Disclaimer: Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki


Fragments of You and I

Sho is not good in dealing with ghosts, especially the one that lurks inside his wife's head. Even after all those years, he dare not ask the one question that could either make or break him. "Do you love me, Kyoko?"


.o.0.o.:. Prologue .:.o.0.o.

The gravel crunches underneath the wheels as he maneuvers the motorcycle to a full stop. He pulls the keys out of the ignition and pockets them in his leather jacket as he dismounts. He impatiently takes off the stifling helmet, holding it in a loose grip as he trudges through the wrought iron gate, following the paved path that leads him to his destination.

The wind picks up, blowing his bottle-blonde fringe across his eyes as he stops and stares down at the one person whom he thought he could never get the better of despite his best efforts.

"I hate you."

It surprises him how smoothly the words seem to roll of his own tongue despite the amount of rancor in that single statement.

"I wanted to hate her too, for choosing you, over me. But that would make me a fuckin' hypocrite, wouldn't it? Considering that I was the one who threw her away in the first place."

He looks up to see dark clouds gathering above the horizon, shrouding the sun and layering the sky in shades of gray. The oncoming tempest reminds him of her anger, wild and consuming. The wry smirk that twists his lips is a compulsion he gives into all too easily. "Love. Hate. They were just sides of the same coin. Didn't matter which side lands face-up, I was still the center of her world. I knew her best, I could win her back anytime I wanted... or so I thought."

He takes a deep breath, bracing himself against the wave of jealousy that comes with remembrance. "I knew you were in love with her, that much was obvious. Stupid girl, couldn't even see what was staring at her right in the face. It was only later on when I realized that my own foolish reasons for inciting her anger were not as clear-cut as I thought them to be."

He laughs. The sound grates against his ears, dead and hollow, like the rattling of old bones. His fake laughter dissipates and stutters into a despondent sigh. He is suddenly very, very tired. Tired of the lies he tells others, but mostly, he is weary of the lies he feeds himself. He decides to try a bit of honesty for a change.

"My greatest fear, was that she'd wake up one day and decide to love you back."

Lightning flashes like fractures of electricity across the blanket of darkness, throwing his profile in harsh relief. A sharp thunder clap shatters the silence a few seconds later, almost drowning out his resentful and guilt-ridden confession.

"... And you'd both live happily ever after."

He squints, glaring at the name engraved on the stone which he now knows to be a fake. But those left behind need something tangible, something to remember that damn bastard. And a grave was a very tangible reminder that one was very much dead.

"She was supposed to be happy..." he whispers, blinking back the prickling sensation behind his eyes. "YOU were supposed to make her happy, BECAUSE I NEVER COULD!" He throws the helmet to the ground in a sudden burst of anger, flinging his arms and yells accusingly at the silent grave, "So, why the FUCK did you have to DIE on her?"

The thought is as sobering as the sudden downpour brought on by a summer rainstorm, plastering his bleached blonde hair against his skull, drenching him to the bone. But it did nothing for the acid burning a hole in his chest.

Tsuruga is dead. And Sho is left to pick up the broken pieces of Kyoko's shattered heart.

.o.0.o.O.o.0.o.


A/N: I apologize for nothing. *DEATH BY [insert preferred mode of torture here]*