Disclaimer: Characters belonging to Skip Beat! are solely owned by Yoshiki Nakamura. Any similarity or likeness to any people, historically or currently, is purely coincidental.


They'd been in the middle of an on-location scene break when it happened. It hadn't been the usual monthly scheduled time for them, making everyone note that this time, it was real.

The earthquake warnings had gone off, and immediately people began to file out of the building as quickly as they could to the open pasture behind it.

Not that people weren't nervous, of course they were. However, this was Japan. Earthquake sirens went off regularly and the Japanese were the most prepared and trained for any such disaster. The first rule was to stay calm.

So stay calm they did. Mentally counting, it was 16 seconds before the ground began to shake.

It was gentle at first, and was expected to last only 10 seconds like most that occurred every other time there was an earthquake. Yet, it didn't calm down and stop after the common limit. In fact, the ground began to roll and shake harder, some windows began to crack and instantly the true panic of danger was felt.

It felt like a roller-coaster. The tracks had gaping potholes, and some nails were definitely missing. Only thing was, this roller-coaster had no seats, nor restraints. And there was no conductor to pull the emergency stop.

Some of the young women screamed and men shouted, just once though; shaking ground didn't give people time to get their heart out of their throats long enough to do it again. The people who had made it outside or were already outside either crouched with their arms around another, or tried to help usher the people near the exit out. Young adults made their way to support elders and protect children as the ground shook and the walls swayed.

Vaguely, as she helped an elder actress to an arched doorway, Kyoko noticed the camera crew abandon their professional equipment in favor of simply holding their cameras to record the damage and helping others evacuate the building.

Someone shouted, "Watch out!" as one of the windows gave way to the reverberating of the building. Kyoko watched in horror as a corner of the building crumbled down from its shell over four members of the backstage crew.

The older women she was supporting began to whimper as her body racked with suppressed sobs. Kyoko found herself trying, and failing, to calm her down as she contined to lead her out of the waving building; the ground they stood on swaying like a water bed. The woman's nephew took his aunt out of Kyoko's hands, and she was left to follow them the rest of the way out; grabbing onto the walls and standing in place when the shaking was too much.

Once outside, her ears were met with noise. Noise was everywhere. Children from the local elementary school shouted and cried for reassurance as they followed their teachers like ducklings, holding the hands of their friends in death grips as if to eliminate the possibility of losing them in the chaos. People shouted and screamed as the swaying ground they stood on cracked and shifted, causing them to fall to their knees. Sirens continued to blare as people tried to evacuate. Thumping booms and cracks surrounded them as pieces of building fell. The insects in the swaying trees seemed to be screaming; no longer giving off the reassuring sound of veeeep veeep veep veep veep. For minutes that seemed to have no end, the terror only worsened and continued. Then everything stopped; although tree branches continued to sway and thick-flowing mud continued to cover everything in it's path up to two feet. People staggered to their feet and began looking around to ascertain that it was over.

Suddenly, tsunami sirens began to sound. People instantly began herding children and elder civilians into vehicles to drive on the still intact roads up to higher ground. Others began calling and searching for those they could not find. A bicycle shop owner was calling for people to grab bikes, accepting money from those who had it, and simply shoving bicycles into the hands of those who didn't. Kyoko pulled a three-seater bike out of the packed sand left from the mudflow, giving whatever money she had in her purse to the shop owner. Riding over to the parking lot by the school building, which some of the actors and crew members had parked in, she spied him gathering a little group of the younger class children into his car.

"Tsuruga-san!" she called, pedaling over to him. Their eyes met and he jerked his head toward a group of older children who were being herded into an old, white Toyota van. There wasn't enough room for all of them. Filled with as many children as was possible, one of the students was left standing as their friends within the vehicle tried to make some more room, just one more space.

"Be safe," he said. His eyes were hard as he reigned in his myriad of emotions. Nodding to him, her eyes set in determination, she pedaled over to the student. The doors of the van were pulled shut, muffling the protests of the students within as they cried in worry for their friend. Noticing Kyoko, the the driver nodded in understanding and drove out of the lot, following other vehicles also containing students.

"Be careful!" He called.

"Hurry, get on!" Kyoko told the students. A tall young boy, who would have no problem reaching the pedals, and a younger female student had joined the other. One of the boys quickly climbed onto the bike while the other placed the little girl behind Kyoko before following the first boy's example. "Hold on tight and try to keep up with me!" Kyoko stated as she spun the bike out of the lot. Instantly the little girl's grip around her waist tightened as Kyoko pedaled at a speed rivaling the time she had fought to keep Japan's #1 actor's attendance record clean. Riding along the sidewalk Kyoko picked up four more passengers. A young mother with an infant in the carrier strapped to her chest sat in the middle space behind the first boy. Another little girl sat clutching the second boy's waist behind the third seat. Her baby brother sat nestled in the space between Kyoko and the front handle bars; a makeshift seat belt made from a ripped white towel tieing him to her waist. Kyoko had to constantly stop as aftershocks riddled the earth, causing screaming cicadas to screech only louder and people to run and stumble only faster. Loaded taxis halted and screeched as cracks further riddled the paved roads. After an undefinable time, they reached the nearest emergency evacuation facility. Immediately upon skidding to a halt, the two boys stumbled off their seats to fall to their knees from exhaustion as they tried to catch their breath after the rigorous speed Kyoko put them through.

Some students who had apparently been on watch for their fellow classmates spotted them and helped the boys and younger children and mother into the building. As she gently handed the toddler back to his bigger sister, Kyoko noticed how empty the large building seemed. People sat about in groups, comforting each other and worrying with each other. Some were crying in shock while others were still trying to register their shock. Her fellow cast members were scattered about, distracting worried individuals or being worried themselves. She spotted Yashiro and the director conversing with a policeman and ran over to them.

"Yashiro-san!"

"Kyoko-chan, thank goodness you're safe!" He hugged her, then held her at arm's length. "Ren's over there," he said, his latex-gloved hand pointing to a side entrance where she could see Ren crouched in front of two small children. The smaller of the children, a tiny girl who could not have been older than 3, was holding onto a large Golden retriever, her face hidden in the animal's neck fur. Her older brother was clutching a handful of her dirtied dress while talking to Kuon, as if terrified she'd disappear if he let go. As she got closer, Kyoko noticed the little boy was clutching a black kitten to his chest. Placing a hand onto Kuon's shoulder, she keeled down as well. Kuon's face lightened in relief when he noticed her, his hand lifted up to hold the back of her head. Then his eyebrows knit together again in sympathy as he introduced her to the children. The boy was Kosuke-kun, his little sister Yumemi-chan.

"And that's Yuushi and this is Shimi," Kosuke said in a brave voice, indicating their dog and then his black kitten. His face was scrunched in what seemed to be a mixture of defiance, fright, and shock; as if he couldn't decide whether to be angry they weren't introduced, or scared about what was going on.

"Hello to you as well," Kyoko said, lightly petting the kitten and then the retriever. Yumemi suddenly burst into tears. Kosuke stepped closer to his baby sister, as if to protect her from enemies. Tears filled his eyes and his voice shook.

"You have to go back!" he said to Kuon.

"What?" Kyoko asked, looking towards Kuon for an explanation. Before he could answer, Kosuke started again.

"You have to go back for Ojiichan and Kaachan! They're still at home! You have to go back and sa- "

"Did you and Yumemi-chan not just come from home Kosuke-kun?" Kyoko cut in, though not unkindly. Yumemi cried harder as she clutched onto Yuushi's neck. The dog whined and nuzzled her head. Letting go of her dress, Kosuke began patting his sister's head in a brotherly fashion and she quieted down. He looked at Kyoko.

"We were at the shop with Kaachan, and she made us ride here on Yuushi's back while she went home to get Jiichan... Y-you sound like our mom," he softly stated, though he didn't cry. Kuon admired the child, who looked barely older than 5, for being so brave. Kyoko instantly leaned in and pulled the two children and their dog into a hug, the kitten mewled as it was squished between her and the boy.

"Gomenasai," she softly gasped, a tear leaking from her eye.

"It's okay," the child mumbled, his voice further muffled by her shoulder. "It's not your fault..." Still he did not cry.

Kuon said, "You're very brave Kosuke-kun, I'm sure your mother will come soon with your gran-"

Suddenly screams and shouts erupted inside and outside the building as a plethora of people came running in.

"There's been a tsunami!" someone shouted, and instantly people began taking action to help whoever came in while others left in an attempt to search for and rescue those left behind.

"Don't leave the building!" Some officials shouted. "Please stay inside! The water levels are only rising and spreading!"

"Ren! Kyoko-chan!" Yashiro came running up to them. His entire body was agitated with panicked excitement.

Kuon stood. "Yashiro-san, why hasn't everyone evacuated by now?"

Yukihito's expression turned grim. "The earthquake cut off countless power lines and electricity was shot down. Many cities didn't even recieve the tsunami warnings that went off 30 minutes ago." Kyoko's eyes widened at the implication, though she only held the children and their pets tighter.

"You mean-" Kuon began, though he choked and looked at Kyoko, unable to finish what he was about to say.

Yashiro's brows knit further together as he nodded.

Kyoko's eyes began to water as she caught the implication.

A group of female students who were looking out the windows screamed. People running and staggering into the building didn't stop as they headed for the stairs, grabbing hold of and dragging random people along. Officials began shouting for everyone to head to the roof.

"It's coming this way," Kyoko whispered.

Grabbing Yumemi, Kuon placed her on Yuushi's back. Kyoko stood, holding Kosuke to her waist.

"Get the children up to the roof," Kuon said, his face set in hard determination.

"What abou-"

"I'll help the officials gather others who need assistance."

"...Be safe."

He nodded, and briefly squeezed her arm. "Hurry!"

"Yukihito-san! Ren-san!" A fellow actor from their cast shouted. He held a line of young students by the hand. Yashiro and Ren ran to him, and he indicated them to a group somewhere else among the throng of people.

"Oneesan?" Kyoko turned. Yumemi's soft, little voice sounded clear though she had been crying.

"Come on, let's go now." Kyoko kept a hand on the dog's head to make sure he didn't get left behind as she jogged with the crowd up the stairs to the roof. Cold horror and fear seeped through her, reaching the very tips of her fingers, toes, and hair. Somewhere at the top of the stairs, various men could be heard, their voices ragged and harsh from over use.

All of a sudden, it seemed as if someone had pushed the mute button on a TV remote control. People began crying louder, but their voices were nothing compared to the great roaring that arose and got steadily higher. Faintly, a car alarm could be heard over the dim every now and then.

Kyoko imagined she knew what exactly the men where yelling for and about. Most likely, it was the same things as the people somewhere farther down below her were now screaming and panicking about.

Then there was a boom. The entire building shook as people toppled over and slammed into the walls.

The kitten mewled. The dog gave a sharp cry. Someone must have stepped on his foot or tail.

A sharp searing pain went through Kyoko's head as she had turned her body to prevent losing hold of Kosuke.

He and his sister were trembling as they held death grips on their living forms of transportation. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she figured everyone must be shaking by now.

The sounds of cracked and breaking glass filled the air. She had to be more careful. The stairs were slippery now. Deftly, Kyoko let one arm free from her load and pulled an elder, who had fallen next to her, up. Yuushi, the golden retriever, was in front of her; the faithful dog limping up the stairs as his little owner blindly held on.

Upon reaching the top, her relief was instantly cut short. The feeling was not dissimilar to the speed with which Taisho chopped the heads of fish off. Falling to her knees away from the roof entrance, Kyoko realized she was witnessing a scene straight from a natural disaster horror movie (ironically, she remembered the movie Tsu-na-mi from last summer). And it was unbelievably real. Ten feet below the top of the roof, was nothing but dirty water. The ten-story building had become a concrete island. Shouts and cries for help could be heard from every direction. Toy cars and large debris rushed by in the torrent of abstract-colored mud. Somewhere, a student cried out as his friends pointed out his bobbing house. His exclamations were quickly lost as others entered the hell-scene. Far away, Kyoko could see angry flames from the nearby plant. Some feet off, nearer to the edge of the building, Kyoko saw a mop of gold. Staggering to her feet, she held onto Kosuke's hand; who had slipped off when she fell, and made her way to the dog. Yumemi had slid off and was merely holding a patch of her heavily panting dog's fur. Looking through the chain-fenced ridge of the building, she pointed off to what seemed to be nothing but a part of the sea.

"お祖父ちゃん と 母ちゃん ざり あそこ," Yumemi said.

"気にするな. お祖父ちゃん うる およぐ," her brother replied.

"あいつ であろう 救済 母ちゃん?" She asked.

"勿論."

Kyoko noticed she couldn't see anything anymore. Her tears were overflowing and her eyes were hot. Somewhere below her throat was a persistent, throbbing pain.


Dialogue translation.

. . . .

Ojiichan shoshite Kaachan zari asoko. - - - - Grandpa and Mama are over there.

Kinisuruna. Ojiichan uru oyogu. - - - - - - - - Don't worry. Grandpa can swim.

Aitsu dearou kyuusai Kaachan? - - - - - - - - He will rescue Mama?

Mochiron. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Of course/ certainly/ naturally.

. . .

Author requests reviews and critic for this story.

By now, if you haven't heard about Nippon (Japan) yet, then I'm certain you are living in a glacier and are a minuscule, frozen little phytoplankton. Please act and help families and those who have relatives in Japan, by going to redcross(.)org and donate.

Notes: Japanese people are strictly honest and never stray from their morals. Even in life-threatening natural disasters, they would never resort to stealing. If you have watched the videos on the internet, you'll witness that people are panicking, but no one is stealing goods or supplies from the stores and shops. My uncle phoned to tell us how he ran all the way home because all the bike stores were sold out. The owners of the intact good & supply stores who are having their shops used for the relief effort will be compensated whenever Japan is fully healed. Also, the movie I mentioned is real.