Here is the next section. I hope you enjoy it
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!
Catherine woke to the sound of water running in the other room. Her headache was not as bad, but it had not gone completely away yet. She was warm and comfortable, so she was reluctant to move to see who was in her home. As she pondered her situation, she slowly became aware of the heartbeat sounding beneath her. She was on the wrong side of the chest for it to be loud, but it was very soothing. She sighed contently, than it hit her… heartbeat. She stiffened a little as she forced herself to become more aware of her surroundings. Warm arms wrapped around her, a weight rested on top of her head, and a pleasant mix of soap and skin filled her nose. She cracked her eyes just enough to see the white dress shirt under her head. A soft lght fell across her from behind and she heard another person enter her apartment. She remained relaxed and listened to see if she could determine what was going on. She heard the new comer close and lock the door before slipping out of their shoes. The crunch of heavy paper accompanied the person as they walked quietly through the living room. She heard things being place on the kitchen counter. She sighed in relief as she recognized the soft voices issuing from the kitchen.
"That's the last of the groceries." Ren spoke quietly so as not to wake the pair in the other room. He walked over and picked up Catherine's coat from the table where Kyoko had placed it. "I'm going to go put these up." He pulled the hat off his head and unzipped the sweatshirt.
"It's a shame that Kat-chan was unable to see you in that getup, she would have loved it." Kyoko smiled as he shook his head and left the room. He returned the borrowed items back to their proper location in the bedroom. Ren stopped in the door and looked at the pair again. It was such a shame that he did not have a proper camera for moments like these. He returned to the kitchen where Kyoko was just finishing up the last of the pans. Before she could start on the dishes, Ren stepped between her and the box.
"Let me wash these dishes." Kyoko opened her mouth to disagree, but Ren continued before she has a chance to. "Why don't you start lunch?" Her protests died one her lips. She nodded and started in on the bags while Ren took the box of dishes and cooking utensils to the sink and set to cleaning them, both unaware that they had an audience. Kyoko emptied the bag on the counter to be filed away into cabinets. As she spun around, her eyes landed on the silent figure standing in the doorway. She eeped loudly before she recognized the form of her manager. Catherine groaned at the sound. Ren turned to see what was going on.
"Kat-chan, please don't scare me like that." Kyoko went to the woman to see if she could help.
"Sorry. I just wanted to see who was in my kitchen." Catherine leaned on the smaller woman. She helped the unsteady woman back out to the living room. Kyoko settled the woman on the only cushion left on her couch while Ren followed them out with a glass of water. "Thank you." She took the water and sipped it.
"Sorry for the intrusion," Ren apologized to her, "The president asked that we check up on you." Catherine nodded lightly.
"I was afraid that I did not make myself clear when I called him." Catherine shut her eyes and breathed slowly. "Thank you for coming to check on me, but why are you guys not at work." Catherine looked at Ren and the sleeping man on the floor. He had not moved since she got up.
"There was a problem with one of the actresses and filming was canceled today." Ren explained. "We brought Mogami-san over." Catherine thought about that for a moment trying to process his words through the pain. That would explain their appearance here. Catherine leaned back against the couch. She was regretting moving from her human pillow. Unfortunately, it would be improper for her to curl back up with him now that she had moved. She thanked them again and sat up to take another sip of the water.
"I think I should go lie down again." Catherine handed the glass back to Ren and tried to stand up. She was overcome by a wave of dizziness and dropped back to the couch. Her impact with the couch shook it enough to wake Yashiro. His eyes popped open and he looked around startled. He froze when his eyes landed on the group next to him. It took him a moment for his sleep addled brain to process what was going on. When it clicked he yawned and stretched.
"Hey." Yashiro said to the group as he sat up. "Are you feeling better?" He turned to face the woman sitting on the couch.
"A little." She breathed the words and attempted to stand up again. "I think I should go lie down for a while." Kyoko steadied her as she started her way to the bedroom. Yashiro watched her be led away. His heart ached to see her still in pain. Ren watched his manager as he followed the pair with his eyes. Ren chuckled at the look on the older man's face. Yashiro turned at the sound.
"What's funny?" He asked the tall man standing next to him.
"You like her, don't you. " Ren made it more a statement then a question. Yashiro was taken aback by this statement. He was set to protest, but the words died on his lips. Did he like her? Yashiro settled for a deep sigh.
"She is definitely intriguing." Yashiro hung his head and shook it. Ren smiled at his manager and left to take the glass back to the kitchen. Yashiro picked himself up from the floor and was rebuilding the couch when Kyoko came out of the bedroom. She closed the door to a small crack and when into the kitchen to finish lunch. Yashiro stood and stretched again, he was stiff from sitting for so long on the floor. After the living room was repaired and the abandoned blanker was fold neatly, Yashiro joined the two actors in the kitchen. He was surprised at the mess he found. There was a pile of boxes and packing along the wall. Ren was at the sink washing what looked to be new dishes and Kyoko was in the process of setting up a new rice cooker.
"Wow. You guys have been busy." Yashiro walked over to see if there was anything he could help with. "Did you guys buy all of this?" He picked up a towel and started drying the dishes that Ren was cleaning. He was not sure where they went so he sat them on the counter.
"We had to." Kyoko explained. "Kat-chan didn't have any dishes or pans in her kitchen. Yashiro almost dropped the plate that he was drying. How could this woman have been in Japan for so long and not gotten any dishes? He reached up and opened the cabinet in front of him to find it mostly empty. There were two large mugs and three glasses. "There all like that." Kyoko commented to the look of disbelief on his face. Yashiro sighed and found a place in the empty cabinets to put the new dishes. The three continued to work in the kitchen until everything was clean, put away, and lunch was cooking.
Kyoko smiled at the gleaming metal of new pots as she stirred their contents. Lunch was almost ready. Yashiro was just finishing transforming apples into bunnies when she turned to get the serving dishes for the rest of the meal. She had been slightly surprised when the dignified man had taken the paring knife and set to work sculpting the fruit. When asked about the talent, he had told her that his mother had often made them for him when he was younger. Ren was not as skillful in the kitchen, so he busied himself with preparing tea for the group. As he waited for the water to boil, he turned his attention to the empty room behind him. He was curious to see what the apartment would say about Catherine's personality in privet.
Yashiro noticed Ren slip into the living room and dropped his knife in the sink before following the actor into the adjoining room. Ren had made his way over to the couch where a lamp stood on the end table. He turned it on and stepped back in surprise as the light cast a silhouette on the cream shade. His eyes popped up to the small head and arms hooked over the edge of the shade. Ren let out a small laugh as the multi-colored wings of the fairy statuette stained the lamp shade breath-taking colors. He thought of the girl cooking in the kitchen, she would love this. Yashiro came over to see what had caused Ren's reaction.
"Mogami-san." Ren called to the missing actress. "Could you come here for a moment?" He knew that he really should not pull her from her cooking, but he really wanted to share this delight with her.
"Be right there." She answered from the kitchen. Lunch was done cooking so she turned off the stove and went to see what her senpai wanted of her. As she walked into the room, she looked at the object that had caught the attention of both men. Joy overtook her as her eyes found the small resident in the lamp. Having completely forgotten about the food cooling in the kitchen, she admired the fay before turning her attention to the other items on the table. A thick red-leather bound volume sat just under the lamp. Kyoko ran her fingers over the title embossed in gold-leaf. It read "The Lord of the Rings" in English. The two men stood back and watched as the young actress became familiar with a side of her manager that she did not know.
As the actress roamed around the room, her eyes took in other things that gave her hints about the mysterious woman asleep. On the wall above the couch was a framed hand-drawing of the canopy of a tree. The colors were light and airy giving the room a peaceful feeling. A large branch cut through the middle of the scene. It took Kyoko a few moments of study to find the small dragon hidden on the branch. Next her eyes turned to the intricately woven Persian rug on which they had discovered Catherine earlier. Its soft expanse filled the area between the couch and the entertainment center. A modest television was placed in the space where a much larger one could have fit. Kyoko looked at the display that graced the top shelf. A plastic model of a naval vessel sat on a stand surrounded by three pictures of American sailors in dress blue uniforms. Kyoko looked at the flat deck of the ship before reading "USS Enterprise (CVN 65)" on the nameplate. A closer inspection of the pictures revealed two boys and a girl. It was obvious that one of the boys and the girl were siblings, and they both resembled Kyoko's manager. Kyoko made to note to ask Catherine about the tribute when she was feeling better.
Kyoko had to smile when her eyes fell on the next shelf. A picture of Kuu and a beautiful woman, that could only be Julie, graces a silver frame. Ren had been watching his love investigate the room with soft eyes. The look changed as his eyes fell on the recent picture of his parents. He quickly scanned the rest of the shelves for the possible incriminating evidence that could have been there. He sighed in relief when he did not find the picture he was looking for. Yashiro noticed the sigh and took it for something else as he escaped into the kitchen to give the couple time alone. Kyoko's attention left the picture as her eyes scanned over the small pieces of pottery and a jar filled with small paper cranes before coming to focus on the last open shelf. This one was filled with movies. She ran her finger over the ends of the cases as she read the English titles: Hudson Hawk, Die Hard, Tremors, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal. Her hand froze on the next case and she withdrew it from the rest. Her eyes ran over the palindromic title picture of 20th anniversary edition of the "Princess Bride" as she flipped the case over and read it in the other direction. Sheer joy filled the girl as she read the short description on the back of the box. Her mind spun away into a romantic fairytale until Ren's hand on her shoulder pulled her back to the real world.
"Sorry." He apologized for disturbing her. "I think it's time we get lunch." Kyoko gasped at the realization that she had totally forgotten about the food. She quickly put the movie back before stammering her apology and rushing to the kitchen to salvage the cooling meal. Ren followed her as a slower place. They were both surprised to find that Yashiro had dished up the repast and set it out on the small table in the kitchen. He had also plated up the vegetable porridge and apple bunnies to take into Catherine. These were setting on the lacquered tray Ren had gotten with some tea and water.
"Did you find anything interesting?" Yashiro asked the pair as he finished arranging thing on the tray for Catherine. Both actors blushed lightly as they realized they had been caught going through the sick woman's person life.
"There were several things that caught Kyoko's attention." Ren teased the young woman. Kyoko glared at him before turning to the tray Yashiro had just finished preparing.
"You two sit and eat. I will take this in to Catherine." The embarrassed teen lifted the tray and escaped from the teasing men before they could say anything else to her.