A/N: Hey guys :) **sigh** Once again, this chapter contains mainly
dialogue. But there is a bit of action, along with a little sappiness as
well! What can I say? I'm a huge romantic. Oh, and the action part is
slightly..well, I don't wanna say "violent," but it's not exactly rainbows
and ponies material either. Well, I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer (yeah, I forgot to do one last chapter): I don't own Kodomo No Omocha or the characters. Oh, and I also don't own the idea of the movie Sana talks about in this chapter (you all will recognize it!).
* * *
Sana glanced sideways at the golden haired bodyguard, noting the naturally calm expression on face as he stared out the front window. He lifted a coke can up to his lips, taking a sip before returning to his emotionless staring. The actress sighed inwardly, pondering the idea of him ever smiling.
'I wonder what could make a guy so distant,' she thought while absently fanning herself with her hand. She hadn't wanted to be rude to the driver, and did her best to ignore the heat swelling inside of the SUV.
Hayama's eyes flickered to Sana, and then fixed themselves upon his partner behind the wheel. "Hey. Turn the air on, will you? It's an inferno in here."
Tsuyoshi paused in his conversation with Aya and looked at his best friend in the rear-view mirror.
"Sorry, I didn't even notice," he apologized, cranking up the air conditioning.
Hayama nodded casually and looked back out the window. 'You were too busy flirting with the make-up artist.'
Sana smiled gratefully, only to turn her head disappointedly when she noticed he was back to staring out the front window.
'It's depressing to see someone so cold. But he has gotten a bit better since our first meeting,' she admitted.
"So, Kurata-san," Tsuyoshi started, after his exciting conversation about the wonders of Calculus with Aya had ended.
Sana mentally shook her head, the other bodyguard's voice tugging her from her deep musings.
"What kind of movie will you be starring in?" Tsuyoshi inquired.
"It's going to be a romance/drama!" Sana stated happily, pulling her jean-covered legs up on the seat in a childish Indian-style sitting. "It's about a teenage girl in her senior year of high school, whose favorite class is English, but a group of bullies keep disrupting the class and causing all these problems. Later in the movie, she falls in love with the head bully."
"Wow," Tsuyoshi muttered, eyebrows raised in interest. "But won't that be hard, posing in an American film?"
Sana shook her head, beaming cheerfully. "No, my English is actually quite well," she declared in English, the words flowing nicely off of her tongue.
"You're right," Tsuyoshi commented. "You don't have much of an accent."
"Who's the head bully going to be?" Aya asked, turning around in her seat to stare inquiringly at the actress.
Sana shrugged. "They're not sure yet, actually. They have the rest of the bullies cast for, but the lead male role hasn't been decided."
"Shouldn't the final decision have already been made, though?" Tsuyoshi asked, his eyes squinted in concentration.
"We don't start shooting for another two weeks. But since I have some family in Los Angeles anyway, I figured I go and visit for some time," the actress claimed.
"Ah, I see," the dark-haired body guard murmured. "Akito-kun has some family there, too, you know."
Sana averted her gaze to the silent man beside her. "Really?"
Hayama nodded absently, staring out the window to his left. "My sister, Natsumi."
"Natsumi," Sana echoed quietly, her eyebrows furrowed. She gasped with realization as it dawned on her. "The singer?!"
"So you've heard of Natsumi-chan!" Tsuyoshi exclaimed, grinning broadly.
Sana nodded eagerly, squirming around in her seat with excitement.
"I absolutely LOVE her singing!" she shrieked.
Aya giggled at her best friend, also shuffling around in the front seat.
"I do, too!" she agreed. "Her voice is so beautiful and clear, yet strong and powerful," she said dreamily.
Sana nodded in agreement, clasping her hands together. "Could we meet her?" she asked, gazing at Hayama, anticipation clearly written across her features.
Hayama returned her intense look, noting the look of hope and anxiousness in her chestnut eyes.
"Maybe," the blond bodyguard said offhandedly. "She's pretty busy, though."
"Aw, I'm sure she could make time to see her own brother, Akito-kun," Tsuyoshi protested. "And besides, she's one of Kurata-san's biggest fans, right?"
"Eh? Someone as famous as Natsumi-san is actually a fan of mine?" Sana asked incredulously.
"Yeah, she is," Hayama replied, casually turning away from her. "She saw a lot of your movies while she was living in Japan."
"Oh wow," Sana whispered, staring absently down at her lap.
"I can't you believe you don't even realize how popular you really are, Sana-chan!" Aya chided.
"Well, I don't want people to think that I'm arrogant," the actress defended.
"You're so un-arrogant that you seem timid!"
Sana scowled at her make-up artist, her hands perched on her hips. "You're starting to sound like Fuka-chan!"
* * *
"So, you like action movies?" Fuka asked, her eyebrow raised at the black-haired man driving.
Takaishi nodded, briefly glancing at her. "I think I've seen about every war movie there is in Japan."
Fuka laughed, gazing out the front window, up at the darkened azure sky. "Yeah, they're interesting. But I prefer to watch movies with some ROMANTIC action."
The hair-stylist could hear a faint gagging noise coming from the man seated beside her.
"Ugh, I don't think I could take a romance movie," Takaishi admitted, shaking his head in distaste. "A little romance is fine, but anything more is way too sappy."
"Hmph. Just like a man to despise anything sweet," Fuka retorted, grinning saucily.
"Hey, us men have to stick to our manly morals." Takaishi pounded his chest once with a curled fist, emphasizing his point. He cringed in pain afterwards, converting the pounding to a gentle massage.
Fuka propped her feet up on the dashboard, chuckling while doing so. "Manly morals, huh?" she teased.
"What a way for me to show-off in front of a cute girl," he mumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his chest.
Fuka's eyes widened as a blush tinged her cheeks. 'ARGH! Stop blushing, you idiot!'
Takaishi noticed her discomfort, concern clouding his face. "Something wrong?"
The dark-haired girl shook her head instantly, smiling at him. "No, everything's fine!"
A somewhat relieved smile crept over his lips. "Here's the airport," he commented, turning into the parking lot and following the green SUV.
Fuka nodded, straightening herself up after the half-hour drive. 'And to think, I'll spend about fifteen hours in an airplane.'
The black Mercedes pulled into an open parking spot, across from the SUV. Fuka climbed out of the front seat, while Takaishi immediately headed for the trunk to carry her luggage. The hair-stylist spotted Sana and Aya getting out of the SUV, with the other two men performing the same actions as they popped open the trunk.
Fuka trudged over to her best friends. "How was your ride over here?" she asked, with a look in her eyes that clearly told them 'I had a FABULOUS time.'
"We're going to meet Natsumi-san!" Sana squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Fuka looked inquiringly at the hyper actress. "Huh?"
"Calm down, Sana-chan," Aya murmured nervously, placing a hand on Sana's shoulder. "He said MIGHT."
"Well, that's better than 'no way, forget it, absolutely out of the question'!" she protested.
"Why would we see Natsumi-san in the first place?" Fuka asked disbelievingly.
"Natsumi-san is Hayama-san's sister," Aya replied, trying to hold down the thrashing actress.
"Yes, and we might meet her while we're in L.A!" Sana yelled cheerfully.
"Let's not get our hopes up yet," Fuka suggested unsurely. "She might be too busy to meet us."
Sana sighed and pouted, walking away from the two. "You guys are no fun!" she called over her shoulder.
* * *
"Last one," Hayama mumbled as he laid the last suitcase on the black gravel of the parking lot. He looked around, trying to spot the one he was supposed to be guarding.
"Where could she be going now," the bodyguard grunted as he saw her retreating back. He sighed and strode after her.
* * *
Sana strolled aimlessly through the parking lot, savoring the soft breeze blowing against her skin, causing her loose hair to flow freely behind her. It was one of those moments, where she just had to have a moment alone. It was another one of her Zen-type exercises.
'I haven't gotten any more letters lately. I should feel relieved. But why do I always have this feeling like someone is watching, waiting for his chance?'
Sana stared up at the cobalt sky, the dancing stars reflecting in her chestnut eyes. 'He's really starting to piss me off,' she thought angrily.
Her thoughts were completely shattered as she turned to face a couple of drunk, hooting men.
"Hey there little missy," one of the men called, his words slurred as he staggered closer to the young actress. "How much?" he demanded.
"Excuse me?" Sana asked, turning her head away from him in disgust as she inhaled the smell of his breath, caked with alcohol.
The middle-aged drunk combed his fingers through his dark, greasy hair as his other grubby hand gripped Sana's upper-arm.
"I hate to be teased," he whispered, staring unfocusedly at the brunette.
"And I hate to be hit on by ugly perverts," Sana defended, wrenching her arm away from his sweaty grasp as she continued to walk forward.
But, of course, that wasn't allowed to happen as the other drunken man gripped her wrist.
"Hey, aren't you that young babe, Kurata Sana?" he asked, giving her a wet grin.
Sana clenched her jaw as the first man placed his arm around her waist.
"Come now," he crooned in her ear, while his hand stroked her hip. "We'll show you REAL entertainment."
Sana struggled helplessly in his firm grasp, forcing herself to give a look of defiance rather than fear. "You fags," she muttered angrily. "Let go of me!"
The man with his arm around her was almost instantly let go, causing Sana's eyes to widen in surprise. It was then that she heard the grunts of pain emanating from his cracked voice.
"Huh?" Sana breathed, looking over her shoulder at the drunken man, sprawled across the gravel. She raised her eyes to the cold, menacing ones of her bodyguard.
Hayama stared at the other man holding Sana's wrist. The drunk automatically removed his hand from her limb, backing up.
"I don't do the 'leave now or else' speeches," Hayama stated flatly, preparing his fist for punch.
The man groaned as blood poured from his nose, sinking to his knees.
The golden-haired bodyguard placed his hand behind Sana's back, leading her back to the entrance of the airport where the others were supposedly waiting.
"Thanks," Sana muttered as they neared the glass doors.
"You shouldn't go off by yourself," her defender responded, though not in a chiding tone.
"I can't help it," she replied softly. "I have to be alone sometimes."
The pair was quiet as they opened the transparent doors, looking around for the rest of their party.
"There!" Sana pointed to their group, with Rei and Hisae added to the cluster.
The actress ran ahead of Hayama, beaming happily at them. "Hi!" she greeted.
"Where were you? I was getting worried." Although his sunglasses shielded Rei's eyes, Sana could tell they were filled with concern.
"I was just walking. I got a little carsick, that's all!"
Hayama walked up behind her, folding his arms across his chest while looking around for their gate number.
"We should board soon," he suggested, his eyes fixed on the line of people boarding their plane.
Hisae nodded in agreement. "The luggage was already packed away, so we can just board now."
Rei gently laid both his hands on Sana's shoulder, staring down into her eyes behind his dark glasses.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come along?"
Sana nodded. "I'll be gone for a few months. You should stay here with Asako-san." She smiled reassuringly at his pained expression. "Don't be such a worry-wart! I'll be fine!"
"Don't you trust me enough to take on the job of her manager?" Hisae demanded, a smirk twisting her lips.
A frown creased Rei's brow. "It has nothing to do with that," he whispered, staring intently at his actress.
Sana nodded in understanding. "In that case, you just have to trust Hayama- san here."
Rei turned his head to the quiet man, squinting his eyes in slight anger. There was just something about him that he couldn't stand.
Aya stared at the diminishing line as more people boarded the plane. "We should really get going."
"Yeah, or else we'll miss it," Fuka agreed. She turned to Takaishi, giving him a small smile. "I'll write to ya, okay?"
Takaishi nodded, grinning at the dark brunette. "You better."
Aya smiled shyly at Tsuyoshi. "I'd like to write you sometime, as well."
"Please do. I'd love to hear from you!"
"Come ON people!" Hisae urged, fed up with the stalling.
"Okay, okay!" Sana embraced Rei in a hug, hurrying toward the plane afterwards. "Wait for us!" she shouted, waving her plane ticket in the air as the door started to close.
Rei slowly took off his sunglasses, staring after his actress. 'Sana..I hope you will be alright.'
* * *
A/N: Good? Bad? Does anyone totally despise it? Let me know! Please review! Oh, and sorry if there are any grammatical or spelling errors, but it's after midnight and I should really get some sleep. And also, I tend to sometimes leave out words on accident, making the sentence not make any sense at all. Sorry for that as well! :)
-Illicit Water Dragon: Thanks a lot for your comments! I really try hard to create beginnings that will capture the reader's attention, so I'm glad that turned out okay!
Kodokuchan: Thanks for reviewing! And I'm happy to know that the freaky side of my story is having an affect on some readers. I was afraid it would be to way too corny.
Disclaimer (yeah, I forgot to do one last chapter): I don't own Kodomo No Omocha or the characters. Oh, and I also don't own the idea of the movie Sana talks about in this chapter (you all will recognize it!).
* * *
Sana glanced sideways at the golden haired bodyguard, noting the naturally calm expression on face as he stared out the front window. He lifted a coke can up to his lips, taking a sip before returning to his emotionless staring. The actress sighed inwardly, pondering the idea of him ever smiling.
'I wonder what could make a guy so distant,' she thought while absently fanning herself with her hand. She hadn't wanted to be rude to the driver, and did her best to ignore the heat swelling inside of the SUV.
Hayama's eyes flickered to Sana, and then fixed themselves upon his partner behind the wheel. "Hey. Turn the air on, will you? It's an inferno in here."
Tsuyoshi paused in his conversation with Aya and looked at his best friend in the rear-view mirror.
"Sorry, I didn't even notice," he apologized, cranking up the air conditioning.
Hayama nodded casually and looked back out the window. 'You were too busy flirting with the make-up artist.'
Sana smiled gratefully, only to turn her head disappointedly when she noticed he was back to staring out the front window.
'It's depressing to see someone so cold. But he has gotten a bit better since our first meeting,' she admitted.
"So, Kurata-san," Tsuyoshi started, after his exciting conversation about the wonders of Calculus with Aya had ended.
Sana mentally shook her head, the other bodyguard's voice tugging her from her deep musings.
"What kind of movie will you be starring in?" Tsuyoshi inquired.
"It's going to be a romance/drama!" Sana stated happily, pulling her jean-covered legs up on the seat in a childish Indian-style sitting. "It's about a teenage girl in her senior year of high school, whose favorite class is English, but a group of bullies keep disrupting the class and causing all these problems. Later in the movie, she falls in love with the head bully."
"Wow," Tsuyoshi muttered, eyebrows raised in interest. "But won't that be hard, posing in an American film?"
Sana shook her head, beaming cheerfully. "No, my English is actually quite well," she declared in English, the words flowing nicely off of her tongue.
"You're right," Tsuyoshi commented. "You don't have much of an accent."
"Who's the head bully going to be?" Aya asked, turning around in her seat to stare inquiringly at the actress.
Sana shrugged. "They're not sure yet, actually. They have the rest of the bullies cast for, but the lead male role hasn't been decided."
"Shouldn't the final decision have already been made, though?" Tsuyoshi asked, his eyes squinted in concentration.
"We don't start shooting for another two weeks. But since I have some family in Los Angeles anyway, I figured I go and visit for some time," the actress claimed.
"Ah, I see," the dark-haired body guard murmured. "Akito-kun has some family there, too, you know."
Sana averted her gaze to the silent man beside her. "Really?"
Hayama nodded absently, staring out the window to his left. "My sister, Natsumi."
"Natsumi," Sana echoed quietly, her eyebrows furrowed. She gasped with realization as it dawned on her. "The singer?!"
"So you've heard of Natsumi-chan!" Tsuyoshi exclaimed, grinning broadly.
Sana nodded eagerly, squirming around in her seat with excitement.
"I absolutely LOVE her singing!" she shrieked.
Aya giggled at her best friend, also shuffling around in the front seat.
"I do, too!" she agreed. "Her voice is so beautiful and clear, yet strong and powerful," she said dreamily.
Sana nodded in agreement, clasping her hands together. "Could we meet her?" she asked, gazing at Hayama, anticipation clearly written across her features.
Hayama returned her intense look, noting the look of hope and anxiousness in her chestnut eyes.
"Maybe," the blond bodyguard said offhandedly. "She's pretty busy, though."
"Aw, I'm sure she could make time to see her own brother, Akito-kun," Tsuyoshi protested. "And besides, she's one of Kurata-san's biggest fans, right?"
"Eh? Someone as famous as Natsumi-san is actually a fan of mine?" Sana asked incredulously.
"Yeah, she is," Hayama replied, casually turning away from her. "She saw a lot of your movies while she was living in Japan."
"Oh wow," Sana whispered, staring absently down at her lap.
"I can't you believe you don't even realize how popular you really are, Sana-chan!" Aya chided.
"Well, I don't want people to think that I'm arrogant," the actress defended.
"You're so un-arrogant that you seem timid!"
Sana scowled at her make-up artist, her hands perched on her hips. "You're starting to sound like Fuka-chan!"
* * *
"So, you like action movies?" Fuka asked, her eyebrow raised at the black-haired man driving.
Takaishi nodded, briefly glancing at her. "I think I've seen about every war movie there is in Japan."
Fuka laughed, gazing out the front window, up at the darkened azure sky. "Yeah, they're interesting. But I prefer to watch movies with some ROMANTIC action."
The hair-stylist could hear a faint gagging noise coming from the man seated beside her.
"Ugh, I don't think I could take a romance movie," Takaishi admitted, shaking his head in distaste. "A little romance is fine, but anything more is way too sappy."
"Hmph. Just like a man to despise anything sweet," Fuka retorted, grinning saucily.
"Hey, us men have to stick to our manly morals." Takaishi pounded his chest once with a curled fist, emphasizing his point. He cringed in pain afterwards, converting the pounding to a gentle massage.
Fuka propped her feet up on the dashboard, chuckling while doing so. "Manly morals, huh?" she teased.
"What a way for me to show-off in front of a cute girl," he mumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his chest.
Fuka's eyes widened as a blush tinged her cheeks. 'ARGH! Stop blushing, you idiot!'
Takaishi noticed her discomfort, concern clouding his face. "Something wrong?"
The dark-haired girl shook her head instantly, smiling at him. "No, everything's fine!"
A somewhat relieved smile crept over his lips. "Here's the airport," he commented, turning into the parking lot and following the green SUV.
Fuka nodded, straightening herself up after the half-hour drive. 'And to think, I'll spend about fifteen hours in an airplane.'
The black Mercedes pulled into an open parking spot, across from the SUV. Fuka climbed out of the front seat, while Takaishi immediately headed for the trunk to carry her luggage. The hair-stylist spotted Sana and Aya getting out of the SUV, with the other two men performing the same actions as they popped open the trunk.
Fuka trudged over to her best friends. "How was your ride over here?" she asked, with a look in her eyes that clearly told them 'I had a FABULOUS time.'
"We're going to meet Natsumi-san!" Sana squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Fuka looked inquiringly at the hyper actress. "Huh?"
"Calm down, Sana-chan," Aya murmured nervously, placing a hand on Sana's shoulder. "He said MIGHT."
"Well, that's better than 'no way, forget it, absolutely out of the question'!" she protested.
"Why would we see Natsumi-san in the first place?" Fuka asked disbelievingly.
"Natsumi-san is Hayama-san's sister," Aya replied, trying to hold down the thrashing actress.
"Yes, and we might meet her while we're in L.A!" Sana yelled cheerfully.
"Let's not get our hopes up yet," Fuka suggested unsurely. "She might be too busy to meet us."
Sana sighed and pouted, walking away from the two. "You guys are no fun!" she called over her shoulder.
* * *
"Last one," Hayama mumbled as he laid the last suitcase on the black gravel of the parking lot. He looked around, trying to spot the one he was supposed to be guarding.
"Where could she be going now," the bodyguard grunted as he saw her retreating back. He sighed and strode after her.
* * *
Sana strolled aimlessly through the parking lot, savoring the soft breeze blowing against her skin, causing her loose hair to flow freely behind her. It was one of those moments, where she just had to have a moment alone. It was another one of her Zen-type exercises.
'I haven't gotten any more letters lately. I should feel relieved. But why do I always have this feeling like someone is watching, waiting for his chance?'
Sana stared up at the cobalt sky, the dancing stars reflecting in her chestnut eyes. 'He's really starting to piss me off,' she thought angrily.
Her thoughts were completely shattered as she turned to face a couple of drunk, hooting men.
"Hey there little missy," one of the men called, his words slurred as he staggered closer to the young actress. "How much?" he demanded.
"Excuse me?" Sana asked, turning her head away from him in disgust as she inhaled the smell of his breath, caked with alcohol.
The middle-aged drunk combed his fingers through his dark, greasy hair as his other grubby hand gripped Sana's upper-arm.
"I hate to be teased," he whispered, staring unfocusedly at the brunette.
"And I hate to be hit on by ugly perverts," Sana defended, wrenching her arm away from his sweaty grasp as she continued to walk forward.
But, of course, that wasn't allowed to happen as the other drunken man gripped her wrist.
"Hey, aren't you that young babe, Kurata Sana?" he asked, giving her a wet grin.
Sana clenched her jaw as the first man placed his arm around her waist.
"Come now," he crooned in her ear, while his hand stroked her hip. "We'll show you REAL entertainment."
Sana struggled helplessly in his firm grasp, forcing herself to give a look of defiance rather than fear. "You fags," she muttered angrily. "Let go of me!"
The man with his arm around her was almost instantly let go, causing Sana's eyes to widen in surprise. It was then that she heard the grunts of pain emanating from his cracked voice.
"Huh?" Sana breathed, looking over her shoulder at the drunken man, sprawled across the gravel. She raised her eyes to the cold, menacing ones of her bodyguard.
Hayama stared at the other man holding Sana's wrist. The drunk automatically removed his hand from her limb, backing up.
"I don't do the 'leave now or else' speeches," Hayama stated flatly, preparing his fist for punch.
The man groaned as blood poured from his nose, sinking to his knees.
The golden-haired bodyguard placed his hand behind Sana's back, leading her back to the entrance of the airport where the others were supposedly waiting.
"Thanks," Sana muttered as they neared the glass doors.
"You shouldn't go off by yourself," her defender responded, though not in a chiding tone.
"I can't help it," she replied softly. "I have to be alone sometimes."
The pair was quiet as they opened the transparent doors, looking around for the rest of their party.
"There!" Sana pointed to their group, with Rei and Hisae added to the cluster.
The actress ran ahead of Hayama, beaming happily at them. "Hi!" she greeted.
"Where were you? I was getting worried." Although his sunglasses shielded Rei's eyes, Sana could tell they were filled with concern.
"I was just walking. I got a little carsick, that's all!"
Hayama walked up behind her, folding his arms across his chest while looking around for their gate number.
"We should board soon," he suggested, his eyes fixed on the line of people boarding their plane.
Hisae nodded in agreement. "The luggage was already packed away, so we can just board now."
Rei gently laid both his hands on Sana's shoulder, staring down into her eyes behind his dark glasses.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come along?"
Sana nodded. "I'll be gone for a few months. You should stay here with Asako-san." She smiled reassuringly at his pained expression. "Don't be such a worry-wart! I'll be fine!"
"Don't you trust me enough to take on the job of her manager?" Hisae demanded, a smirk twisting her lips.
A frown creased Rei's brow. "It has nothing to do with that," he whispered, staring intently at his actress.
Sana nodded in understanding. "In that case, you just have to trust Hayama- san here."
Rei turned his head to the quiet man, squinting his eyes in slight anger. There was just something about him that he couldn't stand.
Aya stared at the diminishing line as more people boarded the plane. "We should really get going."
"Yeah, or else we'll miss it," Fuka agreed. She turned to Takaishi, giving him a small smile. "I'll write to ya, okay?"
Takaishi nodded, grinning at the dark brunette. "You better."
Aya smiled shyly at Tsuyoshi. "I'd like to write you sometime, as well."
"Please do. I'd love to hear from you!"
"Come ON people!" Hisae urged, fed up with the stalling.
"Okay, okay!" Sana embraced Rei in a hug, hurrying toward the plane afterwards. "Wait for us!" she shouted, waving her plane ticket in the air as the door started to close.
Rei slowly took off his sunglasses, staring after his actress. 'Sana..I hope you will be alright.'
* * *
A/N: Good? Bad? Does anyone totally despise it? Let me know! Please review! Oh, and sorry if there are any grammatical or spelling errors, but it's after midnight and I should really get some sleep. And also, I tend to sometimes leave out words on accident, making the sentence not make any sense at all. Sorry for that as well! :)
-Illicit Water Dragon: Thanks a lot for your comments! I really try hard to create beginnings that will capture the reader's attention, so I'm glad that turned out okay!
Kodokuchan: Thanks for reviewing! And I'm happy to know that the freaky side of my story is having an affect on some readers. I was afraid it would be to way too corny.