Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat.

Chapter 1 - Roles

"Good morning, Sawara-san." Standing in front of Takenori Sawara's desk was Mogami Kyoko, bowing politely to him.

"Ah…Mogami-san, good morning."

"I believe that you called for me?"

"Oh yes, yes. Few new offers came for you, Mogami-san. It's really amazing to see there's so many offers coming to you since you'd started acting two years ago. You're really talented to have risen so fast." Grinning, Sawara handed four folders to her.

"Please Sawara-san, you're thinking too highly of me. I'm nowhere near to be an actress. I'm just an amateur, I still need to work hard to improve to be an actress!" Kyoko, who was not aware of her talent, was not used to people praising her.

"Mogami-san, you're an amazing actress, everyone had been surprised by your Mio and Natsu. You made those characters more lively than intended. You're completely eligible to be known as an actress!"

"No, Sawara-san, I…."

"Mogami-san, would you please look at those folders first?" Sawara who was aware of her reaction towards praise, cut her off with the mention of the current issue.

Kyoko, although flustered at the older man's praise, was able to ask the question that had been bugging her since Sawara told her about those new offers.

"Are all of them….bully roles?" She was clutching those folders with a glint of hope in her eyes. She had been so scared to be typecast as a dark, scary, cruel bully after her acts in Dark Moon and Box 'R'.

"Well, if you're so concern about it, why don't you see for yourself?" He pointed at those blue folders.

Gulped, Kyoko opened the first folder.

The first offer was a drama named "The Chase" She'd been cast as Tanaka Azumi, an assistant to a stone-cold murderer. She's a girl with a tragic past and uses the ordinary life of a typical high-school girl as her façade. Her family had been innocently killed in a bank robbery 6 years ago except her. She'd been trained by the professional killer as his assistant after he saved her from a gang fight.

She sighed. Another bully role, she thought. And worse, it's an assistant to a killer this time.

She looked at those remaining folders and glanced up to Sawara resignedly.

"Maybe there's miracle in the next three folders, Mogami-san, don't give up." He smiled.

Sighed again, she looked at the second folder.

…A girl with absurd interest in blood and likes to torture her boyfriends before killing them. A police detective in the end will capture her.

She sighed.

Third folder.

…A high-classed lady who was betrayed by the fact that her boyfriend was screwing her best friend and turned into a hateful woman who will kill them in the end..

All three roles are involved in killing. Sighing deeply, she reached for the last folder with great reluctance.

It had been amazing for Sawara to see Kyoko transformed into her characters on-scene but it was fascinating to see her eyes and her aura changed from dead to alive.

"Sa…Sa….Sawara san, it….it's….it's….it's a…a….amazing! I will be a….a….a…." Well, she was too surprised. This was her dream, her fantasy, her everything.

"Yes. A princess, Mogami-san. You'll get to be a princess." Crossed his arms in front of his chest, Sawara smiled deeply at the girl who was drowned in her fantasies.

"A princess. Princess, princess, princess, princess, princess, princess, princess, princess, princess! PRINCESS!" Oh yes, she is INDEED in her LaLa-Land.

"Mogami-san, We'll have to….."

"A princess! I'll wear frilly dress with sparkling ornaments that adorn it."

"About the costumes, Mogami-san…."

"I'll wear a tiara. A TIARA with diamonds and magical stones on it. A TIARA!"

"A tiara? I supposed it wouldn't….."

"I'll live in a palace which has magical fountain and magical garden with magical fairies!"

"Fountain? Fairies? Magical? Oh my….."

"I'll have the ability to communicate with the animals and the fairies! I can talk to the trees, flowers and the birds!"

"Wait….Wait a minute Mogami-…."

"Oh perhaps I have magic to repair spoilt things and heal wounded soldiers!"

"You're not a mechanic or a doctor, Mogami-…."

"I'll be the classy, beautiful, well-respected princess who is loved by her country."

"Mogam-…..."

"I'll be the BEST princess on earth!"

"Mogami-san, have you read about the role y-….."

"Oh I'm a princess…."

"Mogami-san!"

"Princ-"

"MOGAMI KYOKO ! STOP !"

"Ehhhhhh?" Mogami Kyoko, who was completely oblivious of the pain she caused by her out-of-the-world thought, was staring blankly at her irritated superior.

"Sawara-san?"

"Did you read about the character of your role?"

"Ehh? It's okay, I'll be a prin-"Her word was cut short by the furious Sawara.

"READ IT NOW!" The poor Head of LME's Talent Section was on the edge of strangling her.

Intimidated by her superior's murderous glare, she turned her attention back onto the folder.

Title: Strangers In Dark

- The story is set based on the Monarchy system in modern Japan.

Princess Takuzawa Naomi, the fourth child of the Emperor and the Late-Empress, is the unwanted child in the royal family. She was the product of the last-attempt the Late-Empress made to win back the Emperor's heart. When her plan failed, the Late-Empress committed suicide when Naomi was at the age of five.

Being brought up in an ignorant and stressful environment, Naomi had developed a multiple-personality-disorder. One side of her was the graceful, kind-hearted and obedient royal princess whereas the other side of her was polar opposite. The second personality she created was named Kasumi, with the meaning of "mist". Kasumi was a girl with pride, confidence and only freedom in her heart. She was rebellious, she involved herself in clubbing, stealing, illegal speeding and even gang fighting. She was playing beyond the law, and she enjoyed it.

There was a man, her bodyguard, whose name was Matsuko Shin. His family had served the royal family for generations and he had liked the princess when they were kids. The princess was oblivious to his feeling but he was contented to be able to stand by her side to protect her. One day, when he was off-duty, he came across a gang fight in town and he tried to resolve it. In the middle of the fight, he saw Kasumi. Despite her make-up, her wigs, her colored contacts, and her provocative clothing, he was able to see right through her. She was princess Takuzawa Naomi, the girl he loved. -

The final part had not been written yet so she did not know how the story will go. But that was not her problem.

"…No magical fountain? No fairies?" Her head bent so Sawara could not see her expression but her voice had been so disappointed and hollow that made him feeling guilty himself.

"No…..but-"

"…No magical power?"

"No..."

"…..No animals?"

"Well, I'm sure they could put some stray dogs in the scene of the gang fight." He tried to liven up the atmosphere.

"…No best-of-the-world-princess?"

He grimaced at the aura that began to surround Kyoko. He could swear to God that he could see little spirits around her waiting to lung forward to kill him.

"STOP! MOGAMI-SAN ! STOP AND GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Sighing, he had to wonder how many times he shouted in the morning just to communicate with Mogami Kyoko.

Killing aura dissipated. Kyoko, whose dream had been crushed mercilessly, looked up at Sawara with her teary golden eyes.

"Well, Mogami-san, you'll have the chance to be a beautiful and graceful princess in a palace when you're playing Naomi. It's not so bad right?"

"I don't want it. I don't want it!" She shouted in frustration and tears started to run down her cheeks.

"If not this, then you'll need to choose among other three."

She stared at him with this sorrowful puppy-eyed look that made Sawara wanted to jump off the building.

Oh no, it's just the third floor, he probably will not die but ends up in a wheelchair. Bad idea, bad idea.

Hating himself for his stupid thought. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Think, Mogami-san, don't you think it's a role that's worth trying? You'll get to play a challenging character that required a top-notch acting skill to pull it off. It will be a great learning process for you and besides….."

"Besides…..?" Kyoko, who tried hard to process what Sawara said, looked up to him in bewilderment.

"Besides….You'll get to act opposite your sempai."

Kyoko's eyes stared widely in surprise. No, no, no, no, no. It can't be…

"Tsuruga Ren."

BULLSEYE

It's my first fanfic so reviews are welcomed !