"Here, it's airing now! I'm so excited to see mom's acting!!"
Right now, the Hoshino family is sitting in front of TV to watch their mother first drama. As it was being played, all of them excited seeing Ai's face appear on the screen. "Ah! That's mom!"
"Hey zoom in, camera!!"
"Mama look so beautiful!!"
They watch... and watch... and watch..
...
"HUH?! IS THAT IT?!?!"
"THAT WAS BARELY ONE SCENE!!" the twin start to make a fuss. Aqua jump off from the couch while bringing a phone and going somewhere.
"Was my acting that bad....?" Ai ask her children. "No! Of course not! That's not the case at all!!" Ruby immediately shook her head towards the statement. She was furious. How can they let her beautiful mom appear only for 10 seconds. This is unfair!
As he realise the gloomy mood, Astra hug his mother and give a small compliment. " Mama is great and beautiful. I love mama!" Ai was touch by the children's trying to cheer her up. She gave a smile and kiss both of their forehead.
"Thank you... both of you."
Ruby get off the couch and run close the TV. She looked at them with eyes full of determination. "Let's prove to them Mama is a great actor!"
Astra and Ai stare at each other before turning to look at Ruby again. She smile and said, "Let's go role play! Me and Astra are going to be a knight! And Mama is a princess that we will save from the cruel and evil villain," She pointed at the two of them. Both of them blinking at the same time. Then, they smiled and nodded. Ruby was happy. She pull Astra out from her mom grasp, "We need to build the castle for the princess first! Can you please bring out some pillow from our room? All types of pillow."
Astra nodded and saluted at the order, "Yes, ma'am!" He bring his lil fee t as fast as he can to find as much pillow in their house. Ai giggled at the cuteness. She stand up and said, "I'll help building the castle!" Ruby grinned. "Yeah! Teamwork make the dream works!" She pounced her hand up.
But the time Aqua is done with his business, a small pillow house is done and Ai is already under it. Ruby and Astra stand together, guarding the opening as if they are a soldier. When Ruby make an I contact with Aqua, a mischievous glint appear in her eyes. She pointed at him and screamed, "the evil monster is here! We have to protect the princess! Astra let's go!" She passed a pillow to Astra and.p both of them strike Aqua.
"Aaaah!" Aqua manage to dodge their attack, "what the heck! What are you doing!" He shouted. He just done make a stressing deal with the director and now suddenly he was attack by his twins. Not only Ruby, but his gentle, cute and kind Astra too?!
"The monster is escaping. We cannot let it happen! Go!" Astra run after Ruby. A wide smiled was paste on his face, clearly showing his having fun. Aqua try to dodge but Ruby manage to lend a small hit. He finally snapped. He take a pillow behind him and choose to attack back, "if that how you wanna play then... Let's play" He stare at them with dark glance.
Astra gulp and hide behind Ruby. "Don't be afraid! We can definitely win!"
"You can do it! My knights!" Ai scream from her place, giving them a boost of energy. And that is how all of them get in the mess of feather all around the places and Astra sitting on Aqua with Ruby holding a win flag. Ai clapped happily and hugged them all together.
"We did it!"
Aqua grumbled quietly but still... a small smiled appear on his face.
*************************************
A chirping sound from a bird feeling the moment. A gentle breeze hit them all as they're walking around the nature of forest. Today they're having a shooting at the mountain. Well, Aqua is.
"Thank you for taking care of Aqua today." Miyako-san said to the director while holding Ruby. Astra was enjoying the beautiful scenery while holding Aqua's hand.
"Oh yeah, no problem. By the way, that's taken care of right?" Taishi said as his eyes glance at the small girl in her hold.
"Yeah... more or less..." Miyako sweatdropped. Ai is scheduled is pack for today but not with this shooting. She can leave the other two or Aqua by themselves. Ruby is actually making a big fuss, and wailing about not wanting to go and stay with her mother. But there is no option for her. She falls asleep out of exhaustion from crying.
Taishi walked towards Aqua. "I'll get in trouble if I use a child actor who's not part of a company, so..."
"If you're looking for someone to act, then my sleeping over there can do better job than me. If anything you should ask her." Aqua glance at the sleeping Ruby in Miyako's hold. Astra hide behind Aqua as he is still yet uncomfortable with the man in front of them.
"No, I want you." Taishi immediately turned down the suggestion. Why would he let go of the precious gem in front of his eyes. Impossible.
"I'm using Ai in exchange for you being part of my film. In this industry, we call it bartering. Take note, it's one of the basic terms around" Seeing how scary the director was, Astra immediately hide behind Aqua. Aqua just pat his head while sweatdropped. 'Do he need to look that scary while telling me that...?'
Miyako walked towards them. "That scary director sure likes you, Aqua. What'd you even do?"
"I didn't really do anything. Somehow, old men tend like it whenever young people have an informal and easy going attitude towards them. So I just avoid being loud," He shrugged his shoulder.
"What an unpleasant child you are" Miyako sweatdropped.
*******
Astra walk around the shooting set alone. He refuse the invitation from his brother to go to preparation room and choose to stay outside, fulfilling his curiosity. He never went to country side as they love in the city of Tokyo. The scenery here do amaze him.
He walk aimlessly and suddenly bump into someone's leg. "Ah!" Astra rubbed his head and looked up, regretting it as the scary director face appear in front of him.
"What are you doing here alone kid? Where are your siblings? Don't you dare wander off like before. You don't how much trouble you caused to us." Taishi didn't mean it to sound that harsh, but Astra mind think otherwise. His eyes slowly tear up and a sobbed escaping his lips. Taishi panics and look around, trying to find anyone near that can help him but to his disappointment, he need to handle the consequences by himself.
"Oi! Don't cry. I'll be dead if your brother knew this. Please stop crying." Taishi didn't know how to handle kid, especially the crying one. Astra whimper and said, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to cause trouble..."
Now Taishi felt worse. He didn't know what to do so he just let his brain choose which body part to move and help him. Taishi pick him up slowly, in case the kids suddenly throw a tantrum but instead, Astra cling to him like a Koala. He sigh and rubbed the boys back. "Hey..I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scold you. I'm just worried if you get lost again. You put up quite a mess before you know..." he said softly.
Astra stay quiet and just keep crying softly into the director's arm. After a while he finally calm down. Taishi bring out a small handkerchief to wipe the left over tears. He sigh, "You triplets are weird."
Astra giggled. Taishi's heart is now at ease as the boy finally smiling again. Don't know why, but it just hurt to see him sad.
"There you are!" Aqua rushed towards them, "I was worried that you got lost again..." He let out a relief sigh as he saw Astra is with the director and not somewhere unseen.
"Wait...are you crying..?" Aqua saw the tears mark on his face and got worried again. He look at the director as Taishi avoided eye contact and start to sweat. "Aah...that...that...was...um..might be my fault.."
"You did it?" A dark auto emerge from Aqua's body. "Wait! Calm down would you! I didn't mean to do anything!" Taishi panic as he saw the murderous gaze from his own actor. This one is too protective.
Before Aqua could do whatever torture for making his brother cry, the staff call out.
"Alright! We're starting our shoot!" The staff called out to them. Taishi let out the breath he never knew he was holding. At least his lived was spared today. He gave out thumbs up only to confuse the staff.
Aqua sigh. He turned to them, "Do you want to stay with the director or Miyako?". As a response for that question, Astra hug Taishi tighter. Aqua nodded. "Take care of him." Taishi didn't need to hear the next sentence to know its was a threat. Aqua face literally said, 'make him cry, you'll never see the sky again..'
Aqua got himself ready at the shooting set with Arima Kana, the prodigy actor who can cry within 10 seconds. She got the title as An actor who can flick a crying switch. Taishi followed behind him with Astra still in his hold and sat down at the director chair to observe their performance.
"Goodluck, Nii-chan!" Astra shouted from their place. Aqua nodded with a smile on his face. "Please restrain yourself from making any sound while shooting." Taishi remind the boy sitting on his lap. Astra close his mouth with his lil palm and manage to make the serious director smiled at his acutely action.
"Now...let's observe how great your brother acting are...."
Aqua's POV
To summarise what this film is about, it's a story about a woman who has no confidence in her appearance and then ends up getting plastic surgery from a suspicious hospital that was deep in the mountains.
We're the creepy kids she meets at the entrance of the village.
"Welcome, honoured guest. We're here to greet you...Please, enjoy your time here..."
As expected from a prodigy child actress, her acting is really good. Even if I do the same thing, there's just too big of a difference in our skill for anyone to pay attention to me. Even an amateur like me understands that.
Then, what should I do? If I planned on doing it like I normally would, I would just act like a creepy kid...
But that's not what he wants. The scene the director wants is probably....
"There is only a single guest house within the village. As such, it might be best to check-in before wandering about."
The lines on this script are something director added last minute. He revised it after meeting me, expecting me to improve upon it. If I consider his attention...
Then I'm better off not acting at all. I just have to be loyal to his vision. He didn't say it word for word, but the director pretty much wanted to say...
"You don't have to act, you're already creepy enough"
Author's POV
Astra turn himself and hide his face on Taishi's chest. He tighten his grip on the shirt and whisper, "Scary...." Taishi rubbed his back as a comfort.
"Ok, Cut!!"
Taishi was truly satisfied with that scene. Aqua prove himself enough. "It's done. You can turn around." He said softly to the boy who still holding him. Astra peek around and saw his brother was talking to the actress.
"Wow! You're amazing! I've go shivers!" The actress crouch down and compliment Aqua on his acting.
"Really, that's great than..."
"It's no good." Kana walk to the director and pull his shirt. "Director, please retake the scene.."
Taishi raise his eyebrow, "hmm? We didn't have any problem though."
"There is a big problem!!" The sudden scream shock everyone on the set. "The way Kana acted just now...! I did so much worse than him!" Tears pour out from her eyes like a waterfall. She hold his shirt as tightly as she can. Refuse to let go and keep begging for a retake.
"No! One more time!! Please!! I'll do better next time! One more time! Please!!"
Astra look at the girl with eyes full of pity.
**********
The sun has set, marking the complete shooting for the day. Astra cannot get the sad look on Kana's face out of his mind. Looking at the still sobbing girl, Astra make a way towards her.
Kana look up as she feel a shadow looming over her, only to see Aqua's twin. Before she could say anything, Astra hand out a candy wrapped up in pink plastic.
Astra pulled her hand and put the candy on her palm. "What?" Kana is confused by the sudden action. "You looke sad. Mama said that sweets can make us happy. So I want to share my candy with you!" He said, with a bright smile plastered on his face. A small dust of pink appear on Kana's cheek.
She hold the candy and looked away, "Thank you...."
"Please don't be sad. Kana-chan. You did great!" The words coming out from his mouth manage to make her smile. "Of course I am! I'm a prodigy actor after all!" She flipped her hair with a proud smile. Astra giggled.
The sadness in her heart slowly dispersed into happiness with the boy in front of her.
"Astra! Let's go home!"
"Yes!" He replied to Aqua's calling. Before moving away he smiled and said, "じゃ目 (see you), Kana-chan!"
With that, Kana was left alone but with a new feeling forming in her heart.
****************
Author's note!
Rewriting this chapter. Hope you like this version better!