I do not own Skip Beat. I thank Yoshiki Nakamura for all of her wonderful talent and anyone who is now reading my little story.

Fixing Her

Chapter 1

Take care of her... That was all he was told to do by the overly flamboyant man before she walked into the office. It was painful. She looked haunted and broken. Her eyes were empty and he wondered who had done this to her or, what had happened to cause the actress to fall so very far during his time abroad?

She hadn't fallen. This was just her now. It was the her she was so very tired of hiding. There had been many things in her life up to this point that caused this. The very first reason would be a mother that tossed her aside and failed to meet her half-way at every turn. No effort came from her at all, so the young woman just got tired. Tired of trying anymore.

The second would be a childhood friend that used her and abused her kindness and when she had finally picked herself back up, he came back to tear her down again. Over and over he would do this. He would pick and pick and pick until there was nothing left of her, claiming that she only lived for him.

The third would be a person that she once held dear that left her. He would pull her in, cheer her, make her feel wanted and needed, then leave again. He claimed to love her, but used her just as all of the others, in his opinion. When he had what she built up in him, he left on his merry way to America.

The fourth and most painful had been the jealous best friend that constantly lorded her status of friendship over her. When she could no longer share her pain under threat of the loss of said friendship, the friend had callously walked away. Kanae didn't intend on not returning, she just felt too much shame over how she had treated the girl and couldn't face her after that. Kyoko was utterly alone, she had even been shunned by the child that considered her a sister due to her admission of love for the little girl's crush.

He stood there in shock of the stark contrast to her public persona that all had become accustomed to, to the characters that she portrayed. He sighed deeply at the shell that stood before them. His violet eyes studying for any reaction to his presence. How could they do this to her? He thought sadly to himself. He cursed himself that he didn't do something for her sooner and that he had so artfully botched all their encounters with his over the top antics less than a year earlier.

He looked to the completely broken young lady and then back to their boss. The man nodded to him. The young man, barely two years older than her, now her agent, approached her and gently took her hand. "Come Kyoko, let's go talk." He told her softly with a twinge of shared pain in his voice. "Let me help you." He then led her from the ornately decorated office to the smaller more private office that they had been assigned.

He guided her to the overstuffed love seat that sat along their office wall and knelt before her with her small hands wrapped in his. He looked into her molten gold eyes then brushed a lock of hair from her face. "Kyoko... I will not harm you. I refuse to leave you. I will not turn my back on you. I will remain by your side even if you try to push me away. I care about you. I have from the beginning. You don't have to return my feelings. I am telling you this so, that you know that there will always be someone out there that refuses to hide from you. Someone that is straight with you... No lies... Someone that will always love you."

Her brow furrowed and something flashed in her eyes. Her head cocked slightly to the side, she raised her hand from his, gently took a lock of his long platinum hair and examined the texture. "So soft." She whispered. It had been the first words she had uttered in months when she was not behind a camera. "You promise?" She asked in a far-away voice.

He smiled gently. "Kyoko, I not only promise... I vow to you. I will follow you even when my body is no more."

A single tear escaped from her for the first time since her multiple betrayals. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Shh... It's alright. We'll fix this." He stroked her strawberry-blonde hair and gently kissed her crown. She sluggishly brought her arms around him and buried her face into his shirt then let the pain that had taken years to fester, flow freely in her sobs.

One would think that Kyoko would be given a manager, but Lory wanted to go one step further. Managers were not allowed to negotiate contracts or, actively solicit jobs for her. He wanted the best for her, so when this promising young man had come to him, he decided to give him a chance as an agent. They could grow together and perhaps they could grow into more. He had not even done that for Kuon and at this point he felt the boy didn't deserve it. She was going to propel herself out of Japan and he wanted her prepared for it.

This unusual boy that he acquired for her was ambitious. He had thrown himself into his studies, received top scores on his requirements and attained his licenses in record time. He even had references from his former band-mates attesting to his skills. He was impressive.

Due to the shame that Lory Takarada had felt for allowing his favorite LoveMe girl to be completely shattered, he was going to do everything within his power to bring her back to life. When her new agent, Reino, had requested a bodyguard/driver. He approved. When he requested that she be moved to a highly secured apartment building. She was moved that day. For now, her contract would prohibit certain individuals from having any contact with her, at least until she was healed and ready to face them. Those individuals being Hizuri, Kotonami, Fuwa and Yashiro. The people that assisted in breaking her completely.

Nikolai, her bodyguard, was handpicked by her new agent. He stood an imposing 198 cm and his physique gave the impression that when he wasn't working or, sleeping, he was working out. His shoulder-length, wavy dark hair was tied neatly out of his pale grey-green eyes and his bulky arms were sleeved in tattoos to his shoulders. She would call him Niki and he would protect her. She would teach him Japanese and he would teach her Russian and offer her the comforts of his wife and children. She was like a little sister to him.

"Nikolai." Reino looked at him and pointed to his left, bringing the large man's attention to a bottled-blond singer's presence merely a few meters away.

He nodded his head "Da..." then moved between his charge and the young man.

"Are you stupid or, what?" Sho Fuwa hissed at Reino, ignoring the hulking beast standing next to Kyoko.

Reino chuckled. "Nikolai, please escort this person from her sight."

He nodded and moved toward Sho. He wrapped a large hand around the back of Sho's neck to guide him away from Kyoko and when Sho began to struggle to stay in place, throwing a tantrum, Nikolai's hand clamped down and forcibly removed him from her presence.

"Thank You Niki." She told him meekly. "Thank you Reino." a small smile crept across her lips. It made her feel good, what they had done for her just then. She finally felt safe.

Aki Shoko approached the very large man with a look that would have made a normal man cower in fear. "Who the hell do you think you are treating my charge like that?!"

"He came near our Kyoko." He told her.

She stood there stumped not knowing what the man had said. She looked behind him to find Niki's two clients, Kyoko and her agent, Reino. Shoko's eyes went wide at the odd sight before her.

"Shoko Aki... I would appreciate it if you keep control of your charge. If Fuwa-san wishes to speak to Kyoko, he needs to make an appointment with her agent." He pulled a business card from his shirt pocket and handed to her. It was the only way anyone could speak to her now, all calls were blocked on her phone unless it was Lory, Chiori, Reino or, Nikolai. Reino wrapped his arm around Kyoko's waist and gently guided her to her dressing room with Niki taking his position just outside her door with his large tattooed arms crossed and his countenance relaxed as he leaned against the wall waiting.