{ Author's note: I know this prologue is a bit dramatic and unrealistic in a way and whatnot. This is just the beginning, and I'll do my best if this gets positive feedback? }
A toothy grin that seemed perpetually plastered on the young TV star's face was captured by the handful of photographers eager to get a glance of the silver screen's freshest face. Though her role was merely in the supporting cast, the sleazy American photographers would do anything for a picture of Sana Kurata.
"You're beautiful, Sana! Look over here! Let's have a look at that smile!" Those few phrases were only some of the many words shouted at her as the girl strolled across the red carpet. Hollywood crowds were far more lively than the occasional mob of reporters that bothered her back home.
"Sana, hurry it up. I'm enjoying this just as much as you are, but we have a plane to catch, and I know how much you'd like to go back home." She could feel the presence of her manager grow nearer, and her muscles relaxed. The premiere was exciting, she had to admit, but the hard work and frustration that came with it was not. The months spent away from home were far from relaxing.
As Sana got older, Rei became more determined to make her a worldwide sensation. The idea sounded mortifying to her. Still, the young girl pushed herself to the limits, taking every role that was offered to her, accepting interviews from various reporters. It was enough to make any child her age feel exhausted, but it all paid of (At least for Rei it did) when Sana was offered a role in a hyped up American film. Rei immediately accepted, not bothering to ask for Sana's opinion. It was assumed that she would feel just as he did about it. Of course she was excited about a trip across the world, but what she did not know was how difficult it would be in the days to come.
On top of filming the same lines a numerous amount of times, she had to deal with the language barrier. English was something that Sana knew very little of to begin with, and picking up on it wasn't easy at all. Even with a translator on stand-by, it became a bit aggravating on set for everyone working with her. Most of the time, all she wanted to do was quit and go back to her home. Her home in Japan, with Mama, and all of her friends, and Akito. Especially Akito Hayama.
"Alright, give a few more waves to the crowd and we're out of here." Rei leaned down to her level and mumbled into her ear. "Right!"
Sana Kurata was now on a mission, a mission to get home. When Sana was determined to get something done, there was hardly a point in trying to stop her. "I'm sure you're all great people and I had a wonderful time but I really gotta get going now!" She explained in a rushed tone to the crowd. "Okay Rei, let's get moving. My bags are packed and I'm ready to go." Sana got a firm grasp on her manager's sleeve, then sped to where the limo was waiting to pick the two up, leaving the rest of the people on the red carpet in an awfully confused state.
"In about an hour, we'll be on a flight back to Japan. You'll have a couple of weeks left before you start eighth grade, so I'll give you that time to take a break. You've worked really hard these past five months. I'm really proud of you, Sana. Over the past couple of years, you've grown up a lot." Rei offered her a small smile before casting his glance upon the window while she changed from an elegant dress into casual attire. "Only a couple of weeks?! I think I need to rest forever." Once her dress was 'neatly' tossed into the corner of the seats, Sana threw her body onto the seats.
"Don't get too comfortable, we should be arriving at the airport pretty soon. Speaking of which, what's the first thing you plan on doing when you get home?" Rei asked, though he was positive he already knew the answer. "I'm gonna hug Mama, of course!" She piped, rising up from the leather seats in excitement. Rei raised an eyebrow, "Really? Is that all?".
Sana knew what he was trying to get out of her, and it wasn't going to happen. "Yep, that's all!" She let out a nervous laugh, knowing very well where this conversation was headed. "That's not what I suspected your answer to be when I read your last letter to that Hayama boy. 'My dearest Akito, I can't wait to be with you once again. To feel your lips against mine'".
Rei could barely choke out the words. He had strong opinions about Akito that opposed Sana's view of him. Ever since Sana had been in elementary school, he was never fond of that boy. The dislike just grew when they were officially together in the beginning of their seventh grade year. That boy was no good for her, but Rei seemed to be the only one who could see that.
"Why were you even reading my letters?!" Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment and anger. "And I miss my boyfriend, so what? I bet you miss Asako just as much as I miss Akito. I bet you can't wait to make kissy face with your favorite lady!" Sana teased, sticking her tongue out in Rei's direction, followed by Sana puckering up her lips and imitating kisses.
"That- That's none of your business! Maybe I was wrong about the growing up part." Rei lightheartedly rolled his eyes, which elicited a laughter from the thirteen year old girl. "Hey, I really gotta use the bathroom. I drank a lot of that fancy fizzy water!" With that, she gently tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Do you think you could pull over at the nearest gas station real quick?" Sana asked politely. He replied with a nod of his head and a tiny smirk.
As the limo came to a stop, Rei started to exit along with her. "Wait here, I'll be super duper quick!" Sana assured him. He reluctantly nodded, settling back down in the limo.
She entered the rundown building, passing a few gas pumps along the way and turning heads who most likely recognized her from the various TV interviews. After glancing for a moment, they soon continued filling up their tanks. That was the thing about fame, people only cared about who you were if others did too.
The doors opened with the ringing of a tiny bell hanging above the door. "Excuse me, where are the bathrooms?" With her well developed English dialect, Sana was able to get an answer out of him as the man working behind the counter lazily threw up a finger to point at a door in the far right corner. As she passed through an aisle, a shady figure smiled at her. It was far from the friendly smile that Sana always offered to strangers. No, this one was far more different. This smile sent a shiver down her spine.
Her bathroom break was quick, and she almost forgot about the man in the small gas station store until he grabbed her arm as she was running back to the limo. "Wait!" A deep voice yelled. "You look really familiar, and you have such pretty eyes young lady." His grip on her arm didn't loosen one bit.
"Well, I guess you could say I'm kind of famous. I'm Sana Kurata. I'm in a hurry, but I could sign an autograph or something if you want!" She attempted to lighten the mood and ignore the eerie vibe with her typical cheery mood.
"Hmm…doesn't ring a bell." Before Sana could say anything after his words, the man reached his other arm around her neck, the arm that was previously keeping her in place was now pulling out a gun to point at her head. "Let's go, Sana Kurata."
He dragged her to the front of the counter, the cashier was now wide eyed in horror. "Gimmie all the money, or this girl's gettin' it." He growled. The cashier nodded obediently, quickly typing in a combination of keys to get the register open. "What are you doing?! Do not give him the money!" Sana attempted to protest. "What do you want me to do, Kid?! He's got you held hostage, and I'm trying to save your ass, so I suggest you shut up before you get us both killed!" The cashier held open a plastic bag to dump the contents of the register inside. "Well if you are not going to stop him, then I will!"
Sana turned her head slightly to the left, the perfect position to bite down hard on his hand. He yelped in pain, dropping the gun. "Sana! What are you doing?!" It was Rei's voice, barely audible through the glass separating them. Still his presence became noticeable when he entered the place. "You're dead!" The man fumbled around on the ground in search for his gun. Once it was back in his hand, it was pointed towards Sana.
"NO!" Rei yelled. Sana shut her eyes in terror, waiting to feel the impact of the bullet. There was nothing. Still, she kept them tightly closed. She heard the footsteps of her thought to be murder running away, then a loud thud. She opened one eye, then another. There was Rei, laying almost motionless on the ground, his white undershirt covered in blood.
"Rei?! Rei!" Sana ran up to his body and and slid to the ground, resting his head on her lap. "Call the hospital! Please call the hospital!" Her broken English got through to the cashier, who dropped the bag of crisp bills and picked up the phone by the register. Rei moaned in pain, his sunglasses now tossed to the side. His pupils were fixated on Sana, who could no longer hold back her tears that had been welling up in her eyes since the man pointed a gun to her head.
"Rei, stay with me, okay? Please! Just stay with me! They're gonna help you in the hospital and then we're gonna go back home! Does that sound good?" Sana tried to smile through her sadness. The child star who was rarely seen without her signature optimistic attitude, had broken down. Rei gave her the tinniest of smirks and released a laugh, "I don't think so." He paused for a moment to take in a deep breath. "You're the reason I made it this far, Sana. You were the only person who believed in me, you offered me a home and a job. You offered me a family. I could never thank you enough for that. If you could just do one last thing for me…"
His breaths became more rapid as it got harder to inhale. Sana nodded obediently. "Just, reach into the pocket of my pants and grab the small black box, please?" Rei pleaded. Without hesitation, she pulled the object out from his pocket and opened it up. The box contained a silver band with a gorgeous diamond that could offer any woman bragging rights.
"I was going to give it to Asako right after I got off the plane, but I want you to keep it safe for now and give it to her when the time is right. You'll know when that time comes." Rei nodded.
"No! You're going to give it to her, Rei! Right after you get off the plane. Our trip is going to be a little delayed now, but you're gonna be the one to hand this to her, not me." Sana tried to place the ring box in his hands, but he shook his head. "That will always be one of my favorite things about you. You see light, even in the darkest times.".
At his last few words, Rei shut his eyes gently, exhaling for the very last time. "No! Please don't leave me! You promised that you would be by my side until I told you to go! You promised!" Sana lightly shook him. Though she knew that would do nothing, there was still that last glint of hope lingering inside of her.
"This can't be happening…this is all just a dream. It has to be a dream! Why did Rei have to step in front of that stupid bullet? Why couldn't it have been me?!" Sana shut her eyes tightly and vigorously shook her head back and forth, hoping to wake herself up from this horrible nightmare she was trapped in.
It seemed to be working, after all. The noise of the scared crowd that started to enter the gas station slowly dissolved. The screams of terror were gone, it was silent and Rei's lifeless body was no long resting on her lap.
"Sana Kurata. Even at the age of thirteen, you have so much love to give. You care for the ones who don't even deserve it. What do you get in return? Now, two people that you love dearly are dead." A voice echoed. Sana jumped at the sound and her eyes scanned the area. It looked like she was nowhere. She was surrounded by nothing but a white light that nearly blinded her.
How did this person know about Rei and Takeshi? Instead of replying though, Sana stayed silent. "You're a wonderful girl, Sana. I would hate to see you sad, Dear. What if I told you that you could have some sort of redo?" The voice asked. It was everywhere, but nowhere. Somehow, it seemed awfully caring and trustworthy. It almost reminded her of the way Akito spoke to her.
Sana was awfully skeptical, but she had nothing to lose now. This was all just a dream, right? "If it means getting Rei back, then yes."
The voice let out a soft chuckle, "You care more about the ones you love rather than your own wellbeing, correct?". Sana simply nodded her head, but the stranger who was talking to her saw the gesture. "Then you must prove it once more. It shouldn't be hard for such a strong girl like you. I will take you back to the day where your true journey began. Close your eyes, sweet Sana."
Sana shut her eyes as tight as possible. If this wasn't a dream, then she'd most likely be opening her eyes to the day that she arrived in California. If it was a dream though, would she be full of disappointment in a chilly hospital waiting room?
"Wake up, Sana."
Fluttering her eyes open. Sana was horizontally sprawled across her bed in Japan. So, it really was just a dream. Her and Rei got back to Japan safely, everything was okay. A wave of relief swept across the girl as she sat up, rubbing her eyes that were still sensitive to the morning sunshine.
As her eyes adjusted, she rolled off her bed in disbelief. This was her bed, yes, but this was her old bed. The bed she left behind when her family was forced out of their home a while ago. The door opened revealing the familiar face of their maid. "You're going to be late for school again, Sana. If it's not so easy waking up now, then you're going to have a very hard time when you enter middle school!"