Author: I was listening to the Love Drunk album when I got the inspiration to write this. I was reading the few latest chapters of the Skip Beat! manga when the song came on. Personally, I love the pairing Ren and Kyoko, but Sho and Kyoko is an okay pairing for me, too. The song made me wonder of a different realm of possibility for Sho and Kyoko's relationship. So yeah.
Disclaimer: The song used here is Go by Boys Like Girls. Skip Beat! is not mine, and never will be.
Little change of the heart; little light in the dark,
Little hope that you just might find your way out of here.
'Cause you've been hiding for days, wasted and wasting away,
. . . - . . .
An eight-year-old Sho, long before before his blond days, stood dumbfounded as he watched an eight-year-old Kyoko sobbing her little heart out.
"I didn't get a hundred for the test! Mommy will hate me! She'll be very angry with me! She won't love me!" She collapsed onto her knees and continued crying hard, gripping the culprit of her tears tightly, as if maybe if she shook it hard enough, the red ninety-seven would magically change into a hundred.
'Why does that woman make her suffer so much?' Sho wondered sadly, still rooted to the spot.
. . . - . . .
But I got a little hope today you'll face your fears.
Yeah I know it's not easy, I know it's hard,
Follow the lights to this city.
. . . - . . .
"Maybe… I should ask her to go with me…?" Head bent down with flaxen bangs falling over his eyes, Sho looked at the single train ticket to Tokyo in his hand, before shoving it into his pocket. "Nah."
Taking a few steps away from the ticket kiosk, he suddenly stopped and turned around. Taking out the ticket from his pocket, he sighed and advanced towards the kiosk while waving his ticket. "Excuse me; can I buy another single-trip ticket to Tokyo?"
. . . - . . .
Get up and go
Take a chance and be strong,
Or you could spend your whole life holding on.
Don't look back just go.
Take a breath move along,
Or you could spend your whole life holding on,
You could spend your whole life holding on.
. . . - . . .
A teenaged Kyoko pushed the door of the apartment open, plastic bags in tow. Blowing away bits of ebony hair that fell over her face as she bent down, she haggardly pulled off her red sneakers, careful to place them neatly on the shoe rack before stepping into the living area. "Sho-chan! You're still awake?"
The now-blonde boy was on the floor, writhing in mirth, as a comedy played out on the television screen. Kyoko had to smile at her childhood love's innocence; it was endearing.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. Both hands were firmly pointing to the roman numeral of twelve. She turned her gaze onto the laughing form of the aspiring musician. "Have you eaten?"
Sho stopped his continuous cacophony of laughter, smiling innocently at his childhood friend. "Nah. How could I eat without you?" he made a move to get up onto his feet to help Kyoko with the bags in her hands, "After all, you're the one who's been helping me since we left Kyoto."
"Aww, Sho-chan! You shouldn't have! Don't you have to wake up early tomorrow to meet your prospective manager?" Kyoko giggled girlishly, a touch of red painting her cheeks, as she pulled out a carton of milk from one of the plastic bags and stored it inside the refrigerator.
"Yes, yes I do. But you're so much more important to me…"
A small smile touched Sho's lips as he watched the girl chatter away about her day. She was beautiful; so kind, caring and firm. Even at the age of fifteen where most boys tended to overlook things like that, Sho couldn't help but notice it all.
"An angel..."
. . . - . . .
Believe the tunnel can end; believe your body can mend,
Yeah I know you could make it through cause I believe in you.
So let's go put up a fight, let's go make everything alright,
Go on and take a shot go give it all you got.
Oh yeah I know it's not easy, I know that it's hard,
Know that it's not always pretty.
. . . - . . .
"Hey, Sho-chan!"
Kyoko's cheerful voice resonated through the wires and into the earpiece of Sho's cell phone. "Ky-Kyoko?"
The musician was currently taking a break from recording his debut single. He had been contentedly drinking water from a ridiculously large bottle to soothe his tired vocal cords when his cell phone rang. "Is something wrong? Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"Umm…yeah. I am, actually," The sound of Kyoko's flustered voice made a small smile appear on Sho's usually sullen expression. He was attractive when he was brooding, but it could never hold a candle to what a genuine smile of fondness did to his features. "But I wanted to tell you that I'm going to be the first to buy your album when it comes out! I promise!"
Sho chuckled at his friend's enthusiasm as he looked at a poster of himself tacked onto the wall. His full-bodied portrait was flashy; although he could not deny that he rather liked the way he looked, he hoped that people would buy his albums because of the music and not his face. The blonde knew that Kyoko would definitely buy it because she supported his dream. "Y-you know, you don't really have to be the first you know…"
"But it's the fruit of Sho-chan's labour and hard work! I must definitely buy the first copy that goes on sale!" Kyoko insisted. There was a short pause before she screamed comically. "Oh no!"
Sho's instinctive reaction was to immediately get on his feet, fearing that something had happened to the girl. "What's the matter?"
"My break was supposed to be over five minutes ago! I'm late!" she wailed into the phone, "I gotta go! See you tonight, Sho-chan!"
A woman came in through the open door. She was gorgeous; her wavy locks of honey-brown hair, the slight figure with curves that a supermodel would have... a classic, modern-day beauty. "Sho?"
Sho was pocketing his over-decorated cell phone when he heard his name being called. Brown eyes looked up. "Shoko."
"Who were you talking to?"
"A friend…"
His manager regarded her client with questioning eyes before something clicked in her sharp mind. "Ah! You mean the one who does all your housework and such?"
A stab of painful realization hit Sho at the sound of his manager's airy words.
The one who did all his housework.
"That's right…I'm no good. I've made Kyoko into a personal servant…" he clenched his fists into a bloodless white, gritting his teeth, "I'm not better than that mother of hers…"
"Sho?"
Sho was visibly startled, before adopting his usual sulky look and standing up. "Nothing…"
"I brought her with me because I want her by my side… She's the reason I was able to come this far... But what I've done is just to make her into some servant of mine…"
. . . - . . .
Get up and go
Take a chance and be strong,
Or you could spend your whole life holding on.
Don't look back just go.
Take a breath move along,
Or you could spend your whole life holding on,
You could spend your whole life holding on.
Don't wanna wake up to the telephone ring,
Are you sitting down I need to tell you something,
Enough is enough you can stop waiting to breathe,
And don't wait up for me.
. . . - . . .
Kyoko jumped up instantly when the phone on the stand rang. She had been dozing off at the kitchen table, sometimes forcing herself wide awake and attempting to occupy herself with a magazine, distracting herself from her sleepiness. She loped across the room, towards the stand and picked up the receiver. "Sho-chan!"
"Kyoko," Sho's somewhat gruff and annoyed voice spoke through the receiver. Was he angry about something? Kyoko remained oblivious through her shining opinion of her fairy tale knight, "Don't wait up for me. I won't be coming home today."
"But Sho-ch-!" The line went dead before the teen could fully complete her sentence.
She stared at the receiver in her hand with a pained expression on her face. She refused to cry, though she was close to doing so. "You never come home anymore…"
-x-
Sho sighed in frustration as he kicked off his loafers and flopped onto a sofa in Shoko's apartment. Said person appeared in the doorway, boxes of take-out food in her hands. "Is it really okay for you to just leave her alone in your apartment?" she asked, though there was no trace of worry in her voice.
Sho faked another look of extreme agitation. "Whatever. I don't really give a damn," He muttered, before burying his face into a pillow like a child.
"Tomorrow, I'll go back and get some clothes…" he thought, as he stared at his current attire. He'd only brought two changes - it wouldn't be enough if he wanted to change into clean clothes. "Maybe she won't be home then…"
He had to sever his ties with her. The girl was becoming too attached to him, he had just realized. All Kyoko did ever since they left Kyoto together was all for Sho's sake. Every penny she earned went to him. Only a meager amount she would keep for herself for food and living expenses.
The only thing that mattered to the girl was Sho's happiness and future. She was being recklessly selfless, and Sho felt guilty.
"I have ruined her life…"
. . . - . . .
Get up and go,
Take a chance and be strong,
Or you could spend your whole life holding on.
Don't look back, just go,
Take a breath move along,
Or you could spend your whole life holding on.
. . . - . . .
Sho dialed the number of his shared apartment. Kyoko picked up after the third ring, and Sho put on a harsh tone. "About time you picked up!" he barked.
"Sho-chan!" Kyoko said happily, "I'm so glad you called!"
Sho's cheeks reddened when he heard her voice, but the tone to his voice remained. "Whatever. I just called to ask you to bring something for me to eat at around five. Don't be late. You know where I will be. See ya."
Kyoko once again stared at the phone sadly. After leaving the apartment angrily the night before due to unfortunate circumstances, Kyoko hadn't gotten the chance to apologize to her prince properly yet.
"Stupid Tsuruga Ren…" Kyoko thought angrily, her gaze running over the clock. She froze and stared at the time. "I'm late again!"
Sho had carefully fabricated a plan from the night before. Upon storming out of the apartment due to seeing his most hated arch-rival, he realized that Kyoko would be hysterically crying right now and would try to apologize to him.
He had decided to not answer any of her calls, listen to her voicemail after work, complain to Shoko about Kyoko and Kyoko would hear everything then, because she would be making the delivery he had asked her to make. Doing so would ultimately sever all ties that the two had with each other.
"It's up to God whether or not she'll forgive me for being such a bastard…" Sho thought glumly, "It's for the best… she needs her own life… It shouldn't revolve around me..."
. . . - . . .
Get up and go, take a chance and be strong,
Or you could spend your whole life holding on,
Don't look back just go.
Take a breath move along,
Or you could spend your whole life holding on,
You could spend your whole life holding on.
. . . - . . .
Sho sighed noisily, snapping his cell shut and started toying around with the straps. Shoko looked at him, cigarette in hand. "What's the matter, Sho?"
"It's her again..." he muttered, "She's so annoying! Always bombarding me with annoying voice-mail messages!"
"It's not annoying, really…"
"'You're the number one.'. As if it because it came from her, it's something to be proud of!"
"I'm always happy when you say that… I'll always be happy to hear it..."
Shoko raised her brows. "Well…you can surely talk a lot. 'Till now, that girl's been working hard to make a living just for you…" she said, releasing a cloud of smoke from her mouth, "Aren't you being a little too harsh?"
"Not a little too harsh…extremely ungrateful and stupid, more like…"
Sho snorted and patted his chest, pouting. "Heyy! We're talkin' 'bout me now!" he said in a snarky tone, "You don't expect the Great Japanese Prince of Ryoukans to cook and clean, do you?"
He continued without hesitation. He had already started what he had meant to, and he was going to finish it, no matter how much he hated the words tumbling out of his mouth. "Do you think that I, helpless like a baby, would be able to live alone here in Tokyo?"
He clamped his tongue in between in teeth, assessing Shoko who had been quietly listening. "So it seems…you brought her only for taking care of you, doing your household services and such, right?"
"No… I brought her because I love her and wanted her by my side…"
"It's not 'what it seems'…" Sho said, taking a sip from the can in his hand, "Ever since we were kids she's always been like that… always helping out at my parents' inn and never saying anything about what I'd say to her…"
"That's why I fell in love with her… she's so kind to everyone…"
"If she weren't like that, I'd never asked her to come with me, since I hate any kind of work 'cept for being a musician."
Shoko stubbed out the nearly-finished cigarette in her hand and deposited the butt into an ashtray in front of her, leaning forward. "Since you can survive with your current earnings right now, why don't you send her back? She isn't even attending high school, is she?" she asked, "And you're being sent to school by the company…"
Sho rested his chin on his hand, smirking. "I will send her back, I will. I'll send her back home to Kyoto."
He stood up, making what seemed like a tantalizing expression on his face. If he didn't love being a musician so much, he would've been a damn good actor, with he way he was forcing himself to behave right now. He advanced towards his manager and rested lightly on her lap, his arms around her. "As long as you, Shoko-san, take her place in taking care of me."
The apathetic look on the older woman's face remained. "Yeah, well… I do that already. You come to my place and stay over and hardly go back. That's called looking after, isn't it?"
Sho smirked devilishly, running a hand through his fair hair rakishly. "You're definitely my type, Shoko-san."
"Definitely, but Kyoko is the only one for me…"
"Otherwise, if it were up to my parents, they'd ignored what I'd wanted and tried to marry me with Kyoko and take over the inn…" Sho said with a bored sigh, "In other words, that boring, unattractive, make-up-less girl."
"No, she's not… she's an angel on earth…"
Sho noticed something being flung from the corner of his eye and instinctively hugged the woman in front of him. He stared at the mess on the floor, and looked up, his heart thumping. "Kyoko..."
Shoko gasped, horrified by the vicious mess of fast food on the floor. "That childhood friend!"
Sho's heart stung with pain as Kyoko's expression seemed downcast. Her bangs hung over her eyes, shielding her tears. "Even though I was plain and boring, and you hated it…" she said softly, "You were the one who brought me to Tokyo… just because it was convenient. I see…"
She staggered and balanced herself against the wall. "Hn…" she covered her face.
Sho looked away, afraid that he would break down. "Geez, don't cry!" he complained, "It's annoying!"
"Please… don't cry…"
As the weird sounds that Kyoko had been emitting gradually increased into a frenzied and somewhat hysterical laughter, Sho watched her with confusion.
Kyoko let out a loud scream of frustration, radiating an aura of rage fiercely at Sho. "You were my everything…" she said, a boiling dark rage surrounding her, stabbing multiple arrows of hurt into Sho's already heavily-wounded heart. "You played around with my life like that! You are the lowest!"
Sho watched her, a haughty expression masking his pain. Kyoko pointed at Sho. "I'm going to get revenge!"
"Huh?" Sho blinked, before recovering his expression from before. "You? On me? How?"
A couple of security guards crept up behind his beloved Kyoko and one of them grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder like a potato sack.
"She shouldn't be treated like this…"
"As it is…" Sho continued, smiling smugly, "You can't even lay a finger on me!"
"Throw her out please, " Shoko flicked her hand in Kyoko's direction, rolling her eyes.
Kyoko resisted like a little girl, kicking her legs and punching the guards back with no avail. "No! Let me go! Put me down!" Her screams hurt Sho, more than that the girl would ever know.
"No chance," Sho said, grinning maliciously, "Because from here, I'll keep rising and rising into stardom and into a place where ordinary, worthless people like you can't reach. Of course, I have absolutely no intentions of returning to that apartment where you'll be waiting…"
"I'm sorry…"
"If you want to get revenge on me, you'll have to break into the entertainment world," he continued, ignoring the hurt that he was causing for the both of them. "Of course it'll be impossible for you."
"It's for the best…really…."
Don't spend your whole life holding on.
Author: Yep, this is one hell of a weird fic. I couldn't help it, really. A heart-broken and selfless Sho is pretty… never mind. Anyways, hope you liked it!
Luv,
Pichuzilla.