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Gifted. Angel. Perfection. Genius.
Ichinose Tokiya never once believed in all the praises he received each time he performed successfully. Sure, he was talented, but in no way was he gifted or a genius. He worked hard to get where he was, a child actor and singer signed to a famous company, and even then, it was his mother, well-known journalist that she was, who raised him this way: tireless, hardworking, perfect.
It was hard though, keeping up to expectations. At seven years of age, Tokiya's smile faltered each time he misses his cue, causing his mother to sigh and shake her head. He was doing his best, but it seemed that 'his best' was not to her standards.
"He'll be cuter if he smiles."
"I can't believe a glum, sour face can produce such a sweet voice."
Tokiya wasn't deaf, yet sometimes he wished he was. Ignorance was bliss, a pleasure, something Tokiya hasn't tasted for a long time. Yet each time he tried to ignore the murmurs and whispers, he found himself dying inside, hurting himself more and more.
His father left them a year later; his mother whispered good riddance even with the tears in her eyes, and Tokiya hugged her tightly that night, promising to himself to make her proud, to shine in all his appearances. However, Tokiya was already made to be a silent, serious character, and he wanted to change that, to break the image he unknowingly gave himself.
Thus HAYATO was born. Sunny, bright, cheerful HAYATO. His mother raised a curious eyebrow at his decision for a pseudonym, but didn't dwell on it when HAYATO (all roman, all uppercase, made a bigger impact that way, he insisted, much to her and his agent's amusement) became a huge hit, especially with the female fan base.
Five years later, at thirteen years of age, HAYATO was still going strong, but Tokiya was starting to tire of his pseudonym. Singing and acting became a chore, work was no longer fun, and nothing seemed to excite him. His mother's encouragement was the only thing pushing him to continue this facade, and even then he wished he could take a break, a week or so for himself without the hassle of schedules and deadlines.
Child stars usually meant home-schooled, and Tokiya was no different. Friends are a foreign concept for him; having been around adults his entire life meant close to no social contact with children his age outside of acting.
So it came as a surprise to him when at fourteen, a few months before his birthday, he dreamt of a boy he had never seen before in his life. A boy with crimson hair, a kink in his tail and the brightest smile he'd ever seen. "Who are you?" Tokiya remembered asking the boy, but he received no reply.
Of course, it was only a dream. It wouldn't mean anything, right?
