Authors Note: I do not own Oshi No Ko, all rights belong to their original copyright holder.

This is by far the largest chapter yet and for good reason, I had so much to cram in to stay on schedule, and even then I cut a couple of things. Nothing major, just stuff I can put into later chapters. Still, a ton of stuff happens in this chapter, and this really kickstarts the events that are about to happen.

Fun fact, 600 words were completely cut from this chapter because they didn't fit. Currently have them planned to appear in Chapter 20.

As always, go join the subreddit at Church_Of_AquaxRuby

Thank you as always!


The cast of Tokyo Blade stood all around the stage a bit on edge, the rehearsal for the play suddenly being put on pause after some sort of emergency break by Kana. While Aqua was able to convince that the break was necessary and that Kana would be right back, everyone was starting to slowly get impatient.

As the seconds ticked by, Aqua laid his body against the side of the stage with his arms crossed, waiting for Kana and Akane to arrive back at any moment. The director was already upset with him from earlier, so this wasn't helping matters as he kept getting the occasional annoyed glance.

Ruby for her part quietly sat in the crowd, on edge as she kept looking back over her shoulder near the door. She had texted Kana, asking if everything was alright, but so far she hadn't received any sort of reply, making her anxious. Giving a small gulp, she took out her phone one more time and sent another text to Kana, hoping this time that it would get to her and she would reply back.

Finally, after an almost unbearable wait, the doors to the room opened as both Akane and Kana came walking back in, as the director gave a sigh that screamed 'finally' as he turned towards them and held his arms out. "Do you feel better now? Kept us waiting for quite a while."

Kana gave a nod as she walked up onto the stage first, before giving a bow towards the director. "I-I'm sorry, I had a few…Personal demons to quickly take care of. I'm…I'm all good now…"

"Personal demons huh? Well whatever, just hurry up into place!" Kana nodded as she quickly rushed over to her spot, script in hand as she quickly opened it and began flipping through it to the scene they were about to rehearse.

While Kana quickly attempted to get back into the swing of the play, Akane made her way over to Aqua, who looked at her with blank eyes. "Everything taken care of I see."

Akane gave a small nod, though she seemed a bit on edge as she sighed. "For the most part, I really thought she was just going to up and quit on us at the last minute, that would have thrown everything into chaos."

"Thrown us into chaos and ruined her acting career." Akane gave a slow nod, as she looked down towards the ground.

"She was talking about how she doesn't need her acting career, how she can just make it big being an idol nowadays cause that's the only thing people like about her. Considering how she was a kid, she's…Really different now."

"...How a person acts as a kid and as an adult are vastly different, as our bodies develop and hormones change the way you perceive the world. Even with the memories I do retain from my prepubescent years, I'm able to recognize how my notion of the world has changed. For someone like Kana, whose entire life has revolved around being in front of the camera for any form of attention or love…I can't even imagine the metal drama that would impart upon your brain." Aqua said with an almost sad tone as he looked at Kana pitifully, as Akane raised an eyebrow and tilted her head at Aqua.

"But the same is true for you isn't it? Weren't you in some sort of movie when you were younger?"

"I was, but nobody remembers. The only thing from that movie they remember is that Ai completely stole the show, and that it launched her movie career into full gear. Once that movie came out, she went from a pretty famous idol, to one of the most well known entertainment figures in Japan." As Aqua spoke, a small smile formed on his face as he reminisced, something that did not go unnoticed by Akane as she just gave a small nod.

"Right…I was wondering something Aqua…If you don't mind me asking…"

"What?" His smile of the past vanished, as he turned his blank gaze towards Akane, as she gulped.

"Why…Do you idolize Ai so much?"

"Isn't it obvious? I met her on set and was starstruck, and I followed her career since then up until her murder."

"Is that…Really it?" Akane spoke softly, as Aqua narrowed his eyes at her as she averted her gaze. "Producer Kaburagi mentioned you agreed to do this play because of information he had about Ai…Would you…Really do a play you had no enjoyment in doing up until your sister came to watch you, just for information on an idol who was killed when you were a child?"

"..." Aqua kept his narrowed gaze on Akane, as she could the pressure on her as she kept her own gaze away from his. After a moment, Aqua closed his eyes fully and spoke. "It's none of your business Akane."

"That line again, huh…" Akane trailed off as a tense silence overcame the two, before Akane just shook her head and began to walk away from Aqua and towards the part of her stage where her next part was. Her foot steps were heavy, as a certain line played over and over again in her head.

If you want to know whose Ai's kids are, search for the most viral video of Two-Thousand and six

Akane stopped in her tracks for a moment, taking a deep breath as she looked back at Aqua. "There's…No way…Right?"


"Practice is over! Be back in two days, the date of the play is getting closer and closer!" The director yelled out over the cast as everything was packed back up, as Kana gave a stretch and let out a tired sigh.

"I'm glad that's over with…" As she complained to no one in particular, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching her as she looked over and raised an eyebrow. "What? Going to chastise me for wanting to call it quits?"

The person who had walked over to her, Aqua, kept a blank look as he shook his head. "If I was going to do that, I would be a hypocrite, it's not like I enjoy doing this either."

"Says the one with actual talent…" Kana whispered as she rolled her eyes, stuffing her script into her jacket pocket. "Anyway, what do you need?"

"Just making sure everything was alright with you, I guess Akane talked you up pretty good." Kana shrugged, collecting her stuff still as she brushed her hair out of her face.

"If anything she made me want to quit even more with her moral grandstanding, so she didn't really help. What made me reconsider was some actor who used to work here, he talked me up and gave some pretty sound advice." Aqua raised an eyebrow, curiosity getting the best of him as he tilted his head.

"Actor?"

"Yeah apparently he used to work here or something, said it's been a while. He told me how I couldn't give up because I don't know what the future holds, I might come to regret it if I do, and even said I'm alot like that old idol Ai." Aqua's eyes narrowed at her words, a hint of fear building in his chest.

"Like Ai…?" Kana nodded, as she went to explain when-

"Loli-Senpai!" Ruby suddenly rushed onto the stage and engulfed Kana into a sudden hug, holding her tight and squeezing as Kana suddenly began tapping the back of her for air. "Loli-senpai! Is everything alright? I was so worried when you said you were going to quit!"

"W-What happened to you calling me Kana?! A-Also Ruby…C-Can't breath!" Kana kept tapping the back of Ruby, who finally let go as she gave a wide smile.

"I'm happy you came back Loli-Senpai, I got really worried!"

"Yeah yeah, I just had a rough patch, nothing-"

"Arima." Aqua interjected quickly, stepping forward and in front of Ruby as he stared at Kana intently. "The actor who compared you to Ai, what did he say?"

"Huh? Oh, he told me how-" Once again Kana went to explain, and once again she was interrupted as the Director came over towards them.

"Arima-san, we need to talk." That was all he said as motioned for her to follow, as she gave a sigh and rubbed the back of her head.

"This isn't going to be fun…I guess I'll talk to you guys later, maybe meet up for a milkshake or something."

"Arima, wait-" But Kana just bid farewell and quickly followed after the director, leaving the twin couple behind as Ruby looked up at Aqua with concern.

"Sensei…D-Did you mention something about mama?" Ruby looked up at Aqua with concern, who gave a deep sigh through his nose as he stuffed his hands into his pocket and shook his head.

"It's nothing…Let's head home."

"Sensei…You know I don't like it when you hide stuff from me." Ruby pouted as she puffed her cheeks out, as Aqua looked down at her and sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well…Here, how about I take you out for dinner tonight?" Aqua said with a forced smile, and though Ruby didn't lose her puffy face, she still blushed as she turned her face to the side.

"Dinner huh…?"

"My treat, of course."

"...Fine…But I want to change first." Aqua gave a small laugh as he ruffled Ruby's head, who just leaned into his hand and let out a content noise. However, despite his forced smile and small brightness in his eyes, the thought wouldn't leave him as he looked up and narrowed his gaze at the fleeting image of Kana.

Just who was this actor, and what did he say about Ai?


Aqua quietly sat at the kitchen table as he looked over his laptop, his eyes narrowing as he looked across various tabloid sites and rumor mills, all dating back to the year that Ai died. His eyes scanned every article that promised juicy information on the private life of Ai Hoshino, though each one was nothing more than internet clickbait.

Aqua clicked his tongue in frustration as he closed his laptop and ran a hand over his face, the thought that some old actor that knew Ai had said something to Kana to encourage her not to give up and keep following her dreams as an actor.

But what…What did they say!?

Was it a big ball of nothing, something that Kana attributed to her feeling better about the situation so she didn't have to give credit to Akane?

Or perhaps…

The thought scared Aqua.

Because the implications of that ran far too deep.

As thoughts ravaged Aqua's mind, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder as he turned his face towards the owner of said hand. "You look troubled."

Aqua's eyes locked with the eyes of his adopted mother Miyako, as he gave a small sigh through his nose and raised a hand as he waved her off. "It's nothing."

Miyako narrowed her eyes, as she moved over and pulled out a chair beside Aqua as she sat beside him. "Do you fully expect that excuse to work? I may not be your real mother, but I've raised you long enough to know when something is on your mind."

Miyako gave a small laugh to lighten the mood with her comments, yet Aqua's eyes only darkened as he looked down at the kitchen table, his lips gently opening. "...The guy who murdered Ai…What do you feel for him?"

Miyako's small laugh and smile vanished instantly, as she stared at Aqua with wide eyes and an unnerving look. "W-What…?"

"The one who murdered Ai…Legally it's Ryosuke, as he's the one who plunged the knife deep into her abdomen, severing organs that resulted in almost immediate death. However…" Aqua gripped his hands, frustration mounting in him as he spoke. "The one who truly murdered her…Is my biological father…"

Miyako kept her unnerved look on Aqua, at a loss for words from this sudden conversation as she turned her gaze down towards the table and gulped. "A-Aqua…H-How did your father murder her…?"

"The location…The only people who knew where Ai was living at the time was myself, Ruby, you, and Ichigo…Ruby and I had no reason to tell Ryosuke where Ai lived, not to mention we weren't alive when he stalked her at the hospital…Ichigo might of had reason to send Ryosuke after Ai at the hospital, to hope he would do something to her so he could cut bait with a pregnant idol without the status of Strawberry Productions taking a hit, yet when Ai was murdered, that reason would be long gone as Ai was Ichigo's money machine. Finally, although you were less than thrilled with having to babysit a sixteen year olds children, you wouldn't have resulted to an assassination attempt at the hospital as you had no idea how it would affect you, and at the time of AI's death, much like Ichigo, Ai Hoshino was a money making machine for you." Aqua spoke in a cold and calculated tone, making Miyako's skin crawl as he gave her a side eye glance with his dark eyes. "The only other potential culprits then are either the other members of B-Komechi, who Ai was not particularly close with…Or the man who impregnated her in the first place."

Miyako stared back at Aqua with an almost disturbed look, opening her mouth to speak before closing it once again, as she ran a hand over her lips and gulped. "A-Aqua…I-I understand why this is weighing on your mind but….."

Miyako trailed off, as she looked to the side and shook her head once more, thinking of the right words to say that wouldn't upset Aqua or cause his obviously disturbed state any panic.

"I-Isn't this a little bit…Of a conspiracy? The police didn't find any connections to anyone, and considering how obsessed he seemed to be for Ai…I-It's not out of the realm of possibility he stalked either myself or…Or Ichigo…" Saying his name made her heart hurt, yet she brushed it off as she gave Aqua a sad smile. "I understand you want answers for something so…Awful, but…Sometimes the simple answer is the correct one…I-I don't believe there is any grand conspiracy here, nothing for you to latch onto and be bothered by."

Miyako kept her smile as she reached her hand over and grasped Aqua's, holding it tight.

Yet Aqua's look didn't falter, as he moved his gaze from Miyako to just simply staring straight ahead. "I could maybe believe that, in fact I want to believe it's that simple. But the hospital proves it's not, it was coordinated."

"Aqua…You keep mentioning the hospital, what are you talking about?"

"...Takachiho Hospital, where Ruby and I were born. Ryosuke was stalking Ai at the hospital, and would of likely killed her if-" Aqua caught his own words as his eyes went wide, biting down on his own lip as he took a deep breath and leaned back. "If he wasn't stopped by the head doctor, that is…"

Miyako remained quiet as she looked at Aqua with confusion, her eyes flickering down and then back up again as she leaned forward. "Aqua how…How do you know you were born at Takachiho Hospital? Your medical records were legally changed to the Tokyo Clinic…And…We never told you…"

Aqua's dark eyes went wide once again, as he mentally cursed himself for making such a blunder. He had never even bothered to check his medical records, why would he, he knew where the birth took place and who delivered him and Ruby since back then, he was murdered as Gouro.

His eyes flickered over to Miyako, and then back down again as he shook his head. "Forget it, like I said, it's nothing for you to worry about."

"You can't seriously say that after everything you just said." Miyako's voice suddenly got stern, her hand gripping him harder as she spoke as calm but firm as she could. "Aqua…What is going on?"

Miyako prodded him for answers, yet before he could supply her demands, the rushing of feet down the stairs was heard as Ruby ran into the main room. "Oniichan! I'm ready!"

Miyako let her glare linger on Aqua for just a second longer, before turning her gaze towards Ruby as a different form of shock overtook her. "Ruby…You…You look absolutely beautiful."

"Hehe thanks…" Ruby blushed as Miyako looked up and down her outfit, which was a stunning long black dress that extended down to her knees, draped by a red scart that hung over her neck. Fake red roses were pinned on each of her shoulders, as red heels were slipped onto her feet.

All complimented by her makeup and hair style, as pink glossy nails adjourned both hands, a faint blush mixed with eyeliner and ruby red lipstick brought out the features of her face, and her hair was tied up into a ponytail as it extended down her backside.

Aqua turned to face her also, as he was also taken aback by how stunning she looked as the darkness in his eyes were momentarily completely replaced by light. He gave a deep gulp, bringing a hand up to his mouth as he rubbed it and just nodded. "L-Looks really good Ruby…G-Gouro will be absolutely stunned."

Ruby's blush only deepened as she understood the true meaning of his words, giving a small laugh as she twirled around in a circle to show off her full beautiful dress. "I-I'm glad you think so…"

Silence followed for a few seconds as the twin couple locked eyes with one another, just embracing being in each other's company as all other thoughts seemed ever less important.

Those few seconds were finally interrupted by Miyako, as she pushed herself up from her chair as she walked over and gently hugged Ruby. "You really do look amazing Ruby, and I hope your date tonight goes amazing…Although you should bring Gouro back here, I would love to meet the boy who has captured my dau-...Ahem, my idol's heart."

"Hehe, m-maybe…" Ruby said in a bit of an awkward tone, looking towards the side as the clock ticked away on the wall.

As the president and idol hugged, Aqua suddenly pushed himself up from the table as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm heading out also…"

"Aqua, wait." Miyako turned towards him and stared, a conflicted glare in her eyes as she spoke. "We need to keep talk-"

"I have work to do at the directors, if I don't get it done then I don't get paid this month." Aqua quickly retorted before he started walking forward, laptop in hand as Miyako took a step forward.

"Aqua wait! Aqua!" Despite her yells, Aqua ignored her as he opened the door to the outside world and quickly left, closing the door behind him.

Miyako just kept her eyes glued on the door, giving a defeated sigh as she shook her head. For her part, Ruby quickly placed a hand on Miyako's shoulder. "I-I'll go talk to him before I head off to see Gouro!"

Miyako just stared at Ruby and went to say something…Before stopping herself as she just nodded. "Alright…"

With Miyako's confirmation, Ruby nodded as she quickly ran forward as well, opening the door and leaving as Miyako was left all alone in the apartment, as she stood there silently.

Almost a full minute passed before she slowly walked back over towards the table as she pulled a chair out and sat down in it, cupping her face in both hands as tears formed in her eyes. "Even all these years later…He's still thinking about Ai's death…I'm not even his real mother, what right do I have to tell him he has to get over it?"

Tears streamed down her face and dropped to the table below, as she moved her hand to her chest and pulled out the locket attached to her necklace, opening it to reveal the wedding day photo of her and Ichigo. "Why…Why did you leave me to deal with this alone…?"

She gripped the locket in her hand as more tears fell, frustration and sadness overtaking her as she almost wanted to just curl up in a ball and let it all out.

"I think…I think I'll go have a drink…" Knowing that staying home would only bring more pain, Miyako walked over and grabbed her jacket, slowly pulling it over herself before she made her way out of the apartment and into the night, as she made her way to the one bar that she frequently visited.


"Sensei, you didn't have to be so dismissive of Miyako…" Ruby protested to Aqua as the two of them walked down the street, the sun setting in the distance as night was quickly approaching. Darkness still filled Aqua's eyes as he thought about everything that had transpired during the day, as he looked down at Ruby before looking forward once again.

"...I let myself get carried away, nothing more than that…" Aqua said in a low voice as they turned a corner and continued walking, as Ruby narrowed her gaze at him.

"About what…?"

"...Nothing important."

"Sensei, you know I don't believe that!" Ruby said with a hint of frustration in her voice, as Aqua raised a hand and ran it through his hair.

"...Failures of my past, both as Gouro Amamiya, and as Aquamarine Hoshino. I let myself get consumed in my past, and revealed information to Miyako that I shouldn't know, such as the hospital we were born at." Aqua spoke quietly, only loud enough for Ruby to hear as they crossed the street and to the other side as various civilians passed by them.

"Sensei…Even after all this time, you still hold on stuff huh…" Ruby said with almost a hint of defeat, as she closed her eyes and quickly shook her head. "Well…No more! Starting tonight, we are going to have the best time yet! You're going to forget about all the bad stuff, alright?"

Aqua looked over at Ruby, and gave a small smile. "Is that right?"

The smile was forced, but upsetting Ruby was the last thing on his mind. "Yep, I actually planned everything out tonight!"

Ruby spoke with confidence in her voice, as Aqua tilted his head to the side. "Is that right? Did you take into account how our relationship is secret? How we can't be seen doing couples stuff in public together? How much everything is going to cost?"

"A-Ah well um….Y-Yes…?" Ruby's voice was fully unconvinced, as Aqua gave a small sigh and shook his head back and forth.

"Well before we do anything, I have to stop by the Director's house."

"Ehhh? I feel like you spend more time with the Director than me…"

"Yeah, you got me, me and the director are secretly lovers behind your back." Aqua spoke in a deadpan tone, as he looked down at Ruby, who seemed taken aback by his remarks before she sighed and punched his shoulder.

"Geez sensei!" Aqua let a real chuckle escape his lips, as he reached over and petted her head, before dropping his hand back down to his side.

"Don't worry, I think you'll like the reason we have to go."

"Hm?" Ruby tilted her head, yet Aqua didn't elaborate as the two of them continued on through the streets, before soon arriving upon Taishi's house.

After talking to Taishi's mother, who offered dinner and all sorts of other things to them, as well as barging into his room to let him know he had guests, the two of them finally made their way inside of his room as Taishi looked over and sighed. "I was starting to wonder when the two of you would get here."

Ruby tilted her head to the side, as Aqua took a step forward. "You have everything I need?"

The Director nodded, as he reached over and grabbed a box off of his desk and handed it over to Aqua. "She included hand written instructions, along with whatever else you might need in there…Of course, since she isn't doing it herself and she had to go to all the extra effort, it'll cost two-thousand yen this time instead of just five hundred."

"Still a steal of a deal, I can't complain." Aqua took the box from Taishi as he quickly made way for the restroom, as Ruby just watched on.

"Sensei…?" Aqua looked back at her and gave a small smirk, but didn't say anything as he left the small room, leaving the Director and Idol alone together. "Um…What exactly is sensei doing?"

Taishi just looked over at Ruby and sighed, as he reached over and grabbed a half used cigarette as he lit it. "The kid would kill me if I spoiled the surprise, so…Sorry I guess."

"O-Oh, I see…A surprise huh?" Ruby let the words linger as she just awkwardly stood in place, looking around the Directors room. "I-I guess I haven't been in here since our first date huh?"

"Yeah, it has been a bit." Taishi turned his chair around and looked back at his monitor, puffing on his cigarette as he looked at the articles on screen. "Has the kid finally told you how much he loves you?"

"E-Eh?" Ruby blushed a deep red, as she looked towards the side as Aqua's words ran through her head.

I love you, Sarina Tendouji

Ruby's blush only deepened as she gave a small smile, shaking her head up and down. "Y-Yeah, he did…"

"Heh, well I'll be, maybe the kid isn't so dense afterall."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Well, ever since that incident with that child porn stint, the kid has been more…Productive, you could say. He's been taking his work more seriously, he doesn't seem that stressed while working and…He occasionally smiles." Taishi gave a low laugh, as he crushed his cigarette in an ashtray on his desk. "I figured it had something to do with how much he's head over heels for you."

E-Eh…H-Head over Heels…?" Ruby clapped her hands to her cheeks as she looked to the side embarrassed, emitting another laugh from Taishi.

"I guess it goes both ways huh? To be young and in love…Cherish it while you can, make sure the kid doesn't regret it when he puts a ring on you."

"A-A ring!?" Ruby delved even deeper into blushing as Taishi laughed again, having fun with making the young Hoshino blush red like a tomato.

"Raising a patient's heart rate isn't the safest thing in the world, Taishi Gotanda." Suddenly a new voice filled the room, one that sent tingles down Ruby's spine as she suddenly looked over at the door…

As a black haired familiar old face leaned in the doorframe.

"...S-Sensei…!?" Ruby was taken aback, as Taishi looked over, also a bit taken aback, as he scratched the back of his head.

"Geez kid…Are you sure you want to just stay behind the scenes with acting chops like that?" The man in the doorframe gave a small smirk, as Ruby gently walked over and looked him up and down.

"S-Sensei…?" Though visually younger, there was no doubt that the person standing in the doorframe was her doctor, Gouro Amamiya, from his black hair, glasses and even his voice. "T-This is the same disguise you used…B-But I thought you needed a makeup professional?"

"Well, I admit it wasn't easy, but the instructions she wrote down were simple enough to grasp. Not to mention, she supplied the makeup, hair dye and face mask that I needed…All I had to do was apply it." Aqua spoke with a different inflection in his voice, perfectly matching the voice of his old life as Ruby bit down onto her lip.

"S-Sensei…Y-You're amazing…" Aqua, or rather, Gouro gave a small laugh as he reached down and grabbed Ruby's hand, intertwining it with his. "S-Sensei!"

"With my disguise, we can do all that couple stuff you wanted to do…What was it again? Hold hands? Eat dinner? Watch a movie together and cuddle? Stuff like that?" Gouro teased Ruby with a small smirk, as the blood just kept rushing to her face as she stammered.

"I-I um…I…" Ruby was at a complete loss for words, causing Gouro to chuckle.

"Hey, now who's the one raising a patient's heart rate?" Taishi looked over and spoke, as Gouro chuckled once again.

"Fair fair…" Gouro reached over and opened one of Taishi's drawers, as he pulled out a beanie and glasses as he handed them to Ruby. "Here, wear this."

"Eh? How come?"

"You're an idol, I'm an actor, so both of us have to disguise you know." Gouro gave a wink at her, as Ruby looked down at the Beanie as her eyes widened some as she ran a hand over it.

"This brand is…" Ruby gulped as she placed the Beanie atop her head, as Gouro reached over and helped stuff her strands of hair into it. Once it was fully on her head, Ruby felt her heart twing a little as she gave a low laugh. "It's the same one…The one I used to wear back then…"

"It took me a while to find it, but…I thought we could have that date you always wanted when you were younger." Gouro gave a genuine smile to Ruby, whose blush deepened as she nodded, wiping away the tears forming in her eyes.

"T-Thank you Sensei!" Gouro nodded as he handed Ruby the glasses as she unfolded them and placed them on her eyes, as the dark lens would make her pink eyes almost impossible to see from a distance.

"Well, this makeup won't last forever, especially since I am still an amateur at putting it on, so we should get going." Gouro gave a small laugh, as he winked at Ruby, as he winked. "Are you ready…Sarina?"

Though he whispered her name, it was loud enough for her to hear it as Ruby's, or rather, Sarina's eyes went wide as she just nodded. "Y-Yes…Sensei…"

Gouro smiled as he looked over at Taishi, and gave a small nod of the head. "Thanks once again Director, I'm sure you think we're a bit weird, but I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it kid…Now go have a hell of a date together."

"Will do." Gouro looked down at Sarina as he opened the door and led her out of Taishi's room, dealing with his mother as she praised Aqua's acting skills after he revealed who he was, before the two of them left the Director's apartment all together.

For his part, Taishi just sat at his desk, lighting another cigarette as he placed it in his mouth. "Don't worry kid…"

Reaching into a drawer on his desk, he suddenly pulled out a few DVD's…

DVD's that were given to him by Ai Hoshino.

"I already know plenty of weird things about you two…"


The moon began to rise in the distance as Gouro and Sarina stepped out from Taishi's apartment, nerves running through the young idol as her hand was firmly interlocked with hers. As a light breeze ran through the air, Gouro looked down at her and spoke calmly. "So, what were these plans you had for us tonight?"

"E-Eh? Oh um…I-I did that didn't I? E-Ehehe…" Sarina gave an awkward laugh as she twirled her hair in her free hand, as she looked across the street and blushed. "W-Well, I thought we could go and eat somewhere to start things off."

"Fine by me, lead the way. I'm sure you picked out a restaurant for us to eat at?"

"Ah um…I-I did, but thinking on it now, I didn't exactly check the prices haha…" Sarina scratched the back of her head, yet Gouro didn't lose his smile as he just nudged her along.

"Well, lead the way then, I'll cover the cost."

"Sensei…" Sarina looked down, before smiling wide and nodding. "O-Okay…"

With her hand still intertwined with his, Sarina gently began to pull Gouro along and down the sidewalk, the two of them walking side by side one another. A few times Sarina opened her mouth to speak, yet she closed it and simply kept her smile.

To her, no words truly needed to be spoken.

She was living the dream she had always yearned for, the dream to be with the man she loved, the doctor who gave her a reason to keep living.

At this moment, she was Sarina Tendouji, on a date with her boyfriend, Gouro Amamiya.

That thought alone made the butterflies in her stomach act up, as her breathing almost quickened as she just giggled to herself, causing Gouro to look down at her and smile. "What's so funny?"

"H-Huh oh um…It's embarrassing…"

"Well that just makes me even more curious." Sarina looked over and stuck her tongue out, yet this only caused her to giggle more as she looked down at the sidewalk.

"I…I'm just so happy sensei…I know we've been dating for a little bit now and everything but…M-My dream was to always…Do this…" Sarina blushed once more, as she brought her free hand up and ran it across her other arm. "Before I knew who you were…I…I always dreamed of meeting you again and even though you would be an old man now, I…I still dreamed of us holding hands, going on dates and…Being a real couple…"

Sarina looked to the side with an embarrassed look, as Gouro gave a small smile. "I see, that's rather in character for you I suppose. Whenever you want something, you never give up on that dream, and always go for it. But I will say…"

Gouro's expression darkened some as he looked to the side also, looking up at the forming stars in the sky.

"I'm glad you found out who I was…Before you found out that Gouro Amamiya is long dead." Sarina's expression fell some as she turned towards Gouro, letting a small sigh escape through her nose as her eyes looked down.

"I admit, the fact that you died…I haven't really put much thought into…I don't even know if I want to know how you died, especially if it's…" Sarina's words died off as Gouro knew exactly what she meant, as he gave a small nod.

"Death, no matter how it's achieved, comes for us all eventually. Whether it be a medical death…Or a murder…The end result is the same."

"Sensei-"

"But, that just means we can't dwell on it right?" Gouro forced a smile as he looked back at Sarina. "Both of our previous lives ended in ways we didn't want, yet we were both given second chances. No matter what, we're still Gouro Amamiya and Sarina Tendouji…Just as much as we're Aquamarine Hoshino and Ruby Hoshino, right? Our feelings for each other, weather it be in our previous lives, or our current lives, are the same still…Right?"

"...That's true…Even when I reincarnated into this body, you never left my mind Sensei. I-I even remember you being in the first ever dream I had! It was you holding me like a baby, as I took advantage of the fact you didn't know it was me, hehe…"

"Oh, so what you did with Ai and her breastmilk, right?"

"H-Hey, don't bring up embarrassing stuff! I-I was a newborn, you can't blame me!" Sarina pouted as Gouro gave a small laugh as and just moved his body closer to Sarina's as their shoulders brushed against each other.

"You're cute when you're caught off guard."

"S-Sensei!" Gouro only laughed more as Sarina pouted, as she eventually quieted down and just grumbled as she laid her head on his shoulder as the two of them continued down the sidewalk together. "...I really do love you Sensei…"

"And I love you too, My Beautiful Star."

"Geez, you really remembered that nickname…" Though she grumbled so more, as large smile wouldn't leave Sarina's face as they turned a corner and came upon a restaurant up ahead. "Ah, that's where I wanted us to go together!"

"The Yasuraoka Wish? I admit, never been there myself."

"I heard good things about it from Mem-Chan! She said she and her ex boyfriend used to go there all the time, she says the food is really good and the entertainment is awesome as well!"

"Mem-Cho…Entertainment…" Gouro could only squint his eyes in concern, as Sarina began to forcefully pull him along.

"Come on sensei! Let's go!"

"W-Whoa, Sarina!" As Gouro complained, Sarina could only laugh as the two of them ran down the street, hands intertwined, like a couple of love struck teenagers.


The monitor was the only thing that illuminated the room as Akane Kurokawa sat back in her chair, notes and pictures scattered all about. Ever since she had been told there were hints to who Ai's children was, she had been writing everything down and collecting what evidence she could already contribute to who they may be.

Why was she doing this? While she was legitimately curious, the other part of her mind immediately centered on Aqua, as she let out a small sigh.

Aqua, for one reason or another, was searching for clues on Ai.

For an idol who had died when he was only around five to maybe six years old.

It made her wonder…

….

Still, she could think about that once she gathered more clues.

For now, she was using various forum boards to look up viral videos in two-thousand and six, as well as a wayback website to look up anything that had been lost to the sands of time.

So far, she hadn't found anything noteworthy. Most videos from this era involved dropping mentos into a bottle of coke, baby pandas, and commercials for the Witendo Mii.

Videos concerning idols were even less popular, the most popular videos centered on them concerned their routines and music videos, and then most of them maybe cracked one-hundred thousand views.

Video's didn't exactly go viral in two-thousand and six, as much as she hated to admit that since it made her job even harder.

Reaching over and grabbing her bottle of water, she uncorked it as she began to drink from it as her eyes scanned over the various posts that had been made on the message board 'SomethingAmazingForums', a forum board for stories, video games, tv shows and general entertainment.

She had filtered it to the year two-thousand and six, and typed in 'Japanese Idols' and began to search. When it came to Japanese posts in general it was a rather low hit rate, so she only had maybe ten or so posts total from this time period to search through.

Still, search she did, clicking through various posts, reading all of the replies and even going through the profiles of the various posters to see what else they had posted, though most of them stopped posting just a couple of years later, if that.

As she read through the dozens of posts, her eyes finally caught something as she squinted and read over the post, as it was the first one to explicitly mention Ai.

Hey, did anybody see this the other day? It was at the B-Komachi Concert, the one that is led by Ai! These kids perfectly imitated her dance, it was absolutely crazy!

There was a link to a tweet, but as soon as she clicked on it, it led to the standard 'This account has been terminated' page that so many profiles from this era led her to. She attempted to use a wayback website, and while she got the tweet to load, the embedded video was still lost.

Annoying, but she had a lead now atleast.

Grabbing her notebook, Akane flipped it open as she flicked over to a page and wrote down 'Dancing kids at a B-Komachi Concert.'

Opening another search tab, she typed that in and got more links with potential answers.

Most of them were news stories, with the lone problem she again led into was how all of them linked to the now deleted tweet.

One particular news story mentioned how the video had been seen more than three million times, so surely somebody would have uploaded it somewhere else.

Next was Youtube, opening it in a tab, she typed exactly that, 'Dancing Kids at a B-Komachi Concert.'

Here she got a few more results, though many of them were just replications of the original dance, causing her to roll her eyes as she clicked and added to her search 'Original' in hopes of finding what she was looking for.

Finally, once she hit clicked and began to look through the results…

She found what she looking for.

The thumbnail was small of course and it was recorded with black bars on each side of the screen, but she could make out what appeared to be two blond babies.

Two blond babies…

Akane gulped as she clicked on the video, and after a moment of loading, it started up as her eyes only widened as she looked at it.

Though the resolution was only Two-Hundred and Forty pixels, a product of its era, she could make out the two babies in the video dancing to the song that B-Komachi was singing.

One baby was clad in blue, with blond hair and blue eyes…

The other baby was clad in pink, with blond hair and pink eyes…

They were also clearly twins…

Akane swallowed hard as she just leaned back in her chair, as she brought a hand up to her mouth. She had thought this was the answer, but to actually see it…

No…No she had to be extra sure before coming to a definitive conclusion…

Taking her phone out, she dialed a number she never thought she would actually dial as she held it up to her ear, and after a moment, a voice on the other side picked up. "Hello?"

"Arima…It's me…"

"Huh? Akane? Why are you calling me this late?...Actually, why are you calling me at all?" Kana said with a less than impressed tone, as Akane took a deep breath and attempted to ask her questions in the least suspicious ways that she could.

"Arima, I have a question to ask you…When you were a child, you met Aqua-kun on the set of a movie, didn't you?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

"What was the movie called?"

Kana seemed confused by the question, as she took a moment to reply over the phone. "That Was The Start…Why do you ask?"

"That Was The Start…" Akane held the phone up to her ear as she typed in the movie, the search bar loading up before clicking on the movie and looking over the cast. "...Ai was in the movie…"

"Huh? Yeah, she was the main monster of the film and pretty much carried it."

"Hm…Aqua was also apart of the film too…"

"I mean, Aqua's mother is Miyako who was the wife of Ai's manager at the time, right? I know he had met the director because Miyako brought Aqua and Ruby with her to some commercial that Ai filmed."

"Hm…But why would Miyako come and not her manager at the time?"

"I don't know, maybe he was busy?" Akane was un-convinced, as she scratched the side of her head.

"Also to bring Aqua and Ruby with her…" Akane pondered as she tapped her finger against her lip, as Kana seemed even more confused over the phone.

"Why are you even asking all this Akane?"

"...I'm just curious about what that actor said, about Ai having children." Silence followed for a couple of seconds, as it sounded like Kana was sitting down somewhere before she replied.

"What, do you think Aqua and Ruby are her kids?"

"..." Akane's eyes flickered downward, before she ran her tongue over her lips and shook her head. "...I…I do…"

More silence followed, neither girl saying anything as the seconds slipped away before Kana finally spoke up. "I'm not sure if it's really relevant to your investigation, or whatever the hell you're doing, but…Aqua was a lot different back then. Ruby was more bratty sure, but Aqua seemed to have changed the most…He was pretty nice, light hearted, I saw him talking to the director alot and joking with Ruby…I even saw him do a interview on the news once for his role in the movie but…After Ai was murdered, he completely vanished and when I met him again…Well, he was like how he is now."

More silence followed between the two girls as Akane's eyes flickered down, before she just let a tired sigh escape her lips. "Okay…Thank you…Arima…"

"Hey, Kurokawa…Even if they are, do you really think it's a good idea to bring it up? I know it's obvious Aqua hasn't gotten over her death but Ruby has moments that seem like she's just lost in thought, blanking out also…"

"...I don't know, Arima…I want to help Aqua, I want to know why he's the way he is and why he's so hellbent on finding information about Ai. I don't even know why I want to help him, he's already made it clear he only views me as a friend, so…"

"Well…Friends help friends right? I-It's not that weird, wanting to help him out." Kana said over the phone, her own emotions bubbling up as she remembered Aqua turning her down as well.

"I…I don't know, Arima…" Akane held her head in one hand, tears forming in her eyes as they began to fall down her face, soft cries emitting from her mouth as Kana just silently listened over the phone.

After almost a full minute of her crying, Kana sighed over the phone as she spoke up. "Alright, Kurokawa, stop your crying and let's just talk."

"Huh? Talk?"

"Yeah like uh…About what you think we can do better at our next Tokyo Blade Concert, or what kind of clothes you like…"

"Huh? Why?"

"Well…Friends help friends, right?" Akane's eyes went a bit wide, as she laid back in her chair and twirled herself around.

"When…Did we become friends?"

"H-Hey, I'm trying to be nice to you here." Kana gave a groan, almost regretting saying that as she began to steer the conversation into a different direction. "Anyway, why do you always wear blue dresses when your on your fake dates with Aqua, shouldn't you change into something else?"

"E-Eh? I mean, you tend to wear red alot, Arima."

"Hey it fits my personality, what can I say?"

"W-Well, blue fits my personality as well." The two girls began to slowly drift away from the conversation of Ai and Aqua and all of that, getting lost in a variety of topics from clothing, to food to Tokyo Blade to just gossip they had heard around the town.

All the while, a small smile slowly etched itself onto Akane's face.


"This place is so fancy Sensei, I'm glad Mem-Chan recommended it to me!" Sarina gushed as she sat in her chair and looked around the place, her eyes shining brightly as she shared a dinner date with Gouro. For his part, Gouro has to Admit he was rather relieved. As soon as he heard that Mem-Cho had recommended this place, he was...skeptical to say the least.

But much to his surprise, the place was rather quiet and nice. A low lightning illuminated the main area, with each table having candlelight illuminate it. A jazz group played through the entire place, with a notice saying a new group would switch bin about every two hours, likely posted for couples who had specific bands they enjoyed. Finally, while the menu was quite expensive, Gouro at the very least appreciated the wide variety of choices and seemingly high quality ingredients.

As his eyes scanned over the menu, he couldn't help but look up at Sarina and let a smile cross his lips. To him, she was absolutely beautiful. Even without the fancy dress and makeup and all the pampering she had done...The person she was, the spirit she invoked, the energy she carried...

It was beautiful at its very core.

As Gouro looked at her with a smile, Sarinas gaze turned to his as a light blush adjourned her cheeks "I-Is something wrong sensei? You're staring at me, haha...ha..."

Sarina gave an awkward chuckle, yet Gouro only snickered in response as he reached over and grabbed his water. "Sorry, I'm just admiring how beautiful you are."

He said as he brought the drink to his lips, causing Sarinas cheeks to blush even deeper as she stammered. "S-Sensei! T-That's embarrassing!"

"It's embarrassing for me to say the truth?"

"I-It is when you word it like that!" Sarina pouted as she looked towards the side, though a smile graced her lips as she looked out over the other couples enjoying dinner. "I'm glad...We can finally be a normal couple for once..."

"We can, and all it took was a face mask and a beanie." Gouro joked as he sat his water back onto the table and gave a low sigh. "Sarina, can I ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it Sensei?" Sarina tilted her head as Gouro as kept his gaze on the water he has just drank, bringing his hand up and running it across his chin.

"Why did you become an idol?" He asked in a hush tone so nobody else heard, as Sarina raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well it was to follow in Mama's footsteps, I used to always tell you in the hospital that I wanted to be one after all. Though..." Her blush once again deepened, as she smiled. "If I'm being honest, the main reason was so you would become my fan."

"Hm? Become your fan?" Sarina nodded, reaching up to twirl her hair, though her hand fell back down once she remembered it was all tucked underneath her beanie.

"I...Wanted to find you Sensei, no matter what. Everyday that I trained, everyday that I pushed myself and every time I wanted to give up...I just reminded myself, that you said...You would become my fan. I wanted to see you again, and I wanted...To be with you, Sensei..." Sarinas face was a deep red, as even Gouro could feel heat rushing to his face as he reached up and adjusted his glasses. "It's kinda silly I know but...You were, and always will be, my light..."

"I-I see..." The two of them fell into an embarrassed silence, as Gouro traced his finger across the table. "Do you still intend to be an idol?"

"Huh? I mean, I guess so...It's what Mama wanted after all."

"..." Gouro was silent as his gaze fell back to his water, his thoughts drifting as his eyes darkened some. "I...Don't Intend to remain an actor."

"Oh...Really...?" Sarina said with a hint of disappointment, as Gouro nodded.

"I have...Something I have to do, and until I do that, I'll stay a actor and continue to climb the ranks...But once I do what needs to be done, whether it be tomorrow, next week, next year or whenever...As soon as it's done, I'm done with acting. It's an industry that has done nothing but bring me misery..."

"Sensei..." Sarinas gaze turned to her own drink, sadness but also understanding Coursing through her as she nodded. "What...Do you have to do before you quit?"

Gouro's eyes darkened even more, as he gave a small shrug. "I just...Have to take care of something is all."

Sarina knew he was lying, yet she didn't press the issue. "I see...Then...The day you quit being an actor, I'll quit being an idol also."

"Huh?" Gouro suddenly brought his attention up to Sarina, the darkness in his eyes fading as he raised an eyebrow. "How come? Didn't you say you were doing it for Ai also?"

"It's true that Mama means a lot to me, and I'm happy to say I became what she always wanted me to become. But above all else Sensei, I accomplished what I wanted to by finding you and so...If you want to quit and retire to being the old man you always were, why don't I join you?"

"You can call me an old man, but I still know how to make you blush and get flustered."

"A-Ah well..." Sarina's blush returned, proving his point as she quickly shook her head. "Geez Sensei...Anyway, it be fun! We can both get away from the public, go back to our old hometown which is filled with old men, and be the couple we always wanted to be without risking people knowing who we are! It's a foolproof plan!"

"An idol saying my hometown is full of old men, that sounds familiar..." Gouro joked to himself as he leaned back in his chair. "If that's what you want to do,then alright...Just know I plan to become a doctor again, so I'll be working late hours."

"Y-You're going to become a doctor again, Sensei!?" Sarinas eyes lit up as she stared at Gouro, almost as if she was gazing at a star as he turned his head to the side.

"Hm? I mean...I need to make money after I quit acting after all, so I might as well get a job I'm not only good at, but pays really well also." As Gouro explained, Sarinas eyes only shined brighter and brighter as she almost squealed.

"T-That's amazing sensei! The fact you're going to become a doctor again! That makes me so excited!"

"I-I've never met someone so excited over someone becoming a doctor before... Also keep your voice down, don't want to disturb the others." Gouro looked out at the rest of the guests, yet Sarina was practically bouncing in her seat.

"I'm just...so happy Sensei!" Sarina concealed her joy the best she could, as tears threatened her eyes. "Being a doctor, giving people a reason to live...Just like you did for me."

Sarina smiled even wider, as Gouro's voice caught in his throat. In that moment, she shined as brightly as Ai did, all those years ago. "Y-Yes well...I guess you could say I have a passion for it..."

"Hehe you do! Oh but, if any girls fall in love with you, they can't have you! You're mine!" Sarina said as she glared at Gouro, making him give a small chuckle as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't think you have to worry about that, most girls don't exactly fall in love with their doctor."

"You say that sensei, but you are very sexy, you know."

"And You know most girls don't just casually say that either." Gouro deadpanned to her, before letting a small laugh escape his lips. "Then again you're not like most girls are you? I guess that's just one of the many reasons I love you."

"Geez Sensei...Say it again please..."

"Needy much? But fine...I love you, my beautiful star, Sarina Tendouji." Gouro smirked as he spoke, blood rushing to Sarinas face as she quickly covered it with both hands, letting her eyes peek through her hands.

"That's not fair:..." She looked towards the side, before lowering her hands and making eye contact with Gouro. "I-I love you too, My Sensei, Gouro Amamiya."

"I'm glad to hear." Gouro said with a smile, causing Sarina to pout.

"H-Hey you're supposed to get embarrassed too! D-Don't keep acting confident..." Gouro couldn't help but laugh, as he shrugged his shoulders, causing Sarina to reach over and grab her tea as she sipped it. "Meanie..."

"Sorry, sorry, but a poker face is an actor's second biggest asset. But..." Gouro reached over and grabbed Sarinas free hand as he gave a genuine smile. "I'm really happy to hear you say that, and I promise to do my best to keep living up to your expectations."

Sarina was caught off guard by his words, though she smiled back as she intertwined her fingers with his. "As long as you never change Sensei, you'll always live up to them!"

The two of them smiled at each other, embracing the atmosphere around them as the jazz music filled the air with romance, before the sound of heels grew closer to their table. "Ah, it seems our food is ready. Shall we enjoy dinner together, my lady?"

"Hehe, we shall." Sarina leaned forward and Gouro took the hint as he leaned forward as well and locked his lips with hers, the two of them sharing a loving kiss before they broke it off and sat back, as the waitress smiled and placed both of their plates down onto the table.

The two of them quickly paid thanks for the food, as they began to enjoy their dinner in each other's presence, as the jazz music continued to serenade the air around them.


The fan overhead provided a cool breeze through the small bar as the bartender polished a glass in one hand, a neutral expression adorning his face as he looked at the lone customer sitting by herself, a glass of non alcoholic juice in front of her. Her expression was downtrodden, as her eyes had light redness around them from tears shed earlier.

She had been here for almost a full hour now, and was already on her third glass of juice. Though the bartender had almost pleaded with her to actually order something that warranted coming to a bar, she declined and just sat by her lonesome. "Saitou-san, don't you think it's time for you to go home if you're only going to drink juice?"

The bartender spoke to her, recognizing her as Miyako Saitou, as she gave a wave of the hand in return. "Return home to what, an empty apartment full of regrets? An apartment that's empty because while my daughter is enjoying a night out on the town, my son has problems he actively runs away from?"

Miyako spoke with both sadness and bitterness as she downed some of her drink and placed the glasses back onto the counter, more tears threatening to soil her eyes as she sighed.

"Then again, do I even have any right to call them my kids? Aqua especially…He's never shown any interest in me being anything more than a caretaker, if even that…" Miyako spoke in a hushed tone as she wiped at her eyes once again, rubbing them with her thumbs as more and more tears attempted to break through.

As she did so, the door to the bar opened as a blond-haired figure walked in, a black hat atop his head as he waved at the bartender. "The usual."

The bartender nodded as the blond-haired figure looked around as his eyes landed on Miyako, as he walked over and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. "H-Huh…?"

"You look like you've had a tough day, thought you would prefer to wipe your tears away with something other than your fingers." The figure gave a charming smile to Miyako, who only looked at their offer with confusion before she nodded.

"I-I see, thank you…" Taking the handkerchief out of their hand, she gently wiped away at her eyes, as the figure sat down beside her, as she looked them over.

The figure was a male, moppy blond hair extended down the side of his head and what appeared to be blue eyes. He had a black hat on, along with a pair of reading glasses, and the back of his hair was tied into a ponytail.

His clothing was rather casual with a button up black shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers on, along with a gold necklace that hung around his neck, with what appeared to be a picture frame in the middle of it.

The man kept his charming smile, as he crossed his arms and leaned over onto the bar counter. "If you don't mind me asking, what's a young lady like you doing crying at some run down bar in the alleyways of Tokyo…No offense, chief."

The man quickly said to the bartender, who raised a hand to say 'no problem' as he continued working on the man's drink. "W-Well…I'm not really young, considering I'm worried about my teenage kids…Though, I don't even know if it would be fair to call them my kids."

"Teenagers? You must be lying, because you don't look a day over twenty-five." Miyako gave a small chuckle at his words, as she picked up her glass of juice and looked it over.

"It's true..I'll be hitting my forties sooner rather than later…Just saying that makes me feel like I'm about to sprout several gray hairs." Miyako complained as she ran her hand through her hair, as the man gave a small laugh.

"Interesting, so it is possible to be forty and still look beautiful, who knew?" The man kept his charming smile, as Miyako gave a sideways glance towards him with a small smirk of her own.

"You know, pickup lines don't really work on women my age, considering I've heard every one in the book."

"Haha, I'm sure. So I suspect me saying it's not a pickup line, and it's just the truth…You've also heard that one?" Miyako nodded, as she brought her glass to her lips.

"More than a handful of times." She said with a small snicker as she drank more from her glass, and the man could only give a small laugh in return.

"Well fair enough, not that I would want to cause any issues with your husband of course." Miyako suddenly stopped drinking from her glass, holding it a few inches out from her lips as she muttered.

"My husband huh…?" The man pointed to her ring finger, where a ring was adorned on it. "...I've not seen him in…I guess about ten years now, maybe more…I just wear this ring out of habit."

"Ten years huh? Well I can understand wearing the ring, I also lost some time ago, and it's still hard." The man ran his fingers over the necklace, and across the closed picture frame that hung on it. "Even now, I keep a picture of her with me at all times."

"Did something happen?" Miyako asked as the man's eyes looked somewhat downtrodden and gave a small nod.

"She was…Killed, I'm afraid. A burglary went wrong, she got home as the man was still there and…Well, the rest is history." The man spoke in a sad tone as the bartender sat his drink down in front of him, as he wrapped his fingers around it and held it to his lips. "The one day I get called into work…Go figure huh?"

"T-That's awful…I'm…I'm so sorry…" Miyako said with a hint of guilt for asking, yet the man just smiled back.

"Not your fault, you didn't send him to rob us afterall. Still, it is hard, especially since she was pregnant at the time. We were set to have twins but…Well, guess it wasn't in God's plans afterall." Miyako's expression fell even more, as she turned her head to the side.

"...I have twins, and I couldn't imagine losing either of them. They both mean the world to me, and I would climb through the pits of Hell to save them from anything…Yet I doubt they feel the same towards me, especially my son."

"Rough relationship with them since the dad isn't around?" Miyako bit down onto her lip, only giving a small nod.

"I guess you could say that…I didn't really view myself as their mom until they were around five to six years old, and by that point my son…Really wanted nothing to do with me. Even now, while he's looking for ghosts of the past that have long been laid to rest…I can't do anything but watch on…"

"Hm…Maybe it's not my place to say anything considering I lost my chance to be a father, but I think it's unfair to blame yourself for how they might see you. You might have made mistakes in the past, or maybe not I don't know, but what I do know is that one decision does not dictate how you live your life. If your children still don't view you as a mother for whatever reason, it's because you don't truly see them as your children."

"W-What do you mean by that?" Miyako asked with slight annoyance, yet the man kept his smile.

"I mean you have to show them how much they mean to you, and show them that your love for them is genuine. Taking care of them, giving them a place to live, food to eat, stuff like that is good and all…But it's the bare basics, right? Did you ever do anything with them, go anywhere, have memories with them as they grew up?"

"Memories…?" Miyako said with a bit of thoughtfulness, her eyes looking into her glass as they dropped some. "Me and my daughter…Did everything growing up. I have so many memories of reading her books, playing with her in the park, taking her out on the lake to fish, and even one time how we got locked in a shopping mall for the entire night by accident and to pass the time we played make believe in the toy aisle until she fell asleep…"

Miyako's eyes teared up even more as she wiped them off, happiness coursing through her as the man's smile softened. "And your son?"

"...We….We never really did anything. I would offer to read to him…I would offer to take him to the park, or fishing, or shopping or anything but…He refused. He would read by himself, he would go to…I guess you could call him an uncle in a way, and stay at his house for sometimes days, and when we were together…It was the basic small talk and banter, nothing more, nothing less."

Miyako's happiness slowly left her as she looked down at the counter, as the man gave a slow nod as he sipped on his own glass. "Your son, from the sounds of it, had something impact him that caused him to shut himself off from the outside world. Considering you said he's still chasing ghosts to this day, I assume he still hasn't gotten over whatever is nagging at him. Until he does, he's going to not only keep pushing you away, but everyone. Are you the only one he's dismissive of?"

"Well…I guess not…He's always been a loner, even around others of his own age. He recently got a girlfriend of sorts, but…I can't say lately he's been saying the nicest things regarding that relationship, and even mentioned he planned to end it the first chance he got…Actually, I think I heard him the other day mention they had finally ended it."

"Well, there you go. It's not your fault, it's not that you're a bad mother, or anything of the sort…Your son has a problem that needs to be dealt with, and his mind put at ease, before he can finally move on and live a normal life. I'm not sure what that is to be fair, or how to deal with it…But as his mother, you might just be the only one who can."

The man gave a soft smile towards Miyako as she kept staring at her glass, taking in his words as she licked across her lips. She knew what was bothering Aqua, she knew of the therapy he went through, she knew that the police said…

He was found being held in Ai's bloody arms…

Not to mention what he was telling her about some conspiracy about how his dad was the reason Ai was killed.

It was almost all too much, but…

"I'm the only one, huh…?"

"You are, afterall if his own mother can't help him, who can?" The man said as he took another sip of his drink, Miyako's eyes having hints of life returned to them as she nodded and straightened herself out some.

"I guess…That's true isn't it? If I want to call him my son, then…I have to act like a mother, and help him…Somehow…" Miyako let a small smile graced her lips, as she turned to look at the man. "Thank you, I…I really needed to hear that."

"Of course, as I said, you're still that beautiful at forty years old. I would hate to see it ruined by wrinkles, thanks to stress." Miyako let a small blush toy her cheeks, as the man raised an eyebrow. "Well now, I thought you said pick up lines don't work on women at your age?"

"Well…I guess old dogs can still learn new tricks." She said as she grabbed her glass and brought it towards him.

Realizing her gesture, her raised his own glass and clanked it against hers, as the two of them drank together, before Miyako lowered hers and smiled.

"Sorry, I never got your name. I'm Miyako…Miyako Saitou."

"A pleasure, Saitou-san. As for myself…" The man smiled, as he leaned forward and allowed his glasses to drop some, exposing his eyes.

His black eyes, stars of pure darkness adorning them.

"Just call me Hikaru…."


The stars up above shined brightly as Gouro and Sarina laid next to each other in the middle of the park, looking up at stars as their hands laid in between them intertwined. After finishing up dinner, Sarina offered to Gouro to take a walk in the park together, and eventually the two of them found a clear spot to just fall down to the ground and cuddle as they looked at the clear sky together.

At first, neither of them said anything, simply enjoying each other's presence as their fingers dangled against one another, gently brushing against each other's skin.

Slowly, taking a deep breath, Sarina smiled as she looked up at one particular star that shined the brightest. "Sensei…Do you think mama is looking down on us?"

"Hm? Do you mean from somewhere like Heaven?"

"Hm, maybe…" Sarina said with a gentle smile, her eyes focused on a singular star as she spoke. "Back when I was still in the hospital, you told me that when a person dies, they go to Heaven…That always stuck with me, and it made me wonder why I was instead reincarnated. Does Heaven not exist? That would imply you lied to me sensei, which you would never do."

Gouro's eyes widened a tad, a hint of guilt running through his body as he looked down from the sky for a moment.

"I think…I think Heaven exists as a place where you go after you die, but only temporarily. You stay in Heaven until you're born again, kinda like me and you…I was born again four years after my first death, so that means I stayed in Heaven for four years. I think Mama is the same right now, I think for the past twelve years, she's been in Heaven, waiting to be reborn again. In fact, I think the stars you see in the sky are all the souls of people who have died, and are simply waiting to find a new body to be reborn into."

"Hm…But if that was the case, that would imply everybody is reborn right? Yet me and you only have our memories from our past life, and this life…Why don't we have memories of lives before that? Why doesn't anybody else remember being reborn?"

"I think…We're the exception Sensei, I think God allowed us to keep our memories for one reason or another. Maybe it was so we could meet again, maybe it was so we would be better prepared when Mama…Died herself…" Sarina's words caught in her throat some, but she pushed on as she shook her head. "Maybe it's for some greater purpose beyond that…The only reason we're dating is because of our past life, right? I mean if we forgot our lives as Gouro and Sarina…Would we still be in love?"

Sarina seemingly was asking herself the question, just as much as she was asking Gouro, who only gave a low hming sound as he thought. "I admit, when I was first reincarnated, I had intended to study the phenomenon of our reincarnation. I still consider myself a doctor of sorts, and I thought that with a whole new life, I could dedicate it to even greater research. But, as you said, Ai's death happened…To answer the question of if we would still be in love if we didn't retain our memories…I don't know. Perhaps we would be, perhaps the reason the phrase 'Love at first sight' exists, isn't so much before you're falling love with someone you've never met before, but because you're falling in love with your literal soulmate from your past lives, destined to stay together no matter what life you live."

Sarina blushed brightly at his words, giving a small giggle as she kept staring at one shining star in the sky. "So we're soulmates? Hehe…"

"Hm…Perhaps we are." Gouro smiled, as he turned his head to look at Sarina. "Even in my past life, I never really felt love…Until I met you, Sarina. I didn't act on it of course, and I struggle to say I truly recognized it as love at the time but…There's a reason I became a fan of Ai after you passed a way, a reason I felt a reason to protect you even before I knew who you were, a reason to…."

Gouro trailed off, as Sarina turned her head to meet his gaze with an almost knowing smirk. "A reason to let Mama rest in peace?"

"E-Eh?" Gouro was a bit taken aback by her words, as Sarina gave a small giggle and turned her gaze back towards the sky.

"I know you have your self doubts sensei, and I can't pretend to know what all of those doubts are but…I think if Mama could talk to you one more time, somehow and some way…She would tell you…It's not your fault, she doesn't blame you and that…She still loves you, sensei." Gouro's eyes widened even more at Sarina's words, her smile only growing as she reached her free hand up and closed it around the shining star above. "Whatever you think you have to do for her to rest in peace…She would tell you it's alright, she's already been resting in peace for twelve years, and she can't wait…"

Sarina slowly dropped her hand, letting it lay on her own stomach as her eyes shined.

"She can't wait to meet you again." Gouro just kept staring at Sarina, as he felt tears form in his eyes as he quickly raised his own hand and wiped them off of his face.

"...Maybe…Maybe she would…" Gouro choked the words out as more tears attempted to make their way through his eyes, as he kept wiping them off with his hand, his eyes shining brighter and brighter as he did so. "Dammit…"

"Hm? Are you ok Sensei?" Gouro kept wiping his eyes off, more tears attempted to keep coming through as he nodded.

"Y-Yeah, stupid allergies or…Something…" Gouro said as he moved his hand down, his face a bit wet as he shook his head. "Gonna mess up my makeup and mask if it continues."

"..." Despite his small laugh, Sarina didn't return it and instead reached over with her free hand and rubbed it across his face. "Sensei…It's okay to cry."

"Cry? I…I don't have anything to cry about…" Gouro said as he bit his lip, closing his eyes in an attempt to cease the tears.

Sarina lowered her gaze, but didn't press the issue as she allowed a small sigh to seep through as she turned her gaze back to the brightest star above. "Sensei, if we ever do meet Mama again…Do you think she'll approve of our relationship?"

"H-Huh?" Gouro attempted to collect himself the best he could, wiping his face off as he took in a somewhat deep breath. "I…I think she would."

"Really?" Sarina turned her gaze towards Gouro, hints of concern on it as Gouro nodded.

"Even if she retained her memories like we did, and knew we were brother and sister…I think she would still approve. In fact, I think she might be overjoyed. All Ai wanted was a family to love, a family to call her own…If her two kids found love in each other…Then I can't imagine she would be anything other than thrilled." Gouro said with a small smile, as Sarina gave a small smile in return as she nodded.

"Yeah…Yeah, you're right sensei…I bet Mama would be the type to tease us every chance she got and would buy us cute stuff at christmas that said stuff like 'Twins make the cutest couples' or 'Twincest is wincest!', you know?" Gouro gave a small chuckle at her words, as he shrugged.

"Maybe she would, I can see her doing that." Sarina nodded in return as the twin couple continued to look up at the stars together, the sound of animals in the distance being the only thing to break their concentration.

"Sensei, can you promise me something?"

"Hm?" Gouro looked over with an raised eyebrow, as Sarina's eyes flickered to her stomach and then back up at the stars.

"If…If we ever start a family, the day before I give birth…We can come to this exact spot once again." Gouro's eyebrow raised even farther up, as he straightened himself out somewhat.

"How come?"

"Because…I want to be under this star, one more time…" Sarina raised her hand and once again acted as if she was grabbing the brightest star in it, as Gouro gave a light chuckle.

"Alright, sure…Why not?"

"Hehe, thank you, Sensei…I…I love you, so much…" Sarina turned her gaze towards him and smiled wide, as Gouro looked over as well and smiled back.

"I love you too, my brightest star." Gouro said with a wink, causing Sarina to giggle at the timing as the two of them leaned forward, and locked lips with one another.

All under the watchful gaze of the brightest star up above.


Gouro and Sarina walked down the street, hand in hand, under the moon above as they made their way back towards their residence. Sarina had originally intended to take Gouro out to the movies as well, but after spending quite a bit of time at the restaurant, and then heading to the park where they laid under the stars, it had already gotten quite late and the last thing they wanted was Miyako suddenly getting onto their case.

Especially after her interaction with Aqua earlier.

Not to mention the possibility she would suddenly head to the Directors house in an attempt to mend things over with Aqua, realize he's not there, and suddenly start calling him to find out where he is and what he's doing.

Plus other challenges of Taishi perhaps lying for him if Miyako called, but then realize he lied if she went to see if Aqua was at the Directors house…

It wasn't a pretty picture either way.

As they made their way down the street, Sarina leaned her head against Gouro's shoulder as she gave a small giggle. "We need to do this more often, sensei, this has been one of the best night's I've had in a long, long time…"

"I'm glad to hear, though you did set everything up yourself, right? You picked out the place to eat, the park walk, the decision to return home because you completely miscalculated how long it would all take…" Gouro gave a sly remark, as Sarina puffed her face out and looked towards the side.

"Yeah, yeah…I-I'll be better next time, just you watch! I'll prepare a date so amazing, you'll have no choice but to fall in love with me all over again!"

"Is that right?" Gouro smirked as he raised his hand from hers and wrapped it around her shoulder, bringing her towards him as he winked. "I'll hold you to that, Sarina Tendouji."

"G-Geez…" Sarina looked towards the side with a blush, causing Gouro to chuckle as the two of them continued their walk down the street, before soon their residence could be seen up ahead. "Guess we're almost home, huh…"

"Seems like it…Well, you are anyway, I'll be heading back to the Directors. It kinda works out, I've been helping the Director on a side project, so I'll work on that tonight before getting a little sleep before school."

"You need your sleep sensei, especially if you're going to become a doctor again! You have to pass a bunch of super smart tests, right?"

"Well, these 'super smart tests' you mention, I've already passed once before." Gouro said with a small laugh, memories of decades ago flooding through his mind as he rubbed her shoulder. "In fact, back when I was doing intern work was when I met you after all. To think, some idol obsessed girl would steal my heart."

"Steal your heart huh…You make it sound like it wasn't mine to begin with." Sarina said with a wink, catching Gouro a bit off guard.

"Well now…When did you get smooth?"

"Hehe, don't doubt the power of Mem-Chan's training!"

As the two of them laughed and kept walking, they soon came upon the entrance to the residence as Gouro was about to send Sarina off for the night, and return to the world of Aquamarine Hoshino.

However, before they could say their final goodbyes, a familiar voice rang out towards them.

"Huh? Ruby?" The two of them froze, as they quickly shifted their gaze towards the other direction of the sidewalk.

The one who had called out towards them was Miyako, confusion on her face as she walked, as her eyes landed on Gouro…

Beside of her…Stood a man with messy blond hair, and glasses…

"Just now getting back from your date?" Miyako asked with a slight head tilt as she kept walking, before stopping a few feet away from them as she looked at Gouro. "You're…?"

Gouro felt his heart speed up in his chest, a seemingly moment of truth suddenly facing him head on. If he could trick Miyako, the woman who had attempted to raise him for the past decade, then he could trick anybody.

Collecting himself and giving a charming smile, Gouro reached up and ran his hand through his hair as he addressed Miyako. "Ah, sorry, I'm Gouro Amamiya…Sa-...Ahem, Ruby's boyfriend."

Gouro studied Miyako's face, her eyebrow raised as she scanned him over, his heart rate beating hard against his chest…

Before a small smile spread over her lips.

"Ah, well, it's good to finally meet the man who stole my daughter's heart." Miyako gave a small giggle as she walked forward, causing Gouro to breath a little easier as she bowed towards him. "I'm Miyako Saitou, Ruby's mother and president of Strawberry Productions, a pleasure, Amamiya-san."

"Ah right…A pleasure as well, Saitou-san." Gouro bowed back towards her, his nerves slowly lowering…

Before his eyes moved towards the man following behind Miyako.

As soon as they landed on him, something felt wrong. He looked fine enough, casual wear, a small smile on his face, and an air of relaxation around him…

Yet it didn't feel right.

Why did Gouro look at this stranger…

And suddenly feel fear?

It seemed like he wasn't the only one, as Sarina reached up and grabbed the side of his shirt, gently pulling on it as she stared at the man as well. "Mi-...M-Mom…W-Who's that?"

"Hm? Oh, right…This is Hikaru, I met him while I was having a drink and he offered to walk me home since it was so late out."

"I-I see…" Sarina pulled back some as Hikaru walked forward, raising a hand in the air as he spoke.

"Hey there! You must be Saitou-san's daughter, Ruby-chan, right?" Sarina gave a low nod, gulping as she felt the same sense of unease around him.

"Y-Yeah, Ruby Hoshino, member of B-Komachi…"

"B-Komachi…Ichigan-san did mention you were an idol of some sort! Going out on a date though, make sure your fans don't find out, some of them can be quite horrendous!" Hikaru's words struck deep at both Gouro and Sarina, yet neither of them said anything as Hikaru chuckled. "Well don't worry about me, I don't have anything to gain by exposing your late night activities…Besides, I wouldn't want to upset this beautiful lady right here, now would I?"

"Oh stop it Hikaru-san, hehe…" Miyako said with a small laugh, a blush appearing on her face as Sarina raised an eyebrow.

"Mom…Are you two like…Dating?"

"H-Huh? Oh no, no! Not at all, like I said we just met while we were drinking! Hikaru is just a bit of a charmer is all." Sarina raised an eyebrow, but seemed to believe it as she just nodded, as Miyako gave another awkward laugh.

As the two girls spoke, Hikaru turned his attention to Gouro as he smiled. "You must be the boyfriend eh? Make sure not to hurt her, otherwise she might turn her fans against you!"

"H-Huh? Oh, don't worry, I plan to do right by her." Gouro forced the words out of his mouth, a sense of fear still coursing through him as Hikaru took a step closer. "You said your name was Gouro Amamiya?"

"Yeah, that's right. I currently attend Shujin Academy, which is on the other side of Tokyo." Gouro lied of course, using the backstory Aqua had created in the back of his head for such situations.

"Ah Shujin, I went there when I was around your age I guess…Though I would be considered an old man now, I'm almost thirty-three! Haha!" Hikaru gave a small laugh as he reached up and patted Gouro's shoulder, giving a wink from behind his glasses. "You got yourself a pretty girl, don't upset her, alright…Doc?"

"Huh? Yeah…" Gouro was confused by the man's words, but didn't question it further

"Anyway, since the family is all here, think I'm going to head on back to my place." Hikaru said as he turned to Miyako, lifting her hand up and giving a kiss to the top of it. "A pleasure to meet you Saitou-san, I'll call you when I'm free and we can have more drinks together."

"N-No problem Hikaru-san, the pleasure would be mine." With that, Hikaru bid a farewell to the three of them, as Gouro and Sarina just watched him leave with an almost sickening feeling in their stomach. "Well uh…I'll head on inside, let you two say goodnight afterall."

Miyako said with a wink, as she walked up the stairs and into the room, leaving Gouro and Sarina alone together as Sarina's grip didn't leave Gouro's jacket. "Sensei…"

"...Yeah, I know, I have a bad feeling about him too."

"...Do you think it's because we don't want to see Miyako remarry? I mean, her and Saitou were pretty happy before…" Sarina's voice died off, as Gouro gave a sigh through his nose.

Was it really that simple? The aqua part of his brain telling him that Miyako finding a boyfriend after all this time would ruin their family dynamic?

Or was it something else?

If it was something else, what was it?

So many questions that Gouro didn't have an answer for.

As he thought about it, Sarina softly laid her head back onto Gouro and sighed. "At any rate sensei, thank you tonight, it was amazing."

Gouro looked down and smiled as he wrapped an arm around Sarina, hugging her close as he bent down and kissed the top of her head. "Of course, next time I'll plan the date though, only fair it rotates between the two of us, right?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Sarina complained a little before she pulled back and looked up at Gouro, a smile still crossing her lips. "Sensei…I love you."

"I love you too, Sarina." The two of them spoke softly as they leaned in for a long and deep kiss, cherishing the moment together before they broke off from one another. Slowly, and reluctantly, Sarina pushed herself off of Gouro and smiled.

"See you at school I guess."

"Yeah, and feel free to call me if you need me."

"Yeah, I will sensei."With a nod, Gouro turned to walk away, as Sarina waved at him the entire time as he kept waving back as he walked down the sidewalk, before finally, he vanished into the night.

Sarina just kept standing there waving, her soft smile on her face as she brought her hand back down and sighed lovingly. "I really do love you, sensei…"

With that, Sarina turned and walked up the steps towards the door, before stopping halfway and looking the other way where Hikaru walked.

"...Did Sensei mention to him he was a doctor?" Sarina pondered before she shook her head, and walked the rest of the way back inside, ending the night officially.


The Next Day

The sun shined overhead as Aquamarine Hoshino, now back to his old self as he had no reason to act, stood on the rooftop of Yoto Academy, leaning over the railing silently. He had messaged someone in particular to meet him, and so he was currently just waiting.

Finally, the door to the rooftop opened as said person made their way onto it. "Yo, Aqua."

Closing his eyes and pushing himself off the railing, Aqua looked over and nodded. "Arima, thanks for coming."

Kana stood at the door as she gave a sigh, walking over and tossing a juice to Aqua, who caught it with one hand as she opened her own juice. "You usually don't ask me for favors, so I figured I would humor you. So…What do you need?"

Aqua looked down at the juice can in his hand as he slowly opened it, his voice low as he spoke. "I wanted to ask you about the man who you said helped raise your confidence to act again."

"Hm…? What, jealous?" She gave a small grin, though Aqua just shook his head back and forth.

"Hardly, just…Curious, is all." Kana's grin dropped, as she sighed and brought the can up to her lips as she drank from it.

"You're no fun…Anyway, there really isn't too much to say I guess."

"What was he wearing, we can start there, along with maybe a name." Kana raised an eyebrow as she looked up to the sky, leaning against the railing as she recounted.

"Wasn't anything special, a white sweatshirt with the hood pulled over with blue jeans, sunglasses and a white face mask covering his mouth. As for his name, he just went by Maki."

"Maki huh? Also seems like he was trying to conceal his identity for one reason or another…How tall was he, was he fat or skinny, did you see his hair at all?"

"What is this, an interrogation?" Kana deadpanned, drinking more of her juice as she tapped her head. I guess he was about as tall as you, maybe a little taller. He was pretty skinny for sure, and it looked like I saw a few strings of blond hair sticking out, though I couldn't confirm it or anything, wasn't really in the right state of mind and all."

"Hm, not a ton of information to go on."

"Hey, you're the one who asked."

"...There is one question you didn't answer, the one from yesterday…This guy, This actor who compared you to Ai, what did he say?" Aqua looked at Kana with a straight face, as she raised an eyebrow and looked up towards the sky.

"Well, he…" Kana's words hung low, her conversation with Akane flashing through her mind as she looked over Aqua and gave a small gulp. "Aqua…Promise you won't be mad?"

"Hm? Mad about what?" Kana bit down onto her lip, turning to look out from the rooftop as she sighed.

"Mad if…I might know the truth?" Aqua's eyes narrowed even more, as he walked forward towards Kana.

"The truth? What truth?"

"...The truth…About who your real mother might be?"

As soon as the words left Kana's mouth, Aqua stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes going completely wide as his mouth slight hung open before closing, before opening once again.

His body shook, fear spreading through him as he gulped. "A-Arima…How…?"

"...Last night, Akane found that video of you and Ruby as babies dancing at Ai's concert, and after calling me and all…We kinda started going through things and putting everything together."

"O-Oh…" Aqua's heart was still beating fast as he gulped, running another hand through his hair as he nodded.

Of course, that made sense…That video was always going to rear its ugly head one day and come back and bite him, he should have honestly expected it happening eventually. It also made sense Akane would be the one to find out, though Aqua was a tad taken aback she had told Kana.

Still, while he prefer his secret not getting out, he could trust Kana not to blabber it to the whole world for what it's worth.

"...I see, so you two figured it out huh?"

"...So it is true…" Kana said with both shock and confirmation, turning back to face Aqua as she gave a sad smile. "I'm…So sorry, you had to go through that Aqua…I couldn't imagine what…That felt like…"

"...Well, it's the past, so no need to dwell on it." Aqua said as he scratched the back of his head. "Just don't tell anybody else, not even Ruby, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, you think I don't know that?" Aqua could only smile at her words, as he walked over and patted her on the shoulder.

"Although, how does that relate to what the guy who compared you to Ai said?"

"Hm? Oh right…" Kana raised the can to her lips again as she spoke. "He told me about how Ai struggled, how every single day she questioned if she truly loved what she did, and how she wanted to quit so many times…Yet she never did, she kept pushing through, because she wanted to feel love, for the first time in her life. He said Ai would have regretted it if she quit, yet look how far she went…So if I quit, I would have regretted it as well."

"..." Aqua took in her words, his eyes darkening some as he looked towards the side. "He seemed to know alot about Ai."

"Hm well, it made sense, he's the reason Akane even started researching." Kana turned towards Aqua and tilted her head. "Afterall, he even knew she had kids in secret."

As soon as the words left Kana's mouth, Aqua just stopped and stared.

Staring directly at Kana.

With his Intense starry look, filled with pure darkness.