Nice Guys Don't Always Finish Last

Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat or much of anything else, so please send money.

The Hikaru Challenge: 12/31/10 Message from Fangurl Ayane and Jhiz: The gauntlet has been thrown at the feet of all skip beatfan fiction writers... Do you dare to accept the challenge?Alternative reality fictions will not count as part of the challenge (in other words, no removing Ren or Sho from the universe to make it work).

In five chapters or less, write a story that keeps true to the character's personalities (which means having a rational reason for personal growth) and allows Mogami Kyoko to not only see Ishibashi Hikaru as a potential suitor but also acknowledge him as a forerunner for her heart (in other words, establish that he has a portion of her heart reserved for him that says 'boyfriend' not senpai, co-star or even best guy friend).

Summary: When Tsuruga Ren suddenly pushes Kyoko away, she can't understand the feelings that are overwhelming her. What will happen when Ishibashi Hikaru steps in and lends her a shoulder to cry on? Ren&Kyoko, Hikaru&Kyoko. Based upon chapter 168 as the starting point.

Chapter 1 – Ruffled Feathers and Broken Wings

Kyoko sat in Bo's dressing room surrounded in a deep cloud of gloom. She sat in the chicken suit, holding the famous head so that it was facing her. If anyone were observing Kyoko, she would look like Reinholdt's famous sculpture of a monkey holding a human skull. The difference was that Kyoko wasn't studying Bo's head… in fact, she wasn't studying anything. Instead, Kyoko was drowning in a sea of conflicting emotions that she couldn't understand.

It had begun two weeks before, on the night when Tsuruga Ren had phoned her and asked her to come to his apartment and help him make Maui Rice. In retrospect, the meal had been a humorous disaster that revealed a side of her illustrious sempai that Kyoko had never understood before. He had insisted on cooking the meal himself, and the result was all but inedible. Despite this fact, he had insisted on eating every bite. Because of his determination, Kyoko had joined him and had met him forkful for forkful. She had understood then, without clearly understanding, that it wasn't about the food: Tsuruga Ren was fighting some inner demon, just as Kyoko had been for the last two years.

I think Tsuruga-san and I may not be that different after all. The thought had been a startling one. It had come unbidden and it had made Kyoko view the man through open eyes, without the benefit of her usual rose-colored glasses. Her great sempai, the man who she esteemed as Japan's greatest actor, was broken, and vulnerable, and… and in need of a friend.

Something changed in Kyoko on that night. Prior to this she had almost always taken a self-effacing approach towards Tsuruga Ren. True, she had overstepped certain bounds by regularly confronting him about his poor eating habits, but in every other way she had place him on a pedestal with her as his unworthy supplicant. Now that she understood his vulnerability and loneliness, she unwittingly took on a superior approach: Tsuruga Ren was a man who needed someone to care for him, to support him, to be there for him. Kyoko, with her kind, giving heart, could willingly take on such a role for the man who had done so much for her.

She could do this willingly, without the fear of playing in that other dangerous realm… the realm of feelings that she had foresworn for eternity. After all, taking care of a friend was different then… that other taboo emotion… right?

She had stayed there on that night, sleeping in the guest room, smiling tenderly as she wished Tsuruga Ren a good night. She had gone to sleep smiling to herself with the pleasant afterglow of knowing that, in some small way, she had been there for her sempai. Her dreams, though she couldn't quite recall them had been… well… somehow exceedingly pleasant.

Which is why she felt so confused on the following morning, when Tsuruga Ren had acted so distant with her. Kyoko had awoken cheerfully, moving lightly on her feet as she flitted from the guest room to the shower and from the shower to the kitchen. With her usual cooking dexterity, she had quickly crafted a meal that would suit a man with a case of indigestion. She was certain that Tsuruga-san would need such a breakfast because she was also feeling the negative effects of last night's gruesome feast. When the tall actor had stumbled out of his room, he had merely looked at her with bleary eyes, and then proceeded to the bathroom.

It was only when he emerged, showered and shaved, that Kyoko began to suspect that something was amiss. To begin with, he wouldn't meet her eyes. In the past it had always been her who had avoided him after certain embarrassing moments, such as when he had kissed her on the cheek to thank her for his Valentine's Day gift. Tsuruga Ren had always been straightforward, sometimes uncomfortably so. But this was different. Now he wasn't talking, he wasn't meeting her eyes, and worst of all, he was barely responding in any way. After the euphoria of shared understanding from the night before, this was baffling to Kyoko… and it also hurt her in a way that she couldn't fully understand.

Things had gone from bad to worse. When he dropped her off at the Daruma-ya he had not waited for her, as he normally would have. Instead he muttered some excuse and drove away. Later that day, when she joined him on the set of Dark Moon, he had kept his distance. He did not offer to share lunch with her. He did not offer any compliments or advice on her acting that day. Most of all, he did not offer to pick her up on the following day, as he almost always did when they would start at the same place in the morning.

As the week wore on, Kyoko began to feel more and more distressed, and more and more hurt. Something inside of her chest ached so painfully that she found herself dissolving into tears at odd and unwelcome moments. When Tsuruga Ren had departed for two weeks of filming in Singapore, it had almost been a relief… almost.

Now Kyoko sat in the dressing room, contemplating nothing except for the vague idea that something important, something vital to her very existence, had gone out of her world. How long she sat there, she would never know. She was unaware of the movements and noises surrounding a busy studio, and she was equally unaware of the gradual diminishing of those movements and noises. What did it matter, anyway?

Ishibashi Hikaru said goodbye to his brothers and walked toward his beat up, second-hand Suzuki Swift. He scowled at the thing for a minute before unlocking the door and climbing in. I won't ever impress Kyoko with a beat-up old hatchback like this. Not that Kyoko's the type of girl who would be won over by a fancy car anyway… Oh, who am I fooling? Nothing I do will ever make an impression on her.

Hikaru buckled his seat belt and sat there, unmoving, as images of the amazingly cute, and occasionally sultry golden-eyed girl ran through his head. From almost the first day he had met her, he had been captivated. She was so different from any other girl he had ever encountered. Her erect and graceful posture, her unfeigned politeness, her total unconcern for status, and her total dedication to any task she performed had all made an impression on him… of course it didn't hurt that he wanted to melt every time those honey-golden eyes met his.

Hikaru sighed and reached forward to insert his key into the ignition, and then he paused. There, across from his reserved slot in the covered parking lot, was a bicycle. That's Kyoko's bicycle, isn't it? Why would it still be here? It's been almost two hours since the show ended. His mind furnished the answer despite the fact that he didn't want to think about it: Tsuruga Ren must have given her a ride again.

He felt a pang, perhaps more than a pang of jealousy as he contemplated that thought. What exactly is their relationship? He had slipped up and asked one day, after Kyoko turned down his offer for dinner for the one-hundred and third time. She had excused herself on the previous night by saying that her sempai would be waiting in the parking lot. When Hikaru had gone to his car he had seen Tsuruga Ren standing, leaning against his fancy sports car… and he had seen the tall and ridiculously handsome man open the passenger door for Mogami Kyoko. When Hikaru had asked about their relationship on the following day, Kyoko had merely replied, "Tsuruga-san is my senior at LME, and he helps me to avoid foolish mistakes and to become a better actress." Hikaru hoped that that was where the relationship ended… except that Japan's Most Desirable Man (Hikaru didn't even want to explore where he ranked on that list) seemed to be around girl entirely too much for Hikaru's comfort.

Grumbling to himself, Hikaru turned the key and slammed the gearshift into first. The tires squeeled on the polished concrete as he slammed on the gas and flew out of his parking slot. In seconds he was at the exit, when he suddenly slammed on the brakes and slid to a stop. What if Kyoko is still here? Could there be something wrong? Feeling foolish, but unable to shake the thought, Hikaru slid the gearshift into reverse and drove back until he could maneuver back into his spot. Sighing, he turned the car off and climbed out. Muttering the whole time, he unlocked the studio doors and walked down the corridor, scanning for any evidence of another live person. Finally he reached the door of Kyoko's dressing room, raised his hand, and knocked. When there was no reply he almost turned to go, but then his hand slid down to the knob and turned.

Hikaru knew that something was up when he opened the door and found the room lit. Mogami Kyoko was the quintessential conservationist. She did not believe in spending money frivolously and she was conscientious about certain issues, such as recycling and conserving energy. If the lights were still on in her changing room that could only mean one thing: Kyoko was in the building. A quick scan revealed an orangish head of hair peaking out of a bulky chicken suit. "Kyoko-san?"

There was no response, so Hikaru walked around until he could face her. He was stunned to see that her eyes were clouded, as if she had withdrawn completely into herself. "Kyoko-chan? Is everything all right?"

Hikaru thought about the show for a moment, searching for any clue as to why Kyoko was in this condition. No, she was just as energetic and lively as usual… but then, she's so professional that she will never allow her personal issues to interfere with her work. He studied her for a moment… which led into several minutes. Except for her lifeless eyes she was just as beautiful as always to him. Her angular, pixie face, her odd hair color, her cute little nose, those plump little lips… Hikaru shook himself, feeling guilty for taking advantage of Kyoko's distress to gaze at her. Tentatively, and then firmly, he shook her shoulder as he called out again, "Kyoko-san. Mogami Kyoko-san!"

As if coming out of a trance, Kyoko blinked and then looked up at Hikaru with those big, sad eyes. "Kyoko-san, is everything all right? You were off in some other world."

"Oh! Excuse me Hikaru-san," Kyoko exclaimed, carefully placing Bo's head on the bench beside her, "I must have dozed off for a minute."

"A minute? Kyoko-san, it's been over two hours since the show was over. Are you sure that you're all right?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Please don't concern yourself. I just need to change out of this suit and…" Unwittingly, Kyoko began the process of removing the lower half of her suit. Hikaru blushed and hastily excused himself, escaping out of the door before he witnessed anything that he shouldn't… and then he paused. The Kyoko I know would never have started undressing in front of me. Something is definitely wrong.

And that is when Ishibashi Hikaru finally changed his tactics. He was no longer going to ask Kyoko to go dinner in his usual namby-pamby way. He walked back out into the parking garage with a determined expression on his face. Tonight Kyoko was going to go out for coffee with him… for her own good, of course.

Kyoko finished changing, carefully placed the chicken suit into the rolling cart provided for it, and wheeled it down to storage. Then she performed her usual inspection of each room to ensure that all lights were off before heading to the parking garage to retrieve her bicycle. But when she opened the door to the underground parking, she was startled to find Hikaru leaning against his car… with her bicycle safely lodged into place in the hatchback of his little car. Hikaru smiled at her with a look she had never seen on his face before. He pushed his body off of the car while opening the passenger-side door. "Get in, Kyoko. I'm taking you out for coffee, and then I'll drive you home."

She didn't quite understand the self-satisfied smile on the young pop-idol's face as he drove out of the parking lot with her firmly buckled into his passenger seat.

Notes: Fangurl Ayane and Jhiz originally issued this challenge, and I would like to join in and encourage other fanfiction writers to give it a shot. I think that challenges like this help to stretch writers to try new ideas and to explore other imaginative approaches. I look forward to seeing what everyone does with this challenge.