title: The Extravagant Challenge (anthology)
scene: 02. More than a role, pt 1.
scene summary: If she will be Lacus Clyne, then he refuses to be Athrun Zala. Because to him, when it comes to her, it is more than just a role.
notes: inspired when I first watched Gundam Seed four years ago, I thought Athrun Zala looked a lot like Sasuke XD

Scene 02.

More than a role.

Hatake Kakashi, a renowned director for his eccentricity and highly accomplished films, regards the young man in front of him with mild curiosity.

"Are you sure about this, Sasuke?" he asks, despite knowing the answer. He has known the boy for three years now, having directed the young actor's first supporting movie during the beginnings of his acting career and many more after that.

"Hn."

He frowns in disappointment but with the mask on his face (that established his eccentric reputation among his peers in the showbiz world) it isn't visible.

"You're wasting a good opportunity," he tells him, just in case the young man didn't realise this.

Sasuke would've been perfect for the role, he believes. And playing one of the leading characters in the live action drama adaptation of Gundam Seed will help his career to grow as an actor. It is unfortunate that his-would've-been-character-had-he-chosen-to-accept-it doesn't end up with the character his secret fiancée has accepted.

"You know I can't give you Kira Yamato's character."

Dark eyes glare at him but the boy doesn't say anything.

"And it would be unfair of you to ask Sakura-chan to give up the role of Lacus Clyne just because you're uncomfortable about the kissing scenes she can no longer avoid now that she's legally adult."

"Tch. You can give her Cagalli Yula Athha's character, "Sasuke mutters, finally speaking.

He sighs. This boy, no matter how far his career has gone, is still stubborn.

"I can, yes. But I won't. Not only would this be her first major role, she is also perfect for the role."

"Because of her pink hair," the young actor deadpans.

"That's also a factor," the director agrees with an amused grin behind his mask, "but you know it's more than that."

—

It was no use trying to persuade Kakashi otherwise. He knew he would accomplish nothing but decided to go through with it nonetheless. After all, as the saying goes: there is no harm in trying. But the old man is persistent as he has always been.

He sighs, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"It's just a role," he remembers the director's parting words. Where she is concerned, it is more than just a role to him. The showbiz world is a precarious place to live in, and everything is taken on face value.

Should he play the character of Athrun Zala and act next to Sakura as a fiancée she didn't end up with, viewers would view them as Incompatible. And that is something he refuses to happen. It is more than bad enough that his relationship with her is kept a secret, ruining their chemistry on screen is something he cannot accept.

Because his contract with Oto Entertainment doesn't allow him (or any of its talents) to be involved in a romantic relationship, the fact that he is dating rising star Haruno Sakura has been a kept a secret. Which is why he at least wanted to be able to act next to her as her lover, not as a fiancée through an arranged marriage who she didn't really harbor any romantic feelings for and by the end won't end up with at all.

The arranged marriage part wouldn't have bothered him had it not for the fact that Athrun Zala (the character that was offered to him) and Lacus Clyne (the role Sakura accepted) did not end up together. And he is painfully how incompatible he is to play as Kira Yamato (who his best friend and rival from Konoha Entertainment, Naruto, got the role for. How Kakashi ended up choosing that knucklehead for the role, he has no idea).

Another frustrated sigh escapes his lips. He hates the showbiz world but acting is his passion.

tbc.