AN: I know I have a ton of Skip Beat fics already but I wanted to write this and I thought of this all night. I hope that you guys like reading this as much as I loved writing it.

Sacrifices

Chapter One – The Gift

My husband is getting ready to do something dangerous and I have to stop him. I know that at a time like this it's hard to reason with him and I don't have a chicken suit to wear when I make an attempt to do so but I want to stop him. Recently there have been a string of threats towards LME made by an international gang. Somehow, Kuon seems convinced that that is related to him. I don't think so. Why would they try to strike at LME if their main target was him?

I hold our son in our arms, Haruto Kuu Hizuri, as I try to convince Kuon not to go. Kuon and I married when I was twenty, I got pregnant at twenty-two, and now I, Kyoko Hizuri, am twenty-four years old with an impressive acting career and history in modelling. I got more than I ever thought that I would get. I've been named the top Japanese actress numerous times and have won awards. Still, who would think that my wedding ring and our son would be most important to me.

Kuon has always been patient with me. He gave me time to adjust to being his girlfriend when I was eighteen and he waited until I was nineteen to propose to me. This was three years after our paths as Ren Tsuruga and Kyoko had crossed. It was two years after I had allowed myself to admit that I was passionately in love with him. Now it's been eight years and so how could he not be the most important part of my life.

I see the fear on his face as he looks at him phone and he walks over to me. I don't want to ask him what's going on, I just want to strap him down and convince him not to go. He doesn't have to be a hero this time. Let the authorities deal with that.

"Can I hold him?" he asks me as he steps in front of me and I look nervously down at Haruto. I kiss the top of his head with his ashy blond hair and gaze into our one-year-old's emerald eyes before handing him to his father. I see the tender way in which Kuon holds him and my heart stings in pain. This isn't fair. Kuon doesn't have to do this, he should stay home with us.

"Hey, little guy," he says gently as Haruto puts a hand to his cheek. "I'm so sorry that Daddy has to do this, I wish I could stay here forever. I'm sure that you'll be able to cope and Daddy will try to be back soon but if he isn't remember that he loves you, remember that he will always love you and be proud of you. He'll do his best to come home safely but if something happens," Kuon kisses Haruto on the forehead. "I love you. I love you, my little boy, my son," he says before giving him back to me.

I stare at Kuon with tears in my eyes.

"I really have to go," he tells me, "Ruto's been taken down. If I don't leave now then…."

"You're so cruel," I cry again. "I love you. Isn't that enough. I love you."

"I love you too and I will understand it if you need to remarry, I just want you to be happy," he tells me and I know he's going to enter the situation expecting to die. He's such an idiot. "I just…I owe Boss my life."

"You promised to give your life to me," I stubbornly say and cuddle Haruto closer. He looks at me with an apologetic expression. "I'll wish you luck but if you don't return then I'm going to…" I look at him, "I love you. I want to stop you from doing this. I love you," I beg him but he leaves as I hear the painful words.

"I love you too."

Don't go, just please, please don't go.

…

…

Most of LME has been compromised as I run in. I see a few dead bodies and feel that grip in my stomach but I have to keep running. Ruto has been taken down but there's still a chance. There is disaster everywhere, knocked over benches, small fires, ash, smoke, breakage but it looks like it's been evacuated. There must be hostages. Still, they are after me, if I make the sacrifice for them then this will be better.

I run up the stairs, ignoring the pain in my chest and get to the president's office. My eyes widen as I see Maria, she's breathing painfully as her body is on the floor. Even more reason as to why I should be here. I turn to see that the president's face is a mess but he's not dead. They've been having their fun.

I see Boss's eyes widen as I stand there and look at the man with the gun, the main guy with the gun.

"Kuon! Get the hell out of here!" Boss yells, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You gave me a chance at life!" I tell him as I manage to back up enough to untie Maria, my eyes still trained on the man in front of me. "It's me that they were drawn to, me that they want."

"Actually," the guy in front of me, a large and scary man who would be the textbook definition of a gang leader says. "You'd only be a consolation pri-" I take this moment to kick him, using my skills to take the gun out of his hand and then flip backwards as I avoid the shots from the other two men. I see Maria untying her grandfather at the side of my eye and throw myself at the wall, using it to bounce off of to send a kick to my enemies face. It immobilizes him for a second.

"Get out of here!" I yell at Maria and Boss as I sink down to avoid more fire and then jump up, feeling the ceiling against my chest. I strike down with another kick before using my fists. I see them leave though I also see the way Maria has to force her grandfather out. I'm happy that it's just the four of us in here. Hopefully there will be no more casualties today. Hopefully I can just go to the hospital where Kyoko will scold me but I'll recover and we'll be together again.

As I leave the two sidekicks unconscious, I pause and hear a strange ticking. There's a bomb in the room and as I realize this, things are becoming even more like a cartoon or a comic book.

"You're not leaving this room alive!" the guy yells at me and I look around. Suddenly I her another ticking. This office has been filled with explosives, hasn't it? I close my eyes. I could knock him out, move the bodies, make sure that only the office had damage done to it. That's the best way. Nobody would have to die today…as long as I move quickly enough. Concentrate, Kuon.

I turn my focus to the man in front of me. I have to get him unconscious. Using a few martial arts moves, I manage to get him on the ground, he's breathing in pain and then it hits me. There's more ticking and it's fast now and then….as I draw another breath I hear a loud bang and am forced onto the ground. I can't stand. I can't breathe. I can't make sense of what's going on.

Another boom and everything is goi-

…..

…

I feel the pain in my chest as I look at the damage that has been done, there's barely enough to identify of him but I know that it's him. I'm glad that Yashiro has Haruto because half of his face is gone, his skeleton can be seen and his body isn't together, there's not enough body parts here to be a person. I feel the pain in my chest as I know that parts of him were splattered against the walls and windows in that office.

He's gone. The love of my life is gone.

I hold tightly to Corn as I want to throw up, I want to leave sanity behind and fall completely into madness. He should have stayed. I should have forced him to stay, found rope, found the magic words but he's gone and I see the president's alive. I hate this. I won't even be able to face him. If Kuon hadn't felt such gratitude towards him, such personal debt, he would be alive and the president would be dead.

I bow my head as I nod, this is Kuon or what remains of him.

"You idiot," I whisper as I feel myself get completely hollow, "You should have stayed. You should have ignored them, stayed with me," I drop to my knees and hold Corn to my heart before I see something that I thought only happened in fairy tales. There is a strange light and something slips out of the mangled carcass and into Corn itself. Corn is getting warmer, starting to beat like a pulse. Did Kuon - I look at the stone confused and hold it in my hands. Did Kuon just enter Corn? Is Kuon inside of Corn?

"Sweetheart," I whisper as I kiss the stone and feel even more of his presence. I don't understand.

I look up and see what I've always imagined a fairy to look like. They have flowing hair, a white dress, flawless skin. This doesn't make sense but then none of this makes sense.

"You're Kyoko right?" she asks and I nod. Usually I would be thrilled to see this happen, I've wanted this to happen since I was a little girl. However, what I'm more concerned about is the dark green circle that is pulsating inside of Corn. Is that Kuon? Did his spirit enter our stone? "The fairyland owes you a great debt for keeping our kind alive. Without your unwavering belie-"

"What does it matter?" I ask her and I feel bad for my words but I've just lost my husband. I hold Corn to my heart. He's in there, right? Kuon's spirit is in the stone, right? "I'm here, sweetheart," I tell the stone again as I bring it to my lips.

With a wave of her hand, the fairy removes Corn from my hand and I feel my breath being stolen from me. They can't do that. Please don't do that. Even if he is nothing more than a pulsation inside of a small stone, that's all I have left of him. I want him. I want any part of him that I can -

"Give him back," I say as I get to my feet, I feel so shaky but seeing what happened to Kuon's body would do that to anyone. "Give him to me. Take whatever you want from me just don't take him." The fairy ignores me and I run forward. I know that she probably has fairy magic or some kind of power but it's Kuon who is within Corn. He's there. He might not be able to talk to me but his soul is in there, I can take care of him. I have to be able to take care of him.

"We want to give you a gift," the fairy says, "In gratitude to your service to the fairy court."

I stare at them before holding my hand out. I don't want a gift, I just want him. Even if it's only a light within Corn, even if I can't interact with him, I want him. "Give him to me," I tell her and she sighs before waving her hand. I see her create a black body bag which she zips up and Kuon's body disappears…or what was left of it.

"You'll want your gift," she tells me and I don't know how else to say that I don't want a gift, I just want Corn in my hands right now. I need to take care of his spirit. I need him. Why can't they understand that.

The fairy waves her hand again and seems to materialize a body, a young man in his early twenties. Why is he here? His BMI is a little higher than average but he's still attractive or would be. The fairy continues to wave her hand. He's about two inches shorter than Kuon. His hair is edging between a dark blond and light brown. He would be considered as gorgeous as a model despite the fact that he'd be considered plus size but why is he here?

The fairy places Corn over his heart and I see the green light start to fade within Corn but the man's body seems to become less pale although he would be considered a man with the complexion on the paler side. I want to stop this. I want to grab Corn and make sure that Kuon is safe but soon Corn returns to its normal blue color.

I feel the tears in my eyes. Please don't tell me he's gone. He has to come back. I can't lose him.

The man on the hospital's gurney opens his eyes and it scares me how they are the same emerald as Kuon's. He looks at me and I recognize the way he does so. This is the same way that Kuon has looked at me when he's been delirious with a cold. I pick up Corn, it doesn't feel warm this time and the man stares at me.

"Kyoko?" he asks in a voice that I don't recognize in sound but I recognize the inflection. He stares at me again and I look at him with wide eyes. What is happening here? "Kyoko, where am I? What…happen-" he puts a hand to his forehead, "The bomb. I didn't dea—"

"Sweetheart?" I whisper as I look at him. This man looks nothing like Kuon other than those emerald eyes. "Kuon?" I ask before he nods, staring at me again. Tears are washing down my cheeks and he looks at me, he doesn't seem to know what's going on. I don't really know what's going on but this man, this man has Kuon's spirit inside of him. This plus-sized Adonis is Kuon.

"Is everything okay?" he asks and I nod, moving even closer to him.

"It's okay, sweetheart," I tell him not sure how to explain this to him but this gift, this gift is more than I could have ever asked for. I lean down and kiss his lips, he tastes the same, the kiss is the same, his perfect passion-filled kiss. I let my hand cup his cheek as my fingers go through his hair. "It's okay, sweetheart," I repeat, "Everything is going to be okay."