Authors Note: Just to let everyone know, this story takes place before Sho and Kyoko go to Tokyo.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter one

There is very little that a person actually needs to survive. Food, water, warmth, and Sho. Or at least that's what was on one girl's list, and most likely not in that particular order. She could make it through the hateful stares of every girl she knew, she could make it through the bullying, the loneliness, the rejection, if she could only have Sho. If she had him, she could survive. She could live.

-

Carefully the young girl chopped the onions; her eyes had long since become immune to them, having cooked in the kitchen almost as long as she had walked. She was a skilled cook, and could have entered a profession dealing with it if she truly wished. But she didn't realize her talent, and would merely tell people that you're bound to pick a thing or two up when you live at an Inn.

Dutifully she dumped the onions, along with various other vegetables she'd diced, into a large pan, stirring them silently. Quickly she glanced up at a clock that hung on the mosaic tiled wall of the kitchen. She let a small sigh escape her lips, but quickly stopped, sucking the air back in, a look of disapproval crossing her face.*

A small bell rang, signaling that someone had entered the house, followed by an unforgettable voice. Immediately the girl's head shot up, and without a moment's delay she ran over to the entrance, forgetting the pan that was still left on the hot stove.

"Sho," she breathed, a contented smile falling onto her face as she saw the boy, running a hand through his wet, chocolate colored hair, standing at the front door.

He tore off his soaked sweatshirt, drops of water splattering onto the wooden floor. "Damn rain," he said, shaking his hair, looking almost like a wet dog.

The girl laughed quietly to herself, but she came quickly over to his side, arms held outward, "I can take that for you," she offered eagerly.

"Ah," Sho hesitated for a moment before dropping it into her open hands, "yeah," he finished, following her as she headed off, a small jump to her step, down to the laundry room. It was a little room, tucked away in the far side of the house, hard to find if one didn't know exactly where to look. Although Sho didn't think that had ever been a problem for her, since she was as big a part of the household as he was, if not bigger.

"Oi, Kyoko," Sho said, walking close behind her, down a long and thin hallway. She turned around instantaneously, pleasure surging through her as he called her name. "Are Mom and Dad here?" Kyoko's short spree of glee sunk as she saw the look of discomfort on his face. And the reason for it was obvious.

Lately, more than ever before, the three had been fighting. He yelled, they yelled, and it always ended the same, with both ends of the party angry and one or the other storming out of the room. Kyoko would always stand by helplessly, unsure what to do. But really that was all she could do, because after all, it wasn't her place to interfere.

"No," she said, shaking her head slightly as she again started walking down the narrow hallway, "They're out right now. They told me to take care of the customers."

Sho was quiet for the rest of the walk down to the laundry room. It wasn't quite an awkward silence, but almost, both knowing why silence had fallen on them. As Kyoko put the wet coat into the washing machine, along with a large pile of other clothes that sat in a basket on the side of the room, she began to speak slowly, in a soft and unsure voice.

"You know, Sho-chan, you can do it. You can make it," she didn't turn to face him as she said it, because she knew if she did, he would be able to see her flushed face.

This wasn't a subject she felt she had much of a right to talk about. Sho's parents had been so kind to her, giving her a place to live, taking her in when she had nowhere else to go. And by saying something like this, she felt as if she was urging Sho to attempt the stardom he wanted. If she did that, she was going against his parents, against the people she loved and cherished. Betraying them.

"I know I can," He replied, his answer filled with confidence. He really was an amazing singer and musician, and Kyoko had little doubt that if he moved to Tokyo, he would make it big. With his looks and voice, anyone who passed him up would be one step away from crazy.

There was a long pause before he continued, his face changing from one of self-righteousness to one of an innocent and pained young boy. "But that's not really the problem."

I've been dying to write a Sho x Kyoko story for a while now. I finally got around to it, and I have to say, I'm really excited to continue. I only have this chapter written right now, but I was too excited to wait to post it. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I love Sho, so being able to write a story with him as I had imagined him before he and Kyoko moved to Tokyo is amazing. Also, Kyoko loves him here, so all the more fun. I'd love any reviews you have to give me, I encourage critism, because I really want to improve my writing and I can't do that until I know what I am doing wrong.

Also, maybe you saw the little star thing in my story?

* - Cookies for anyone who knows what I was talking about in the sentence where it was.