Kaorin71: Another two-chapter story! A mini-story again! This one's kind of based from another manga, actually. I just put Kuon and Kyoko in the place of the lead characters. Sorry if they're too OOC… that's just how it is! Please take note that each part that is separated by a horizontal line is another day.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat…

With All My Heart

Chapter 1…

Another busy day in Tokyo, Japan. People crowded the streets, preparing for the hectic schedule ahead of them. Students piled up near the bus stops and train stations, impatiently waiting for their rides to arrive. Everyone seemed to be in hurry.

All except one.

Standing in the middle of the streets was an average looking girl. She was almost 5'2 in height and had a mass of chestnut brown hair. Her maid costume was fairly noticeable as she strode through the town. She would appear like a fine lady if not for that mournful expression on her face. Her eyes darted all around the place, clearly trying to find something.

Now where is that store? She wondered absent-mindedly, walking aimlessly. Moko-san said that it was just at the corner alley. But she also said the store was only a legend. Could that be true?

This girl sauntered around for some more minutes before she found herself getting lost. She suddenly ended up in deserted part of the town. She didn't even know that there was such a place in their town.

Where is this place? Asked the girl in her mind. Am I lost?

Getting a little confused, this teenager wandered some more. Know she was positive that she was lost. Losing her patience, she was going to shout for help when she heard a faint rustle behind the pile of cartons beside her.

Unsure of what to do, she stammered, "Is s-someone t-there?"

A couple of moments passed before the rustling vanished. Then, from behind the box, a little girl materialized. Her blonde curls cascaded down her petite body as she stood up. Her brownish eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Uhm, excuse me?" Asked the girl, waving one hand.

The little girl's shock vanished, replaced by utmost delight. "Ah! Are you perhaps a costumer?"

Smiling reluctantly, she started to answer. "Uh, no, I don't…"

Before she could even finish her reply, the little girl took her hand and led her deeper into the alley. She couldn't refuse as she might hurt the feelings of the young girl. Hoping that nothing bad would happen, she allowed the girl to drag her away.

They arrived at some run down part of the town. If she was surprised at what she saw earlier, now she was completely stunned. Who knew that there was a wrecked up part in that area?

The blonde haired girl then led her to another pile of cartons by one corner. She started to question this when that girl pushed those boxes aside, revealing some sort of entrance. She quickly clamped her mouth shut as she opened the door and went inside.

"Grandfather! I'm here!" Yelled the little girl.

Her voice echoed throughout the place. At first, no one responded. But after a few seconds, a tall and extravagantly dresses man appeared from another door at the back of the room. The older girl was quite amazed at the appearance of the man.

"I brought a costumer with me, grandfather," she said, giggling. "Ain't it great? We haven't seen anyone come here for a while."

The man just laughed along with her. "That's good, Maria. I just hope isn't one of those people you just happened to drag here."

While the two conversed, the older girl observed the area. She was shocked at the number of shoes in the room. There were ballet shoes, skating shoes, high heels, sneakers, fairy themed shoes and a whole lot more. It was like a giant collection of footwear.

Could this be that place Moko-san was talking about? She wondered. Is this that place?

The laughter died out and the man's expression grew serious. He stepped forward, glancing at the girl. "Well, did you come here on purpose or not? If you didn't then you shouldn't probably leave now."

"Is this…" She tried to find the right words. "Is this that shoe shop? The one that makes shoes which can grant any wish?"

His seriousness vanished. He began to get jolly again. "Of course it is! You've come to the right place." He walked back to the counter and leaned on it. "This is my shoe shop. I'm the shop keeper. My grand daughter, Maria, calls me grandfather but you can call me Lory."

The little girl, named Maria, smiled broadly. "I'm grandfather's helper. I help him make the shoes."

She nodded at her statement. The confusion on her face was gone. That mournful expression was back on her face.

Lory took out a pen and a blank notepad from behind the counter. "Before you order, we need to guarantee your identity. What's your name?"

Swallowing, she said, "I have no name. I'm not legible to carry a name. I'm only a mere shell."

Maria's face showed her surprise. Lory was also stunned but that emotion didn't last long on his face. Exhaling, he said, "Even if you're a shell, I'm sure you were given a name. Or at least tell me which household you're serving."

Hesitation was on her face although she answered his question. "They named me Kyoko. But hardly anyone calls me that. They call me number seven at the Hizuri household."

"So you're a shell from the Hizuri's manor, huh," he softly said as he wrote it down. Then he straightened his posture, having direct eye contact with her. "I'll call you Kyoko. There're a lot of sevens in this place."

Kyoko nodded once more. Maria looked kind of excited as Lory wrote down the details on his pad. But the older girl seemed solemn and unhappy.

When he finished, he placed the pen and paper down on the counter and stared at her. "What's your order, Kyoko-chan?"

Opening her mouth, she said, "I want shoes that can destroy love."

"Number seven! Shell! Get over here!"

Kyoko, otherwise called as number seven, quickly made her way to her master's room. When she arrived, she saw him looking at her with a displeased expression. He was wearing nothing on top and a mere towel was the only thing that covered the bottom part of his body.

He pointed to the bathroom entrance. There, floating on his bath tub, was a little shell. The water around the robot turned red and was swiftly spreading through the container.

"I was going to take a bath when I saw him there," he told Kyoko, still pointing at it.

Number seven didn't hesitate to go into the bath room and haul the robot out of the tub. She wiped some of the red liquid away from his body and then wrapped her arms around it. Then she turned to her naked master, saying, "It was only an accident. Number two probably slipped while preparing your bath."

"I know that," the man scowled, placing a palm on his forehead. "That red water just creeped me. It looks like a pool of blood."

"It's just the oil from number two's body."

He waved her comment off. "Yeah, I got it."

Staring at the piece of metal in her arms, she asked, "What do you want me to do, Kuon-sama?"

Her master, known as Kuon Hizuri, drained the tub as he told her, "Put him on the desk. I'll fix him later when I get done with my bath."

Bowing down, she said, "As you wish, master."

This world is entirely different from the world we had seen before, Kyoko thought as she put the miniature robot on the table. It really had changed ever since the last war. And the invention of us shells helped with this change.

*Shells are robots possessing enough knowledge to serve their human masters. Each shell is appointed to a certain family after he/she is made. Shells can be seen in different forms. Number two earlier was a simple type of shell. Kyoko, also called as number seven, is a complex and realistic shell. Their types depend on what the master wants.*

When Kyoko finished the task her master told her to do, she went out of the room. She was walking around the manor when she bumped into the Kanae Kotonami, a human servant.

Kanae seemed surprised to see her at first. "Kyoko. I thought…"

"They delayed that for a short while," she explained quickly. "I'm staying until the coming of age ceremony."

She acknowledged her remark. They were talking about that issue that involved Kyoko getting transferred to another household. Well, shells were primarily abundant and easily acquired for the rich people so losing one wouldn't be a waste. Besides, it wasn't her master's father who decided on the matter. It was his cold hearted right hand who inquired about her disposal.

A loud shuffling was heard at the other side of the hallway. Kanae jumped up while Kyoko didn't show any hint of being startled. The two of them turned and looked at each other.

"Uh, Kyoko…"

Kyoko smiled faintly. "I know. You have to go. You can't be seen conversing with me, after all."

The two bid their soft goodbyes. Kanae headed the other way, getting back to the chore assigned to her. Kyoko sighed deeply as she saw her figure disappear. That was a rule which that cold hearted bastard granted. No human employee must be seen talking with a lowly shell. Because he believes that shells are nothing but components of labor.

Going the other way, Kyoko suddenly bumped another servant. This was the grouchy human named Lissa. She glared hatefully at the young girl. That glare seemed to pierce her chest.

"Number seven," she growled. "Watch where you're going, would you?"

She didn't utter any word. It was also against the rule for a shell to answer back to a human.

Lissa smiled sarcastically. "Oh, I get it. You're just a shell. You can't answer me." She laughed a little before turning serious. "Hizuri-san is looking for you. He wanted you to go to his room. Again."

Her eyes widened. Kuon-sama wants to see me? Hadn't he dismissed me already?

Impatient, Lissa threw one last glare at her, spat at her then went on her way. Kyoko avoided her stare until she disappeared form her view. When she was sure that she had gone away, she headed back to his room.

Inhaling deeply, she knocked on the door. There was no response. When she knocked again, she heard someone mutter a soft 'Come in'. Kyoko took his words as a permit to enter the room and then opened the door.

As soon as she went inside the room, the first thing she saw was her master sitting down on the carpet as he fixed one of the household shells. It was number twelve, if she wasn't mistaken. Kyoko stood patiently behind him, waiting to be acknowledged.

"Number seven," he started, still repairing the mini shell. "May I ask a question?"

"Anything you wish, Kuon-sama."

Putting his tools on the floor, he turned to her. "Tell me the truth, why did you come here?"

She stiffened. Shells, as mentioned earlier, were given to a family right after they were made. But with her, the situation was different. She had come from Kyoto before she ended up there in the Hizuri manor.

Kyoko shifted uneasily. She can't tell the truth. "I was thrown away from my previous household. No one wanted me there so an agent told me to come here."

"That's interesting. I've never heard of that."

"No one bothers with my personal life," she said softly. "Not that a mere shell like me would have any rights to have a life."

The room stayed silent for a while. No one uttered a single word. Kyoko watched her master as he skillfully repaired the shell in his hands. The robot's eyes glinted when Kuon flipped the switch and its mechanical arms swayed around. It made some playful sounds to the man.

"Easy now," he murmured, setting the shell down. It immediately walked up to Kyoko.

Smiling weakly, she picked the little piece of metal in her arms and cradled it like a baby. She glanced at Kuon. "He's thanking you for repairing him. He's really happy."

"That's good," he said, smiling too. He watched her play with the little shell for a moment before giving a comment. "You know, you look like a mother with him in your arms."

Her smile faded. The same mournful expression came to her face. She sighed silently, placing the little shell down on the floor. It immediately jumped up and took out the mini vacuum from under her master's desk and cleaned the area.

"Master, I may dream of being a mother," she said, almost in a whisper. "But never will I become one."

With those words, she took her leave. Kuon sat silently on the floor, staring wistfully at the retreating figure of the girl.

It's raining, Kyoko thought as she hauled the laundry in the living room. That means I can't let these dry. Where should I place this now?

It was a gloomy February afternoon. Just a few more days before her master's coming of age ceremony. It was really weird because her master, Kuon, was already twenty yet the ceremony was only going to be celebrated then? But she should still be thankful, being with him for at least four years before he goes away.

It's going to be lonely when Kuon-sama leaves, she thought, sighing. The other shells in this household won't have anyone to protect them anymore. Only Kuon-sama seems to value us shells here. I wonder, will they be disposed of too when he migrates to America?

Sighing for another time, this girl decided to hang the laundry in the morning, after the rain. She picked up the basket and headed towards the laundry room to dump those clothes. But she has only taken a few light steps when she bumped a servant. And it just had to be Lissa again.

"Watch it, shell," she hissed furiously. Then she swirled around and looked outside the window. "Damn, I can't go out in this rain. I'm going to get soiled."

Leaving her to her worries, Kyoko started to haul her laundry away. But then, the wicked human just popped and idea and quickly blocked her way. Kyoko saw that devilish glint in her eyes.

"Say, number seven," she crooned, playing with the box on her hands. "You don't have anything to do, don't you? Why don't you deliver this package to the store nearby? It'll only take a few minutes."

She hesitated. "But I still have to put these…"

She didn't have the time to finish her statement. Lissa thrust that package unto Kyoko's chest - hard. Then she dragged the poor girl to the entrance and shoved her out, scowling as she did so.

"You don't have the right to complain," Lissa shot at her, closing the doors. "You are, after all, just a replaceable shell."

A loud thud was heard as the oak doors of the Hizuri manor shut behind her. Kyoko glanced back at the house with lifeless eyes. It was really horrible how they treated shells like her. The same place that became her heaven for those past four years was also a living nightmare. A nightmare she could never wake up from.

Slowly standing up, she trudged towards the streets. A lot of people threw disgusted glances at her. Well, shells were originally invented for war purposes so it's no wonder how much they hated her. She knew that very well and she did not have any reason to complain about it.

Finally, she arrived at the place. That was only store where the Hizuri's would deliver any package. She gently knocked on the glass door before she wet in. Of course, since she was out in the rain, she was soaking wet. But no one really bothered with her as she placed the package on the counter. When she was done with her business there, she went out in the rain again, only this time it had gotten harder.

Kyoko resolved to run home. Running was, after all, faster than walking. But running didn't really help her stay dry. Soon enough, she got tired and decided to slow down. The rain fell on her body, soaking her more and more.

Just then, she felt the rain stop falling on her. Her head shot up. What happened?

"Wet?" a familiar voice asked her.

Turning behind her, she saw who it was. "Lory-sama."

He waved his hand. "No more honorifics needed. Just Lory would be fine." Shifting his hold on the umbrella, he asked, "So what are you doing out in a rain this hard?"

"Errands."

"Ah, right. The Hizuris have a lot of businesses to take care of, after all," Lory told her. He whistled a low tune before he turned serious. "Kyoko-chan, what're you going to do with those shoes you ordered? At first, I really had a hard time agreeing with your decision. Why would you want to destroy love?"

"Love is not for us shells," Kyoko told him sincerely. "As much as possible, I want to stay with my master. And that feeling… it's just getting in the way. And I think, it's better this way."

Lory didn't argue with her anymore. He just whispered, "I hope you're sure about your decision."

Shoving his umbrella away, Kyoko stepped into the rain again. She cast one sad glance at him before she left. "I know what I'm doing, Lory-sama."