Chapter Text
“Cut…! That's it for now!” The director yelled as one of the staff held the clapperboard, ending the shoot.
They were filming some scenes for a movie by the beach near Tsukasa's hometown. It has been a while since he visited due to his work as an actor in various shows and sometimes casting on movies such as the one they're currently taking. The sea breeze smelled a bit salty but nonetheless nostalgic as he recalled the memories of him and her sister running around in the sand back when they were young.
While they were on their break, he decided to take this opportunity to walk around the area to see if anything had changed when he wasn't around. The staff told him not to wander too far but he had told them that he used to live nearby so he knew the area like the back of his hand.
“Are you not going to eat snacks with us?” One of his co-stars, Nene, approached him.
They've known each other for a few years now, the first time being a game show where the two had interacted a few times as teammates but unfortunately, they lost due to their clashing personalities at the time. The two then got casted on the same projects a few more times and while working with them, they also worked with their relationship which ended up pretty good. He also took note of how good Nene was at singing as he’d watch her performances from time to time, without her knowing, of course.
Tsukasa simply shook his head as he continued his walk before briefly stopping, crouching down while drawing stuff on the sand. "You know, I used to play here often with my sister when we were young."
“That must be nice, I also used to play here with a friend… Do you mind if I join you?”
Upon hearing that, he paused. “You also lived here? How come we never met before?!”
Nene could only shrug at his outburst. “I don't know… maybe we went here during different times.”
“Could be.”
The actress crouched down by his side to see what he was drawing. They were little stick figures, assumingly Tsukasa and his sister, holding hands. He gave off a sigh before the waves washed it off, removing any traces of it being drawn in the first place.
After a while, Nene went ahead to go back on set while Tsukasa insisted on staying there a little more, admiring the sight before him.
While looking at the distance, he noticed something purple-colored afloat. It piqued his curiosity so he carefully went towards it. Lucky for him, that part of the shore was a bit rocky so he didn't need to actually submerge himself in water just to see what it was, although it was a bit slippery so he had to be careful with his steps.
Though before he could pick it up, it suddenly sank at the bottom before a face of what seems to be a person resurfaced.
“H- huh…?” Tsukasa seemed to be taken aback with whatever, or whoever, surfaced the water. “I had thought it was a floating plastic like WHO WOULD DARE TO LITTER AT MY BELOVED HOMETOWN'S BEACH?!”
The shouting made the person flinch, in which Tsukasa quickly apologized. This had made him laugh in response with a cat-like grin present on his face.
“Oya, what a loud voice you have…” The person in the water stated, his voice was as gentle as the summer breeze.
“Wait, what are you doing and why are you here? I thought the beach was closed to the public…” He had asked him while he rested his chin on his hand.
The purple-haired boy hummed before responding, “Perhaps I got here first? Fufu~ ”
The actor could not believe his response as he sighed, his hand resting on his head. Before he could even reply back, Tsukasa was interrupted by the darkening sky as rain started to pour.
He then excused himself and ran back to where the other actors and staff were located. Once he was there, he briefly looked back to where he saw the boy but he was already gone. Perhaps he went out of water and took shelter too? He hoped so as the waves would get stronger whenever it rains.
The director approached them and halted the filming for the day due to the unexpected bad weather. They quickly packed their belongings and left the said beach. The whole production was supposed to stay at a nearby hotel but Tsukasa insisted on staying at his family home with her sister for the meantime. Besides, it's been a while since the two last saw each other.
The actor informed her about his arrival beforehand and when he came home, he was greeted with party poppers from his sister.
“Welcome home, Onii-chan…!” His sister, Saki, greeted enthusiastically as she led him inside. Plenty of food was served on the table as if there was a special occasion that day.
“It's been a while, Saki! May I ask what the occasion is? There's unusually tons of food on the table… or maybe that's just how it was?” Tsukasa himself was unsure if it has always been that much everyday since he was away from home for quite a long time.
“Me and my bandmates are having a sleepover today! It's to celebrate our band's 10th year anniversary…!”
Right... It was on that day, a few years ago, when they reconciled and reformed the band during their high school years. He had completely forgotten due to how caught up he was with work in the acting industry.
“Oh, congratulations! If I had known then I could've bought something to commemorate such an important event…”
“No worries, just having you around is enough for me!”
Tsukasa felt his heart melt at his dear sister's remarks. He was so thankful to have such a wonderful sister in the whole wide world!
“S- Saki…”
The then doorbell rang, indicating that the visitors had arrived.
“It seems like they're already here~!” She spoke in a singing manner as she answered the door, letting them inside and guiding them to settle down in the living room for a bit.
Soon enough, the group were now eating at the dining table together. They had a lot of catching up to do, the band's growth and experiences through the years, and Tsukasa's acting career too. The actor really did enjoy seeing his sister being happy with her friends.
He volunteered to wash the dishes and told them to just continue their plan to celebrate the anniversary of their band in which he was thanked for. Besides, it was the least that he could do for the youngsters.
Tsukasa stared at the dishes, seeming to remember the purple-haired boy he encountered earlier. He doesn't remember knowing anyone in the neighborhood that looked like the guy. Maybe he just moved here recently? Then that means he'll get to see him more during their stay while shooting was taking place. The actor seemed curious about said boy, wondering how he got to the beach when it was closed off for hours before they met. Finishing his chore, he decided to head up to his room to rest.
—————
The next day started with him receiving a message from his co-star, Nene, inviting him to have lunch before their shooting later. It wasn't that rare of an event as they occasionally meet up even outside work just to chat. Besides, it's not like they're in a relationship of some sort. Nene made it very clear that she is not interested in him at all or anyone in that matter. Though from time to time, a scandal about them would surface in the media which pressured them but their fans have always been on their side so such a scandal lost its meaning until it entirely stopped.
The two actors were now heading towards a restaurant nearby when they spotted a familiar looking person. In shock, Tsukasa blurted ‘Purple!’ towards the guy who was currently holding a box.
Aforementioned guy seemed to be taken aback while Nene looked confused and quite shocked to see someone she knew. Her eyes then looked back and forth between the two guys for a bit before speaking. “Rui? Wait, you two know each other?”
“No… I just saw him yesterday at the beach we were shooting at.” The actor responded in a mumble, shaking his head slowly. He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination or not but the person looked a little… disappointed by his words? He wasn't sure.
Tsukasa would then apologize for his rude behaviour to him whose name was Rui according to the actress. He simply chuckled and told the blonde it was quite alright, brushing off the boy's comment about his hair.
“Why don't you join us for lunch? It would be nice for you two to catch up after all! If… you haven't seen each other in a while that is.”
He offered, scratching his head with uncertainty. Rui decided to accept the offer though he still had to put the box he was holding back home. According to him, it was some fragile stuff he needed to take care of.
When he did come back, they went to a nearby restaurant. It was pretty popular, a must go-to place for tourists staying in the neighborhood as they were known for their wide selection of drinks and food, as well as the view of the beach just at the other side of the place.
As the trio went in, the conversation mostly revolved around the childhood friends catching up with each other and Tsukasa couldn't help but begin to feel kind of left out from it. He didn’t want to feel that way but at the same time, he didn’t know what to say either.
“Do you remember when we used to make concoctions and it would blow up sometimes?”
“ You used to make concoctions while I supplied you with jars and containers… It was hard for me to find replacements for the broken ones so you're lucky I managed to gather more.” Nene exasperatedly sighed as she held her forehead, having a mild headache at the work she had to deal with during their childhood shenanigans.
The two would then eventually laugh at their shared memories whilst Tsukasa would sip his drink in confusion. He felt a bit awkward, not knowing what they were talking about. Fortunately for him though, his phone rang, letting him escape the scene with convenience.
“I’ll take this call real quick.” With that, he’d leave the two alone and the atmosphere immediately changed to a serious one. The two would lock eyes for a few seconds before Nene spoke, breaking the silence.
“It's been years, how… have you been? ” The songstress had that perplexed look written on her face, as if analyzing him after years of not being in touch with each other. She took note of how his hair was now longer compared to when they were kids.
“I’ve been fine. How about you? I saw and heard that you were able to become the actress you’ve always wanted to be.” Rui’s tone contrasted hers with his being calm and glad about her accomplishments.
“It has its ups and downs.” She simply responded before whispering to him. " Why are you suddenly here though? "
“Why not? I wanted to know what life is like here fufu~ ” A small playful smile appeared on his face.
“ But— ”
“I know , I promise to be careful. Besides, I enhanced it so that this time it'll last longer.”
Nene couldn't help but feel apprehensive with his response. She knew how risky it was since they had attempted it a few times before. Thankfully, none of them were caught and they were able to keep their friendship intact though they weren't able to keep in touch with each other very much...
“I believe you then,” She squinted her eyes in his direction before speaking in a softer tone. “Just... keep yourself away from harm's way, please… ” Nene reminded the boy as he simply chuckled at her strictness and muttered a ‘yes ma'am’ in return which made the girl sigh in relief.
Coincidentally, Tsukasa was back from his phone call as the two finished talking.
“What did I miss?” He had asked the duo as they just looked at each other.
“Nothing much~” Rui was the one who answered as the atmosphere quickly reverted back to how it was before the actor's disappearance.
“So, Tsukasa-kun was it? I'm glad that you and Nene got along despite your clashing personalities. I saw your performances on TV a few times and you two are a pretty good duo.” He commented with a soft smile as he finished his meal with vegetables on the side of his plate left untouched.
Tsukasa thanked him with a hand to his chest, taking pride in his acting skills while Nene noticed how the same boy pushed aside his vegetables and just sighed with a small smile appearing on her face. He was still the same Rui she knew, she thought to herself as a small chuckle escaped her mouth.
“It's almost time for our next shooting. It was nice meeting you again, Rui.” She spoke to her childhood friend as she took her bag and signaled at Tsukasa for them to leave. The actor waved at him before rushing to her side as they both left the restaurant, leaving him behind.
Rui watched through the window as the two walked away, seemingly bickering along the way. After a few minutes of savoring the moment, he then decided to leave the restaurant and head back home.
Besides, his timer was running out and he had to reset it.