FRIENDSHIP BLOOMING FROM RIVALRY.
Her eyes jumped from face to face until they finally landed on Kyoko, whom she spotted talking with the Director. To add more to Amamiya's agitation, there was a bandage wrapped around Kyoko's hand, and Kazutoyo was looking rather angry.
This wasn't a good sign. Amamiya was so nervous that she started chewing on her lip as she slowly moved closer to them to make out what they were saying.
"You are an actress!" The Director scolded Kyoko. "How can you be careless enough to fall down the stairs? If there's one thing you should be taking care of, it's your body!"
"My foot slipped. I'm sorry." Kyoko, being in character, brushed it off with a single apology and a slight smile. "I'll be more careful."
Amamiya's eyes widened with surprise. Did that really just happen? She did not suspect that Kyoko had seen her back at the studio, she was sure of it. Their eyes had met. So why would she lie to save her skin. It didn't make any sense.
"How are we gonna shoot today?" Kazutoyo sulked. "We have a deadline! We need to record that bullying scene as soon as possible!"
"We can still shoot it," Kyoko assured him.
"With that arm? Its swollen!"
"So what?" She smirked. Waving her hand around to point at the cast she said, "there are plenty of other actresses. Any one of them can become Natsu's right arm."
"What are you suggesting?" Kazutoyo was intrigued.
"Didn't you say during the script reading that you'll let us young folks improvise the bullying scenes since you needed a fresher perspective?"
"Yes, but-"
"Well then, just leave it to me. Natsu is the type of person who'd rather use her underlings to do her dirty work than sullying her own hands. All she cares about is being entertained. So that's exactly what I'll do in the scene."
"But you are supposed to be the main villain." The Director reminded her.
"Don't worry. Even though I won't be doing the bullying, I'll lead the whole thing myself. By the end of the scene, I'll be the one who'll come out looking the most evil."
Kazutoyo narrowed his eyes for a moment, but then he sighed as he gave in. "Who will you use?"
"Let's see... Who should I?" Kyoko looked around searchingly until she spotted Amamiya. "Ah. Yumika." Pointing a finger at her, she motioned for her to come forward. "You'll do."
As the crew made preparations before the shoot, Amamiya agitatedly waited in a quiet corner, wondering if this was some trick Kyoko was using to get back at her for pushing her the other day. Her suspicious and paranoid thoughts were interrupted when the latter joined her.
"What are you up to?" Amamiya hissed venomously.
Shoving her hand into her pocket, Kyoko pulled out a peace of paper and waved it around her co-star's face. "You do not wanna make me repeat myself. Trust me."
All the colour was drained from Amamiya's skin turning pale because she instantly recognised what Kyoko was carrying.
"You left it at the studio yesterday." Kyoko confirmed it with a smirk. "You want it back, don't you?"
Without bothering to reply, Amamiya lunged forward to snatch the paper from Kyoko's hands, but Kyoko was faster. She easily jumped back, smiling.
"Don't even think that you can have it for free. You want it back? You'll have to earn it."
"What do you want from me?"
"Simple. I want to be entertained."
Amamiya blinked incredulously.
"Let me explain. In the next same, I want you to bring your A game and scare the crap out of that girl for me." Kyoko pointed a finger at Mako, the extra actress whom they were supposed to bully. "If you succeed in amusing me, only then you can have it back."
From the moment the Director had yelled "action", every single person in the studio had their jaws hanging from their mouths. They were all equally disturbed and horrified when the saw the scene playing out in front of them.
Kazutoyo was no exception. Since he got Kyoko Mogami to play the villain, he had expected for Natsu to be as dark and intense as Mio from Dark Moon, but he never expected this kind of terrifying performance from anyone else besides Kyoko. Specially not from Yumika, considered Amamiya's past, as how she got stuck before.
Just as Kyoko had suggested, Yumika was bullying Mako who was their new target, on Natsu's command. But what was odd was the she was doing it. Kazutoyo had never seen anyone so intensely frightening as Chiori Amamiya looked at that moment while playing her character.
Yumika was supposed to be a nice girl who never wished to be a part of Natsu's gang. But once she was forced into it, she slowly started enjoying herself. Chiori was supposed to portray Yumika's fall from grace discreetly. But instead, Chiori was showing her Yumika as dark as the devil herself.
She looked almost as scary as Mio.
Pushing Mako on a table on her stomach, Yumika placed her foot on the small of her back before she tied Mako's hands from a handkerchief behind her back.She grabbed her hair pulling her head up.
"You didn't answer my question," she muttered into Mako's ear with a bone-chilling smile, clutching her heir even tighter and giving it a little tug.
Mako cried out in pain. "Stop! Pease!" Tears were pouring out of her eyes.
"You remember the deal, don't you?" Yumika said, "you answer, only then I let you go. But you see, you haven't answered a single question correctly!"
"Please..." Mako gasped. It was all she could manage through the hiccups and sobs. Her face stained with unstoppable tears.
"First tell me, what is one plus one?"
When Mako still didn't reply, Yumika yanked her hair back to move her face up. Pressing her lips against her ear she screamed out loud, "answer me!"
Fresh tears seeped out of Mako's eyes and snot was coming out of her mouth. "T-t-two," she managed. Her whole body shaking with each sob.
"Wrong answer!" Yumika laughed. She reached for her water-bottle on one of the tables and poured it's contents on Mako's face, drenching her and making her gasp.
"Stop!" She gargled out the water with a piercing scream. She was tring to speak, but her voice was drowned from the water and it prevented her to form reasonable words. Only choked sounds could be heard. Yumika poured more water into her mouth and nostrils. "I... beg you... Stop! Please!"
Kaori and Tsugumi, along with Natsu, were sitting back and enjoying the show. The two underlings of Natsu laughed aloud hysterically.
"Damn girl!" Tsugumi whistled. "Who would have known you was so much fun, Yumika!"
Kaori was cracking up as well. "You're hilarious!"
Yumika looked at them with a satisfied smile, but it soon disappeared when she saw their leader.
Natsu was smiling too. It seemed as if she was enjoying the show, but she didn't look amused at all. Her eyes were still the same icy cold without any inkling of mirth in them.
If you succeed in amusing me, only then you can have it back. Kyoko's words rang in her mind, and she knew it wasn't enough. She needed to do more. Something even worse than this.
Glancing at the table, Yumika registered the contents placed on it in her mind and tried to formulate even more creative and disturbing bullying methods.
Besides her water bottle which was now almost empty, there were a few slices of their leftover pizza from the previous scene, along with a burning candle (they chose not to turn on the lights since it was more spooky this way) and a few nail polish bottles along with a nail polish remover.
This time, Yumika reached for a slice of pizza.
"You look quite hungry. Want a bite?" She asked, giving Mako's hair another tug.
"No! Please no!" Mako begged. Her eyes were half closed as if she was about to faint. What disturbed the spectators was that they didn't even have a clue if all this was just her acting or if she was truly suffering. But since the Director was too engrossed in the scene to think about her, or cut the scene, none of them objected.
Yumika chuckled. "Aww. Don't be so modest." She shoved the whole slice into her mouth and then poured the remaining water on her face.
Mako threw up right then and there, but the Director still didn't cut the scene, despite the suggesting glances from the crew.
Kaori laughed. "God, your killing me!"
Tsugumi stepped forward and tapped Mako's back. "Hey, don't you think it's rude to just throw when we so generously offered you our pizza?" Turning to Yumika she suggested earnestly, "I think she needs a lesson."
Yumika glanced at Natsu and was happy to see that her smile had widened a bit, but it was still not enough. "I think so too," she agreed.
Just a bit more, Amamiya thought.
Reaching for the table, Yumika picked up the nail polish remover and poured the jell on Mako's cheeks. Once she was done, she reached for the still-burning candle eliciting a few flabbergasted gasps from the spectators.
Even Honami and Yuma thought it was too much. Without breaking their character, they tried reasoning with Chiori.
"Yumika," Kaori said, "you're over doing it."
Amamiya didn't stop. One glance at Natsu was all it took for her to keep going. It still wasn't enough yet. She had to prove herself.
"She's right, Yumika." Tsugumi nodded. "Stop! You'll burn her!"
"Someone stop her!" A crewmate shouted. "Director, cut the scene!"
Kazutoyo knew he should do so, but on the other hand, he wanted to see how far Amamiya would go, and so he didn't.
Yumika kept a firm grasp on Mako's hair, holding her head in place, while she slowly brought the burning candle closer and closer. It's flame flickering as it was brought dangerously close to Mako's face, on which the highly flammable acetone from the thinner was glistening gold from the illuminating glow of the candle.
The tears that were pouring out of Mako's eyes were now genuine. "Stop it!" She shrieked. "Cut the scene! Please!"
This time, Kazutoyo had no choice. As he was about to yell "cut!", he was interrupted by Natsu.
While everyone else was horrified by how far Amamiya had taken this improvisation, including two of her co-stars as well, Natsu was finally entertained. She raised to her feet with a full and genuine grin on her lips, and started clapping, her amusement clearly evident. "Well done, Yumika. You've provem yourself." She smiled mirthfully.
Her smile seemed as real as if the whole scene she had just now witnessed was nothing more than a comedy skit for her. It was beyond creepy. After everything Yumika just did, the most terrifying and awful person still turned out to be Natsu. Firstly, because she had forced Yumika to do this, and secondly because, after all that, it could be seen that their was not a shred of mercy or humanity was inside her. Even Yumika appeared ambivalent as her feelings seemed contradictory during the scene, but Nast was pure evil. She was the very devil incarnate. The way she smiled, it was enough to prove that.
Letting go of the candle and her grip on Mako's hair, Amamiya straightened, finally feeling content with her acting.
Once freed, the extra actress got up to her feet with tears running down her face, and ran as far away from the stage and Amamiya as possible.
While the crew tend to a very hysterical and spooked Mako, the Director walked up to Amamiya, who flinched on seeing him approach. She embraced herself to be scolded. She finally realised how far she had gone just to "amuse" Kyoko. The worst part was, she didn't act like that because her character had taken over her. In reality, she wasn't even thinking about her character. She only did it to prove to Kyoko that she was the better actress. It was all her.
As Kazutoyo came nearer, Amamiya looked down.
"Let's talk." The Director was straight to the point. He lead her outside the studio to the empty corridor.
Once they were alone, Amamiya began, "look, I'm sorry, okay?"
Kazutoyo frowned. "What are you sorry for?" He grinned. "You were amazing! I wanted to tell you keep that intensity up for the real take. I had great expectations from you since the beginning, but you just surpassed them all!"
"R-really?"
"Yes! Infact, considering your past experience in Scarlet Dice, I was sure you wouldn't be up for a negative role, but you just proved me wrong."
The words hit her like a blow. "You know about my past?" She didn't try to hide her shock. After all, she did so much to keep it buried that she even changed her stage name and debuted again, so that no one would find out about her being stuck in a role. And now she finds out that the Director had known all along.
"Of course I do." Kazutoyo scratched his head. "The only reason I asked you to audition was because you were recommended to me by the Director of Scarlet Dice. He is an old of friend of mine."
"He recommended me?" This was another shock.
"Yeah. He said he had been keeping tabs on you even after you retired. He knew you would come back to the industry. He also vouched for your exceptional acting skills. And he wasn't wrong." The Director smiled. "I just want you to know that what you did, it was beyond incredible!"
As much as Amamiya was flattered by Kazutoyo, it felt wrong being praised like that. Specially because the only reason she portrayed her character so well was a result of Kyoko's provocations.
When she thought about it, she realized she couldn't even remember the last time when she wasn't so bitter, or when she acted only for the sake of acting, because she enjoyed it.
When did I get like this? She slumped down on a chair, and without even her realizing it, fresh tears started pouring out of her eyes.
Her quiet weeping was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Amamiya's first instinct was to wipe her eyes clean and pretend that everything was okay. But when the person approaching turned out to be Kyoko, she stopped pretending.
"There you are. I've been looking all over..." Kyoko was saying but when she saw Chiori crying, her words trailed off.
"Why were you looking for me? Wasn't I amusing enough for you?" Amamiya snorted.
Since Kyoko wasn't in character anymore, she looked down with shame. "I'm sorry."
"Don't!" Amamiya snapped.
Kyoko thought of a few things to say, but later rejected them all and shut her mouth without saying them. After a while she finally responded, "Thank you"
Amamiya blinked incredulously. "Are you trying to mock me? Why on earth would you thank me?"
"As for the apology, I know how awful being bullied feels like. Since I've been bullied myself for the most part of my school life. And how I behaved, even if I was acting, it was no less than bullying." She looked up. "And as for thanking you, it's because you helped me create my Natsu."
"I did?"
"Yeah. When I was first in character, my Natsu felt kinda forced. I still couldn't like her because of her being a bully. But it was you who helped me breathe life into her."
Amamiya blinked. When did that happen? The words were practically branded on her face.
"Well, it all started when you shredded my name sign."
"You knew it was me?" It came as a shock.
"I know it's hard to believe, but yes. If I was still Kyoko I never would've guessed it, but the Natsu in me, she caught it instantly. Infact, it was her first instinct. That was the moment when my Natsu was born. There was this feeling I had, like a tug inside of me. And it's all thanks to you."
The way Kyoko had just described her character, there used to be a time when Chiori could relate to it. When she used to love acting from all her heart. No, only Akari could relate to it, because as Chiori Amamiya, she never experienced the true joy of acting. Since her fear of being stuck again was always holding her back. Today was the first time in a very long time when she had literally given it her all during a scene, even if she did it to prove her point to Kyoko. It felt good. She felt like she was alive again.
Amamiya thought about why she wasn't able to book much roles, and she knew that her own half-assed acting was to blame. The Directors always caught that she wasn't giving it her all. Now, she felt stupid for blaming others all this time. She almost felt like laughing at her own idiocity.
Aloud she said to Kyoko, "it had nothing to do with me. Your Natsu was so perfect because of your own skills."
"No. Without Natsu, I never would've figured it out that it was you who tore my name slip, ince you were always so nice to me. But the Natsu in me suspected you from the beginning. She thought that it's not impossible if Yumika is the culprit. So in a way, you see, you triggered the creation of my Natsu. You're the one who breathed life into her." With a smile, Kyoko pulled out a note from her pocket and handed it to Chiori. "Here. As promised."
Amamiya took it, and then stared at it with confusion. "Are you really just gonna return it to me? You could've easily used this to throw me under the bus."
"Why would I do that?"
"To get back at me for pushing you."
"I've already forgiven you, because you and I are the same. To be honest, I never blamed you since I know exactly how you feel. When I was at TBM, I learned from some of my co-workers about your role in Scarlet Dice. I should admit that for a while, I've been stuck to Mio too."
"So you know about me as well?" The irritation in Amamiya's tone was clearly evident, but it was gone after a resigned sigh. "How did you get free of her?" She inquired curiously.
"I stopped trying to get rid of her, that's how. I realized that Mio is now a part of me. I just had to accept that. I could see that you were still stuck to your character. Which was why I provoked you today. I could see you weren't fully emersed in your character, so I had to challenge you in order to help you, while also getting rid of your fear in the process." Kyoko turned to walk away, leaving Amamiya absolutely stunned and speechless.
"Wait," Amamiya called when she finally found her voice back. "Thanks. For helping me. And... I'm sorry. For pushing you."
Turning back one last time, Kyoko smiled, "you know, we'll have to work together a lot. So why don't we just forget about this all and try to get along from now on?"
