Twins
Chapter 9: Roles
"What?"
"What?"
"WHAT?"
"Kudo, stop going insane! You're over reacting!" Sonoko commanded the lad who almost pulled all of his hair off his head as he read the contents of a certain paper posted on the bulletin board by the stairs.
"Kaitou, Sonoko's right. You should calm down," advised Ran, though she, herself, was a bit uneasy about the situation. They walked their way towards their classroom.
"Calm down? How can I calm down when that smarty pants will be paired up with my Aoko? MY AOKO!" replied the lad, his veins popping out.
Sonoko answered him with a witchy laugh and said, "So you're mad at your twin now? Finally, no more Kudo twins, no more screaming-fan-girls filled mornings in school." She smirked while crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Sonoko~" Ran's tone was more of a peacemaker.
They arrived at their classroom and headed towards Kaitou's seat, beside the window. Wanting to help lighten up his mood, Ran turned to Kaitou and said, "Maybe we could do something about this. Perhaps, you could talk to your brother to give you the role, or you could ask the director and other responsible people to give the lead female role to another girl." She smiled shyly, thinking her suggestions were not good. It suddenly came into her mind the thought of her playing the princess role with Shinichi as her prince. They were in a romantic scene – all their hands clasped together and their faces inching towards each other. Her face instantly went red as she shook the thought off her head.
"No~ I can't do anything about it! They're all against me!" The lad replied childishly before running to a corner. There he sat facing the walls, hugging his knees and poking the floor, a gloomy aura surrounding him.
Though worried, Ran couldn't help but smile at his immature actions.
It was already a week after the school play festival was announced. Screening and auditions were made in order to choose the appropriate characters for 3-A and 3-B's play. However, all the girls who applied for the princess role turned out to be exaggerated in delivering the lines and projecting their gestures. The fact that Heartthrob Twin #1 was the prince they were going to win was the biggest factor that caused this.
That was actually why the girl remaining silent at the side was chosen to be the princess. According to the playwright, she was the one who seemed to be best suited for the role. That time she didn't seem interested in the auditions and stuff as she looked more worried about something else. Her face showed pure concern and the way her eyes shifted from one focus to another would tell anyone that she was longing. It was in fact the emotion needed in the play – utmost yearning for a lost love. Without her knowing it, the playwright, the director and the advisers chose her.
Of course it also surprised Aoko to know that she would be the lead actress. She tried her best to convince them that she isn't fit for the role but the play management was too sturdy to sway. In the end, she had to give in for the sake of her best friend, the assistant director, and a junior high friend, Megumi the playwright.
On the other hand, the guy who was supposed to be happy about the news since he was Aoko's greatest fan turned out the most wretched.
"I hate my life~" Kaitou murmured as he continued pouting and poking the marble floor.
Kaitou and Ran were not actually left behind. They were in fact the heads of the props team, also known as the stage managers. Everyone knew how amazing Kaitou could be with his magic tricks and how resourceful and cost-effective Ran could be. They were even labelled as the creative duo when they got nominated to be the props team leaders.
Sonoko, on the other hand chose to stay with Ran. No one forgets how wealthy she is so she was very welcome to the props team.
The morning came to pass too quickly that it was already time for the first official practice for the play. Almost all A and B were in the gym – the actors were around the stage memorizing their lines, while the directors, advisers and props team were analyzing the stage, thinking of the appropriate decorations and props needed.
Shinichi was at the back stage. He was standing at a corner, kicking his soccer ball with his knee as he was memorizing the script in his hand. He looked straight ahead, neither at the ball nor at the 18-page manuscript he was holding.
'The hell with this 18-page torture... Kaito, you are so going to die!'
#######
"Ran nee-chan, I'm dying~" Kaito childishly pulled Ran's sleeve to get her attention and strangled his own neck, with his head swaying lifelessly with every movement.
Ran replied with a powerful poke on his forehead, saying, "What are you doing?" Her raised brows went down when she turned to the direction that the childlike Kaito was pointing. He looked like a baby who was about to cry as he pointed to Aoko at the far end of the area, reading the script.
Ran caressed his head like that of a dog. "Don't be sad Kaito-kun. Try to think of it this way: at least you can see Aoko act like a princess. You like it most, don't you?"
Enjoying the gentleness of her hand and her voice, the chibi Kaito smiled and nodded, without realizing why he did so. When Ran took her hand away, he returned to his whimpering, saying "This day is the start of my torment... The horror~ the turmoil~ the pain~" In no time, he was already by the wall, hitting his head rhythmically onto it. Good thing Sonoko was there to strike him with the instantly-appearing giant paper fan and bring him back to his senses. "To think I even thought once that you were cool~" She sighed wryly.
"Hey, you're right! The almighty Kaito is not someone who easily gets suicidal." He turned around only to see Aoko talking to Shinichi about something in the script. "...but then it's Aoko~ Aoko, my life, who is already with someone else~" He immediately turned back to his previous interaction-with-the-wall.
"You're hopeless," Sonoko muttered. Ran, on the other hand, chuckled at his actions and just hoped that he will be okay later.
Meanwhile, Shinichi's eyes were caught by the three. Though he was far from them, he saw how crazy his brother was, how Sonoko scolded Kaito, and how Ran enjoyed watching the two. A faint smile escaped his lips before he walked towards the back of the stage again.
As he tried to recall the sequence of his lines and think of the most appropriate gestures for each, Shinichi kept on kicking his soccer ball. Doing this helps him stay focused. He was, however, a bit bothered by the eyes that were at him. He knew about the presence of roughly 12 girls that were hiding in the area. But what disturbed his routine the most was when light suddenly flashed in the dim room he was in.
"I told you to turn off the flash!" He heard a girl scold someone as quietly as possible. "Sorry, I forgot that this was set on automatic," another girl whispered.
He couldn't help but smile as he shook his head slowly. 'These girls are really something...' He suddenly felt a sharp pair of eyes glaring at him. He looked around but was stopped when the director called for him.
Shinichi and Aoko then started the first scene together. They were supposed to be in a balcony setting, standing side by side, viewing the sunset.
"Sunsets are really sad, ne?" Aoko started. "It signifies the end of the day and it makes me feel somehow regretful."
"Well, in some ways it is quite sad..." Shinichi replied. "But if you're watching the sunset with someone very special to you, it becomes one of the most beautiful moments in your life." He looked at her and smiled, while she smiled back at him. Shinichi hesitated a bit but the script said he was supposed to hold her hand, and so he did. Before he could say his next line, he felt an intense glare, which made him look around to see where it was from.
"Kudo Shinichi, what are you doing?" Ms. Fujiyama exclaimed. "It was almost a perfect romantic scene; what were you looking for?"
"N-nothing." He forced a smile. "Can we take a break, sensei?"
"My my, we just started," Ms. Fujiyama reasoned, but Ms. Jodie tapped her back, telling her to let it be. "It was a good start; let's give them some time to get rid of the nervousness," the younger teacher said, smiling.
Ran and the props team were seated in a circle and were brainstorming about the things they have to work on. Kaito on her side was preoccupied watching the actors, or more like being a watch dog to Aoko, so he just nodded to everything they said. Ran took a glance of Shinichi as he was being taught by the director on how to make a certain scene better. She smiled and went back to listing the materials to buy. 'He really looks like a prince even without his costume... Too bad I'm here just to watch from afar.'
'I can't believe I'm letting this happen... She's so full of emotion there while I'm here, merely admiring her from afar.' Kaito thought.
After more than an hour, the actors' practice was already finished and the props team was wrapping up their discussion. Shinichi stood close to them, waiting for his brother. Noticing this made Ran's heart race. He was right in front of her and she couldn't help but be nervous. She tried her best not to make an eye contact with him in fear of getting locked up with his eyes again.
"Ran, we'll buy the materials tomorrow and work with the easy ones at your house, okay?" Kaito decided. He hasn't noticed his brother since his back was turned at him.
"At m-my house? Err, okay," She stuttered.
Kaitou grinned; his hopes were now up after forgetting for a while that he didn't get the prince role. "I sort of miss Ochan and your cooking already. It made me jealous when you baked something for my-" His sentence was cut when he heard someone faked a cough.
"May I borrow my twin for a second?" Shinichi asked Ran politely, his smile almost melting her whole being.
No matter how much she tried, Ran couldn't manage to nod, so Sonoko spoke for her and pulled her out of the gym, leaving the twins.
Once they were alone, Shinichi gave a small piece of paper to his brother.
"What's this?" Kaitou didn't bother to look at the paper as he continued to glower at his brother.
Shinichi chuckled. "So that's how you get jealous?"
"Huh?"
"You hit your head on the wall, alternately act childish in front of someone and look fiercely at someone, and almost expose our secret to your bestfriend." He chuckled again before slinging his bag behind his shoulder and walking towards the exit. "Tomorrow, make sure you wear enough hair wax and exchange cell phones and IDs with me, okay?"
Kaito was about to realize what his brother meant but his curiosity led him to checking the piece of paper first. His eyes then grew wide with glee, saying, "Waiii~ Shin-chan really loves me!"
"Baka, don't be so full of it." Shinichi smirked.
"I'll always be in time, don't worry!" Now cheerful as ever, Kaito then put in his wallet that paper labelled as 'Rehearsal Schedules'.
#=====#
AN: Hello there, dear readers! ^.^ This chappie took longer than I thought, my apologies ^_^ But I'm really glad and thankful to all of you who are reading this fic, waiting for updates and giving reviews! ^o^ I hope you continue supporting Twins ^_^
In order to encourage reviews, I'm putting in a new segment called "Reply to the Reviewers"! =P Or at least greet them if I don't know what to say to them ^_^; Well, here it goes:
Hanisakura and Lizzie07: Here's the new chappy! ^^ sorry it took so long, ehehe... ^_^
Alkyone: You're right, Kaito's feelings towards Aoko is not that deep-rooted yet and he still acts sweet towards Ran, but in time he will confirm how he truly feels =P oh, I don't know if I told you this already but it's because of you that KaitoxAoko is already a major pairing in this fic, yay! ^.^ I have also thought of their story, but I hope you can deal with Aoko's character at start; she is quite different from the anime and manga. But that's just considering the fact that here, they aren't the best of friends yet so there's still a lot of room for development between them =P I'm happy that you are telling me your suggestions or what you expect from the future chapters ^_^ It gives me not only ideas but also encouragement ^.^
X'brokenprincesz'X: Sorry I won't be able to entertain your suggestion ^_^ this chapter revealed why. =D but don't worry, love not only blooms on the stage; it also flourishes through the props ;) hehehe :p
Kaitogirl1412: Is this chapter a cliffhanger again? Hehehe, peace ^_^ but hope you like it though =D
Thank you to all those who submitted a review and those who are planning to do so! ^.^ It's not that I'm so crazy about a review – no I'm not *in denial* – but it's just rewarding and it makes me happy to receive one, hehehe ^.^ I'm sure you know how it feels :p
Hope you enjoyed this chappie! ^^
Up next, a chapter like no other... a place never visited by Shinichi... a person that is not a stranger at all... and a gesture that's either just protective or already possessive... Find out when Chapter 10 arrives =D
