she was. Why am I lying down? She wondered. Her eyes adjusted more and across the room she could see the figure of a handsome young man removing his tie and then unbuttoning a dress shirt.

"Corn?" she murmured groggily.

He glanced towards her and she heard a chuckle escape from his throat. "I was wondering if you were going to wake up. I thought you might wind up sleeping the whole night in that dress." He teased.

Kyoko could feel her mind and then body awakening. That's right, they had been at the party and then come home.

Ren approached her and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. His shirt was now completely unbuttoned, revealing his well-toned chest and stomach. Her eyes flickered to his body for a brief moment before he spoke.

"Now that you're awake, why don't you get dressed for bed." He suggested, reaching out and gently stroking her cheek.

She blushed at the intimate gesture before nodding. "All right, I'll go change." She rose from the bed and headed into the closet to get her pajamas. A moment later she felt hands brush against the back of her neck.

She jumped. "Corn, what are you doing?" she exclaimed. "You startled me."

He laughed, "I thought you might need help unzipping the back of the dress." He whispered. He allowed his fingers to brush her neck once more before unzipping the top half of the zipper. He took a step back and noticed her shoulders relax slightly.

"I'll go change in the bathroom. You can change in our room." He offered before grabbing some pajamas of his own and exiting the room.

Kyoko waited a few minutes listening to the pounding of her heart in her chest. When it had calmed enough, she moved out to the bedroom and changed out of her evening gown and into her every day pajamas. He certainly likes to get me worked up. Still teasing me even now when I'm practically half asleep. She sat down on her side of the bed and found her mind wandering back over her day.

There was a knock on the door and Ren reentered the room after she had answered him. He climbed into bed and set his alarm before lying down. He reached out a hand and began to run his fingers through Kyoko's hair. "You seem like you've had a lot on your mind tonight. Anything you want to talk about?"

His words were like a trigger in Kyoko's mind and she suddenly flashed back to her meeting with the president. I had completely forgotten I was going to tell him about Shotaro. She straightened and turned to face her boyfriend.

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." She paused, searching for the right words. "But you have to promise not to freak out or anything. I need you to stay calm."

Ren felt his nervousness rise within him. "You saying that doesn't exactly make me feel calm." He told her, attempting to maintain some lightheartedness to their conversation.

"Just promise." Kyoko urged him.

He nodded silently. If she was being this serious it was something big.

"The President had me meet with him today about adding a new member to the LoveMe section." She began slowly, watching Ren's face for reaction.

"He wanted my approval before adding this new member though. But I went ahead and said yes." She continued.

"Why am I getting more concerned the more you say? What part are you expecting me to freak out about? It's not the first new member." Ren finally said. He was getting anxious and wanted answers already.

She took a deep breath. "It's Shotaro. Sho is the new LoveMe member."

Ren stared at her in silence for several moments. Had he misheard her? Did she maybe know another guy named Sho? Finally, he decided to speak.

"I'm sorry. What?"

Kyoko looked down. She clenched her fists nervously. "Sho came to the President to ask for a job. He's been out of work since he got fired from Akatoki and no one else will hire him. The President was willing to let him join but it had to be in the LoveMe section and I had to give my approval."

"And you are okay with him joining LME?" he asked in disbelief.

Kyoko met Ren's eyes. "Honestly, I don't want him around but I think he needs the LoveMe section even more than I did." She watched as Ren ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll be honest, I don't want him anywhere near you after the things he's done." He said quietly.

"I think he's changed a bit. Even if it's not much it's a start." Kyoko told him, "The Sho I knew before would have never got on his hands and knees and apologized to me."

Ren still looked uncertain. "You'll wind up having to work with him since you're in charge of the LoveMe section now. I don't know if I can handle that."

Kyoko reached out and touched Ren's hand. "I know that you don't trust Sho. And I'm not asking you to, I don't really trust him yet either. I'm just asking you to trust me. Trust my judgment right now."

He looked into her eyes and then down at her hand. I promised to trust her. And to prove that I do, I need to trust her now. He moved his hand to grasp hers gently. "All right. I trust you. I don't trust the scumbag, but I trust you."

Kyoko smiled. "Thank you, Ren."

He leaned back against the pillows and pulled Kyoko to lay against him. "So when does he start?"

"Um, I meet with him in the morning." She could feel his grip on her tighten.

"What time? If I'm free I could come with you-"

"It's at nine. You already have a meeting scheduled for that time." She interrupted him quickly. She knew she had to make that known immediately to prevent Ren from trying to rearrange his schedule to come with her.

Ren sighed. "Fine. But I'll drop you off and pick you up afterwards. Neither of us have anything tomorrow afternoon so I thought we could go out to dinner."

Kyoko nodded as she relaxed against Ren's chest. "That sounds fun." She murmured.

Ren glanced down at her and saw that her eyes had closed. He smiled slightly, and kissed the top of her head. I trust you, but if that guy hurts you again I swear I'll kill him.