I would like to give a trigger warning for this chapter. Although the scene in question is not described in detail, the implication is still rather intense. I apologize ahead of time for any discomfort it may cause.

Chapter 10: Broken

In the midst of the dark bedroom, bright light from the moon filtered through the open window, the wind waltzing with the bunched curtains. The chill was refreshing and fueled the ice of envy that had begun poisoning his blood. Raking back damp blond locks, Sho leaned forward and rested his elbows upon his denim clad knees. Small liquid drops dripped from the ends of his hair and rolled down his bare back and chest. Thick brows furrowed with frustration as the images of his betrothed wrapped so salaciously in the graces of another man's arms rolled like a picture wheel before his visage. Shutting his eyes, he ground his teeth until his jaw ached.

A beautiful, pale body, slim in shape with long ebon tresses, twisted so lithely around that of the sonofabitch royal asshole reflected so vividly against the glass of brown irises. Her cheeks flushed sensuously as that silver haired bastard's lips tasted every inch of her…

"Fuck!" the Fuwa heir shouted, pushing to his feet. A fire of unfathomable rage quelled his emotions, rising from the pit of his stomach it consumed all sense of rationality that may have blanketed his heart. His eyes quickly darted around, searching for anything that can be used as an outlet for the powerful ire that now energized him, he caught sight of the empty crystal glass on his nightstand. Grabbing it, he twisted his body around and swung it ferociously against the wall. It shattered, pieces crumbling to the floor, along with his sanity.

Sho's muscular chest rose and fell hastily as his breathing became labored. Beads of moisture from his bath were quickly replaced with dewy perspiration. He dug his fingers into his hair and raked it back, tugging with an aggravating frustration. As his arms fell back to his sides, a small storm of laughter started to echo from his mouth. Stumbling back, his legs collided with the bed's edge, forcing him to sit once again. "This fucking girl… What the hell as she done to me?" He muttered bitterly. The adolescent was wholly baffled that he had allowed such a servant to severely incapacitate his mind.

Leaning over, he snatched up the bottle of amber liquid of his nightstand. After drinking heavily from it, he wiped his mouth with the back of his free hand, and then stared at the way the lunar light shone upon the drink. They mirror her eyes so perfectly, he thought. Sho took another swig. And it even tastes just as smooth as her skin.

As Sho readied for another round, a soft rapping upon his door drew his attention. Staring at the wooden barricade with confusion, he slowly lowered the bottle. His parents and that lawyer bitch had left a couple hours ago and weren't due back until tomorrow, and Kyoko was off fucking her royal. So… who the hell was it?

When he didn't answer a few minutes later another knock came, this time a bit louder. Taking another quick drink, Sho placed the bottle onto the floor beside his bed as he stood up. Pulling his unbuttoned pants up a bit, he walked over and greeted the pest. As the door opened to reveal his fiancée, the heir found himself bathed in jaw-dropped silence. His eyes were large and bright as they gawked at her, thick brows lightly scrunched.

"I-I'm sorry to disturb you so late at night, but I…" Kyoko began to tremble as she stood before this creature. Lowering her head as the words disappeared from mind, she realized what she was wearing and felt even more uncomfortable. Her hands moved as if by their own volition, and crossed over her chest, cold fists resting upon her shoulders.

Sho's eyes followed her movement, but his curiosity and physical desire for the teen drew his gaze lower. He noted the way the material clung to every curve and dip of her petite form. The slit up the side revealed plenty of her lean, shapely legs, and it made it his heart skip. Licking his lips, he forced his eyes back up to her face. "What the hell do you want?" He barked angrily, making her flinch. What is she doing back so soon?

"I really need to talk to you, Sho…Fuwa-san." Kyoko forced the words from her clamping throat. "Please, it won't take very long."

"Fine," he muttered and stepped aside to let her in. The teen noticed the hesitancy as she stepped into his bedroom. Closing the door behind her, he leaned his back against the wood and folded his arms over his chest. "Say what you need to."

Kyoko looked around. His bedroom was very large. The bed sat in the corner, all the way up against the wall on the left. The nightstand sat below the window, with a billowing canopy of curtain this night. Unlike her bedroom, which was covered in tatami, Sho's bedroom had beautiful, wooden bamboo flooring. The right side of his bedroom, broke off into another room, a sitting area, and beyond that his own bathroom. Recognizing that for the Fuwas Sho was the only Prince that truly mattered, she shivered.

"Well are you going to talk, or you just going to stand there like some fucking mute?" Sho said irately, stepping towards Kyoko. She turned about just as he closed the chasm between them, his arms now at his sides. Gasping softly at his sudden presence, she swallowed again. "Why are you so damn scared? What the hell did you do, Kyoko?" His voice fell and filled with utmost seriousness.

"Sho, I…" Kyoko began, but once again found herself being silenced by the plague of uncertainty. Frightened as she was, how was she even supposed to say something like this diplomatically? After all, she was here to break off the engagement. "Um…" she stammered, closing her eyes to gain her courage. An assault of her recent past parried her bravery, making her insides shrink like a coward once again.

Fuwa Sho, unable to gain her only prized treasure, had used his strength and manipulated their betrothal to gain satisfaction in other means. Kyoko recalled the shock and anger that came over Kuon at the sight of Sho's rugged treatment of her body. What if… What if the news filled him with so much madness… that he killed her? What would she do then?

Then at least you'll finally be at peace. Death is better than being his toy and spending your entire life dancing to his every whim…

"Kyoko!" Sho shouted, grabbing her shoulders fiercely. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Intuitively, Kyoko shoved him back harshly. He stumbled back a few steps, his face alighting with the flush of fury. "I'm sorry, Sho. I didn't mean to upset you, but I need to tell you something. It's very important." Pausing, she took a deep breath. "I can't marry you." Kyoko lowered her right hand from her shoulder and unfurled her fingers. In the middle of her clean, small palm rested the diamond engagement ring. "I don't want to marry you. I don't want to run this ryokan and live this life anymore."

The words rang in his ear, but his mind refused to process the meaning of her rejection. Strong fingers curled into fists so tight that his knuckles changed colors. "What… What did you just say to me?"

Kyoko saw the flames that started to dance in his eyes and feared for her life. Knowing the limits of his temper when it was at its worst, the teen knew that this wouldn't bode well for her. But she refused to back down. A dog she would be no longer. "I don't want to marry you, Sho. I… I refuse."

Abruptly, his body moved like lightening closing the space between them. Grabbing her arms once again in a vise-like grip, he pulled her against him. "What did you do, Kyoko?" She turned away from him and closed her eyes as his hot breath shaded her complexion. "Tell me goddammit!" He yelled into her face.

Defensively, Kyoko put her palms upon his chest. The hardness of muscle and the warmth emanating from his skin, like the surface of the sun, made her shudder. The stench of alcohol began to engulf her senses, causing a throbbing ache in her temples. "I-I haven't done anything… I swear… I just don't want to marry you… I don't want this life…" Kyoko answered him meekly. When he didn't reply, she pushed herself to meet his eyes. They swam with an animalistic ferocity she had never witnessed in her sixteen years of life. A chill ran down her spine and horror swirled in the pit of her stomach. "Sho… God, what happened to you?" The teen whispered more to herself.

"What's happened to me?!" He mimicked loudly. Brown eyes fell to her parted naturally soft lips. Taking note of the way they quivered, the heir felt guilty. His emotions for this worthless, stupid, woman was starting to make him lose control of his actions. His body simply reacted to whatever his heart felt. But as he held her so close to him, her amazing scent intoxicating him more than alcohol ever could, all Sho could focus on was Kyoko fucking someone other than him, someone who had more money, more power. Someone who had something to offer her that he could not and it drove him wild.

"You!" Sho shouted with clenched teeth. "You are what's fucking happened to me! I've hated you for so long and now you are all I ever fucking think about! Do you have any idea what that's like?! And now you have the fucking nerve to say no to me, to me?!"

Flinching again, Kyoko looked away. Slender fingers pushed against him with all her might, but to no avail. "Sho please… You're drunk. You're not yourself!" She pleaded.

Lowering his mouth to her ear, Sho dropped his voice. "No. You're wrong, Kyoko. I've never been more myself." Roughly, he pulled her forward and kissed her aggressively.

Shocked by his assault, Kyoko's eyes flew open, tears pooling around her long lashes. The firmness of his arms slid around her lower back, holding her securely in place. When he broke the kiss, she wiggled and struggled for freedom. "Please, Sho. Don't do this! Don't do something you'll regret! I'm begging you…"

Picking her up, he violently threw her onto his bed and climbed on top of her. When her hands came at him, he caught her thin wrists and pinned them down. He held her so tightly that she swore he could snap her bones if he so desired. Fuwa Sho looked down at the girl beneath him, long blonde hair curtained the desperation and heartbreak in his eyes from her. Deep inside of his chest, his heart tore into two bloody pieces. His love for her wanted to accept her rejection. He knew that he was not the right man for her, that he would never truly attain her love in the way he wished. But, then there was the dark side of his heart. The side that bathed in the vat of jealousy and obsession. The side that had desired her so intensely, he refused to lose her to anyone else.

"Please…" she pleaded to him again, her voice broken. "Please, don't do this. Let me go… I promise, I'll never show you my face ever again… Sho, please… Don't take this from me…"

Lowering himself, he brushed her ear with his lips. "I won't allow you to leave me like this. I'll have what I was promised." Sho pulled back and looked longingly into her eyes. Every nerve in his body screamed for him to stop, but his pride refused to falter. The boy who loved her lost to the man who wanted to possess her. "I won't allow anyone else to have you, Kyoko. He won't want you when I'm finished. No one will."

Hizuri Kuon felt troubled. Behind sleep-shut eyes, he dreamt the darkest of nightmares. Demons with eyes flickering of crimson laughed and tormented him. He tripped and stumbled his way through a vast forest of black trees and withered thorns. Looking around, his eyes searched exhaustingly for a light, any bit of luminescence to help him to freedom. But nothing came to his rescue. He saw naught, and felt naught.

As he took another unsure step, a painful needle pierced the bottom of his foot. Cursing, he stopped and examined his heel, where the thorn went through. Carefully, he plucked the criminal from his skin. About to throw it aside, the prince stopped when he recognized the characters carved into the little bastard. "Broken," he whispered, reading it aloud.

Brows furrowed in confusion as a lump of fear troubled his breathing. Tossing the thorn aside, he continued on his way, walking around in unknown circles in his relentless search for escape. Just as he was about to give up, he saw it.

There! Just ahead, there was a tree made of the most beautiful amber he had ever seen. Rushing towards it, he found that it alight like a large gem. It glowed, sparkled in this horrific forest of nightmares. Reaching out, he placed his palm upon it. The warmth that emanated made him smile, but just as quickly as he had found his light, it began to melt. The polished edges all mutated into one lump, like putty and melted into one pile.

Screaming with frustration, the prince fell to his knees and eyed the large puddle of disappointment. Sighing heavily, feeling wholly defeated, he caught eye of a small red heart lying just beneath the surface of the amber putty. Sinking his fingers into it, he lifted the heart and gasped.

"Kyoko…" he whispered, reading the characters engraved on this ruby heart. Raising his palm to his eyes for a better look, the prince was further shocked when the heart crumbled entirely. The small pieces of her name crumbled and crumbled until on the grey ash of a burned corpse remained. "No!" Kuon shouted. "Kyoko! No!"

Jolting upwards, Kuon screamed her name as his lids flew back. He was breathing very heavily and his entire body was sweat-soaked. His fingers curled into the sheets beneath him, an atrocious feeling of discomfort and terror reverberated with each powerful thrum of his heart.

Swinging his legs off the bed's edge, he raked his wet hair back and swallowed the rock that took form inside of his throat. "What the fucking hell was that…?" he mumbled recalling the weirdest nightmare he has ever had. Shoving into a stance, the royal began to pace anxiously. "What's wrong with me?"

As Kuon walked back towards the window his bed rested against, he saw that the sky was still mostly dark. The stars were starting to fade as the peek of orange could be seen in the horizon. There were heavy clouds taking position, a clear sign of rain ahead. Realizing that cold air would be best for him, he sought out his jeans from the previous night and a fresh shirt.

Closing his bedroom door behind him, Kuon swung his pack over his shoulder and strode down the hallway. Upon reaching the end, he was greeted by three of his father's royal guards, men who were chosen personally for his private security. Halting, the prince felt a wash of puzzlement. "What the hell is all of this?" He asked rudely of the guard in the middle.

The man placed his palm over his heart and bowed his head with respect. "I apologize, Your Highness, but by the order of His Majesty, we are not allowed to let you pass."

"Really?" Kuon muttered with disbelief. Folding his arms across his chest, he shook his with irritation. "Look, it's about five or six in the morning. Don't you have better things to do than babysit me? Besides, he has no right to—"

"It's for your own good," a familiar voice interrupted, approaching the scene. "Step aside."

The middle guard bowed and did as he was ordered. Behind him stood the older prince, Reino, wearing his famous victorious grin. "I apologize, brother. But father has ordered your containment."

"For what?" Kuon yelled, feeling thoroughly aggravated.

"Today is a very special day for him. He doesn't want to risk you're not being there." Reino answered nonchalantly.

"This is bullshit," Kuon snapped stubbornly. "I go out every morning. The whole bloody castle knows that."

"Well, not today." Reino turned away from the mouth of the hallway, the guard abruptly taking his place again. "You are to stay in your room until you are called upon for the party. I'll come get you myself," the elder prince added as he began walking away.

Kuon couldn't shake the nightmare he had. Now that he had been imprisoned in his own quarters, he felt a growing presence of unease in his gut. "Have you heard from her?" he shouted, in hopes of hooking his brother's attention again. "Please, just tell me that much!"

Reino stopped a few feet from the hallway and sighed quietly. Slipping his hands into the pockets of his black pajama pants, he retraced his steps. Seeing the concern in his younger sibling's eyes, melted his iciness to an extent. "I have not, I'm sorry. I had to find a replacement, Kuon. I honestly don't believe that she will—"

"She will," Kuon interrupted.

"How do you know?"

"I just do. She's not the kind of woman to flake on her duties, especially if it's something this important. Regardless of whatever she feels for me, she will show."

Reino nodded slowly. "I sure hope you're right, brother. Nevertheless, I could not risk it." Dropping his head, he turned and strode away.

Unless something is horribly wrong, I know she will show, Kuon added inwardly, gulping down his mounting restlessness.

The sounds of relentless pattering against the windows awoke him. Reluctantly, long-lashed dark eyes fluttered open. A pounding ache viciously attacked his temples and forehead. Rolling onto his back, he reached up and rubbed the sides of his head with fingertips. Sluggishly, Sho forced his body into a sitting position. Places on his back, chest, and neck burned agitatedly, almost like cat-scratch fever. His legs and hips felt unbearably sore. Looking down at himself, he found that he was draped in a thin sheet, wearing nothing else beneath. A bladder desperately required satisfaction, making him groan. Grabbing the material he pulled the blanket off, and froze.

His lower body and thighs were colored scarlet. The sleep instantly vanished from his eyes as the teenager recalled the events from the previous night. HIs pulse quickened and his mouth felt utterly dry. With a trembling hand, Sho reached down and brushed his fingers over the red splotches. Blood… he thought, horrified.

Hastily, he crawled off the bed and looked down at it. Stumbling backwards with disbelief, Sho closed his mouth and swallowed. His back collided with the door and his knees went weak, collapsing from beneath him. What the hell did I do..?

Memories of the night flooded him with its return. Her pleading voice, her screams and shouts resonated in his ear. Dropping his head, he examined his body and found the fingernail marks of her failed attempts at defense. Shit… Sho thought. All of the color drained from him, brown eyes wholly transfixed on the bloody scene of his ultimate crime; a crime he believed to be nothing more than a nightmare. Pounding head back against the door for being such a fucking moron, Sho gritted his teeth and slammed his eyes shut, the pain of tears threatening release.

The Fuwa brat sat in such a state for a long span of time, incapable of moving, unable to accept this harsh truth as reality. When the rain stopped, midway through the day, so did his immobility. As he opened his eyes, he forced himself to evaluate his surroundings. Torn pieces of red fabric lay sprawled across the floor, no doubt the remnants of her dress. There was also a torn, black material that looked to be lace. Sho swallowed as he recognized what it was. In the middle of the room, beside on such fabric shred lay the engagement ring he had placed upon her finger. Moving his aching body forward, Sho crawled to it and scooped it into his palm. Looking down at it, he sighed.

That's right. She broke the engagement for that royal motherfucker… Exhaling loudly, he sat back upon the wood and shook his head. She still didn't deserve that… No one deserves what I did to her… Shit…

Forming a fist, he pounded the floor over and over, cracking the wood. Blood trickled from his knuckles where the skin was torn and starting to bruise.

Don't fucking come back, Kyoko… Please, or who knows what the fuck I'll do to you again…

The dark grey skies of the day roared as the approaching storm took shape. Rain fell in powerful bursts across the land. A secret clearing in the forest behind the castle grounds was drenched with tears the skies cried. They screamed and thundered, showing their broken hearts. Millions of little needles known as rain drops rippled the creek.

A lone figure with skin as pale as snow lay in the midst of this arctic gathering of water. As the clouds and skies mourned for her loss, they showered her with their wet comfort, washing her wounds. The water rushed and coursed around her, running the creek's clarity as red as the blood that seeped from her frail body…

A/N: I'm sorry the story took this turn, but it's necessary for plot development. I also want to say thank you for all of the reviews and messages. I'm sorry for being away so long. Work has been hectic and then there were finals too. But I'm back! My writing group is also all back, so if you follow Skip Beat stories from Cap'n Lazy Pantz and Delicious Demon Butler, you can expect them to update soon as well. Take care everyone!

PS:

Happy summer vacation for all the students out there. You all deserve it so much.