A/N: Good morning, everyone! I meant to address a little more in my last author's note, but I had to write it rather quickly. I really wanted to reach out to jasminefiregreen and thank her for the incredible comment she left. You have no idea how much it means to me that you said all of that, I'm extremely grateful for everything you said I'm actually thinking of collecting a bunch of the really kind words everyone said and printing them out so I can hang them up as mood-boosters!
As for your assumption Kris, I do want to quite smugly point out that Sai was entirely a normal person until a few years prior to the start of my story, and as we've established she is very beautiful. With that in mind, is it so outlandish that she's dated before? X3 I'm afraid I must tell you that while it is probable that she's helped sick male family members, she has indeed dated before as well, and you'll be pleasantly surprised with a particular scene between her and Ren in the far future~
You guys are so awesome and I adore writing this story for you, so I hope you enjoy it!
End A/N
Ren had been awake for hours when the sun finally broke over the horizon and a steadily brightening stream of sunlight poured into his room. He couldn't do much still, his arm more dead weight than appendage at this point. Plus, it hurt like hell. Always throbbing and sending zaps of stabbing pain up into his shoulder blade. It kept him from sitting comfortably, lying down to sleep, it even hurt to breathe, dammit.
He knew that the morning light signified that the redhead down the hall would be getting up soon, which at least meant that he could bother getting up to stand next to her while she took care of everything a normal adult male should have been able to handle.
Belatedly, he realized that this would, in fact, be the last full day Sai could help him though. They were picking up Yashiro the following afternoon, and he would be taking over her duties as his manager once again, as well as his caretaker now. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd grown used to her presence. So the realization that she would not be there for him over the next few days hit him harder than he was expecting.
With a deep sigh and a slight wince at how his arm beat uncomfortably, the tall actor shifted out of his enormous bed and moved towards his door, only to be met with it falling away to reveal the still sleepy form of the petite actress. She blinked up at him with still heavy eyelids and then she yawned delicately and scooted past him into his room.
Although he'd been extremely against it at first, her entering his bedroom had become a part of their bizarre routine. Sai walked right up to his closet and started rummaging through it as she'd come so accustomed to doing. She held up various combinations of shirts and pants for him to assess, and he would give feedback that didn't require the use of his hand.
Eventually, the redhead managed to help him into a comfortable, loose fitting gray sweater and soft jeans. They'd created a system that worked alright for the both of them and minimized his range of motion. Additionally, she'd become quite skilled at picking out shirts that accommodated for his bulky cast quite well. If anything, she made living with his injury much more bearable.
After they meandered their way into the kitchen, she started preparing both their breakfast for that morning and a small lunch for him to take while she'd be away at another job. In the meantime, they did as they always did. They both got ready as they had for the whole week, teasing and taunting each other good-naturedly as they did so, both comfortable in the other's presence at this point.
Once all the food was prepared, consumed, or packed away, they headed out like they'd been doing it for years. It was that natural. Climbing into Ren's rental car, Sai took the wheel and directed them both back to LME for the first time in what seemed like forever to the both of them. Popping around the building and making various arrays of phone calls, the pair finally managed to get Ren's schedule at least partly sorted.
Thankfully, the cast was not as much of a problem as anyone had thought, and it turned out that many of his assignments could accommodate his injury through costumes, make up, camera shots, and a bunch of things that Sai didn't really understand in terms of film terminology. Regardless, most of the actor's employers eagerly informed them that they could work with the damage and there'd be no need to recast. The news made the dark haired man relieved to say the least.
After all of his meetings had been taken care of, the redhead left him with his lunch and headed up to meet with Sawara about her own wreck of a schedule. She didn't think it would take nearly as long as it ended up taking, and with every passing minute she was late, Ren felt worse and worse about dragging her into his mess.
She finally returned after what she could confidently call the most stressful meeting of her life, a pensive and very sour expression in the subtleties of her features. "Everything go alright in there, Ms. Akai?" The actor questioned, trying to meet her eyes with his deep brown ones.
Shrugging her shoulders in a soft, almost defeated manner, her voice came out drained and exhausted sounding, "Yes, Mr. Tsuruga. I'm alright. Some of my employers aren't happy I bailed on them, but it sound like most of my jobs will even out in a while and things will be back to normal."
"You don't seem very pleased with that, though…" The dark haired man ventured, trying in vain to make eye contact.
"No, no...I'm fine...well," she sighed just soft enough for him to catch it, "I guess I'm not...I wish I could have been, well...better at my job, you know?"
The actor let a deep, humorless chuckle go, finally catching her attention. "Are you really asking if I know how that feels? Which one of us broke his arm, hmm? Which one was recklessly, carelessly risking his livelihood by not paying attention in his car?"
The redhead blushed gently and waved her hand in front of her, "Yes, okay! Stop that!" She said with a nervous laugh, "I get it, okay? Bad wording. But I do feel like I was incompetent. I let my worry about you get the best of me and I just wasn't as professional as I would have liked to have been. That's all."
Swallowing down how uncomfortable it always made him when she talked so openly about how she was concerned for him, Ren finally managed, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to bring you into this, I didn't mean for your work to become jeopardized." He hold her honestly, knowing that even if it bothered him that she didn't quite understand the value of her work, she valued completing the work itself and he'd come to respect that.
The corner of her lip quirked up and she gave a soft, almost shy laugh. Following that, she gave her hand a little waving motion and he recognized it instantly. She always did that when he apologized and she didn't really believe that she deserved his apology. It wasn't her waving away her responsibilities or her duties, it was her waving away his worry. It was her waving away his discomfort and just trying to make him feel better. It was a comforting gesture. He'd had it all wrong. Again.
When they reached his car, she was about to duck into the driver's seat when Ren spoke up. "Hey. Ms. Akai?"
She blinked once at him and then nodded towards the compact vehicle they'd been using so sparely and she swung herself in. Following her lead, he climbed into the passenger's seat and shut his door, looking over at the redhead as casually as he could. "Yes, Mr. Tsuruga?" She asked him once she was situated, and her intensely pale eyes focused in on his.
"Would you let me take you to dinner?" He asked, the words slipping from his lips before he could stop them. The moment they made it out though, he was immediately hit with the connotations associated with such a question and his mind began racing at a million miles an hour.
"It's just- you see, you've been cooking so much, and I do appreciate it, but this is your last night, and well, you know, I thought...well, I thought I could treat you for our last meal of this...adventure." He finished, wishing desperately that he'd sounded about a gazillion times more natural to her than he had sounded to his own ears. He knew he probably hadn't.
Cracking a wider smile, the actress answered, "Yes, Mr. Tsuruga. I would be honored to accept a thank you dinner. Your pick of the restaurant, or mine?"
Thankful she'd picked up the correct and important points within the mess of excuses he'd thrown at her, he knew there was only one answer to that question. "Well, yours of course." He told her, flashing an easy smirk at her.
Sai laughed softly, a dangerous seeming twinkle in her breathtaking gaze. "I know just the place," she told him with a little wink, pulling their car out of the lot and speeding through streets Ren didn't recognize for the life of him.
They immediately entered a nicer, ritzier area and she pulled right into a multi-ethnic five star restaurant that he would have never pegged her to know about. "So...what is this place?" He asked, a little uneasy with her decision.
She just giggled again, nearly jumping out of her door, "You'll see." Her voice was deeper, warmer. It was nice, but he couldn't let his guard down. Who knew where she'd just taken him?
"Ms. Akai, really-" Ren began, before they made it past the entrance and suddenly the actor knew why she'd thought of this place. It was absolutely beautiful. Between the decorations, the interior design choices, and the gorgeous music, the tall man couldn't believe this place had flown so low under his radar. Or Lory's, for that matter.
The redhead immediately moved to the hostess and they exchanged a banter that the actor couldn't decipher. It almost seemed like another language. The hostess laughed heartily once before she motioned for them to follow with two small laminated menus and he moved past dozens of tables of couples, families, and even single people, all seemingly pleased with the venue they'd chosen.
She escorted them all the way to the back, up on a small balcony. Just out of sight. Perfect for a famous actor and a budding actress. He flashed her a smile and gestured out, "Well, okay, color me surprised. You have good taste."
The actress's eyes flashed dully and she smirked at the man actress the small round table from her. "Oh, I know. It's a gift, really." She teased, her smirk growing as they bantered back and forth playfully until their food was ordered and had arrived.
Soon, the jovial mood died down slightly and the actor once again looked at his temporary manager and a shot of guilt ripped through him. "Um, say, Ms. Akai...I really must apologize again for what I put you through this week."
The talent set her fork down and laced her fingers in front her her, resting her elbows on the table and supporting her chin with her hands. Letting a deep sigh go, she huffed, "You really haven't put me through anything this week, Mr. Tsuruga. It's actually been really nice, and I appreciated the break. I probably wouldn't have taken one for quite a while if not for you. I've enjoyed myself."
"How long has it been since you last took a break?" He asked her, watching the gentle shifts in her outward appearance in fascination as she actually took a great deal of time to consider his question before answering.
"Honestly, I think the last time I took off was for a single day, and that day was spent with Maria, but that was a few weeks ago. I guess I haven't had a real break since I started this whole journey." She told him, her voice soft and sweet with sincerity.
Tilting her head, she frowned and added, "Although, I did go in late that night to partially make up some of my duties. So I don't know if you can really count that as a whole day I took off."
Watching her face flash through happy memories she had of her time at various jobs, the actor finally lost his mask of calm and caved to his curiosity. "Why are you so committed to your jobs if you don't care about them?" He asked, genuinely just wanting to know at this point. No anger whatsoever.
Her searing eyes met his earthy ones and she gazed at him for a few moments before giving a long exhale through her nose and steeling herself. She could see the sincere curiosity and wonder in his gaze, and knew for a fact he wasn't berating her or accusing her this time. He was trying to understand her.
Rather than shrugging or brushing him off, this time Sai shifted in her seat until she was comfortable and put a delicate hand to her chin, seeming to be lost in thought as to how to phrase the multitudes of thoughts racing through her brain, each trying to be explained first.
Pursing her lips, the actress did her best to come up with an accurate explanation for her motives, fighting back and forth over if telling him was really a good idea. Even from across the table, the actor could see the war raging beneath the surface of her face. She looked at him with a mix of panic and determination that seemed impossible, the two emotions were much too different. But there it was, plain to see, and without meaning to, Ren reached over and put his large palm over hers for just a moment, squeezing it before returning it to his lap.
The moment he took her hand, Sai's heart leapt into her throat. The warmth of his skin seared through hers in a matter of milliseconds, and she watched as his physical hand left hers, but she could still feel the weight and heat of it resting where it had been. At first, it had made her extremely uncomfortable, but as she sat there staring at the empty space, a wave of calm and comfort washed over her. Allowing it in, she felt her back muscles release and basked in the relaxation before taking a deep breath.
"I do care. I know that you think I don't, I know you think it's about killing my free time and running around just for the sake of running around, but it's not about time, not anymore. I don't think of passing the time when I'm in the job; I live the jobs I do, whether they're acting or not. They aren't 'jobs' to me anymore, they become what I rely on to make it through the day itself."
She took another breath in, having not stopped for air as she tried to force the words out of her mouth as fast as possible. "This is my lifeline now, it's the reason I get out of bed again; I'm not some lifeless doll left lying around anymore, I'm alive again. People care about me again, and I care about people, I mean something again."
Ren looked over, watching as she shut her stinging eyes to control the rush of emotions that seemed to accompany any mention of what she'd been doing before LME. She paused for a few moments and her face shifted several different shades of red as she held her breath between tirades, more emotional than Ren had ever seen her.
"You don't understand what it was like, waking up every morning, knowing that no matter what you did that day, there would be no one to see, no one to care. To be so completely alone that not even your own company seemed to matter. If you can't be frustrated or sad or upset at anyone, if no one can see that you are alive underneath the surface, what's the point of feeling anything at all? What's the point of being-"
She stopped herself, feeling the tears sting horribly behind her eyelids and she took in a shaky, ragged breath. "This may sound a bit morbid, but just knowing that there would be people who would care if I was gone, who would notice my absence, who would...mourn. It's enough to make everything worth it again."
The actor found that he was holding his own breath as she spoke, hanging on her every word as she expressed something he wouldn't have expected her to ever reveal. He couldn't say anything to that; there weren't words to reply to such an emotional outburst, so he simply trained his eyes towards the table and let her recover.
"I don't know if you believe me, or if you even care, but it's not about time or points or stamps; it's not about fame or money or anything like that. It's about living. Being alive. For the first time in so long I feel like I'm connected again, like there's something holding me up. And I can't tell you how much that means to me."
"I do believe you." Were Ren's only words, as he stared straight ahead and fought back any desire to inquire further, knowing she had already exposed enough of her emotions for the evening.
A relieved, gasping breath echoed in his ears as she inhaled shakily, wiping a lone tear off her cheek and allowing a smile to move her lips, "Thank god…" Sai said in an impossibly soft voice, causing the dark haired man across from her to look up finally, and take in her watery eyes and tear stained cheeks, slouching in her seat and looking up at the dangling chandelier with its brightly lit crystals.
"I'm sorry," he said, making her train her gaze towards his, "For assuming. For being immature and unfair to you. And for devaluing your motives and reasons. I'll do my best to refrain from doing so in the future."
Her quivering laugh filled his ears and she smiled at him pitifully, "I'm just as immature, so don't worry about that."
Their eyes finally met and his held a gentleness she hadn't been expecting, "I do worry. If I want your respect so much, I need to be willing to show you the same. I should have realized that much earlier."
"Then does that mean you realize it now?"
"Of course. I only wish I had sooner."
"Then that's all that matters to me," she said gently, looking at him with a soft expression, "As long as we're okay now, then don't worry about the past. Deal?"
The thought of being able to erase his completely uncalled for behavior was more than Ren had ever thought would be possible with the fiery individual in front of him, and he all but jumped on the notion to do so, "Deal."
Looking at her now, all the preconceptions and misunderstandings that had blinded him from understanding her began to finally lift. Her explanation and emotions clicked much more smoothly with all the parts of her personality and actions. Before, everything she'd done clashed with his vision of her, and now he knew why. His vision of her had been completely wrong.
Much to his surprise, finding this out had left the man genuinely happy and relived; a weight that he hadn't known existed had just lifted off of his chest. He couldn't help but smile at her in a way that he hadn't managed to smile in a long while.
On the receiving end of that expression, the redhead had to try her very hardest not to let the awe she felt show on her face. The way his smile lit up his face and eyes, the way it seemed to make the room warmer and produce an actual glow, it was one of the most beautiful things Sai had ever seen.
She immediately decided it to be classifiable as a lethal weapon it was so breathtaking. It was almost heavenly. The very sight of it was making her heart beat uncomfortably hard and fast and she had to hold her breath to keep its pace from increasing. Swallowing hard, she tried to suppress her immediate reaction and instead focus on what he meant behind the smile. He was incredibly happy at that moment, for reasons she couldn't quite understand.
While she couldn't wrap her head around why her explanation had made him feel that way, she knew that the moment was a true rarity and she savored every single second. Finding her own lips draw up as she continually glanced at the actor who hadn't taken his eyes off of her, she lifted a hand on up cover her growing smile and focused on her food in front of her, twirling it around her fork and trying to take her mind off of the man she was dining with.
Finally ripping his eyes away from the beauty before him, the glowing smile stayed in place, but Ren did begin to eat again. They ate mostly in a comfortable silence, interrupted by moments with the waiter and with brief spans of easy conversation. Neither had enjoyed a meal quite that much before.
Inevitably, it ended and the two talents made their way back to the sleek rental waiting for them in front of the restaurant. Sai again weaved through streets the actor had never seen before but somehow managed to spill onto the main road to his apartment. He couldn't be sure, but he was almost positive she knew exactly where she was going. But then again, she could very well have been immensely lost and just lucky.
Once they'd made it inside, Ren worked on taking off his shoes with just one hand, as he often told her not to bother helping. He wanted to do it himself. It took a fair amount of struggling, but he managed and then stood up and followed the redhead where she'd gone into the living room.
Ren turned the corner and looked at the petite woman who was holding her tote bag in one hand and using her other to place her strewn out belongings back into it. The tall actor furrowed his brows in confusion, "What are you doing, Ms. Akai?"
Sai looked up, blinking and tilting her head in curiosity. "Mr. Tsuruga...you are aware that starting tomorrow, you are to return to Yashiro's care, correct? There's no need for me to stay with you after tonight, so I thought it would make it easier to pack up now."
Blinking rapidly for a second, the dark haired man realized with a start that he hadn't processed that fact at all. He didn't have another full day with her. She was leaving the next morning, and he hadn't even taken notice since he'd woken up.
He shook his head once to clear it of all thought, convincing himself that it wasn't that important that she'd be gone. After all, there would be no reason for her to stay, and it was odd enough she'd stayed as long as she did. He could handle her absence, easily. He had lived without her for years, and a week with a person isn't enough to become dependant or expectant. Right?
Somewhere in his heart though, he still wished she would stay. The apartment would be so quiet without her. So empty. He'd used to like having all that extra space. Never before had it felt empty or meaningless, but now that he was used to her laughter and voice filling all the voids of his apartment, now that he was used to the smells of her cooking penetrating even the most hidden of unused spaces, now the space would feel cold and vacant.
Choosing not to dwell on that though, the actor simply stayed silent and helped her pack, setting her things by the front door to load into the car the next morning. The pair then settled on the couch, turning on the tv. Quickly though, they both realized there was nothing on even remotely interesting. Clicking her tongue loudly, the redhead snatched the remote out of the man's hand and turned it off, attracting his attention.
"Have you ever played Doublets?" She asked, a gentle glint in her pale eyes.
Ren blinked once, "'Doublets'? Uh, no. I don't think I have."
Sai immediately twisted around, drawing her legs up until she was sitting sideways on the couch, her legs criss-crossed underneath her. "We're playing it."
The actor chuckled softly, "Alright," he said, twisting to face her. "How do you play?"
"We decide on two words that are related in subject, but spelled very differently. Then, you make up a list of words that change one letter from the last word until you've changed the first word into the second one."
Raising an eyebrow, the actor began, "So, we make one word into a related one by changing singular letters?"
"And still having each word in the middle be a real word, yes. And whoever does in the fewest words wins the round."
"How many rounds do we play?"
She laughed softly, the sound ringing in his ears pleasantly. "As many as we want! Or until you switch the game." She told him, her eyes twinkling.
"Alright, you're on. Pick two words."
Sai beamed at the man across from her, deciding on the two original words of the game. "Head and Tail."
The actor reached for two pads of paper from the coffee table and tossed one over to her as she produced two pens from her tote bag at the end of the couch. As they both finished, the actor looked over at her and smiled. He was continually surprised with her charm that she so carefully used. If she wanted to, she could make any situation, no matter how awful, seem like there was something good about it.
"How many you got?" She asked him with a slight drawl, gazing into his eyes confidently.
"Including the two you gave me?" Sai nodded happily, "Seven."
"Yes!" The redhead called, "Six! I win!" She laughed happily, and the dark haired man couldn't help but join in.
"No! That's not possible!" He halfheartedly argued, trying to peek at her paper.
"Hey!" She called out, still laughing, and patted his hand in a mock slap, "No peeking! I'll read it to you."
The actor withdrew his hand, rubbing where she'd touched as if it hurt, but he couldn't keep it up when she started laughing again and he was pulled into her happiness once again. "Read it to me then, cheater." He told her, a smirk still on his lips.
She cleared her throat and straightened, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear smartly. "Head, heal, teal, tell, tall, tail. Check and mate."
"I give, I give. You win. Next round." He challenged, a fire lighting in the back of his eyes.
"Alright," she echoed, "you're on."
"Rise and Fall." He told her, already jotting things down.
"Hey no fair! And you called me the cheater!?" She laughed again, making a warm feeling rise in the actor's chest.
A few minutes later, the actor had whittled his number of words down to six and was sure he'd at least tied with the woman. "You done?" He asked, clearly pleased with himself.
"Five." She told him, smirking.
"What?! That's not even possible!" He yelled out, wrenching the paper out of her hands and reading her words to himself. Rise, rile, file, fill, fall. Five. Shoot.
She snatched it back, laughing, "Of course it is! After rise, I changed the word four times. There are four letters in fall. Five is the minimum amount of changes. I win again!"
"How are you doing that?" Ren asked, still smiling even if he was slightly frustrated he couldn't seem to beat her.
"It's not that hard, you know," Sai told him, her icy eyes sparkling like an afternoon sun would off of a glacier.
"I suppose I'm just a bit distracted…" The actor said, watching as slight confusion drifted into the actress's expression. "You're quite distracting."
"Am I? How do you figure?"
"You really need to ask? You're beautiful." He told her, not really registering the words coming out of his mouth before it was too late.
Blinking once at him, the talent leaned back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Are you flirting with me, Mr. Tsuruga?" She asked, a teasing smirk playing at her lips as she watched the man across from her carefully. She knew he wasn't, but it was fun to toy with him.
His earthy eyes widened and he tried desperately to form some kind of denial, but no words would come out of his mouth. As he floundered to speak, the redhead burst out laughing, doubling over as she tried to contain it,
"I was kidding! I was kidding, Mr. Tsuruga! It's okay, I didn't mean anything by it, calm down." She looked up at his helpless expression and started laughing again, much to his chagrin. With that, the two returned to their word games, switching to a few different ones over the course of the night until they were both too tired to continue.
Sai yawned daintily, a hand covering her open mouth. She glanced at the clock on the wall and looked back at the actor who appeared equally as exhausted. "Getting pretty late," she told him, gesturing towards the clock.
Ren glanced up at it as well and nodded, but before he could bring himself to say anything, she was already standing up and beginning her nightly routine that he now managed to recognize he'd seen it so many times.
Sighing, he stretching out the kink that had settled in his lower back and joined her getting ready. It hadn't quite set in how they'd spent the evening yet, and even when it did the actor wasn't sure what to think about it.
He reached his room and started the hassle of undressing with only one arm. Deftly undoing the buttons on his dress shirt, he was again thankful that the redhead had taught him how to do that, in order to save him from getting humiliated every time he got dressed.
Finishing his own routine, the actor stepped out and found Sai just about ready to go into the guest bedroom. He moved past her and caught her eye, making her stop her advance down the hall. Ren flicked off the last of the lights in the kitchen and then moved back to his door frame leaning against it.
"Thank you, Ms. Akai." He said gently, his voice thick with sincerity and gratitude.
Even in the dim of the hallway, he caught her eyes widen just slightly. She blinked once and then cleared her throat, "You're quite welcome. I'm glad to have had this experience with you and I'm pleased you're feeling better."
He couldn't help but smile at that. It wasn't entirely the response he was looking for, but it was her. She was regarding him positively for once, in her own way, without all of the usual mocking or teasing manner her words usually took on.
"Goodnight, Ms. Akai. I'll see you in the morning."
The redhead smiled and nodded, "Sleep well, Mr. Tsuruga." She told him, walking down the hallway before pausing at her own door when she was nearly out of sight. "I've noticed you don't sleep all that well. If you need anything...I'm a light sleeper. I'll pick up my phone or answer the door." With that, she disappeared into her room and the gentle sound of the latch sliding into place echoed down to Ren's door.
Finding his smile to widen further, he leaned the back of his head against the doorframe and closed his eyes. After a moment, he ducked into his room and climbed onto his mattress, falling asleep without meaning to and without any memory of how long it took or when exactly it happened.
Ren woke up hours later with a start, blinking at the sunlight filtering into his bedroom. Rarely did he ever sleep through the night, and almost never was it so soundly as it had been that night. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stumbled towards his door, shaking his head to rid it of the fluff that came with unexpected good night's sleeps.
Once the actor had managed to make it to the kitchen, he found Sai already up and showered, her shoulder length hair twisted into a low bun at the base of her neck. He had no idea how long she'd been up, as there was already a light meal laid out of him, fully prepared. With a pang, he realized this would be the last meal she'd ever cook for him.
"Impressive spread," he told her with a grin, watching as she jumped in surprise and then turned to him with a glare.
"Thank you, sir." She dumped the last of the meal onto his plate and then set both of their food on the table and gestured for him to sit. They ate in relative silence, with the actor consciously consuming the delicious food much slower than usual. Noticing this, the actress tilted her head and then asked, "Everything okay, Mr. Tsuruga? Is it not good? Are you alright?"
He laughed at her string of questions, shaking his head, "I'm fine! I guess I just didn't sleep well," he lied, knowing that he'd actually slept extremely good night's sleep. He immediately regretted using that as his excuse, as her face morphed into one of extreme worry.
"I thought I told you to come get me if you couldn't sleep?" She asked, the tiniest movements in her face signifying the depth of emotion she was feeling.
Waving her off, he mumbled something about "thinking he could handle it himself this time" or something. She shook her head and smiled despite being worried, and began to clear off the table. Each of them went about getting ready for the day and Sai packed all the rest of her belongings up.
They walked down together and loaded her things into the back of the rental, stopping off at her apartment so she could run in and clear the backseat of her luggage to make room for Yashiro's.
Moving on to the airport itself, the pair waited at the gate Ren's manager was expected to arrive at, making light conversation as they waited. They didn't have to wait all that long though, as the light haired man jogged towards him not even an hour after they arrived for him. Sai's bright red hair was a bit of a beacon in such a drab building.
"Ren! Ms. Saiyuka! It's so good to see you two!" He called happily, clearly exhausted from his travels so early in the morning. He caught sight of the actor's cast and visibly deflated, "Oh, Ren...are you alright?" He asked, hoping his charge was doing better.
The actor smiled genuinely, "Yes, Mr. Yashiro, thank you. Ms. Akai took good care of me." The redhead rolled her eyes.
"Did he give you much trouble?" The manager asked, already knowing the answer.
"Much? You must be joking. It would have been much easier on me if he'd just let me take care of him, but no, he had to do everything himself. Therefore I had to teach him how to do everything one handed and stand there while he struggled until he ultimately gave up and I had to help anyway." She turned to the dark haired man and crossed her arms in front of her chest, scowling with only the tiniest tilt of her eyebrows. "You're the most stubborn man I've ever met."
"I take that as a compliment," the actor told her teasingly, tilting his head.
"What made you so careless?" The manager asked, getting ready to berate the man. "You're usually not like that."
"I honestly don't know what came over me. If I had just stayed and waited for Ms. Akai, I most likely would have avoided the accident altogether."
"Why didn't you-" Yashiro began to ask, but he was cut off by the redhead who simply smiled and shook her head. In her outstretched hand was his planner, freshly polished and organized, but everything was in its usual place.
Quickly turning to a certain page, she let the manager skim over its contents, "This is a list I've compiled of all Ren's employers, their schedules, and the shifts he missed from each one."
"Uh...thank you, Ms. Saiyuka, this is…" he trailed off, looking the detailed list up and down, shocked she'd managed to do that much in his absence. She was a marvel. "I'm highly impressed, I would have never imagined...you would go this far." He thought for a moment, something occurring to him, "Would you...want to go out to eat somewhere with the two of us? We don't have anything for a few hours, and it would be nice to thank you for all the work you've done."
The redhead smiled sadly and shook her head, "I apologize, Yashiro, but I have an assignment in an hour."
"An hour?" The actor questioned, "Why so suddenly?"
Sai turned to face him, her eyes seeming to glitter with something he wasn't used to seeing. "I'm excited. I can't wait to start again. I missed it."
A smile broadened on his lips, "So, does that mean you're ready for work already?" He watched her head tilt and then nod, and the smile turned sweeter and more gentle on his lips. "Then you have your notebook with you?"
Nodding again, she removed the hot pink notepad from her tote bag and looked at him in suspicion. He took it and hesitated for a moment before pulling out a set of stamps that Lory had given him a while before. He twirled the stamp in his hand and stamped a 100 point one on the newest blank page.
Once he handed the book back, the redhead glanced at the page and then her head snapped up in surprise at what she saw. He shrugged once she'd made eye contact, her face blank but somehow broadcasting confusion. She immediately jumped to argue with him but was cut off when he held up another stamp.
"You really want to argue with me?" Ren asked, waving the -10 point stamp for her to see. Sai shook her head and gave a soft, amused laugh.
"Thank you, Mr. Tsuruga." She told him. It was a simple, clean cut expression of gratitude but somehow that made it more meaningful. No frilly fluff, no unnecessary embellishments, just the sentiment itself. It was nice.
Bowing to both of the men, she smiled gently, "Alright, well, I think I should head out now. A company car is waiting out there for me, so don't wait for me. Just focus on getting Yashiro's luggage and settling him back in. I'll see you both soon for sure." Flashing them yet another grin, she hurried away and ducked out of the airport.
Once she was settled in the leather seat of the car, she dug out her notebook and flipped to the most recent page. Unlike the other ones in her book, the only thing on the page was the red stamp mark. It was...charming in its simplicity. She couldn't keep the warm, tender smile from touching her lips as she brushed her finger across the now dry ink.
Now that she'd returned to her usual way of life, the busyness was rather comforting. She hadn't realized just how much sitting around for a majority of the day wore her down. Once she was back though, she found that several opportunities presented themselves just the way that Lory said they would.
Not even a month after she'd finished as Ren's temporary manager, another offer came from a nearby studio. This one was for a PV that would be shot in about four weeks time for the release of a popular and highly acclaimed video game. She accepted immediately, positively enraptured with the idea.
She finally relaxed into a daily schedule, watching with affectionate joy as the spring turned into summer and all of the city blossomed with greenery and life. Time progressed more quickly than she could have thought, and soon it was halfway through June. She came home and left her bag by the door, stretching out and collapsing on her breakfast bar in satisfaction over a good day.
Once she'd rested, she pushed away from the counter and jogged up her stairs, fetching a music box from her bookshelf and heading back downstairs. She set the small device down and opened it, her heart seizing painfully as a photograph of her mother stared back at her from inside.
Eying her fridge, she moved towards it and removed a small box she'd put in there a day prior, setting it on the bar and fetching a plate, fork, and matchbox. Sai moved back to the stool and climbed on, removing the object from the box and placing it on the china she'd chosen. Striking the match, she moved the fire over the wick and it quickly caught fire.
A small, gentle smile lit up her every feature softly as the flame cast an orange glow over the pure white frosting. She crossed her arms on the bar and rested her chin on her forearms as she stared at the tiny dessert in front of her, decorated by a simple gold and ivory candle and swirl of french vanilla frosting atop a coconut flavored cake. It wasn't much, but then again, she'd never liked big parties. She much preferred intimate, warm affairs like this one.
Turning to the music box on the table, she took it into her hands and wound it up, setting it back down to play. Immediately the room was enveloped in a familiar melody and voice which rang through the room and warmed every inch of it. Her mother had sent her this music box for her fourth birthday. She hadn't been able to make it and so she sent this in her stead. The recorded melody of "Happy Birthday" chimed delicately and her sweet voice sang each note with the love of a mother.
She listened to it three more times as she watched the flame on the candle flicker, a tear traveling down her cheek as her beloved mother called her name out near the end of the song and finished with a beautiful harmony.
At the first sign of wax dripping down the candle, she closed her eyes and inhaled softly, blowing just hard enough for the flame to flicker and die down. She made her wish. And this time it wasn't like the others she'd made. For the past three years she'd wished for the same thing, but now, this year, she wished for something different.
The smell of sulfur hit her as the candle burnt out and she opened her eyes, raising her hand and pulling it out of the cake. Picking up her fork, she dug into the soft dessert, relishing the wonderful mixture of flavors as they melted on her tongue.
Closing her eyes, the words of her wish rang through her head and echoed there. I wish that, in my new life here, I am finally able to bring joy and happiness to those around me...just...just like my mother used to. I wish for nothing more than for the people who have given me a second chance to be rewarded in any way possible.