The Runaway Groom

The amber and pink highlighted sky was cloaked with a picturesque sunset, the bugs stayed close to their woodland homes and there wasn't a rain cloud in sight. It was officially the most perfect day in the history of perfect days, ever.

Kyoko sighed a sigh of content. Her wedding day which had a rather rocky beginning, what with drunk uncles and catty bridesmaids to deal with had ended up as amazing as she had always envisioned. The only thing stopping her from jumping up in delight at the fairy tale she was seeing unfold before her very eyes was the absence of her beloved groom. That's right. Sho was nowhere to be seen. Of all the days to disappear he had chosen this one. Kyoko could feel herself start to shit her pants. Not that she was wearing any pants but you know- if she was- well- yeah.

Still she should have expected as much from her fiancé, after all he was never the most reliable of men. Kyoko and Sho were childhood friends and had grown up together in Kyoto. Kyoko's own mother and father had died early and had left her to the Fuwa's who adopted the little girl with open arms. Kyoko had loved Sho since they were young, and had harboured what she thought at the time as an unrequited love.

They had been best friends till the age of 14, when suddenly Sho decided he wanted to run away from menial life at home to pursue a career in the music industry, leaving poor Kyoko alone at both home and school. Enter Kanae, the new misanthropic transfer student to Kyoko's form class and you get instant friendship. Kanae actress extraordinaire helped heal Kyoko's heartbroken heart with her companionship, in the process becoming Kyoko's best friend.

While at the same time, Sho became increasingly more famous and successful in the entertainment industry as a popular idol, Kyoko marginally less heartbroken and depressed learned the tricks of the trade for running Sho's families chain of Ryokan's until the tender age of 18. When Sho decided to re-enter into the picture and suddenly propose to Kyoko proclaiming his undying love. Kyoko overtaken by her old love had said yes in an instant and 1 month later they had happily set a wedding date.

Kyoko thought over these facts in consternation, while she most definitely loved Sho. She sometimes sensed that he in fact did not. Sho was the image of someone in love in front of other people but when he was around just Kyoko he could sometimes become unbearably cold. The quick proposal and wedding preparation had distracted Kyoko from thinking about their unsteady relationship too much, as she chalked up any strange behaviour to the stress of planning up a big wedding. But Kyoko was finally forced to face the reality of the situation that Sho may have just up and left. He could have ditched her at the aisle! My god, the sad thing is that I'm not even surprised. A part of me has been expecting this happening. Kyoko Lamented in misery.

"Oh my gosh. YOU LOOK SOOOOOO STUNNING." Her lovely mother in law and adoptee mother, Yumiko Fuwa gushed as she entered the bridesmaid's tent and took in the length of her daughter in law's frame.

"Doesn't she just?" Kanae her friend of many years smirked slightly arrogantly, "I've been doing her makeup since the crack of dawn." She boasted proudly.

"Yeah we get it bitch, you've managed to turn this repulsive, decrepit hag into a princess. No need to boast. Besides you don't look too shabby yourself" Kyoko sighed, tired of having people poke her in the face with makeup brushes.

"Hey lay it don't spray it," Kanae snapped back smugly, touching her beautiful silky straight hair, which was cascading down the front of her yellow coloured bridesmaids dress.

"No, really Kanae. The wedding dress looks like it was made just for her." Yumiko Fuwa smiled sweetly as she ignored the girls bitching.

"It is very nice," Kyoko admitted as she took in her reflection in the giant mirror on the wall.

She had never been a particularly conceited person and tended to only use makeup on special occasions but even she had to concede she looked absolutely ravishing. The floor length A-line, ivory white dress managed to bring out her lovely pale complexion and turn it from something almost fragile to something positively glowing. The intricate silver patterning sewed down the bodice and near the edge of the airy lace of her skirt gave her appearance a striking touch. She fingered a lock of her midnight blue hair, which was let out in loose curls that were styled so they splayed elegantly down her spine contrasting vividly with her complexion.

The finishing touch was the slight touches of makeup which helped bring out her auburn eyes and the cherry red lipstick which made her lips look extremely kissable. "Hmmm…" She sighed in self-satisfaction and had to stop herself from doing a pirouette.

"So, do you girls know where Sho ran off to?" Yumiko Fuwa casually asked, "I haven't been able to find him anywhere, the silly boy is probably off somewhere penning down a song, you know how he gets when he's nervous."

Kyoko broke out of her wedding inspired comatose state and looked shakily at Kanae.

"Umm, well he was here this morning for the photos, but I haven't seen him since," Kyoko laughed nervously as if her nervous system wasn't internally decomposing at Sho's ill-timed disappearing act.

"Well I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later," Kanae hissed threateningly while grinding her teeth, no doubt planning to beat the shit out of the guy once the wedding was over for causing her best friend to worry.

"Well I'm sure you're right dear. Sho always did have a tendency to get…sidetracked." Sho's mother stared into the distance with glassy eyes, evidently ignoring her daughter in law's friend's psychotic muttering.

The sound of the tent flap opening to made all the women turn around. They all stared at the pretty teenage girl who entered hesitantly. She looked up and gasped in awe.

"Wow…Kyoko. You look amazing." Maria Takarada the Fuwa family's friend's daughter managed to exclaim.

"Thankyou Maria, you didn't come alone did you? I haven't seen your grandfather all day." Kyoko asked as she fingered the lace on her dress insecurely.

"No, I came with grandpa's friend Yashiro," Maria replied sweetly," Listen Chiori told me to tell you that the priest has arrived and all the guests have arrived. So they're just waiting for you and Sho-san to come down to the church if you're ready."

"Oh, ha-ha that Chiori. Always worrying unnecessarily isn't she? I told her to take a holiday already, I mean the Ryokan isn't even open until next week. Ha-ha. Of course we're ready…Why don't you and Yumiko-san just go and tell everyone we're coming. While me and Kanae errr…find our flowers and go tell Sho. You don't need to trouble yourself finding him, he… went for uhhh… a…he went to the toilet! Yeah, that's exactly where he went. So why don't you guys go ahead and do that. And. We'll. Just. Finish. Up. "Kyoko shrilled out awkwardly as she tried to usher them out gracefully, but due to the added resistance of both parties, she ended up having to push them out by sheer force.

"Wait Kyo-!" Maria protested before the tent flap was shut in her face.

"WHEW." Kyoko moaned.

"That was subtle. I'm sure they won't suspect a thing." Kanae said sarcastically.

"You shut up. Kanae what do we do?" Kyoko groaned pathetically. "Do you think he just left? I mean it's his wedding, he can't just leave! Maybe he really did need to go to the toilet? I mean those pastries last night at the wedding rehearsal were stale. Maybe he got food poisoning!" Kyoko exclaimed hopefully.

"Wow. I think you are probably the first bride in history to be happy about her groom getting food poisoning. Sorry Kyoko, but in the toilet for 10 hours is pushing it a bit don't you think?" Kanae replied.

"Shit, you're right. Well what should we do Kanae? You heard Maria. They're all here! I know this day was too good to be true. Now, I'm going to be the pitiful girl who got stood up at the altar. I won't ever be referred to as Kyoko again! Just as the poor-girl-who-got-stood-up-at-the-altar." Kyoko squeaked out in dread, walking in fast paced circles before running into a couch and stubbing her toe and collapsing onto said couch in pain. "Shit. Shit. Shit. What do I DOOOO?"

"Calm down crazy." Kanae said in her best soothing voice. "Our best bet right now is checking his tent. We've probably just been conveniently missing Sho each time we went looking for him and he's in fact been here the entire time. "

Kyoko looked up teary eyed. "Yes, you're surely right. We've probably been freaking out about nothing at all." Kyoko climbed out of the self-imposed nest she had made out of her wedding gown and the couch and got up full of enthusiasm. "Let's go Kanae, time to recheck his tent. "

"Make sure you don't trip." Kanae grinned, as Kyoko gripped her hand in a death like grip and led her out of the tent to find the missing groom at an alarmingly fast pace…

To be continued….

Hello reader, yes the title is a spoof of the prince and me the movie. It doesn't have anything to do with the movie, but I thought it sounded funny. Funny but stupid. Please don't hate me for not finishing the other story I started. I will finish it eventually. One day... maybe. Since I just got on holidays I thought that I'd finally write an entire fan fiction for Skip Beat. I promise I'll finish this one. I've even gotten chapter 2 and three planned out. OMG I know, pre- planning how organised! If anyone wants to be my beta reader just inbox me, cause my grammar is shitty and my sentence structure can be really awkward. Don't worry I know. Sorry if the characters seem sort of OC I've been reading a lot of chick lit with snarky characters lately and it might reflect in the dialogue a tad. Anyway thanks for reading and please review and favourite if you enjoy!