A/N: I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter. Onwards to the second chapter!
Also, I don't own Skip Beat!
Chapter 1: It's Good To Be Back
"Reeeeeeen! I can't believe you!" Yashiro groaned in the car. They were on their way back to LME from a photo-shoot that had taken place in downtown Tokyo. The stampede that had occurred following his appearance on set had nearly threatened the safety of every crew member. People had literally been forced to climb things to escape the chaos. Ren himself was every bit the calm and composed man as he had been ushered into his car and told to return to LME until the situation was under control. The entire time, much to Ren's chagrin, Yashiro had not stopped bemoaning the fact that he had refused an offer from Kyoko to come over and cook him dinner. He sighed.
"Yashiro, why does this bother you so much?" Ren asked wearily, pulling into the underground parking lot of LME. He had refused because he was afraid of what he might do to her in the process of a night alone.
"Because it's so painfully obvious that you're in love with Kyoko – chan and I want you to grab her while she's still available!" Yashiro retorted. He was sure that pretty soon he would have to start to grovel in order for Ren to listen to him.
"Mogami-san isn't a thing to be grabbed Yashiro. Besides, she's LME's number 1 Love Me girl, she's not going anywhere anytime soon." Ren took some solace in the fact that he could take his time in slowly chipping away at the wall that the girl had constructed around her heart. It was an almost impenetrable wall, but there had to be a crack somewhere. And Ren was determined to find that crack. He knew he didn't have much competition for her heart other than Fuwa, and he wasn't really considering his position in the woman's heart. He was more of a nuisance more than anything else. On the whole, he wasn't too worried.
"But it could happen!" Yashiro persisted. "And it could be anyone!`` He stressed the word as they entered the empty elevator. "I know you don't consider the Fuwa brat a threat, but there are other men in the world who are! Remember Kijima?" Ren stiffened at the name of the womanizing actor. "See what I mean? I –" He stopped as they stepped out of the elevator onto the main lobby, Yashiro fishing in his pocket for his buzzing phone.
"Hang on, it's probably Shingai-san confirming next week's appointment.." He snapped his gloves on and flipped the phone on. "Hello – President?" Ren watched as his manager's face scrunched up in confusion. "Me?" He pointed to himself. "Are you sure? Uh, alright then. Yes, of course. See you." Yashiro clicked off and faced Ren.
"What was that about?"
"I have no idea. The president wants to see me. Says you can attend your next meeting alone." Ren raised an eyebrow at that. Yashiro shrugged.
"It's the president. What're you gonna do?"
Ren nodded.
"What indeed. Well see you in a bit then."
With that, the two men split up, heading in opposite directions. Yashiro rode up the elevator and let out a small shriek of shock as the elevator doors closed behind him. Inside stood the president's right hand man, Sebastian, dressed as police officer. The elevator itself looked like a crime scene with caution tape all over it and Polaroid shots of what Yashiro dearly hoped weren't real corpses. The next 5 minutes were the most awkward of Yashiro's life. Sebastian wasn't in the habit of making small talk and the cheerful elevator music was in dreadful juxtaposition to the elevators' grisly contents. It was with a sigh of relief that Yashiro finally got off, only for his heart to begin hammering in his chest as he caught sight of the president.
The whole office was decorated as a crime scene, complete with corpses which on closer inspection were dummies. There were crime scene photos scattered on the floor as well as minutes from court trials. The president himself was dressed as a police chief and was sitting with a largely imposing aura at his desk. Had he been a real chief of police, Yashiro reckoned that Tokyo would be a lot safer than it currently was.
"Ah Yashiro!" The president beamed, effectively breaking the sinister spell. "Good to see you my boy! Come, sit down." He kicked a rolling office chair over to Yashiro who gingerly sat down, yelping as Sebastian kicked the chair back to the President, sending the chair flying with Yashiro in it, holding on for dear life. The president stopped the chair with his foot nonchalantly.
This man is not normal! Yashiro wailed internally.
"Good afternoon President-san." Yashiro returned the greeting weakly, still recovering from his trip. He would never get used to his eccentricities.
"Alright, let's get down to business Imai Kaien-san." Yashiro froze, looking at the blatant amusement on the president's face.
"Y-you know?" He stammered as Lory grinned.
"Not much gets by me Yashiro. You didn't think I would do a background check when I hired you? I called the president of your last agency. He was only too happy to tell me everything." Yashiro cried tears silently at the President's carefree smile. I bet you scared him silly, he thought dryly. "I've known since the beginning."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Why would I? It was your choice. If you wanted to keep it a secret, I saw no reason to out you. There was a reason I put you as Ren's manager. You think I would let a rookie manager manage Ren's career that easily? No way. I did it because you'd been on the other side of the camera longer than he had. You made an excellent mentor for him, even if neither of you saw it."
Yashiro realized once again that just because the man was eccentric, no one should make the mistake of underestimating him. It was way too dangerous.
"May I ask what I've been called here for President-san?" Yashiro asked politely. He hoped it was something trivial, but his gut told him otherwise.
"I've got some job offers for you. As an actor I mean." Yashiro stiffened.
"I thought I had made it clear that I was in retirement?" He said carefully.
"Oh I know. But I find, one can agree to come out of retirement given the right….incentives." Lory looked at him with a look that Yashiro could only describe as evil. He didn't really want to know what was going on, but he had almost unconsciously gone into business mode at the mention of incentives.
"Incentive? What incentive?"
Pleased that he had Yashiro's full attention, the president continued.
"A chance to make Ren make a move on Kyoko-chan." Yashiro sat back in his chair.
"Forgive me President-san. But I'm not so obsessed that I would come out of my own imposed retirement to make them fall in love. In any case, say I hypothetically agree to come out of retirement, how would me acting make Ren ask Kyoko-chan out?"
"Simple, one of the directors, Asami-san from Akitoki, wants to cast you in a drama that stars you and Kyoko-chan as forbidden lovers." Yashiro's eyes widened. Was the president trying to kill him?
"Are you serious? Me? With Kyoko-chan as my leading lady? Do you want me dead or something? I'll be gutted like a fish!" Yashiro seemed petrified with terror. Lory rolled his eyes.
"Oh calm down. Are you a man or not? Besides, the whole point is to make Ren jealous that you get to spend so much time with her."
Yashiro flinched, remembering the last time he'd come across a jealous Ren. Not fun. He'd honestly face a truck on the highway on a pogo stick.
"Okay, I see your point. But why me? Couldn't you accomplish the same thing with any actor? It doesn't have to be me." Lory laughed and clicked a button, enabling a giant monitor to appear in front of the two.
"On the contrary Yashiro, it must be you. Do you remember this?" He clicked another button and Yashiro recognized the clip playing on the screen as the conversation he and Ren had had not even 20 minutes ago.
"it's so painfully obvious that you're in love with Kyoko – chan and I want you to grab her while she's still available!"
"Mogami-san isn't a thing to be grabbed Yashiro. Besides, she's LME's number 1 Love Me girl, she's not going anywhere anytime soon."
"But it could happen! And it could be anyone!"
Lory paused the scene as Yashiro cursed his big mouth. It was because of things like this that he always, always, always got into trouble. Even in school it had been like this.
"You see," the president continued conversationally. "I want Ren to realize that he can't wait anymore. And you will help me. You will help Ren to realize that there are threats everywhere. Even you." Yashiro sighed. Any way he looked at it, it seemed like a suicide mission.
"And if I refuse?" Yashiro asked idly, staring blandly back at the president.
"You know, just the other day, Maria was telling me how effective her voodoo curses are. Apparently her last nanny still hasn't been released from the insane asylum." Lory said cheerfully as Yashiro paled. It didn't look like he had a choice. It was either death by Ren or death by Maria, and frankly I'm more scared of the kid.
"Do we have a deal?" The president slid an acting contract towards Yashiro who sighed.
"Deal." He signed the document dejectedly, seeing his life flash before his eyes. It had been fun he guessed.
"Now then," the President said, looking Yashiro up and down. "I think some aesthetic work needs to be done to return you to your former appearance, no?" He gestured and two broad suit clad men stepped forward and uh...forcefully led Yashiro away.
"Jelly Woods is waiting to give you your make over. She will return you to your former look with some adjustments to include your age. Oh and Yashiro?"
"Yes President?" said the dejected manager.
"I lied. Maria's never had a nanny."
"PRESIDENT-SAN!"
Lory laughed as Yashiro was dragged away.
~1 hour later~
"Kyaaaaa~!" Jelly squealed as she finished styling and setting Yashiro's hair, setting it in a shaggier style that he would have worn had he been in the acting business. Oh wait. He was in the acting business.
That damn president.
"I think you may even be cuter than Ren! Oh gosh don't tell him I said that." Yashiro grinned weakly.
"I hope it stays that way once Ren's finished with me." He muttered darkly, shuddering as he thought of possible outcomes of this scheme of the presidents. He looked at his hair in the mirror.
"Um, Jelly-san, I can't look like this all the time. What am I-" He stopped as Jelly held out a light brown wig to him.
"I thought you might need it so I styled in your normal hairstyle. You just need to secure it to your head and comb it as you would normally to set it. But tell me," she said, turning Yashiro in his chair, so he could see his reflection. "How does it feel to be Imai Kaien again?" Yashiro stared at himself in the mirror. His glasses were gone and his hair was back to his original black. He hadn't needed glasses to begin with, they were just a means of disguise. It had been almost 4 years since he'd seen his hair this color. It was nostalgic he had to admit as he ruffled his fingers through his shaggy hair and grinned.
It's good to be back!
A/N: Read & Review please!