A/N: So hey, I haven't updated in a long time…mainly cuz a friend died and then at school we had a LOT of tests and I had to make sure I had a vaccine for college, cuz I'm starting in the spring. I reread this chapter and chapter 5 and decided that I didn't like where they were going so I redid them. Here's this one, and I should have chapter 5 redone by Thursday. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

And I don't own Skip Beat, if I did, everyone (but Sho) would be happily married without a care in the world…

Recap:

Little did they know that Ren and Kyoko were still talking in his car outside of Daryuma about their best friend's. How they couldn't keep their eyes off of each other. Kyoko giggled giddily and gave Ren a good nights kiss before running to her room. Lory sat on his couch, playing the same love sims game he always did; in his mind it was Kanae and Yashiro, and for the past 5 hours nothing had gone right until one of the characters friends gave them a little push. His face lit with a grin and his eyes had a wicked gleam as an idea came to him.

Kanae rolled out of bed and sat up. She groaned at the time on the digital clock (5:03) and fell back onto her bed. She didn't have to get up, in reality, for another 30 minutes. Then the actress remembered what she had learned the previous night and got up. She muttered to herself as she bustled around getting dressed and ready for the day. Kanae stomped out of her apartment door and walked to her bike rack. She grabbed the bike violently, and it got caught. She growled at it and shouted "Mo!" before kicking the poor thing and walking off.

She reached the corner of the street and called a taxi. On her way to work she called Kyoko. After the 3rd ring her friend picked up.

"Moko-san! Good morning!" Kanae sighed, a mix of happiness and frustration at her best friend's happy attitude.

"Oh-hai-yo, Kyoko-chan. I'm sorry but I can't meet you on my bike like normal—it got caught and I had to take a taxi." Kyoko's voice came back hurried and Kanae could barely understand what was being said.

"Oh that's alright, because I forgot to tell you that Ren will be picking me up from now on." Kanae growled. That man had already stolen Kyoko's heart—now he was stealing her time too! The actress attempted to control her rage at him as the taxi driver eyed her warily. She took a deep breath before continuing her conversation.

"Mo! Well, I'll just ride my bike to work on my own every day. See you at work Kyoko."

"Actually, Moko-san, I have a meeting with the President and Ren today, to tell him about our relationship. And then I have a shooting for my new drama with Ren—"

Kanae interrupted her.

"Wait wait wait: since when do you call him REN?! Without any honorifics?! Mo!" She could practically hear Kyoko gulp at the other end of the line.

"Um, since last night, when he asked me to be his girlfriend…" Kanae was about to shout but her anger quickly left her as she thought back to the night before. She sighed, and looked out the window.

"Ano, Moko-san? Are you still there?" Kanae sighed again and nodded before realizing that Kyoko couldn't see her.

"Mo! Yes, I'm still here. Okay, I guess I'll try to see you at lunch, right?" After Kyoko's hurried yesses Kanae got out in front of the LME building. She looked up at the 14th floor (really the 13th but who cares) got angry just thinking about Ren stealing Kyoko away from her. Kanae stomped all the way to the LoveMe room, scaring many of the workers. When she got there and began changing, Chiori walked in. The shorter woman didn't say anything past a nod in greeting before pulling on the horrid pink jumpsuit as well. Once Kanae was done changing, she looked at her desk. She harrumphed at the pile of LoveMe assignments and sorted through them, which ones she could do before having to go to a couple of photo shoots, and which would have to wait.

Upstairs, Ren and Kyoko held hands as they waited outside the President's office for their meeting. They were talking quietly, laughing, and in general ignoring Yashiro. He stood and announced that he was going to get a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. Ren's nod was the only signal that the 2 stars had heard him and he squealed before leaving them alone. As soon as he was gone they stood up and the President let them in. He was wearing a golden laurel wreath on his head, and had on a white toga belted with brown leather, and brown sandals. There were lamp-like torch things that lit the fake pathway to the marble throne that was his desk.

After he sat down they began talking. He had contacted them before after Ren had told him what had happened. The night before, Lory had let the idea concerning a poor unsuspecting manager and actress take root. He, along with Ren and Kyoko, were planning now how best to set it in action. He wanted to somehow keep Yashiro and Kanae running into each other, until they eventually acknowledged that they were at least friends. Once that happened, he wanted to trap them together somewhere like an abandoned island so as to give them time to realize and confess their feelings for each other.

Kyoko modified it to have them work together at something that would make their feelings come out, and then send them to the island. Ren, on the other hand, perfected it by suggesting that he and Kyoko date for about 2 months like planned before taking it the next step and getting married (don't worry, they planned it out the night before while talking and were practically engaged already) and then while they go away on their honeymoon have Yashiro work as Kanae's manager until his return. All in all—the trio thought it a fool-proof plan, until they were interrupted.

A certain spoiled blonde boy came running in demanding to see Kyoko. He was blocked by Sebastian. The quiet strength of the man calmed down the singer enough to resort to simply shouting.

"Kyoko! Come back to me! I was just fired and I need someone who loves me to take care of me!" At this the young actress (not entirely all that young anymore) stood and stared the poor boy down. Her Natsu came out, with a hint of Setsu, as she walked towards him.

"Oh, the little boy got fired, did he? Well, isn't that sad! What can I do about it?" Sho's face was shocked at first, but after struggling to find words a few minutes he spoke.

"What can you do about it?! Kyoko, you're the number 1 actress in Japan! Everyone knows who you are—you could convince anyone to take me in as a singer!" Kyoko shook her head.

"No I couldn't, and I won't. If you can't take care of yourself without an agency then you don't deserve to be famous—wait, did you just say I'm that number 1 actress in Japan?!" She started hopping up and down and in a circle, until Ren grasped her arms. She looked up at him sheepishly before scuffing her toes along the side of her leg. Sho gaped like a fish, and once Sebastian got a nod from Lory, he was dragged out of the office.

Being deposited outside the door and having it slammed in his face had Sho up and shouting again. When security got him Shoko was running up. She had taken off her high heels and her hair was disheveled in a very pretty way. Her cheeks were flushed from running after her former charge, and a smug grin plastered itself on her face as Shoko watched Sho get dragged away. She was speaking to Lory's secretary when Yashiro returned.

The male manager was incredibly shocked to see that Shoko actually had Lory's secretary doing more than nod or speak in a monotonous voice. Being the President's secretary meant you had to have a sense of humor, understand the president, and not get surprised by too much. The lady never smiled, and that meant NEVER smiled. But here she was, laughing at something Shoko was telling her. Yashiro straightened his tie before walking over.

He wasn't too surprised that Ren and Kyoko were already with the president and had left him, though he was a little sad. Yashiro cleared his throat to get the ladies attention. Shoko turned to look at him and blushed, remembering her unprofessional appearance. The secretary nodded at him in greeting before returning to her stone-like stoic atmosphere on the computer and phone. Shoko and Yashiro sat down together in the waiting room as Shoko told her story.

"I had been waiting off-stage at one of his photo-shoots when the director finally had enough of his attitude. Sho was fired and lost it—he seemed somehow convinced that Kyoko could help him. It didn't help that I had dropped the bomb on him this morning that I was leaving for LME, to become a manager here." Yashiro's eyebrow rose at that and he listened-kind of –as she spoke. Shoko was very pretty, especially looking the way she did after chasing Sho across Tokyo, but in Yashiro's mind she didn't hold a candle to Kanae. Of course, in many ways Kanae was like a blow torch…but Yashiro didn't mind.

What he didn't know was that in Shoko's mind he was like water—all men were. Some were ice sculptures that could melt or break easily, whereas others where icebergs that were indestructible. Some men, to Shoko, were rivers and others were streams. She found Yashiro, famed manager to the famed Tsugura Ren, was like a geyser.

Something Yashiro also didn't know, was that when Ren and Kyoko came out, and Shoko stood and slipped and fell on top of him, leaving them in an awkward position, Kanae was walking up the hall. Her LoveMe jumpsuit gone, Kanae was one her way to drop something off to the President's secretary before heading to her photo shoot. Everyone stopped and stared at the two managers who were attempting to untangle themselves. Yashiro was blushing like mad and Shoko was mumbling apologies. Once they were righted and standing she bowed to Lory and requested that she work as a manager for LME. After thinking for a moment, and revising the plan a little bit, the President appointed Shoko as Kyoko's manager.

Everyone was delighted, except for Kanae. She stood there watching as her best friend-who had already been stolen somewhat by a boyfriend-was gaining a new friend without Kanae. The 21 year-old woman knew she could never get along with the pretty manager; anyone who could suck up to someone like Sho didn't deserve to be in Kanae's good books. And that was why Kanae simply sniffed as she skirted around them, ignoring Shoko so much that she didn't notice Kyoko and Ren staring silently at Kyoko's new manager. Kanae handed the papers to the secretary who smiled in thanks (she actually likes Kanae—genuinely, which is just as rare if not more so than her laughing).

Shoko stood up straight, and was about to shake the president's hand in thanks when Kyoko turned and called to someone. The hail was responded to with a "Mo! I'm coming!" and a gorgeous girl walked towards them. Used to her job as Sho's manager had caused Shoko to learn to size up whether or not they'd have been his type, and if they were any competition to her own interests. The black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin made her an exceptional beauty from the first, and her dark brown slacks and maroon collared shirt with a tan belt only emphasized all of her good features. Shoko felt herself puff up with pride that this no-name actress had a smaller chest than herself, but when Kyoko and this newcomer started a conversation, Shoko's elation began to fade as she recognized the voice of the actress.

She realized that this was Kotonami Kanae, the rising star just behind Kyoko! Shoko, once again training from being with Sho kicking in, eyed Yashiro and Ren. Ren was only smiling at Kyoko's antics, but Yashiro was looking at Kanae with a look that Shoko took to meant that he felt something for the actress, but not enough to ignore Shoko like Ren was. When Kyoko gestured at her, and Kanae gave her a quick once-over Shoko thought that maybe she should be paying attention to the conversation.

"Moko-san! I have to tell you, Ren and I decided some things with President! And now Shoko-san is my manager, and then—" before his excited girlfriend could reveal too much Ren had put his hand over her mouth. Shoko was shocked, Kanae not so much. She was somewhat used to this behavior, but it still made her mad. Kanae shouted at Ren before turning to Kyoko.

"Mo! Tsugura-san, let Kyoko talk! She can speak for herself. Let her breathe! And you, mo! What decisions did you make without me? And why is Shoko-san your manager?" Kanae wasn't too bothered about the decisions—just the mention of the President being a part of it scared her, and of course she was always mad at Ren. No, it was the fact that Sho—Kyoko's sworn enemy, and by proxy Kanae's—it was his former manager who was now in charge of her best friend's life. And she didn't have her own manager. That was an issue as well, because Kanae was not as well-known as Kyoko but she was just as busy, if not more. Ren began answering her questions, his hand now holding Kyoko's. Shoko was watching this all with fascination, and Yashiro was kind of dumbstruck, because he was so enamored with Kanae (not that either of them recognized it) that he didn't even think twice about Shoko until she was mentioned.

"Kyoko and I have some surprises, Kotonami-san, that we just decided on this morning and no one can know yet. Kyoko of course will tell you over lunch, but not until then. And Shoko-san has left Sho and is now Kyoko's manager." Kanae absorbed this and Yashiro had a quick hunch: which he acted on.

"Which means Shoko-chan and I will be spending quite a lot of time together now. We might want to get together and compare schedules for these two so that they can get together more often." Shoko was confused, but pleased that Yashiro was blatantly choosing her over Kotonami-san. Kanae was a bit shocked and immediately anger took over but before she could react the President decided that he had enjoyed the show long enough without being a part of it.

"That's right, but Shoko-san can't know of it yet, so why don't we all head inside my office?" Kanae had to decline and left, with Kyoko's promise of meeting together at a cafe for lunch. Yashiro was pleased. His goal? Making Kanae jealous. His accomplishment? Alienating (albeit temporarily) the love of his life and making another woman think he liked her. Little did Yashiro Yukihito know that these 2 woman—one clingy the other loud and angry, would fight over him. As he would have to for the one he truly ended up loving.