GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE! I have returned once more, and I will you look at that, Christmas came early today! Forget the coffee, forget the energy drink, forget your food! Because I'm dropping a massive 10k+ chapter for you all to start your beautiful days with!
Now then, on to the reviews! The first one is in regard to things going "too fast" and "Naruto wouldn't tell someone so quickly". No, actually he would, cause that's fucking Naruto for you. Honestly, do you think that Naruto would lie for someone he felt so strongly for? Hell no. And secondly, why wouldn't things go so fast?
You got two characters from two different worlds that don't fully understand the concept of love, and I mean real love between two people, not friendship and all that. Of course, they'd want to latch on to it when they come to understand it. So no, I think the pacing was fine, otherwise, we'd be at chapter fucking fifty where they are still trying to understand.
The second one is in regard to Naruto being a babysitter and not being the twin's father. Really dude? How old are you? You realize how many relationships there are where one character already has children, right? But going beyond that, Naruto gave the twins two things they never had: a real father and love.
So, no. He isn't just a glorified babysitter; he's been more of a father than their biological one will ever be. Heck, Naruto thought of Jiraiya as a father, does that make Jiraiya a babysitter? What about the 3rd who saw him as his grandson? I get the feeling that some of these reviewers say shit like "Yh, I'm at chapter X and this isn't what I thought it'd be, it's not Naruto" don't understand the character of Naruto themselves.
Anyways, moving on from that mini-rant, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. The next one might not be out till around Wednesday next week, so bear with me. Enjoy.
Ai sighed as she jumped in her bed, wiggling herself for a bit to get comfortable. The day had been long and exhausting; she just wanted to come home and relax.
"I forgot just how tiresome Idol work can be. Guess I really am not twenty anymore." She muttered to herself with a light chuckle before she sighed once more. While she didn't look her age, she felt it sometimes.
"They're gonna go far." She said to herself with a smile as she recalled the video they had recorded.
Flashback earlier this day:
"Hey, there everyone! It's me! Ai Uzumaki! Although many of you may recognize me as a famous Idol from over a decade ago!" Ai introduced herself with a cheeky smile as she waved at the camera as she sat on a couch.
"Hmm let's see, what was the name of the group?" She rested a finger on her chin, feigning ignorance as she tilted her head before her eyes widened.
"Oh! That's right!" She realized as Ruby and Kana jumped into the frame, landing on the couch, flanking her.
"It's B-Komachi!" The three shouted excitedly as they laughed before they settled down and began to talk.
"Ai-san, you were the lead girl of B-Komachi?" Kana questioned her, already knowing the drill. Ai nodded as she recalled her time as an Idol.
"That's right! I was the center girl for B-Komachi." Ai confirmed as the two girls looked at her in wonder.
"What made you wanna be an Idol?" Ruby questioned, legitimately curious herself. Now that she thought about it, she had never asked her mother what pushed her to be an Idol. Ai hummed at that question.
"Well, I'm not sure myself. I guess it was because I loved being an Idol. I felt the love and adoration from my countless fans, pushing me to work harder." Ai answered, slightly modifying the truth of it. She didn't want to come out and say it because it was to find love. No, that would come out as selfish.
"Wow. From what I know, you were a legend. Why did you stop being an Idol?" Kana questioned her, causing Ai to raise an eyebrow while Ruby frowned slightly before her smile came back. No doubt this was a sensitive subject for her mother.
"It's because I settled down and found myself a loving husband. Don't get me wrong, being an Idol was fun and all, but when you find your other half, being an Idol loses a lot of its appeal." Ai answered truthfully with a smile. She would never trade what she had and created with Naruto for anything, not even if it meant she could be an Idol again.
"But what about B-Komachi?" Ruby chimed in as Ai turned to her.
"Well, the group fell apart after that. So, there hasn't been a B-Komachi, until now." She answered with a smirk as she threw her arms over the two girls' shoulders and pulled them closer, throwing the camera a toothy smile.
"I am proud to announce that I'll be teaching Ruby Uzumaki and Kana Arima to become the newest members of the new B-Komachi!" Ai proclaimed with joy as the two girls giggled at her antics and the trio descended into small talk for another hour or so.
Flashback end:
The video took a lot of time, but it was worth it. While she could no longer be an Idol, not that she would want to be one again, she could at least train a new generation of B-Komachi, her daughter among them.
"Oh? You seem to be in a good mood." Naruto's voice brought her out of her thoughts. She turned her head to look right to find Naruto coming out of the shower. She bit her lower lip as she saw him walking out with nothing but a pair of shorts and a towel, which he was using to dry his hair.
"Hot and mine!" Was all Ai thought as she giggled like a schoolgirl while she looked at her husband. Naruto raised an eyebrow as he walked over to her.
"Is something funny?" He questioned her as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss. However, as he was about to pull away, she warped both of her arms around his neck and pulled him into the bed with her.
"Hmmm, do you think we should make Minato an older brother?" She whispered seductively into his ear, causing him to blush at that.
"I think four kids are enough as it is," Naruto replied with a sheepish chuckle. While he wanted a big family like Ai, he didn't want to endanger her any further. Sapphire's birth was a close call, and Minato's... while it was relatively easier; he still didn't want to take any chances.
"Is it because of me?" Ai questioned as she caressed his whiskered cheeks, a smile on her face as she looked into his blue eyes. They reminded her of the ocean, which complemented his wild sun-kissed blond locks. She giggled to herself again. He was a sunny maelstrom!
"I don't want to lose you Ai…" Naruto answered in a whisper as he cuddled with her, holding her tight as if she might disappear.
"I'm not going anywhere. Besides, I have my super powerful Shinobi by my side that provides me with twenty-four-hour protective surveillance." She responded with a knowing look, catching him off guard.
"How did you…?" Naruto started before she captured his lips with hers, engaging in a make-out session between the two.
"I just know." She said in-between the kiss as she ran her hands through his hair while he re-explored every inch of her body. She enjoyed these moments as his rough but soft hand roamed her body. Every touch sent shivers and increased her desire to be touched again by him. Only Naruto could make her feel like that, make her feel like a woman.
"Now shut up and do that thing with your Chakra." She said huskily, licking her lips while Naruto sweat dropped.
"People for hundreds of years have used Chakra to create powerful Jutsu's that can destroy mountains…and here you are giggling like a schoolgirl at the thought of using Chakra during sex. Have I ever told you that you are a massive pervert?" Naruto questioned her with a blank look while she shrugged and once again wrapped her hands around his neck as she pulled herself closer.
"I'm not a pervert Naruto, I'm a super pervert, but only for you." She whispered causing his eye to twitch a little. Why must he always be surrounded by perverts?
Yoto High the next day:
Acting was something that came naturally to Aqua. Why exactly? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was because he was a much older man who remembered his past life. Intellectually speaking, he was the smartest boy in the room thanks to that reason. His little brother on the hand was a natural-born prodigy. Still, if there was one thing the two shared in common was that both of them lacked any real friends, well, for Aqua that was true in his past life.
"I…I want to quit LoveNow." So, when Yuki stuttered out that she was thinking about quitting the show, Aqua raised an eyebrow, while everyone else looked shocked by that statement.
"You're the most popular cast member in the show and you want to quiet?" He thought to himself. Well, someone popular quitting at their peak wouldn't be so unbelievably, his mother had done so, but the situation was different and last he checked Yuki wasn't so engrossed with love for someone to quit, not yet at least.
"In the middle of the season?!" Kengo's reaction was of utter shock, caught just as much off guard as the rest of them. Aqua, however, didn't put much stock in her statement.
"Why would you say such a thing?" Nobuyuki questioned her, causing her to smile sadly.
"Lately, the boys at school have been teasing me. They say 'So, you like this kind of guy, huh?' Nothing's scarier than showing our feelings to others, especially on TV. I didn't understand it at the beginning. Being the focus of attention of so many people is not an entirely good thing." Yuki explained her reasoning as Aqua crossed his arm.
"She's telling the truth, but…" She was playing a game, that was for sure. Nothing was so simple with Yuki, not after their first conversation. Despite what she said, she knew how to play the game.
"Well, even I was made fun of on my own channel." Mem-Cho pointed out, sympathizing with Yuki a bit. On some level, she could relate to the girl's situation. Akane for her part looked conflicted, worried even.
"Are you really going to quit?" She questioned Yuki, who sighed, unsure of herself. She was going to speak, before Nobuyuki stood up, slapping his hands down onto his desk, catching everyone's attention.
"If you quit, I'll quit too then!" He proclaimed as everyone, even Aqua, looked at him with surprise. That was a bold statement to make, on TV no less.
"Nobu-kun…" Yuki trailed off as she looked at him, a light blush settling on her cheeks. Nobuyuki walked up to her and took hold of her hand.
"Stop saying such things and stay on the show!" He demanded, no, pleaded with her. Her light blush was now a full-blown blush as she tried to avert her gaze. Maybe she might have taken things a bit too far. Akane fidgeted in her spot, feeling totally out of place.
"I still don't know what to do." She thought as she went over her notes mentally. She bit the inside of her cheek, frustrated that despite her attempts she still wasn't standing out like she wanted to. And it didn't help that Yuki's popularity had allotted her more screen time than her.
"You ok, Akane-san?" She was broken out of thoughts by Aqua, who was giving her a small smile. She returned with a smile of her own as she shook her head.
"Y-Y-Yes, I'm fine, Aqua-san." She responded, blushing a bit at him. Aqua hummed as he walked up to her and leaned in next to her.
"Relax. You're far too stiff and focused on the minor details to be able to act." He whispered into her ear, causing her blush to darken at the proximity. But she slowly nodded before he pulled back as she brought a hand and rested it on her heart. It was beating fast.
A few minutes later:
"Look, look! There's an article about it already!" Yuki shouted excitedly as she pointed at her phone, grinning ear-to-ear with excitement. Her co-stars looked at the article and were indeed taken by surprise at how quickly an article had popped up.
"Think it'll help bring in more views?" She questioned while looking at Aqua, who was engrossed with his own phone.
"Most likely." He answered casually as he checked out the article himself. Yuki's popularity would no doubt increase after this, and he had an idea of how the show would pan out.
"So, are you going to really quit the show?" Akane questioned, not fully understanding what had just transpired. Yuki waved her hands dismissively.
"No. I can't just quit you know. I have a contract after all!" She replied as she crossed her arms and a playful smirk settled on her face, catching Akane off guard.
"Wait, so that was all acting?" She questioned her once more. It didn't seem like acting to her, no, not one bit. Yuki chuckled slightly as she shook her head.
"I'm not an actress like you, Kurokawa-san. All I did was exaggerate my feelings a bit." Yuki stated as Akane's eyes widened before she pulled out a pen and paper from out of nowhere.
"So, you weren't lying then?" Mem-cho chimed in.
"Well, no, I wasn't lying. Everything I said was true. From being made fun of at school and even thinking about quitting. I just took those feelings and exaggerated them." Yuki explained with a yawn. It had been a long day of filming, and everyone was tired by now.
"Exaggerating…" Akane muttered to herself as she took down some notes. Maybe she should try and do the same.
"So, I was right. She was bluffing. Actors can't just quiet on the spot in the middle of the season. They'd ruin their contracts, and future job prospects would quickly dry up. If mother had a tough time finding work after she quit being an Idol, I can't imagine the damage Yuki would do to her own career. No, she wouldn't even have one at that point." Aqua thought as he looked around the room, having a better understanding of the personalities of his fellow co-stars.
"Yuki and Mem-cho are skillful, Nobuyuki isn't two-faced, but is still distinctive, and Akane and Kengo don't really understand the nature of this type of TV and as such get little screen time." He thought to himself, going down the list. He himself was somewhat popular with his pretty boy act.
"A-kun, let's have dinner together after this!" Nobuyuki said with a grin as he warped an arm around his neck. Aqua's eyebrow twitched at being called that and the close proximity as well. No one referred to him like that and he didn't like it.
"Sorry, but no. It's a Sunday and family dinners are a must on Sundays." Aqua countered, a slight smile on his face. It was practically tradition for him and his family.
"Oh, that's right! I forgot that Aqua-tan's parents are Ai and Naruto Uzumaki!" Mem-cho spoke up. She had seen the knowing glint in Nobuyuki's eyes, and she quickly moved to save her back account! Best she changed the subject!
"You're right! Say, Aqua-san, what are your parents like?!" Yuki questioned as she quickly got up in his face. Akane, seeing that frowned; something about that just rubbed her the wrong way. Aqua sighed as he pushed her back.
"Why are you all so interested in my parents now?" He questioned them. Surely, they already knew who his parents were before. Right? Everyone but Akane chuckled sheepishly.
"W-Well, we thought you were a poser," Mem-Cho answered for them all causing him to almost trip at that. Him?! A poser?!
"Oi oi! I'm the real deal! Akane knew who I was from the get-go!" Aqua shouted at them, not noticing that he had dropped the formalities with Akane's name and also not noticing her blush.
"Sorry man, but the Uzumaki duo are a big deal. We thought you were just messing around." Kengo defended the group. Aqua took in a deep breath and calmed himself before he smirked, a perfect prank coming into his head.
"Akane, you want to come over for dinner over at my place?" He offered the girl, who jumped in surprise at being invited.
"U-Uh, I-I, w-what?" Her shutter was so perfect that it would have made a certain Hyuuga proud or shy depending on whom you asked.
"What? No fair man!" Nobuyuki called out, missing the chance of actually meeting the Uzumaki duo, well, for the guys they were mostly interested in meeting Naruto Uzumaki, the man was a legend because of his po – novels! Yes, novels!
"You big meani Aqua-san!" Mem-cho lamented. She wanted to meet the legendary Ai too!
"Eh, I'm so jealous of you, Akane-chan!" Yuki squealed in excitement. The said girl head was spinning out of control.
"Me. Over at Aqua's. Meeting his parents." She thought, her blush reaching atomic proportions and she would have passed out and fallen had Aqua not caught her.
"You, ok?" He whispered to her to which she timidly nodded. What did he make her feel this way!?
Later that night:
Akane gulped as she walked next to Aqua, heading over to his house. She had thought that Aqua was just joking about inviting her over. She was wrong. She truthfully didn't know what to expect. How would they react to having her over at their family dinner? Would they be mad? Better yet, what kind of people were they? All these questions in her head were just too much! Maybe she should just head home…
"U-Uh Aq…"
"We're here." She began to speak but Aqua cut her off as he came to a stop. This caused her to accidentally bump into him as she was walking slightly behind him.
"U-uh sorry, Aqua-san!" She apologized to which he waved it off.
"He has some nice muscles…wait wait wait. Where did that come from?!" Akane shouted to herself. She hadn't expected Aqua to have much muscle, given his lean figure.
"It's fine. I did stop unexpectedly. Anyways, here we are." He gestured to his right. Akane followed his lead and saw a small house, nothing out of the ordinary from the community. Although she did notice another sign.
"Uzumaki…Dojo?" She questioned, tilting her head.
"Oto-san made a small family Dojo for the family about a decade ago. We get all kinds of challengers nowadays and some students as well." Aqua answered. Now that was something she did not know about Aqua's father. Well, she actually didn't know much at all about the man.
"Aqua-nii! Welcome back!" The two turned to look left.
"Ah, Sapphire. Out on a run?" Aqua questioned, his voice taking a significantly warmer tone, something that Akane caught on. She looked at the girl named Sapphire and raised an eyebrow. The girl was built, that was for sure. Heck, she looked like a freaking Greek goddess with the way her muscles were built. However, in the back of her mind, the girl reminded her of…
"Ai Hoshino?" She questioned herself. No, no way this was Ai. Ai was supposed to be around thirty years old, not to mention her skin was not tanned.
"No, that's my younger sister, Sapphire." Aqua corrected her, once more surprising her as the girl stopped right in front of the two.
"Aqua-nii, who's this? Your friend?! Oh, did you finally get a girlfriend?!" Sapphire questioned him rapidly. Akane blushed once more at being called Aqua's girlfriend. She threw him a discreet glace. Maybe…
"No, she isn't my girlfriend. Just a friend." Well, maybe not…
"Oh! A friend!" Sapphire exclaimed, excited at the prospect of meeting one of her older brothers' friends.
"Eh, Aqua!? Did you kidnap this pretty girl over here?!" Aqua rolled his eyes as he heard another voice, turning around he saw Ruby walking up to the two, a finger pointing accusingly at him.
"Nee-sama, I don't think Nii-sama kidnaped anyone," Minato spoke up from behind Ruby as he tried to defuse the situation. Although he was curious about who the girl was here.
"Minato's right, baka. I didn't kidnap her." Aqua spoke, with practically no interest at Ruby's call out. Akane for her part looked overwhelmed as she took everything is.
"That's Ruby Uzumaki, I saw the video her Idol group posted earlier in the day. Sapphire is his younger sister, and this Minato guy is his…older brother, no, maybe younger." Akane tried to reason. The news had been making a buzz about the new B-Komachi and the video that Ai Uzumaki herself had proclaimed the new generation of B-Komachi Idols. However, she didn't know that the twins had younger siblings.
"Wait! I know you! You're that pretty girl from the show Aqua-nii is in!" Sapphire recalled as she pointed at Akane, who nodded automatically before she realized that she was just called pretty.
"Hello. My name is Akane Kurokawa." She introduced herself with a bow and respect. Ruby blinked before she grinned and gave Aqua thumbs-up.
"I approve." She said, causing his eye to twitch, much to Akane's confusion.
"Nice catch, Aqua-nii!" Sapphire chimed in as well, giving him a toothy smile. Another twitch of his eye as he turned to Minato, waiting for his comment. Minato just smiled at him, like he usually did.
"At least he isn't adding to it." Aqua thought, thankful to his brother.
"Enough. Akane-san is our guest. Please don't embarrass yourself." Was all he said as he headed in, leaving the four of them standing outside. Minato coughed in his hands as he gave one last smile before he followed after his brother. Sapphire and Ruby threw each other a knowing glance before they flanked Akane and looped their arms with her.
"E-Eh?!" Akane let out in surprise as the Uzumaki sisters took hold of her.
"Come on, Akane-chan! You're going to love mama's cooking!" Ruby stated as she and Sapphire began to drag poor Akane with them.
"Yeah! Come on, Akane-nee-chan! Mama's cooking is the best! Aside from papa's ramen! Blessed is the great Ramen Kami!" Sapphire praised the ramen god causing Ruby to roll her eyes. Her father and little sister had an unhealthy addiction to ramen.
"You need to lay off the ramen, Sap-chan." Ruby chastised her little sister, who looked at her like she had gone insane.
"No ramen?! By all that is holy, never! What you say is sacrilegious, Ruby-nee!" Sapphire responded, horrified that her sister would even say such a thing! As the two sisters bricked, Akane remained quiet. She had expected a lot of things from the Uzumaki family. This was not it. They seemed so…relaxed, so…casual.
"Well spoken, Hime! Food is temporary, Ramen is forever!" Another voice broke her out of her thoughts as she looked forward and saw a man. Much like Aqua, he had blond hair, but unlike Aqua, the man's hair was wild, untamed.
"Are those…whiskers?" She thought as she looked at the birthmarks on each cheek. However, the most notable feature was his missing right forearm. The rumors had talked about how Ai Hoshino's lover had only one arm, but she never believed in baseless rumors.
"Oh, who's this?" Naruto questioned as he looked at his daughters.
"Aqua-nii brought over a friend for dinner! And a girl at that too!" Sapphire answered with a giggle, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow. Did Aqua bring a friend over? This was a first. Naruto smiled as he waved at the girl.
"Hello. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, these two princesses' father." Naruto introduced himself. Sapphire giggled at her father while Ruby blushed. It wasn't every day he called her princess, and she liked it that way. But it was so embarrassing being called that in front of a stranger!
"A-Akane Kurokawa." She introduced herself once more, showing her respect. Standing before her was THE Naruto Uzumaki! While his work was…well…not for the young audience depending on whom you asked, his popularity was still something to behold. The fact that he was a very private person, along with his family, seemed to only add to that. Heck, most of the world didn't even know about the fact that he had two more children!
"Oh? I hear Aqua brought him a girl." Akane stiffened as she caught sight of Ai Uzumaki. And she was left stunned. The woman didn't look a day older from her time as an Idol! That isn't even mentioning the fact that she had given birth to four kids!
"Oh my, isn't she just adorable." Ai praised as she got up close to Akane, studying her features. Akane for her part was left in shock. Ai Uzumaki had just called her adorable. The Ai Uzumaki!
"Oh my god, oh my god!" Her thoughts were running a thousand miles per minute.
"Come now dear, why don't we have some girl talk?" Ai said with a giggle as she pulled Akane and her daughters off to some other part of the house, leaving Naruto standing there, being almost completely ignored. He sighed before he turned and headed to the kitchen. Most of the food was ready. He figured he might as well set it up before Ai returned with the girls. As he walked into the kitchen, he noticed that Aqua was already there, setting down plates.
"It's good that you're making friends, you know," Naruto spoke up, catching Aqua's attention.
"I guess you can say she's a friend…" Aqua responded, not sure exactly what Akane was to him. Was she a co-worker? A friend? A friend in the show? Or was she more than that. Naruto chuckled at the myriad of emotions that were flashing through on his sons face.
"So, is she a friend?" Naruto questioned him, curious himself. Aqua looked at his father before looking away.
"I…I don't really know…" Aqua answered truthfully while Naruto sighed as he took a seat and beckoned Aqua to take a seat as well.
"Aqua, ever since I have known you, you have always kept people at a distance. Why?" Naruto questioned him. Aqua flinched slightly. Of course, his father could see that. Beyond his family, he had always kept people at arm's length.
"Because…because I'm afraid…" Aqua answered causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow.
"Afraid of what?" Naruto questioned. Aqua's hands balled into a fist, his memories recalling the day that his mother was almost stabbed, and how powerless he felt, how useless…
"…Afraid that I…I might lose them…" He answered, whispering the last part, but it was enough for Naruto to hear. Naruto smiled sadly at his son. It seemed that he was still traumatized even after all these years.
"Aqua…do you know who my best friend is?" Naruto questioned him as the boy look at him and shook his head. Naruto chuckled at that before he flicked his forehead.
"Your mother, silly," Naruto answered with light laughter as Aqua glared at him.
"Oto-san…" That flick hurt! Naruto raised his hand in surrender.
"Sorry, sorry. But really, Ai is my best friend. When all I wanted to do was crawl into a hole somewhere and die, she was the one that pulled me from that darkness. The day we met, something inside of me came back to life. Without Ai, I am nothing." Naruto explained as Aqua looked at the man he called father in surprise. And as he did he realized that the love his father had for his mother was something beyond what he himself ever had for her, past life or not.
"When the day your little sister was born, Ai almost died from childbirth," Naruto recalled that day. Aqua's eyes widened at that. This was the first he heard about! Naruto raised his hand and silenced him.
"Don't tell that to your other siblings. I know that all of you would never hate Sapphire for it, but I know that she'd never forgive herself with the knowledge that her birth almost killed her mother." Naruto pleaded as Aqua nodded. Sapphire was as emotional as his father. No doubt she would be devastated hearing this.
"Despite that, we had Minato a year later. What I'm trying to say is, and I'm not good at it considering I myself don't have many friends, is that it's ok to be afraid. It's ok to be afraid for the safety of your friends and loved ones. It tells me how human you are, about how much you care for them. So, don't push people away." Naruto explained as best as he could. He could see the way Aqua was behaving, always keeping people out. It reminded him of Sasuke, and he'd be dammed before he allowed his son to become an emo.
"I…I don't know…I don't know, Oto-san. What if she doesn't want to be friends?" He asked, unsure of how to proceed. Naruto sighed as he looked at the boy. Behind that tough and indifferent front, he put up, he was still a child.
"Well, you'll never know if you never ask," Naruto responded with a grin, causing Aqua to blink before he smiled.
"Thank you, Oto-san." Aqua thanked him as Naruto waved him off.
"This is what fathers are for," Naruto responded.
"Alright! Time for some food!" Sapphire rushed into the kitchen, ready to devour all the food.
"Sap-chan! Wait up!" Ruby followed right after as she tried to control her little sister from eating before everyone took their seats. Minato calmly walked over and took his spot as well.
"Come on then, Akane-chan! Why don't you sit here next to Aqua?!" Ai walked in, dragging the poor girl, and setting her down next to Aqua, much to her embarrassment. Typically, the seat next to Aqua was Sapphire's, but the girl had willingly given the seat over to Akane. Soon, the dinner had descended down into what it was like every other day and Akane realized that the Uzumaki family was nothing like she had imagined.
"They are a lively bunch…" She thought as looked across the table. Ruby was taking jabs at Aqua, Sapphire, and Naruto were in some sort of an eating competition, while Ai simply ate her food quietly, just like Minato was. The Uzumaki were indeed a rowdy bunch.
"Sorry about my mother and sister dragging you who knows where," Aqua whispered to her. She shook her head.
"No, it's fine. Your mother was just curious, and your little sisters are quite energetic." Akane whispered back. Sapphire was the very definition of a ball of high energy, in fact, Sapphire while looking like Ai was the exact opposite of her mother when it came to personality.
"That they are…" Aqua trailed off as a ball of rice flew past him and hit Ruby dead in the forehead.
"Sap-chan!" Ruby shouted, annoyed while Sapphire giggled before she was hit by a ball of rice herself.
"Take that!" Ruby retaliated before a food fight emerged between the two. Akane looked surprised by the development. She threw the two heads of the house a glance and saw that rather than discipline then, they were chuckling at their antics.
"Is it like this every day?" Akane questioned Aqua, who sighed and nodded.
"Most days." He responded calmly as he ate his food. Akane nodded dumbly as she went back to eating her food as well. Truly, the Uzumaki were a lively and rowdy bunch.
After dinner:
"Aqua, why don't you drop Akane-chan over to her house?" Ai smiled at her eldest, who nodded. Even if she hadn't told him that he was planning on doing so anyways.
"I'll be back later then," Aqua said his goodbyes as he and Akane took off. Ruby and Sapphire giggled at their retreating forms, while Ai held her giggles in with a hand in front of her mouth.
"What's so funny?" Naruto questioned while Minato looked at his father, wondering if he can't possibly be this dense.
"Nothing dear, nothing at all," Ai answered causing him to frown.
"Oh, come on! You did the same thing when Kana was over!" Naruto complained as he pointed at her. Ai sighed as she walked over to him and gave him a quick peek on the cheek and walked inside. Naruto grumbled as he followed her inside with the two sisters giggling becoming full-blown laughter.
With Aqua and Akane:
The walk to her home was done in silence, the two finding anything interesting to look at but the other. Aqua realized that she didn't live too far away from his house, given the commute to her house was quite short on foot.
"Aqua-san/Akane, I want to know if we..." The two started but stopped as they had unknowingly talked over the other, causing them to stop and finally looked at each other. The sun had already set a long time ago, but the moon shone brightly in the dark clear skies above as streetlights slowly began to flicker and come to life. Aqua looked at the girl before her and blushed slightly realizing that he'd been staring deep into her eyes, longer than he thought.
"You go first." Akane offered to which Aqua looked away, finding the lights of the buildings to be more interesting.
"Akane…are we…friends?" Aqua questioned. It was a simple, but important question for him. Akane closed her eyes and nodded with a small smile on her face.
"If you want to be." She responded. She didn't have many friends, well, not those that she considered real friends. On the camera and on the stage they all might be friends but beyond that, she didn't have anyone.
"I'd like that," Aqua spoke, his voice marked with relief before he turned to her.
"Your turn." Aqua gestured to her as she blinked before she blushed. Her question was more...
"U-Uh, w-w-well you see…I-I w-want to ask you the same thing!" She blurted out, she didn't want to tell him what she actually wanted to ask, because…
"…I'm fine with being friends…." She thought. She didn't want to ruin her first real friendship before it even began by asking more. Her feelings for Aqua were still something she had to sort out. As she looked up at Aqua, her breath hitched as she saw him smile, not the ones she had seen him do on set, this was different. This was a real smile; this…was the real Aqua.
"Maybe we can be more than friends…" A voice in her head spoke to her, but she shook it off. She didn't want to ruin this.
Days later:
Akane sighed as she went through the motions of her exercise. She had been utilizing the recreational area her agency provided to work out. However, her thoughts were on the show.
"Yuki-san and Nobuyuki-san pairing is taking center stage, meanwhile Kengo-san is the third wheel, a love triangle. Meanwhile, I'm losing more and more of my own screen time." She thought depressingly. Her predicament was far from ideal, no, it was worse. She had practically no presence on the show at all aside from a few scenes and the pressure was mounting.
"Aqua…" She blushed slightly as she felt her stomach twist and turn just thinking about him. After meeting his family, and seeing him for who he really was, she'd always get this funny feeling whenever she thought about it.
"What am I going to do?" She trailed off as she finished her exercise and packed up for the day. As she walked over to her manager's office to return the keys, she stopped as she heard shouting.
"Are you trying to get yourself fired?!" The president of the agency voice echoed through the hallway causing her to flinch as she decided not to walk into the office.
"I checked out that reality show Akane's in after hearing it's popular, but what the hell?! She hasn't even gotten ten minutes of screen time in total! She's been given this chance, and yet she's not standing out at all! You're her manager! You should've done a better job guiding her!" The president shouted at her manager. The man jumped slightly as the president brought his hand down onto the desk again, hard.
"But President, Akane is doing her best... " Akane's manager tried to reason with the president. Truly, she had been giving it her all, but the president didn't seem convinced.
"You can't make money by just doing your best!" The president slams his fist on the desk again, he was clearly furious at the fact that one of his investments was not performing as it should be.
"So many people were dying to get this gig, but we chose her! She has to at least leave a mark now!" The man stated, no, demanded. This was it, do or die. He was demanding results and he wanted them now. The manager sighed in defeat and nodded before he walked out.
"I'm sorry, manager." Akane apologized as she bowed deeply, not wanting her manager to see her tears as they streamed down her cheeks. She felt like such a failure. Her manager noticed her and smiled sadly at her. He didn't want her hearing this.
"Oh, did you hear that? I know you've been giving your all Akane, so don't worry about it. Rest assured; I'll act as your shield." The manager assured Akane, but Akane felt like it was her fault. She was the one that failed here, not her manager.
"It's because I'm such a disappointment," Akane muttered. Yes, she hadn't done anything to leave a mark on such an important job. She felt like she had squandered a golden opportunity.
"It's ok Akane, we all fall down every now and then. Just focus on finishing the show. As I said, I'll shield you from the president. That is my job after all." Her manager assured her before he took his leave. Akane nodded as she wiped away the tears. She reached into her bag and pulled out her notebook.
"People these days want to see something more extreme…" She said to herself as she read the notes. She had to leave her mark; it was vital that she did! Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Strawberry Productions at the same time:
Ruby's face turned swore before she spat out some juice and wiped her mouth.
"This juice is so disgusting." She stated as she grabbed her phone and opened up Twitter. She chuckled evilly as she typed her tweet.
"The new juice is terrible! I'll just have to gaslight them into admitting it." She chuckled as she thought about what she wanted to write, but her head got bonked by Kana's harisen.
"OW! What was that for?!" Ruby shouted at her as she held her head and pouted. Kana simply glared at her.
"The better question is, what are you doing?!" Kana pointed at her phone. Ruby huffed and looked away.
"Their juice is terrible; I was just going to post a tweet about it!" Ruby answered causing Kana to sigh, was Ruby this much of an idiot?
"Baka, you were gonna post about another company's product tasting bad... What if they search for their own brands?!" She questioned the blond, who shrugged her shoulder and looked anywhere but at Kana.
"That wouldn't happen." Ruby innocently replied, as if ignorant of how companies behaved.
"Don't act stupid! I know you know better than that! If you tweeted a brands name, at least five people who work at the said brand will find you post and you can forget about sponsorships from them ever again in the future!" Kana explained while Ruby sweat dropped slightly.
"Aren't you exaggerating a bit?" Ruby tried to defend herself, but Kana shook her head before she gave her a knowing look.
"You do ego surfing on yourself, don't you?" Kana questioned causing Ruby to fidget slightly as she looked away.
"No, I don't. I don't even know what that means." Ruby denied it, but Kana didn't buy it.
"You're phone, hand it over!" Kana demanded, but as she expected Ruby denied. However, Ruby didn't have a chance to protect her phone as Kana snatched it from her hand.
"W-What?! Hey, give it back!" Ruby demanded while Kana held her back with one hand. In her moment of distress, Ruby forget that she could have actually taken her phone back with ease since she was stronger than Kana.
"Alright, let's see then…" Kana said as she began to check Ruby's phone, causing Ruby to freeze and begin to sweat. Kana went through the blond's search history and shot her a blank stare.
"You're pretty hardcore, you even added 'cute'. With that said, a lot of these articles are years old, and the new ones are mostly about the video you posted." Kana commented. Naturally, she assumed that Ruby and even Aqua would have articles about them, given who their parents were. But it was clear to her that the ones that Ruby was looking for did not appear in such results.
"You really want to be called cute, don't you?" Kana questioned as Ruby blushed and looked away.
"That's because I'm cute!" Ruby whined.
"And who told you that?" Kana questioned her as Ruby looked up with a smile, her eyes shining bright.
"Mama and Papa!" She answered immediately. The room went silent as Kana just gave her a blank face.
"Baka, that's because they are your parents! Of course, they'd call you cute!" Kana shouted at her, though internally she was envies. Her mother had never called her cute or anything. All she ever did was for her own self-gratification. She pointed at Ruby and gave her a serious look.
"Listen up! We live in the Golden Age of Ego Surfing! In this day and age ignoring the online world is a death sentence! Even without an agency people have access to large databases, check impressions, and customer analytics! You cannot afford to dismiss the online realities! To our fans, we are the content they consume!" Kana explained as Ruby listened to her diligently. She'd never thought about it that way.
"And never forget this, when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you," Kana stated to which Ruby's sweat dropped.
"What does Nietzsche have to do with this?" Ruby muttered, not fully understanding what Kana meant.
With Akane later that night:
They say desperation makes people do stupid things. And when the pressure begins to mount, desperation starts to kick in. Currently, Akane was sitting in her bed as she went through the various social media apps, waiting to find anything, something about her.
"Yeah! I'm watching LoveNow. Yuki-chan is cute and I really like her! Akane has no presence, so I don't really like or dislike her." She saw a tweet about her, and it painted the picture for her.
"I need to leave my mark…" She told herself as she set her phone down.
The next day at Yoto High:
The next day came quickly and like the last, they were already shooting another episode for LoveNow. Aqua like usual was minding his own business, but every now and then he'd throw glances toward Akane.
"What are you guys doing?" He questioned as he saw Mem-Cho and Kengo posing in front of the former phone mounted on a tripod.
"Aqu-tan! We're just filming a video to upload on show's official Twitter and TikTok!" Mem-Cho answered, her usually bubbly attitude showing. Aqua raised an eyebrow.
"We have an official TikTok channel?" He questioned to which Kengo nodded before he turned to Mem-Cho.
"Which reminds me, didn't you originally start on TikTok?" He asked Mem-Cho, who chuckled sheepishly.
"Yup, but they didn't have ad sharing or tipping at the time, so I become a YouTuber." She answered before she turned to Aqua.
"Aqu-tan! You should upload something too!" She encouraged him, to which he shook his head.
"I'm not big into technology like you kids." He responded, forgetting that he was the same age and not mentally an old man.
"Oi oi, we're the same age." Kengo pointed out. Before Aqua could respond the trio noticed Akane approaching Yuki and Nobuyuki. Aqua raised an eyebrow.
"Ohhhh, seems like Akane is making her move," Mem-Cho commented as they saw Akane drag away Nobuyuki. Aqua narrowed his eyes darkly at that. For some reason that action caused an unsettling feeling in his heart. And as the days went on, that feeling only grew inside of him, like a dark seed.
"She's just doing it for the show." He told himself. He himself had started to hang out with Akane more and more. From simply inviting her over to walking her home. He enjoyed those moments with her, and so watching her act like this towards another boy was…
"Am I…jealous?" He thought to himself. Impossible! He was the mature one here! This was just a job! On the set Akane may act like this, but off the set she was a friend. Still, he couldn't deny the results she had achieved.
"Oh yeah. There's this girl, too. Akane, was it?"
"Whether or not Akane is there doesn't really matter."
"Just remove Akane and replace her with another boy."
He read the various comments on the phone. While Akane had made some headway into becoming more noticeable, it wasn't big as she had hoped, not with the way she was acting.
"Akane…just don't do anything foolish." He thought it worrying, but he shook his head. She had a good head on her shoulders. He'd hope should use it sooner rather than later.
With Akane:
Akane bit the inside of her cheeks, a habit she had picked up when she was frustrated. While her recent push to getting Nobuyuki, attention had started to get her attention, it was nothing compared to Yuki's. She recalled the conversation she had with the director.
"What should you do to stand out? Be the villainess and steal Nobu from Yuki. If you can do that, you'll definitely stand out. Of course, this isn't coming from the director. But those who can perform it well can attract viewers." She replayed that conversation. As a stage actor, she performed well when she had a given and set role with parameters and a script and this was it for her. However, she'd forgotten what Aqua had first told her. She was desperate.
"I have to do my best," Akane says in her thoughts, the desperation slowly creeping in. Her own mind playing games with her and the self-deprecating talk with herself further drives her to the edge.
"What are they doing?" She muttered to herself as she saw Yuki working on Mem-Cho's nails, who looked rather impressed at the work.
"Wow! This is pretty good!" Mem-Cho complimented her as Yuki giggled.
"I learned it from my sister! She's a nail stylist so she taught me." Yuki explained as Akane had walked over by now and observed the work.
"Mem-Cho's right, this is amazing." Akane complimented her work as Yuki gestured to take a seat.
"I'll do yours as well, Akane!" She said cheerfully as Akane sat down and allowed Yuki to do her nails. She was rather amazed at how talented Yuki was turning out to be.
"Akane, have you been impatient lately?" Yuki questioned her as Akane looked up at her in surprise. Was she this easy to read? Yuki gave her a smile as she worked on her nails.
"The show is nearing its end, so I understand your feelings." She continued with empathy.
"It's really not that," Akane spoke, stopping Yuki from continuing. Yuki looked up at her at that. Akane took in a deep breath before she looked at her.
"I just…I just want to stand out... and leave my mark." She stated. That's all she wanted. She wanted to shine like Yuki did, even for a glorious ten minutes. She wanted to do what Yuki was able to do.
"I see..." Yuki spoke with a small smile before she looked at Akane with determination.
"But I won't let you. I'll fight so I can stand out the most. No hard feelings, okay?" Yuki declared as she gave her a friendly grin, taking Akane by surprise. As Yuki finished with her nails, Akane went to outside. She needed to formulate a plan. It was too late to invest in a complex and deep character; she'd have to take the Director's advice to heart.
"Why am I so different from you, Yuki?" She thought as she thought about her flaws and strengths. She was an actor! So why was it so hard for her to adapt?! She shook her head.
"Oh, Akane!" She was brought out of her thoughts as she noticed Kengo. The said boy waved at her and the two began to talk about mundane things regarding school life.
"So, I…" Akane began to speak before she was cut off as Yuki ran up to Kenge and looked her arms around his and began to pull him away.
"Ken! You said you liked Labradors, right? There's a big one over there!" Yuki said excitingly as he looked at her with surprise.
"Really?! Where!?" He asked in surprise as she dragged him towards the dog. Akane's eye twitched slightly as she balled her fist. Once again Yuki came in and stole her spotlight! No more! She had to do something now!
"I've got to give my best and fight. Not only for my sake but for the people who are counting on me." Akane desperately thought to herself and walked over towards Yuki, who was currently about to drag Kengo away.
"Stop it!" Akane shouted, stopping the two and gathering everyone's attention as she waved her hand, not noticing what she had accidentally done.
"Clinging to men like that, your methods of doing things are dirty!" Akane shouted and would have continued before she realized what she had done. Her eyes widened as she looked at Yuki's face and she became horrified at what she had done. She had scratched Yuki's face.
"Cut!"
"We're stopping filming for now!"
"A towel, get a towel. Some tissues will do. Hurry!"
"Are you alright?"
"How could she do that to the face of a model?"
"Anyway, let's put filming on hold for now."
"Doesn't she have a magazine shoot tomorrow?"
Everyone was in a panic as they swarmed Yuki. But Akane was frozen with fear at what she had just done.
"I… I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to… I…" She took a couple of steps back and would have run. Run away from all of this. She knew she had messed up big time. However, she didn't have the time to run as she was pulled into a hug.
"Akane!" Yuki called out as she engulfed the girl in a hug, pulling her out of her shocked state as Yuki smiled at her.
"It's alright. Calm down, take a deep breath. I know you just got flustered. You wanted to live up to everyone's expectations and tried to do something you're not good at. You had no idea what to do, did you?" Yuki comforted her as Akane began to cry. She had just hurt Yuki in a desperate act to gain attention and was now being comforted by the said girl. She felt like a terrible person.
"B-But your face… you … you have a magazine shoot…" She choked out as Yuki shook her head.
"Nothing a little photoshop can't fix!" Yuki reassured her as Akane looked down in shame.
"Do you hate me, Akane?" Yuki questioned her. Akane eyes widened at that as she shook her head.
"I don't hate you. You're strong and kind... I like you." Akane let out true feelings. She could never hate someone like Yuki. Yuki warmly smiled at that.
"I like you too – your hard worker who gives her best. So, I'm not angry." Yuki stated as Akane looked at her with awe.
"Really?" She questioned. She did really mean that or was this just another act?
"The cameras aren't rolling, so there's no point in putting up an act." Yuki said before she hugged her again all the while Akane cried. She truly felt like scum.
"Dammit Akane…" Aqua thought as he sighed. He was afraid that she might do something like this, something stupid and desperate. He was thankful that Yuki wasn't one to hold hate towards her and he was sure that the cast and crew didn't mind what happened. Such things were common after all.
"The internet will not be so merciful…" Aqua said darkly. He knew exactly how the internet behaved. Give them an easy target and they'd tear it limb from limb without even understanding the context. That was the internet, a vicious place where people behind screens and keyboards loved nothing more but to point, laugh, and destroy others for self-gratification to make themselves feel better. After all, they had done the same to his mother and father.
His father especially was beyond pissed and now knowing just what his father was capable of, he shuddered at the thought of just what he could have done. Thankfully his mother was able to calm him enough to hold him back.
That night:
Akane looked at her phone, horrified at what she was seeing. The clip of what had transpired had somehow leaked and she was now on the receiving end of all the hate, a vast majority of which was unwarranted.
"Who the hell does she think she is?" She read one of the comments expressing outrage at her.
"Why did they even bother keeping her around? All she is a background character!" Another wrote.
"She should have her contract cancelled!" And another and another. It seemed like the whole world was against her and try as she might, her will wasn't strong enough to withstand all the hate.
"I…I should apologize." She said to herself. Yes, an apology was the easiest way to defuse the situation. She'd be accepting responsibility for her actions and that'd calm the situation. So, she wrote out an apology. She knew that she could explain the situation completely; after all, she legally couldn't discuss parts of the show that hadn't aired. She tried her best to explain and apologize.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" That night she cried herself to sleep with hopes that when she woke up things would be better.
"Aqua…" These were her final thoughts as she thought about her first friend, the first boy she had ever felt something more than friendship. And as she slept, the internet had taken her apology and took it as an admission of guilt and began to tear her very character apart. Her whole life was about to be turned upside down and put under the microscope that was the internet. And she soon realized that once she had awakened from her nap.
"I…I don't understand…" She looked at her phone in disbelief. The situation had gone from bad to worse. Her apology meant nothing to the people, instead, it only amplified their hatred of her, and she recalled something that Mem-Cho had told her once.
"People will swarm around someone who's apologizing. An apology is as good as an admission of guilt, isn't it? If you do something wrong, people will throw stones at you, right? Something like that. Even though apologizing seems right for the Japanese, it's the last thing you want to do against online criticism." She recalled Mem-Cho's words. She had messed up. She should have kept quiet and let things blow over. She had gravely miscalculated.
"This…this is how everyone feels about me." She let out a hollow chuckle as she looked at all the hateful comments about her. They were running her name through the mud, and she could do nothing but look at them do it as she remembered another thing Mem-Cho said.
"When it comes to online criticism, the more earnest someone is, the more they'll be damaged by it. They'd be better off not looking at all that all, they take those comments head-on and view them very seriously." As Akane remembers those words, tears have been falling from her eyes. Was it her fault that her nature was to be honest and earnest? No. That was who she was. She closed her eyes and tried to banish it all, all the hate that people were throwing at her, but she couldn't.
"Please, just…stop…I said I'm sorry." She cried as she dropped the phone and cupped her face into her head, sobbing quietly in her dark room. That night, she could sleep. Everything she closed her eyes all she was dark figures pointing at her, judging her, condemning her. Like she was a witch on trial.
The next day:
Her expression was blank, her eyes were tired, her hair was a mess. She hadn't slept all night, not a wink of sleep had graced her. She was tired, too tired to do anything.
"I must carry on." She thought to herself as she made herself presentable and went down to greet her mother before she headed off to school.
"Akane, are you ok?" She cursed under her breath. She didn't want her mother to see her like this, no, she needed to be strong. Her mother had done so much for her as a single parent, and she'd not let her mother deal with her issues. She'd handle this on her own.
"I'm fine." Akane forced herself to smile, but her mother did not look convinced.
"Do you want to take a day off from school tomorrow?" Her mother asked her, concerned about her only daughter's health.
"No, I'm fine. I'll go." Akane insisted. She'd weather this on her own, but she wasn't made out of stone.
Yoto High:
As she arrived at school she could already feel the stares, the glares pointed at her as the other students gossiped, pretending like she wasn't even there. They made no effort in hiding their distaste toward her. As far as they were concerned, she was public enemy number one.
"How fickle are people's emotions…" She thought to herself. A day ago, they didn't pay her any mind and today she was like the devil to them. As she reached her classroom and moved to open the door she heard the whispers of her classmates.
"Did you hear what Akane did to Yuki?"
"I know right? I knew she would do something like that though.
"She's just a self-centered bitch."
"Yeah, she just wasn't satisfied with doing better than others."
"True, she's nothing but bad news."
"Thinking she's different from all of us."
"I'm sure she's surrounded by men who're comforting her now."
"Most likely."
Akane's eyes closed shut as she tried not to cry. All the hurtful things they were saying about her. It was at this moment she was reminded of a proverb; the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. She had tried to shine, to stick out for once, and she was now being reminded that she was not exempt from it. Japanese society and culture would pull her down, to rank and file.
Before her was an impossible task, one she wasn't sure if she could even do. And at that moment another proverb came to her mind; the eyes are scared, but the hands are doing. Yes, she must not crumble now. She must carry on. She hadn't realized it yet, but the cracks in her proverbial armor were already growing.
Later that day:
The day was rough, no, it was hellish for her. All throughout the day she was ridiculed, made fun of, and shamed for her actions. It grew to the point where even her mother was not exempt from being criticized.
"Akane, are you ok dear? You don't look too well." Her mother spoke up in worry. Akane shook her head. No, she must not drag her mother through the mud anymore then she already had.
"No, I'm fine Kaa-san." She smiled at her mother. Just looking at her mother caused her to winch slightly as she recalled anonymous comments slandering her mother.
"Her mother's a single parent, no surprise."
"Figures that she'd raise such a little shit."
"I'm sorry, Kaa-san." She sobbed as she entered her room. Remembering all the hateful things they were saying about her mother, the person she admired and looked up to. That day she got a call from her manager.
"For the time being, I think it'd be best if you just stop tweeting for matter what you say, you're just going to make things worse. Consult me first when you want something to say." He had advised her, but she dumb nodded and hung up. She was tired. She didn't have the energy to do anything. Everywhere she turned to, looked to, she was met with hate. Her descent into depression was quick and merciless. She just wanted it to end. For it to all stop.
"The new episode aired today…" She thought with apathy as she blankly looked at her phone, once again scrolling through the comment. She had thought that things would slow down with her radio silence, but when the new episode aired the hate came back with full force, it was as if oxygen had been fed to the fire.
"This…this will forever haunt me…my career…is over." She thought to herself. She'd done enough damage. And as she sat in her bed, knees pulled up to her chest, reading the endless wave of comments she saw one that struck her.
"Just die." Now there's an idea, she thought as she re-read the comment over and over again. Yes, that would solve her problems. As she lay in her bed, she looked at the ceiling, her eyes lifeless. The strong front she put up was no more. She could no longer carry on. Everything about her life, her lies, and truths, had been dissected, studied, and chewed up on the internet. The world despised her, hated her, and didn't want her. He couldn't bear to live with the shame anymore. Lightning flashed outside her window as the booming sound of thunder echoed across the sky. She heard the faint sound of a notification on her phone, and she reached for it and looked at the message. It was from the group chat.
"Are you alright, Akane? Been eating properly?" Nobuyuki wrote. "What do you care?" She thought, paying it no mind.
"We're all worried about you." Mem-Cho chart followed. "No, you don't." She thought. No one wanted her. No one cared about her. She blinked at the moment as she realized something before she typed it in the chat.
"Come to think of it... I haven't eaten anything at all." Akane muttered.
"I'll go buy some food," Akane replied, her mind was made up.
"Don't go now! There is a typhoon coming, haha." Nobuyuki replied back, trying to lighten the mood. But Akane didn't care. A typhoon was the least of her worries. And so, she slipped out of her house, not caring about the gale-force winds and the raindrops as she made her way to the nearest store, and as she did the rain began to pick up, socking her wet.
"What's the point…?" She said to herself. She didn't care if she was drenched with rainwater. She was tired, so very tired. The world seemed numb to her. As she walked up to the steps of a pedestrian bridge and made her way across it she stopped and looked to her left.
"Just die." The comment came back to her. It'd be ease. All she'd have to do is walk over, climb up, and it'd all be over in a heartbeat. All her worries would be washed away.
"I'm sorry, Kaa-san…I'm too tired…I don't want to feel this pain…any longer…" She thought as she closed her eyes and smiled for one last time. Yes, this was the only way out. As she took a step forward and felt her body lean forward, ready to plummet on top of the hard concrete. However, at that very moment as she had accepted her fate, someone reached out to her and took hold of her, jerking her body backwards on the bridge.
"No…" She muttered out as she slowly opened her eyes. Instead of the cold concrete, she was met with comforting arms. Someone was holding her, stopping her.
"No, no, NO, NO! LET ME GO! PLEASE LET ME GO! LET ME DIE!" She shouted as she tried to pull herself out of the arms, but no matter how hard she tried they wouldn't budge. This wasn't how things were supposed to be like!
"CALM DOWN!" The person, a man, shouted at her. Her eyes widened as she recognized that voice. She trembled as she slowly turned her body around to find the boy she had recently become infatuated with. As she saw his face, she peered into his eyes that held nothing by warmth, comfort, and understanding…for her.
"Aqua…" She whispered out as she brought her trembling hands over to his cheeks. Aqua gave her a small smile.
"I'm not your enemy, Akane. So, please, just calm down." He pleaded with her as he tightened his hold on her, not wanting to let go. When he saw her standing on that bridge, ready to step forward and end it all, he felt his heart shatter into two. He didn't know what this was. Was this love? Did he actually like Akane in such a way?
"Aqua…" She said again as her eyes squinted, hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she realized what she was about to do.
"It's ok Akane, everything will be ok. I'm here for you." That was all he said. It wasn't anything monumental or deep. Just a simple 'I'm here for you.' And she finally broke down and cried in his embrace, into his chest. All the while Aqua gently ran his hand up and down her back.
"It's ok, Akane. Let it out. I'll always be there for you." He gently whispered to her as she cried away into his chest. At that moment, Aqua understood why his father was so pissed at the world for all the vile stuff it had spewed about him, his sister, and his mother. And for a second Aqua agreed with his father, but he shook his head. He had something far more important to tend to right now, specifically the crying girl that he was holding onto with dear life.
AND DONE! Damn, that was a long chapter! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it! See you all next chapter!
