Angstville

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Second Avenue

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There he goes again. Does he really think he wouldn't be noticed by anybody? The more he hides it, the more he appears so obvious. Then again, nobody's paid attention to him the way I have.

Five… four… three… Ah, this time it didn't even take him five seconds to sneak another glimpse of her. This is really getting annoying now. It wasn't even as much as the frequency of his stolen glances, but the way he looks when he does it. He probably doesn't realize it himself, but his eyes broadcasted every single emotional nuance he was going through in that short span of time. The turmoil. The longing. The confusion. The denial. Regret.

He sees her differently in comparison to me. To him, she is a woman. Granted, he didn't see her that way until a few hours ago, but once he realized that she wasn't the same girl he knew way back God-knows-when, he was a changed man. He could spout denials all he wants, but I could definitely see them for what they were. Lies.

There was no turning back now. I suppose he would be hard-pressed to shake that image of hers out of his mind for days. Weeks even. She had looked beautiful when she stepped out. Totally different from how she looked usually. I could tell myself that it was because of the make-up, but then I'd be doing what Sho has been doing the whole day now. The pot can't hate on the kettle for being black.

To him, she is a woman. But he sees me as a child. Treats me like one too.

You're cute. But you're not beautiful.

You look just like my type. But somehow I can't take my eyes off somebody else.

She's just a stranger to me. A stranger I had known a lifetime ago.

I could almost hear what he's thinking. Could clearly see the cogs working overtime in that head of his as he looked at me, and then at her.

Little doggy. I used to think I was special whenever he called me this. It was his cute little endearment for me. But the way he whispers her name… Kyoko. Reverently. Almost like a prayer. What I'd give for him to say my name like that.

I hate how her every action commands his attention. I was the one he was supposed to be acting in-love with. It makes me so… mad. Mad enough to try to get her kicked-off the video. Lot of good that did. The only thing I managed to do was delay the shoot, and hear more about their relationship from Sho, which irritated me even more. Like adding fuel to the already raging fire.

But what bothers me the most is that I couldn't hate her. I wouldn't go as far as being all friendly with her, but try as I might, I couldn't convince myself that she wasn't the angel she appeared to be. I knew she was just acting. We both were. But there was something behind those eyes when she looked at me, and not just when the cameras were rolling. A hint of sadness? Pity?

I should be offended but I'm not. I suppose it's true. I should be pitied, but I don't know why she gives me that look every time I'm with Sho. She certainly doesn't know how Sho feels for her. Even Sho doesn't know his own feelings. I really don't understand.

I don't understand her. I don't understand him. Most of all, I don't understand that bond they have. She says it was nothing special. They just grew up together. But why does he say the things he says? That he "knew her perfectly well". That he didn't know that "it was wrong to be so close to the girl who understood him the most".

Sho acts like he owns her. She acts like his long-suffering lover. They argue like an old married couple. How infuriating. How… enviable.

They're shooting the final scene now. She's crying, and it visibly upsets him. Kyoko's acting. Sho is not. I stand up to take a better look, and as I do so, he falls from the tower. It hadn't even taken him a minute to hit the safety mats below, but it had felt like an eternity to me. Like that particular scene alone was captured in excruciatingly slow motion. Not once did he blink as he fell. And not once did he take his eyes off her.

I hear the director frustratingly call for a reshoot of the scene. I hear somebody ask why. It had looked fine. Better than that even. But I knew what went wrong even before she answered. It was because the devil had looked at the murderous angel as if he was in love with her.

I say goodbye to Sho at the end of the day. He sighs. He had been expecting somebody else.

Little doggy. The endearment feels like a burden now. A constant reminder of what I really am to him. A mutt that he pays attention to because it demands his attention. Someone he showers with the affection that he couldn't give to a particular girl.

I ask for proof that what I'm thinking is wrong. I demand a kiss, which he unthinkingly agrees to give. I change my mind and I throw a fit, and it frustrates him a great deal. He embraces me and says my name. Mimori. Not the way he says her name, but close enough. I know it's just a ploy to calm and distract me, but I accept it because it is all he could give at the moment. I'll give Kyoko this victory today. She has won the battle, but she hasn't won the war.

And now I give you, Mimori-centered angst. I think I'll do a fic for each of the side characters. Yashiro was first, and now I've done Mimori. Wonder who I'll write about next? Definitely not Ren or Kyoko. They're the main pair in the manga so I expect they'll get enough screentime… er… paneltime to satisfy all of us. Sho/Kyoko shippers, don't hate me. We all know it's true.

Skip Beat isn't mine. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading my stories here.

One more thing, is there something wrong with the review button? BECAUSE THE FIRST DRABBLE HAS HAD MORE THAN A HUNDRED HITS AND ALL I GOT WAS ONE MEASLY REVIEW!

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, please enjoy and look forward to the next ones.