Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat or any of its characters.
Warning: Rating for mild violence and language, nothing too disturbing or too unbearable. Only this first chapter…
Chapter 1: Their World
She closed her eyes, cradling her head in her hands, trying to protect her most vital part from the repeated physical assault on her person. She could probably swat on the ground or curl into a ball to further shield her vital organs. But attempting such position would only mean that she admitted her defeat and further put herself at their mercy. The stupid bitches would probably start using her feet to kick her then. Her best option was to stay upright, run, or at least try to run, anyway, no matter how hard her hair and clothes are being pulled.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks endlessly. It was pitch black behind the material that they used to cover her upper body with. Kyoko face scrunches up in misery as a harsh shove pushed her to the side. She stumbled but remained on her feet.
A hit in her stomach…
"What did you ever do to deserve Ren-sama?" a deep feminine voice echo… Too young to be possessed with a tone so full of malice, Kyoko's helpless grudges realized.
Thump, another blow on her back and Kyoko lurched forward. Another girly voice followed from behind, "And then you just have to meddle with Sho-chan too?"
Behind the mask, Japan's number one rising actress shook her head minutely in protest, in denial. But their scolding prattled on, one loathing comment followed right after another spiteful scorn. They never let her speak. So, as Kyoko was blindly jostled back and forth from their handling, she made sure at as long as her feet weren't in the same spot, she must have been getting somewhere.
A hard strike on the side left Kyoko gasping in pain. A malicious voice hovered close to her right ear.
"You whore!" it uttered deliberately.
"Who else did you bewitch?" a high-pitched voice asked.
Thud… something lashed hard against her left arm. It stung… and felt like some sort of baton this time. It was so excruciating sore that what little remains of her body started to give up any moment.
"You're always so good at faking innocent!"… Whack
"Ugly, deceiving little bitch!" another girl screeched.
A numbing slap on the back of her shoulder…
"You good for nothing slut!"
Another whip on her back…
"What is it about you that men like so much?"
Another blow on the side of her back…
"You undeserving wretch of an idol actress!"
And the whole thing repeated all over again.
There were probably at least six of them, circling her, towering over her cowered form.
It hurt. It hurt like hell and she kept crying as they accused her of the things that she had never committed. It wasn't her fault that she was popular now. It wasn't her fault that Shotaro came crawling back, asking for forgiveness and her friendship. It wasn't her fault that Japan's number one actor confessed that he liked her. She loved him just like they do. She was possibly his most devoted fan, for goodness sake! And she certainly had never slept with anyone but the man she loved. Their hatred was cruel beyond reason.
"We better get going, girls," a voice rushed in the vicinity.
There was shuffling noises as they ceased their beating. Kyoko stopped moving.
"Keep that pretty head of yours and stay away from our idols, angel."
Some bitch decided to whack stilled form in the head with their hand for the last time before moving out.
Silence followed after their fading sneers and footsteps. Kyoko collapsed onto the concrete, clueless as to where she was. The ringing in her brain stopped when her hands released her head. She brought her arms down, trying to grab the hem of dark fabric cover. Tears streamed out her eyes and her face twisted in agony as she slowly lifted the thing over her head. Letting it dropped on the ground softly, Kyoko began to take in her surroundings.
It was still pitch black, minus the soft illuminating street light at the far end.
Panic rushed back into her limbs and she pushed herself on shaky legs, making a quick dash out of the dark alley. The rapid heartbeat and quick breathing was loud in her ears. She came to a stop, still gulping in fear. The street was near empty. So she stood near the stop light.
Kyoko contemplated her options as she fumbled for her phone in her satchel. She whimpered, a strangled sob came out involuntarily as she leaned against the wall of a closed restaurant at the corner. Her body is weak and tender all over. She could feel the chill creeping in her system. She lost control of her trembling hands and her phone dropped on the concrete. Ignoring the screeching pain grinding within her bones and muscles, Kyoko quickly crouched down to pick it up.
She stared the alighted home screen. A pained smile bloomed on her lips as she looked down at the still-functioning device. But it was gone quickly as soon as she tapped on her contact list. Kyoko was filming on locations all the way in Sapporo. She couldn't call Ren, the President or Moko-san… or anybody for that matter. Despair settled back in her already aching stomach. She looked up and around.
There was a car approaching.
The street was eerily quiet. Kyoko stepped out of the shadow, fixing her disheveled a little.
Praying…
Hoping…
She saw a bright angular sign on top of the moving vehicle and she let out a sob of relief.
The car halted in front, and the taxi driver looked at her suspiciously. Kyoko stepped in the backseat, thanking him profusely for stopping the car. The kind man told her not to worry and that, of course he would stop.
It was then that Kyoko looked down at herself. And she realized that, with her cardigan and her knee-length skirt, she seemed perfectly fine to the rest of the world. Her face must have looked really distraught but that was probably okay.
Her worry… her pain… her aching body… her prickling heart… her despair... It was all invisible.
"Hotel Nidom, please!" she spoke softly, before sinking into her leather seat.
She faintly registered the driver's "Okay, miss" before looking back at her phone screen, lost in thought. For once, her knight in shining armor didn't predictably happen to Ren, her boyfriend. It was a stranger instead. And this time, her white horse turned out to be something way inferior to Ren's silver sport car that she didn't even know the name of the contraption. Kyoko resorted to visually memorizing the silvery logo on the steering wheel instead.
It was rather funny that in all her life, she only ever knew of her bike, then Takarada-san's Limo, LME's Mercedes vans, and then Ren's Porsche. Kyoko mused.
It took a few minutes to take in her current situation before Kyoko began typing on her phone.
Yet, the message receiver wasn't Ren.
…..
"Shingai-san, can you please film Ama-chan's scene first and have mine pushed back to Tuesday? I'm kind of under the weather. Thanks."
…..
AN:
To commemorate my first Skip Beat fanfiction debut, please review! Haha…
And yes, anti-fans and fans, the living paradox that they are, can really hurt. They love you, support you, but don't expec them to always approve.