A/N: Thank you all so much for reviewing! It's been amazing so far and I never imagined the reception of my story would go so well! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I have a particular affection for it, it's one of the first I ever wrote!

Thank you especially to Kris, Sara, Sam and one guest for your kind words on my last chapter, I'll keep doing my best, I promise! Enjoy!

End A/N

Arriving at the studio early, Sai walked lightly, her flats sounding out dully in the air as she walked through the silent hall down to the Love Me room. She was still upset by her interactions with Japan's most "gentlemanly" actor the few days prior. She wasn't exactly looking forward to their meeting that afternoon. All the same, she'd convinced herself that today was a new day and she'd make the best of it.

Opening the door to the Love Me office, she threw her tote down on the counter and then had the inner debate she often had when she knew she was going on a job. Should I wear it today…? She thought gazing at the locker with her name proudly displayed on it. As always though, she relented and opened the locker, pulling out the hot pink fabric and slipping into the comfortable material. She knew how she looked in it, and while she didn't feel any affection for the garment, she was grateful that it made people avert their eyes. It was what she wanted.

Once she was properly dressed, she gathered her things and organized them, going over her schedule for that day once more, making sure it was properly documented in her notebook. Once she was sure of herself, Sai was just about to sit in the chair and listen to music as she so often did between jobs to relax when the door opened and a familiar face popped in.

Immediately, Sai beamed at the man who'd entered, "Director Kotome!" She said happily, bowing before him as he gave her a gentle smile and bowed in return.

"Good morning, Ms. Akai. It's good to see that you're already prepared. I know I'm a little early, but we're ahead of schedule this morning and I came to see if you'd perhaps be willing to go now?" He looked at her hopefully, knowing that while she was new and not even technically an employee yet, that she was still rather busy.

Thankfully, a smile dominated her features and she nodded, "Of course, I was just about to relax while I waited, so I don't mind at all." She grabbed her tote and replaced the magazine and her phone. "Shall we?" She asked him, approaching the door.

Growing increasingly more comfortable being around her, he smiled politely and gestured for her to exit first. Walking through the door, Sai and Kotome began exchanging words and thoughts about the coming week. Kotome was rather worried, but expressed that he was glad he'd have her help. She, in return, told him that of course it would go well, he was very capable and meticulous from what she'd seen so far, and she expected great things.

He visibly blanched and whipped his forehead with a handkerchief, "Oh my," he said worriedly, "I do hope I can live up to those expectations." He said faintly.

"Don't worry so much," she said lightly, smiling still. "Have some faith in your own abilities."

She said this so easily that for a second, Kotome completely forgot his own opinions and faults, believing in her completely and truly. In a flash though, he returned to his senses. "Things always have a way of going wrong in show biz," he said dejectedly.

"Perhaps," she admitted, "but then we just deal with them. That's the true test for everyone involved. Their ability to deal with the issues." She said lightly, turning to him. Though her features were still and unmoving, he could feel in the air and see deep in her eyes that she was looking at him with confidence, "I've met a lot of people in my weeks here, Director Kotome, and very few of them seem as capable as you." Offering him a polite, but encouraging smile, she turned away from him to hand the driver her bags and give him directions.

Meanwhile, he stood in shock at her words, so meaningful and heavy, but said by her so easily and lightly. He'd never known someone to say such things, but they rang true and he couldn't find anything in them to advocate against. How long had she been in this business? Maybe a month now? A little more? How on earth did she know such things already? How can she speak with such confidence?

He stared at her back in fascination; in just a few moments of talking with the driver who'd looked so apprehensive when they first approached, most likely due to her shocking appearance, was now speaking with her easily. They made light conversations, dotted with important bits of information that she let slip and integrated them into her speech so easily.

Instantly, he became aware that she held that persuasive charm back most of the time. If she wanted to, she could easily make her way through show biz with that allure alone. And yet, the advice she gave was modest and light hearted; she was kind and gentle, underneath everything she projected to appear otherwise.

By now, he'd heard the rumors about her, but he couldn't bring a single fiber of his being to believe them. She did seem to have the ability and capacity to manipulate someone, but the staggering amounts of praise that Lory had given her had been genuine, and he knew without a doubt that he would, in response, give a very similar account of her by the time they were done.

How the President had managed to find such a treasure was certainly a question he wanted the answer to. He hadn't met someone with this much raw talent and appeal in a long time. If you looked from afar though, all you saw was a plain-faced, giftless cling-on. He supposed that was just a part of her charm though.

Looking back at his still form, she tilted her head curiously, wondering why he wasn't approaching. Waving him toward the car, she offered a reassuring smile and the director stepped to meet her by the door, nodding to her respectfully and climbing in before her. The two talked lightly about the details of that specific day. He warned her that people at the set may be slightly rude to her. They hadn't exactly liked his last assistant and may transfer their feelings to her, so if they ever got to her, she needed to tell him. Sai knew they wouldn't, but she agreed nonetheless.

Once they pulled up at the set, slightly out of urban Tokyo, he helped her out of the LME van and the two walked up to the neighborhood where Call Home took place. The moment they entered the visual range of the crew, work immediately stopped as their eyes fixed and then dropped from her horrifying style display.

Sai walked beside Kotome blankly, not really even paying attention to their reactions. The director looked at her sideways and was surprised to see the hollow look on her face; he figured she would have at least been a little shy over the looks she was getting, but she honestly didn't seem to care much.

"Are you really okay with them giving you those looks?" He asked, unable to help himself.

Looking at him surprisedly, she blinked, "Oh…I don't mind. I really don't care what they think, if they let it bother them, it's their problem, not mine."

He stared at her, again surprised by her demeanor. He didn't think she'd ever stop amazing him. Shaking his head, they walked to the director's platform and he made an effort to get people's attention, "Thank you for coming today, everyone! I know some of you are aware that my assistant quit the last week of filming, and so I'd like to introduce to you my new assistant, Saiyuka Akai."

Hearing her name ring across the set, Ren immediately turned to face the director, finding the eyesore of a woman standing distantly behind him. She was wearing that ugly uniform again, which naturally made people aggravated just from looking at it.

"Ren?" A voice sounded from behind him, pulling him back to the conversation he'd been having with his costar.

"Ah, I apologize, Ms. Kurata," he looked at the young actress before him and smiled apologetically.

"Oh! That's alright, you just seemed to space out," she glanced around him at the new assistant and her eyes widened, "Oh dear god," she said, "I can see why…what a ghastly uniform…how can she wear that?"

"That's LME's President's regulations," he clarified, looking down at the blonde female, "she had to wear it, it's in the job description."

"Well that's…cruel." She said, staring at the form of the tiny redhead draped in the hot pink fabric. "Do you know her name? I couldn't hear the director say it." She asked him softly.

"Akai. Saiyuka Akai." He said, strained.

"I haven't heard of her before," Minami said, and curiosity won out, "I'm going to go talk to her."

Ren looked at her in surprise, "You want to meet her?"

She looked up at him, a piqued interest in her eyes, "I actually do."

With that, she took off toward the strange girl, and spooked her slightly, before they bowed to each other and Ren caught a glimpse of Sai's face. She was smiling at Minami joyfully, her face lighting up beautifully. His jaw dropped as anger shot through his body…Why is she looking at her like that…? She's so…why does she treat other people with such kindness…!? And why do they reciprocate? It makes no sense!

Watching them interact, he became aware of various other cast members approaching her, each greeting her positively and reacting well to her personality. They shared a few jokes and she laughed softly, give them all small smiles, before parting and following the director to begin preparations for the set.

Ren could feel the anger settle into his stomach uncomfortably as he watched their exchange before she left, and somewhere through him there was a pang of jealousy. For whatever reason, he wanted her to smile at him like that. He wanted her to enjoy their conversations. And it shocked him that he felt that way.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of her, he went back to running through his lines and burying himself in his work. As he worked his way through the script, he became acutely aware of Sai running back and forth around the set. Each time the garish pink passed in his peripheral vision he felt another wave of anger wash over him. Is she…avoiding me? He asked himself…She keeps walking passed me, like I'm not even here…He watched her pass him again, this time with a drink tray in her hand.

"Ms. Akai." He said suddenly, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to face him, her face blank and still,

"Yes, Mr. Tsuruga?" She answered politely, finally turning to face him.

He looked at her and realized he had nothing to follow that up with, and remained silent, simply glaring at her. After a few seconds, he watched her posture droop and she sighed, startling him.

"You were so close," she said, a light smirk playing on her lips.

Looking at her in vague surprise, Ren managed, "Close to what?"

"To being polite for once." She looked at him sarcastically, her lips twisting up into a grin.

"How was I not polite?" He asked, unable to think of anything else.

"Ohhh…I don't know." Sai tilted her head at him, "Perhaps that intense glare that you've been giving me since the moment I got here?"

Fidgeting slightly, Ren lowered his gaze and then raised his eyes to meet her bright blue ones. "I've been glaring just as long as you've ignored me this whole time."

"And that bothers you?" She asked smugly.

"Only because it means that you've been disrespecting a senior in your business for several hours. You managed to find reasons to speak and greet everyone else here." Ren said, his voice low with subdued anger.

"Most of them approached me first you know," she said gently, "And a lot of them didn't hide themselves on the outskirts of the set, their faces buried in their scripts." Her smirk widened and she glared down at the man sitting with his script.

He looked at her with malice and tightened his jaw. He was about to reply to her when she scoffed at him and gestured toward the drink tray, "I'm sorry, Mr. Tsuruga, but I really do need to deliver these." She tilted her head teasingly, "It's my job."

Before he could say anything else, she stepped away and took off gracefully toward the cast members. Handing the drinks around, she talked and smiled with a few of his coworkers and then stepped to the side of the set as filming began.

Ren looked at her walk away with absolute hatred. As he watched though, a familiar feeling began to settle in his stomach. He always felt like this when he finished talking with her. Guilty. Like he should have acted differently. How could he act nicely towards her if she was constantly staring at him with those empty eyes, like he had disappointed her, or wasn't worth her time? It made him incredibly irritated, even though he didn't know why. And if anything, that made him more infuriated.

Trying to shake the guilt away, he took out his script again and tried reading it to take his mind off of her again. He was interrupted several minutes later by Yashiro.

"Ren?" The manager asked, looking into his eyes, "Are you in there?" He asked, worry mixed with taunting.

Ren glanced back and forth between his friend and his script he'd been reading, only to find that he had been reading the same sentences repeatedly. Closing it with a sigh, he answered, "Yes, Mr. Yashiro…I'm fine." He answered, though his tone was absolutely furious and his hands practically shook in anger.

Yashiro looked at him skeptically, and came up with a cruel idea, "So you're upset with Ms. Akai, then?" He asked, knowing it would anger him further.

Glaring at his manager, Ren sighed and held his forehead in his hand, "Must it always be about her?" He asked the light haired man.

Grinning, Yashiro shrugged, knowing he should let it go for now since they were working, but he'd bring it up later, knowing how it affected him now. "I suppose not," he said casually, "But you get so worked up around her, I would hardly know it was you."

Before Ren could argue back, Yashiro flipped into manager mode and the two began discussing both their schedules for the rest of the day and eventually just made small talk. A while into their conversation though, Ren glanced over and saw Sai out of the corner of his eye, carrying a large stand and some camera equipment out, most likely for the crew. Knowing how heavy it was, he watched her struggle to keep it in her hands before she disappeared around a turn.

Feeling something unsettling rest itself in his gut, Ren couldn't help the dread from climbing up his throat. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Yashiro noticed his sudden drop of the conversation and followed Ren's gaze to catch the last glimpse of Sai before she rounded the corner. As his eyes met Ren's, he could see the worry deep within them. "Go after her, if you're so worried." Yashiro said easily, knowing that Ren wouldn't without prompting.

Shocked, Ren looked back to where Sai disappeared from and warred within himself. Eventually though, his concern for her safety and wellbeing somehow miraculously won over the hatred he held of her and he bolted up from his seat and walked as quickly as he could to where she'd disappeared.

The moment he turned, he saw the brilliant pink of her uniform in the distance, up on a ladder. Feeling the fear heighten to panic, Ren watched in horror as she tettered slightly at the top of the metal contraption and he raced toward her as she toppled over. Reaching her just in time, Ren wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her delicately into his arms and out of harm's way.

The first thing he noticed was how light she was. Sure, she had looked petite, but it was truly frightening that she was as light as she was. As he set her down, the both of them nearly toppling over, her hair brushed against his cheek and he was shocked at how soft it was. And…her scent was much different than he'd expected. It was…intoxicating, a strange mix of lavender and vanilla.

Sai, much like Ren, had felt a rush of panic the moment she'd felt herself begin shaking on that ladder. She'd never been a fan of heights, but never had she been more terrified than that moment when she lost her balance entirely. Her scream trapped itself in her throat and white flashed before her eyes. Just when she thought there was no way she could land safely, and accepted how hurt she was about to get, how she'd failed her mission, the director, Lory…how she'd managed to screw something else up…a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist tightly, nearly hurting her.

In an instant, she was pulled into a broad chest and was nearly overwhelmed with the heavy scent of a cologne she vaguely recognized. Ren Tsuruga's. Ren Tsuruga had just caught her. When she'd recovered her bearings, she shook the actors arms from around her waist and whirled around to face him, her mouth hanging open and her hair flying wildly around her. Watching her rip herself away from him and turn, a look of horror on her face, Ren's heart crashed down, for reasons he couldn't comprehend.

"Are you okay?" He asked breathlessly, his racing pulse finally audible to him as it pounded in his ears.

Hesitating, Sai jumped back and forth between being grateful or being rude to the man. "Fine." She said simply, her hands shaking so badly from the fear that was just now setting in, that she tucked them through her arms when she crossed them in front of her chest. "What were you doing back here?" She snipped at him, her voice faint and her face unreadable.

"I watched you walk back carrying all those things and got worried…" he trailed off as she clenched her jaw and sealed herself away from him, clearly not grateful that he'd just risked his neck for her. Anger once again consumed him. Was nothing good enough for this girl?!

"You didn't think I could handle carrying those stands?" She asked, insulted by his lack of faith in her strength, not even considering the fact that this meant he'd been watching her from a distance, or that that fact meant he'd been there to save her.

Throwing his hands up in the air, he mumbled in exasperation, "Can I do nothing right by you?" He asked her, "I just caught you from seriously injuring yourself and this is how you treat me?" He whispered feverently, "Is a simple 'thank you' that hard for you?"

Glaring her down, Ren managed to shut Sai up, and she took a step back, the mask in full force on her face, hiding her fear. Letting a shaky sigh loose, Ren visibly shook his head and stalked off, walking right past his manager who'd followed after him and caught a bit of what had happened, including how the two interacted with each other.

Looking at the back of his charge, Yashiro wondered if he should go after the tall actor, or leave him to cool off for a bit. Deciding on the latter, Yashiro approached the still shivering girl and bent to look her in the eyes, "Ms. Akai?" He asked her politely.

Sai looked up at the man standing before her, not recognizing him. She nodded though, to show him that she'd heard. He gave her a small smile and bowed, "Hello, I'm sorry to bother you at such a time, but my name is Yukihito Yashiro. I'm Ren's manager." He added, looking at her sympathetically.

Stumbling to get her words to come out right, Sai eventually managed, "No, it's alright. It appears you know me already, between Mr. Tsuruga and the President, I'm not surprised." She gave him a little smirk and chuckled lightheartedly. "All the same," she added, "I'm Saiyuka Akai, Love Me member number one. It's nice to meet you." Her smirk then settled into a more even smile, gentle and sweet.

Yashiro blinked at her, confused as to how Ren could feel such hostility between the two of them, and wondered what she could have possibly said or done to make him storm away like he did.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Yashiro asked politely, hoping she was okay.

"Oh no, I'm perfectly okay…thank you, very much." She said softly, the shaking subsiding as the began to pick up some of the fallen items that had somehow crashed to the ground without attracting much attention.

"Why thank me?" The manager asked curiously.

Sai looked at him strangely, "What do you mean?"

Blinking, Yashiro slowly said, "Well…I checked on you, but Ren was the one who actually caught you, shouldn't you be thanking him?"

"Oh…" she trailed off, her red strands of hair falling into her face as she considered his question, and eventually she looked at the ground in shame, "Actually…I wanted to thank him, but…" looking up at the manager, her face hadn't changed, but the air around her somehow showed her shame and guilt, "I couldn't do it. The words got stuck in my throat." She admitted.

"Why?" Yashiro questioned, barely breathing the word.

"It's…" her clutched her hands into fists, "something about him…when he looks at me with such fury, and I don't even know what I did to cause it…I can't act all polite and happy around him. If I really wanted to, I could lie and project that to him, just to calm him down, but for some reason, I always act how I honestly feel with him.

"And as much as I wanted to thank him for that, I wasn't truly grateful in my heart, so the words wouldn't come. I didn't want it to be him to catch me; it made me feel weak and powerless. And that kept me from being grateful. I don't want to owe him anything, it feels like I'm losing if I owe him something…"

"What do you lose in this scenario?"

"I…I don't know…that's part of the reason it's so infuriating, I suppose." The young woman looked at the manager with such misery in her frown that it struck Yashiro even though none of her other features had adjusted themselves to match the expression.

"Don't give up, then. If you're honest with him, that's a good thing, or at least Ren will recognize it as one eventually. Just try to let the situation better the mood. Don't run, or let him run away." Yashiro said, a passion burning in his voice.

She looked up at him, tilting her head to show her confusion and surprise. "You think so?"

"Oh yes!" He said enthusiastically, "I promise it'll pay off."

Sai looked unsure, but she nodded nonetheless and the two walked back to the set in silence, and then they parted, each bowing to the other politely and Sai watched as shooting began. She paced the floor for a while until she decided it was probably best for her to get out the way, while still being within earshot of the director, in case Kotome needed her. Settling for a place near the director's stand, Sai leaned up against the wall and allowed herself to relax.

Having just finished his conversation with the director, Ren turned to see Sai leave his manager's side and pace the floor worriedly. She looked to be moving around okay, but he was still concerned for her, and that sent waves of anger through him. He observed from the corner of his eye as the pink eyesore drifted to a nearby wall and leaned against it.

As Ren watched her, he saw her posture obviously let go of tension and she relaxed, closing her eyes for a few moments before returning them to their normal bored position as she let her soft gaze wander the room.

His instincts getting the better of him, he waltzed over and leaned on the wall next to her. Watching his every move carefully, Sai kept her body as relaxed as possible as he approached, to see if it helped her maintain a good conversation with him for once.

Before she could do anything though, his gaze fell on her and their eyes met. His were filled with hatred and malice as they always were when he saw her. So unlike when he spoke to anyone else, when they were shining with happiness and a relaxed kindness. She felt the words leave her mouth before she could stop them,

"So you chased me all the way from that corner of the room to this one?" She batted her eyelashes blankly, "How absolutely sweet of you."

Glaring profusely, he snipped at her, "Why do you have to do that?"

"Do what?" She asked him, feigning innocence.

"You're so petty and mocking." He glared at her awfully, causing her to scoff.

"And that bothers you?" She smiled at him ever so gently, still teasing him, as it was her only defence against his glares and low, growling hisses.

He gritted his teeth, he absolutely hated this girl's attitude, "You bother me."

"Why?" She asked him, tilting her head.

"Because that's not how you should treat those who hold more-"

"Oh, again with the respect thing?" She said in exasperation, "Please, Mr. Tsuruga, enough."

He bristled awfully at her words, "Well excuse me, then." He snapped at her, "You just seem to give it out so much to others, I seem to fail to understand why I'm an exception."

Tilting her head, she sighed, "Do you honestly think that I'm never casual or teasing with anyone else I talk to?" She asked him, "I show you less respect than I should, sure, but I don't worship our coworkers either. I speak to them like I would speak to other people, like regular humans."

"Then why do you always greet me with those insults or taunts?" He said, his voice cold and his gaze freezing.

"I-" she cut herself off, forcing her gaze to the floor. "Look…" she mumbled softly, "I can't help it. It's all I can think to do when you always approach me looking like that."

He blinked at her, not expecting her to answer him honestly, "Looking like what?" Ren asked honestly.

"Glaring. With that loathing and animosity. You're so hostile with me, even before I speak a word. So my first instinct is to be mean back, even though you haven't done anything yet. You never look like that when you're talking with anyone else. It's like the moment your eyes fall on me, the kindness in them just slips away…" She looked up and for the first time, he saw a shift in her face. Her eyebrows were slightly pulled together. Guilt. It was obvious, even though the difference was so miniscule and meaningless on any normal face.

"I only glare because the moment your eyes fall on me, you stop feeling anything, your very aura blanches whenever you look at me. When you talk with other people, you look so alive, even though your face doesn't move much.

"You smile, I've even seen you laugh a few times, and people seem to enjoy being around you. And yet, when you face me, you always throw up a barrier. I can't help it, it makes me infuriated to see that blank mask." He turned away from her so Sai couldn't see the guilt on his own face.

Blinking slowly, Sai took only one thing from his honesty, "You watch me?"

Ren whipped his head back around to face her, realizing that he had indeed just admitted to watching her intently, and his mind raced for an appropriate reply until something she'd said earlier flash in his memory and he blinked back at her, "And…you watch me? When we're not talking?"

Sai's eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter when she realized she'd spoken nearly the exact words. She fell silent and cast her gaze at the floor. Not hearing anything else from her, Ren leaned down to ask her if she was alright before her soft voice hit his ears, "Touché." She was looking at him with a gentle smirk on her face, except…this one wasn't hostile, it was playful, adorable even. It quickly faded though, when Kotome's voice filled the air.

"Cut!" He yelled.

"That's the third time he's stopped the scene…" Sai mumbled, gazing intently at the actors. Ren looked down toward her and realized with a start that he hadn't been paying attention to the set at all, and Sai actually had been. But…she hadn't been ignoring Ren either, so that meant she'd actually been skillfully balancing both at once. Ren hadn't known she was capable of such a thing.

Pulling her out of her line of thought about the scene, Ren placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her entire body to tense immediately, "Are you sure you're not hurt?" He asked her in a gentle voice, "From earlier?" He clarified.

Letting a gentle smile slip, Sai shook her head gently, "Not at all."

"Good." He said simply, letting it go this time that she didn't thank him, happy enough that she seemed to be treating him kinder now.

"This scene…" Sai said slowly, looking up at the tall man, "What is it about?"

Ren tore his gaze away from the redhead and looked at the characters. Standing on the stage conversing feverently with the faltering director was Minami, the lead. "You see the actress up there?" He pointed, and Sai followed his finger.

"Yes, Minami Kurata." She said, nodding.

"She's the lead, she plays the war hero's sister. Oh…" Ren looked down at the small talent, "Do you know anything about the plot?"

"The basics," Sai said softly, waving him on.

"Okay…well she plays Yui, Kobi's younger sister. In the movie, the different parts focus on the way each specific family member takes the news. In this part, we focus on Yui. Each member of the family believes that Kobi's death is the most difficult on them, but most of us believe that Yui takes it the hardest, even if her outcome isn't the worst.

"Kobi promised Yui that he'd make it back home and wouldn't leave her here on her own, but obviously that didn't happen. This is the emotional scene at the climax of her part, where she breaks down after the funeral. I don't know what's wrong with it though…" Ren trailed off, watching Sai's intent focus on the set. He'd never seen her so attentive.

Sai herself felt a pang through her heart as she related slightly to the character that Ren described, and she found herself engrossed with the acting going on in front of her. She watched as Minami went through several stages of grief on the set, her expressions and actions perfect, but when the director yelled cut again, for the twelfth time now; Sai couldn't help but agree with him. Something was off.

"Ms. Akai?" Ren said softly, getting her attention, "I think I'm going to go ask the director what's wrong with the scene, are you alright here?"

She scoffed at him, but it held no contempt this time, just teasing, "Of course I am. I'm not a child, Mr. Tsuruga."

"Could have fooled me," he joked, his own eyes devoid of any semblance of anger. Rather, they sparkled with a faint joy.

From up on the set, yelling caught Sai's attention again and she tuned in to hear the lead actress expression her disdain for the current predicament. "Ugh!" Minami screamed, "Again?!" Mr. Kotome shook his head,

"I'm sorry Ms. Kurata, I honestly don't know what's missing…it's just not right." The mousey director buried his face in his hands. Minami huffed and stomped off the set, slamming the door behind her.

"It's alright, Mr. Kotome, she'll be back." Ren spoke to the director softly as he approached, and the older man turned into a puddle of tears. Ren sighed in exasperation, he knew he was supposed to help the director get over his tendency to crumble when actors weren't happy, but the man was just so sensitive.

Often, Ren wondered why the President was so adamant about keeping him around. Fortunately though, Mr. Kotome always seemed to come through in the end, and produce such wonderful works. This scene though…it was proving troublesome. They'd been working it for several hours now.

Ren glanced back over at the petite female standing glowering on the sidelines. Her expression was just as blank as usual, except…something seemed just slightly off. Her eyebrows were pointed downward…like, she was peeved at something. Of course, if you didn't look carefully, she just looked bored…so he couldn't really tell. He hadn't seen it change at until about fifteen minutes prior.

"Uh…Ms. Akai…?" Mr. Kotome called loudly to the girl herself. She immediately moved toward him, keeping a respectful posture and distance as she bowed and addressed him.

"Yes, Mr. Kotome?" Her startlingly red locks clashed horribly with the outfit, especially in the stagelight, but as far as anyone could tell, she didn't seem to care. Then again, she didn't seem to care about much at all.

"Can I…get your opinion on this scene?" She blinked in surprise, and many of the meandering cast and crew members quieted their conversations and looked toward them. Among them, Ren found himself drifting toward the pair, a morbid curiosity fueling his steps. Why did he want her opinion?

"Mine? You know I have no acting experience, right, Mr. Kotome? How would my opinion help?" She tilted her head as if to show she was confused, without bothering to make the expression.

"For exactly that reason! Maybe I'm being too picky, so I'm just wondering, you know…what it looks like from a potential viewer's perspective?"

At first, she remained quiet, her posture and face unchanged. She seemed almost…frozen, unmoving like that.

The director was about to call out to her again, to see if he'd stepped out of line or ask her forgiveness if he'd insulted her, but he was interrupted by the ever so slight shift in her position.

Sai lifted her hand up to her chin and closed her eyes in thought. She wanted to actually give him something to work with here. For some reason, she liked this sensitive mess of a man, and she wanted to help him overcome that tendency of his to collapse under pressure. So she put actual thought into his inquiry before deciding on an appropriate response and attempting to vocalize it.

"I…actually agree with you." She met his eyes, and a fire seemed to have lit behind them as she began to explain her thoughts.

As she began talking, Minami walked back into the room, about to ask why it was so silent when a distinct voice rang in her ears. The girl in that annoying pink uniform was talking…and the whole room was waiting on her every word.

"The scene is…very unnatural. No discredit to Ms. Kurata's acting, it's very believable. Her expressions are correct and natural, her body language is perfect, and she captures her character well." She crossed her arms in front of her modest chest as strands of her silken hair fell in her face. "The problem isn't her acting skill, it's the emotions she's portraying. She's missing one."

"What? Which one?" Minami's voice rang through the room, causing them to rip their eyes away from the gaudy female to the lead actress. "What emotion am I missing?" She walked right up to Sai, almost glaring at her in the intensity of her gaze. She wasn't angry, just badly containing a desire to know.

Waiting just a beat, Sai parted her lips and replied with a cold voice, "Fury."

The entire room held their breath in confusion…fury? This was supposed to be the heartbreaking, emotional scene…why would fury matter?

"Fury." Minami repeated out loud, looking at her in disbelief, "Why fury?"

"Just picture it. Your brother died, leaving you alone. He made you a promise that you would look after each other forever, and he broke it. Of course you would be angry before you were sad."

"No no," Minami argued, "He didn't break it; it's not as if he killed himself, he was murdered. Killed on duty."

"So what?" Sai's face was blank, but the chilly anger in her voice was audible, "Why would that matter? The promise is broken, and no matter whose fault it is, she's alone. Nothing changes that."

The entire room fell deathly silent and Ren's eyes shot open…he'd just told her about the character not even a ten minutes before. How was she able to understand her emotions that well already?

"So how would you act the scene?" Minami said, honestly at a loss of understanding what the tiny girl was trying to say. "Anything is better than meaninglessly repeating the same thing over and over. If you have some idea of how to do the scene, give it a try. Can't hurt." For some reason, Minami really liked this fiery assistant, and needed a break from constantly trying to please the stupid director. She figured this would be a good opportunity for the talent.

Sai looked at her, her eyes wider than normal, blinking as she processed exactly what Minami was saying…ME act this scene? I've never acted in anything like this in my life! I can't perfectly adlib a scene that professionals have been trying to shoot correctly for hours!

"Actually…if you wouldn't mind, Ms. Akai…that might help us greatly." The director said, surprising the whole room as he spoke up before the young woman could reject the offer. "We can have the makeup team whip you up something quickly. I'm also curious about your opinion."

Relenting under their desperation, Sai let out a deep sigh before nodding to the director, who signalled to a makeup artist who had been in the middle of a discarded conversation with a cast member. Giving her an apologetic nod, the artist waved Sai down a corridor.

As she followed the brunette down the hall, something occurred to Sai. She cleared her throat to get the young lady's attention, "Oh! Yes, what is it, Ms. Akai?"

"Um…I just don't want to shock you when we get in there…you see…" Sai struggled with the words, and the makeup artist looked at her with concern, "I look quite different now than I usually do. I make a point to hide my actual appearance, so if you could keep it a secret and help cover up my…bad habits, I'd be truly indebted to you."

As the entered the dressing room, the artist looked at her skeptically, wondering how different she could look, but nevertheless, she agreed to keep the secret. As she commenced with creating a character from this fiery haired female, her shock did nothing but increase…'Quite different'…?! The artist repeated in her head. She's completely different! This idiot wears a binder! I didn't even know there were still people that owned them, much less wore them daily! And…and…the amount of foundation on her face…it's unbelievable! Why would you do this to yourself?!

As soon as she'd managed to get the girl down to her normal appearance, she stood in awe. Before her stood a totally different person. Her posture was almost model-like…her hand on her hip, she oozed femininity. Her chest was much larger than it had looked not five minutes earlier, her waist just as tiny, and her hips wider when she was no longer in that loose jumpsuit.

She wore jeans and a sweater that hugged her shapely form, and the bright red of her hair framed her face and drew out gorgeous pink tints from her cheeks and forehead. She was both stunning and adorable at the same time. Gone was the plain, bored, average female…standing in front of her was one of the most beautiful people the makeup artist had ever had the pleasure of working on. She felt renewed and invigorated; she wanted to shock the cast outside, to show that she was more than just an errand girl.

Little did the artist know, the emotions she was feeling were caused by the intentions of the female who was about to give her all in the very first acting she'd ever do in front of people. They'd damn well be impressed. She'd make sure of it.

Within minutes, the artist was done, smiling boldly at the young girl, "Oh, Ms. Akai! You look positively perfect!" She squealed and gave Sai a hug. "Come on, come on! We've got to show the director!" With that, she bolted out of the room, leaving a frazzled Sai to chuckle softly and follow her slowly, a soft smile gracing her lips.

"-You'd never recognize her! She looks completely different, it's incredible! I modified the costume a bit, so she fit the image of the character better," the artist was referring to the aspiring actress' rather busty form, doing her best to cover it up, as well as mention why she was wearing a blonde wig rather than a brown one. She gestured toward the doors as they began to open and reveal the form of Sai, dressed up as Yui, ready to look the part.

If the studio hadn't been silent before, it was most definitely silent now. All eyes were on the girl that had just walked through the door. Ren could feel his heart stop for a second as he unwittingly admired her. She stood in the doorway with a shy smile on her lips, her cheeks alight with a pale pink blush that illuminated her skin and made her almost glow.

Her body was completely different, draped in a cream sweater and tight, dark blue jeans, it appeared shapely, abundant, and sensual. It was…Yui. And it was gorgeous. Completely…completely stunning…how is it the same girl? How?

She smirked gently, walking up to the director and bowing in the same way as she did before. "Mr. Kotome, you truly have a wonderful makeup artist at your disposal," she said softly, placing a hand on her chest and smiling at him genuinely, "I barely recognize myself."

"I…I also am having trouble recognizing you." He managed to stutter out, as he crushed down any questions about her unexpected change, as his overwhelming desire to see her acting won out.

Seeing his expression of hope, Sai waved her hands in front of her, "Oh, please don't look at me with such expectations, Mr. Kotome, I have no idea how I'll act, I've never done it before. Looking the part and acting the part are two very different things," she said softly. Ren's eyes widened at her statement…since when does she say mature things like that? She was always so petty and infuriating…

"Oh, I know, Ms. Akai. Don't worry, I'm just excited. As long as you get your general idea across, that's all I'll need to determine whether or not your opinion is correct."

She smiled that shy smile again, "I'll do my best, Mr. Kotome, shall I start now?"

"Whenever you're ready," he smiled in encouragement, causing Ren's gaze to snap to him. Was that…? No, it was. He's more confident around her than he is with most actresses…is this the effect she has on people? That's insane!

With a deep breath, Sai turned her back on the cast and crew, closed her eyes and reached up in the air in front of her, grabbing on to seemingly nothing. In her mind though, she'd just grasped the spirit of herself, back when she'd lived with her own brother. And then, she pulled her fist down towards her chest, a way of bringing the spirit into her own, merging with it. And when she opened her eyes, she was Yui. She walked up to the door on the side of the set, a wet rain jacket draped over her shoulders, and her mind went to where Yui's would have been.

She was on her way back home from the funeral. She hadn't cried. She hadn't said a word. She hadn't felt anything. She was numb to the world, the chill from the falling rain had frozen her every molecule, soaked through her very skin and eventually her soul. Her eyes opened, but remained only half-lidded…distant, and empty.

"ACTION!"

Yui opened the door, stepping inside with heavy footfalls, her gaze loose and unfocused, lids drooping. With a crash, she released her purse on the floor, where it tipped and spilled its contents. Yui didn't even notice. She began to slip out of her coat, letting it drift to the floor as she walked away from it dazedly, still looking at nothing.

The director held his breath as he watched her flawless expression. Empty. Hollow. Vacant. There was nothingness in her eyes, endless, bottomless nothingness. Just like someone who'd lost their most precious thing. Ren also admired her expression…barely restraining his jaw from dropping. When had she learned to act like this!? This wasn't amatuer acting! This was…it was…incredible…

Slowly, her gaze raked its way to a picture frame next to her bed. Smiling out towards the camera were two figures, siblings. She reached out toward it, grasping it softly in her left hand. Seemingly lost in thought, Yui raised her right hand to stroke the picture and her fingers were noticeably trembling. The closer they got to the picture, the more her hand shook. The more her hand shook, the heavier and harder Yui's breathing got, until she clenched her teeth together and closed her hand into a fist, hovering just an inch above the frame.

The whole room could feel the shift. Suddenly, there was no emptiness in her acting, she wasn't a vacant, walking corpse, mourning her dead brother. The air in the room thickened with anger, growing heavy, dark, and cold. A chill shot down Ren's spine as he felt her shift the very atmosphere in just a few seconds. He could hardly believe it was really happening.

Yui felt the anger rise in her chest, and suddenly red flashed before her eyes. With a howl, she grabbed the frame with her right hand and whipped it against the opposite wall as hard as she possibly could. The glass shattered to pieces and clattered to the floor, the image within the glass floating to the ground slowly. Before it could hit the floor, a voice unique to Yui ripped through the room, "YOU LIAAAR!" It was a soul tearing, emotionally draining, completely heart-breaking scream. In a flash, she ran towards the broken picture frame and her legs gave out from underneath her, she came crashing to the ground. When her knees hit the carpet, the crushing of glass could be heard as it dug into her knees.

She picked up the photo with shaking hands and screamed again, "YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED ME! YOU'RE A LIAR, A LIAR!" Yui snatched up a large piece of broken glass and stabbed it into the face of her brother in the photo. Over and over she stabbed the picture, as blood from her hand dripped down her arm and onto the floor. Slowly, the screams began turning into sobs as tears of anger poured down Yui's flushed cheeks. Her movements slowed and finally, she released the piece of glass, her hand streaked in red. She sat back on her heels, as soft sobs racked her body and she gasped in air. Without warning, she scooped up the now torn up picture and held it to her chest, releasing the most agonizing sound imaginable.

The noise echoed through the studio, akin to the sound of a wounded, dying animal, desperately calling for help, as pain consumed its very soul. The sound completely shook every person in the room, as tears began to fall off their cheeks and sniffles interrupted the silence. It was so raw, so painful. It truly sounded like she felt as if her world was crumbling.

To Yui, her world was crumbling. As she rocked back and forth, clutching the picture against her so desperately, sobs, heavy and loud, left her lungs unwittingly. She mumbled incoherently about being left alone, begging her brother not to leave her all by herself, she didn't want to be alone. Slowly, the sobs turned to whimpers, the gasps turned to soft inhales and Yui leaned back against the footboard of her bed, still clutching the picture. Just audibly enough for the studio to hear, Yui whispered the name of her brother, her eyes back to their vacant, empty gaze, staring at nothing. As if her soul had just died.

The studio was completely silent, save for a few sniffles and short breaths of the cast and crew. They all knew that it was over, she was done. But no one moved, no one spoke. Just stared at her form, unmoving against the bed frame, unblinking. As they stared, they watched her eyes slowly close and then open again, as Yui's gaze was replaced with Sai's. At the same slow speed, her fingers twitched and eventually she raised her arms to help her get back on her feet.

Watching her get up, the director stuttered into the silence of the room,

"C-cut!" With his signal, the room began to relax slightly, knowing that she'd finished the scene. A few people were about to approach her, but before she hopped down from the set, she formed a fist in front of her chest and inhaled deeply, her breath catching as she still struggled to breathe after such intense emotion. Then, she lifted her fist above her head and exhaled, opening her hand as she did so. Sai looked at her extended fingers, feeling the spirit she'd held for the scene leave her body.

Ren watched her gesture and recognized it for what it was. But…it seemed impossible, for an amateur actress to posses the ability to slip so deeply into a role that it becomes a soul that she can willingly integrate into her own…it was unreal. Unheard of. She must have acted before, otherwise there'd be no way that she could possess such an ability.

Thinking of her acting though…to be honest, Ren was still in awe. For as long as he'd been acting, he'd never seen such an intense emotional scene. Her feelings were so real, so overwhelming, he doubted the camera could capture them all. There were so many layers of emotion that she expressed with her full body. Every inch of her, even internally, produced the exact emotions that he could see someone feeling in that situation.

Suddenly, he knew what it would be like. He'd been an only child his whole life, but it didn't matter, he now knew what it would be like to lose a sibling. And he'd never forget the feeling. That was her acting.

He felt the heat of a challenge rise in his chest. He'd act with her one day, and see that talent up close. He'd look into her eyes as her ability showed its true colors and poured through her gaze at him. It was the first time in a long time that he longed to act seriously against another actor. Ren was almost desperate to see how she'd react. He felt the smirk form on his lips as he watched the crew crowd around her, congratulating her on her performance.