Thank you everyone that has taken the time to read, favorite, follow, and review Laser-Tag Love. I am very grateful and glad that you are enjoying it. I truly love you all!

Please feel free to give constructive criticism.

Here is chapter twenty-three. And I'm really super sorry that it's so late. I don't have any excuses. I just hope that you don't all hate me. Chapter twenty-four will be posted in two weeks. I promise.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of the characters from it. Skip Beat is the property of Yoshiki Nakamura.

Moko's Response

The ride to Kuon's apartment was quiet. Kuon was holding Kyoko close to him and whispering in her ear, trying to help her calm down after what had happened at the restaurant. "It's okay. I know that we wanted to keep our relationship secret for a little longer but everything will be okay. I promise. Kyoko? Kyoko, please come back to the world of the living."

Kyoko didn't react at all.

'How can I get her out of this state of shock?' Kuon thought to himself. 'Well they do say the best way to get someone out of shock is to slap them, but I think I know a better way.'

He leaned towards Kyoko a bit more and kissed her hard on the mouth. After a few seconds Kyoko started to respond.

'Yes. Definitely better than slapping her.' Kuon thought as he ended the kiss. "Welcome back," he said with a relieved smile.

Kyoko blushed as she mumbled, "sorry."

Kuon kissed her forehead. "Don't be sorry. A lot happened in a short amount of time."

Just then the car stopped in his apartment parking lot. Sebastian got out and opened the door for them. They got out and thanked him before he drove away.

"Is there anything that you need in my apartment?"

Kyoko shook her head. "I can get my bag later tonight."

"Alright," Kuon said with a smile as he grabbed her hand. "Let's head over to LME so that you can talk to Kotonami-san before we practice some more.

Kyoko nodded and let Kuon lead her to his car.

Moko walked away from Sawara's desk with an annoyed frown on her face. 'Mo! What is the president thinking? A laser-tag game that takes all day? That's ridiculous! Mo! Why does he get to choose the partners for the Love Me girls? Everyone else gets to draw names.

'Well I bet I can guess who Kyoko will be paired with. Since President is all about love there is no way he wouldn't make her and Tsuruga partners. Mo! Why does Kyoko get to be partnered with someone she knows and I'm with someone I've hardly talked to? Mo! Sometimes I really -'

Moko suddenly shivered. 'Why do I feel like there's going to be a big commotion any second?'

Just as Moko thought this she heard a shout from behind her.

"MOOOOKOOOO-SAAAAAN!"

Moko instantly whipped around and held up her arms to stave off the hug she knew was about to come.

Sure enough Kyoko was right next to her in less than a minute trying to give her a bone crushing hug.

"Mo, Kyoko! How many times have I told you to not do that?" Moko demanded in an angry voice.

"But Moko-saaaan! We haven't seen each other in ages! Why don't you want me to hug you?" Kyoko asked in a voice that sounded of tears.

Moko didn't reply and just continued walking in the direction she had been.

"Moko-san! Wait for me!" Kyoko yelled hurrying to catch up.

"Mo! Stop yelling. I'm right here. The whole building doesn't need to her our conversation."

"I'm sorry Moko-san." Kyoko said quickly. "I'm just really, really happy to see you. I haven't had a chance to talk to you for a long time. And I have something important to tell you."

Moko glanced at Kyoko as they walked to the Love Me room. "What important thing do you have to tell me?"

"I can't tell you until we're in the Love Me room. It's a secret."

Moko huffed. "Mo, fine. Hurry up then. You've made me curious." She looked at Kyoko again. "When did you get your ears pierced?"

Kyoko turned pink as she reached up with her right hand to feel one of the small fairy earrings she was wearing. "Last week."

'She went jewelery shopping without me?' Moko thought. 'That's weird. Usually when she wants to do something like that she drags me with her. And why is she blushing?' "Did you go by yourself?"

Kyoko blushed even more. "No." Her voice was very quiet.

"Mo! Kyoko what's going on? Why are you blushing so much?"

"I'll tell you when we get to the Love Me room, okay?"

Moko sighed. "Okay, but there is obviously a lot you haven't been telling me." Moko's voice had a steely note to it making Kyoko cringe slightly.

"I know. And I'm really very sorry for not telling you any of this sooner."

About a minute late they reached the Love Me room and went inside. The closed the door and sat down on the couch under the window. Neither said anything. Moko was looking at Kyoko expectantly and Kyoko was just looking at her hands.

After a few minutes Moko lost her patience. "Mo! Kyoko just tell me already. I don't have all day." She made to get up only have Kyoko grab onto her arm keeping her in place.

"Moko-san I... ummm... Well you see... uhhh..." 'I can't tell her!' Kyoko thought desperately. 'She's going to hate me.'

"Mo. Kyoko spit it out!"

"TsurugaRenandIaredating." Kyoko spoke so fast the sentence came out as though it was all one word.

Moko sat there for a second stunned. 'Did I hear that right? I can't have. She couldn't have said that.' "Mo. Kyoko slow down. I couldn't understand a single thing you just said. Tell me again."

Kyoko was Love Me uniform pink and Moko could feel the heat coming off her. She took a deep breath and repeated what she had said while looking at the floor. "Tsuruga Ren and I are dating."

Moko blinked. 'So I did hear right. Wow. He finally worked up the guts to tell her how he feels. It's about time. I've known that he was in love with her for ages. So they're dating. I knew that Kyoko respected and looked up to him but I didn't think she liked him that much or was ready to date. I wonder...' How long have you two been dating?"

"A week." Was the soft reply.

"Mo! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Who else knows?"

Kyoko flung herself at Moko as she began to cry. "I'M SORRY MOKO-SAN! I know I should have told you sooner but so much has been going on that I forgot. I'm sooo sorry. Please don't hate me!"

"Mo, Kyoko calm down. I don't hate you."

Kyoko looked up at Moko. "Really? You don't hate me."

Moko sighed, "no I don't hate you. But it doesn't usually take a week for someone to tell their best friend something like this."

"I'm sorry!"

"I know. Now calm down and tell me how it happened."

Kyoko sniffed and let go of Moko. "Well last week Ren and I met with President Takarada. He told us about the laser-tag game and said that we were partners." Kyoko was bright pink again. She was talking very slowly and looking at one of the chairs in the room.

'She's calling him Ren. How long did it take him to get her to do that. Mo! She's known about the laser-tag for ages. Hmph. Must be because Tsuruga is always so busy.'

"After we were down talking to the President Ren asked me if I wanted to go to dinner with him. I didn't want anyone to say anything bad about him being seen with me so I offered to make dinner for us instead." Kyoko stopped talking trying to figure out what to say next.

"Mo! Kyoko, keep talking. I know you've made dinner for him before. So why would this time be any different?" Moko asked in a slightly exasperated but mostly curious voice.

"I wasn't different at first." Kyoko said in a small voice. "But then we started talking and somehow we tole each other how we feel and well..."

Moko's eyes narrowed. 'I know that she isn't telling me anything. Mo! Kyoko, what aren't you telling me?' "Kyoko, what did you two talk about?"

Kyoko gulped. "I t-told him that I'm Bo and about my feelings for him." Kyoko gave a very small smile. "Then he told me how he feels about me."

"Mo, Kyoko, that can't be all he told you. What else did he tell you?"

"I'm really sorry Moko-san but I can't!"

"Mo! Why not?"

"I just can't!" Kyoko looked into Moko's eyes. Silently pleading for her to understand.

"Mo, Kyoko! I'm your best friend. I thought that meant that we told each other almost everything."

When Kyoko didn't reply and just kept looking at her pleadingly, she got mad.

"Fine! If won't tell me then forget about us being best friends!"

She made to get up again but Kyoko stopped her again.

Huge tears were falling down' Kyoko's face. "I really am sorry Moko-san but I can't tell you. Ren made me promise not to tell anyone about what he told me. It's his secret and if I share it with anyone he'll hate me!"

"Mo, fine. I understand but you have to promise to tell me as soon as you get permission."

Kyoko quickly nodded. "I promise!"

"Good. Now who all knows that you two are dating?"

"You, President Takarada, Sebastian-san, and I think Ren might have told Yashiro-san." There was a slight hesitancy in Kyoko's voice that Moko caught.

"There's a 'but' in there somewhere, isn't there?"

Kyoko nodded glumly but didn't speak.

"Mo! Kyoko tell me who else knows!"

Kyoko's face just the tiniest bit before she spoke. "Sho and his manager Aki Shoko."

Moko's eyes hardened. 'Mo! That jerk! How did he find out?' "How did they find out?" Her voice was every bit as hard as her eyes.

Kyoko sighed and told Moko about everything that had happened at the restaurant earlier that day.

Moko was livid by the end of Kyoko's story. "Mo! That self-centered jerk! Doesn't he know how to behave in public? And what about his manager. Why can't she keep him under control? Isn't that her job?" Moko said in a very angry voice. "And now because of them you and Tsuruga have to go public when you obviously didn't want to yet! Mo!

"And what does President Takarada mean that you get to leave behind the Love Me curse? I know that you had issues with romantic love but as long as I'm stuck with being in the Love ME section you are too! You don't get to leave until I do!"

Kyoko smiled and threw herself at Moko again. "Moko-san! I promise that I won't leave without you! You're my best friend! I'll never leave you behind!"

Moko smiled a small smile and gave her friend a small hug back. She then looked at the clock and realized that they had been talking for really long time.

"Mo, Kyoko, let me go. We've been here for about two hours. You said that you came with Tsuruga and I'm sure that he's starting to get worried about you. Besides I need to go. I have some errands to run."

Kyoko sighed and reluctantly let go of Moko.

They both stood up and left the room.

Hi everyone I want to say sorry again that this chapter was posted so late. And that I rewrote part of chapter six. It would mean the world to me it you reread it and gave it a review.