GREETINGS! First off, I want to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story. As always, it means a lot that you guys take an interest. Your support definitely helps me to continue writing. Well, I hope you like this part as much (if not better) as the other. Thank you again everyone! Please Read and Review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"Don't deny this! It's as clear as day!"

"No, it's not."

"You can't be serious! You're just going to dismiss it?"

"I didn't say I will dismiss it. I just refuse to accept your guess."

"IT'S NOT A GUESS! I know what it is!"

"And how could you know? Are you a specialist of this sort of thing?"

"NO! BUT I'VE HAD IT BEFORE!"

"So have I."

"NO, YOU HAVEN'T!"

Yashiro sighed heavily, plopping himself down on the lounge chair in wariness as he watched the two argue with each other. It was quite amazing how everything appeared to be going perfectly well just seconds ago and then in a blink of an eye, take a turn for the worse. Yashiro shook his head and leaned against the headrest. He was oddly worn out.

"Yashiro-san?" a timid voice suddenly asked from behind.

In a snap, the manager sat up bolt right and surprisingly saw the director of the drama Dark Moon standing beside him with a worried look upon his face. "What's going on?" he asked with a voice ridden with distress.

Yashiro followed Director Ogata's anxious gaze and found himself staring at the couple once again who were still wrapped up in their dispute. "It's nothing, Director Ogata. Just a petty fight," Yashiro replied as he adjusted his glasses in an unconcerned manner.

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly. "Because Kyoko-san looks really upset."

And with hearing like a bat, Kyoko suddenly removed herself from the argument and ran towards Director Ogata with a feverish expression. Her eyes glowed with determination (and a hint of insanity) as she exclaimed in a firm voice, "Director, please tell Tsuruga-san to go home!"

Director Ogata took a nervous step back and stammered, "W-w-w-why? What's wrong?"

Ren smoothly followed right after her and said in an equally hard voice, "Please disregard her words, Director. She has no idea what she's talking about."

"OF COURSE I DO! Stop saying that!"

"Wait, wait, Kyoko-san," Director Ogata interrupted with a raised hand. "What are you referring to?"

"THAT!" Kyoko exclaimed as she pointed to Ren's neck that was now covered up. "THE OBVIOUS EVDIENCE OF CHICKENPOX!"

"Chickenpox?" Director Ogata repeated in surprise. "You have chickenpox, Ren?"

Ren sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No, Mogami-san insists that my mosquito bite is actually chickenpox, but of course, she's just overreacting."

Kyoko glared. "No, I'm not," she said through clenched teeth. "That is not a mosquito bite! A bite from a mosquito should be bigger! This one is small! And not to mention the fact that it's fluid filled and there are signs of you getting more around the same spot! AND ISN'T IT REALLY ITCHY?"

Ren shook his head, clearly disagreeing, yet at the same time, trying to resist the temptation to scratch right at that moment.

"Tsuruga-san! This is serious!"

"Ren, maybe you should go get it checked," Director Ogata advised as he peeked at Kyoko who looked to be on the near verge of tearing out her hair. "It doesn't hurt."

"I'm sorry, Director, but I will not take limited time out of my work day to get a test that I know will come up negative."

Kyoko growled. "If you're so sure, then why not do it and prove me wrong?"

Ren stubbornly shook his head and replied, "There's no need to prove you wrong."

"Yes, there is! Be ABSOLUTELY SURE that it isn't it, and I'll drop it!"

"Come on, Ren," Yashiro added. "Just do it. It won't take long."

Ren averted his gaze. He did not like where this was going. If there was anything Ren hated, it would be neglecting work. He was already scrunched on time as it was. Running to the doctor right at the start of the day would completely push him behind schedule.

"Look," he replied in stern voice, "I've had the chickenpox. I distinctly remember having it. Isn't that enough?"

"You yourself said it was when you were nine," Kyoko argued desperately. "Your memory could be mistaken! It could have possibly been something else!"

"Mogami-san, as an actor, I would hope that my ability to remember is accurate. So I assure you that I'm not mistaken about this, even if it was years ago."

Kyoko let out a cry of frustration as she flung her hands in the air. "You're impossible!"

"Ren, just get a quick check," Director Ogata insisted in a kind voice. "It shouldn't take too long."

He sighed and shook his head. "Director, the nearest medical center here is at least 30 minutes away. If there was one closer, I—"

"—would get it checked out?"

Everyone quickly turned around and saw President Lory, dressed in a full suit of silk imperial robes, standing behind them with his hands linked behind his back. He had a firm look upon his face and frowned. "Well, Ren? If there was one close by, will you go and get it checked?"

Ren narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Yes," he replied slowly. "I will, if there was one close by."

President Lory beamed. "Well lucky for you, I hired a doctor on hand today because of the outbreak. He's actually in my office as we speak. So why not do a quick run up and see if Mogami-kun is right?"

Kyoko enthusiastically turned to her mentor with glowing eyes. She didn't say a word as she stared into his face, but her expression said it all: please.

Ren glowered. He hated being won out like this. It was highly unfair. Shouldn't it be his choice of whether or not he wanted to go? He was a grown man after all. Ren didn't need someone to tell him when or when not to go and get a check-up.

But while staring in her hopeful face, Ren realized that Kyoko sincerely had good intentions. And in spite of everything, wasn't this a sign that showed just how much she cared about him?

"Or more like a sense of duty," Ren thought.

He sighed pathetically and shook his head.

"Please Tsuruga-san," Kyoko whispered as she looked at him with a pleading expression. "Just one quick check. It will really mean a lot to me."

"Why?" he asked in a quiet murmur.

"Because I don't want to miss out on valuable time with you on set."

Ren froze with his eyes locked on hers. Her words were harmless enough, but at the same time he couldn't deny the surge of happiness that welled up inside of him. Maybe a part of her truly did care about him.

And knowing that he had fully lost against her, Ren warily ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "Alright."

The group cheered—even Director Ogata smiled as he saw Ren's defeated expression.

"I'll go," Ren continued in the same tone.

"But," he added in a firmer voice, "let me say this now, I know for a fact—no, I'm absolutely sure that I do NOT— I repeat, NOT—have the—"

"Chickenpox. It's definitely chickenpox," the doctor stated as he snapped his black bag shut. "I would advise plenty of bed-rest for the next couple of days or so as the virus runs its course. He should be better by the end of the week."

"Yes sir," Yashiro said politely with a bow of his head. "I'll get right on that."

"And here's a prescription for some calamine lotion too. He will need it."

"Thank you, sir," Yashiro replied.

Then with a slight bow of his head, the elderly doctor exited the office without another word.

Yashiro looked over his shoulder and smiled amusedly. The state of his friend was both humorous and heart-wrenching. Ren had had his drooping head in his hands for the last ten minutes. He hadn't moved an inch. With a quiet sigh, Yashiro was about to approach him with some consoling words to offer when a quiet knock suddenly sounded upon the oak doors of President Lory's office.

After one last look at the sorrowful actor, Yashiro walked to the door and pushed it open, seeing none other than Kyoko's anxious face.

"So?" she pressed. "Is it?"

Yashiro let out a wary laugh. "Yes, it is."

It was clear that Kyoko wanted to cry out in glee. She looked like she had won the lottery, but before a sound could escape her lips, Yashiro put up a hand to stop her. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, but quickly understood when Yashiro gestured to the patient inside the room.

Kyoko smiled sadly. It was highly inaccurate to say that she wanted Ren to have the chickenpox. She just wanted to prove him wrong—or more like burst his over-inflated ego when it came to his health. He was always the one who refused to accept the fact that he did not have the health of superman even if he did have "expert training" on his physical body. But while looking at his hunched figure, Kyoko sighed and leaned against the door.

"He looks devastated."

Yashiro chuckled under his breath. "Well, he's definitely taking it pretty hard."

"I didn't want him to be sick," Kyoko said with a pout.

"I know you didn't, Kyoko-chan."

She smiled gratefully. "So what now?"

"The doctor told him to go home for the next few days. So it looks like I'll be rescheduling all of his appointments and interviews for the rest of the week."

Kyoko shook her head. "He's definitely not going to like that," she said, knowing full well what her mentor's reaction was going to be.

"Well, there's nothing he can do about it, can he?" Yashiro replied as he glanced over his shoulder once more. "If he wants to get better fast, he has to do as he's told."

Kyoko laughed at Yashiro's stern tone. She rarely ever witnessed his serious side and it was interesting to see him so adamant.

"But you know," Yashiro said in a sadder tone, "I wish I could make him feel happier somehow. His depressing mood is really starting to get to me."

She nodded thoughtfully and added, "Me too. I don't like seeing him so upset."

Yashiro turned to her and smiled. Kyoko was incredibly sweet. She always had a tendency to care about others, even though she believed she had lost the capacity to do so. It was practically in her genes to be so considerate.

"That must be why he cares so much about her," Yashiro thought.

Then suddenly, it hit him. Yashiro froze as the greatest idea he had ever formulated entered his mind. It was perfect. There was no way it could go wrong. Not only would Ren be taken care of, but he would also be in higher spirits and there was no harm in that, right? Yashiro grinned widely.

"Perfect."

Kyoko arched an eyebrow in curiosity when she turned her gaze away from Ren's slumped figure to Yashiro. "What's perfect?" she murmured.

Yashiro quickly shook his head and replied, "Oh nothing! I just thought of a new way to move his appointments around. But never mind that. Anyway, Kyoko-chan, can I ask you to do something important for me?"

"Sure, Yashiro-san," she replied with a nod. "How can I help?"

"Well, Kyoko-chan, you're aware that I haven't had the chickenpox yet, right?"

She nodded.

"And so, I'm not exactly the best equipped person to take care of Ren."

She didn't reply.

"I mean, how much help can I be if I can't even be in the same room?"

Kyoko gulped. "Yashiro-san, what are you implying?"

He smiled brightly. "Do you think you can take care of him for the week until he feels better?" he asked in a cheery voice.

"WHAT?" Kyoko screeched.

Yashiro shushed her with a flail of his hand, quickly glancing over his shoulder to see if Ren was disturbed, but from the looks of it, he hadn't even noticed they were in the room.

"Yashiro-san!" she hissed in a lower voice. "That's absolutely ridiculous!"

"Why? You've taken care of him before when he was sick."

"That was because I was his manager!" Kyoko replied defensively. "The time called for it!"

Yashiro gave her a critical look. "So you really don't care about his well-being?"

Kyoko fell silent.

He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I guess that time really was out of sense of duty, wasn't it?"

"No," she whispered with downcast eyes. "That's not true."

Yashiro turned to look at her. "No?"

Kyoko exhaled deeply and asked instead, "Why me, Yashiro-san?"

He smiled. "Because you've had the chickenpox before, because you've taken care of him before, and because he trusts you."

She had to admit that those were valid reasons, except for that last one. It seemed very biased so she didn't take much from it, but the other ones made some sort of sense. Since she did have the chickenpox before, she was the least likely person to get it again. And Ren was definitely not capable of taking care of himself. Heck, he could barely take care of himself when he was healthy.

And Yashiro had enough on his plate as a manager without having the responsibility of watching over Ren as a nurse too. Not to mention the fact that Kyoko was quite convinced that Yashiro didn't really have much of an idea on how to care for someone with chickenpox since he never had it before. So it looked like Kyoko was the best candidate for the job.

She sighed in defeat.

"Okay."

"Okay what?" Yashiro asked innocently.

Kyoko bit on her lower lip. "I'll do it."

"You will?" he cried in glee. "This means a lot, Kyoko-chan! Thank you. "

She smiled warily. "Don't thank me yet. I need to get him better first, right?"

"Well, just stay with him and I think that will be more than enough to help him recover."

Although Kyoko was quite confused about the comment, she nodded nonetheless and said, "I guess I should go start now, then?"

Yashiro chuckled. "That sounds like a good idea."

Kyoko let out a deep, nervous breath, but with a quick shake of her head, she managed to come up with a small smile. Yashiro smiled reassuringly in return and exited the room, deciding to give the two some privacy. Then without any hint hesitation, she slipped through the door and silently walked up to Ren who had raised his head a fraction of an inch at her approach. He sighed darkly.

"Go on."

"Go on what?" she asked as she sat down beside him on the plushy, red couch.

"I told you so? Isn't that what you're going to say?"

Kyoko laughed, making Ren sit up straighter in surprise. "What's the point of saying it when you obviously know?"

Ren smiled gratefully.

"So," she began in a casual yet firm tone, "now that you know you're sick, you know what you have to do, right?"

He glared at the floor. "I can't believe it. This is exactly why I didn't want to know. I can't afford a day off."

"Yashiro-san said he could push things around. So you don't have to worry," she answered, deciding not to correct the fact that he would have to take a week off instead of a day.

Ren nodded and got to his feet, not fully reassured, but aware that that was the most he could get. "Then I guess I can't do anything else, but go home."

"Right," Kyoko agreed, as she stared up at him. "But you're not going to drive, are you?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "How else can I go home, Mogami-san?"

"A taxi."

"When I have a car?" he asked in a skeptical voice.

"Well, personally, I don't want to be in a car driven by someone who might come down with an itch frenzy any second now."

Ren froze. "What?"

Kyoko smiled tentatively.

"You don't think you can tackle this chickenpox by yourself, do you, Tsuruga-san?"

He stared at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean?" he murmured in confusion.

"I think you're going to need a little help from someone who has had it before," Kyoko answered.

She fluidly stood up from her seat and reached for her pink cell phone in the back pocket of her LoveME uniform.

Kyoko smiled.

"Should I call us a cab?"