It was getting late when Yashiro opened the door and looked in. Then promptly shut the door again. He had a feeling they wouldn't appreciate being disturbed.

Upon hearing about Kyoko's situation from the president, Yashiro had immediately set out in search of Ren. He had glanced around the Love Me section a bit, but to no avail, so he had set out for Ren's dressing room. Ren would be beside himself when he found out, Yashiro was sure.

It seemed Ren already knew.

Ren and Kyoko were still on the couch in his room, but had fallen asleep. Ren was sprawled across the length of the couch, his long arms bound her on top of him, her face in his chest. Yashiro decided to leave them for the night.

The next morning, Kyoko's mother stormed into the entrance of the LME building, determined to snatch back her daughter. Quite a crowd had gathered by the time Kyoko came out, her head hanging demurely, with Ren attached to her hand like a vise. Her eyes were still a bit red from all her crying the night before. The haughty mother folded her arms and gave everyone a murderous "what-are-you-all-staring-at" glare. Kyoko turned to Ren, whispering something in his ear. To the enormous shock of the majority of the masses, Ren pulled her into his arms for a passionate kiss. Kyoko savored it for a moment before reluctantly heading toward her mother. Her mother slapped her already bruised cheek--Ren's fists clenched--and pulled Kyoko out the door with her and into a waiting taxi.

Ren was so gloomy without Kyoko around, Yashiro was getting desperate to find a gap in his schedule. His acting was superb as always, and he still socialized a bit with his co-workers, but Yashiro's trained eye could tell it was all a facade. Ren needed to see that Kyoko was okay. Surprisingly enough, Ren seemed to be eating better than usual. When Yashiro could no longer contain his curiosity and asked him about it, a painful smile appeared on Ren's face.

"That was the last thing she said to me. She said she wouldn't forgive me if I didn't eat decently," Ren sighed and rested his head in his hands. "I can't get ahold of her. Her mother must have removed all access to a phone or computer."

"Ren, don't worry too much. Kyoko's a strong girl. She'll be alright."

Ren's only response was to tense up even more. It was nearing three weeks since she was dragged away from him. He missed her so much that it hurt to breathe, a feeling multiplied by an underlying dread that he may never see her again...he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He could feel Yashiro's look of concern on him, and it wasn't making him feel any better. He had to see her, and it had to be soon.

Time for the good news.

"Ren, I managed to clear your schedule for Saturday evening, after your modeling job finishes around five thirty. Go find her."

Ren wasn't at all sure where she was supposed to be, but he was determined to see her. He thought he'd start by finding out which inn in the area was run by the Fuwa's, and see if they knew anything. After receiving directions from a starstruck local, he pulled his car up to the fanciest looking inn he'd ever seen. He knocked on the door and waited. After a moment, an older woman in a kimono answered.

"Is this the Fuwa residence?"

Nod.

"I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but do you know anything about the whereabouts of Mogami Kyoko?"

The petite woman sized up the breathtaking man before her. How did he know Kyoko? She motioned for her husband to join her, before another, more slender figure suddenly appeared, seeking the source of the commotion. The familiar face stared back at him, looking astounded.

She was wearing a cream coloured traditional kimono, her ginger hair pulled back into a bun, and she had never looked more beautiful. Immediately slipping off her clunky sandals and racing past the surprised-looking Fuwa's, she jumped him and threw her arms around his neck. Three weeks had been far too long.

"Alright! Enough already! I'll marry you!" she proclaimed vehemently, kissing him anywhere she could reach, paying no heed to the fact that they had a bit of an audience.

Ren pulled her up, her bare feet dangling above the ground, and kissed her soundly on her mouth. He picked her up all the way without breaking the kiss, then turned to the owners and gave a dazzling smile.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm taking this with me," he said to the Fuwa's as they stared at the scene. Kyoko had the grace to look sheepish. He carried Kyoko over to his car, but opted to setting her on the trunk instead of placing her inside. He wasn't done with her yet. He placed his hands on the vehicle on either side of her.

"Why haven't you contacted me? I was dying of worry," Ren demanded, leaning in and trying to give her a stern look, which in turn caused anxiety to plaster itself on her face.

"I'm so sorry!! I wanted to talk to you! I really did! Mother wouldn't leave me out of her sight! She only left me here for the evening because of some business she had out of town!"

"I was starting to wonder if I would ever see you again," he said more gently as he kissed her neck. Kyoko squirmed a bit at his touch. It was more embarrassing being like this when she was no longer caught in the heat of the moment.

"Don't back out now," Ren chuckled, "you just promised to marry me."

Kyoko blushed but grinned widely. "I missed you, Ren."

He sighed, finally able to let out all the tension he had accumulated over the last twenty-one days.

"I love you Kyoko."

I'm not as delighted with this chapter as the first one, which is why it took me so long to upload it. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and there may or may not be more coming, depending on my mood ;P.

There's also a slight issue that I'm choosing to ignore here: Because Kyoko's underage, would she need her parent's permission to get married? Uh oh. We'll pretend that didn't happen.