Here is the next section. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know if you find anything that needs correcting.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!
It only took a few minutes before Ren parked the car outside an average looking apartment building. Even though this was a nice section of town, this was nothing like the upscale apartment that Ren lived in. Studying the building in the light of day, Kyoko was kind of surprised that LME had not supplied her protector with better accommodations. The group found Catherine's apartment on the fifth floor of the nine story building. Kyoko knocked on the door while the men stood flanked behind her. They looked around at the beige walls and tan carpets that were well maintained, but very plain. When Catherine did not open the door, Kyoko looked to Yashiro, who still had the keys.
"Maybe we should let ourselves in?" She suggested to him. Yashiro held out the keys for Kyoko to take. Turning back to the apartment door, she opened it and peered in horror at the blackness beyond the door. Concern bloomed on both Ren and Yashiro's faces as they stared into the darkened room. Kyoko looked to each man in turn before stepping into the apartment. Cold air rolled up her body as she moved into the darkness, the air conditioning must have been turned up all the way. She had a flash back to the cavern in Lory's office, the only thing missing were the cave formations. Kyoko ran her hand along the wall looking for a light switch. When she could not find one, she slipped out of her shoes in the entry way and moved farther into the apartment so that her companions could follow her in. They were dropped into near total darkness when Ren shut the door behind him. As her eyes adjusted to the low light, she looked around at room. It was a decent size living area with a sofa against one wall and an entertainment center across the room from it. A low table sat at the far end near a large window, a little light filtered around the edges of the curtain that was closed tightly over the glass. Kyoko's eyes fell on an object that she had missed earlier; it blended in to the area rug. She stepped forward to get a closer look at the dark mass on the floor.
"Kat-chan!" She gasped as she recognized the still form of her manager lying on the floor. Her exclamation and fast movement drew the attention of both men. Kyoko dropped herself to the floor next to the still woman. Catherine was crumpled face down on the carpet as if she had dropped in mid step. Yashiro knelt on the other side of Catherine's body and looked at Kyoko. When she did not response to the new arrivals, fear filled both of their faces. He reached out and picked up the woman, rolling her over into his arms. She hung limp from his grasp, but her skin was soft under his hands. Catherine's head hung loose, but Kyoko could hear the woman almost panting as they moved her. Yashiro pushed her hair back revealing a pained expression on her face. Ren circled around the group and went to open the curtain; some light would make things easier. As sunlight flooded the room, Catherine's still form came alive in Yashiro's hands. A hiss issued from the woman as she twisted into the closest dark spot she could find. This just happened to be the man holding her up. Her arms twisted around his middle and she buried her face into his soft stomach. A scream issued from the startled man as the sudden movement caused him to fall backwards onto the floor, pulling the frantic woman down on top of him. Unsure what was going on, Kyoko froze. Ren whipped around to see what had happened. He took in the new scene playing out before him and comed to a conclusion given the facts he had; the woman's violent reactions to the light, the cold air, her unresponsiveness, the strange phone call this morning. One word popped into his mind, Vampire! He smiled in spite of himself and came up with another explanation for her actions, Migraine. Ren quickly pulled the curtain closed, casting the group back into darkness. The sudden darkness returned Kyoko to her senses.
"What are you doing?" She turned to look at the man cutting off the light. "Open that back up so we can find out what is wrong." Kyoko stood up to get Ren to open the curtain again.
"I don't think that is a good idea." Ren's refusal surprised Kyoko. He came back to look at Catherine. "I think she may have a migraine." Kyoko looked back at their managers. "Help me get them up." Ren and Kyoko pulled Yashiro into a sitting position. Catherine would not relinquish her hold, so he pulled the couch apart and put the cushions behind Yashiro so the trapped man could lean against them.
"Umm… what now?" Yashiro looked down at the woman attached to his middle. Her vice-like grip held her solidly to his stomach. Fortunately it was not painful, just very unsettling. He was unsure what to do with his arms. Ren bent down and touched Catherine on the shoulder.
"Kat-chan, can you hear me?" He whispered to the woman. She nodded lightly, rubbing her face on Yashiro's stomach. The feel of her moving against him sent little shockwaves to Yashiro's brain. He dropped his left arm down to her side. Ren continued, "Do you have medications for this?" Again Catherine nodded. "Where?"
"Bathroom." Catherine pulled away from her hiding place just long enough to breathe the answer before burying herself once again in the soft warmth that was Yashiro. Ren got up to go find her medication. When he came back, Kyoko had gotten a glass of water from the kitchen. He tapped the sick woman on the back lightly.
"You're going to have to sit up to take this." Ren help the pills and water out. Catherine slowly uncurled from her position. She release Yashiro and sat up slowly, kept her eyes closed so that the movement would not upset her stomach. When she held out her hands, Ren placed the glass and pills into them. After swallowing the pills and most of the water, she held the glass out for him to take. Once relieved of the glass, she sat still for a moment. No one was sure what to do now. To everyone's surprise, Catherine laid back down on Yashiro. She paused long enough to unbutton his coat before wrapping her arms back around him and burying her face back into his stomach. He started to protest when Ren placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just bear with it." Ren smiled at the man. "She doesn't feel well." Yashiro knew it was a losing battle and resigned himself to his fate with a sigh. He shifted around enough to take his jacket off and removed his tie. Since he was going to be there for a while, he might as well be comfortable. He muttered a thank you as Kyoko took his jacket and tie and laid them over the couch arm behind him. He undid the top button of this dress shirt and rolled up the sleeves. Making a quick decision he tucked his right arm under her head and shoulder before dropping his left arm over her side. Ren stood and took the glass back to the kitchen while his manager fidgeted with his position. Kyoko followed him. She was a little uncomfortable watching the pair of managers on the floor. Now that they knew what was going on, she had time to think about the intimacy of the situation.
"Is it ok to leave her like that?" Kyoko looked back towards the immobile woman. Ren located the light switch in the kitchen and turned it on.
"We should let her be where ever she is most comfortable. Migraines can be incapacitating." Ren checked to make sure the light did not fall directly on the joined pair in the living room. "Now that she has taken the medication, rest in a quiet and dark place is the best treatment." Ren turned back to his beloved kohai. "I think it would be a good idea to think about something to eat." The look of surprise on Kyoko's face made him chuckle. She had never expected to hear him mention food this early in the day. "Not for us, for Saunders-san. She probably has not eaten since yesterday. When she finally feels better, she should be hungry." Realization creped across Kyoko face making her blush at the mistake.
"I don't know anything about migraines. What do you think she would like to eat?" Kyoko turned to the refrigerator to see what was available. She was surprised to see how closely the contents resembled Ren's refrigerator. There were two store bought rice balls still in the bag, a partial bowl of leftover spaghetti, a bottle of soy sauce, two eggs, about a half cup of milk, and a jar of apple jelly. She crinkled her nose and shut the door. Inspecting the cabinets did not lead to much either. Unless they wanted corn muffins with jelly, she was going to need to go shopping. She checked to make sure Catherine had the necessary cookware and dishes. To her surprise, there was one frying pan, a cookie sheet, a small cake pan, a kettle, and a small pot. There was, however, a nice coffeemaker and a microwave that had come standard with the apartment. How did this woman survive without cooking utensils in the kitchen? For goodness sake, there was not even a rice cooker! Kyoko did find enough dishes for one person, but none of them matched. Disgusted with her findings, Kyoko determined that they were just going to have to go shopping for some essentials.
Ren watched as she rifled through the cupboards and sighed at the inadequately stocked apartment. He could tell from the looks he caught on her face that she was mortified by the contents of the kitchen. Even his kitchen had more in it, and he did not cook. He watched as she pulled out items and put them back with distain clear on her face. A chuckle slipped out as a strange thought crossed his mind. Kyoko turned to see the cause of his mirth.
"What's funny?" She asked turning to face the taller man. Ren closed the distance between then and pulled the one chipped plate from the cabinet and handed it to Kyoko.
"I was just thinking about you trapped in a kitchen without cookware or food." Ren smiled as Kyoko studied the plate in her hands, contemplating his words. The same horrified expression slipped back over her face. "See." Kyoko sobered up and wacked him on the arm with the innocent dish as he laughed at her. They were interrupted in their fun when they heard Yashiro call from the other room.