Kuu had woken up that morning in an excitable state. He ate breakfast, sat on a couch for a few minutes, got up, ate some more breakfast, and then traced every hallway of his enormous Beverly Hills estate. Thrice.
Even after Julie guided him back down to the kitchen two hours later, he couldn't relax. In just an hour, he would be leaving for the script reading of his newest movie. Kuu whimpered in excitement and began to pace the length of the kitchen. Once he arrived at the studio, he would need to exude professionalism, but right now …! Right now, he was allowed to hope. At long last, his son may be returning home.
He hardly noticed when Julie placed a plate of toast before him – an inexplicable marble pattern of black and brown – or when he finished said plate of toast. He hardly noticed when Julie ushered him out of the house and into his car. For that matter, he hardly noticed that he had arrived at the studio until, suddenly, he was there.
When he walked into the assigned meeting room, 107B, he was Kuu Hizuri: a talented professional with the utmost chill. He absolutely did not search for a certain young man currently speaking with the producer.
"Hey, Kuu!" called the director from one of the seats along the wall. "I want you to meet someone."
Tommy was an old acquaintance, just a few years his junior. They had come into the American entertainment industry at around the same time, and he had even featured Julie's workout clothing line a few years back for the Super Bowl. However, this would be the first time Kuu worked with him on a movie.
"Good to see you again, Tommy," said Kuu. "You finally want me for one of your blockbuster hits, huh?"
"Don't be like that," Tommy replied, "You've been 'blockbusting' just fine on your own, the way I see it. Besides, I've been saving the perfect role for you all this time."
"Is that how it is?" Kuu teased, before shifting his attention to the vaguely familiar man seated beside the director. "So? You wanted me to meet someone?"
"Oh, right," Tommy said, turning to the young actor at his left. "Taira? You good?"
'Taira' most certainly did not seem 'good' to Kuu. The Japanese man seemed to be shivering, and his face had taken on a rather green pallor.
"I – I … Kyoshiro-sama …" he whispered.
"What? Was that Japanese?" Tommy asked. "That's rude, when I'm the one introducing you."
"Not exactly. It's just the name of a character I played many years ago, back in Japan."
"Huh?"
'Taira' suddenly stood up. He turned to bow to the Director. "I apologize, Director-san. I was very anxious and lost myself for a moment. It will not happen again."
"No, that's fine," Tommy said, looking taken aback, "And seriously, drop the honorifics. Just call me Tommy." With a slightly nervous look, he continued, "Anyway, why don't you talk to Kuu, and I'll go speak with the others who came in." He gestured vaguely to the rest of the room.
As Tommy hurried away, 'Taira' turned to Kuu. "Hizuri-sama! I am very sorry! Please excuse me!"
"Don't worry about it," Kuu said with a wink. "Now that I think of it, that drama must have been having reruns when you were a kid, right?"
"Yes! You have been my idol ever since, Hizuri-senpai!" 'Taira' looked down, face tinged with embarrassment. "Actually, ever since I decided to act, I have been aiming to be just like you. I even learned English properly for this audition!"
Though Kuu had his fair share of fans, even he felt a bit overwhelmed by this guy. He couldn't blame the director for his hasty retreat. But, Kuu Hizuri wasn't called 'cool' for nothing. Enthusiastic as this guy seemed, he was clearly serious about acting.
"That's impressive," Kuu said with an easy smile. "You've clearly worked hard. And your English is pretty good for someone who learned so quickly."
"Arigato! That means a lot coming from you, Hizuri-senpai! I am still working on my accent, so … please guide me in this movie!"
"Of course. But I have a feeling you'll do just fine on your own, Taira."
'Taira' flushed darkly, "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! I am Mura – I mean, Taira Murasame. Please call me Murasame!"
"Nice to meet you … but like Tommy said, you should get used to being addressed by your first name, without honorifics. You should also just call me Kuu."
"Thank you, I will work on that, senpai!"
There was a beat of silence. Kuu was wondering how he could politely excuse himself and find him instead when a voice interrupted, "Good morning Hizuri-san, Murasame-san." With a carefully schooled expression, Kuu turned to greet 'Tsuruga Ren.'
A/N: I decided to break this into two parts since I'm planning some extra stuff for the next chapter. ;) Thanks for reading and please review!