CHAPTER 67

I do not own skip beat. Yoshiki Nakamura does.

Premices of care.

She heard yells calling at her and it took her what appeared as a second to come back to her senses and not have people and furniture twirling in her sight. When it finally settled, she found out she had been lying on the ground, forearms leaning on the single step leading to the onstage area, and that quantity of people were surrounding her.

She tilted on her backside vaguely, and managed a sitting position with the help of the step. Though it was closer to a leaning stand, with the way she was supporting her front, arms and head on it than anything close to sitting. She was essentially flaunted on it. She felt far too dizzy to attempt standing back right away.

She rubbed her face and tried to make sense of what people were saying. Her ears were ringing and identifying every sound as strident at the moment. Her brain was so nebulous she had the impression to have it dipped into a murky web of sticky cotton candy, and she was trapped in that sluggish gluey fog.

She groaned as her nerves eventually awaken enough to give her the intel she had a massive headache forming, and closed back her eyes and rest on her arms to shut out the light blaring in her retina.

Then voices exploded in her ears as she finally untangled the different sounds coming and the she groaned audibly.

"Hunnh..!"

"Kyoko-san!"

"Mogami-kun!"

"Kyoko-san!"

"Are you okay, Kyoko-san?!"

"Everyone, take a step back, give her some room," Ordered the director from behind her in with outstanding composed calm of the one used to be obeyed. Then he took a few steps toward her and sat besides her.

"Kyoko-san, can you talk?" He asked her patiently. "How do you feel?"

She waved her hand at him without turning around hoping to delay moving as she felt nauseous and wasn't sure she would be able to have the bright lights in her eyes without passing out.

"All good," She mumbled with a new wave of the hand, "Just give me a minute."

And they did give it to her though a prolonged silence ensued before she distinctively heard some people grouch and mutter in their corner. The director himself sighed.

"Kyoko-san, could you please turn around?" Shingai-san asked.

She did. Grudgingly so though and she did her best to move as smoothly and normally as usual, though she needed to move in a slow motion to not increase her nausea. Come on, there were only two scenes left, she was not going to be defeated by a little weakness in the knees and a bout of nausea!

She confronted the director with a smile that did not let pass any discomfort to be seen on her face and plastered her best-selling expression of ease and innocence.

She thought she did well because only a slight frown marred the face of Shingai-san when he saw her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

Neither her face nor her reply deviated when she answered.

"I'm good director. I'm just a bit tired."

His frown grew as he scrutinized her.

"You just passed out." He pointed, clearly emitting his doubts on how she could be good after that.

"Just a little anaemia, director." She assured with an easy white lie. She was not about to hinder the production, she would not permit that.

Her view blurred for a second -she would gulp down more water as soon as she had the time-, but she still had the chance to see the director pinched his lips in a severe line. She wondered if the director could smell her "bullshit" as the Americans said, though she didn't like that figure of speech all that much. Too vulgar for her tastes.

"We just need two more scenes to finish the day director, I can do it. We are nearly caught up. You are not going to delay schedule because I'm a little weak, right?" She told him, trying to instigate force in her words despite her state, when she saw she was not fooling him and expertly playing his cards against him.

The pinch of his lips gained areas and his all face scrunched up in what looked like a contorted expression of several emotions colliding at the same place at the same time. She thought she saw shock, amusement, pride and tiredness and some other things too but it was too fast.

He placed two fingers at his left temple and massaged it slowly.

"To be straight: You just successfully mess-flipped my mind to make me doubt I was having my priorities straight by implying I could be the one to delay the schedule if I were to put the well-being of one my main actresses first rather than sticking to the planning even when said-actress look like a ghost and everyone knows all too well how much of a toll was put on her on this last week." He started. "Then, you pushed the scales even higher by showing how determinate you are to finish your scenes making me look like the bad guy if I forbid you to just be who you are, a professional that cares deeply about her job, and trap guilt all-of-us for even suggesting, hell thinking, of making you rest, as it was the ultimate blaspheme of the century. And convincing every single person in this room they are all lacking in terms of will-power, and that they need to try harder if they don't want to resume filming and disregard their colleague state! Is that right, Kyoko-san?!" Shingai-san demanded with an expert eye and Kyoko raised her hands in defence.

"How scary." Someone whispered in the crowd gathered.

"You are reading too much into this director." She protested. True, she was hoping to fire up the director to reroute his attention on the filming so they would complete today without any bump. But he went straight into an otherworldly-scheme plan.

"Oh, really? Am I now?" He sardonically replied, clearly getting annoyed with her.

She grimaced and looked away as her head pounded.

"Kyoko-san, you are an amazing actress, and even if you can dissimulate your condition on your face and not show any perspiration; even if I can't see any sign of distress on your face beside the already worrying and worsening whitening look," He continued with a stern look, "don't think I didn't see how damped was your back or the little shakes you are trying to hide."

She was not escaping this, wasn't she?

"Director I can rest later, really. I'll admit I'm feeling a bit off but I'll be alright I can work." She stressed to him.

Said-person groused at her before shouting at the staff to bring a thermometer and plopping it in her mouth once it was the case.

A minute later, they both look at the little devise. One with shame, the other with consternation and appal.

"Thirty-nine degree Celsius it says. How you are still able to work and we didn't see it before is beyond me." The director uttered with nearly too calm shock.

"Director-" She tried to protest.

"Nope. I don't want to hear it," he said and turned to her.

"You are grounded Kyoko-san. Starting now." He decreed with finality. "I know you are independent and used to push yourself but you need to know when to take a break.

She opened her mouth again and he cut her once more with a reassuring smile.

"Let's be clear. I know it's mostly thanks to you we are back to schedule Kyoko-san" He told her with a proud smile, "You accepted every change at every moment of the day and packed your days to fit every time there was a schedule move because someone was sick. And don't think I don't know you even started to work on the fight scenes on your own time when you should have been resting," He added with a knowing twinkle.

Someone whistle at her back.

"You won't be delaying the schedule. We are already back on track. In fact, it's only fair to have a little rest after all of this, and to be honest I know I pushed but also everyone a bit too much during this last week," he admitted, "And even if you have such a scary determination and strength, with how much you were pushed and this nasty bug floating around, even you would catch it."

She tried to refute his appreciations, she had only done what everyone would have done. What was needed.

"Moreover," He continued before she had the time to speak, "I'm partly to blame because knowing your strength, I fully used you to support the cast and the schedule because I knew you would be able to handle, turning a blind eye on the context and the possibilities you would also fall sick despite your strong constitution if you were tired enough. So if anything, it's my fault."

"Director, that's not true." She was finally able to reply, "I myself overdid it with the training and-"

He shook his head.

"Maybe,"he conceded, "But it's the director that is responsible of his cast, not the other way around, and you basically helped everyone and adapted to everyone this last week. And that is not okay. You should be the one to have to shoulder it."

"It's an over-exaggeration, I just helped here and there. I-"

He arched a brow at her and she shut up realizing she wouldn't have the last word on this.

"I can do it director, I can do the last two scenes of today. I will rest after." She tried again, feeling so guilty they had to go under all those troubles for her. She was the one at fault for overtraining and burning herself out because of that, and here was her director blaming himself because she was sick.

"Maybe you would be able to, yes," he nodded, "But if my strongest actress is sick, it means I pushed all the cast too far and it's time to retrograde the pace. Plus, it would really not be good even if you were able to do it, you would risk needing a longer time of rest than if I stop you now, so it's a no."

She sighed, admitting defeat when she suddenly thought of something.

"Director wait!" She called back to him, thinking of something that could still be done and might be doable in her state, while he was already seeking someone to help her go back to the hotel.

He glared at her, ready to scold her.

She spoked softly, hoping to placate him enough so he would consider her proposition.

"I was thinking-"

"You shouldn't be thinking, you should be in bed." He sternly told her and she got the impression he wanted to truly scold her for one second before he stopped himself.

"Please director."She pleaded, containing her voice who was getting rough, and failing to hide it completely if his new frown was any telling. She hadn't been able to drink water for too long so her throat soreness was coming back.

"I was thinking," She attempted again, "there is one small scene we have been delaying for a while because it's heavy on equipment that only last one minute for my character and I don't even have to talk, and well, the equipment we have no is close enough to quickly wrap it up and it will be a huge help to not have to keep the material always at hand and-cough-I'm sure I can do it and-"

She stopped talking under the infuriated gaze of the director, thinking he wanted to strangle her so much he looked pissed for a second before his shoulders slouched a bit, looked at the rest of the cast before turning back to her with a new menacing look.

"If I accept this, you will have one take to act it, any more and it will be postponed," he commanded and she nodded eagerly before stopping the move as the ache it provoked and Shingai-san seemed to grimace in sympathy before setting his traits in severity again, "And, you will promise to rest until you are better. I won't want to see you until you really feel better or I swear to God, even if it is to delay the damn schedule because of soreness I will kick your butt."

"Yes, sir. I promise"She agreed without missing a beat.

"Everyone agrees?"Shingai-san asked and as you could expect, there were only moves of assents throughout the cast. With hidden amusement and smiles. Or shake of heads. But full consent.

The director left the stage, ordering at the staff to set up the remaining prods and decors, all the while grouching at bullhead actresses with annoying talent and too much professionalism for their own good. Making more than one person chuckle at the irony of those words knowing how much of said director was himself a deep-rooted over-the-top professional.

They set the decor while Kyoko was fully pampered with water, sugary-filled snacks she had no choice but to eat if she wanted the director to let her act and a cover to keep her warm. In ten minutes- a record to set a new decor- the stage was ready, and the scene was shot in a few minutes. As planned her part ended quickly and between the end of her discussion with the director and the end of her exhausting day, barely twenty minutes were spent.

The director kicked her out then, ordering someone to escort her back to the residence -despite her protests- and to not come back before a few days.

She was also prescribed to ask the hotel's staff help for anything she might need or some of the cast team if needed. Food, help, anything. And was also warned she would get a new scold if she didn't ask for any.

She heard the director shooing everyone to rest and that today was over as she left the set but was in too much of a blur to think any more.

She did her best to maintain good figure until Kiri-san and her reached her room, but once inside she fell on the bed without a thought left. She felt guilty but she was too sick to do anything about it so all she could do was accept it.

She trembled all night thanks to the fever and was happy they had fed her with snacks because she wouldn't have been able to make herself something. She cuddled against Snow, just moving to go to the bathroom or to feed her cat. Kiri-san and some of the cast did call to see if she needed anything but she dismissed it, and told them she just needed some rest.

They also informed her the director had taken the decision to give everyone the next day off to recuperate since he had judged they had overdone it and that after that filming would resume much slower until he was sure everyone was perfectly kicking again. She had taken notice of that very vaguely as her fever wouldn't go down and she had a bad cough she was barely able to talk without entering an aching fit of cough. She remembered some of her colleagues had said the fever and coughing were particularly bad, and concluded it was indeed that damn bug.

She was glad she wouldn't be delaying anything for today but worried it wouldn't enough as-if the tells of her co-actors were right- that virus seemed to be lengthy to disappear.

And that's mostly how that day and the next one passed. Fever, drinking water, feeding the cat, bathroom, shivering and ache endlessly, sleep, and back to shivering and trying to drink water.

At the noon of the third day after one of their main actresses was ushered out to rest, and on the very quietened and subdued set-considering a few more people had fallen sick too after Kyoko and that the director had drastically cut down the time of filming to let the cast recuperate-, Ren walked in. He stepped inside the studio, his eyes instinctively seeking the refined tall figure he hoped to see, fully unaware. He looked around but failed to see her, guessing she must not had had scenes planned today and wondering why it was so calm here. That was, until he greeted some colleagues and learned other people were sick, and they were about tell him who precisely was too when the director hailed him.

"Great, Ren, you are finally here." Shingai-san greeted.

"I'm glad to be back," He said in return, "How had things been going?"

"Yeah, well, you are not staying."The director said, waving away his other question as he knew Ren was already aware of the nasty bacteria strolling around and striking the cast.

"What do you mean director? I just came back, what about my scenes?" He pointed out with confusion.

"Well, didn't you see the hecatomb? We can't film much at this point and I won't push the barely recovered actors to the bone just to get a few more scenes in." Shingai-san stressed. "Plus, I'd rather have you get the nasty bug now when we can't film than later when we will have our other main leads back, and speaking of, I'd like to ask you something." He added, a little too innocently.

" I won't fall sick, you don't have to worry director,"He protested and tried to reassure at the same time, "I'm sure there are a few scenes we can still work on and-"

Wait, what did the director just say?

"There isn't, actually," Shingai-san corrected, "we fit in the last of your alone scenes before you left, and the only ones that are still light on the numbers of actors required got at least one of them sick."

"Wait director, about what you said-"

"More importantly," Cut the director," did you get news of-"

"Director!" Ren stretched, raising his voice a tint. "What you just said about our other main leads being sick, is it true? Kyoko is ill?" He demanded him with urgency barely kept at bay.

Shingai-san's eyes grew and he mumbled a curse.

"Damn. I thought she would have already told you. I was just about to ask you if she had told you and if you had more news than me," the director explained, "Yes, she is sick. That stubborn woman took the bulk of the schedule's changes so that we wouldn't lose too much time and over-trained on her own time to top it all. So, in spite of her strong health, "the director rambled, "it didn't miss, she was tired and weakened enough for that nasty bug to get to her too and-"

"Wait, wait," He interrupted him, even more worried, "You were hoping I would have news, does that mean you don't have any?!"

The director pinched his lips in slight amusement before reassuring him.

"That's not completely true", he corrected, "Kiri-san had been checking and calling her every day, as long with some of her co-stars, to verify if she was okay, but she mostly shut everyone down by saying she just needed to rest on her own. It was in her own very polite manner," added Shingai-san with amusement blatant on his face, "But it was clearly another way to tell us to leave her alone."

Ren was abashed. If she was sick and not crawling on set despite her state, it could only mean it was bad enough she wasn't able to.

Seeing Ren baffled and concerned face, Shingai-san nodded and confided:

"I had mostly a cat fight- which I think I kind of lost- with her three days ago to success in making her leave the set to go rest," he told him, "She was pale as a sheet and had a huge fever."

"You didn't go to her room to check in person?!" He nearly barked.

The director shook his head.

"She clearly didn't want that so we thought we would respect her intimacy and let her rest on her own." He replied to Ren just like that and he wanted to strangle him.

"She is strong, Ren. It might just be her way to deal with it." He insisted seeing the murderous outrage look of Ren.

"Yes, she is the strongest person I know," He admitted to his director, "But she is also the type to never ask for help, even if she was on her death bed. Because, too independent and too persuaded she would be a bother." He stretched.

"It's especially when she doesn't let you help and push you away you need to be attentive she is not fooling you into thinking she will be good by herself!" He growled, feeling unnerved. "Even more as she is absolutely incapable to ask for attention and care!"

"…Sorry?" Hesitantly apologized the director under the death glares of his actor and understanding his actress had fooled him once more.

Ren shook his head.

"You couldn't guess. She is that good at pretending to be okay. I wouldn't know either if it wasn't from so many time spent with her."

"Hun-Hun" Said the director with a knowing smile and Ren rolled his eyes, ignoring his teasing about his feelings. He had more important things in mind, and he care less and less about hiding them to others.

"So I'm not needed on set, is that right?" He asked.

The director nodded with quirked lips.

"Until when?"

"For them next two days at the very least." Shingai-san replied, very pleased with the way it was going.

Ren nodded, relieved.

"I'll take my leave then." He told him already walking in a purposeful way.

"Take care of her." Shingai shouted out.

"I'm planning to." He replied while accelerating the driven pace of his already strengthened step.

PS: Hello everyone. Fast new chapter but shorter one. Sorry. I needed to get it out before being able to work on the part you are going to all wait for impatiently. LOL

I can feel some people are going to rage, hehehe. Be patient.

Also, i know several readers might be getting a touch impatient for them to be together but to be honest there are still a few major events that need to happen first. So stick with me. I promise it will be interesting nonetheless.

Lot of kisses.

Mimagfan.

AUTHOR OUT.