Hello. Here is the next part. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know if you see anything wrong.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!
Ren woke the next morning to the sounds of this cell phone ringing. He rolled over and looked at the digital clock beside his bed. 6:47, it was almost time for him to be up. Who would be calling him this early? A short list of names crossed his mind as he groggily searched for the offending object.
"Hello." He answered without really looking at the screen. His voice was heavy with sleep.
"Good morning Ren." The voice of Kyoko's manager whispered across the line.
"Sanderson-san?" Ren questioned as he propped himself up on his elbows. Her soft voice pulled him out of his sleepy state. Her name had not even made the list of possible people to call him. "Is everything ok?"
"Ren, could I impose on you this morning?" Catherine breathed quietly into the phone. She did not sound well.
"What's wrong?" Ren sat up fully, swinging his legs from under the warm covers. He was fully awake by the time his feet hit the cold floor.
"Would it be possible for you to pick Kyoko-chan up for work today? I have a bit of a headache and will not be able to make it in." Ren could hear the pain in the manager's voice.
"Yes, I can do that. Is there anything I can do for you?" concern colored his voice as he listened to the pained woman.
"No. I was just worried about Kyoko. If you can make sure she gets to LME, I would appreciate it." Catherine whispered into the phone. Ren nodded in response.
"Sure, I would be happy to help out." Ren responded when he realized she could not see his actions. "Will you be ok?"
"Ya." Catherine laughed lightly. "I just need a little rest. Take care today."
"You too." Ren replied before hanging up. He looked at the phone for a moment. She really did not sound well. Could it only be a little headache as she said? Or was it something more? Ren quickly set about getting ready for work. Yashiro would be there in a while and he wanted to leave as soon as possible. He needed a little extra time to tend to his charge for the morning.
Kyoko was ready when Okami-san called for her to leave. She noticed that Catherine was a little later today than normal. Maybe traffic was really bad so something. She was really surprised when she came down to found Yashiro waiting at the door.
"Good morning, Kyoko-chan" Yashiro greeted her warmly. Kyoko's mind ran through all the reasons as to why he was there and Catherine was not. Seeing the concern on her face Yashiro continued, "Kat-san is ill this morning, so Ren and I are escorting you to work." Kyoko nodded slowly as she turned this information over in her mind. 'If Kat-chan was sick, why had she not called to let me know?' Kyoko wondered.
"Thank you for taking care of me today." She greeted the manager waiting for her. "What is wrong with Kat-chan?"
"Ren said it was a headache." Yashiro looked concerned at Kyoko. 'Why had Kat-chan not called to let her know about the change?' Kyoko bid Okami-san good day and followed Yashiro out to the car where Ren was waiting for them. Once everyone was settled in, Ren started off to LME. Kyoko turned her attention to the driver.
"Yashiro-san said that Kat-chan was ill. Is she ok?" Kyoko was very concerned about her manager. It was unusual for her not to contact Kyoko if there was going to be a schedule change of any kind. She even called if she was going to be a few minutes late. "She never called me this morning." Ren glanced at her in surprise. He knew how carefully Catherine was about the informing her charge of changes.
"She said it was a little headache, but I think we need to check with the Boss when we get to LME." This was the best course of action. If there was something serious that she was hiding, Lory may know what was going on. As Ren was pulling up to LME, Yashiro's phone rang. After slipping into his normal rubber gloves, he pulled out the phone and answered it. After a few words he closed it up and turned his attention to Ren.
"Speaking of the President, that was him. He asked that we need to come see him before we head to the set this morning." Yashiro returned the phone and gloves to his pocked before pulling his planer out and making a note into.
"What's wrong?" Ren asked. Yashiro shook his head.
"He did not say, just that we needed to see him as soon as we got in." Yashiro closed the book and looked up at Ren as he parked the car in the LME garage.
Lory's door swung open to reveal a darkened room. Cold moist air rolled out as the three companions made there was between stalagmites and stalactites in the realistically simulated cave that had once been an office. Lory could be seen suspended by a climbing rope over his desk. He sported full spelunking gear. As his employees made their way to the couches disguised as rocks, he dropped carefully to the floor and unhooked the rope from his climbing belt. The light from his helmet illuminated the desk in front of him. He was careful not to shine the bright light into his guests' faces.
"Welcome." He greeted his guests and seated himself at the desk. "Thank you for coming this morning." He looked at the curious faces pointed to him. He turned his attention to the tall actor waiting for him. "Ren, I am sad to inform you that your first job today has been canceled. The lead actress fell down this morning and twisted her ankle. The doctor has advised her to stay off of it for a few days." Concern crossed Ren's face. Lory raised his hand before Ren could ask. "She will be fine in a few days." Lory turned his attention to Yashiro. "The director will contact you with an advised schedule sometime this afternoon. So you two have till this afternoon off today." Yashiro pulled out his book and scribbled a note on the page by the light of Lory's helmet. Lory then turned his attention to the young lady in the room. "Kyoko-chan, your manager contacted me this morning with a very disturbing phone call. I would like you to go check on her."
"What happened?" Kyoko asked, worry creasing the young woman's face.
"I am not sure what the problem is." Lory shook his head lightly. "She said she was not feeling well, had arranged transportation for you, and hung up." The great man sighed, "I am worried about her."
"I will be happy to go check on her." Kyoko stood up to go to her manager and paused as a problem crossed her mind. "Umm… Can you tell me where she lives?" Lory smiled at the good natured woman.
"Here is her address and a spare key." Lory pushed the parcel across his desk to the LoveMe member. Before she could take it, a hand reached out and covered the offered items. Much to Kyoko's surprise, Yashiro pulled the key and paper to him.
"We will be happy to check on Kat-san with you." The manager turned to look at Ren as he nodded. They were both concerned about the strange actions of the woman. Kyoko was ready to refuse the help when she remembered her own situation. She needed someone to take her to the older woman's home.
"Thank you for your help." She bowed to the pair as they stood to start on their mission.
"Please let me know how she is." Lory called to the group as they made their way to the door. They bid there host farewell and made their way to Ren's car.
Author's notes: Just to clarify the possible inconsistencies posed by Kyoko asking for her address. I am aware that they know the building Catherine lives in, but they don't know what apartment it is. And I am sure that Lory has several spare keys for each of his chargers. He is a man prepared for anything. Thanks for reading.