When Acting Becomes Reality
By Empyreal Melody
Story Clarifications: Hello all! I'm really sorry about the long delay. I won't give you any excuses since I'm sure you just want to read on. Though there are some things I think I have to say first. In some of my reviews people were asking about the time order this story is in. To clear it up, Sana is in her first year of high school. Sana still met Fuka in junior high and she never had any problems in sixth grade. She never met Akito or Tsuyoshi before. If there is still confusion, please feel free to review or just e-mail me at KawaiiSan03@aol.com. Also, before you begin, this first italicized passage is just part of the play Sana is performing in. There's going to be several more like this in future chapters to show how things will be going in the movie. Any other italicized words and phrases are for thoughts and emphasis. Here's chapter 2! *clap clap*
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Chapter 2: Movie Offer
-=- In the distance she heard a cry reach her ears from the throats of two terrified people. A woman and her child were struck down as soon as she heard them, both falling to the ground as the men continued to raid across the land. Tears streamed down her face as she realized the tragedy that beheld her village. She tried to run away from all of them, the fallen bodies of the people she once lived with and cherished. She didn't know what else to do. Everything she had known was lost to her. She could remember the voice of her father telling her that she had to be strong. Flashbacks ran in and out of her mind as she tried to escape reality. She didn't want to let go of the past. She couldn't! She needed her father. The only parent she ever had.
She spotted a figure on the ground she knew that could belong to no other. Her breathing stopped short, her eyes growing larger. "This can't be…" She let her knees fall to the ground, her whole body trembling as her hands could barely keep still from shaking. She let out a loud cry of pain to express her sadness, though no one could hear her. She was alone, her childhood happiness, gone. Her movements were sharp, from looking to one part of the ground to another, her eyes shut in attempt to keep the tears from flowing. She felt water pour down her cheeks as she wept. She couldn't bring herself to stop.
The screaming had ceased and she knew she was an only survivor of the raid. Who could she turn to for comfort? Everyone was dead now… Again she remembered her father's voice. "Don't give up. Be strong. Be strong…" The words repeated in her mind over and over again until she understood what she was supposed to do. Over her father's dead body, she swore she would seek revenge on the people who took part in the cause of death on those she loved dearly. She stood up after a moment's silence of crying, her hands clenched in fists.
"I promise I won't let you guys down. All of you. I swear I'll get those pirates back no matter what…" Another tear escaped her eye as she walked away from her position, no wind blowing against her at all. Fate was against her, or maybe that was the path she had to accept in order to achieve things for the better good. Either way, pure silent emotions enveloped her, a vengeful girl with a blackened heart… -=-
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"Another excellent performance from our one and only, Sana Kurata. Just as we would expect from you," the MC said. "And now, Naozumi will present a bouquet of flowers." As everyone clapped Sana was forced to sweatdrop. After all these years he still insists on giving me these flowers. I wonder when he'll drop it…
It had become their usual routine whenever Sana had a Komawari play. Three years ago, around the time when they first met, Naozumi had always presented Sana a bouquet. Of course this would lead to some suspicion from the media, but everyone within both Sana and Naozumi's range knew that nothing would ever happen between the two of them.
His eyes gave off a certain shine as the audience gave Sana their big applause. They watched as though a magic trick were being performed as the girl with the tear-stained eyes started to laugh. She waved, a huge smile on her face full of happiness.
As she walked offstage, she didn't notice the extra prop laying just a few feet in her path. Still waving, she absentmindedly slipped over the plastic sword and fell straight down, hands reaching for no particular place in the air. People gasped, hands over their mouths, while some laughed, and others with awkward looks on their faces.
Naozumi knelt down next to her and asked if she was all right. His expression was caught between concern and the wanting to laugh at her. Sana didn't notice either one of them and instead laughed herself. Putting an arm behind her head she said, "I guess everyone wasn't lying when they called me a klutz, huh?" The audience laughed in return. No matter what she did, Sana was always prepared to be a comedian. Naozumi shook his head with a nervous smile and offered her a hand up.
"Sorry about that everyone!" Sana shouted out. "Now that I'm up and talking I should keep on with it." With her acute fickleness acting skill, she placed a calm yet still joyful look on her face. "Thanks for coming to this performance." Everyone looked at her, waiting for her to say more. "I think that's it." The audience fell down anime style as her expression changed from how it was before to a dumb look- that anime style as well.
"Sana…" Naozumi held onto his nervous smile as he shook his head and inwardly laughed to himself.
"Bye!" Again the audience was up and clapping as she and Naozumi walked offstage -- really this time.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sana, you really are a klutz," Rei joked as he greeted her. "You'd think that after eight years of acting you would learn not to trip over the props."
"Hey! It's not my fault the stage crew decided to leave things out after the play. Besides, at least it wasn't during the performance." Her left hand made an up and down motion as she told him not to worry about it.
Naozumi laughed as Sana continued her buoyant manner. "That was a great job you did back there. But now that I think of it, the plot seemed really similar to one you did before. I'm guessing the Komawari play you did about three years back."
Sana gave it some thought, placing the tip of her index finger to a spot under her chin. "Hmm… I don't seem to remember that one." Her lips started to twitch in one direction while an eyebrow lifted as her eyes looked up. "Nope, can't remember." Her hands slapped against her knees as she stood up. Her face lit up as an idea came across her mind. "But if they did do something similar, they should probably make a movie. Oh! Maybe they're doing some kind of hidden series that's like a tv show!" Yes, that must be what they're doing. No wonder I didn't realize it earlier!
"You know Sana," Rei started, "there's been a couple of job offers for you lately. Are you interested in any of them?" He didn't notice the somewhat smug look Naozumi made as he said the word 'couple.' He couldn't help but think to himself that he was still more popular than the famous Sana Kurata.
"What are they?"
Rei took a small moment to recount all the other offers before coming out with the main one. "You've been given many opportunities to do several commercial ads and the producers are wondering if you would like to start the newest season of Child's Toy soon. But what I am most concerned about is that you have been chosen for a movie." His eyes were happily lit behind the lens of the sunglasses as he smiled in excitement, like a kid waiting to see if his parents liked their Christmas presents.
"A movie huh?" She took a pen out of nowhere and started to twirl it using her thumb and forefingers. "I don't think so Rei. There's a lot I want to do this year. There's clubs and everything! Fuka and I plan on doing so much. Did I tell you that we have a lot of the same classes this year? It's going to be so much fun!"
"Whaaat?!" Both Rei and Naozumi freaked out for her at the same time. "But why not?" Rei asked. "It's such a great offer and I've heard that the director's really hot right now." If she didn't take the movie, his career as a manager would be just as good as over.
"Sorry Rei." She walked over to her dressing room to grab the coat that was sitting on the chair. As Sana did so, the image of Rei was seen plastered chest-facing against the wall.
Naozumi watched as Rei pleaded with Sana to take the movie for a small while before stepping in. "Sana," he called to her. When he saw her look at him he breathed out a small sigh and tried to help Rei out. "Remember the first movie we were in together? The Mansion of Water?" Seeing her nod, he was glad she remembered that. "Didn't you think that was fun?"
"Yeah! It was lots of fun! Mr. Ono was really cool during the whole thing. The whole cast was. Why? Didn't you think so?" she asked him innocently. She knocked him on the side of his head with her hand as she laughed. "Of course you did! I made sure of that." She put her hand behind her head as Naozumi struggled to get back up.
"Um, yeah, lots of fun," Naozumi barely answered as he rubbed his head. "But to get to the point," His expression turned serious as his eyes gave off the certain gleam of a hunter determined to get his prey. "Before you took it, you told us the exact same reason you're giving Rei right now. You had fun in that movie and you were happy you played in it. You should give this movie some good consideration too."
Yeah! You tell her Naozumi! Rei cheered Naozumi on as he spoke, giving a hopeful inward smile as he watched Sana think about it more. If she took it, she would get a lot more offers and be ahead of Naozumi. Hehe, she'll intimidate him and be ahead of the game again. Realizing that it was quiet he stepped back into the conversation.
"Director Kaiyuki will be filming it. He wasn't clear about the role you were to be given." He struggled with his mind while he tried to remember all the things he had told him. "Actually, I don't think he gave that much of a clear explanation about the background of the movie either. Though what I do know is that another actor from a different part of Japan will be playing in it as well." Wait, what was his name? Oh that's right… "Akito Hayama."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Everything at school went on as usual; classes, lunch, break, more classes. Since nothing new happened, one would consider this repetition as a boring routine. But because Sana had usually been so busy, the actress took school as a fun thing and found it to be always exciting. Time went by pretty quickly for her and she would tell herself there was barely enough time for her to learn everything. There were so many subjects!
It was such a nice day when the girls stepped out for their lunch break. The brunette let her arms appear to glide with the wind by raising them at her sides. She noted the warmth radiating from the sunlight as she then pulled her friends over to a nearby picnic table. It was raining just a couple weeks ago, but I just knew it would be sunny again! She looked as though she was bouncing in her seat as she started taking her lunch out. It was nothing much, just a bunch of sushi, couple of riceballs, and those pink squid-like things here and there. "Here! Take some!" she offered to her friends.
"So Sana, heard anything work?" Aya asked her. "We noticed that you haven't missed any school at all. Taking a vacation huh?"
"Nope." Sana shook her head as she popped a piece of sushi in her mouth. "I turned all my offers down."
Her friends wasted no time in spitting out their food. How ladylike. "You whaaat?"
Sana blinked a couple times, wondering what was so wrong about turning down offers. Wow, they sound exactly like Rei. "School important. You know that." She kept a confused expression as her friends continued looking at her shocked.
"But Sana," said Mami, trying to get her friend to realize what she was doing. "Work is important too. Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Yeah, that has got to be tough with you being such a great actress and all."
"You gotta think things through first." Fuka stood up and put one foot on the bench. She placed a hand on her hip, the other hand using a finger to point under her chin. "What exactly did you turn down Sana?"
All the girls took a long look at her while they waited for an answer. Sana appeared to be in a seemingly endless thinking mode. What did I turn down? Hmm… this is such a hard question! "Let's see now…" She used her fingers to count off each offer. "Most of them were ads, but my manager really wanted me to take up this movie."
"A movie?" all the girls asked, edging closer to Sana.
"Uh huh." She nodded her head at them, smiling now. "I'm not sure what part I was asked for, but Naozumi told me it would probably be really good, like the ghost I played in The Mansion of Water."
"You starred with Naozumi in that one right?" Fuka asked her, a question trying to pop out of her mouth. At Sana's nod, she couldn't help but let it do so. "Are you being the main lead in this one? Or is there someone else?"
The other girls immediately started throwing in 'yeah's, 'is there's and 'who's at her while Sana waved her hands in front of her. "Probably no one that big. I don't think I ever heard of him before. My manager said his name was… was…" Was what? I know Rei told me but I don't remember. It was something like Akudu? Akudo? Oh that's it! "Akudo Hayaka."
"Akudo Hayaka?" Their voices exclaimed in bewilderment. From the looks on their faces, none of them looked as though they heard of him before. "Are you sure that's his name? Doesn't seem all that familiar to me," Aya laughed out.
"Wait! I got it!" All eyes turned to the darker haired girl with the accent. Fuka put a stern look on her face as she stared directly into the eyes of Sana. "You don't mean Akito Hayama do you?"
"Yeah! That sounds right!" the other girls shouted out in excitement.
Sana took a moment before she put her a hand behind her head, her elbow sticking out to the side. "Ehehe. Yeah, I think that's it."
"Sana! I showed you a picture of him just around the beginning of school. Weren't you paying attention?"
She gave a light shrug with a bit of an apologetic smile tugging her lips upward. "No?"
Fuka and the others sighed as Sana started going on a ballistic apology rant, kneeling on top of the bench. Getting enough of her overdoing apology Fuka sat down, her back against the table, and let out another deep sigh. "Sana, it's okay. No biggy, really." She then turned around to face her and said, "Knowing movies you're probably going to be away for a long time again, but I think you should still take it." She gave her a supportive smile and said, "It'll be fun."
Sana blinked, not knowing what to say. If she did take it she would be away from school. She was just starting to be a regular teenager, without the problems of being an actress at the same time. Then again, she thought, Naozumi did give me a lot of good reasons to take it. If both he and my friends say I should take it then maybe I should. I bet it will be fun. After several more moments of contemplation she nodded and said, "Okay." She put on her determination smile. "I'll do it."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"You'll do it?" Rei exclaimed in surprise. After all those offers she turned down it was amazing she still had the ability to agree to one. At her 'uh huh' he shot a balled fist in mid-air and said, "This is great! I'll contact Mr. Kaiyuki right away." As he bolted away to the telephone he shouted back to her, "You won't regret this Sana. You're going to love it. I promise you that."
Sana smiled as her manager ran off to make the phone call he had wanted to for probably the past few weeks. She leaned her head down into one of the pillows on the couch as she looked up in the ceiling, both hands tucked neatly under her head. I wonder if I made the right choice. She could hear Rei talking next door to her, excitement definite in his voice.
"Sana!" Rei shouted over to her as he came back in. He had a content smile as he told her that the director was happy about having Sana in the cast. Right then, Sana knew that if she was able to make at least two people happy with her decision then she made the right one after all.
"There is going to be a meeting about three days from now where you will get to see all the others involved in the movie. It'll be a great chance to introduce you to the director. From the way he sounds on the phone, he seems to be a really nice guy."
She jumped off the couch and gave him one of her biggest smiles, excitement being the first step in preparation for a movie. "I can't wait!"
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Author's Note: Yay! Sana is going to do the movie. The next chapter is going to be when she meets the cast. Excited? Should be! Because I'm going to make sure I'll update quicker for the next chapters than I did for this one. But beware; I might leave you with an evil cliffhanger. So stay tuned for the next chapter in When Acting Becomes Reality: Meeting the Cast.
~San