Just a warning I am Dyslexic so my stories will not be perfect but I now have one Beta reader to help me along the way :D

Thank you so much to Roshelle Diall for offering to work with me :D

Hello my sweeties,

"To love others you must first love yourself."

― Leo Buscaglia

Enjoy.

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The people who were watching felt their hearts leap as Kyoko picked up the letters carefully.

"NO, NO! SHE CAN'T DO THAT!" Kanae screamed and darted out of the room with Chiori on her heels as they ran the short distance to the room. Kanae slammed open the door and shouted out her heart at her best friend,

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT KYOKO! IF YOU CAN'T LEARN TO LOVE AGAIN WHAT HOPE DO I HAVE?" Kanae was crying, tears pouring from her eyes. True tears not the false tears she could summon at will. These were real tears as her heart wrenched for the girl before her and for herself, the girl who never showed emotion. She had fought for this girl's affection from the man who was now laying out his soul to her. She couldn't watch her friend throw that away.

She looked at Kyoko through tear-blurred eyes as she sobbed deep in her chest, she could see the shining eyes and the sweet smile on her lips as she looked at Kanae,

"Oh Moko-san, you already know how to love." Kanae's eyes cleared slightly, seeing her looking happy. She saw the magic wand in her hand and the TV that had flickered to life in the wall. Within moments, she was sobbing in Kyoko's arms. Chiori was hugging her too as they all stepped backwards to sit on the king sized bed together to watch the magic unfold.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, press and paparazzi as I'm sure some have snuck in somewhere." the crowd laughed as the lights went out. The room was pitch black and in the centre of the room a rumbling sound as the floor rose five feet into the air. A spotlight lit on what had been a fountain and was now sinking out of view as stairs shot out from the sides of the rising stage, making it look like an over large birthday cake. Lory rose up from the centre dressed in black trousers, a puffed white shirt, a black cape lined with red silk and a white mask covering half his face. The Phantom of the Opera had arrived.

When all movement halted, people applauded as the TV crews prepared to record. Their cameras flashed. Certain news networks had been invited and some press which meant there was something special going on tonight and they wanted to be ready. Kyoko and the girls were watching the hall live from the bedroom they sat in. They watched as the stage was set and listened intently as Lory graced it.

"My dear friends, tonight we are here to witness the death of one of my beloved Phoenixes."

the room as silent murmurs with words like 'A death?' and 'What does he mean?' rang clearly around the room as Lory smiled at everyone.

"Now do not be alarmed, we have been here before. When one of my beautiful children sheds their old feathers to be reborn again leaving behind his stage name for his real name." now this caused a stir as he knew it would. The name on everybody's lips in that second was Hizuri Kuu.

"He asked to do this here tonight in front of you all not because he wishes for the publicity, but as he told me that the people in this room are his friends they are the people he cares about. The ones he wishes to know the truth, I will not bore you with unneeded chatter as I know he has a lot to say. So without further ado I have kept my promise. I have set your stage you have walked upon it proudly and now I give the stage to you." Lory stepped off the stage. Slightly to the right, everyone was looking around as a hooded and cloaked figure no one had really noticed walked out of the shadows and shook Lory's hand. With long purposeful steps, he took to the stage shrouded in mystery as none could see his face. He slowly removed the black and billowing robe.

"Tsuruga Ren!" the shocked murmur went up as Ren stood on the stage tall and proud as he looked at the people surrounding him

"My friends, I have to thank you all for being here tonight. Even if it isn't my party the birthday girl has allowed me special permission to speak with you all." he turned and looked at the large clock which read 11:45 pm.

"I better start talking fast since I've only got 15 more minutes before the spell is broken." People giggled and chuckled as he tossed aside the robe and pulled his jacket straight, smiling.

"There are no words to express what my job means to me and what all my friends and family mean to me. Your support through the last six years of my life have been one of the reasons I can stand here today. I owe a lot of you great thanks which I doubt I could ever truly convey, but before I became who I am today I was known by a different name. I came to Japan following a light of hope after my life was turned upside down by the death of my closest and dearest friend, who died so I could live." murmurs filled the room and people looked on at the tall actor with sorrow-filled eyes.

"Do not feel sorrow for me, that time has come and passed. For years I blamed myself for his death. If I hadn't been so cocky, arrogant and foolhardy, he may still have been alive today. But somebody very special to me taught me something very important. We all make our own choices in this world and we all have our paths to follow as well as our dreams to reach. Maybe this was just one of those things fate decided. I never believed in fate, I hated the idea that my life was already written for me and that I didn't have a choice. But maybe fate isn't such a clear-cut thing. Maybe it just shows us paths we could choose and follows us depending on our choices? Well I hope to think that this very special and important person is part of that fate." the room was completely silent, with all of their minds trying to figure out only one thing. Was this a confession of love? Or was he revealing his name? Who was he to have such a sorry past?

"I came to Japan as I said to leave behind my past otherwise it was pretty sure to have killed me. But there was always a little part of my past that I could never forget. She was my first love and the one I promised my heart to after only a few days of knowing her. She was six years old and I was ten. Even after all the bad things that have happened to me and even though we never contacted each other again after those few days, she held a special place in my heart. She kept me moving forwards with just the memories of her. Even when I cast away everything but my body to become Ren, she was something I was unable to cast away.

Then a few years ago who should walk back into my life but that very same girl who had kept me going all those years. To begin with, I didn't realise we had both changed so much. She had been hurt to the point she was unable to love and I was not the boy I once had been. To be pretty frank we actually hated each other in the beginning. I think we always seemed to catch each other at the wrong times and without knowing it we were able to bring out each other's true selves which caused a lot of headaches. But in time we were able to become friends and without realising it I found one day that I was completely and indubitably in love with her." small murmurs began again and a few people watched Ren smiling almost knowingly. Ren could see the smiles of Director Ogata, Kijima, Momose and a few others from casts and productions they had worked on together.

"It makes me wonder how obvious it was to others as I see a knowing smile on some of your faces." Ren chuckled along with the people he could see smiling in that knowing way.

"I had decided long ago I would not return to my true name until I could do so under my own power. Until I could say I had truly become the man I wanted to be so I could hold my head up high and walk proudly. I thought I would obtain this through my acting, but it never seemed to be enough to catch up to the level where he walked. It never seemed to feel like I had achieved what I had set out to do. Then suddenly, a few weeks ago as I finished filming 'The Winds of Time' I realised something. The reason I never could reach that level was because there are things in life you cannot do alone and there are times in life you need someone beside you to lean on, to care for you.

Tonight, I have confessed my love to that girl. I have told her all my secrets. She knows everything, including what a little blue "Corn" stone is really worth." Ren smiled and looked about at the crowd.

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Kanae sat up slightly from their hugging position on the bed and putting her hand in her pocket pulled out the sapphire stone, handing it to Kyoko who was crying again, silent tears running down her cheeks as they watched Ren on the stage.

"I asked Okami-san and I brought this here for you at his request." she said as she placed the stone in Kyoko's hand. Closing her fingers around it, Kyoko just nodded silently. Her eyes were glued to the TV screen as Ren looked back at the clock: 11:55 pm.

"My magic is nearly running out it seems, so I would like to thank you all again for supporting me as Tsuruga Ren, but as of tonight that man is no longer of this world." reaching up his hand he pulled off the wig of brown hair, revealing his true golden locks before he swiftly cleared the contact lenses from his eyes revealing eyes of the deepest blue.

"As of this evening I would officially like you to be present at the rebirth of Hizuri Kuon."

The room went mad. Women screamed and men gasped as before them stood the only son of Japan's most famous actor's son. He and his wife were living legends in Japan. To think their son had been among them all this time and they had never known it. Kuon gave them a few moments to digest the news before he continued.

"If you would please bear with me there is just one more thing I would like you all to witness. Fairy godmothers, if you would please?" The room was confused as he spoke to fairies? What was going on now? In the bedroom the TV was on but no eyes watched the screen.

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"I promise not to take much more of your time up, but this is something I must make perfectly clear to someone very special to me." a second spotlight suddenly blazed to life, pointing to the top of the grand staircase where stood a woman dressed fully in gold. The crowd gasped in awe at the beauty that stood before them. Her face was obscured by a beautiful but elaborate gold masquerade mask. As she slowly lifted her skirts and made her way slowly down the stairs, the crowd parted as Kuon walked towards her and they met halfway down the stairs. He bowed as she curtseyed; like a prince and princess they stood there before everyone as the clock struck midnight.

Kuon was shaking slightly as he got down on one knee before his princess. Pulling a box from his pocket, he opened it before her

"Mogami Kyoko, will you marry me?" he asked as the crowd was suddenly and completely silent: not even the TV crews moved or spoke though a few of the undercover paparazzi managed to get a few pictures in as they hung on the words of the beautiful woman before him.

"Yes!" was her single love-filled reply as the room exploded with cheering, stamping of feet and shouts.

Julie cried with Okami-san and Kuu hugged the tall man beside him as everyone looked on with tears in their eyes as Kuon stood placing the ring on the woman's finger before taking her in his arms and kissing her. It was like the scene from a fairy tale and everyone watching would always remember it. As people started to realise Kuon had named his true love Mogami Kyoko as with all couplings in the celebrity world there will be people who think that they are more deservant or that it's incorrect, but the larger populous decided this was an amazing matchup.

Kuon switched off his shirt microphone before kissing the girl he loved. The girl who had just agreed to marry him.

"I love you Kyoko and I always have. Happy Birthday." her face was mostly covered still by the mask but he could still see the emotion flaming in her golden eyes.

"I love you too Corn, and I am never letting you go again."

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Later that morning, it seemed like everyone in the entire room had wished them well and had spoken to them, congratulated them and all other manner of things including giving Kyoko small birthday presents and tokens. Kuon never thought he would stop smiling as he introduced Kyoko to his astounded Aunt Toshi, how his parents hugged them both so hard and his mother cried more. There was one man standing beside Lory in a traditional yukata, elegant in black with silver cranes embroidered onto it, he bowed to the older man with white hair.

"Grandfather, I know it's late, but I would like to introduce you to my chosen match." he said formally as he stood again and looked at his grandfather, who smiled so warmly at them both that Kyoko felt herself blushing.

"You have never disappointed me as a grandchild. Even if you are a little late and doing things your own way Kuon, this time is no exception. She is a beautiful young woman and you kept your promise to me that you would once again find the girl who carried your sapphire and make the promise that stone held come true." he bowed to Kuon before turning his attention to Kyoko,

"Do you still carry the stone, my child?" he asked. As his warm smile so much like Kuon's washed over her, she nodded blushing as she reached the stone out of a small pocket Julie had sown into the dress for that purpose. She had told Kanae when she had explained the situation to them while Kyoko had read the letters. She held the stone out to him on her palm and he slowly clasped her hands firmly around her hand, enclosing the stone.

"That is yours my child, but I would like to ask how you will be having the stone cut? Or what will you be having it made into?" all attention was on Kyoko, her mask had been discarded a long time ago after Jelly had rushed her off to apply waterproof makeup. Though she had told Kyoko no one would deny her tears on such a happy day, she may as well look beautiful whilst crying.

Kyoko looked down at the strong hands holding hers, then to the man standing beside her.

"If you please, Hizuri-sama, I should not have the stone cut in anyway." she said slowly and all eyes looked confused as the older man smiled at her with a loving twinkle in his eyes.

"And why is that my dear?" he asked Kyoko who had been feeling nervous until she saw the light in the older man's eyes spoke out now, clearly and certainly.

"Because sir, the stone is perfect just the way it is. It may not sparkle on the outside and it may be a little worn around the edges, but to me it is perfect just like the boy who gave it to me and later the man who promised me his heart." the smile on the older man's face was the largest any had seen it since a long time before. He beamed down at the young woman before him as she whispered for his ears alone

"Not everything has to shine to be perfect." he smiled at her.

"I couldn't agree more."

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13 chapters in under 48 hours :D

well what did you all think?

Please R&R

Neh xxx