Here is the next section for your enjoyment. Please let me know what you think. As with all authors here, I base my performance on your reviews. Thank you.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat! or Ninja Warrior/Sasuke.
"You have seen him in action in the box office hit 'Tragic Maker', please welcome Murasame Taira!" The announcer called as the dark haired actor stood at the start of the course. Murasame bounced around and gave a few punches into the air. Ren watched the actor in his white track pants and 'Sauske' t-shirt with guarded eyes. The tall actor had not had the pleasure of working with the man outside of 'Tragic Maker' so he had to pretend that he did not know him, but his experiences with him on set as Cain Heel left a bad taste in his mouth. The buzzer sounded and Murasame leapt lightly across the Sextuplet Steps to the inclined platform. He clung to the Log Grip as it crashed down the ramp to drop him safely on the mat below.
"Murasame Taira is doing beautifully!" The announcer called as the actor jumped up on the pole and it crashed into the first bend of the Pole Maze. Murasame flipped over, but could not get the pole to move how he wanted it to. It took him several tries, but he managed to get to the mat on the other side of the maze.
"That was close, but does he have enough time left to get through the rest of the course?" The crowded screamed encouragements as Murasame hurried into the Spider Climb and bounced up between the walls. He made the landing and worked his way through to drop down to the landing leading to the Half-pipe Attack. He lost his balance on the landing and hit his knee hard on the carpet. He quickly righted himself, but he limped a little as he made his way to the path leading to the curved wall.
"It looks as if Murasame had injured himself, will he be able to make it through to the end of the course?" Worried noises came from the spectators as they watched the man trying to finish the course. Murasame bent his knee high a few times before ignoring as much of the pain as he could and racing across the curved wall to latch onto the rope. He swung across the water and dropped to the landing safely. He cringed lightly as his knee protested the drop. Kyoko gasped as she watched the actor run across the log, a dark spot was forming on the white of his track pants. He ignored the pain and ran his way up the Warped Wall to loud cheers from the audience.
"It looks like Murasame Taira isn't letting it bother him, but can he make it to the end?" The crowd cheered as the actor hurried down the landing to bounce up into the cargo net. He hit very low on the net and scrambled to get up and over the top of the Jump Hang. He tucked up and rolled down the net and flipped over the bar onto the landing. He did not pause long to gather up the rope and swing across to the Final Climb. The crowd was screaming encouragements as the buzzer started sounding. He got to the walkway and ran down it and slammed his hand on the buzzer with two tenths of a second to spare.
"HE DONE IT! Murasame Taira has earned his place in Stage Two!" The crowd cheers wild at the man's close victory. The former gang member pulls up the leg of his track pants to see how bad his injury was. A fair amount of blood oozed down his leg from the torn skin of his knee. He limped down the scaffolding and into the waiting hands of the course medic.
"Congratulations on beating Stage One. How is your knee?" The girl with the microphone pointed it to Murasame as the medic tended his injury.
"It's just a scrape." He looked down at the bandage they were taping to his knee. "Once I've let it rest for a bit, it should be fine." She congratulated him again and the audience turned their attention to the starting line and the last challenger to Stage One.
Ren stood on the starting platform in dark track pants and the same 'Sasuke' t-shirt that all of the challengers had been given. He popped his shoulders as the announcer introduced him.
"Our final challenger doesn't need introducing. You have seen him in the hit series 'Darkmoon' and in his many clothing ads. Please welcome Japan's top actor and model TSURUGA REN!" The audience screamed as the actor smiled brightly and waved at them. Several of the weaker women swooned. Kyoko shook her head and tried to think of a way to get his smile outlawed, it was just too dangerous. Ren squatted down next to his love and looked at her. His heart thumped as she smiled up at him with those golden eyes that he loved so much.
"You can do it." She offered her support to him as she held his folded coat over her arm. Ren reached out and pushed a loose strand of damp hair from her face as he wished he could be that coat pressed to her body. His feather light touch made her blush and he stood up before he did something on camera that would cause problems later. Just that simple gesture had the girls of the audience screaming in delight. If you knew where to look Lory could be seen crying tears of joy at the girl's reaction. Maybe his favorite LoveMe member was starting to notice the actor's feelings for her. Ren reordered his thought so that he could face the challenge in front of him and he was ready to go when the buzzer sounded. The long legs of the tall actor helped him to stride through the Sextuplet steps gracefully. He held on tightly for the bumpy ride on the Log Grip to the mat leading to the Pole Maze.
"It seems that Tsuruga Ren might be as good an athlete as he is an actor!" Cheered the announcer as Ren twisted his body on the pole and slipped it through the maze. "But can he pass the obstacle that has earned the name Ninja Killer today?" Ren gathered his strength and hit the trampoline just right to vault him up to the waiting Jumping Spider's walls. The length of his arms and legs gave him some trouble in the narrow passage, but he stuck the landing and hopped his way through to the platform that had caused Murasame's injury. Ren chose his path and raced down the plank to the curved wall of the Half-pipe Attack.
"Tsuruga Ren is making a great run on the First Stage! Look at him go!" The audience screamed again as Ren released the rope and headed across the log to the Warped Wall. He dropped into the curved bottom and walked up the tall side as far as he could. He turned and jogged back to the top of the short side where he turned on the ball of his foot and raced back to the tall end. Ren leapt up and grasped onto the top of the wall with both hands and pulled himself to the top. His ears caught the encouraging screams of the girl he loved and he flipped off the last level of scaffolding onto the landing that led to the Jump Hang. Ren smiled at the din his acrobatics won him from the crowd. He chanced a glance at the other athletes on the side lines to see Kyoko and Yashiro both clapping madly for him. He also saw Sho's darkened face glaring at him. He smiled brightly for the pissed off singer and turned his attention to the last two obstacles he had to conquer.
"Our favorite actor is also a magnificent acrobat, but will that help him win his way past the Jump Hand and Final Climb?" The crowd roared again at the announcers words. Ren jumped as the trampoline tossed him at the cargo net. He caught it with one hand and a gasp of horror issued from the crowd as Ren swung loose on the net. He managed to sink his grip into a lower rung and haul himself up the net to the upper bar.
"He just managed to hang on to that one!" The audience cheered as the actor clambered down the net to the landing. He bounded up to the last rope and used it to each the net on the far side of the dirty water. He pulled himself free of the net and jogged down the path to hit the red button ending his run of the First Stage.
"Tsuruga Ren has made it past the First Stage of Mt. Midoriyama and earned his place in the Second Stage!" Ren turned and bowed his respect to the course that had taken out half or the challengers today. He dropped down from the stand and made his way over to where the young woman was waiting to interview him.
"Congratulations Tsuruga-san. We were worried when you almost fell on the Jump Hang, but you pulled through and made it. How do you feel?" Ren gave her his famous smile.
"I am very happy." He said. "That was very challenging and I am proud that I made it through." Ren admitted humbly. "Thank you everyone for your support." The crowd cheered at the actor and the woman congratulated him once again. Ren left to join Kyoko and Yashiro waiting behind him.
"That was great." Kyoko bounced around in her excitement. She was happy that Ren had turned in a time better than Sho's had been, but not quite as good as his manager had done. The Jump Hang had cost him the few seconds that would have won him the top spot. Ren smiled at his kohai and took his coat back from her. He slipped the slightly warm article on and breathed deep, his pulse quickened, it smelled faintly of her. Yashiro grin widely as he caught the actor's actions. Ren noticed the devilish gleam in his manager's eyes and shook his head as the three friends made their way over to the resting area to wait for the next leg of the course.
Author's note: For those of you familiar with Ninja Warrior, I know the course is much harder than I have written it here, but it would have made for a short and somewhat boring story to have all of the challengers lose in the first round. Please forgive my artistic license and thank you for your continuing interests.