Here is the next section… I know it is a little long, but there was not a good place to break it up. It makes me happy, so I hope you enjoy it too.. Please let me know if I need to correct anything.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!
Catherine pulled a ridged Kyoko along as she whispered soothing words to the startled woman. Once they were in the safety of the restroom, Kyoko nearly broke down in tears. Ren had been watching her at moment the strap had snapped her in the leg. She had covered the stinging area without thinking of the consequences of her actions. She was sure that her senpai had seen the action and would tease her about the wardrobe malfunction later.
"It's alright, Kyoko-chan." Catherine reassured her distressed charge. "These things happen occasionally. Just fix the issue and be done with it." Catherine's words brought her back to reality. She could read the worry in the young woman's face. "You should not be worried about Tsuruga-san and Yashiro-san." Kyoko turned and looked at the woman's strong words. "No gentleman would ever dare comment about something like this." Catherine smiled at her. "And if they do, I will make them pay." Kyoko nodded and went on to inspect the strap. It looked like the clip had not been locked correctly and slipped off. She fixed it on properly and quickly inspected the others to make sure they were done right. Satisfied with the connections she came out, refreshed her makeup, and recomposed herself. Catherine stood by patiently for her charge to finish her repairs. Once done, the pair walked back out to the ballroom together. Kyoko had been reassured by Catherine's strong convictions. She only slightly blushed when they rejoined their companions. Ren and Yashiro had procured glasses of Champaign and sparkling cider for everyone. The girls gladly accepted the refreshments as they moved around the room looking at all the decorations and the variety of dresses. It was not long until a small quintet started playing classical music. Ren turned his attention to the young woman standing by his side. She was so happy watching all the pretty woman being swirled around that she was almost floating.
"Mogami-san, would you care to dance with me?" He extended his hand to her. She swallowed hard and looked at it.
"But I don't know how to dance." She had been watching the ladies float gracefully over the floor with their partners. "I don't want to embarrass you." Ren smiled at her and lightly shook his hand for her to take.
"Don't worry about it." He reassured her. "Just follow my lead and everything will be alright." Kyoko resigned herself to the task and took Ren's outstretched hand. He did not care if she stomped all over his feet, he was ecstatic that she accepted his offer without any coercion. The couple handed their glasses and Kyoko's small bag to their managers before stepping out to the dance floor. Ren's heart leaped as he swung the young woman around and placed her hand on his shoulder before grasping her at the waist. He reveled in the feel of his love's touch as she smoother the shoulder of his coat down under her hand. He drew in a stabilizing breath to keep himself from snatching her lips right then and raised their joined hands up to lead her into an easy waltz before he could change his mind. It only took a few steps for Kyoko to get the swing of things before she followed the taller man around the floor with ease. Ren was floating on cloud nine.
Kyoko was too busy focusing on not embarrassing her respected senpai that she did not notice the look he was giving her. Once she was able to follow his steps, she turned her face up to meet his eyes. She faltered in her steps when she saw The Emperor of the Night staring back at her. It was only the hands of the man holding her and the desire not in disappoint him that kept her moving in their dance. Basking in the radian glow coming from him, Kyoko's grudges screamed in pain as a few more of the locks fell from her box.
Catherine and Yashiro stood on the side and watched the pair waltz around the floor. Yashiro's fan girl was popping out as he found a place to set the drinks and pulled on his pair of rubber gloves so he could use his phone to snap several photos of the couple twirling around the dance floor. Catherine giggled at his antics as she finished off her glass of Champaign. She opened her bag to reveal a small, yet high end, digital camera. She offered the device to the ecstatic man. He took it and was soon snapping countless photos of the pair. She watched him change angles as his subjects floated around the room. She couldn't help but wonder at the feel of his hair when he brushed the lose strands back when it got in the way of the camera. She shook her head to clear it of the intimate thoughts gathering there. She turned her concentration back to the couple spinning on the floor. They danced through several waltzes until the music changed into something more intimate. Kyoko blushed at the tempo change. Her heart was beating furiously at the closeness of the handsome man dancing with her. He was reluctant to let her go, but he did not know how good his waning control would be if they pressed together for the more intimate song, so he led her off the dance floor to their waiting companions. Yashiro passed the camera back to Catherine, who dropped it into her bag so that the approaching couple would not see it. Ren may have confiscated the small device if he had known about it.
"You looked wonderful out there." Catherine's complements brought a new flush to Kyoko's cheek as they rejoined their friends. Catherine handed the cider back to Kyoko and she took a long pull of the bubbling drink. She did not know that dancing was such a workout.
"Aren't you two going to dance too?" Kyoko looked at Catherine and then to Yashiro expectantly. Catherine looked down at Kyoko's skirt while Yashiro studied the inside of this wine flute. Neither one wanted to answer that question. Catherine straightened herself out and answered the question with the only answer available to her.
"Of course we will dance, but I could not leave our purses unattended." Catherine's logic was sound. She was reluctant to place herself into the arms of the man next to her. He had way of making her heart flutter in her chest. She was also very aware anytime he brushed against her skin. The places he touched would tingle for a few minutes after he moved away.
"Ok, then let me hold our bags while you dance." Catherine gathered the object from Catherine's hands while Yashiro choked on the sip of wine he had just taken. He was not prepared for Kyoko suggestion, the music that was playing was still the intimate song that Ren had lead Kyoko away from. Catherine rubbed his back with concern while he coughed up the offending liquid. After a few minutes and a glass of water the Ren retrieved, Yashiro was better and prepared to step out with Catherine. Luckily, the music style had change to a waltz again. The two managers linked hands and set out under the watchful eyes of their companions. Both Yashiro and Catherine were very aware of the placement of Yashiro's hand on her waist. The cut of the dress ran under his palm and his fingers lay gently on the warm bare skin of her back. She, while not what one could consider 'tiny', was well shaped with curves in the right places. Yashiro stared into her smoky blue eyes in amazement. He didn't really know this woman, but she felt so right in his arms. Ren watched the changes in his manager as he waltz his date around the floor.
"They look good together." Kyoko voiced the thoughts in Ren's head before he could. "I think Yashiro-san likes her." He could not believe his ears. The dense woman at his side had picked up on the feeling of his manager, but could not pick up the same feeling he had shown her. Ren hid the shock he felt and nodded in agreement.
"I think we need to see about getting those two together." Ren suggested lightly seeing what Kyoko would do. She pondered over his suggestion for a moment and agreed with him whole heartily. They watched the two pauses in their dancing as the music switched to something more upbeat.
As the intro to the tango started Catherine smiled at the man in front of her.
"Do you tango?" She paused as he smiled and shifted his hand position higher onto her bare back. They set out in an easy tango, feeling out the level of the other dancer. Most of the dancers had left the floor when the exotic music started. The couple that had requested the dance entered with a flourish and was showing of their practiced and calculated steps in the open area. Yashiro keep increasing the difficulty of their moves and Catherine met him step for step. Catherine was glad for the split in her dress as she kicked and stepped around the man dancing with her.
On one spin, the sleeve of Yashiro's coat caught on the end of the pin holding her hair up, pulling the decoration loose. Catherine reached up and snatched it from her hair without even missing a beat in her steps. The ends of her hair unfurled down her back as they continued their dance. Yashiro had been trying to concentrate on the steps without thinking about the girl herself, but the feel of the silk like stands covering his hand made Yashiro's heart skip. He was surrounded by the soft scents of rose and jasmine. He had noticed it on her earlier, but he was almost overwhelming by it now. She must have been wearing the perfume in her hair. The tango was a passionate dance, and he was starting to feel that passion in her. The softness of her hair, the warmth of her skin, and the quickness of her breath were all serving to drive him crazy. He could feel her heart pound as he pulled her against him and twirled her around to the beat of the song. As the song came to a close, he swung her around into a dip deep enough for her hair to touch the ground. She kicked her leg up dramatically before he pulled her up and into a full embrace.
Two sets of eyes watched intently as the couple danced. Both Ren and Kyoko were surprised that the two managers had not returned when the passionate music started. They were even more surprised at the level of difficulty that Yashiro swirled Catherine around the floor. Kyoko rummaged into Catherine's bag and pulled out the camera she had seen the woman place there before they left and handed it to Ren to take pictures. Ren took it and took several pictures as the pair moved in perfect synchronization. Kyoko's eyes widened on one of the kicks Catherine did. Not only did the split in her skirt show that she did have nice legs, if you watched carefully you could make out the fact that she was wearing a garter belt with her stockings. By the end of the song, they were getting more attention than the professional couple. They may not have had the level of technical difficulty of them, but their chemistry was far greater. Ren snapped a picture of the final pose before they finished the dance. He was sure that he could use that one against his manager. He took another as the pair embraced at the end of their dance. Catherine was breathing hard and Yashiro had closed his eyes so he could better feel the woman in his arms.
The quintet continued into another Latin dance. Yashiro spun Catherine away from him and moved to the beat. It took no time till Catherine's hips were swinging to the beat of a light samba. Ren stared at his manager with an open mouth, he had no idea the man could move like that. Other couples were joining them now that the music was more playful. The samba was a much easier dance to do. Catherine noticed their audience and turned her eyes to the pair of actors standing on the sidelines. An idea struck her and she turned an evil smile to her partner. He had been doing his best to ignore the body moving in his arms and lose himself into the dance, but the look in her eyes drew him back to her. Now keenly aware of every twist of her hips, he attempted to read his partners intent without words. She caught his eyes and glanced at the still forms standing where they had come from. Kyoko was watching the other dances and mimicking some of their moves. The same idea clicked in Yashiro and he grinned like a little girl. The dancing couple made their way to where the actors were standing. They broke into the basic steps for beginners and dance right in front of Kyoko so she could see how it was done. After two sets, Catherine pulled away from her partner and stepped to Kyoko. Yashiro continued with the easy steps. Relieving her of the bags and drink, she pulled the girl onto the floor and placed her in front of the dancing man. She demonstrated the steps in time with Yashiro and Kyoko followed. Once in the swing, Yashiro took her in his arms and danced with her. Catherine turned back to the tall man watching.
Ren stood there watching the growing crowd on the dance floor. There were lots of different examples of samba there for him to watch. To his surprise and delight, he caught movement from the girl next to him. She was slowly trying some of the steps she was seeing the dancers preforming. His heart skipped as he watched her hips twist a little, like she was confused that hips could move like that. He was so absorbed in his study of Kyoko that he failed to notice the pair of dancers coming close until they were right in front of him. Having his attention broken by them, he watched as they fell into an easy step. He was not sure what to do when Catherine stepped away from Yashiro and pulled Kyoko to the floor. His heart was ready to burst as the woman got Kyoko moving to the steady beat. A twinge of jealousy rose up when his manager took the young girl in his arms and got her dancing. He shook his head to clear the anger away; he had no reason to be jealous of the man teaching his love to samba. He only wished that she was in his arms, not Yashiro's.
Catherine abandoned the bags to the floor and moved to Ren's side. His thoughts were broken when she pulled him to the floor and placed him next to Yashiro. She continued with the easy samba steps until he figured them out. It did not take long until he mimicked Yashiro's stance and he was swinging to the music with Catherine. Now that both actors knew the steps, Catherine and Yashiro preformed an unexpected turn and traded dance partners. Before they knew what happened, Ren found Kyoko in his hands. She faltered in her steps at the unexpected development, but some quick coaching from Catherine soon got her his swinging again. Ren's heart exploded to the feel of his love dancing in his arms. Unfortunately, the song drew to a close too soon for him. As the song ended, he pulled the young actress closer to him, bringing his hands to rest on her shoulders. She had not noticed the movement until the last notes fell and she stopped dancing. Finding herself so close to the irresistible man made her heart pound more than the dance had. In her surprise, she looked up at his face to be met with the Emperor of the Night shinning from his eyes. She froze, blushed, and was about to move away from him when another Latin tune picked up. Kyoko found herself pulled from Ren and handed over to Yashiro again. Catherine took the tall actor and forced his attention to her. It did not take any time for the managers to teach the couple the mambo and return the partners to their correct places.
Yashiro and Catherine turned an easy mambo next to the actors. Their attention was not on their dancing, but on the pair mimicking their moves next to them. Yashiro was on cloud nine as he watched the soft look that Ren was giving his partner. Kyoko was concentration on the steps more then on her partner. Catherine chided her on this making her look up into Ren's face. His control slipped a little at the face she turned to him. It was a complex mix of apology, fear, joy, and concentration, It only server to make him love her even more. Anyone watching the couple dancing could have seen the connection made as the two turned together.
All four dancers were breathing heavily by the time the music quieted. Yashiro had used a spin to wrapped Catherine in his arms so she was against him, but faced away. Ren mimicked his move and stopped with Kyoko held against him. The actors both reveled in the feel of the embrace. Kyoko's brain tried to sort out its thoughts and Ren tried to prevent his control from slipping farther. He released the girl from his arms and guided her to the edge of the dance floor before he lost it completely. Yashiro only had a moment to be sad that Ren broke the embrace before his attention was snapped back to the girl in his arms; she was still breathing hard and had started to tremble slightly. Concern took control as he released Catherine and helped her to the sidelines. He located a chair and placed the stricken woman in it. Kyoko drew away from Ren and chased after the pair. Ren collected the forgotten bags from the floor and followed.
"Is everything ok Kat-chan?" Kyoko asked as she eyed the slightly flushed woman. Catherine had tilted her head forward into her hands and closed her eyes. She was trying to collect herself. 'How am I going to explain this?' She thought to herself and turned the problem over in her head. She really did not want to admit that it was the feeling of man pressed to her back that had caused the tremors to run her body. She had been keyed up over the dances and was surprised when he had spun her into such a close embrace at the end. It was his heavy breathing on her ear that made her knees weak. If he had been paying more attention to her at the end, he might have noticed that he was the only thing that kept her from slipping to the floor. Thankfully, she was able to gather herself together a little while he was watching his charge. Now that she was the center of attention, she had to come up with a plausible reason for her reaction. Catherine swallowed as she chose the most believable excuse she could think of.
"Give me a moment and I will be fine." Catherine lifted her head without opening her eyes. She pulled in and released a cleansing breath before continuing with her excuse. "It has been a long time since I danced like that and I got a little winded." She opened her eyes and looked at the concerned girl. She tried to look as innocent as possible. Kyoko eyed her warily before letting her explanation slide.
"Here, drink this." Yashiro handed her a glass he procured from one of the refreshment tables around the hall. He had gotten drinks for everyone while Catherine was resting.
"Thank you." Catherine took the glass and sipped the bubbling liquid. The sparkling cider cooled her throat and she felt better. "I am sorry for making you worry." She apologized to the group.
"It does not matter, as long as you're ok." Ren interjected his thoughts into the conversation. He was skeptical of her explanation too. He knew she was a very health and active woman. He did not think that the three dances, no matter how upbeat they were, would be enough to wind her. He let it slide, but decided to watch the woman closer.
"So Kyoko how did you like your first experience with Latin dancing?" Catherine quickly tried to change the subject. Kyoko blushed a little as she remembered being wrapped in the taller actors arms.
"It was a lot of fun." She finally answered. "How did you ever learn to dance like that?"
"Work." Catherine chuckled lightly before continuing to explain. "I was asked to attend to a South American idol for a bit. He had a passion for Latin dancing. And since I was the only one he was allowed to be around, I got the job of dancing with him." Ren smiled as he remembered when she took that assignment. When she came back from the lengthy job, she would randomly breakout in bits of sambas for months afterwards. He had teased her about it at the time. An idea hit Catherine and she grinned at Kyoko, "Would you like me to teach you more?"
"Yes, please." Kyoko jumped on the offer. She had had fun with the little she learned on the dance floor. Catherine was feeling better now, so she stood up.
"I would be happy to. If we can find some willing partners," Catherine looked at the men standing with them. They both took that moment to turn their attention elsewhere and not meet the woman's eyes "I will teach you all of the dances that I know." She listed the possible dances. "Tango, samba, mambo, cha cha cha, ramba, oh and don't forget the lambada." Ren had just taken a sip from the glass and nearly choked at the mention of the forbidden dance. Yashiro's fan girl showed up at the idea of Ren and Kyoko dancing the proactive dance. After verifying that the tall man would survive his imagination, Catherine brushed her loosened hair back over her shoulder and scowled. "I really need to tend to this." She turned towards where the restroom was. Kyoko started to follow, but Catherine waved her back. "I'm just going to tend to my hair. I will be right back." She took her bag and left.
Ren, Kyoko, and Yashiro watched as Catherine wove her way through the crowd towards the bathroom. When she disappeared around the corner, Kyoko turned back to Ren. His coughing had subsided, but he was still red in the face.
"Are you ok now?" Kyoko's concern for her senpai health was clear in her voice. He nodded and took another sip from his glass. He needed a moment to rein in his emotions before he could answer her.
"Yes." He answered when felt he finally had control. "It just went down the wrong way." He really wanted to change the subject so he turned to the other man in the group. "So, Yashiro, where did you learn to dance like that?" He never imagined that he would see his mild-mannered manager preform such passionate moves in public. Yashiro had slipped his hand in his pants pocket and was studying the contents of his wine glass.
"I took a class in college." He swirled the liquid around and tried to keep the embarrassment out of his voice as he continued. "There was someone in the class that I was trying to impress." He drained the glass, ignoring the smile that had crept into his charges eyes. He just knew Ren was going to find a way to tease him about this for the next month. 'Well at least I can tease him about Kyoko learning the lambada.' He thought as a smile broke upon his face. His mind shifted to the missing woman that had made the suggestion. She had only been gone for a few minutes, but he was still worried about her. She hadn't taken much time to recover from whatever it was that ailed her.
Kyoko had listened to Yashiro's story and was looking at him with understanding eyes. She knew what it was like to do something to impress another. Her mind turned over all of the things that she had learned to do at the Fuwa's. The air temperature dropped as Kyoko brooded on the evil man; her grudges swirled around ready to target the singer. Ren looked at the young woman with concern. All thoughts of teasing his manager disappeared as the miasma around Kyoko increased.
"Are you alright?" Ren asked the young girl. His voice snapped Kyoko out of her thoughts as she remembered where she was.
"Yes, I am fine." The darkness and cold disappeared instantly as she smiled warmly at her senpai. She tried to hide the horror she felt inside. How could she stoop so low as to think about that demon boy when she was supposed to be having a good time with her beloved senpai. Ren looked at her was suspicious eyes. He could tell that she was not speaking the truth, but before he could call her on it she posed an interesting question. "Do you think Kat-chan is ok?" Ren's train of thought was derailed as concern for the missing woman rose in him. The three friends turned to look in the direction that Catherine had gone.
"She is taking a long time." Concern filled Ren's voice as he turned to his companions.
"You two stay here, I'll go look for her." Yashiro answered before Kyoko could say anything. This was the perfect excuse to give the two actors some time alone together. He pulled his hand from his pocket and left before anyone could protest. Kyoko and Ren watched his back as he followed the path taken by the missing woman. Kyoko tilted her head in thought as Yashiro disappeared through the door.
"How is he going to check on her, if she is in the restroom?" Ren turned to Kyoko and considered her words. After a moment of eyes contact, the two actors followed. This was a problem they were sure Yashiro had not thought about.