A/N:
Plastic Love probably doesn't need much of an introduction, but it's a 1985 single from the album Variety by Mariya Takeuchi. The Japanese City Pop song only met with moderate success in its original release, but subsequent releases in recent years have led to it being credited with the increasing popularity of city pop in the west. If you were on Youtube in the past five years and somehow haven't heard it, I'd be shocked.
Mem knew something was off from the beginning. Not with Ruby's show, that was great as always, demonstrated by the cheering persisting above her long after the performance's end. Public opinion online had already marked this show as one for the history books, so there was essentially zero need for debate. What was off was Kana's adorable date nerves from the morning prior somehow snowballing into her former coworker bawling on her dressing room couch. It had been tortuous to merely offer condolences rather than put Kana's head in her lap like she was one of Mem's younger siblings; Kana would never have forgiven her for that. A streamer that only knew how to read comments and couldn't read the room wouldn't ever get far in the world.
Asumi and her stepmother had been escorted out with as much tact as Mem could muster. The woman had blustered salacious half-truths about Kana and even Aqua all the way out with such persistence that Mem forced herself to tune the woman out. If acting was about selling a lie, then Mrs. Arima wasn't fit for 3 AM commercials. Rather than smacking the woman on Kana's behalf, she was presented with a chicken scratch note on who to contact before being tossed into the flow of fans enroute to their homes. There were no guarantees when it came to the paparazzi, but Mem felt reasonably sure they'd slipped away unnoticed.
Despite this, Mem found herself scrolling her phone absentmindedly from the entrance to her dressing room for contradictory evidence. No photos posted online. Glowing comments about her cameo illuminated her pensive smile. The electricity the woman on that screen had felt not one hour ago was spent in a matter of minutes. Her dilatory finger paused on a picture some girl had posted of her posing with her friends wearing an old B-Komachi t-shirt. They were gushing about being able to meet the original B-Komachi trio in person. Had their act become so antiquated that the youth couldn't remember the original seven members of B-Komachi before them? Mem pouted and let her head bounce against the wall she was leaning on.
It was past time to prepare for the post-show meet and greet. Someone still needed to comfort Kana in a way she'd accept before she would perform. A dozen or so of Mem's social media outlets and profiles were waiting on her reaction to the performance. There was probably a call from Shun or Saitou about next week's schedule waiting for her. So Mem scrolled.
Ruby still hadn't made her way backstage, meaning Mem would be alone until the fans stopped begging her friend to wave at them one more time. Few would be heartbroken by her or Kana's absence, yet their contract's diction on appearances was uncompromising. Even her channel had started to see diminishing returns for these appearances. The view from the plateau she'd found herself at for the better part of a year was pleasant, to be fair. In contrast, the fear that she'd peaked as an artist before thirty had prompted more than a few sleepless nights of doomscrolling. "Con: going out on a sour note."
The con was typed into the cons side of Mem's list without much thought as her friend made a defiant attempt to dry her tears behind her. Glancing down, there were now four more cons than pros. That was unreasonable. After thinking for a moment, Mem added helping Kana with her mother to the list of pros. She wasn't allowed to be in danger of disavowing herself from B-Komachi while her friends needed her.
What specifically they needed, however, was a bit too nebulous for Mem to work out at the moment. Kana was too prideful to acknowledge her tears when they spoke just now; she would take anything more than Mem's offer of support as a challenge to her pride. It was a kind of strength Mem could respect, however fragile. Dealing with it was the task of a boyfriend, not a Mem friend.
The streamer only felt her smile return when she lurked in her offline chat. Her fans were analyzing her cameo at Ruby's performance, speculating excitedly about what was coming next and how their favorite streamer would be involved. Mem was selling herself short. Ruby was the star, but her radiance needed an audience to appreciate it. Miyako took this as her cue to remind Mem of her importance by calling her and causing Mem to almost drop her phone.
"Heyyy, what's up, Miyako?" Muffled cheering could be heard in the background.
"Where did you all go?"
If she said something else, Mem couldn't make it out. Evidently Miyako was somewhere in the crowd of people fleeing the stadium to get to their cars and buses before they clogged up the exits with their haste. Pretending not to hear her boss was an easy out of having to involve herself, but lying about Kana to Miyako would just delay the problem unnecessarily. "Kana's mother called her out during the performance. We went to the dressing room area to confront her. That's where we are now."
"Today of all days? Damn it. I didn't… she'd do…bold in public. Are you all okay?"
The connection had grown poor, but Mem could interpolate what Miyako was getting at. "Um, yeah, I guess. Physically. Kana's pretty shaken up. Her mom introduced her to a half-sister she didn't know about."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line that made Mem wonder if Miyako had been completely drowned out. Only when the background conversation suddenly cut off did Mem realize that Miyako must have retreated to somewhere she wouldn't be overheard. "Did anyone else see her?"
"I did my best when I escorted them back into the crowd, but I can't be sure."
"Alright. How's Kana?"
"She can go on."
"Not what I asked, Mem."
"If we stop her from appearing, I think it'll be worse for her. You know how she gets when it comes to disappointing people."
An audible sigh of relief slid through the line, reminding Mem to breathe as well. "Okay, good. Not good, but good enough for now. In that case, we'll work through this tomorrow, somehow. Please put Aqua on, he turned his phone off."
Mem tilted her head, forgetting that she wasn't being stared at. "Huh? There's no Aqua here. He's not with you?"
"He's not with you? Of all the- if it's not one thing it's another. Alright, change of plans. Saitou and I have our hands full keeping people off of Ruby. Tell the dressing room guard to hunt Aqua down and have him join us backstage, talk Kana down a bit. I don't want him wandering around right now."
That was a reasonable enough plan. The bouncer had proven himself capable enough, yet Mem realized she was dissatisfied. Between the droning fans and uncomfortable silence coming from the room next door, Mem realized would suffocate if she stayed here. "I'll find him, no worries."
"Mem, it defeats the purpose if you wander off. I need you and Kana to be ready when we get there."
"Kana's going to need time and I don't," Mem insisted, already starting for the exit. "Let me know when I have five minutes to get back. Trust me, I got this."
"…Fine. But if you don't find him fast, let me know ASAP. Stay in touch." That gambit wouldn't have worked on Saitou, but Miyako was a kindred spirit when it came to getting things done yourself.
The line was dead before Mem could even affirm her boss's trust. She'd add volunteering for stretch assignments to the cons list if she wasn't doing it to herself. Maintaining her stream, college classes, attending these performances, and having a social life was difficult enough without a friend soap opera. Yet Kana and now Aqua had found themselves on the pros side of the list more often than not. The choice of whether to stay on B-Komachi's payroll felt silly when there were immediate concerns like her friends to address. Right now, she should only be worried about leveraging her star power. Logging on to her account, Mem hopped back into her offline chat.
Thrilled you all loved Ruby's concert!
Anyone catch Aqua there? Need him for help with a special follow-up!
IYKYK ; )
After the fans got over the fact that Mem was there and stopped calling her a homewrecker, one of her mods helpfully pointed out that they'd seen someone with blond hair leave by the west exit. That tracked with Mem's location relative to where she'd been seated. With a quick thanks, she was on the move. Detective work was a lot easier when you had a legion of fans and were tracking one of the most recognizable hair colors in the country. Questions about why Aqua of all people had wandered off during Ruby's show could wait until she was dragging him by the ear to Miyako.
As Mem navigated the stream of spectators, it became apparent that tracking Aqua if he was trying not to be tracked would be impossible. There were too many bodies to hide between and only one Mem-chos around to find them, even if she did have an army of armchair generals to help her. This battle would be resolved rapidly by her knowledge of Aqua's habits or it wouldn't be resolved at all.
Fortune was on Mem's side this evening. The west exit of the stadium fed out into a terrace that overlooked the Tokyo skyline, lit up with the arrival of night during the performance. While some people were filtering in and out of the area, the balcony and railing leading to the outlook were mostly being ignored in favor of getting home at a respectable hour. The cold air chilled Mem's exposed skin in contrast with the lingering scent of people and stadium food mingling together. It was a sensory splash of cold water after the calm yet firm embrace Ruby had held her fans in moments ago, a reminder that the lie was transient. It was in this condition that Aqua was spotted leaning against the railing near one corner of the terrace, looking out at the city with a staid expression.
A sigh of relief escaped Mem's lips. She didn't want to be the one to have to tell Miyako she screwed up right after putting her out to indulge her selfish whims. As she jogged over to where Aqua was hunched over on the balcony, she realized how she would look and slowed herself down. The man was staring out at the city, but his eyes were vacant, as if the star that burned inside of them had finally consumed everything within, including itself. He'd been at best difficult to approach since starting his residency, but this was bordering on impossible. Mem would have to do some crowd work if this guy was going to be of any use to Kana. He was lucky that she'd volunteered for this job. "Heya, bud! You done aura farming out here, or are we still in our brooding era?"
Aqua glanced over, his expression uncomprehending. With an awkward smile, Mem joined him in leaning on the balcony before instantly recoiling at the stinging cold. The barest hint of a smirk seemed to grace Aqua's features before it melted behind a pitying look. Blushing, Mem went for a nervous laugh. "Um, you good over here, man?"
Aqua opened his mouth, no doubt to lie and say that he was fine, before closing it again. "I don't know," He admitted. "I've seen Ruby do that performance so many times, but this time, it felt… Never mind. What happened to you and Kana?"
Mixed emotions oozed out of Mem's friend. There was nothing unusual about being starstruck by Ruby's show, but Aqua was a more decorated veteran than almost anyone when it came to B-Komachi performances. It felt like Aqua was one wrong word away from shutting her out completely. "Well, Kana had to go meet with someone. It didn't go well, and she's upset."
The explanation brought a spark back into Aqua's eyes, flickering and sputtering long enough to manifest dim motivation into his posture. He rose from the balcony and glanced back toward the stadium, his jacket rustling against the cool evening breeze. "Who?"
"I- you should probably hear it from her."
"Alright. I'll go see her before the meet and greet. Is she in the dressing rooms?"
"Wait!" Mem insisted, gripping Aqua's sleeve as Kana's tearful face flashed in her mind. "You can't go now, she's changing!"
"So?"
Mem's blush intensified. "Don't make me spell it out for you! Being her boyfriend is not an excuse to get in the way of her work!"
"Then why aren't you getting ready?"
Caught, Mem released her college buddy and traced a circle on the ground with her foot. "Now, you see, the thing with that is I totally have time! You know nobody expects streamers to be on time anyways. And also maybe Kana said she wanted to be alone right now?" Mem flashed Aqua her least convincing smile.
It didn't change Aqua's mind, but he at least quirked an eyebrow and stopped walking away for a moment. "She said that?"
"Yeah!" Mem nodded fiercely, hoping her lie wasn't too obvious. "So let's give her some space for now, okay? Or at least think things through before we go charging back in there."
Aqua didn't say anything for a moment, leading Mem to wonder if she'd have to start making a scene to keep him in place. Fortunately, he rejoined her at the balcony silently without further complaint. Despite succeeding, Mem felt her frustration only continuing to build as the two of them leaned into the flow of the rising night silently. Aqua could be as difficult to perk up as his girlfriend when he got himself in one of these moods. Putting gloomy and sad together would just create a disaster right before the cameras came on.
The evening air below them was electric with the scattered excitement of Ruby's fans. Their eyes twinkled just as brightly as the stars above them, shining an inscrutable spotlight on the only two people on the terrace who weren't wearing smiles. "What did you think of the show?" Aqua eventually asked when he realized Mem wouldn't leave him alone.
Mem turned her head, surprised that Aqua was the one choosing to make conversation. "Oh, same old Ruby, I guess. Nothing too different from the last dozen or so I've been to."
"Is that right? It felt different to me."
Mem shrugged. "When you've seen as many as me, nothing surprises you."
Aqua nodded to himself. "I see. Maybe I'm just not a big enough fan of her to understand the nuances of her performance."
"First of all, creepy. Second of all, it's not that. I have to show up, or people will start spreading rumors again. With the docuseries, I can't exactly afford to create any bad PR. You come here willingly almost as often as I do for work."
"I'm not immune to obligations either. Kana's career will suffer if I make any waves for her." He looked away rather than continue his thought, focusing on some point in the crowd below. "A girl recognized me somehow while I was out here. She came right up and asked for an autograph."
Swallowing the suspicion that she might have had something to do with that, Mem forced out a chuckle. "Don't tell me you forgot how to sign your name. Or worse, you forgot your pen."
"Come on," Aqua clicked a pen in his pocket as proof. "She asked if I thought lies actors and idols tell were an acceptable form of love. I said yes, but she didn't seem happy with that answer."
Mem wasn't sure what Aqua wanted her to say, but he didn't continue his story. "Then what?"
"She walked off. Didn't say anything else. I wouldn't have questioned it any other night, but now I'm second guessing myself. Maybe I don't understand idols as well as I thought."
"You could always bounce your ideas off of me," Mem suggested. "I'm happy to be useful, you know. You have a bona fide idol right here."
Aqua shook his head. "I don't do that anymore. I can't use people."
Mem played with the sleeve of her jacket. Rubbing elbows with death had left Aqua with the motivation of a limp rag. He would always make time for their study sessions, but his compliance was infallibly out of service to her or someone else. Mem had lived that life long enough to know it wouldn't ever empty the list of cons piling up until you couldn't take any more. "I want to use the docuseries to quit my affiliation with B-Komachi, you know. Stop attending these performances under contract, doing all the interviews for it and stuff."
Aqua nodded. "Kana implied something like that."
So she hadn't been hiding her cards as well as she thought. Another win for the cons side. "I see. Well, I wanna focus on YouTube, settle down, and make sure I finish college with most of my life still intact."
"You should do that, then. You've earned it."
"But you know I still have these obligations. It won't look good if I leave right when things are heating up for Ruby and Kana. It never will."
"We can't drag them down with our obligations, even if it means they have to use us to swim," Aqua nodded.
Mem nodded back. College buddies were much easier to relate to than fellow streamers. Aqua would float between lists again if she didn't keep her eye on him, and she wasn't going down as the streamer with the fewest college friends in history. "I won't keep you if you really want to talk to her now. Just be careful around Kana."
"I don't need you to tell me that."
Mem wanted to tell Aqua off, but the words weren't coming together in her mind. Instead, she decided to change the subject. "Sure, bro. Did you at least like the show?"
Aqua looked away, thinking about that question much longer than he should have. "She takes after our mother."
"Yeah." Mem could still vaguely remember what it was like to see Ai perform in person, and he wasn't wrong. It was more shocking that Aqua could make that presumption given his age when he lost her. Before she could think of something else to say, her phone buzzed. Work was once again making her decisions for her. "That's our cue. Miyako is looking for you. Can you go live and let her know you're good? Kana too. She wants to hear from you, she just won't say it."
Aqua nodded. "Thanks for checking up on me. Sorry I made it difficult."
"Hey, what else is new?" Mem teased, already turning her backpedal into a jog toward the dressing room.
Aqua didn't follow up as Mem made her escape. He had his task and Mem had hers. Though Mem would never want a fan as obsessed as Aqua, it seemed to balance Kana out shockingly well most of the time. Perhaps Aqua and Kana didn't need to be pros burdening her decision after all. Fanciful notions of freedom flew through Mem's mind as she rushed back to the dressing room to speedrun the changing process. She'd done a good job. It wasn't like she couldn't support her friends outside of Ruby's spotlight. Mem's resolve was hardened as she exited her dressing room again. Before the docuseries aired, she'd separate herself from B-Komachi for good, no matter the cost.
Mem's resolve instantly bent as Kana exited her dressing room just a moment later than her friend. The misery in her eyes was gone, but only because she had a job to do. Mem could tell because they were wearing the same expression. No words were exchanged as the duo navigated to the backstage area to where they were to meet with Ruby. By the time they arrived, it was too late to exchange any pleasantries.
Ruby had been cleaned up for her reappearance, though she was clearly still fatigued from her show. When she saw her friends, she smiled, but there were unavoidable questions in her eyes about where they had been and why they left. All Mem had time to do was mouth the word 'later' to her before their cue to see the fans again arrived. If Ruby was disappointed, her smile didn't indicate it. None of them had this meet and greet on their mind as they ran out onto the hastily assembled stage, waving enthusiastically to the adoring crowd. As long as Mem still had this job, there was nothing wrong with that. For an idol, nothing would express her love better than selling a lie.
The stage lighting was too intense. It was a simple lie, but Aqua doubted anyone would have called his bluff had he been forced to use it. There might have been follow-up questions about his health in the context of his current leave of absence from medical school, but that would keep the fault on Aqua's shoulders, squarely where it belonged. He stood alone on the roof of his former Takachiho hospital, watching the streetlamps of the residential district flicker on as the sun exchanged places with the moon.
Sometimes when he came here, Ai would join him. Her stillborn twins, yet to be imbued with the souls of a liar and a dreamer, still swelled her stomach. She would twirl around with a peal of laughter, plucking up the twinkling lights before them and placing the stars in the sky like she was reorganizing her closet. The show dazzled Aqua's soul just as it had Goro's, but Ai was absent tonight. No matter how strongly he longed for her presence, Aqua didn't dare to turn his head to confirm what his heart was telling him.
The scar on Aqua's abdomen burned, but he resisted the urge to acknowledge the price he paid for his sister's freedom. He only allowed himself to come here tonight to speak to the doctor standing by the door with his hands shoved in his pockets like the scene had no effect on him. "She's gone," Aqua warned himself, willing Goro to respond this time. "There are living people who need us right now."
Aqua didn't know who had sought fresh air during Ruby's show. That fact alone had been disconcerting, but then Mem and the others had gone out of their way for him when it should have been the other way around. This mistake had to be why Goro deigned to show himself in front of Aqua once more, why Aqua had been compelled to even try summoning him. The silent doctor's eyes were lost behind the dying glare in his glasses.
"I love Ai too. Loved her. She's dead, and Kana needs us now. Ruby still needs us now. If you're going to continue to cling on to the past we don't need, I'll rid myself of you."
A breeze blew against the actor as he held out a white glow stick threateningly toward the doctor. Goro was unmoved, tilting his head in understandable confusion. One hand left his pocket, withdrawing red identical glow stick and displaying it with a lax posture.
"Do you even understand me? We're done. You're supporting a ghost."
The glow sticks on both sides didn't waver. There was no sense in reasoning with people who refused to speak. As the first star appeared in the night sky, Aqua lunged forward, cleaving his glow stick through Goro. The toy would have bounced off harmlessly had it not passed straight through the doctor, nevertheless leaving him unaffected. Hissing against the flaring sting of his scar, Aqua swung around on one heel and tried again, meeting nothing once more. Panic surged within him, his frenzied glow stick cleaving through the air as if he was drowning all over again. Each gasp for oxygen brought a metal taste to his nostrils despite Goro refusing to react to Aqua's assault.
"Enough of this farce! If you won't confess that this is over and let her go, then-"
"You'll kill me too?"
Sweat clung to Aqua's brow as he stood frozen in awe of the shattered silence between him and Goro. Had he actually spoken, or was that Aqua's wish for what he would say? Either way, his words opened up a path the actor had tried to overlook until now. With no other recourse, he raised his blade one more time in desperation. "Yes. You're not who this person is anymore. Your life is over, and mine is not."
Goro acknowledged the threat with a single nod, pocketing his glow stick and turning away for the door. There was no hint of fear or even anger in his gait, only calm expectation for Aqua to find a way to make good on his word. The panic that had seized Aqua's heart stilled itself. If he wanted to return to the way things were, all he had to do was forget about Goro Amamiya. The calm feeling that came with having a clear path to follow brought with it weakness, and Aqua found his eyes compelled to close as the exhaustion from his struggle overcame him. He would have to be better prepared next time.
Aqua's bleary eyes blinked away the spotlights focused on them, attempting in vain to discard the attention he was being showered with as the last vestiges of sleep clung to him. When his vision cleared, Ruby was beaming freely at him as she silently sang one of Ai's songs on screen. A trickle of memories from the previous night came back to Aqua. Ruby's performance, fleeing the scene, calling and finding out about Kana's encounter, the awkward meet and greet, then everyone huddling into their cars to go home. He must have fallen asleep against his desk again, though not because of his studies this time. Goro's presence persisted as Aqua noticed Ai standing brilliantly on the screen next to her daughter. The hours he'd spent analyzing the performance had evidently given birth to strange dreams.
As Aqua slowly raised his head, a violet blanket fell from his shoulders against the chair. He didn't remember grabbing one, so it must have come from Kana. The doctor frowned. He'd failed in his role as a boyfriend last night. Instead of being there for Kana, he'd allowed Ruby and Mem to sleep over, unceremoniously kicking Aqua out of his own bedroom to brood over the recording of Ruby's performance so Kana wouldn't have to be alone.
"This isn't good enough."
In spite of his claim, Aqua was at peace. The late night hadn't been wasted. He understood now just how little he actually knew about the doctor he used to be. That man had some motivation for persisting that went beyond Ai Hoshino and Sarina, so now Aqua only needed to determine what it was so he could see him buried. It had taken Ruby's performance to draw this epiphany that he and Goro would never reconcile their favorites out of him, but incremental, painful progress was a welcome improvement from his bumbling state mere hours ago.
Aqua's feet found his slippers again, but he didn't get up. Instead, he paused and rewound the recording of Ruby's performance back to what he'd been looking at. She hadn't been fooled by any of his lies. Her show had struck at the heart of his issue, such that even on recording he could see Ai dancing along jovially with her daughter on stage just like Goro and Aqua had always wanted. Life was too much fun to stop living for living and deceased souls alike. If that was the case, why wasn't Ai actually there?
Simply wanting to be alive clearly wasn't good enough to merit living forever. The silver-haired crow girl hadn't minced her words about how lucky both of them were to still be breathing. But Ruby, who claimed to know that, still danced with their mother, rubbed it in his face even. His blind groping for answers through his pasts felt like a foolish waste of time in the face of Ruby's open acceptance for their lot in life.
When the idols pointed to the stands once more, Aqua's eyes were drawn to where Kana and Mem's positions had gone dark. The recording didn't zoom in on it, but it was noticeable enough given their unique seating. Their absence only highlighted for Aqua that his own glow sticks had dimmed, falling to his sides as he realized that the emotions overcoming him were both unknown and terrifying.
Kana had disappeared somewhere around Ruby's fifth to last song. The recording wasn't always watching the stands, but Aqua could take a best guess based on the occasional pans. A few minutes later, Ruby and Ai's performance had overwhelmed Aqua's senses, forcing him to retreat from the roaring crowd and their idol. Even through all these rewatches, Aqua couldn't firmly identify the feelings that welled up inside of him upon seeing his family's performance. Bits of an answer like pride or joy floated into his mind, but nothing stuck long enough to satisfy him or Goro. Ai wouldn't go away or give him any answers, just like her biggest fan. But there was a path forward now, and that meant Aqua would need to focus on the more immediate problem lurking somewhere else in his apartment.
He'd left sometime shortly after his girlfriend and hadn't processed the significance of Kana and Mem being gone until the latter confronted him. The only thing Kana had managed to explain last night before being bogarted by her fellow idols was that her mother had approached her and that she apparently had a half-sister. Aqua four years ago would have been livid with himself at this oversight, but it wasn't his business to pry into anymore. But if Kana was struck first, the rules changed.
With some clever pausing and zooming, Aqua was able to locate the woman he vaguely recognized as Kana's mother based on Kana's description of her. A scandal of this magnitude might leave scars that Kana wouldn't be able to hide. If some fan went crazy and came after her because they felt betrayed by this secret, would Aqua be able to stop them? If he figured out the secret behind his reincarnation, would that enable him to keep Kana safe?
Almost out of habit, Aqua found himself thumbing through his notebook on the subject, taken from near his memory box back home. This wasn't the first time he'd considered how to wield his supernatural do-over for the sake of his loved ones, but there was never anything tangible to get the idea off the ground. This attempt was no different, a mere distraction from the real issue weighing on his mind. He'd have to rely on practical methods if he wanted to help his girlfriend.
A sinking feeling settled in Aqua's chest as he set his journal aside. Kana's mother had timing that was one step beyond coincidence. The incident happened just days after her boyfriend started taking off from work. She'd chosen one of the most public ways possible to confront her eldest daughter. Most importantly, B-Komachi had a docuseries making increasingly credible threats to expose secrets they didn't even know they had hanging over their heads.
The timing was too convenient, but the list of people who could have pulled something like this off was empty if he excluded those he trusted. He needed to expand his information network. Though he wasn't about to start using everyone again, reasonable steps needed to be taken to protect his family. An email had already been sent to Gotanda to that end, but it likely wouldn't be productive enough before something happened again. The noose around both of their necks would have to be slackened soon before-
"Doctor, our patient has been moping all night! We need to get him 50 ccs of social interaction, stat!"
Aqua shook his head, suppressing a groan as his sister burst into his room. The universe must have decided that now wasn't the time for conspiracy theories.
"Good morning, Ruby."
"The subject remembered his manners. He's gone delusional!" The idol started yanking on Aqua's arm, pulling him out of his seat and toward the living room.
"You can't cure a disease that doesn't exist."
"Then we better hurry before it gets worse! Come on, grumpy pants, it's breakfast time!"
That meant it was time to set the table and Ruby didn't want to do it. Aqua had many an early morning interrupted by his sister barging in and demanding one thing or another. He'd learned to keep his door locked as often as possible, but there were still exceptions to the rule, like when he forgot she was spending the night.
Despite the admonishing frown on his face, Aqua allowed himself to be dragged into the living area, squinting at the change in lighting. Kana and Mem were seated at the kitchen table, with additional chairs borrowed from the living room to accommodate Miyako and Saitou. A suspiciously familiar plate of eggs had been served along with toast and cereal for everyone. Nobody acknowledged Aqua and Ruby's return with anything more than a pleasant hello, with hunger capturing everyone's attention better than any idol could.
"Hey! I return a man from the dead and this is the thanks I get?" Ruby groused. "Ah, whatever. It's too early for rage. Go eat your girlfriend's eggs before they get cold, bro."
Aqua shot his sister a look but sat down next to Kana anyways, exchanging a small smile with her. The actress looked no worse for wear, but there would be time to unpack what really happened later when they didn't have company. Ruby plopped down on the other side of him. "I feel out of place," Mem admitted from the head of the table.
"Look, you asked for it when you insisted on putting ketchup on my eggs," Kana scoffed. "Even Aqua eats his eggs raw like a big boy when I tell him to."
"Please never call me that."
"Ah, my humblest apologies for stomping on your pride, Mr. Hoshino. We've been workshopping a nickname all night while you were holed up in our office, but we'll find something that pleases you, we promise."
Aqua acknowledged the sarcasm with a grunt. "You're the ones who told me to stay in there."
"We're sorry for intruding," Mem bowed from her seat, blushing.
"We are? I'm not. We did this all the time as idols," Ruby reminded her friend. "We're all one big happy family!"
"I- thanks," Mem smiled without much enthusiasm as she accepted an over-eager hi-five from her former coworker. Mentally, Aqua reminded himself to return to the conversation he'd had with Mem after things settled down with Kana.
"A house isn't a house if you're not using it," Miyako chimed in, having taken advantage of going home for the night to freshen herself and Saitou up. "That being said, you all didn't have to feed us."
Kana shrugged as she swirled her spoon in her cereal. "It's good manners, and Ruby needs things to do or she'll break stuff."
"Tell me about it," Saitou agreed as he finished his food long before anyone else. "Look, since we're all here now, we should discuss-"
"Let the boy finish eating before we start piling information on him," Miyako interrupted, cuffing her husband on the back of the head. "He barely sat down!"
"It's fine. Go ahead, Saitou. I can eat and listen."
Ichigo Saitou cleared his throat, moving his trademark sunglasses to his breast pocket now that he'd been given the floor. Aqua hadn't seen the founder of Strawberry Productions in a while, but he appeared to be doing no worse for wear as Ruby's escort. That in and of itself was a massive achievement. Miyako wouldn't have accepted anything less after her husband essentially abandoned them for most of Aqua's childhood, but he did what he could to make up for lost time.
"Alright. It's pretty simple. Somehow, it got out last night that Miss Arima here has a half-sister. The rumor mill is all over her appearance at the show and is asking everyone they can get their hands on what they know. We've established contact with Mrs. Arima, but she refused to provide additional details she hasn't already told Kana. That's in addition to waiting to tell us in person about Asumi Arima's existence and the leak to the docuseries rather than alerting us immediately."
"In short, I've been screwed over. Again." Kana supplied helpfully, crossing her legs and continuing to waterboard her cereal. Miyako started to nod in agreement before catching herself.
"Her reasons aside, there's going to be heavy scrutiny on everything we do before and after we put out an official statement regarding the situation. I shouldn't need to remind you all, but the less the public knows about the Arimas or any of us outside the spotlight, the better. Is that still your position, Kana?"
Kana nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I don't want anything to do with that woman any longer."
Aqua's hand found Kana's under the table as Saitou nodded. "Right. We're in the process of getting our stories straight with your folks. To be clear, you three didn't do anything wrong yesterday. We appreciate professionalism, but your safety and well-being comes first. Say the word, and we leave Mrs. Arima to fend for herself. Until that point, however, know that we have a spotlight on everything we do." A pointed glare was levelled at Aqua and his sister.
"What? I'm done touring, so I just have to kick back and chill."
"And what are you going to say to the first reporter asking you if you knew about your former coworker's secret sister?"
Ruby playfully rapped a knuckle on her head. "Oh, that? I hope they're getting along well!"
Saitou looked like he was watching his home burn down. "We'll have to work on that."
Miyako leaned forward, placing a hand on Saitou's shoulder to take over for him. "The point is we don't want any of you to make any public statements for a few days. Let the news speculate until we're ready. Anything we do prematurely could make things worse."
"Are we surrre we can't call off the docuseries somehow? Or even just the Unscripted interview? Have you seen the payouts on that contract? That shit is so ass."
"Mem, we can talk about the interview, but we have no control over the docuseries," Saitou explained. "It'd be like asking the news not to report on election results. Take heart in knowing you haven't done anything worth being cancelled over that we know of. We'll get through this, just like I said when they first announced it."
The television in the other side of the room was conspicuously off, but Aqua could imagine the kind of news stories that were running now. Mem had apologized profusely for failing to keep the meeting hidden, but Aqua's nagging feeling still told him there was something else at play. "Wish she would just take the freaking hint and leave us alone," Kana stabbed at her eggs.
On some level, Aqua understood, but his preferred solution for parental vitriol was decidedly too extreme for this situation, at least for now. Before he could say anything to comfort her, however, Ruby had wrapped her arms around Kana from behind the actress' chair, breaking her grip on Aqua. Kana looked up in annoyance but didn't immediately shake Ruby off. "It's not easy having a family like that, huh? I get it. Yeah, I get it. But a family isn't always the people you're related to, you know." A heartfelt look was exchanged between Ruby and Miyako.
No doubt Ruby was considering her previous life rather than their deceased mother, but the effect on Kana was the same. She placed on hand on Ruby's encircling arm gently. "Thanks, Ruby. I'm glad you and Mem are here."
Aqua barely had time to raise an eyebrow at Kana's lack of resistance before Ruby took this as her excuse to coo and smother Kana in an unwanted hug. "Awww, I'll be all the family you need, senpai! You'll see, I'll be the best sister-in-law you've ever had!"
"Get off me! My eggs!" Kana finally managed to escape Ruby as Aqua looked on with a smile. It was nice to see his loved ones getting along so well.
"So basically, Kana's going to run to America, Aqua's going back to work, Ruby's on vacation, and I have to deal with the public until we work something out," Mem summarized as she pushed her eggs around her plate.
"We'll do what we can to help," Saitou reassured the dejected streamer. "And Aqua's still on the hook for several doctor's appointments before he can go back."
"I'm fine," Aqua insisted around a mouthful of eggs. "I'm not the priority right now."
"So you haven't given any thought to the conditions I put out to seeing you return earlier?" Miyako asked.
Aqua looked down at his plate. Kana stopped berating Ruby long enough to pay attention to her boyfriend's discomfort again. "Is that what you were gabbing about before the show?"
"She wants me to attend extra therapy sessions. In theory, that'll make it easier for me to get back in sooner. But it's not going to fit in with my schedule."
"Yeah, but mental health, bro," Ruby chimed in.
"It's fine," Aqua reiterated tersely. "I have it under control now."
"Then you understand what I did yesterday?" His sister pressed, leaning over Kana to get a close-up of her brother. "Aside from scare you out of the stands like a baby?"
Aqua gave Ruby a look as Kana leaned back irritably. "I said I was sorry already, just like Mem and Kana did. I needed to clear my head. And to be clear, I do understand, and I appreciate what you're saying. From here, I think I can handle things."
The actor couldn't tell what his sister was thinking when she nodded in response. Much as he liked to tout Ruby as an open book, she could be just as secretive as their mother when she wanted to. It was her choice not to employ that side of her on stage that ironically made her such a great idol. "I see. So you need more convincing. Or you're just trying to throw me to the curb so you can spend more time with Kana. Very devious, bro."
"The hell? Do you think before that stupid mouth of yours just starts spewing shit?" Kana exclaimed, nearly spitting out her water.
"I'm just saying that Aqua needs an idol he can trust, not one who quit after just a few measly years."
"Maybe he needs an idol that has time to treat him the way he deserves to be treated."
"Maybe he needs an idol who actually remembers to smile when she's on stage."
"Ladies, you're both pretty. Let's focus on what's actually important here, which is not ruining everything we've worked to build before lunch," Saitou pleaded, clearly sick of this particular aspect of his job. "Now, here's the story we're going to go with, but only use it in emergencies. Being vague is our friend here."
Saitou proceeded to regale some explanation for yesterday's events that Aqua only partially heeded. He could leave it to his more verbose companions to handle PR work. Kana's behavior was far more interesting than Saitou's scheming. Behind holding Aqua's hand and allowing Ruby to comfort her, there was a mounting pressure that became more glaring with each stolen glance Kana threw his way. Her trip to America was within a week from now. Between this scandal, her mother, and the docuseries, there was precious little room for error if she wanted to continue down the path she'd forged for herself.
Aqua had absolute faith that Kana would be able to weather this storm. She'd faced worse and come out stronger for it, yet the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach latched onto Kana's troubles just as easily as it did his own. As the boyfriend, it was his role to support her more directly than he had as a mere coworker in the past. The glow stick on display in the living room was proof enough that he couldn't leave Kana to face this alone. It was time to start making some moves. When breakfast had disappeared and Aqua found himself doing the dishes with Miyako while Saitou lectured his talent, the actor leaned over to whisper to his adopted mother.
"I've decided to take the role Gotanda offered. How soon can we secure the tickets to America?"
Miyako set her dish down and looked pointedly at Aqua. The sink was turned on full blast to prevent their conversation from being overheard. "It's so convenient that your trip would torpedo most of your appointments for the next few weeks, isn't it?"
"Please, Mom. Kana shouldn't be alone right now. It'll turn fewer heads if we travel together. I'll take whatever appointments I can do online that I can. Whatever it takes to get the hospital off my back."
"Yesterday you tell me you're still making up your mind about accepting this role, and now we want to be there sooner rather than later? This is rash, Aqua. If you're trying to consider Kana's feelings, that's one thing, but you have clear obligations to be met here."
"My primary obligations are to them." Aqua nodded toward the women giving Saitou a hard time on the couch. "You're right that I should have proposed this a while ago, but yesterday is all the more reason we should go sooner rather than later. If anything, doing work will prove that I have myself under control to the hospital. They won't care about what kind of work so long as I keep up with my studies. By the time I return, the paperwork should be nearly done processing, and we can knock out the last fewrequiredin person appointments."
Miyako narrowed her eyes in concentration as she put a plate away, weighing the veracity of her son's claims. Her decision was to shut the sink off and retreat to Aqua's bedroom, motioning for him to follow. For a moment Aqua was worried he was going to have to find another way to travel to America when he noticed the terse expression on Miyako's face.
"I don't agree with you, Aqua. But I won't stop you if you think this is what you need to do. Kana needs more than me as her manager to help her hold it together, though she won't admit it. You'll need to take all the appointments online you can, keep up with your studies, perform the role for Gotanda, and not slip up in front of the media. If you tell me you can do that, I'll see what I can do to set up an early flight. I won't make any promises other than I'll do what I can to support you."
"I'll make this work. It's better than sitting around here worrying."
"It's not about just making this work. I want you to do what's best for you."
"This is best for me. Trust me."
This was more resistance than Aqua expected. She probably wanted more than his word that he could control himself, but there was no way to explain the conclusions he'd come to without earning a one-way ticket to a psych ward. His word would have to do, and eventually Miyako sighed in the face of Aqua's stubbornness. "The most you'll get is a few days. Promise me neither of us will regret this."
"We won't. Thanks, Mom. I'll tell Kana."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll finish the dishes, so go listen to Saitou. You need to know what to say too."
Aqua's steps felt lighter as he joined B-Komachi in the living room. Regret was a familiar bedfellow for someone living on borrowed time. Aqua had regretted many of his choices from the moment he'd allowed himself to wake up in that hospital room almost 3 years ago. The sin he committed would catch up to him regardless of what he did. But for the first time, he had an opportunity to settle part of that debt and put Goro to rest for good. Anything that added a few more seconds to the life he didn't deserve would be impossible to regret.
The good mood Aqua found himself in was repugnant to his friends and family. Aside from everyone individually accusing him of blackmailing Miyako over something, the morning proceeded without incident. Before long, Mem and Ruby had left with Miyako and Saitou for their respective homes. Nothing had been scheduled for today in anticipation of fatigue from Ruby's performance. Saitou had grumbled, but that was nothing new. Today could be a good day to start organizing the auxiliary bedroom or make that bookstore trip Kana wanted to make. Possibilities expanded in Aqua's mind as he cleaned up the mess the ladies had made in his own bedroom. Before any of that, he needed to give her the good news that she'd have company in America.
As he finished getting dressed, Aqua was satisfied. Things were finally moving in the right direction. Kana was leaning against the balcony when he emerged, waiting for her boyfriend to finish hogging the shower. The actor had a greeting on the tip of his tongue before the presence of an uninvited guest stopped him cold.
Kana was waving to someone, which was unusual in and of itself. The duo didn't use their balcony nearly enough to be familiar with the neighbors. Privacy kept the sliding doors locked and shuttered aside from when company was over. But none of that was what caused Aqua to freeze up. On the far side of the balcony, just out of Kana's line of vision, a crow was staring directly at Aqua. The two held each other's gaze, one reminding the other just what sort of commitment he was laughing in the face of the consequences of, before flying away, startling Kana.
Without thought, Aqua charged to the balcony, almost catching the bird as it fled and giving Kana her second heart attack that minute. "Aqua, what the hell?! Are you trying to kill me?"
Aqua's wild eyes glared into the late morning sun long enough to confirm the crow had fled before he refocused on Kana. "Who were you waving to?"
"What, can I not wave at people now? It was just a girl passing by."
Aqua's eyes scanned the street below them and saw nothing. "Where?"
"Dude, she's gone. Are… you all good? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did you see a ghost?"
Aqua took a breath and calmed himself. His world was starting to shrink again, and if he let himself lose control, then he'd be unable to grasp the important things right in front of him. Miyako's promise would be broken before he could even start living up to it. "Sorry. No, I'm okay. Did she have silver hair?"
Kana raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? You know her?"
"Do me a favor and stay away from her. She's… a troublemaker."
"I do what I want, sir. It's not like we had a conversation, she just waved. Way too young to recognize a washed-up child actress."
Then this time, she will die before you.
The words from Aqua's old dream rang dully in his ears. Ending Goro wouldn't erase his debt. The payment still needed to belong to him alone. No matter what the crow girl said, he wasn't going to involve Kana any more than he already had. He'd drag her and every other god he had to down from their lofty perch to rend their future into existence if he had to, and he'd do it without them ever knowing what happened. Only then would the question of why he'd actually been reborn and survived his father have a satisfying answer.
"I caught her hurling pebbles at our door once. We can't fix glass doors on a washed-up doctor and child actress salary, so do me a favor and don't encourage her."
"Geez, fine, if you're gonna whine about it. But I want something in return."
"You want something in return for not encouraging destruction of property? Our property?"
"Yep, that sums it up. I need you to promise to let me handle my mother."
"Kana, I wasn't going to-"
"Hush, I'm talking now. I know what you're gonna say, and the answer is no, you can't fall on any media swords for me this time. Absolutely not. Unacceptable. Nod so I know you're understanding me."
Aqua nodded as Kana jabbed a finger in his chest. "Good. She's my problem, much as I hate to admit it. If you wanna help, stay where I can see you and let me figure out how to face this."
"Are you really feeling okay?"
"Aside from my boyfriend almost running me off my own balcony? Peachy, thanks."
"No, not that. I mean, sorry, but in general. With what happened yesterday."
Kana twirled a strand of hair in her finger as she decided what to say. "I don't see how I could be okay with it. But it's like I told you just now and on the phone. I'm going to find a way to deal with it myself, and that's good enough for now. You're doing the same with your stuff, aren't you?"
"I'm okay, Kana. Better than I have been. And you don't have to deal with this yourself."
"That's rich, coming from you. I've survived worse," Kana shrugged off, though she didn't complain when Aqua leaned on the balcony close enough for their shoulders to touch.
"Surely you wouldn't mind a helpful suggestion or two from your boyfriend?"
Kana backed down, folding her arms with a nostalgic smile. "Heh, the last time you offered me unsolicited advice on a balcony you were wearing that stupid Pieyon mask."
The memory from half a decade ago almost derailed Aqua's train of thought entirely. "I'd… like to keep things more straightforward this time if possible."
Kana's playful grin made Aqua's heart flutter as she nudged him with her shoulder. "Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?"
Whether she wanted it or not, Aqua was going to help Kana resolve her problems with her mother. A frontal assault was just that much easier given their current relationship. He returned her smile and went right for his trump card. "I just think it'll be easier to stick together on this problem, seeing as how we'll be working together in America soon."
At this revelation, all of Kana's suspicions about Aqua's ulterior motives melted away. "You mean you confirmed the role?"
"Yup. Confirmed it with Gotanda yesterday, but I wanted to surprise you after the performance. You can complain all you want, but I don't want to separate yet either." Aqua would have kept going, but Kana stopped him by smothering him with a hug.
"Yes! That's amazing! You're going to do great, Aqua! Just stick with me, and I'll show you exactly how to do this right!" Aqua allowed Kana to gush about how great things were going to be despite not asking the obvious question of when they were leaving, returning her affection with warmth of his own. Goro's presence behind him finally began to fade as he held her close, if only for a moment.
When Kana finally calmed down enough to go inside and get dressed, Aqua locked the balcony and returned to his computer, pulling up a message he'd started and deleted several times over the past few days. He debated the idea of following through with his original request before ultimately deleting it. An email was too impersonal and risked being intercepted somewhere in the chain of command. If he wanted to talk to Akane Kurokawa, there was only one surefire method. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled down to the bottom of his contact list and created a new chat with his ex-girlfriend.
I need your help.
A/N 2:
Suprise non-Monday upload! I wanted to squeeze one in before the month rolled over, to reasonable success. With this chapter, the first arc of the story is officially concluded and we move into the arc covering the filming of Gotanda's movie. I have four arcs planned for this story, but I won't say how long they're supposed to be in case that's considered a spoiler for some. Things are only going to get more exciting from here as a certain bluenette joins the fray, so please look forward to the start of arc 2 soon!