Make Her Shine

by domgk115

Kage Midori's mother Ayane, was the best young song writer in Japan, writing hits like Our Sign is B and Star T Rain. In addition? She was the best friend of the star idol Ai Hoshino, growing up with the twins Kage earned the name 'Twin Alternate' alongside his two best-friends growing up. But, like them he also has memories of his past like, and like them, he can't let it go...

3. A Bond Formed, a Bond Unbroken

Authors note: It should be obvious, but I want to remind everyone this is FANFICTION, so there are going to be some things changed from the source material, that's the point of these stories! I'm read and caught up on the ENTIRE Oshi No Ko manga not just the anime, so anything you see changed from the manga is intentional and done for the sake of the story I want to tell here with these amazing characters, if you want to discuss at all feel free to message me! Or, follow me on twitter akira_archer, thank you all so much again, I hope you enjoy!

Authors note 2: This chapter will contain cameos of characters from other anime/manga series I love. Those series are, The Quintessential Quintuplets, Toradora, and Kaguya Sama Love is War. You do NOT need to read or watch these series to understand this story, in this story those cameo characters are simply characters. Any OC characters, (ie: Arata Uesugi, Yukio Takahashi, etc) mentioned from these other series are my own but again you do not need to read those stories to understand them in this one.

English and Japanese Voice Actors for this chapter:

Kage Midori: Nobunaga Shimazaki- Ritsuka Fujimaru (Fate Grand Order) Eugeo (Sword Art Online) Shido Itsuka (Date a Live) Seishiro Nagi (Blue Lock) Kaedehara Kazuha (Genshin Impact)

English VA: Alejandro Saab- Cyno (Genshin Impact) Izumi Miyamora (Horimiya) Yuri (Fire Emblem Three Houses) Johnny Black (Sword Art Online)

Ayane Midori: Haruka Tomatsu- Asuna Yuuki (Sword Art Online) Zero Two (Darling in the Franxx) Kyoko Hori (Horimiya) Eina Tulle (DanMachi) Haru Okumura (Persona 5) Iris Cannary (Violet Evergarden)

English VA: Cassandra Lee Morris- Leafa (Sword Art Online) Taiga Aisaka (Toradora) Leo and Luna (Yugioh 5ds) Morgana (Persona 5) Sothis (Fire Emblem Three Houses) Nero (Fate Last Encore & Grand Order)

Kage

"Ruby, Aqua, if anyone asks, you're my kids remember?!" Miyako said looking down at us. Then she looked at me. "Kage, you and Ayane should be fine, but all of you don't slip up alright?!"

"Fineeeeeee." Me, Aqua, Ruby. Ayane and Ai all said at the same time.

At least it's fine that we talk now, I was worried we'd have to wait longer, I thought with a sigh, walking between Aqua and Ruby.

"Oh, Kage!" Ayane said, as she reached down and picked me up. "Just remember to stay with Aqua or Ruby, okay?"

"And you two stay with Kage, don't get separated now," Ai said, giggling with a smile as she patted both of their heads.

Miyako sighed as she pushed the now empty stroller. It felt weird looking at it now, growing up and growing bigger again. Of course, it still felt weird whenever Ayane picked me up, but after three years now I was starting to finally get used to it. I wouldn't have any problem staying with Aqua and Ruby, given that we spent every day together anyway. I still had no idea why Miyako believed at first we were some divine messengers, or why Ayane and Ai just simply chalked us up to being some child prodigal geniuses, but I wasn't going to question it, especially since now, we got the chance to go to things like the filming of this TV episode. I was developing a new healthy respect for Ichigo, he certainly knew how to work with the people in the entertainment industry, getting Ai even the small role on this show was going to be great to build on her rapidly growing popularity. I'd learned over the last few years that he really did care for her, a lot.

And of course, Ayane was still her assistant, and now the official music producing head for Strawberry Productions, in addition to filling in for B-Komachi when she needed. Our Sign is B, Hearts Kiss, Star T Rain, her songs had been helping the group skyrocket in popularity. We still lived in that tiny apartment… but I could feel it, the big breakout for Ai was coming, and a cameo in a popular TV drama like this was certainly going to help. Overall… it could have been a lot worse, I still hated that I couldn't be with her as my previous self, but being here as Kage Midori was enough for me.

"Okay, you two, Ai and Ayane go in first," Miyako said, we already could see members of the crew bustling around. The set was just an old high school building, but I could already see equipment strewn about. Miyako looked down at us with concern, making sure we didn't run and follow. She'd really grown on me as well, at first, she seemed to really just want the idea of us being 'holy divine messengers' to be real… but now I liked to think she really did care for all three of us.

"Okay! Let's get going Ai, you three be good now," Ayane said, winking at us with her cute smile.

"Ayane's right," Ai giggled. "Be good, or else no konpeito on the way home-."

"Wait Ai!" I pipped up, biting my lip and blushing as I realized I hadn't been able to stop myself.

She stopped and looked curiously at me, but smiled, kneeling down in front of me. "Yeah, what is it Kage?"

Oh man… I need to stop this… I lamented to myself, as I looked into her beautiful eyes in front of me.

And then I looked at her wrist, the star charmed bracelet I'd gotten her what felt like a lifetime ago still around her wrist.

I rubbed my tiny head, my face hot and looked at the ground. "Um… you… you're… you're gonna be great… good luck and all…"

My voice came out a mutter, but she clearly heard it. Behind her, I saw Ayane smirking as if it was the cutest interaction she'd ever seen. I felt Ruby staring daggers at me and knew she was pouting. Ai, meanwhile, listened and when I finished, her eyes sparkled, and her smile grew even more.

"Ahaha! Aw, thank you Kage, haha, you're so cute," She said, giggling as she rubbed my hair. She got up with a determined look. "Okay! I'm more than ready now, let's go Ayane!"

Ayane smiled too and nodded. "Okay, got it! Miyako, if you need anything just grab me, okay?"

Miyako sighed. "I will, don't worry."

Ai and Ayane both smiled once more at both of us before walking on ahead towards where the main film crew was, and I breathed in relief.

"Ah… oh man, I- OW!" I yelped as I felt a tiny foot kick me in the calf. I turned, knowing who it was. "Ruby!"

"I see what you're trying to do! You're trying to take mamas attention all for yourself!" She said accusingly, pointing at me.

I blushed and shook my head. "I am not!"

"Yes you are, you do it all the time!" Ruby said, which was honestly the truth.

I stammered as she glared at me. It may have seen silly arguing about this, but me and Ruby did often. We may have had these arguments about this every now and then, but the two of us had really bonded over our shared love and adoration for Ai. I kept the fact that she was Ai's daughter at the forefront of my mind, she did have a bit of a right to be a little angry at me, but we always quickly got over it. I was still helping her learn the keyboard every other night, it helped take the stress of the entire situation off my shoulders even if it was temporary. Our hands would finally be large enough to actually play soon as well, which would be a great time, and surely shock Ayane.

"I… I don't mean too!" I argued back with her, crossing my arms indignantly. "Besides, you're the one who keeps-."

"Honestly, will you two quit arguing over something so ridiculous," Aqua told us with a sigh. "You don't have to… why are you both looking at me like that."

Ruby and I did indeed both glare at him. We both had gotten to know Aqua enough to know when he was lying.

"Quit with the tough guy act!" I told him, pointing at him. "Honestly the 'I don't really care, I'm the rational one' act is getting old!"

"Yeah, Kage's right! We both know you're both secretly as obsessed with mama as we are!" Ruby said, now on my side as we fist bumped.

Aqua as I expected stuttered. "You… you both seem to have the wrong idea about what I-."

"Alright enough, all three of you!" Miyako said, she pushed the stroller next to us. "I get spending every minute together can be grating, but quite arguing. Come on, let's go find somewhere for you all to sit."

Aqua grumbled and looked extremely embarrassed as he followed Miyako.

Meanwhile, Ruby and I both looked at each other… and laughed, and for a moment… I felt my eyes linger on her as she followed behind her brother.

Yeah… it's gonna be nice having best-friends like this… I thought, before I smiled and chased after them.

Idol: Oshi No Ko OP1

Make Her Shine

Chapter 3: A Bond Formed, a Bond Unbroken.

Kage

"Oh they're sooo cute!"

"Your hair is so soft!"

"Just look at their cute little eyes, they're so bright!"

"Oh, here do you want some konpeito?"

"Yes! Uh goo…gah…gah!" Ruby said happily, quickly switching back to baby mode, taking the small candy, sucking in all the attention as she happily smiled and sat in the lap of one young actress.

I chuckled. "Ha… she certainly enjoys attention, doesn't she?"

"You can say that again," Aqua sighed. The two of us had managed to sneak out of their grasps, the attention tiring for both of us.

I was praying that I would start growing soon, it was getting really old looking up and being at everyone's knees. Aqua and I were quiet of course, Miyako sat with the empty stroller taking a well-deserved break. A bunch of the extras absolutely gushed over all three of us, and while Aqua and I had escaped being held on laps Ruby had jumped at the chance. It was still surreal to me being amongst all the equipment, the cameras, the props, the actors, and extras in costume. I had always been a music guy, I never really thought much about what went into making a movie or tv show. Still, what I cared about more was how big a chance this was for Ai.

When we walked past, I saw Ai with Ayane in the middle of a group of directors and actresses. Ai smiled and laughed with Ayane backing her up in the conversation, holding her bag and helping her put on some make up. The two really were the perfect duo together. When she introduced herself, Ai turned heads, and that was exactly what Aqua and I were hoping for. It was clear that she was enamoring everyone on set, and I couldn't stop watching it.

She still wears that bracelet too… so at least I know she hasn't forgotten about me, I said, managing to smile as I looked over at her laughing with Ayane.

"By the way, can you just tell me now," Aqua said, breaking my longing gaze.

I turned back to him as we entered the hallway. "Huh? Tell you what?"

He turned to me, that deadly serious look in his eyes. "When you and Ruby are going to start dating. I know you're both mentally older, but at least wait until you're thirteen or so, it'll be weird otherwise."

I choked on my own spit and looked at him like he was deranged. With Aqua, his face was almost always so deadpan and gloomy that I could never tell if he was joking or not.

I just groaned at him. "This again? Honestly, you ask me that same question at least once a month."

"Yeah, because you refuse to give me an answer."

"That's because I don't have one!" I urged him, crossing my tiny arms. "Honestly, why do you have this obsession with me one day dating your sister?!"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Because I'd rather not watch the 'will they won't they' shoujo manga trope my entire life. Also, if she's going to date anyone, I'd rather it be someone I know won't hurt her."

"Aqua, we're literally three."

"Never too late to start thinking ahead," He noted.

I rolled my eyes at him this time. "Someone has a sister complex…"

"Oh… yeah, you're that manager and assistants' kid they brought with them," A dreary voice said. "Honestly, the last thing I need is you getting in the way of filming. If you start causing commotion and be all loud, I'll kick you out understand?"

Aqua and I both skidded to a stop and our heads spun around. We were in the hallway now, we hadn't expected to run into anyone, but now there was a tall tired looking man in front of us.

My eyes went wide, that's the director!

Panic started rushing up inside me, if he had a problem with us, could he take it out on Ai? The three of us had met the man earlier, and he'd seemed just as scarily scruff and intimidating then. Aqua next to me seemed equally worried, but as usual he thought on his feet a lot faster than I did.

"Oh we're not going to cause any trouble at all!" Aqua quickly said, his calm mask disappearing. His eyes went wide, and he bowed repeatedly. "We'd never dream of doing anything to jeopardize Ai or the production of this show, right Kage!"

"OW!" I yelped as he elbowed me in the ribs, realizing he did it so I would talk. I gulped and bowed with him over and over again. "Aqua's right we'd never do anything to be distracting we promise to be quiet and good kids and not say a word! Please continue showing favor to Strawberry Productions and Ai!"

"Yes, don't retract your favor with our company because of us!" Aqua continued, panicked. "We appreciate your accommodation and would never-."

"GA! How the hell are you talking so well?!" The guy yelled, looking at us like we had six heads. "You're babies how the hell did you learn all those words?!"

I was worried, was someone finally going to find it weird Aqua, Ruby and I were so animated?

"Um, the internet!" Aqua said quickly. "Yeah, we're on the internet a lot!"

I looked at him incredulously, he's never gonna buy that!

The directors' eyes widened, and he nodded. "Oh wow… I see, the internet sure is something these days! Sign of the times for sure…"

My jaw fell open. He bought that?! Jeez… I really won't ever doubt any of Aqua's plans ever again.

A relieved look appeared on Aqua's face. I looked over and wanted to make fun of him, he had just chastised Ruby and me for doing the same thing. I always knew that Aqua was just as obsessed with Ai's success as me and Ruby were. He helped in subtler ways and would get just as emotional and animated as we did. He reminded me painfully of my old sensei, always trying to act calm and collected, but on the inside, he was really just as passionate as the rest of us.

I sighed too and was going to try and find a way for Aqua and me to excuse ourselves. The last thing I wanted to do was say something to make the director even more suspicious. However, I never got that chance.

The man knelt down, a curious look on his face. "I've met my share of precocious child actors in my days… but you two are something else," he picked Aqua off the ground and held him up then looked at me too. "You two act by any chance?"

I felt myself sweat as I nervously shook my head. "Uh… no sir, I don't act. I'm… more of a music kid."

"I see makes sense since you're that music producers' kid, her songs have been really popular lately, she's making a decent name for herself," He told me referring to Ayane, then he looked at Aqua. "How about you kid?"

"Um… yeah, no acting isn't something I've very thought about," Aqua said with a nervous sigh as the director put him down.

"Still, you'd both be interesting to put on screen," He said, kneeling and pulling out two cards. "Here, take my business card and give me call if you ever sign with an agency."

I took his card in disbelief, does this guy really just hand out business cards to every talking baby he meets?

"I'd prefer if you're giving out work, you give it to Ai not me," Aqua said, looking to me. "I'm sure Kage feels the same way as well."

I was snapped back to reality, but still pocketed the guy's business card. I looked at Aqua and wanted to smile at him, tease him like I did at times. He always tried to be the voice of reason, but again he showed he was as dedicated to Ai as me or Ruby were. While Ruby seemed more concerned with being Ai's daughter though… I could see Aqua really was as focused on her career as I was.

"Yeah, Aqua's right, besides," I said, smiling as I looked into the classroom set and saw Ai with Ayane. They were gushing over the snack table. "Ai and Ay… my mom, they're the real talent."

"Oh yeah, the idol Ai, and Ayane Midori the song writer…" The director said, looking at them as well. "Ayane will do well, even when she's not writing songs just for idols. She has a pretty face and great talent, she'll do well. And Ai… the idol, she does have an even more exceptional face, with some luck, she'll survive the industry."

My eyes followed his. I looked at Ai who was teasingly trying to stuff a pastry in Ayane's mouth, she tried to fight back but Ai was insistent, she laughed, and Ayane eventually relented when she was smirked in the cheek with cream. But… they both laughed. They really were best-friends, I was so used to them both succeeding at the same time so far, I had never given any thought to the idea of… one of them going further than the other.

Aqua voiced my concern. "She needs luck even with an exceptional face?"

I looked at Ai again, laughing with Ayane… and I couldn't help but think about how cute she was in the school outfit she needed to wear for filming. How could she need luck with her looks and talent?

"Listen here you two, there's three types of actors…" He said, turning and smirking as he looked into the set and right near the door were three people we could hear. He pointed to them with a smirk. "Ah, perfect example, look at these three right here, see that girl on the right with the blue hair? She's type number one, the star actor, her name-."

"N…no way!" I cut him off, my cheeks going red. "That's Ami Kawashima!"

I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked over and was sure it was her. She sat on one of the chairs next to another girl, but she looked just like I remembered. If there were exceptional faces, hers was one of them. Big dark blue eyes, long dark blue hair to match, long legs and from everything I've seen, incredible acting skills.

Aqua looked at me weirdly. "You know her?"

I stammered when he and the director looked at me. "Yeah! Back in my old lif… old house… I… I used to watch her YouTube channel…"

The director chuckled. "Even babies know about popular YouTube stars now… sign of the times. But you're right. She's type number one, the star, she's meant to draw in audiences, be the face. Given their popularity they normally garner high performance fees. Kawashima's only twenty-two but already got herself set up for years to come. She's the daughter of Anna Kawashima another actress, she's been modeling since high school, and since then has had a popular YouTube channel with her boyfriend."

"That's right! She dates Yukio Takahashi, that baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants!" I remembered, looking at Kawashima on set. "Didn't they just get engaged recently?"

"Haha yup, and that only boosted her popularity. They're quite the power couple," The director said with a smirk.

I looked over at Kawashima, I could hear her sigh as she looked over at the girl with short pink hair next to her.

"Oh man, I'm exhausted," She said, leaning on her shoulder. "And I still have to edit my vlog footage later…"

The girl with short pink hair chuckled. "Ahaha, don't you and Yukio normally split that work up?"

"We do! But the Giants are doing a uniform reveal for this season," Kawashima sighed. "They asked him to take photos in them at the stadium… I really haven't seen him that much the last week. It's the offseason, I should be seeing him more!"

"Hehe, you seem awfully upset about that," The girl giggled.

Kawashima blushed. "Of course I am! Just… don't tell him that, I don't need him getting a big head."

The two of them laughed, and the girl with short pink hair fixed it in the camera of her phone.

Next to Aqua and me, the director pointed to the girl. "Ichika Nakano, she's the second type of actor, the real talent, the one who ensure the quality of the product on screen. Nakano's been up and coming for a few years now. Kawashima's no slouch of an actress, but Nakano's abilities far outclass hers. Won't be long before she has TV dramas centered around her."

Ichika Nakano smiled as she and Kawashima laughed. "Haha, I figured he had to be busy, how about Kaida? How's his precious little sister?"

Kawashima scoffed. "Probably some CEO somewhere… honestly, we fought a lot when Yukio and I started dating but I'll admit… she's really grown on me."

"She has a cute face, I'm surprised she never tried acting or modeling," Nakano said.

"Oh she'd be even worse than Yukio would here, you know them," Ami sighed.

Nakano nodded. "You are right about that; I'm honestly surprised Kikyo didn't give this gig to Ren! Sometimes I think there's nothing him and Hayasaka can't do."

"Ren had to go back up to Hokkaido for some pre-season stuff too," Kawashima said, a fond smile on her face. "And Ai went along with him, you know them they're never apart for long."

I was about to ask the director how he managed to get someone like Ami Kawashima on a show like this, but then the loud clacker snapped.

"Cut! Um… Uesugi-san, why don't you take a break? We'll move onto another scene, you can try again later," An assistant director's voice said.

I looked over and saw Kawashima and Nakano look up as a sad voice wafted through the set.

"Y…yes, sir, I'm sorry thank you…" It said, before I saw the guy slunk with hunched shoulders over to Kawashima and Nakano.

And my jaw dropped.

"Th…that's… that's…" I trailed off, my eyes wide as Aqua looked at me weirdly.

The director nodded with a smirk. "And that's the third kind of actor, the up and comer, or in his case… the celebrity guest cameo. I can tell you know kid, that's Arata Uesugi he-."

"He's the best baseball prospect in Japan! He made his debut for the Chunichi Dragons last year and almost won NPB MVP!" I gushed, my secret love of baseball coming out. "I had no idea he was an actor!"

"I had no idea you were so obsessed with baseball…" Aqua said rolling his eyes.

The director chuckled again. "Ha, he's not an actor. We had some extra money in the budget and decided to use it on a special guest cameo. Uesugi is the most popular baseball player in Japan right now, so he's here to put on a few lines today, I don't expect anything out of him, I just need his face that'll bring thousands to watch the episode."

"He looks… like he's gonna be sick," Aqua commented.

"Yeah, he's a bit nervous, but he's never done this before, can't blame him," The director said, looking at Uesugi as he sat next to Nakano and Kawashima. "His agent though? A super genius if I ever saw one, drives a hard bargain. She represents Uesugi, Kawashima's boyfriend Takahashi, and Ren Hayashi, three young star players. Throw that in with the fact that Kawashima and Nakano are all close? They have got a good base, and it makes it easier for us to get them into productions. Apparently, Uesugi is engaged to one of Nakano's sisters, and Kawashima is friends with her, and Ren Hayashi's girlfriend another actress, Hayasaka Ai… yup, they're quite the power group in the industry already."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I could even remember showing Ai highlights of Arata Uesugi when we were together before I died, he was the same age as I'd be today if I hadn't died, but still… he felt like a celebrity even now.

Although, as he sat embarrassed next to Kawashima and Nakano he seemed like a nervous kid.

"Um… Arata, now I don't mean to rude but…" Nakano started, her voice soft as she looked at him. "That was…. Well-."

"Absolutely terrible!" Kawashima finished, shooting up from her chair.

"Yeah that, it was absolutely horrible," Nakano said again. "Come on Arata, you've acted in commercials with me before!"

Uesugi looked up red faced. "That was different! I've never been on a set like this, there's so many cameras!"

"What did you expect when you came to film a TV drama?" Kawashima said, narrowing her eyes and poking his chest. "You need to shape up buck-o! They don't expect you to be good, they just expect you to remember the twenty or so lines you have!"

Uesugi rolled his eyes. "Yukio warned me you were terrifying when you were working…"

"What?! Oh he going to get it when he gets home…" Kawashima growled.

Nakano chuckled, looking at Uesugi. "Ami just likes things to turn out well, don't worry Arata. We've been over this; just talk like you're talking to me or Miku!"

"Yeah, all of your scenes except one are with me anyway I don't get what's so hard!" Kawashima said with a roll of her eyes. "You've known me for years Arata, you're my fiancés best-friend friend!"

Uesugi winced at her harsh words. "But that's the thing you're Yukio's girlfriend I… I can't pretend to be-."

"Well I'm your girlfriend for the next few hours big boy so you better get used to it!" She said with finality.

Uesugi groaned and still looked embarrassed; Nakano laughed as Kawashima started spouting off acting tips for Uesugi. She grabbed his arms and adjusted his body, poked his face, it was clear the three were very good friends. Seeing them like that… it made my eyes drift over to Ayane, who was helping Ai with the last bit of makeup she was putting on.

I guess having friends you trust in this industry really helps out too… I thought with a smile, as I watched Ai hold up her wrist while Ayane tended to her. I watched her look at the charmed bracelet, squeeze one of the stars on it with her other hand and open her eyes with a huge smile.

My chest was ready to burst, just like I always did when she did that.

"Jokes aside, that Uesugi probably doesn't have a future as an actor, hell of a baseball player though," Ther director said, waving for us to follow as he leaned on the window into the classroom. "But the third type… the newcomers, they're expected to have passable acting, it's up to them to make themselves shine on screen so they're invited back again and again… if they don't, they'll get washed away by the next batch of newcomers. Think of it as a production investing in possible future stars. It'd be a great success if any of the newcomers today made it…"

I looked up at the man, he seemed to have a kind of wisdom to him. Despite his ragged appearance I got the sense he really did know what he was talking about. I wanted to say something, because I could tell what he was doing, he was trying to not get our hopes up about Ai… the only thing was, that he like many people didn't realize how smart she really was.

Aqua again voiced my words first. "Ah… you won't have to worry about that then, Ai's a first-class idol."

The director looked down at us curiously. "Not even just being a first-class idol will be enough-."

"Well she's going to be a first-class actress too," I added in, smiling up at the man. "You'll see. There's nothing Ai can't do when she sets her mind to it."

The man looked at me… but I was looking at her. Ai rushed over to the front of the cameras for her scene. To my surprise, I saw Ami Kawashima, Ichika Nakano and Arata Uesugi join her for the scene, I watched them introduce themselves, and Ai even said something that made both Kawashima and Nakano laugh. A man came over and told the director they were beginning, but he opted to watch it from the window. I bit my lip and looked first at Aqua, who seemed as confident as ever.

Maybe Ai doesn't need me to look after her as much as I thought, I smiled as the clapperboard snapped to start the scene.

Ami Kawashima's eyes went wide. "Huh? What are you saying?!"

I didn't know too much about acting, but just from the one line I could tell she was good. The same with Ichika Nakano.

"Yeah, are you really serious?" Nakano said next perfectly in character.

And then, Ai shined.

"Of course I am, do you want me to ask Touma-kun for you?" She said, her starry eyes sparkling as she looked at the two.

Kawashima went wide eyed naturally and blushed. "Hey! Don't even think about it I'm serious I don't want him to know!"

And then, Ai and Ichika Nakano laughed while Kawashima blushed, it was perfectly in character for the show from what we'd watched before.

"Want me to know what?" Uesugi said, coming into frame. "Sorry, I heard my name, what is it?"

It seemed like Kawashima's quick acting and tough love worked, because it wasn't too bad at all. Uesugi went on to say his next lines to Ai, then Nakano joined in, and as it went on, I saw Ayane watching nervously while she hugged Miyako. Miyako didn't seem to mind, looking equally as nervous for Ai's first performance.

"Her acting is average, but she really attracts your attention," The director said, sounding impressed. "Acting talent can be taught, but the ability to catch everyone's eye… it's-."

"It's something you're born with," I cut him off, smiling fondly over at her, and for once Aqua didn't stop me because he was too. "Ha, it's like she was talking about earlier eh Aqua?"

"Yeah… she really is smarter then everyone thinks," Aqua said, the director looking at us. "She said earlier that when she's on stage she needs to look cute from every angle, but here only the camera does. So said she's treating it like one of Ayane's music videos."

The director looked at the scene, but I saw him smile. "Treating it like a music video huh? Ha… a sign of the times."

My eyes shot open with Aqua's… what did he mean by that?

"Well they're incredibly well made! My mom never skips a beat with music videos!" I said sounding desperate. "They're so well made you should check them out some time! The one for Our Sign is B has half a million views!"

"We'll even lend you the DVDs!" Aqua quickly added after me. "They're high quality and-."

"Shhh… keep it down will ya," The director told us.

We very quickly shut our mouths.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Ayane

"Ohhh man that was so nerve-wracking!" Ai gushed, downing her water. "But it was so much fun! Ayane, how did I look?! Was I cute enough?"

I let out a breath I felt I'd been holding for the last few hours. Miyako had thankfully taken Aqua, Ruby and Kage back to the car while we were waiting for everyone to pack up, I knew it would be important for us to say goodbye to the director and other performers. I looked around at the set being packed away and couldn't help but be excited. After only being in music studios for so long, it was a big change suddenly being on a movie set. But, if Ai didn't have any problems, then I wouldn't either. We'd promised that long ago, when one of us did something, the other did, that was how it'd always be. I had been ecstatic when Ichigo told us about landing her this role, and then when we got here realizing I got to meet Arata Uesugi?! That in addition to Ai stealing the show… it was a really good day.

"You looked very cute, and… I may not be an expert, but that was pretty good acting Ai!" I told her, as I packed up both of our bags. "Seriously you were so comfortable on camera I was a bit surprised."

"Why's that? Haha you're the reason I was so ready for it!" She said, helping me pack, while sneaking snacks into the bag at the same time. "If not for your music videos being so good, I'd never get so used to a camera!"

I blushed like my son did when he looked at Ai. "I… I didn't do much! You're the one who's doing the hard work Ai, yeah, you're the one who makes me look-."

"Hahaha you're the best Ayane, I wouldn't know what to do without you!" She said, cutting me off.

"Gah! Ai!" I said, my face getting redder as she leapt up with her arms around my neck.

She just laughed and squeezed me tighter, her face digging into my shoulder. "Hehe… yeah… I really would be lost without you Ayane. You're always making sure I'm ready for anything," she pulled back looking right into my eyes. "I wouldn't be able to do what I do without you; we make each other look good don't you think?"

Ai had never been taller than me, despite me being four years older we were always right at eye level. That meant, I always got to look her right in the eye. She'd grabbed and squeezed my hands, and I looked to still see that silver charm star bracelet on her wrist. I only ever saw her take it off to clean it, and when she cleaned it, she'd sit right next to it while it was in the jewelry cleaner. I'd caught her crying a few more times… she still thought about him every day, but that also kept her going.

I knew what she was trying to tell me, and it made me smile.

"Yeah… yeah we do, don't we?" I told her, squeezing her hands back. "We-."

"Ai!" A voice yelled.

We both turned around and saw Ichika Nakano waiving at us. My eyes went wide, as her, Ami Kawashima and Arata Uesugi all came over. My eyes went to Uesugi again, he was seriously cute with his messy dark blonde hair and gold eyes, if I didn't know he had a fiancé I'd probably be blushing a bit more. Still, he'd been with Kawashima and Nakano all day during filming, according to them they were all really good friends since high school.

"Oh, hi Nakano!" Ai said, waving at the three of them. "Uesugi, Kawashima! Did you three meet Ayane yet? She's my best-friend, I'd lose my head if not for her!"

Uesugi looked at me. "Yeah, we did for a little bit, it's nice to meet you again."

"Same here!" Nakano said.

"Yeah, me three," Kawashima said, looking at Ai again. "We just wanted to say great job Ai, you were seriously good for your first time."

"I know! Are you really serious when you said you'd never done this before?" Nakano asked.

Ai giggled and winked. "Haha, nope this was really my first time on a show like this! It was your first time too, right Uesugi?"

Uesugi groaned, holding his stomach. "Yeah… and you were definitely better than me. I've done commercials before, but this? This was horrifying! And now so many people are going to watch…"

Kawashima rolled her eyes, but smiled as she punched his arm. "Oh lighten up Arata! Seriously, you can play in front of 45,000 Japanese baseball fans but the cameras are too much?"

Uesugi's face went completely red, and he stammered. "That… that's completely different!"

Kawashima and Nakano laughed, so did Ai, and I even giggled myself as the guy went red.

"You're both so mean to me; I need to go home before I puke…" He mumbled.

Nakano chuckled. "I doubt Miku's cooking will help you any."

"Hey she's getting better!" Uesugi yelled back, still red faced.

Ai giggled more. "Ahaha, you guys really are all good friends, aren't you? You can tell, you and Kawashima worked so well together Nakano!"

Nakano smiled at Kawashima. "Haha, I guess we do, I've just known Ami for years now."

"Aha, Ichika's been with me since we started acting together," Kawashima said. "Her sister Miku's my best-friend, she's this dorks fiancé."

"Yes, I'm the dork," Uesugi said with an eye roll.

Ai and I both laughed, and I felt my chest swirling, my eyes on Ai. The three of them seemed like good people… but if Ai could become closer to them, not only would it be nice to have more friends, but connections as well.

Nakano laughed and looked at Ai and me. "Hahaha, oh that's right! I forgot to tell you guys what else we came over here for!"

"Oh yeah!" Kawashima snapped. "The three of us are heading to get dinner together, do you both want to come with us? It's not far from here."

"Yeah, it's a private place too! My two sisters own a café," Nakano said, looking at Arata with a smirk. "Arata lives right around the corner."

Uesugi nodded, turning to Ai and me. "She's right, Miku and her other sister Nino own it. A few of our friends are coming, it's no wild party but the foods good, you're both more than welcome to come."

Ai looked confused. "Wait Nakano, so your sister is Uesugi's fiancé, but you have another sister? Are you triplets?!"

All three of them laughed, I was confused at first but then Nakano smiled.

"Ahaha no, not triplets, we're actually quintuplets!" She said. "My two other sisters are away right now. We got plenty of food and quintuplet stories to tell!"

"Quintuplets?! That's so cool! Haha, Ayane it's like if there were three more Aqua and Ruby's!" Ai laughed.

I went wide eyed, as thankfully Ai didn't say anything else. I looked at the three, and while I wanted to say yes… I realized I had more responsibility now.

"I… would normally say yes, but I'd hate leaving my son with poor Miyako for too long," I said with a sigh. "Maybe we can-."

"We'll do it! We'd love to come!" Ai said, laughing as she grabbed my arm. "Come on Ayane, Miyako will be fine, we won't be long!"

Uesugi smiled. "She's right, we're not the kind of people to stay out late and party it up."

"He's right, Arata and Miku were made for each other, they each need tea and a thick history book before bed," Kawashima teased. "They're the cutest nerds I know."

"Hey, you're finally right about something today Ami! OW!" Uesugi said, before Kawashima stepped on his foot.

Nakano chuckled and looked at me. "If you want to go look after your son we understand, but we'd love to have you!"

I stammered, and looked at them, and then looked to Ai to see her with those big begging eyes and finally sighed.

"Ha… okay, I guess I could relax a bit…"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Ayane

"Ahahahaha! You really were telling the truth!" Ai said, laughing as she looked between the two girls, and then the two pictures they held up. "And Nino looks the same too you really are quintuplets! That's so funny!"

"Ai!" I said, pulling her back to the seat. "It's rude when you say it like that, they're not some circus act!"

Ai quickly bowed. "Oh! I'm so sorry I didn't mean-."

"Aha, no really, it's fine you don't have to worry. We normally get that reaction," Miku said, smiling as she set her cup of matcha tea down. "Itsuki's a schoolteacher, and Yotsuba lives with Arata's cousin, we're away from each other a bit more now."

"Oh I see… wow, if you all had your hair down, I couldn't tell you apart!" Ai exclaimed, completely bewildered but smiling.

I chuckled at her and sipped the very good latte I'd been served. Kawashima and Uesugi hadn't lied, there weren't many people at the small café, just Ichika, Ami, Arata, one of Ichika's sister Miku, another one-Nino-who was making them food, and then a guy named Ryuuji cooking with her, and the tiny young woman who sat next to me.

"Ha, I work here, and I even get Miku and Nino confused sometimes," Aisaka said, smirking. "Whenever I can't tell I just assume Nino's the one yelling!"

"I heard that!" Nino yelled from the kitchen.

"Taiga don't be rude," Ryuuji's voice followed.

Kawashima laughed. "Ahaha, we're not in High School anymore Takasu, you don't have to be Aisaka's mom!"

"Yeah, she's right, hurry it up in there dog, quit slowing Nino down!" Aisaka yelled after her.

The entire group started laughing as I could hear a groan from the kitchen. Ai laughed right along with them, and as I sat there next to her, it really did seem like she was already a part of the group. The café that we'd gone to was really cozy. It was simply called 'Nakano', which made sense given Miku and Nino ran it. The décor was pretty, the coffee delicious, it was modest, and it had surprised me considering how much money I knew Miku and Arata had from Arata's baseball contract and sponsorships. Apparently after going to school to study cooking, Arata's uncle had given Miku and Nino the shop, and ever since they'd run it together. Taiga Aisaka the shorter but pretty girl who sat across from me and laughed with Kawashima, was dating the guy Ryuuji who was cooking, he worked there as a cook and Aisaka as a hostess and waitress while living nearby, Ryuuji was the cousin to Ami's fiancé Yukio, who was in turn best-friends with Arata as they'd played with and against each other in baseball in high school. Apparently, they all had grown extremely close in their high school years and tried to stay together as much as possible now.

Seeing such close friends… it's nice… it's only been us for as long as I can remember, us and the kids, I thought smiling at Ai who giggled as she joked with Aisaka. My eyes went over to Miku, who was laughing at something Arata said, his arm was around her as they chatted, while Kawashima and Ichika laughed. The whole scene made my chest all tingly, like a warm blanket was being draped over me. Sometimes, between staying up late to finish songs, looking after Kage, Aqua and Ruby, I forgot that I was only twenty-two… and Ai was even younger. At first, I had been a bit hesitant to come, but seeing the smile on Ai's face now, I knew we really needed this.

"So, Ayane!" Kawashima's voice said, and I looked to see everyone was looking at me. "Ai tells us you write all the songs for her idol group!"

"Huh? Oh… y…yeah, yeah, I do!" I said, blushing as I felt the eyes. "It's not that big a deal, Ai's the one who-."

"Ayane is the best nobody writes better songs then her!" Ai declared, smiling as she hugged my arm and poked my face. "Haha, she gets all shy whenever you praise her, it's so cute!"

"Ai…!" I whispered loudly.

Everyone chuckled, which didn't help.

"Ai's right Ayane, my little cousin Raiha loves all the B-Komachi songs, I always catch her singing them," Arata said, looking at Ai nervously. "I… was meaning to ask actually, Ai, if you'd be willing to sign something for her, she won't believe it when I say I met you!"

"Haha no problem of course I will!" Ai said, before leaning her head on my shoulder with her big smile. "B-Komachi wouldn't be B-Komachi without Ayane! She's always working so hard, not just for the music, but to help me book new gigs too, she's been a real help to my manager!"

I blushed again, there wasn't anything else I could do. She wasn't wrong in saying that I'd been learning more and more from Ichigo, so that way I could better help Ai when her work piled up. I shifted on the couch they had in the front of the café, the coffee table with everyone's drinks in front on it. As I heard the praise, I went red and snatched up my latte to drink and cover my face.

Ichika nodded. "Ha, that seriously does take a lot of hard work and brain power, you should be proud Ayane!"

"That's right! I only work here, but from what Kikyo tells me about manager work, it sounds taxing," Miku said, her voice soft and warm. "Plus your songs being so popular probably helped Ai got on that show today!"

"Miku's right, I've worked with Gotanda before and he's tough nut to crack," Kawashima noted. "And despite it being your first time, you both handled yourselves really well on set!"

"You can say that again," Ichika followed up. "Haha, and those kids you brought were adorable! Ayane, you said one was yours?"

I stiffened as the topic came up. Ai looked a lot less nervous then I was, of course I was allowed to mention Kage to anyone, I couldn't imagine how hard it was for Ai to have to still hide Ruby and Aqua. Still, the whole group had been extremely kind so far, and I didn't want to just ignore them.

"Oh! Yeah! The little one with the black hair, that's my son, Kage!" I told them, eagerly nodding. "Ha, he's a little super genius! You should hear some of the things he says-."

"Ahaha that's because he's always with Aqua and Ruby!" Ai cut in, her eyes sparkling as she gushed. "They all make each other super smart, they're all little geniuses it's so cute!"

I stiffened and bit my lip, I wanted to scream at Ai to be quiet but… the look in her eyes. The spark that came when she talked about them, I hadn't seen her this excited in weeks. And before I could say anything, they started asking questions.

"Child prodigies huh? Reminds you of Kitamura, doesn't it?" Aisaka said, looking at Kawashima.

She scoffed. "Oh you can say that again. Aqua and Ruby were those other two twins on set today, right? Your managers kids?"

"Oh yeah! Jeez, I think I saw them all walking around, the two boys were even talking to the director!" Arata said, sounding amazed. "They seemed to be having a whole conversation, it was amazing… and a little creepy, no offense."

"And that little girl was so cute!" Ichika said. "They must really be geniuses; I don't think I've ever seen kids that young so animated!"

"Oh they really are! You should see some of the things they do! Ruby can already walk, run, and do tumbles! She's so affectionate!" Ai gushed more, her hands together as her eyes were sparkling again. "Aqua tries to act like a little cool guy, but he's secretly so sweet! And smart! He's reading books already! Oh and Kage is just as cute as Ayane is, he's my little knight in shining armor!"

My mouth fell open, and I tried to stop her, but Ai was like a freight train of motherly affection. She didn't let me get a word in as she went on and on about the cute things Aqua and Ruby did. Luckily, she added that she saw them so much because Miyako was around so often, so she hadn't technically said they were her kids, but I could already imagine the tongue-lashing Ichigo was going to give me for letting her go on so much.

But… I couldn't stop her. I tried to imagine what it would be like for me to be in Ai's position. What would I do if I couldn't tell anyone except a few people about all the cute things Kage did? What would I do if I couldn't even pick him up and hold him in public? And… what would I do if I was in that position, and now suddenly I had this large group of incredibly kind people I was becoming friends with? What would I do if I couldn't tell them about my pride and joy… my son? I'd probably act just like Ai was.

"Ahahaha, they sound adorable!" Kawashima said, sounding genuinely interested. "You manager must be so proud! Who's the twins father? I didn't see a guy on set today."

"Oh!" I quickly shot in. "His names Ichi-."

"Minato."

I shut my mouth and looked over at Ai… who was staring at the bracelet around her wrist, a huge smile on her face. She clutched it to her heart and looked up at our new friends.

"His name was Minato, that's who!" She said proudly. "Aha… he… passed away before they were born but, he really was the best!"

"Ai…" I said softly, as I realized that was one of the many lies that she told.

And it was the one she wished to be real the most, but one she could never turn into a truth.

I can't tell her not to talk about him… or her kids, I just can't, I thought, seeing how excited she got from even mentioning him to other people, and getting to talk about Aqua and Ruby. And to everyone's credit, they seemed genuinely interested, everyone who was sitting there listened, asked questions. I didn't fail to realize how good this was too, making such good friends, it really did keep you from going insane. As she talked, I excused myself to step just outside, When I walked out the door, the cool air hit my face and I let out a breath, my knees buckling.

"Ai… you're still not over it are you?" I whispered to myself, looking up at the stars. "I don't-."

"Ayane!"

I turned and nearly jumped. "Oh! Miku! I'm sorry, I was just sweating a bit in there."

She smiled at shook her head. She really was extremely pretty, bright blue eyes, her hair parted over one eye, she looked just like her two sisters I'd met so far. She didn't dress all flashy like the fiancé of most star athletes would, just jeans, a sweater, and a smile, that was all she needed, looking at her somehow calmed me down.

She smiled. "It's no problem at all. I… just wanted to talk to you and ask you something."

"Oh, of course, what is it?" I said, my heartbeat calming down.

She nodded and took a step next to me, whispering. "It's about Ai… those kids she was talking about… they're really hers, aren't they?"

I nearly collapsed right there, and before I could even deny it I was begging.

"Oh god please don't say anything! If certain fans learned, if it went public it could be catastrophic for her, she's only nineteen!" I begged, turning to the girl, and feeling myself start to cry. "If anything happened to her I would never forgive-."

"Please, relax!" She said, holding onto my shoulders with concerned eyes. "I would never say anything! I… I just saw the way she was talking about those kids and… well, it's the way Arata talks about the ones he wants to have. It… reminded me how my mom used to talk about me and my sisters before she died."

I felt her hands gently hold me and breathed out, still with my heart racing. "I… I just… I just don't want anything to happen to her! If it did I… I'd…"

I didn't want to finish the sentence. I knew this industry was cutthroat, people did horrible things… and I loved Ai too much to risk her in any way.

Miku smiled peacefully and smiled reassuringly. "Hey, don't worry. The others… they can probably tell too, they're not stupid. I may not be in the industry myself, but Ichika has been it a while, Ami's told me stories for years… we all know how hard it is, what can happen," she said, looking back in at her friends all laughing with Ai and smiling. "Ami… she had to move schools when she was younger because of a stalker. Arata has fans who follow him home from practice… we understand," she looked back at me with a smile. "I know you may not at first, but please, trust us, you're our friends now, we'll do our absolute best to support you both."

I stammered, I wanted to protest say they didn't have to do anything. Even though it was a relief having someone else know… it was still nerve wracking, but when I looked inside the café again and saw Ai, I nearly cried again. I remembered that ragged girl with so much beauty I'd met as she walked down the street, trying her best to not go back to the group home. I remembered her staying in my house for days at a time, my mom and me helping her get washed, fed properly, get better clothes. I remembered staying up with her for hours, telling her about the music I wanted to write, the songs I wanted to perform, and just like these nice people were doing for her now, Ai had listened to me, listened, and smiled the whole time. And finally… I remembered her getting scouted, Ichigo wanted her so badly, but Ai had said she'd do it only on the condition Ichigo hire me as well. Yes, I owed her everything, so who was I to deny her the chance to gush about her kids to friends?

I smiled at Miku and wiped my eyes. "You all really are so kind… thank you."

Miku smiled and gently held my hands again. "Of course. You're both always welcome here, and I promise if you or your kids ever need anything, you can just ask, me and Arata will always be here, same with everyone else! Now come on, Nino and Ryuuji finally have dinner ready!"

She tugged me along, the sound of laughter coming from inside. I could see Ai had gotten up trying to show Aisaka and Arata how to do idol dances, which made everyone laugh. I saw Miku's sister Nino come out in her bright pink pigtails, smirking with satisfaction as she set out plates of food. Arata said something, and she turned to punch him in the shoulder, more laughs, more friendship.

Yeah… this is just what Ai needed, what I needed… I think this will turn out to be a really good choice.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kage

"WAHHHH NO THIS ISN'T FAIR I WANTED TO STAY HOME WITH MAMA!" Ruby cried, for once actually acting her current age. "I WANNA GO HOME AND SNUGGLE UP WITH HER!"

Aqua rolled his eyes. "Well me and Kage film on different days then her. Aren't you a little embarrassed to be… oh quit staring at me like that Kage."

"I'll never forgive you for this…" I muttered, glaring at him as best I could. I heaved as I sweat, trying to peel the outfit off myself. "Where do you get off volunteering me for this?!"

The outfit was so tight on my tiny body I felt like it was molding into my skin. It was hot that day, and it wasn't anywhere close to over. Ai was actually out shopping with Nino and Aisaka, for once Ayane had left her side and was here with Miyako. Apparently she was my manager since I'd had to officially sign a contract to appear in the film for the director. A part of me wanted to lay down and cry like Ruby was, all the cameras and the creepy mansion on the set were unsettling, and there was also the fact that I hadn't even agreed to be here for myself.

Aqua annoyingly remained calm as always. "Oh please, don't act like you wouldn't have said yes anyway if you heard Ai got another part in exchange."

God I hate it when he's right, I thought, my teeth grinding as I tried to loosen the collar of the outfit.

"You still should have asked me at before you said yes!" I sighed, looking at Ruby. "Ruby, come on get up."

I sighed and knelt next to her. She'd stopped crying, and pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of my shirt which was probably a prop from the outfit, but I thought it'd work the same. I handed it to her, and when she looked up at me she finally stopped crying. I patted her shoulder reassuringly as she sobbed a few more times, blew her nose and wiped her eyes. Aqua rolled his eyes at me again, and I momentarily cursed him and that annoyingly persistent director.

That wasn't to say I wasn't just as pissed off that Ai's screentime from that TV drama was cut. They'd even kept in parts with Arata Uesugi, which made sense since he was the 'celebrity cameo' they paid for, but it didn't mean I wasn't going to be angry about it. If I'd heard the proposition I would have taken this job in a heartbeat, which made Aqua annoyingly right again. Still, it felt weird signing with Strawberry Productions even though I'd spent my entire new life around everyone affiliated with them. Ayane had been crying tears, and Ai insisted on throwing a tiny party for me and Aqua, which had been cute but didn't do anything to assuage my nerves.

Ruby sniffled and finished wiping her eyes. "Thanks Kage…"

"No problem, trust me I don't really wanna do this either," I told her honestly. "But… if it's for Ai's sake."

Ruby smiled at me. "I'm sure she appreciates it! You'll do great, you can sing really good, maybe this'll be like something you did… before."

She didn't say it out loud, but I knew what she was saying. That only made me blush, as the reality of the situation was I'd lied to Aqua and Ruby both about my previous life. At the time I… was just saying I'd been a musician since I didn't want to talk about my real past life. But later on, I realized it had just been nothing but a lie, one that I wanted to be true.

"Ha… yeah, maybe," I told her, sighing as I pulled on the collar again. "I just wish this thing wasn't so tight."

"You only have one scene, and it's not even with me," Aqua said. "At least it's with Kawashima and Nakano, that should help."

"Oh yeah, that'll be so much fun Kage! Hehe, I like them both, I like all of them!" Ruby commented, now smiling.

I smiled as well, that had been a very unexpected yet pleasant development. Ichigo hadn't been exactly happy when he learned Ai and Ayane's new group of friends had figured out about Ruby and Aqua, but it'd been about a month now since that TV drama, and they hadn't said anything yet. Ami Kawashima, Miku Nakano, Arata Uesugi, Ichika Nakano, and plenty of others had been around to visit the apartment the last month. Ai and Ayane had taken Aqua, Ruby and I to the Nakano café, they'd all spent time and laughed together. It relieved me, I knew Ai and Ayane both deserved friends like those. Ayane and Miyako were both currently outside chatting with Ami Kawashima, Ichika, Miku and Arata, the later two who had come since Ayane had asked them to come help look after me, Aqua and Ruby while her and Miyako focused on whichever one of me or Aqua was acting.

The prospect of dinner at the Nakano café with everyone after filming was another incentive.

"Yeah, so do I," I told them. "But still… this is kinda nerve wracking. That directors stubborn for sure."

"He is, but we're here now," Aqua said. "No matter what we should-."

"You know, if you're just going to cry and complain you should head right home!" A voice snapped. "This is a professional work place you know!"

My head turned around with the two of them, it was getting scary how in synch the three of us were becoming. Ai even started calling me 'Twin Alternate', considering we were all born the same day.

"Um… and who are you?" Aqua asked slowly.

The very annoyed looking girl was our age, and I was starting to wonder if there was something it the water in the area because she seemed as articulate and animated as me Aqua and Ruby. Her shorter red hair was nicely combed, and she looked cute in the outfit we were given. I remembered her from when we were all getting our costumes.

"Kana Arima, I'm an actress in the film," She said, walking over to the three of us and glaring particularly at me and Aqua. "And you two, you're the new ones the director changed the script for."

I sheepishly rubbed my head. "Ha… well we didn't exactly ask him too."

"Oh! Wait, Kage, we just saw her on the news earlier," Ruby said, pressing her temple. "What was it… oh yeah, the genius child actor who can lick baking soda like that!"

I cringed inwardly, as I knew that was not it.

Kana made sure it was known. "The genius child actor who can cry in ten seconds flat! Everyone says the way I cry in dramas is amazing because it is amazing!"

I felt myself inwardly groan, but then I had to remember that not everyone was like me. Not every kid I met was going to be mentally in their twenties, most were just regular kids and regular kids got cocky like this.

But that didn't mean my face didn't twitch, I'd met plenty of people with that attitude in my old life and I never liked them.

Ruby as usual however, had no filter and said what I was thinking. "You know… I don't really like this girl. She seems fake and I have this intrinsic dislike of her."

"You can say that again…" I muttered after her.

Ruby and I nodded in synch, and Aqua just sighed. "Some people are tough on child actors and then there's people like you two I guess…"

"I know you both! You're the ones who had an in like I said," Kana said indignantly, holding up the script. "When I read the script you two and that idol weren't even in it! Even Mama said the director forced you in! That's completely unacceptable!"

My eye twitched again at the annoying little girl. "And I already told you, we didn't exactly ask him to be in it."

She just made an indignant noise and turned her nose up at me. Aqua seemed to see I was ready to grab her hat, throw it to the ground and step on it, because he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"Either way it's wrong! I saw the TV drama the director shot recently, and that idol had barely any screentime at all!" She said with another huff.

All three of our mouths twitched in unison, and I'd never felt closer to them in my life.

"I bet her acting was so horrible they needed to cut all her parts. Looks like the only thing she's good at is buttering people up!" She said, and with a huff turned away, when she called over a passing by AD. "Hey! AD! Carry my bag for me!"

I felt a sudden dark and malevolent force boiling up inside my chest. I felt my eyes turned dark as I tried to set the girl on fire with my eyes from behind, Aqua and Ruby doing the same. We did it in unison, which was probably equal parts cute and terrifying.

"Kage… Aqua…" Ruby seethed through her teeth.

Aqua twitched. "I know but she's just a kid… so I… won't kill her…"

I bit down so hard on my tongue I almost bled. "You know… I normally try to stop you from talking like that but… but this time I think it's fine."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"You did so good Kage!" Kawashima gushed, leaning down, and rubbing my hair. "Haha, you even sent chills down my spine!"

"She's right, you managed to be equal parts terrifying and cute, great job!" Ichika said next.

Uesugi sighed next to me. "Even the baby had better acting skills then I did…"

Kawashima rolled her eyes. "You just focus on hitting baseballs and taking care of my Miku! That's your true calling Arata."

Uesugi blushed, and Miku laughed.

"Aha, stop teasing him Ami, he does very well at those things," She said, looking down at me as I sat in her lap. She reached into her bag and grabbed a cookie. "Here Kage, you want one? I just made them last night!"

"Y…yeah, yes please!" I said blushing as I took it.

All four of them chuckled, and I felt my face get even hotter. My scene had gone off without a hitch, I had no idea what the director wanted me to do, so I just acted like myself, and apparently that was good enough for him. It made me feel a little awkward since I'd acted in the scene with Kawashima and Ichika, also apparently my regular self was 'creepy child' enough for the director. I wasn't going to pretend I understood his 'vision', or any of this acting stuff, I was just glad it was over. Now, I got to relax on Miku's lap, eat cookies and watch Aqua deal with Kana on set.

"Oh, thank you so much Miku, Arata, I really appreciate it!" A breathless Ayane said, she came over and kneeled, taking and hugging me. "You were so great Kage! Oh I can't wait to tell Ai how good you and Aqua did!"

"Ha… t…thanks… M…mama," I said, still feeling a bit odd calling her that.

She smiled and handed me back to Miku. We were set up under a small tent not far from where the next scene with Aqua was being filmed. Miyako wasn't far away with Ruby, as we watched the cameras all get set, and people apply last second makeup to Aqua and Kana. I looked at Aqua from my spot on Miku's lap, he seemed unnervingly calm as always. The more time I spent with the guy, the more I thought that something seriously bad must have happened to him in his previous life. The end of mine wasn't anything to be happy about, but I liked to think I'd done a good job of being as positive as possible in this new one.

"It's no problem Ayane, we don't mind," Miku said, taking me back as she looked to Miyako. "Here Miyako, you can sit too."

Miyako sighed in relief and sat in a chair next to her. "Oh, thanks Miku… here Ruby, maybe you'll calm down with Kage around."

Ruby stammered and looked from me to her. "I… I don't need Kage to calm down!"

"If you say so…" Miyako sighed, which got a laugh from Ayane.

She stood and sighed. "Okay, one down, now just for Aqua!"

"I bet he'll be great," Kawashima said, sitting next to Uesugi. She frowned and shook her head. "I already called and told her myself, but Ayane, please tell Ai again I'm sorry about the TV show! I didn't mean for her time to get cut, I've been meaning to find a new agency for some time, they're cutthroat and I can't stand it!"

Ayane chuckled and shook her head. "No, don't apologize, Ai understands! We're just thankful for this chance now. I'm surprised to see you and Ichika in this movie though."

Ichika smiled. "I've known Gotanda for some time, I'm doing him a favor. Besides this is my last few movies before I go to America for a few months. I'll be back before Arata and Miku's and my other sister's wedding though."

Kawashima nodded as well. "Same with me, I think I'm going to take a bit of an acting break and travel around with Yukio while he plays, this will be a great chance for Ai to land roles!"

A conversation between the adults started, and I looked at Ruby who was smiling at it as well. Finding a large group of good friends was good for Ai, and Ayane both. I was sure if not for Kawashima and the Nakano's right now poor Ayane and Miyako would probably be under a lot more stress having to manage Ai and take care of the three of us.

"How do you think Aqua will do?" Ruby whispered to me from Miyako's arms as she talked with the others.

I shook my head, broke Miku's cookie into halves and gave her one of them. "I'm sure he'll be fine if I can do it he can. We'll be at the café before we know it."

Ruby's eyes went wide, and she smiled as she grabbed the cookie. "I hope so! Oh I… wanted to tell you something too Kage."

"Mhm, what is it?" I asked her as I chewed.

She smiled wider, her ruby colored eyes sparkling as much as Ai's always did.

"I just wanted to say, you really were good!" She told me, sounding excited. "If I didn't know you wanted to make music, I'd say you should be an actor too!"

I stammered, my chest thumping hard. For a minute, I felt like a creep as all I did was stare at her like an idiot, those few words really making me a bumbling mess. It was something I dealt with every day when I saw Ruby. She looked so much more like Ai every single day, so much so… I didn't want to simply start thinking of her as another version of Ai. Aqua was right, the two of us really were close, I definitely talked to Ruby more then I talked to Aqua… and I did my best to push any implications of that far from my mind.

"Ha…thanks, Ruby, that means a lot," I said, forcing myself to look at her. "What do you say later for your keyboard lesson, we see if we can convince Ayane to turn it on for real?"

"You mean it?! Ha, yes finally!" She said excitedly. "I know she-."

"QUIET ON SET! And… action!" A voice yelled, followed by the clapperboard.

Both of our heads turned back towards the set, as did everyone else's. Ayane quickly rushed over behind the director, the two exchanged a few words as the scene played out. I held my breath, watching it play out, the girl coming down the road, with Kana and Aqua approaching her. Kana went first, despite how reticent I was to actually perform, I'd actually read a tiny bit of the script. The creepy mansion and forest had a perfect ambiance, and I'd heard some of the music written so far, combined with the great actors he has, the director was looking at a great movie. Kana started talking, and while I didn't count myself as an expert on acting, I was even able to tell she was phenomenal.

"Looks like baking soda girl wasn't lying…" Ruby muttered next to me.

I scoffed quietly. "You can say that again… I wonder what Aqua's going to do."

Aqua stepped up, and when he spoke he did not disappoint.

"Thre's only a single lodging in the village! Once you check in, you might enjoy taking a stroll!" Aqua said, sounding like… Aqua. In response, everyone was silent. He went on with his lines not forgetting a single one, I had no idea whether to tell if he was doing well or not, but like I had done, he simply spoke like he normally did. I felt like I after the last few years I knew Aqua well enough to see, that he'd figured out what the director wanted, and apparently I had done it subconsciously as well.

He wanted us to be ourselves. I couldn't blame him, talking babies were creepy enough anyway.

"Well then! If you'll follow me…." He said, his hand held out.

It sent shivers down my spine. If I hadn't spent every day with him and gotten used to that creepy monotone voice coming out of a baby I'd have been creeped out too.

"CUT! That'll do!" The director yelled.

A loud collective sigh or relief left everyone. I looked over at Aqua, who was right away surrounded by Ayane and the director. Ayane laughed and rubbed his head, and while I was on her lap, Miku, and everyone else started all commenting on how great he'd done.

"They don't get it… he wasn't even acting," Ruby said to me, shivering herself. "That's just how he is naturally."

"Believe me I know… man Aqua," I said quietly, but inside I was smiling.

Ai… your kids really are talented, and… I'm happy I get to watch after them in some way.

Ruby chuckled. "Haha, maybe he has a future as-."

She was cut off by crying, and when we all looked up, despite my initial impression, I felt my heart sink.

No matter what, I always hated seeing a kid cry, even if it was Kana.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Oh man," I whispered to myself. "She's really upset…"

Ruby shook her head. "I can't say I feel bad for her."

I sighed and felt bad, but I couldn't stop looking at her cry. She was between who I assumed was her mom and an assistant director. A part of me understood why she was so upset. After all the talking she'd done, Aqua had been simply better then her in that scene despite how amazing she'd been. Me? My own performance was adequate enough, but I was hoping the director didn't call me back anytime soon. I was nothing acting wise compared to Kana, and especially Aqua. Ruby was right though, after seeing it today, it wouldn't surprise me if he went on to be an actor. I already knew plenty well what Ruby would want to do in the future… and me? With both of them, I was really starting to think that I could finally do it, live that life I always wanted to live.

However… I really didn't want to abandon the person I once was. I liked to think, that both Minato Kaniyama, and Kage Midori both wouldn't just sit by now.

"I'll be right back, tell Ayane where I am okay?" I told Ruby, and before she could protest, I walked over to where I saw Kana crying.

My palms sweat; it was still a bit weird walking around myself being so small. Ayane, Miyako, and the rest of the adults were talking with the director along with Aqua. I could see everyone packing up the set, but over it all, you could hear the poor girl crying. Some people may have thought she was being a brat by crying, and yeah she had been rude earlier, but all I saw now was a girl who was passionate about what she did, and she felt like she hadn't been good enough. She felt she had a job to do today, that she had an obligation to be the best child actor on set, there could have been a whole litany of reasons she needed to be great today, and she didn't feel like she was. It wasn't her fault, not at all, she did all she could, but she still felt like she failed.

Did all you could… but you still feel like you failed, yeah… I know how that feels Kana. I thought, as I could see it in my head.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I screamed at him. "There's no way that's right, you said she had longer, read the scans again!"

"I've read them, again and again, I don't like this anymore then you do," My father had said. "You're not a doctor yet Minato no matter what you've studied, you're sixteen."

"I'm better at this then you were at sixteen! There's gotta be something else we can do," I yelled again. "If you just let me run the test, I know I can find something, she can handle another round of-."

"No, Minato, are you crazy? You're lucky I can get away with you even being in the hospital when you're not in college yet," He said, sighing. "You're too close to the situation, you can't see it clearly. I'm sorry, but she won't-."

"Don't say what she can and can't do, you don't know her, she's stronger then you think!" I pleaded, knowing it was true. "If you just wait, you'll see, she'll beat this, I know she will!"

"And I hope you're right, really I do," He sighed. "But… you're not a doctor yet. Something you need to learn is that… sometimes you just can't save everyone. You need to be realistic about these things."

"If I can't save her, if I can't save everyone then… then what the hell am I studying for?!" I screamed, my lungs collapsing. "I know… I know I can't save everyone, but I need to save her, I need to do something, I can't just sit back and watch her die. Don't you understand?!"

"Better then you know boy," He said, his voice softer, but his eyes still hard. "I'm sure you're companionship has set her mind at ease, and really given her something in… in her last few-."

"Bullshit! Shut the hell up, stop talking like she's already dead!" I cried, my arms shaking, tears dripping from my face. "I told her, that she'd be okay, I told her that we… that we… no, I refuse, I'm going to do something, she'll be okay you'll see! I… I can't just… I…I-."

"Minato…" His voice said, and I felt his hand on me from behind.

I spun around, crying, and grabbed his coat. "Sensei! Come on, you don't believe that do you?! You know her, you know how tough she is she can beat this, no problem right?! Sensei…? Sensei come on… say something. SAY SOMETHING!"

Sensei's eyes just looked at the ground, not at me. His eyes were watery as he shook his head. "Minato… I don't like it anymore then you do but… but-."

"BUT NOTHING!" I yelled, feeling my chest rip open, I let him go and turned to them in the door. "You'll see, you'll see she's going to be fine I… I'll make sure of it in any way I can I… I…!"

"Minato!" My Dad yelled as I stormed out of the office.

I remembered speed-walking through the hospital. I was only sixteen but being the owner's kid, helping out where I could, everyone knew me. People tried to talk to me, but I ignored them, my chest collapsing under the weight of my own failure, of what failing meant… of what it meant if I really couldn't do anything for her.

The route I followed was subconscious through the halls. I didn't realize the room I was going too until I was outside of it. I reached for the handle, saw her nameplate, and finally sobbed, my hand shaking on the handle, but I had already shaken it. My body was like a leaf in the wind, my legs ready to give out from under me. I wanted to turn the knob… but I couldn't. How could I look at her after what I just heard?

"Huh? Sensei? Mina? Is that you?"

Her voice finally made me move. I nearly jumped hearing it, and quickly wiped my face. I shakily sighed and opened the door, ready to put on a fake smile.

But it was real when I saw her, it always was.

"Ha, there you are! I was wondering when you were coming," She said, smiling cutely, before she pouted. "It's rude to make a young girl wait you know!"

I nearly choked but shook my head. "S…sorry! I got caught up, ha, look at you, keyboard out already?"

"Aha! I was waiting for you because I wanted to show you! Watch, I did it, I finally got those scales down!" She said, laughing as she turned on the keyboard over her lap. She pressed key after key, perfectly, and when she did… the smile she had melted me. "See! Ha, aren't you proud of me? Go on! Feel free to heap the praise on your student! I'll happily accept- AH! M…Mina… what… what…"

"Good job… great job… I'm really proud of you," I said, hugging her as gently as I could, hiding my tears behind her shoulder.

She stammered, her face red as she nodded, chuckling nervously she hugged me back. "Ha… th…thanks… Mina…. Is… everything okay?"

"Yeah… of course it is," I lied, pulling back, and smiling softly at her. My next words weren't a lie. "You're brilliant, Sarina."

"Hey… um… Kana?" I said as I got to the girl.

Both who I assumed was her mom or assistant and the other woman both looked at me. One of them tapped her, and Kana after a sob, wiped her eyes and looked down at me. Her eyes went wide, and her body posture was immediately defensive.

"Y…You?! What do… what do you want?" She said, wiping her cheeks.

I didn't know if it was convincing in my new body, but I tried for a smile. From her reaction, I assumed it worked. Before I had died, when I was working in the hospital, Sensei would often deal with older patients in his line of work. Me, meanwhile, I'd often interact with the younger people who came in, everyone thought since I was younger myself I could be of some comfort to them. So, I had experience dealing with even kids Kana's age in the hospital.

However… this wasn't from that experience, I just wanted to see the girl stop crying.

"I just wanted to say, I think you were great today," I said, keeping my smile. "You weren't lying when you said you were a genius child actor! I think you're going to be even better when you get older!"

She looked like she wanted to argue. Her lips moved but no words came out. I saw the two women next to her smile and looked at her, and then, I saw her face get red. I saw the corners of her lips fighting to smile, and finally she turned, and lowered her hat over her face.

"Th…thanks… and all…" She mumbled. "I… appreciate it."

I nodded. "It's no problem, I hope we see each other again some time!"

I didn't expect her to wave back, or to even turn around so after I waved I turned. I let out a breath and I felt like I'd been holding the entire conversation as I made my way back to where Ruby was. I snuck a glance back at her, and saw that she did finally let herself smile, and that made me feel warm inside.

It also gave me the feeling this really wouldn't be the last I saw of Kana Arima. We hadn't talked about it, but I felt like we could be pretty similar.

Even though you know deep down you did all you could… you still feel like you failed. I'll never forget that feeling, I thought, my chest feeling heavy, my feet dragging as all the memories started flooding back.

"Hey! Kage there you are!"

"Huh?! Oh, Ruby, sorry," I told her, as she yelled out for me.

She giggled. "Are you all done? Ayane's looking for you!"

I felt a loud thump in my chest. That was something I was finding I could always count on, something I was going to rely on a lot.

Ruby's infectious energy and smile.

"Yeah… I'm done," I said, managing to smile myself. "Sorry I made you wait."

"It's okay, I don't mind and everyone's not far," She said, before her smile grew, and she chuckled meeting my eyes. "I think that was really nice what you did, trying to make her feel better. Ha, that's just the kind of person you are Kage!"

It was my turn to stammer, my chest beating loudly as I looked at the ground. "Th…thanks, I just, well… I-."

"Haha, come on, let's go! Ayane says we're meeting Mama at Café Nakano!" She said, as she grabbed my hand and ran with me towards everyone else.

I smiled for real again.

I'm really starting to do this a lot more, smiling. It's… really nice.