I'm not Satisfied with this Average Life
A/n at the bottom
Warning: referanced child abuse
It was right before she entered Namimori High that he showed up. It was like Kyoko was that eight year old girl again. Sho had just swept her off her feet. Without thinking about it she agreed to go to Tokyo with him.
He already had the number of a talent scout and had called them. Sho had told Kyoko that he was too nervous to make the jump himself. Kyoko hadn't thought about that much. In hindsight she should have.
At first Kyoko had thought they were eloping. She stopped thinking that a week into their stay. Sho bought lots of women to their apartment. He told them she was his sister. It stung to be rejected before she could say anything, but Kyoko understood.
She did her best to be a good sister. She worked three jobs to support them while Sho was still climbing ranks. He had insisted they get a large apartment. Kyoko hands that had been soft now were cracked and dry from washing dishes. Her lips had a permanent indent from her biting them.
She was always worried. Would she be able to make rent? When was Sho coming home? Could she afford to eat that day?
Kyoko had nearly given up, but her pride refused to let her admit defeat. That would mean admitting to Hana-chan that she had been right about Sho. She would have to face Ryohei-nii. She would have to face Hibari-san. The last thing terrified Kyoko the most.
It all came crashing down a year into living in Tokyo. That fateful day that changed everything for Kyoko.
She had finished her shift at WacDonalds and had come to the agency where he worked to drop off food.
She had almost been to Sho's personal green room when she heard it.
"You're definitely Number One to me… like that means anything." Sho scoffed, throwing the word Kyoko had used to try and cheer him up back in her face.
Sho was speaking to a beautiful woman with light brown hair and the kind of body Sho was attracted to.
The woman looked disappointed at Sho, "Aren't you being harsh? That girl has worked her hands to the bone to get you where you are."
With a haughty tone Sho replied, "This is me we're talking about! I was raised like a prince. I've never done my own laundry or scrubbed a floor in my life. I need someone to do those things for me."
"Sho… That sounds like," the woman began, "you only brought her to Tokyo to clean up after you and pay for your apartment."
"It's not like I made her come here. I mean sure when we were kids she always did what I wanted without complaint. But before I came and found her we hadn't talked since we were eight."
Kyoko thought back to before the Sasagawas. When the only person who showed her any affection was Sho. She had been so scared to lose that.
"Telling my parents that I was going to find her was my best bet at getting out of that stupid Inn. I found her and I asked her to come with me. No one made her."
Back before Sho sought her out Kyoko didn't know what to do with herself. She knew what everyone in Namimori expected of her. They thought she would end up like Sawada Nana. Kyoko didn't want that life, so she ran.
"I hate work that's not being Sho Fuwa. She agreed to come with me. Why shouldn't I take advantage of that?" Sho ranted at the woman, getting offended that she was questioning him.
"But she's not even going to school. The company is taking care of that for you. I feel bad for her." The woman sighed and leaned back on the sofa she was sitting on.
Sho stood up and sat in her lap, "Okay, I'll send her back to whatever back- water town she was living in. If you take care of me instead, Shouko."
Shouko sighed again, "I'm already doing that. You basically live at my house. That goes past my job as a manager."
Sho grinned, "It can't be helped, Shouko is my type after all. Did you know the whole reason I was allowed to look for that girl was to marry her? Like I'd ever touch a plain, unattractive, boring girl like that."
Kyoko felt like throwing the delivery box in her hands. She didn't.
An ache, a burning sensation was filling her up. Hated welled up in her. All the feelings that made her want to make Sho happy seemed to burn up. All feelings of love and caring turned to ash. Kyoko couldn't take it.
"Is that true, Sho?" Kyoko asked, her voice trembling.
He didn't even look at her, "Yeah, so what?"
She started to shake. Anger built up in her like it never had before. She felt like she was on fire.
A dark aura surrounded her, no one else could see it but her. The aura took shape forming humanoid figures. They told her all the horrible things she could do to him. And she wanted to.
"Jezz don't cry, it's annoying!" Sho snapped at her.
Kyoko straightened into her full height with a stance that had never quite left her even after she left the Inn she was raised in.
Something inside her broke. Kyoko had always tried to make people happy. She had done her best to push her wants and needs to the side for everyone else's. That Kyoko was gone. She was going to put herself first.
Kyoko smiled, but even though her face was calm and serene both Sho and Shouko took a step back. They couldn't see it but her aura was out of control lashing out at anything it could reach.
"I will have my revenge on you Sho. I will make you feel how I felt in this moment." Kyoko then turned on her heel and left the building.
When Kyoko got to her apartment she broke down and cried.
When Kyoko had run away from home she hadn't really kept in contact with people. But there were a few numbers in her phone in case of emergencies. Kyoko felt bad that the number she dialed wasn't her brother's or even her best friend she left behind. It was a girl she hadn't interacted with much back in Namimori, Dokuro Chrome.
"Dokuro-san, this is Sasagawa Kyoko-san, from Namimori. I wondered if I could ask you a question?" Kyoko spoke into the phone.
"Um, yes?" Dokuro-san's soft voice replied.
"How… How do you reinvent yourself? If you don't like the person you are, how do you become who you want to be?" Kyoko asked.
"It's hard. I modeled myself after the person I looked up to, but in the end, that wasn't who I wanted to be. I don't want to be a copy or an imitation. You have to ask yourself what kind of person do I want to be? Who am I really? How do I get to my ideal self? It's not easy, but if it's Sasagawa-san you just might be able to." Dokuro-san responded.
"Ah, thank you, Dokuro-san. I just don't know who I want to be. I just don't want to be me right now." Kyoko sighed, talking more to herself than the person on the other end of the phone.
"Then don't don't be you, don't be Sasagawa Kyoko in any way shape or form. Just be someone you can be proud of." Chrome said, her voice becoming firmer and firmer with each word.
"Thank you, that really helped Dokuro-san." Kyoko smiled even though the other girl couldn't see it.
"Please just call me Chrome."
The two became friends quickly after that. They would often call to talk for hours about their lives.
Kyoko looked in the mirror not sure who she was seeing. She tugged at her hair that she had always dyed a coppery color to look more like a Sasagawa. Her roots were black. She hadn't had the money to dye her hair in awhile.
For a moment Kyoko considered cutting off all her hair and just buying wigs. But that wouldn't make economic sense.
Rather than fuss over her hair Kyoko turned to the piles that were in front of her.
There was enough Sho Fuwa merch to stun even a superfan. She took pictures and put up a listing within an hour all of it was sold. Sho did rank seventh most popular man in Japan.
The next pile before her was clothing, hers specifically. Most of it was still in good condition, just not something she wanted to wear anymore. So, she sold that too. She needed to go shopping anyway.
The rest of the stuff was Sho's personal belongings. Kyoko considered the pile before selling that too.
She called the landlord of her building and told them she wasn't renewing the lease. It had been close to the end of six months she had on her contract. The furniture had come with the apartment. Kyoko was glad she didn't have to find a way to tote it out of the seventh floor. She moved into a tiny, but liveable and affordable apartment.
Kyoko was very proud of her ability to sniff out a sale. So most of the clothes she had bought didn't put up too much of a dent in the money she had.
Kyoko once again stared at her pudding colored hair. Maybe it was time for a change.
When Kyoko called Chrome to ask for her help she had been honored. She never asked Kyoko why she didn't go to her brother or a friend for help.
But once Kyoko explained what she had been going through for the last year Chrome understood. Chrome hadn't even been Mukuro-sama's body for very long. Yet, even now that Mukuro-sama was free from prison that was all they saw her as.
So when Kyoko told her that she wanted to be more, more than Ryohei-san's little sister, more than "The School Idol", more than what people from Namimori expected of her, Chrome promised herself she would do anything to make that happen.
It emboldened Chrome. She wanted to be more than a vessel for Mukuro-sama.
To start off she was a fifteen year old girl, why was she wearing something a eighteen year old boy picked out.
It took a little bit of digging, but Kyoko had a list of talent agencies that were having auditions. Her top choice was LME, an agency that was known for treating its employees very well. It took a little bit of harassing but she managed to get an audition form from Sawara-san, the head of the talent department.
"Before I give this to you, I want to confirm. You aren't joining LME for Tsuraga-san?" Sawara-san confirmed.
Kyoko nearly groaned, but instead put on a professional smile, "No, Sawara-san, my interest in LME comes from the fact that they have almost no allegation of mistreatment. And the few that are there are treated very seriously."
PSawara then gave the papers over. As Kyoko was exiting the meeting room she bumped into a man. She looked up. It was the aforementioned Tsuruga-san.
Tsuraga Ren looked at the girl he bumped into. There was something familiar about her. She had copper colored hair cut into a pixie cut and a streak of hair that hung right in front of her gold eyes.
She looked at him, confused. Her head tilted from side to side as if she was thinking of something.
She then spoke softly in a way that made it seem she didn't know she was saying anything out loud.
"For being harassed about this guy for almost five minutes. Isn't he kind of average?"
She then walked away like it was nothing.
Ren knew he was attractive. It wasn't bragging if most men and women he met made a point of saying it.
But the casual dismissal rubbed him the wrong way. It wasn't like people hadn't said things like that before. It was just that girl wasn't lying when she said it.
He met her again when she went to turn in her filled out paperwork.
He had to ask her about the determination that she seemed to be made of.
"Why are you entering show business?" Ren asked her.
She tried to stand up straighter, but her posture was already so rimrod it didn't do anything. Unlike most people her posture didn't have a slight hunch from looking at a phone or computer.
"For revenge!" She declared.
He knew there had to be more than that, but his temper got the better of him. His anger leaked out of him, cracking the facade of Tsuraga Ren.
The audition did not go well. It did at first then they had the acting portion and the president didn't like what he saw.
Kyoko gritted her teeth. It was bullshit. Just because she wasn't obsessed with finding her soulmate she was kicked from the audition. So maybe she shouldn't have thrown the prop phone on the ground. And maybe she shouldn't have shouted at the phone. But the call was ridiculous. The whole challenge was.
As luck would have it, she could still be a member of the LME agency. She just had to perform odd jobs and tasks before she could make her acting debut.
Kyoko always liked to go above and beyond when completing any given assignment, but it usually didn't end up in her favor.
She had to wear a bright hot pink uniform while completing her task so people would know they could go to her and ask her things.
The whole point of the assignments were to teach her the power of love or some tripe like that.
Kyoko knew how to love; she knew how to care for someone. It's just that her love and care weren't returned to the same extent.
Sawara had asked her after she failed the audition if knew would be able to accept the love of thousands. She told him the truth. She didn't know how to. She found it frustrating that the President knew Kyoko more than she herself did.
The first task that actually ended up going well was to shield a popular popstar from the sun's rays while she made a cameo in a movie.
She carried Matsunai Ruriko uphill nearly two miles, literally carrying her piggyback style.
Kyoko only stopped when her ankle wouldn't let her move anymore.
Matsunai left her baking in the heat of the afternoon sun. She had tried to crawl to the shade that a grouping of trees offered, but in almost an hour she hadn't moved more than six inches.
Laying in the sun made her lonely and the heat got to her head making Kyoko think of things that made her heart ache.
"What's this? Love Me Member Spotted." a deep voice spoke above her.
Her head shot up. Once again, there was Tsuraga Ren.
He looked at the girl (Sasagawa, Kyoko he learned from her LoveMe notebook). She was stuck on her stomach. The moment she saw him she tried to crawl away. The way her legs scrambled made him notice a dark bruise that had formed on her ankle.
"Excuse me," He then unceremoniously and effortlessly flipped her over to get a better look at the bruise.
She writhed in pain, but didn't let out peep as she pounded the ground to distract from the pain.
He peeled her shoe and sock off as the lighting workers he had been fishing with finally reached him.
"Man that looks bad." One said stating the obvious.
"It's broken." He told them.
Tsuraga Ren then without hesitation picked up Sasagawa Kyoko. He may not like her, but his father taught him to take care of people (especially women) who were hurt.
She struggled a little, but when he accidentally brushed her neck she winced and went still. Her hands clenched around his shirt.
He felt her neck gently. There was a sunburn that was so bad it had started to blister. His neutral feelings for Matsunai Ruriko grew into dislike.
He knew how to spot one of the president schemes a mile away. He at first felt a little vindictive that the LoveMe girl was getting caught up in it. Seeing how it had physically harmed the girl, he no longer felt that way.
Kyoko had broken out of her pain induced stupor. She protested the need to be carried even though both she and Tsuraga-san knew it was a lie. She was just so embarrassed. Not even Ryohei-nii had ever princess carried her before.
When Tsuraga-san did set her down on the porch of a traditional looking house she felt bad. She had been so rude in the face of his kindness. She also felt a little lonely.
Those feelings were soon forgotten in the rush to get the filming done for Doh Ring. Matsunai-san made things difficult by threatening to quit. It made Kyoko so mad that she offered to take the role from the singer.
Even more shocking, the director agreed. She was swept away to get hair and makeup done. Something that lit a fire in her heart.
They did her make up in a different way from Matsunai-san. Her makeup made her look more homely to distract from her popstar radiance.
Kyoko's was done to make her look more glamorous while still maintaining a traditional vibe.
Kyoko's wig had been styled differently too. Instead of Matsunai-san's curtain bangs. She was given a hime cut.
Even their Kimono was different. Matsunai-san had a deep red with eye-catching flowers in white that contrasted with her pale skin giving her an otherworldly look. Kyoko was dressed in a kimono that was a brighter red. It was closer to the color of blood and had dark purple almost black butterflies fluttering across the bottom.
Kyoko walked out to show the crew how she had turned out. The room went quiet.
The director was the first to speak, "Are you really Sasagawa-san?"
Kyoko gave the man a concerned smile, "Yes."
The dam broke and crew members crowded her, impressed with the makeup and costume department.
When Tsuraga Ren saw Sasagawa-san his breath caught in his throat. The thing that bothered him was that while she had looked beautiful he had seen more than his share of beautiful women. What was so special that she took his breath away?
Maybe it was the fact that with back hair she looked even more familiar?
Once she started filming she took the whole cast and crew breaths away. She was a natural. They only had to film the scene once with her. She was only supposed to show Matsunai-san what was wrong with her attitude, but he was starting to wish Sasagawa-san had been cast as Choko for real.
After the scene was over he had to check her ankle. It was getting worse. Yet, she insisted that she film the tea ceremony scene.
Her ankle throbbed so badly she could barely sit. But she would show them. It wasn't the first time she had to do something while she was hurt.
The moment the crew member declared that the scene was to start she sat up smiling like nothing was wrong.
It seemed to impress Tsuraga-san because his eyes hardened.
Kyoko performed the tea ceremony just like she was taught, perfectly.
There were whispers around her but she didn't pay them any attention. The person in front of her was the only person that mattered in that moment.
As the scene continued two things became apparent to Kyoko. That her ankle hurt and that Tsuraga-san was drawing whatever expression he wanted from her. It pissed her off. She tried to fight back, but to no avail.
The director yelled at them to stop the scene. She didn't understand why. She was being a good girl. She was doing what they asked. Why were they stopping her?
Tsuraga Ren looked at the actress across from him. That was what Sasagawa-san was, an actress. Which pissed him off. She already had the guts needed in showbiz and had just started out.
When her face turned pale and he started to sweat he froze. The director called for them to stop the scene. Sasagawa-san didn't.
She muttered something only he was close enough to hear.
He walked over to her which only took three steps. He crouched to her ear.
Tsuraga Ren whispered, "You were a good girl, so it's time to take a break."
It was a good thing he was already so close to her as the moment he told her that she fainted.
After she was taken to the hospital he didn't see her until that night after a quick photo shoot that the director arranged because he felt bad for manipulating Sasagawa-san.
He too felt bad about the situation and offered to walk her to the dressing room. She accepted, but only spoke to Yashiro the whole way there.
It bugged him more than he'd ever admit.
When they got to the dressing room she turned towards him.
"I definitely won't lose next time!" she shouted at him.
Before she could slam the door shut he smiled half genuine half condescending.
"I look forward to it."
Kyoko looked at the classes that LME offers. They were all ridiculously expensive. Another girl agreed with her. She looked over it was a very haughty girl that she had met before at the LME auditions.
It turned out that she was joining the LoveMe section too. The girl, because she was only a year older than Kyoko herself, was Kotonami Kanae. Kyoko tried to comfort but also convince her that the LoveMe section wasn't so bad.
Kotonami-san tried to run away. That was when Kyoko's aura took control. She didn't want to be the only person wearing that eye searing shade of pink. The spirits that lived in Kyoko's aura forced Katonami-san to dress herself in the garnish jumpsuit.
The two did odd jobs together and Kotonami didn't manage to remove her uniform thanks to Kyoko's spirits.
Sawara-san gave them another LoveMe assignment at the building that held LME's classes. The two were shuttled over to see what they needed to do.
It turned out that the President's granddaughter was causing problems for the acting class. They needed to take care of it.
According to the President the script that the class was working on had upset his granddaughter, Maria.
She had caused harm to one of the students in the class. The President hoped that Kyoko could help her overcome her troubles. Something not even Tsuraga Ren could.
Kyoko gladly accepted not only did she have a soft spot for children, it was a way to one up Tsuraga-san.
No one knew where the girl was. So they had sent out people to look, but to no avail. The President mentioned that Maria was into witchcraft. So Kyoko emptied out a pouch in her bag.
Out came over a dozen dolls of various people she knew. Haru-chan had been the one to teach Kyoko how to make dolls, but Kyoko took it a step further. Every doll she had was about /16th to the scale of the actual person it was.
She had at least one doll of all her friends back in Namimori. She also has a few Shotaros that she stuck with pins every so often. There was one that she was really hoping would draw out Maria, one of Tsuraga Ren.
Sure enough, a small girl in a pig mascot costume was enthralled with that very doll.
The two began to discuss witchcraft. Kyoko had gotten into it after the spirits were born from her aura. The two had a lovely conversation about the pros and cons of making versus buying voodoo dolls.
The President interrupted their conversation. He told Maria she had to apologize to the students she'd hurt. Maria agreed that she didn't.
"I'm just protecting LME's reputation. If they put on an unrealistic play like that it would be an embarrassment. I mean, how is that girl still loved by everyone when she killed someone? She killed her mother! And her older sister still takes her side? Yeah, right! The worst part is that at the end of it all her father forgives her! There's no way that would really happen!" Maria ranted.
Kyoko had read through the script and couldn't help, but agree. Without thinking about it she began to clap.
"You agree with me?" Maria looked so happy.
"Of course I do, "Kyoko thought back to her biological mother, "I read The Angel's Words. The older sister, Flora, seemed fake and awkward. She loved her mother so much, but she doesn't begrudge her sister, Angel, a thing. She even yells at her father. It's just against human nature."
When she said that the students got upset and demanded she perform the Flora's role in a way that would make Angel know that she wasn't hated by her father while still having the Flora hate the younger.
Kyoko sat on it. It was Kotonami-san that gave her the idea for what to do.
She watched the students set up the scene and act it as normal. They finished and the student that played Flora made a snide comment to Kyoko that set her teeth on edge. Then it was her turn.
"Angel, all this time you've been blaming yourself? You're wrong, no one hates you." one of the students said to Angel.
Angel sat up, "That's what you say to my face, but I know… behind my back you blame me. You all say that I killed Mother. Obviously it's my fault Mother died. Father still hates me for what happened."
"There's no way that's true!"
"Parents can't hate their own children!"
Where there was supposed to be gentle sobbing there was a harsh broken laugh.
"Flora, why are you laughing?"
"It's just that, I've heard the same line so many times. I couldn't help it." Flora said with a cruel tone.
Flora stood up to her full height, with a glare that wouldn't look out of place on Hibari-san. She stalked across the room to Angel.
"Angel, you're a smart girl. Long before anyone told you anything, you knew the truth." Flora leaned in closer to her sister.
"Flora?" Angel took a step back, the chair she was sitting on clattered behind her.
"Father is a human too. He has said words to hurt you, on purpose. Don't lie to yourself. Even a parent can hate their own child. It is true what everyone says behind your back. Yes, your father hates you." Flora smiled at her sister.
Maria looked at the girl she had begun to admire and think of as a big sister.
"Yes, your father hates you."
The way she said it, so calm. The way she smiled, so cruel in its casualness. It made her eyes sting. Because someone else was seeing what Maria did.
It wasn't because it hurt to hear the truth out loud. It wasn't.
"Towards me he…" the girl playing Angel began.
Kyoko-oneesan glared down at the girl, " Yes, father's attitude, you know where it's coming from. He doesn't love you at all."
Maria felt like her heart was being stabbed.
"Shut up, you liar!" The girl playing Angel had not meant to say that.
Kyoko-oneesan smiled darkly, "Oh, what makes you say that?"
The student fumbled for ideas, "B- because Father always keeps a photo of me on him."
That was true Father did keep a photo of Maria in his wallet.
Kyoko-oneesan completely destroyed that line of thought, "He carries all his children's photos. It would be weird if he didn't have yours.
"He always comes to my piano and dance recitals."
Maria felt like a boulder had weighed her down.
"There's something wrong with parents who don't come."
Father didn't ever come to Maria's performances. The weight of the Boulder intensified.
"He always buys me presents."
"That I pick out he has no clue as to what you like."
For Maria's birthday she had gotten a baby doll. Something she had no interest in. More weight.
"Even the letters Father sends you, they always say the same things. He's probably copying and pasting it. He's not taking it seriously."
That struck a nerve with Maria, "THAT'S NOT TRUE!!"
Lory was shocked to hear his granddaughter say that. She always found a way to prove what her Father did was just him playing pretend. He watched Maria argue that her father did love her.
"What do you know!? You don't even talk to Daddy! How could you possibly understand how Daddy feels" Sasagawa-kun yelled.
That made Maria pause, "I do understand!
Sasagawa-kun snorted, "What would someone like you understand?!"
"I do understand!" Maria shouted, " Because at the end of every email, he always types that he loves me!"
Sasagawa reached out to Maria cradling her face, "See, you've got your answer."
Lory could help, but be amazed. Sasagawa accomplished what so many couldn't for years. He watched his two LoveMe members go to sign up for the school.
Even if the other students were intimated by both of them it didn't mean he couldn't give them a little discount. He always played favorites anyway.
Lory offered the two LoveMe members a ride back to the main building; they accepted.
Kotonami-kun stomped off as soon as the car stopped. Lory wondered what went on in the girl's mind.
"Hey, Kyoko-oneesama, can I ask you something?" Maria asked Sasagawa-kun.
The elder girl looked confused before realizing that Maria was addressing her. She gave Lory a quick glance and noticed he didn't seem upset.
She then gave Maria her full attention encouraging her to go on.
"What do you talk about with your father?" Maria asked innocently.
Sasagawa-kun paled a little, "I didn't see much of either of my parents very much, even before I moved to Tokyo."
Maria lit up, "So, when you do see them what do you talk about?"
Sasagawa-kun started to sweat, "Maria, if you tell your father you want to see him I'm sure he'd fly right over to see you."
Maria froze and looked at her feet, "But… If I'm… If I ask for…"
Sasagawa-kun took Maria's hand in her own, "There's no way that would happen. You'll be praying for his safety. Just your feeling will be enough to keep him safe. But you already knew that right? Because you've used a human shaped candle charm before. The name that you carved wasn't Tsuraga Ren, was it?"
Maria smiled in a way she hadn't since she was five. It lightened Lory's heart to see it.
"Maria, it's almost time for your father's email. Why don't you head back to the car first." Lory told his granddaughter.
She said her goodbyes to Sasagawa-kun and headed back toward the car. Once she was out of listening range Lory turned to Sasagawa-kun.
"Sasagawa-kun you left home to join LME, even though you're underage. You said you had parental permission-" Lory began.
"President, I have permission. If you were to call and ask my parents they would tell you they signed off on the papers. I understand your concern about the validity of the signature." Sasagawa-kun interrupted him.
She turned towards the man and the look on her face could break any parent's heart. It could be only described as anguish. Lory remembered the look on her face earlier that day as she said a parent could hate their child.
"But, President, as long as what I'm doing is feminine, they couldn't care less."
Lory thought about that the entire way back to his penthouse.
Kyoko gripped onto the stone so tight it cut into her hands. She repeated a mantra over and over knowing that eventually it would come true. She was fine. She stared down at the stone that had taken away her emotions. Even though he eyes still stung with tears they didn't fall.
The President had no way of knowing what my parents were like. Kyoko reminded herself. He didn't know. He didn't see the custody papers. You are Sasagawa Kyoko. You are not Mogami Kyoko. You have a brother that loves you. It doesn't matter that none of your parents haven't. Ryohei-nii loves you.
"Sasagawa-san?" a voice called out to her.
Kyoko let out a little scream and turned around. Sawara-san was the one who spoke.
"What were you doing sitting in the back stair?" Sawara asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
Kyoko waved her hand back and forth about the explan. She then looked at her other hand. The stone, Corn, was gone. She looked over the railing and heard a faint tink sound.
Kyoko ran down the stairs with speed that could have rivaled Hibari-san. When she hit that last set of stairs she called out for the stone.
Kyoko skidded to the floor feeling for and chipped or broken pieces of Corn. There was a noise behind her and Kyoko whipped around.
Tsuraga-san was behind her. Not caring how she had spoken to him last, Kyoko asked if he'd seen Corn.
"This stone, is it yours?" Tsuraga-san asked.
"Of course it is," Kyoko said harshly, "It's really important! How could I drop him?!" Kyoko felt the tears sting her eyes.
She didn't hold back, "He could be chipped or even broken. I'm so sorry Corn! If I can't find him…
"Corn? You named your stone?" Sawara-san questioned. He had followed Kyoko abet at a much slower pace.
"Am I not allowed to? I named him after the boy who gave him to me. He gave the stone to me because I was such a crybaby. He hoped that the stone could help take away some of my sorrow." Kyoko explained.
"And I lost something so precious and important!" Kyoko cried harder.
Sawara-san tried to comfort Kyoko as she cried.
"Is this it?" Tsuraga-san was holding something up.
Kyoko moved so fast she started both men.
It was Corn still in one whole piece. Kyoko couldn't have stopped the smile that spread across her face if she wanted. Tsuraga-san gave her the stone.
She bent to a full ninety degrees when she bowed.
"Thank you so much, Tsuraga-san." Kyoko said.
"Did you," the man being thanked began, " perhaps live in Kyoto?"
That's chapter one people. I know that concept is a little ridiculous and definitely a stretch. But I'm having fun.
Some things will be cleared up in later chapters, but if you're confused by something comment.