Here is another update! :)
This part of the story was set in summer 2012 and I wrote that they are performing at Kokuritsu. Too bad that they wont be able to perform in real life though... :( I just hope that they would do something as big as a Kokoritsu concert. Like an Asia tour (AAA 2012 sounds fun, isn't it? :D :D) and I hope they add more countries to visit (And I hope they include my country, although it sounds unlikely. )
As always, this is unbeta-ed so tell me if there are any errors and mistakes. Comments, suggestions, reactions and criticisms are gladly welcomed. Happy reading! :)
Disclaimer: I am no way related to Arashi, Johnny's Entertainment or the Japanese Imperial Family. All names and events pertaining to any member of the Imperial family are purely fictional.
Chapter Twenty - Three: Please Don’t Say it’s Too Late
The door knob slowly snaps open, making a screeching noise in this overly serene room. Sho quickly stood up on impulse, his chest is pounding with apprehension. He should have just left with Satsuki and Rika-chan a few minutes ago but she insisted that he should wait for Sayumi as Kiyomizu will stay to attend to her father. He couldn’t say no to her, after all the kindness she shows him and her excitement when he told her that he wants to have another shot with her sister, he should at least show her that he’s got some determination.
Kiyomizu excuses himself a while ago when a guard came and told him something and Sho is now left alone in this room. For a few minutes, the only noise around is that of the machines attached to the Crown Prince, so when the door clicks open, he was almost in panic. If another member of the Imperial Family comes in, he’d sink in awkwardness and inferiority, he can’t afford exchanging elbows with every single one of them in just a day.
But the person on the door isn’t another member of the family, it is a person he knew very well and the sight of her quickly calms him down.
She’s not dressed so proper and conservative today. Instead, she’s wearing a colorful summer dress with shoes and bag to match. Sho feels like this girl is just Sophie, the cheerful and vibrant girl from Paris and he just want to come up to her and hug her like always does.
But a voice from the other side of the door stops him from doing so. He steps back from where he was standing and thanks to the divider separating the bed and the receiving area, they didn’t notice that he was there.
“Aren’t you going to be late for the rehearsal?” Sayumi asked the person from outside and Sho tried not to peep through their conversation but something tells him that he should.
“It’s okay. I texted my manager and he said that Jun-kun and Sho-chan are not there yet.” From what that voice sounds like, that should be Nino. “And besides, Kokuritsu is just a few minutes away from here… I just want to make sure that you arrive here safely. The media outside are insane.”
There was a sweet sounding laugh coming from Sayumi and Sho can’t help but to step forward to see how her face looks like.
Her radiant smile appears upon him and it sends instant signal to his heart as it starts beating faster.
“You didn’t have to escort me up to here.” She replied, she’s holding the door open but Sho can’t seem to get a glimpse of Nino.
“Kiyomizu-san allowed you to come with me without any bodyguards, Yumi. I should at least escort you up to here. I don’t want him to think that I’m doing things halfheartedly.”
There’s certain casualness between them as they talk and from how Nino delivered that reply, Sho can sense the nonchalance in his voice. But after knowing Nino for so long, he knows that he meant it wholeheartedly. It’s just Nino’s way of things, he may be unserious at all times but the truth is, no matter how much he pretend to joke around, he actually means everything he say.
“I’m safe and sound now and the guards are everywhere. You should go, you’re going to be late and I don’t want you go get into trouble because of me.” She’s still smiling and she looks way happier than the last time Sho saw her.
Sho steps back again, he can’t witness anymore of this.
“Thank you for today.” Sayumi said. Sho can refuse to see what’s going on but he can’t ask his ears to pretend not to hear a thing until Nino leaves. “I had so much fun, walking around Azabu. I want to do it again. And I want to go back to your friend’s place! The food is great!”
“Then let’s do it again.” Sho heard Nino replied. “The next time I have a day off, let’s go out again. And I’ll tell Saki that you enjoyed the food.”
Did they go on a date? Sho is asking himself. “And he introduced her to Saki? Did he also introduce her to the rest of his friends?
The rest of the conversation went on with Sho not understanding anything that follows after the mention of their supposed date. He was too caught up by how they seem to be so close now. They go out to have meals, they walk around town and he already brought her to Taverna, which is like the sacred ground of Nino and his actor buddies. The other members often go there as well and Jun is also close with the group since he already worked on movies and dramas with almost all of them. He introduced her to Saki which means that he probably already introduced her to the rest group. Nino doesn’t bring girls there, nor does he introduce his past girlfriends. Sure the rest of the guys bring their girlfriends, even Yana is close with the tight group but Nino reasons out that he’ll only bring a girl if she’s worth it.
Does Nino like her? Sho asked the question he’s been dying to know. And is he serious about her? His mind is clouded with a lot of questions. Questions that he wishes have negative answers.
Suddenly, the door shuts close and he can hear footsteps approaching. He quickly stood up, expecting her to come to his direction but instead, she walk straight to her father’s side.
“It’s just the two of us tonight, Otou-san.” She began talking to him, sitting by his side and softly stroking his hand. “I went out today with Kazu… and can you imagine that I walked an entire neighborhood?” She laughed softly. “I did it for the first time today. I don’t have bodyguards following me around, just me and Kazu. I had so much fun…” There were silence, Sayumi just stared at her father for a brief moment.
“I wish I can walk with you around town too, Otou-san… Or even if I can just walk with you around the palace like we used to when I was younger, that’s fine with me… Just wake up for me, please.” She held her father’s hand up, closer to her face as she started crying. “I still need you. I don’t want to be alone in this. I don’t want to continue being a Princess if you’re not here, Otou-san, so please wake up.”
Sho wanted to come up to her, hug her from behind, wipe away the tears in her eyes and tell her that she’s not alone but his feet seems stuck to the ground. He didn’t know if she still wanted him to be beside her.
The door quickly opens again and Kiyomizu comes in, and caught her surprise. Sayumi wipes off her tears and stood up from where she is seated as Kiyomizu apologizes for not knocking on the door.
“It’s okay, Kiyomizu. I just suddenly feel so emotional.” Sayumi smiled through the tears and Kiyomizu nods understandingly.
“I see that Sakurai-san left already, Princess?” Kiyomizu asked and Sayumi have this puzzled look on her face.
“What did you say?” Sayumi asked, making sure that she didn’t hear it wrong.
And before Kiyomizu can answer, a different voice sounded from behind. “I’m still here, Kiyomizu-san.” Sho finally showed up from the receiving area and Sayumi is stunned with his sudden appearance. “I’m sorry if I heard everything.” He looks straight at her and she is close to tears yet again.
She shakes her head reassuringly, as if saying that it doesn’t matter if he heard everything and what’s more important is that he is here, that she finally saw him again.
But Sayumi couldn’t find her voice to speak, nor does she move from where she’s standing. She just stares at him in shock.
“Actually, I need to go as well.” Sho shifts his gaze from her to Kiyomizu then back at her again. “I still have something to do.” He slowly walks over to where they are standing.
“No. Please stay.” Sayumi finally speak up as her hand instantly grips his arm. Sho feels the same electricity he felt when he first touched her hand in that café in Paris.
Their eyes caught each other. Hers is expectedly pleading while his is pure longing.
He smiles tenderly. “I’ll come back another day. I promise.”
Sayumi nods understandingly as she lets go of his arm. “I’m looking forward to that.”
If anyone can read how they gaze at each other, it’s evident that both of them don’t want to leave each other’s sight. They waited so long for this moment to come, Sayumi especially. She never loses hope that one day, she and Sho will have their chance again. Sho, showing up here, all gentle and calm, just proves that her patience pays off.
“Take care of yourself.” Sho said, gently caressing her upper arm. She nods with a smile and he smiled back before he walks off to the door.
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Arashi’s final rehearsal ended thirty minutes after one in the morning and the members feel exhausted and drained. Ohno, Aiba and Nino are laying down on the main stage’s floor without their shirts on as they caught up with their breathing, Jun is finalizing everything with the director and Sho excludes himself from everyone as he strides of to the other end of the stadium and sat on one of the chairs.
Minutes later, everyone is preparing to leave and Sho can hear Aiba yelling his name from the stage, telling him that they should head back inside their dressing room.
“I’ll stay here for a bit!” Sho yelled back, getting not only Aiba’s attention but the other members’ and the staff’s as well. “Don’t wait for me! You all should go home and rest!” He waves his hand, assuring them that it’s okay if they all go ahead of him.
His visit earlier left him thinking about a lot of things. Of course he is happy that she’s not mad at him and he knows that she still accepts him but the thing with Nino bothers him the most. Nino is unexpectedly nice towards her, nice to the point that it’s getting suspicious. Nino lets her inside his life that easily and what’s more intriguing is that she also lets Nino in easily.
Sayumi lied to him about her real identity and even if she told him her real name, she forbids him from calling her that and insisted that he should just call her Sophie. But with Nino, she lets him into her real world without hesitation, he even calls her Yumi, the nickname that her family calls her.
Petty reason, maybe, but Sho feels absolutely jealous of that. And that jealousy reflects at how he treats Nino tonight, and everyone got slightly affected.
Sho is unusually quiet, considering that this is the final rehearsal, he didn’t quite share his thoughts and suggestions like he always does and leave everything to Jun and the staff to decide. He wouldn’t open his mouth to speak unless he needed to ask a question and even if Nino is the nearest person to him, he would look for the other members to ask.
The lights in the stadium suddenly went off and it was pitch black everywhere. Sho slowly lay down on the chairs and stares at the stars in the sky.
It was stupid of him to get mad at her for keeping her real identity and it was even more stupid of him to think that he would never need her again. He had never loved anyone the way he loves her and he probably wouldn’t find someone like her even if he search the whole world. Sophie gave him the contentment and satisfaction in life. With her, he doesn’t need to worry about the future because just the thought of her by his side is enough to keep him going, to keep fighting.
“Why are you being so melodramatic here, Sho-chan?” Aiba’s voice suddenly disturbs him in his thought and when he lights up his phone to look, four faces are staring at him.
“I told you all to leave without me.” Sho sits back up. “I just don’t feel like going home yet.”
“Well, we all decided to drink before going home. Wanna come?” Ohno asked.
Sho look at their beaming smiles, except for Nino who’s looking at him blankly, before he shakes his head. “Go ahead. I don’t want to go near any alcohol. I had enough the past weeks.”
“What a killjoy.” Jun clicks his tongue in discontent.
“Okay. We’ll go ahead then.” Ohno pats his shoulders as he nods. “See you tomorrow.”
They all said their goodbyes and the four started walking away before Sho shouts back.
“Actually, Nino, can we talk?” The four guys sway around to look at him as he is now on his feet.
“About what?” Nino asked, almost dauntingly. Three confused faces are swinging back and forth to Nino and Sho.
That attitude of Nino ticks Sho off. “About Sophie.” He replied firmly. “Or Yumi, as you call her.”