"You look great," Kotarou said, rolling his eyes. "Stop fidgeting."

"I can't help it," Haruichi nearly whined. "There are so many people here!"

"Of course there are! How many people do you think it takes to make a drama?"

The pink haired teen huffed and turned away from his friend. The dark blond knew he still wasn't very comfortable with huge crowds. "You'll be fine Haru-chan," Niki whispered, "We'll be right next to you the whole night."

"Come on," Yuta said, adjusting his tie one last time, "We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

"Waiting? Yuta, the party just started twenty minutes ago. If anything, we're here early."

Niki elbowed her friend. "Come on Ko-chan, you know how he is about being on time. Besides, Haru-chan is still considered new in the whole acting business, so it's only polite to show up on time."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go then. The sooner we arrive, the sooner I can eat."

"Is your stomach the only thing you think about?"

"When I'm hungry, yes."

Yuta rolled his eyes and pushed his friends towards the door. "Let's go."

The room was hardly full when they arrived, with more people trickling in every few minutes. Soft music was playing in the background and a few photographers were adjusting their cameras. News crews were starting to set up, though they wouldn't have anything to do until a few hours later.

In all, Haruichi was both relieved and a little disappointed. He attempted to keep a small smile on his face, not wanting to be rude. He looked up at Yuta when the brunette nudged his elbow. Leaning down, the taller teen muttered, "That's the director, Hiroti Kunimitsu."

The man was tall and thin, flittering from one person in the room to the next. When he spotted Haruichi, his face seemed to light up before he hurried over to the group of four. "Taneshima-san! I'm so glad you accepted this role and were able to make it tonight! I'm Hitori Kunimitsu, the director for the series!"

The director bowed and Haruichi returned it. "It's nice to meet you Hitori-san. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this." Tilting his head slightly, he asked, "If you don't mind, why were you so eager to have me play this role when I have no acting experience?"

Hitori blinked in shock. "I didn't tell you?"

Yuta took over, bowing slightly to the man before them. "Hiroti-san, I'm Kobekawa Yuta, Haru's manager."

"Ah, Kobekawa-san! It's nice to finally meet you!"

"Likewise. If you would be so kind, you were very adamant about having Haru for this part. So adamant I was rather hesitant to accept your offer."

The director laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I did go a little overboard, didn't I?" Clearing his throat, he said, "Allow me to clarify a few things then. Taneshima-san, the reason I was so adamant, as your manager put it, to have you for this role was simple. It's the entire reason I wrote this series."

"I'm sorry?" Haruichi was confused.

"Ah, let me explain. Do you remember that ad you did – the one for the jewelry company – a while back?" The pink haired teen nodded. That one had been back when he was still a first year. "Well, when I saw that I was stuck by inspiration. The son of a high ranking yakuza leader, training to take over the family business. A rookie detective going after his family after they killed her partner. They meet and she falls for who she thinks he is – an ambitious young man struggling to break free from his family expectations.

"Slowly she learns the truth, the one she loves is the son of the man who killed her partner. Stunned by the realization, she finds herself caught. Does she follow her heart and let go of her anger, or does she finally avenge her partner and even the score by killing him?"

He grinned at the group, stars in his eyes. "Tragedy, love, anger, passion, and regret. I want to make this a drama people will remember forever! And that, Taneshima-san, is why you had to be the one to play this role!"

Haruichi was surprised, but gave the man a smile and another small bow. "I will do my best to help make this series a success, Hitori-san."

"Wonderful!" Turning to the door, he grinned and waved the woman who just entered over. "Shura-san, I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Of course Hitori-san," The woman grinned. "I'm pleased to be working with you again."

Turning back to the group, the director said, "Taneshima-san, this is Shura Naomi, the woman who will be playing the rookie detective – your love interest. Shura-san, this is Taneshima Haru."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Shura-san," Haruichi said, bowing to the lady.

"You as well." Haruichi felt his smile falter when the woman leaned in close, looking him up and down.

"A-Ah…Shura-san?"

"You…" The pink haired teen began to sweat a little. This was very uncomfortable. "You're a lot cuter in person." She leaned back, smiling. "I can see why Hitori-san was so eager to have you now. I look forward to working with you Taneshima-san."

"L-Likewise."

"Relax a little. Some of the people here may be a little…rude…but nobody's out to get you. Just go around and introduce yourself. Remember, you'll be working with everyone here for a while, so it's better to know where you stand with them now."

Hitori nodded his head. "She's right. So just relax and have some fun – this is supposed to be a party!" The director thanked them once again before heading off to continue greeting the partygoers.

Shura pointed over to the buffet table. "Come on, let's go get a little snack and I'll introduce you to some of the others."

Haruichi was thankful, and nodded gratefully.

Leading them to the buffet, she asked, "So who are your friends?"

"This is Kobekawa Yuta, my manager." He gestured to Yuta, who bowed politely. "This is Nishida Kotarou. He's in charge of my wardrobe and the press." Kotarou grinned, winking at Shura who laughed. "And this is Yishama Niki. She's in charge of hair and makeup and helps Kotarou with the press." The dark haired female smiled and bowed a little.

"It's nice to meet you all," Shura said. "But a little word of advice – you should stop hovering over Taneshima-san like that."

"Thank you for the advice," Niki said, "However we have our own reason for hovering, as you say."

"Alright, just don't let it ruin any of your chances of meeting new people and having fun." Nabbing a few pieces of cheese, she added, "And one more thing. Next time, make sure you eat before you come. Not only is the food not the best, but those tabloid magazines are always looking to get embarrassing photos – which they do of all the newcomers who forget to eat beforehand and wind up stuffing their faces or getting stomachaches because of it."

"You're being awfully helpful," Yuta said, not completely trusting the long haired brunette.

"What can I say?" Shura said, a sly smile on her face, "Taneshima-san is adorable. And you all aren't bad looking either. Besides, everyone needs a friend or two in this line of work. Now, shall we go greet everyone else?"

Kotarou waved them off. "You go, I'm going to stay here for a bit." Watching them walk off, he went ahead and piled his plate with the food. He didn't care if it wasn't the best ever – food was food. Making his way over to an isolated corner devoid of other partygoers, he started in on his meal.

He didn't get far before another person came and stood beside him. "Mind if I stand here?"

"Go ahead," Kotarou said, swallowing his current mouthful.

"You're here with the group Shura-san is leading around, right?"

Kotarou nodded. "Why?"

"You're lucky she's taken a liking to you all."

"What do you mean?"

The other male chuckled. "Shura-san is very well known. Having her introduce you basically tells others that she likes you."

"And that's a good thing?"

"Very much so. Shura-san is very kind to those she considers friends, and helps them along when she's able to. She's something like a mentor to the chosen newcomers – basically the ones that she decides she likes."

Kotarou nodded slowly. "And she…chooses them how exactly?"

The stranger grinned. "If she thinks they're cute or not. Don't get me wrong, Shura-san is kind to everyone, but those she likes or chooses she gives more help to."

The blond eyed the strange next to him. He wasn't sure what to think of him. "And you know all this…how?"

The dark haired male smiled. "I'm sorry. My name is Ishiyama Shinji. I'm a production assistant." He bowed slightly and handed Kotarou one of his business cards. "I want to be a director, but I'm gaining more experience as an assistant right now. I've seen Shura-san around a lot, and she's been so kind to everyone, including me. Have you heard of Hitori Masato?"

"Who hasn't? He's all over the media as one of the most promising up-and-coming actors."

"Shura-san choose him, and has been helping him. I've seen her give him some tips, or help him work through a scene."

"Sounds almost too good to be true."

Shinji rubbed the back of his neck. "There are rumors that she's only like that so she can have newer actors 'owe' her something if she needs it, while others say acting the part of the 'angle' off scene makes her more popular. I don't believe them, but I'm not an actor."

Kotarou finished what was on his plate and nodded towards the male. "Thanks for the info. My name's Nishida Kotarou." He tossed his plate into a nearby trashcan and slipped out his own business card – which Yuta had forced them all to get – before handing it to the male. "Good luck on becoming a director."

Heading towards his friends, he waved backwards before stuffing his hands into his pockets. He'd have to fill the others in on what he'd been told later on and see what they made of it. From what he'd observed, Shura Naomi was helpful and nice, but it never hurt to be careful. He'd heard some horror stories from his brother.

Pausing and feeling like smacking himself, Kotarou pulled out his phone and tapped out a quick text to his brother – and his brother's manager, just in case – asking if they knew or had heard of Shura Naomi.

It didn't take long before he got an answer. 'She's a double edged sword. Stay on her good side.' Raising an eyebrow, he frowned when he got another text from his brother. 'Do not piss her off. Ever.'

Putting his phone back into his pocket, Kotarou decided he'd ask them more later on what they meant. For now, he was supposed to be socializing.

/

So here's the second chapter. Let me know what you thought and if you want more, because for now, this is all I have.