Disclaimer: This belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura, I'm just borrowing the characters for a little storytelling!

Note: This is the prequel to The Bento Box. It doesn't matter which one you read first. A reviewer mentioned that Shou/Kyoko's relationship was unclear, so as I thought about it... this idea popped up. As for continuing The Bento Box as a series, I will most likely be doing more oneshots of this AU world, but I'm not really sure how much more I'll do. The comments that you have certainly do spark my creative side, so please let me know what you think!

TOKYO
by Yih

"Will you come with me to Tokyo?" Shou asked, his bright eyes full of confidence, although Kyoko could see a little desperation at the very edges. "You're my very best friend and… I need you with me."

A year ago, Kyoko thought, such words from him would have thrilled her, but she had outgrown her silly childhood crush on him. Actually, she had forced herself to let go of her all-consuming feelings for him for her sake. She was tired of him never noticing her, never seeing how much she adored him, and it was okay now.

She was fine with him flirting with other girls, never seeing her as anything other than a friend. It had taken so many months, but she was content now to stay by his side as his best friend and it made it easier to joke around with him about the girls that chased fervently after him. They even had a good laugh about it yesterday.

"What would your parents do without me?" Kyoko asked, dropping her eyes down at the tatami mat. "They took me in after my mom abandoned me. I can hardly leave them after all they've done for me."

"Look at me, Kyoko," Shou said softly.

Kyoko refused to look up, knowing that even though she had buried her feelings for him deep down in the recesses of her heart, she was still weak against his pleading eyes.

"Kyoko…"

She dragged her eyes up reluctantly and she saw him begging her with his gaze. He could still wrap her around his finger, she thought with a sigh. But to leave this place, it would be hard. This was the only place she had ever called home. It was special to her, even if Shou couldn't wait to leave. And his parents might not exactly love her like a daughter, but they were kind to her and she knew that their intentions for taking such good care of her was because they were grooming her to be their daughter-in-law.

As she stared into Shou's beautiful eyes, she knew that he only saw her as a friend and that she would never be his beloved… so what was the point of staying here? She was never going to marry Shou and this was a good chance to leave her home and create a new place for herself.

"Will you come with me?" he asked earnestly.

She nodded. "I will."

-

Kyoko had fallen asleep on his shoulder as they had sat outside on the porch to stare at the night's sky. It wasn't any wonder she was tired, after they had spent most of the day packing for Tokyo. Shou glanced down at her face, reaching over with his hand to brush away the hair that was covering her eyes. Kyoko had been different the past few months, Shou thought. She hadn't been following him around so much, or pestering him as much to get his attention. Now he had to bother her to get her attention. He wasn't sure if he liked that or not.

He gazed up at the moon, wondering why he had asked her to come to Tokyo with him. It wasn't like he actually needed her to take care of him. He could take care of himself, if he had to… he wasn't helpless! But as he thought more and more about leaving home, he had thought more and more of taking Kyoko with him. She was his only real friend, different from the others at school that just wanted to get close to him because of the way he looked – because he had a cool aura.

And Kyoko had been with him since they were little and she loved him.

He wasn't sure how Kyoko would take to Tokyo. She really did fit here in the laidback atmosphere of the countryside. Would she be able to adjust to the fast pace lifestyle of the city?

Shou glanced down at her sleeping face. He liked how she had grown her bangs out, how the longer hair made her face less childish and more adult-like. They were both growing up, he mused, growing older and it was time for him to make his dream into a reality.

He was going to be a big star!

And, as he stared down at Kyoko, she was going to be there with him…

The End.

Please review as it's your only chance!

A/N: I think Shou is an interesting character (as are all the Skip Beat characters). Shou becomes more and more interesting as the series progresses, making him much more complex than he originally was. I also think that if Kyoko had been a little less naive, then maybe things would be a little different in their relationship. Although, to be honest, I'm more of a Ren x Kyoko fan, some Shou x Kyoko on the side is fascinating, especially if it prods Ren to act a little faster on his feelings. He is rather slow, isn't he?

As for why Kyoko gives up on Shou, basically with time as she sees him go through more and more girls, I think she would eventually have come to the conclusion she's only on Shou's friend ladder and that's all she'll ever be and if she gave up like that... well it doesn't mean she doesn't love Shou, but her sweet love bubble wouldn't bust as it did in Skip Beat! and she'd retain a little more of her innocent outlook on love... which is the type of Kyoko I wanted to write, esp with Ren!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this interlude into Shou/Kyoko's relationship before they go to Tokyo and Shou becomes part of LME. If you have any suggestions for anything else you'd like to see in this AU, please let me know. Your comments do inspire stuff!