Ninja Shark
Disclaimer: Don't own Skip Beat - if I did this would actually be canon.
Warning: hints of shonen-ai - yes, you really do have to look for it.
Sho sat, huddled in the corner of a booth in the hotels restaurant.
It had been three weeks since the last time Reino had accosted him and he was getting a little jumpy. Blond hair flashed in the corner of his eye and he flinched violently, spilling his coffee.
Okay.
So maybe he was a lot jumpy.
But who could blame him? That psycho had...he had...they...after what had happened in the hallway the last time they had met Reino had disappeared.
And not disappeared in a good way!
More like...disappeared but was still there.
For the past three weeks Sho had been stalked. And it wasn't paranoia damnit!
He had thought he was safe but when he turned around he would see Reino out the corner of his eye. However, whenever he tried to get a proper look there wouldn't be anyone there. Or he would see a flash of blond.
Sho shivered.
But that wasn't the worst, oh no. The worst was when he would just casually look up from what he was doing and find Reino staring at him from the opposite end of whatever room he was in but always...always before Sho could confront him someone or something would pass in front of him and then Reino would be gone.
And Sho would be left staring at nothing.
Even when he was standing in the only exit.
He jumped again and huddled in tighter to the corner as another flash of blond caught his attention.
He was not paranoid and he was not going crazy - not matter what his agent was starting to believe. In fact, he had sent her off just that morning because she had started talking about maybe getting some help.
He had told her quite calmly and politely where to shove that help and that he wasn't paranoid he was just being stalked by Reino. Who was apparently some sort of ninja shark.
Sho glanced up and flinched as he caught Reino staring at him for two seconds before a man passed in front of him and he managed once again to disappear.
Sho whimpered and gave up all pretences of drinking his coffee. Honestly, it wasn't as if he now needed caffeinated beverages to keep him awake - all he had to do nowadays was wonder what would happen if he actually managed to fall asleep for longer than ten minutes at a time.
Argh! This was pissing him off no end! His agent thought he was crazy and he was being stalked and he hadn't had a proper night's sleep in two weeks and he was going slowly crazy and he had black bags under his eyes.
He snarled, and then glared at the women at the next table who looked at him as if he was crazy.
He was NOT CRAZY damnit!
Why wouldn't anyone believe him?
He flinched when he caught another glance of Reino.
...waitaminute...was he...yes! Yes he was! He was circling him! Stupid ninja shark!
Sho's eyes widened and he forced himself not to blink, slowly staring around the room - trying to find where Reino had slunk off too now.
"You!"
Sho couldn't help it; he let out a strangled yell and jumped so hard that he knocked over his cup completely, spilling his coffee all over the table. The women over at the next table shot him a glare - which he ignore thank you very much - and left. Sho didn't care; he was just trying to calm his pounding heart.
Kyoko moved to stand in front of him. "What are you doing here? I can't believe that..." she trailed off as she got a good look at him before smirking. "You look like hell."
"You think I don't know that?" he hissed, taking a quick look round to see if Reino had circled any closer whilst he was distracted.
Kyoko frowned at his answer and how he was acting. Ignoring the puddle of coffee that was dripping onto the floor, she slid into the seat opposite her childhood friend and self-professed rival.
"What's wrong?" despite how much she hated Sho right now...she still didn't like to see him in this kind of state. Stupid childhood crush.
And yes. She would be lamenting about this when she was in private.
Sho shot her a haunted look.
"I'm being stalked." He whispered urgently.
Kyoko's eyes widened. "Stalked? By who?"
"Reino. He's been following me for three weeks."
Okay. So maybe she didn't like him that much but Reino-stalking was something that needed to be banded together over.
"Three weeks?"
"Yes! He's a ninja shark!"
Kyoko blanked her face. Er...what?
But Sho wasn't done yet.
"He keeps circling me and I can't see him clearly and he just doesn't give up - it's all the time, every hour and I haven't slept in two weeks and everyone thinks I'm going crazy but I'm not...I'm Not. You believe me don't you Kyoko." He lunged across the table, ignoring the coffee soaking into his jacket and grabbed her hands. "Yes. You believe me. You know what he's like. Always there. Always there."
Kyoko's eyes were as big as saucers. Poor boy. He'd snapped under the pressure of showbiz. It could happen. Now all she had to do was reclaim her hands and then go find some medical help for him.
"Yes, yes Sho-kun. I know exactly what you mean." She said placatingly, gently tugging her trapped hands. "Now. Let's get you out of here so you can have some niiiiiice rest..."
"No! I can't sleep! He'll come for me if I sleep! I must stay awake and watch out for him!"
Sho's eyes darted from side to side and his grip on her hands tightened. Kyoko breathed in slowly.
"Ok, Sho-kun, ok. No sleeping. But look - you've got coffee on your jacket, we can't have that - what would your fans think? Now, let's go find your agent so she can phone the nice people to bring you a new jacket. A white jacket."
Kyoko ignored the hunted look Sho was sporting and looked about the hall for his agent. Maybe she was outside? Sho was busy mumbling to himself and she tugged on his hands to get his attention.
"Come on Sho-kun. I won't let go of your hand. There's nothing to GAAAAAAAAH!"
She screamed loudly, quickly joined in by Sho because as she had turned to lead Sho out, Reino was right there! Standing not a foot away from her!
He hadn't been in the hall when she looked not a second before and now he was standing there and the door was on the opposite side of the room and that should have been impossible.
Sho whimpered and huddled into his corner, sporting a hunted look.
Reino smirked and slowly slid onto the bench next to him.
"Well hello there Sho-chan."
Sho made a strangled noise of fear. Reino reached out and gently brushed his fingertips over Sho's jaw.
"I've missed you."
Sho stopped breathing.
Reino opened his mouth to say something else before a look of annoyance passed over his face and he drew back slightly.
"As much as this was fun for me. I have to go now." He smirked at Sho one last time. "Don't worry lovely; I'll be back for you later."
With that parting shot he slid under the table.
Sho and Kyoko caught each other's eye and scrabbled to look under the table, both unwilling to take their eyes off Reino.
He had disappeared.
They both stared at each other before pulling their feet up onto the chair and huddling in the foetal position, unwilling to move from their spot in case Reino suddenly appeared under their table again.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you..."
"It's ok. Please don't leave me now."
"I won't. Was that...?" Kyoko asked, scared.
"Yeah..." Sho shakily agreed.
They both didn't need to say it but they were both thinking the same thing.
Ninja shark.