My acting love - Watashi no engi ai (Aqua Hoshino x Akane Kurokawa)

Chapter 8 - the return

Hellooo! I'm back! Sorry for making you wait, I have had an... interesting couple of days. Also- without promising anything... I MAY have a collaboration project coming up. No promises since there's a crap ton of stuff we need to work out, but stay tuned just in case we DO manage to go ahead. I'm so exciteddddd!  

ALSO! SPOILER WARNING! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA!!!
(Or if you just don't care. that's cool too. You're invited.)

Anyway, that's about that. Let's not delay you any further: into the story we go!

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Aqua was happy. Really, truly, happy. He had got rid of Gouro, managed to learn to love acting, and had been going out with Akane for real for a few months. Everything was perfect at last. Of course, this made Aqua weary as well (because Aqua is Aqua). If it's perfect now, then it can only get worse. Little did Aqua know, that day happened to be coming a lot sooner than expected.

Aqua had given up the search for his father a while ago. However, that didn't mean he wasn't curious about him, so he had continued to look into it, just as a side project. So far, after milking the internet for all it was worth, he had come up with only one likely candidate - an actor who lived in the same area as Ai, and around the same age. Hikaru Kamiki. This made Aqua nervous, because the more he looked into him, the more he realised he did NOT want this to be the case. He had to hope, had to believe he had missed something. This couldn't be his father. Not the man who was rumoured to be a horrendous serial killer. So when he get the phone call, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do next.

Ring... Ring... Ring... Ring...

"Hello, Ruby Hoshino speaking!"

"Ah, Ruby, hello! Is your brother here?"

"Uhm, yes... who are you?"

"I'm a friend of his! He told me about you. You seem like a really cool sister!"

"Oh, uh, thanks? Sure, I'll go get him."

Ruby looked at her Aqua, who happened to be sitting right next to her. "You know this dude?"

Aqua closed his eyes and sighed. "No, never heard that voice in my life. But how does he know so much about us? Let me take the phone. I need to learn about this guy."

Ruby looked nervous. "Alright then..."

Picking up the phone, Aqua jumped to the point. "Who are you?"

The voice on the other end of the line let out a little laugh. "Ohh, you're so unlike your mother. My name is Hikaru Kami-"

Aqua hung up the phone immediately. Ruby, before I continue the phone call, I'm going to need you to leave the room. The guy on the other end of the line could be real bad news. So please, let me continue this conversation privately.

Ruby rolled her eyes as the phone started ringing. "Ugh, you're such a siscon! Fine, jeez, I'm going."

After he was sure Ruby wasn't listening at the door, Aqua picked up the phone again.

"Hikaru Kamiki, you said?"

"Heh, yes. Judging from your reaction, I'm guessing you know who I am."

That confirmed Aqua's suspicions. Hikaru Kamiki was their father. Oh boy, how fun.

"I do. Why are you calling now of all times? Why are you calling at all?"

"There's only one answer to both of those questions - I only just learned you existed! If I had known I would have made myself known much earlier."

Aqua wasn't convinced. "That only gives way to more questions. Why did you leave Ai in the first place? And how do you know about us now? Who told you?"

Another chuckle at the other end of the line. "I know about you the same way you know about me! The internet truly is wonderful, isn't it? When I saw that video about you and Ruby performing that wonderful choreographed dance at the age of just a few months, I knew it was you. Those eyes don't appear in just anyone, you know?"

Aqua considered Akane, who had managed to replicate the eyes perfectly, but decided to to let this rumoured murderer know about his girlfriend. Not a particularly good move, that would be.

"Yeah, I noticed. Now answer my other question."

"Hmm? Oh. Why I left Ai. Well, I guess you could chalk it up to a small... disagreement."

"She learned who you truly are?"

A pause. "What do you mean?"

Aqua's confidence grew. "I know all about you, Hikaru. 4 accusations of murder, none proved. An ambitious man who doesn't like people getting in his way. I know you killed Ai. For years, I was devoted to bringing you down, and it's not too late to start up again."

A sigh that definitely sounded familiar (it sounded exactly like Aqua's) came from Hikaru's end of the line. "Horrible, cruel accusations aside, what made you stop?"

Aqua paused. This man sounded like he was used to conversations like these. Just how sick was he? "I stopped because I realised I was wasting this shot I had at a life. Revenge wasn't the one I wanted."

"Fair enough, and lucky me I guess. You still haven't stopped hating me for something I didn't do, though, I presume."

"Something you didn't do? Please, I know better than that."

"With all due respect, you are 16. What could you possibly know about this?"

Aqua almost burst out laughing. No way, someone finally said it! After 16 years! Why did it take so long?! He had to control his laughter again as he realised he was older than his father.

"You'd be surprised."

"I'm sure I would."

After a few seconds of silence, Aqua asked the question he was desperate to know the answer to.

"Why are you calling me, specifically, and not Ruby? What do you want from me?

Aqua could almost hear Hikaru's grin.

"What do I want from you? Why, Aqua, I want to meet you!"

Dun dun DUUUUUN!

I was going to make the chapter longer, but then I saw a really awesome opportunity for a cliffhanger, so I took it. you're welcome!

Shortangryblonde out!