The Winner Takes It All

by Pichachu

When Tohru has to choose between Kyo and Yuki, the winner and she will live happily ever after. What happens to the loser? Who is the winner? Who is the loser? Angst. Yuki+Tohru or Kyo+Tohru, depending on which you want to see.

Update AN (2/7/03):  MISTAKES! MISTAKES! MISTAKES! MISTAKES!!!!  ACK!  I'm going back and fixing the mistakes that I managed to miss when I checked it over before I posted this.  Yuckies.  One of the major things I think I must of forgotten to mention was that this story was a ONE SHOT story.  I would continue it, but I have absolutely no idea how!  And apologies for the Sweet Nothing folks… we do intend to continue the story… lazy me hasn't gotten around to posting.  Hope you like this!

AN:  Hi everyone.  This is my first FB fic (at least one that I've written by myself!).  The song is called "The Winner takes it all" and it's written and sung by ABBA (yep old school for all you people).  The song is so sad, and I just saw this fic when I watched the FB series and the whole love triangle thing going on.  "Sweet Nothing"'s next chapter should be up soon.  I just need to finish typing up author notes and such and then we can all enjoy the angst.  But until then we have this fic!

Summary:  When Tohru has to choose between Kyo and Yuki, she and the winner will live happily ever after.  What will happen to the loser?  Angst.  But who does she stay with?  Who is left with their heart broken?  (I'm not even sure myself…)

Disclaimer:  Never owned FB, never will.  I wish I did… then I could have Hiro, Momiji, Kyo, Yuki, Haru, and Kyo all to myself!  Don't own the song either.  But I do own a copy of their CD it's on.  I don't think that counts.

Dedication:  I think I will dedicate this to my friend Umifirefly15, my partner in crime for "Sweet Nothing" (she does Yuki's POV), and also to Little Red Dragon (who has a fantastic story up called "No Reason".  Akito+Tohru, so it's really different, but it's sugoi!) and to my friend Prodigy, who is my partner in crime for our Weiss Kreuz story "Something in Between").  I love all of you!  Oh and this is also dedicated to those reviewers that give the comments that make me happy!

AN 2:  Okay, enough of that.  I'm always looking for constructive criticism (I want to become a better writer, so I'll keep what you say in mind when I edit the fic).  The usual, "this is so cute" and stuff are nice, but help me out by telling me things I could fix!  Thank you!  Now on with the story!

The Winner takes it all

By Pichachu

"I don't want to talk

About things we've gone through

Though it's hurting me

Now it's history

I've played all my cards

And that's what you have done too

Nothing more to say

No more ace to play."

            "You love him, don't you?" I asked her softly.  I pretty much knew the answer, but I did not want to hear it.  I knew how she felt.  It reflected in her eyes every time she looked at him, and it killed me inside.

            "I'm so sorry," Tohru told me, looking down at her feet.  A tear spilled from her eyes and made its way down her cheek.  "I've made my decision.  I hope you understand.  Please try to understand."

            I stood there, shocked.  How could she not have chosen me?! I thought.  As she said the words, I looked away from her.  An unsettling silence fell over us as one of us tried to decide what we should say.

            "I understand," I told her, not really meaning the words.  I looked at her, no… I looked through her.  How could I understand?  She had just chosen someone else over me… the concept was too hard for me to understand.  I was pretty sure that she didn't understand either.

            My eyes focused on her again.  She was still crying.  I wanted to comfort her, but instead I sighed and stalked away, hoping to leave the feeling of anguish and defeat behind.

"The winner takes it all

The loser standing small

Beside the victory

It's his destiny."

            I walked until I reached the edge of the Sohma land, deep in thought the entire time.  The land seemed to keep me in.  Like how my feelings had caught me in this situation.  I felt trapped and caged.

The emotions of the whole situation that I kept bottled up swept over me.  At first, I started to thrash around me with aimless anger, smashing all things smashable, crushing all things crushable.  When my energy ran out, I fell to the ground, reduced to just hoarse sobs.

            I felt so lost.  After all I did to fight for her… How could she not choose me?  I knew that I could give her everything that she could ever possibly need, what she could possibly want.  Surely he couldn't…

"I was in your arms

Thinking I belonged there

I figured it made sense

Building me a fence

Building me a home

Thinking I'd be strong there.

But I was a fool
Playing by the rules."

            I knew that I lost fair and square.  But I just couldn't admit that he had beaten me.  I never had before… No, he can't beat me!  I won't allow it!

But what could I do?  This wasn't like a fight or a game.

            No… this was different.  Way different.  Things that regard the heart couldn't be swayed in your favor through force or skill.  I wasn't used to this at all.  All I felt I could do was sit down and wallow in my defeat, wishing I could be whole again.

            Everything used to be perfect.  It seemed that I would win her after all.  Every single day, Tohru and I seemed to be getting closer and closer.  But then, in a blink of an eye, everything changed.

            I should have seen it coming.  I really should have.  But I stayed within my little fence, not paying to the small details that appeared before me.  I didn't notice how she would draw away from me slightly lately, and I didn't see how whenever he came into the room, she would smile brightly, just like she did for me before.

            And now she's with him… A tear ran slowly down my cheek.  My emotions were weakening me…  I knew this would be a problem later.

            Though I try, I know I'll never go…

"The gods may throw the dice

Their minds as cold as ice

And someone way down here

Loses someone dear

The winner takes it all

The loser has to fall

It's simple and it's plain

Why should I complain?"

            I stood up from my spot on the ground, and walked on.  I wondered aimlessly all over the Sohma lands, but I still could not escape the cage that it trapped me in.  My feet seemed to have a mind of their own, directing me to whatever direction they felt like taking me.

            They led me to the one person I did not want to see.

            To HIM.

            He was standing a little in the distance, gazing up toward the heavens, as if he were waiting for something.

            Or someone.

            My foot steps must have caught as his attention for when I approached him, his gaze shifted down and looked me right in the eye.  I prayed that my face did not show any sign of weakness to him.

            For a moment, our eyes were competing against each other in an odd glaring contest as I continued to make my way towards him.  He looked away from me, and his eyes shut.  A condescending smirk had appeared across his face.  He laughed a bit, the laugh sounding bitter, as he said to me, "Let me guess.   You're here to fight me over Tohru.  This time it will be winner take all."

            I paused.  Is that what I really wanted?  Fighting for such a vain cause?  No… it wasn't necessary; I was a better person than that.

            I smile, and a puzzled look crossed his face.  "That was my intention, at first," I said to him.  "But I know that fighting would not be the solution to this problem."

            His shocked look said it all.

"But tell me does he kiss

Like I used to kiss you

Does it feel the same

When he calls your name

Somewhere deep inside

You must know I miss you

But what can I say

Rules must be obeyed."

            I could see Tohru eavesdropping from the trees nearby.  I knew that she had seen everything that just happened.  She studied me.  I knew she was.  She had to be.  She wanted to hear my explanation as much as he did.

            I turned toward him again.  "What's the point of fighting?  You've won.  You're already the winner.  And you know that the winner takes it all.  To me, you see, we have nothing more to fight over."

            If it was possible, he looked even more shocked as he did before.  Tohru stiffened slightly from where she stood.

            "Please try to understand.  I've finally accepted that you won.  I even admit it.  Nothing can change what Tohru feels for you."

            "But—" he started.

            I shook my head, stopping what he was about to say.  "I'm sorry.  If it's a fight that you're looking for, I'm afraid I won't be able to give it to you."

            "Why—" again he started.

            I held up my hand, and he stopped.  "After seeing the way things are," I paused and looked straight where Tohru was hiding, looking her right  in the eye, "I have lost all will to fight."

"The judges will decide

The likes of me abide

Spectators of the show

Always staying low

The game is on again

A lover or a friend

A big thing or a small

The winner takes it all."

            Tohru came out of her hiding spot and slowly made her way toward us.

            The look that she gave me reflected deep sympathy, and something else.  Was it… regret?

            I knew nothing would change her mind, but still I could hope.

            Maybe she saw how much I missed her.  Maybe my hopelessness gained some pity from her.

            I must be pathetic to think that.

            The judges had decided.  I already lost.  A recount wouldn't change anything.

"I don't wanna talk

If it makes you feel sad

And I understand

You've come to shake my hand

I apologize

If it makes you feel bad

Seeing me so tense

No self confidence

But you see

The winner takes it all…"

            She looked at me.  "I'm sorry.  Maybe we could still be friends?"

            A consolation prize.  For some reason, the offer seemed to hurt me even more.

            I shook my head.  "No… at least not now."

            "But I—"

            I help up my hand to silence her.

            "I don't think that I can handle being just friends with you.  At least not right away, fresh off this defeat.  Let me mend my broken heart and then I will return."

            I moved forward away from them.  As the Sohma land faded farther away behind me, I knew that I finally had escaped the cage that had caught me.  I turned around briefly.  Tears were streaming from her eyes, and I felt bad to make her cry.  Then I saw that this time, he was the one who would comfort her. 

            I closed my eyes and turned around and went on my way.  Maybe by the end of my journey, I would find love too.  Though I know that I'm alone again, I shed not a tear.

            How beautiful is my loneliness, how great is my pain.

~~Owari~~

Ending AN:  Wow!  *tears rolling down cheeks*  That turned out so well!  I love angst, you know that?  That's what I do best!  Ooo… I love how it turned out!  I hope you people enjoyed it!  This marks my official entry in the FB fandom!  Hopefully, you'll be reading some more things, but for now, read Sweet Nothing (http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1190592).  The next chapter should be up either today or tomorrow! Still have ANs to write on those so yeah… The lines starting from "I closed my eyes..." until the end are the English translation of "Beautiful Alone" a Weiss Kreuz story that can be found on Animelyrics.com.  I thought it fit the story really well so I added it.  Bye!

Pichachu