(01/?) Towards Uncertain Futures: Of Childhood Dreams and Sudden Decisions
TITLE: Towards Uncertain Futures
AUTHOR: aishizuki
PAIRING: Sakurai Sho x OC (Saito Miki)
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 3 569 words
GENRE: Drama/Romance/Comedy/Slice of Life (?)
TYPE: Multichapter AU
SUMMARY: After being with Arashi for ten successful years, Sho decides it’s time for him to take a break from his duties as an idol. Although his stint with Arashi guarantees him success in whatever endeavors he may choose to take on in his career, he feels that a change of scenery will allow him to realize what he truly wants to be in the long run - whether he wants to remain an idol with the agency, or to pursue his dreams of being a fully-fledged lawyer and settling down with a family in the near future.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I chose this timeframe (Arashi’s 10th year/2009) on purpose, hence this being an alternate universe of sorts. I seriously haven’t developed a plot for this… I’m just seeing where my writing will lead this story, based on the ending of each chapter. Comments are very much appreciated, because your opinions on what should happen next may heavily influence the outcome of the following chapter. :3 AND OMG MY WRITING SKILLS ARE NONEXISTENT NOW :<
Also, I’ll be trying my best not to use the Japanese equivalents of some phrases, as it seems to be annoying for some readers, and will also seem out of place in English text. However, names will be written in the LAST NAME FIRST NAME format, and the boys will be mentioned with their first names.
- - -
CHAPTER ONE
Of Childhood Dreams and Sudden Decisions
- NOVEMBER 2008 -
It was a pretty uneventful Sunday in November for Arashi. They surprisingly had the day off to themselves, and chose to celebrate the occasion of having no work by eating out at the Aiba family restaurant, Keikarou. As they settled in a private room, Masaki passed out the food-filled plates and everyone else began eating. At that point, he noticed the group’s rapper staring blankly into space.
“Sho-chan? Why aren’t you eating?”
All the other members of Arashi stopped devouring their meals and turned to Sho. The sudden silence from their end seemed to snap Sho out of his reverie.
“Oh, sorry, I spaced out for a bit… I was just thinking of some things.” Sho shrugged nonchalantly as he reached for his chopsticks. Jun seemed unconvinced by Sho’s reason, and continued staring at him even as the rest resumed their meal.
“Are you sure, Sho? That look tells me you have a lot of your mind, to the point that it’s worrying you. You want to tell us about it?” Jun murmured in a low voice, which was loud enough for the entire group to hear.
Sho sighed and picked up his rice bowl. “Well, yeah, there is… I’ve been thinking about taking a break from Arashi and going back to school.”
“HUH?” was the collective reaction from Kazunari and Masaki, whereas Satoshi and Jun only gave him their usual looks of concern.
“But why, Sho-kun?” Kazunari asked in between bites of gyoza. “Did we ever do something wrong to you?”
Sho laughed and shook his head as he helped himself to some grilled chicken. “No, no, it’s not you guys. You’re not at fault. It’s just that I got to think about some things lately, especially after talking with Mai.”
“Your sister?” Masaki asked. Sho nodded in response.
“Yeah. Mai’s boyfriend apparently proposed to her just last week, but she asked him if she could wait for her response, because she wanted to talk to me and mom about it before giving her final answer.”
“Seriously?” Kazunari exclaimed in surprise. “To think that I still remember Mai as the young girl who used to tag along and bug you during recordings… Do you know the guy?”
“Yeah, I’ve met him quite a few times. Apparently, Mai tries to bring him home with her whenever she knows I’ll be home for the night.”
Jun chuckled as he reached for a glass of water. “Well, that’s good. At least she knows that the guy she’s dating has to have her older brother’s approval. But what does this have to do with you? I don’t get how this would make you think about going back to school…”
“Hmm… Realizing that my sister is in love, ready to get married, and is accomplishing all her dreams made me think about where I am going now with my own dreams. We’re at the top of our career, and it’s our tenth year next year, but somehow I really want to try and ask the management if I could take a break and go back to school… I want a change of scenery, I guess.”
“Why not go for additional studies while juggling your idol responsibilities then? You did that back when you were still in Keio…” Satoshi offered, much to his band mates’ surprise. His opinion was a rare delight in conversations such as these.
Sho shook his head. “I did think about that. I could certainly do it again, but it wouldn’t be advisable for the studies I wish to take.”
“Why so? What do you want to take up?” Kazunari asked while pushing a plate of maki towards Sho, who accepted it with a grateful nod.
“I’m thinking of pursuing my childhood dream of being a lawyer, and going to Tokyo University for law school.”
Silence reigned in the room following Sho’s declaration. It was only when Masaki accidentally dropped his chopsticks that the rest snapped out of their shock.
“But that’s heavy, Sho-chan!” Masaki exclaimed indignantly. “It’ll take you a while to complete that course… And there’s no guarantee of you coming back to Arashi after you’ve become a lawyer.”
Sho nodded and sighed yet again.“True… It’s a risky decision, but I really want to pursue this if the management would allow me. And I guess I won’t really regret leaving, because it’s actually the career I dreamed of as a child.”
“Our songs wouldn’t be the same without your raps, Sho.” Jun murmured yet again. ”I don’t know, but they often make up the bulk of our songs. Haven’t you noticed?”
“I know… I apologize in advance for the inconvenience.” Sho bowed his head in apology.
As the group continued to discuss the possible implications of Sho’s plans of leaving the group to pursue law while continuing on with their meal, Satoshi just observed the group as he ate. The news didn’t surprise him, because he knew and understood far more than the other members did.
On nights when the two couldn’t sleep during their long concert tours, he and Sho would often sit at the balcony of their room and talk for long hours about their wishes and dreams for the future. Sho often yearned and dreamed, for the longest time, to finally be able to settle down and start a family - something that was utterly impossible for an idol at the height of his career.
Satoshi secretly hoped Sho wouldn’t leave the group soon, but he knew that once his friend set his mind to try and reach for his dreams, nothing would be able to stop him.
Not even Johnny Kitagawa, the grand old man of Johnny’s Entertainment.
- - -
“WHAT? You want to quit Johnny’s?”
Sho winced at the pitch of his mother’s shocked voice that collided with the heavy slam of a hand on the dining table. He slowly set down his teacup on the table before speaking.
“Uh, I’m not really quitting, Mom. I just want to take a hiatus from all my idol responsibilities with the agency.”
Sakurai Mie gave her son an indignant look before sighing and taking yet another sip of her own tea. “I can’t say that I don’t support you, son, but this is somehow… sudden. And if you do decide to push through with this idea, you’ll have to consult with the management fast… Applications close mid-December, and won’t reopen for the Fall Semester applications until August.”
She looked over her shoulder, towards the direction of her husband who was lounging on the couch and watching his usual dose of the late night newscasts.
“I’m not sure if your father would agree, too.”
At that remark, Sakurai Shun chose to turn in his seat and face the direction of the table, where his wife and eldest son were seated. “I don’t have objections, actually. I’m even pleased that he’s considering the idea of going to law school. The boy’s apparently following my footsteps.”
Sho rolled his eyes at his father’s side comment as Mie shook her head reluctantly. “It’s a wonderful idea, indeed, but Sho has such a great career with Arashi these days. I’m merely wondering if he won’t regret such decisions to go on leave and proceed with law school.”
As Sho observed the exchange between his parents, he could not help but smile and admire at the way they both handled the discussion with sensitivity and consideration of how the situation may affect the other people around them. He envied his parents somehow because of this, and he briefly wished that his future wife (whoever that would be) would be as sensitive and as considerate as his mother was.
Sho took a deep breath and stood up from his chair, the action surprising his parents. He proceeded to kiss his mother on the cheek and passed by the couch to give his father a pat on the shoulder. “You two shouldn’t worry about it too much, Dad. I’m fine; I can make decisions on my own.”
Sho’s retort made Mie smile and nod. “Mm, we know that. Whatever you decide, son, I guess it is better that we just keep on supporting you all through the way.”
The idol could only smile and nod his thanks, before he left the area and ascended the stairs to his room.
- - -
Sho was staring absentmindedly at the application papers to the University of Tokyo - School of Law that he picked up from the said university earlier that month. All he managed to write on the form were his name and birth date. Clearly, he was still troubled and confused with the idea of going to law school.
A knock from the door broke his reverie, and he straightened the forms on the table before answering. “Yes?”
“Brother, are you busy? Mom said you wanted to talk to me as soon as I got home.”
‘Ah,’ Sho thought, somehow relieved. ‘It’s Mai. I guess I should discuss this with her as well.’
“I’m not. Come in.”
Mai took this as a signal to enter her elder brother’s room, which she rarely did even in her high school years.
‘He must want to talk to me about Takeshi and something else… That look tells me that he has a lot on his mind that he absolutely needs to share with someone.’
She took a deep breath as she sat at the edge of her brother’s bed. She smoothed her palms on the surface of the comforter as she made herself comfortable, as if to assure herself that nothing important was coming up. “What’s up?”
Sho swiveled around in his office chair to face Mai. He smiled as he reached for her hand and held it gently. “How’s it going with Takeshi so far?”
Mai’s lips curved into a soft smile the same way her brother’s did, not resisting the warmth that his hands created around hers. “We’re fine, Sho-nii. I still haven’t answered him yet, but I’ve already talked with Mom and Dad, and they’ve agreed… You’re the one left to talk to.”
Sho laughed and rubbed his thumb against her knuckles, as if it was his way of offering an apology to her. “I’m sorry, Mai,” he whispered. “I’ve been busy the past few days, and only got to come home now.”
“Don’t apologize. I understand you’re busy with your career right now, brother… I actually appreciate you taking your time to listen to me despite your schedule.”
“Hey, hey, how can I not care about my little sister falling in love and wanting to get married? I must at least approve of the guy before a marriage happens in this house!” Sho retorted as he playfully shoved away his sister’s hand, which earned him a giggle from her.
“There you go again, Sho-nii… You’re going all so brotherly at random times. Seriously though… What do you think about Takeshi?”
As if on cue, Sho put on a serious face and showed that he was seriously contemplating her question. After a few moments of silence, Sho sighed and nodded.
“He seems like a nice man, Mai. But are you really sure he’s the one you’d really want to spend your life with? Not to mention that the Sakurai clan is really uptight about marriages… Not that I give a damn, it’s just that the clan might be hard on you if they find that a daughter of the clan marries somebody not exactly their type.”
Mai understood Sho’s sentiments. After all, she had watched her older brother grow up amidst criticism aimed towards their family shortly after he joined Johnny’s Entertainment, and eventually debuted with Arashi. He had only ever gained the respect he finally deserved from the Mitsui group (from their mother’s side) and the Sakurai clan (from their father’s side) when he eventually graduated with a degree in Economics from Keio.
She appreciated the fact that because of the criticisms he shouldered from the clans, he had emerged an even stronger individual with a very sensitive mindset to things concerning his parents and siblings. She knew he didn’t want to admit it, but it was his way of showing he cared for them, and that he didn’t want them to go through the same troubles he had back then just because he didn’t exactly fulfill the clan’s stereotyped image of a “filial son”.
“I get your point, Sho-nii… But I’m okay. I don’t really care either what the clan says, even though I know we have an image to maintain. Takeshi is a really nice and gentle guy; you should get to know him… He’s been my friend since high school, after all. Although he isn’t exactly in politics or business like the rest of the clan expects our husbands or wives to be, he makes me happy.”
As Mai talked about her boyfriend, Sho observed that her face often lighted up whenever she pointed out positive points about him.
‘Good, at least he makes Mai happy. And after having encountered him a few times before… He isn’t that bad at all. Having another Information Technology graduate wouldn’t hurt the family either.’ Sho thought amusedly.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about, dear sister,” Sho declared out loud as he heard her piece.
“As long as he makes you happy, and that he shows that he’s ready to support you and your future family… I don’t mind. I actually think it would be interesting to get to know the man that has been smitten by my sister, who is so far the most talkative person I know…”
Mai slapped his arm in response before he could finish his sentence. “…Next to Aiba. Hey! Why’d you slap me when I haven’t finished talking yet?”
“At least you don’t mind being slapped.” Mai pointed out, feigning a pout before she laughed. Sho joined in her laughter for a few moments before Mai stopped and reached out for her brother’s hand the same way he did earlier in their conversation.
“Thank you, Sho-nii… I’ll let Takeshi know about our talk tomorrow. Now it’s your turn… What’s up?” She asked in a voice, barely above a whisper but very audible to both of them in the silence of the room.
Sho sighed resignedly as he released his hand from her grasp and reached for the forms on the table. “You got me. I wanted to talk about something else too, but you got there first.”
“I know that expression all too well, brother. It’s either some problems happened with Arashi or the management, or you’re about to decide on something very important and you have no idea what to do.”
Sho handed her the forms, which she accepted with a nod. “It’s the latter.”
The header of the forms caught Mai by surprise, and she shifted her attention to her brother just as quickly as she read the first part. “Eh? Tokyo University School of Law? What’s going on?”
“Well,” Sho started, unsure of what to say. “I got to think over a lot of things after you called me last week…”
“What’s my engagement got to do with law school, though, Sho-nii?”
Sho chuckled. “Yeah, that’s totally unrelated. But seeing you slowly grow up, accomplish your dreams, and eventually meet the man who would love you for the rest of your life… I wondered if I would ever be able to do the same.”
Mai wondered where her brother was getting at. “What do you mean? A lot of ladies would willingly want to be with you, Sho-nii…”
“Uh, I guess so, but I wonder if they love just Arashi Sho or also plain old fail Sho…. Well, anyway. I’ve told you a lot of times… I want to get married someday. I want to marry someone I love, and who loves me despite my shortcomings. And I guess, for once, I want to try and find who I really want to be in the long run - a lawyer following Father’s footsteps, or an idol with Arashi.”
“Are you sure about this, brother? Let me guess, Dad’s pleased about your decision, but Mom’s hesitating because of what this situation might cause for Arashi. And you’re waiting for what I have to say?”
Sho nodded. His sister had pretty much figured out what he wanted to say, and saved him the trouble of saying it all.
“I think you should give law school a try, Sho-nii. After all, you’re always the one who believes that learning more beyond what you know at the moment is essential to surviving life. Who knows, this might just be the break that you need.”
“But then, should the management approve of this idea… Wouldn’t it be too sudden?”
“It is indeed sudden, and rumors may pop up… The best you can do is to clear up these rumors as soon as they pop up, and to explain very well to the fans before you take your leave. Some will hate you, some will love you even more, and some will even leave the fan base… But I guess what matters is that despite everything that will happen as a result of your decision to go to law school, you will be able to find what you want to do in life.”
Sho stayed silent for a few moments as he replayed Mai’s words in his mind. Mai could clearly see the concern on his face as he mulled over the thought. She decided it was time for her to leave him to think over the prospect of entering law school.
Standing up, she ruffled his hair softly as she made a move to leave the room.
“Whatever you choose, Sho-nii… I’ll support you. We’ll all support you, even when the going gets rough. Think it over carefully, and discuss it with Johnny-san within the week.”
“Thanks, Mai.” Sho offered her one of his toothy smiles again; Mai could not help but smile back.
“No worries, brother. Good night.”
- - -
The next day, Sho decided to gather all his courage together and spoke to Johnny following their afternoon rehearsals. After he relayed his initial concerns and plans to the elder man, he sat there in the office, slightly nervous and fidgeting in his seat as the man spoke to his fellow board members who were present at that moment.
He briefly wondered if they would accept his proposal or reject it.
It was at that moment that Johnny chose to spoke, to give his decision on the matter.
“Sakurai-kun, are you sure about what you’re saying?”
Sho nodded nervously, trying not to say anything lest things take a wrong turn. Even being a prized talent in the agency for several years did nothing to calm his nerves whenever he encountered the big boss.
“I presume you’ve already sent in your applications for law school, then?” Johnny inquired, keeping close eye contact with his talent. Sho shook his head this time, and spoke in a voice which he hoped wasn’t breaking nor trembling.
“No, not yet, Kitagawa-san. I thought I should just wait for the decision of the agency before I even continued to proceed with my plans.”
“Hm.”
Johnny gave Sho a long hard look, which somehow weathered the younger man’s self confidence bit by bit, before he sighed and took a sip from his coffee, while Sho motioned to bend his head down again.
“Very well, Sakurai-kun. You do understand this is a risky gamble for the agency… But we decided that we should allow you to give this endeavor a try.”
Sho’s head snapped up in shock as he met the older man’s gaze yet again. “E-Excuse me?”
“You’re no doubt one of my most intelligent and most talented boys, Sakurai-kun… But I’ve realized that at some point, some may want to reconsider their paths, and to search for where they truly belong. Honestly, I expected this to come from you.”
“R-Really, Sir?”
Johnny nodded, the corner of his lip curving into a small smile. “I was actually wondering when you’d ever try and ask me about this. It’s about time… However, I do have some conditions if you would really like to pursue this.”
Sho sat up attentively to listen to the conditions, and so did the rest of the board members.
“Well, I would very much want you to still stay on News ZERO as a newscaster on Mondays. However, I would probably request them to allow you to be a caster on Fridays.”
Sho couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘News ZERO? Just News ZERO? It’s actually better than what I was hoping for!’ he thought.
“And… I want you to continue writing rap lyrics for Arashi songs, and to make appearances with them whenever your schedule allows it. We’ll eventually lessen your workload as you go through school - this is just so that we won’t shock the fans so much.”
‘I knew this was the catch. Not that I mind anyway…’ Sho thought, and sighed.
“I don’t see any problem with that, Sir… It’s actually better than what I hoped for.”
Johnny beamed yet again. “I’ve been considering the idea for a very long time, Sakurai-kun. I’ll allow you to go to law school… But you better not disappoint us because this will be the only chance I can offer you in order to reach for your childhood dreams.”
- END CHAPTER ONE -
A/N: How do you like it, guys? I’m sorry if the chapter’s a little bit long. I went overboard, obviously, since I’ve been struggling with writing this chapter for quite a while, and only managed to finish now.
As you can see, I’ve been reluctant to dive into this fanfic, as it’s a largely research/reality-based one. I had to research so much just to get ideas…
Comments and suggestions are appreciated! ♥
AUTHOR: aishizuki
PAIRING: Sakurai Sho x OC (Saito Miki)
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 3 569 words
GENRE: Drama/Romance/Comedy/Slice of Life (?)
TYPE: Multichapter AU
SUMMARY: After being with Arashi for ten successful years, Sho decides it’s time for him to take a break from his duties as an idol. Although his stint with Arashi guarantees him success in whatever endeavors he may choose to take on in his career, he feels that a change of scenery will allow him to realize what he truly wants to be in the long run - whether he wants to remain an idol with the agency, or to pursue his dreams of being a fully-fledged lawyer and settling down with a family in the near future.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I chose this timeframe (Arashi’s 10th year/2009) on purpose, hence this being an alternate universe of sorts. I seriously haven’t developed a plot for this… I’m just seeing where my writing will lead this story, based on the ending of each chapter. Comments are very much appreciated, because your opinions on what should happen next may heavily influence the outcome of the following chapter. :3 AND OMG MY WRITING SKILLS ARE NONEXISTENT NOW :<
Also, I’ll be trying my best not to use the Japanese equivalents of some phrases, as it seems to be annoying for some readers, and will also seem out of place in English text. However, names will be written in the LAST NAME FIRST NAME format, and the boys will be mentioned with their first names.
- - -
CHAPTER ONE
Of Childhood Dreams and Sudden Decisions
- NOVEMBER 2008 -
It was a pretty uneventful Sunday in November for Arashi. They surprisingly had the day off to themselves, and chose to celebrate the occasion of having no work by eating out at the Aiba family restaurant, Keikarou. As they settled in a private room, Masaki passed out the food-filled plates and everyone else began eating. At that point, he noticed the group’s rapper staring blankly into space.
“Sho-chan? Why aren’t you eating?”
All the other members of Arashi stopped devouring their meals and turned to Sho. The sudden silence from their end seemed to snap Sho out of his reverie.
“Oh, sorry, I spaced out for a bit… I was just thinking of some things.” Sho shrugged nonchalantly as he reached for his chopsticks. Jun seemed unconvinced by Sho’s reason, and continued staring at him even as the rest resumed their meal.
“Are you sure, Sho? That look tells me you have a lot of your mind, to the point that it’s worrying you. You want to tell us about it?” Jun murmured in a low voice, which was loud enough for the entire group to hear.
Sho sighed and picked up his rice bowl. “Well, yeah, there is… I’ve been thinking about taking a break from Arashi and going back to school.”
“HUH?” was the collective reaction from Kazunari and Masaki, whereas Satoshi and Jun only gave him their usual looks of concern.
“But why, Sho-kun?” Kazunari asked in between bites of gyoza. “Did we ever do something wrong to you?”
Sho laughed and shook his head as he helped himself to some grilled chicken. “No, no, it’s not you guys. You’re not at fault. It’s just that I got to think about some things lately, especially after talking with Mai.”
“Your sister?” Masaki asked. Sho nodded in response.
“Yeah. Mai’s boyfriend apparently proposed to her just last week, but she asked him if she could wait for her response, because she wanted to talk to me and mom about it before giving her final answer.”
“Seriously?” Kazunari exclaimed in surprise. “To think that I still remember Mai as the young girl who used to tag along and bug you during recordings… Do you know the guy?”
“Yeah, I’ve met him quite a few times. Apparently, Mai tries to bring him home with her whenever she knows I’ll be home for the night.”
Jun chuckled as he reached for a glass of water. “Well, that’s good. At least she knows that the guy she’s dating has to have her older brother’s approval. But what does this have to do with you? I don’t get how this would make you think about going back to school…”
“Hmm… Realizing that my sister is in love, ready to get married, and is accomplishing all her dreams made me think about where I am going now with my own dreams. We’re at the top of our career, and it’s our tenth year next year, but somehow I really want to try and ask the management if I could take a break and go back to school… I want a change of scenery, I guess.”
“Why not go for additional studies while juggling your idol responsibilities then? You did that back when you were still in Keio…” Satoshi offered, much to his band mates’ surprise. His opinion was a rare delight in conversations such as these.
Sho shook his head. “I did think about that. I could certainly do it again, but it wouldn’t be advisable for the studies I wish to take.”
“Why so? What do you want to take up?” Kazunari asked while pushing a plate of maki towards Sho, who accepted it with a grateful nod.
“I’m thinking of pursuing my childhood dream of being a lawyer, and going to Tokyo University for law school.”
Silence reigned in the room following Sho’s declaration. It was only when Masaki accidentally dropped his chopsticks that the rest snapped out of their shock.
“But that’s heavy, Sho-chan!” Masaki exclaimed indignantly. “It’ll take you a while to complete that course… And there’s no guarantee of you coming back to Arashi after you’ve become a lawyer.”
Sho nodded and sighed yet again.“True… It’s a risky decision, but I really want to pursue this if the management would allow me. And I guess I won’t really regret leaving, because it’s actually the career I dreamed of as a child.”
“Our songs wouldn’t be the same without your raps, Sho.” Jun murmured yet again. ”I don’t know, but they often make up the bulk of our songs. Haven’t you noticed?”
“I know… I apologize in advance for the inconvenience.” Sho bowed his head in apology.
As the group continued to discuss the possible implications of Sho’s plans of leaving the group to pursue law while continuing on with their meal, Satoshi just observed the group as he ate. The news didn’t surprise him, because he knew and understood far more than the other members did.
On nights when the two couldn’t sleep during their long concert tours, he and Sho would often sit at the balcony of their room and talk for long hours about their wishes and dreams for the future. Sho often yearned and dreamed, for the longest time, to finally be able to settle down and start a family - something that was utterly impossible for an idol at the height of his career.
Satoshi secretly hoped Sho wouldn’t leave the group soon, but he knew that once his friend set his mind to try and reach for his dreams, nothing would be able to stop him.
Not even Johnny Kitagawa, the grand old man of Johnny’s Entertainment.
- - -
“WHAT? You want to quit Johnny’s?”
Sho winced at the pitch of his mother’s shocked voice that collided with the heavy slam of a hand on the dining table. He slowly set down his teacup on the table before speaking.
“Uh, I’m not really quitting, Mom. I just want to take a hiatus from all my idol responsibilities with the agency.”
Sakurai Mie gave her son an indignant look before sighing and taking yet another sip of her own tea. “I can’t say that I don’t support you, son, but this is somehow… sudden. And if you do decide to push through with this idea, you’ll have to consult with the management fast… Applications close mid-December, and won’t reopen for the Fall Semester applications until August.”
She looked over her shoulder, towards the direction of her husband who was lounging on the couch and watching his usual dose of the late night newscasts.
“I’m not sure if your father would agree, too.”
At that remark, Sakurai Shun chose to turn in his seat and face the direction of the table, where his wife and eldest son were seated. “I don’t have objections, actually. I’m even pleased that he’s considering the idea of going to law school. The boy’s apparently following my footsteps.”
Sho rolled his eyes at his father’s side comment as Mie shook her head reluctantly. “It’s a wonderful idea, indeed, but Sho has such a great career with Arashi these days. I’m merely wondering if he won’t regret such decisions to go on leave and proceed with law school.”
As Sho observed the exchange between his parents, he could not help but smile and admire at the way they both handled the discussion with sensitivity and consideration of how the situation may affect the other people around them. He envied his parents somehow because of this, and he briefly wished that his future wife (whoever that would be) would be as sensitive and as considerate as his mother was.
Sho took a deep breath and stood up from his chair, the action surprising his parents. He proceeded to kiss his mother on the cheek and passed by the couch to give his father a pat on the shoulder. “You two shouldn’t worry about it too much, Dad. I’m fine; I can make decisions on my own.”
Sho’s retort made Mie smile and nod. “Mm, we know that. Whatever you decide, son, I guess it is better that we just keep on supporting you all through the way.”
The idol could only smile and nod his thanks, before he left the area and ascended the stairs to his room.
- - -
Sho was staring absentmindedly at the application papers to the University of Tokyo - School of Law that he picked up from the said university earlier that month. All he managed to write on the form were his name and birth date. Clearly, he was still troubled and confused with the idea of going to law school.
A knock from the door broke his reverie, and he straightened the forms on the table before answering. “Yes?”
“Brother, are you busy? Mom said you wanted to talk to me as soon as I got home.”
‘Ah,’ Sho thought, somehow relieved. ‘It’s Mai. I guess I should discuss this with her as well.’
“I’m not. Come in.”
Mai took this as a signal to enter her elder brother’s room, which she rarely did even in her high school years.
‘He must want to talk to me about Takeshi and something else… That look tells me that he has a lot on his mind that he absolutely needs to share with someone.’
She took a deep breath as she sat at the edge of her brother’s bed. She smoothed her palms on the surface of the comforter as she made herself comfortable, as if to assure herself that nothing important was coming up. “What’s up?”
Sho swiveled around in his office chair to face Mai. He smiled as he reached for her hand and held it gently. “How’s it going with Takeshi so far?”
Mai’s lips curved into a soft smile the same way her brother’s did, not resisting the warmth that his hands created around hers. “We’re fine, Sho-nii. I still haven’t answered him yet, but I’ve already talked with Mom and Dad, and they’ve agreed… You’re the one left to talk to.”
Sho laughed and rubbed his thumb against her knuckles, as if it was his way of offering an apology to her. “I’m sorry, Mai,” he whispered. “I’ve been busy the past few days, and only got to come home now.”
“Don’t apologize. I understand you’re busy with your career right now, brother… I actually appreciate you taking your time to listen to me despite your schedule.”
“Hey, hey, how can I not care about my little sister falling in love and wanting to get married? I must at least approve of the guy before a marriage happens in this house!” Sho retorted as he playfully shoved away his sister’s hand, which earned him a giggle from her.
“There you go again, Sho-nii… You’re going all so brotherly at random times. Seriously though… What do you think about Takeshi?”
As if on cue, Sho put on a serious face and showed that he was seriously contemplating her question. After a few moments of silence, Sho sighed and nodded.
“He seems like a nice man, Mai. But are you really sure he’s the one you’d really want to spend your life with? Not to mention that the Sakurai clan is really uptight about marriages… Not that I give a damn, it’s just that the clan might be hard on you if they find that a daughter of the clan marries somebody not exactly their type.”
Mai understood Sho’s sentiments. After all, she had watched her older brother grow up amidst criticism aimed towards their family shortly after he joined Johnny’s Entertainment, and eventually debuted with Arashi. He had only ever gained the respect he finally deserved from the Mitsui group (from their mother’s side) and the Sakurai clan (from their father’s side) when he eventually graduated with a degree in Economics from Keio.
She appreciated the fact that because of the criticisms he shouldered from the clans, he had emerged an even stronger individual with a very sensitive mindset to things concerning his parents and siblings. She knew he didn’t want to admit it, but it was his way of showing he cared for them, and that he didn’t want them to go through the same troubles he had back then just because he didn’t exactly fulfill the clan’s stereotyped image of a “filial son”.
“I get your point, Sho-nii… But I’m okay. I don’t really care either what the clan says, even though I know we have an image to maintain. Takeshi is a really nice and gentle guy; you should get to know him… He’s been my friend since high school, after all. Although he isn’t exactly in politics or business like the rest of the clan expects our husbands or wives to be, he makes me happy.”
As Mai talked about her boyfriend, Sho observed that her face often lighted up whenever she pointed out positive points about him.
‘Good, at least he makes Mai happy. And after having encountered him a few times before… He isn’t that bad at all. Having another Information Technology graduate wouldn’t hurt the family either.’ Sho thought amusedly.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about, dear sister,” Sho declared out loud as he heard her piece.
“As long as he makes you happy, and that he shows that he’s ready to support you and your future family… I don’t mind. I actually think it would be interesting to get to know the man that has been smitten by my sister, who is so far the most talkative person I know…”
Mai slapped his arm in response before he could finish his sentence. “…Next to Aiba. Hey! Why’d you slap me when I haven’t finished talking yet?”
“At least you don’t mind being slapped.” Mai pointed out, feigning a pout before she laughed. Sho joined in her laughter for a few moments before Mai stopped and reached out for her brother’s hand the same way he did earlier in their conversation.
“Thank you, Sho-nii… I’ll let Takeshi know about our talk tomorrow. Now it’s your turn… What’s up?” She asked in a voice, barely above a whisper but very audible to both of them in the silence of the room.
Sho sighed resignedly as he released his hand from her grasp and reached for the forms on the table. “You got me. I wanted to talk about something else too, but you got there first.”
“I know that expression all too well, brother. It’s either some problems happened with Arashi or the management, or you’re about to decide on something very important and you have no idea what to do.”
Sho handed her the forms, which she accepted with a nod. “It’s the latter.”
The header of the forms caught Mai by surprise, and she shifted her attention to her brother just as quickly as she read the first part. “Eh? Tokyo University School of Law? What’s going on?”
“Well,” Sho started, unsure of what to say. “I got to think over a lot of things after you called me last week…”
“What’s my engagement got to do with law school, though, Sho-nii?”
Sho chuckled. “Yeah, that’s totally unrelated. But seeing you slowly grow up, accomplish your dreams, and eventually meet the man who would love you for the rest of your life… I wondered if I would ever be able to do the same.”
Mai wondered where her brother was getting at. “What do you mean? A lot of ladies would willingly want to be with you, Sho-nii…”
“Uh, I guess so, but I wonder if they love just Arashi Sho or also plain old fail Sho…. Well, anyway. I’ve told you a lot of times… I want to get married someday. I want to marry someone I love, and who loves me despite my shortcomings. And I guess, for once, I want to try and find who I really want to be in the long run - a lawyer following Father’s footsteps, or an idol with Arashi.”
“Are you sure about this, brother? Let me guess, Dad’s pleased about your decision, but Mom’s hesitating because of what this situation might cause for Arashi. And you’re waiting for what I have to say?”
Sho nodded. His sister had pretty much figured out what he wanted to say, and saved him the trouble of saying it all.
“I think you should give law school a try, Sho-nii. After all, you’re always the one who believes that learning more beyond what you know at the moment is essential to surviving life. Who knows, this might just be the break that you need.”
“But then, should the management approve of this idea… Wouldn’t it be too sudden?”
“It is indeed sudden, and rumors may pop up… The best you can do is to clear up these rumors as soon as they pop up, and to explain very well to the fans before you take your leave. Some will hate you, some will love you even more, and some will even leave the fan base… But I guess what matters is that despite everything that will happen as a result of your decision to go to law school, you will be able to find what you want to do in life.”
Sho stayed silent for a few moments as he replayed Mai’s words in his mind. Mai could clearly see the concern on his face as he mulled over the thought. She decided it was time for her to leave him to think over the prospect of entering law school.
Standing up, she ruffled his hair softly as she made a move to leave the room.
“Whatever you choose, Sho-nii… I’ll support you. We’ll all support you, even when the going gets rough. Think it over carefully, and discuss it with Johnny-san within the week.”
“Thanks, Mai.” Sho offered her one of his toothy smiles again; Mai could not help but smile back.
“No worries, brother. Good night.”
- - -
The next day, Sho decided to gather all his courage together and spoke to Johnny following their afternoon rehearsals. After he relayed his initial concerns and plans to the elder man, he sat there in the office, slightly nervous and fidgeting in his seat as the man spoke to his fellow board members who were present at that moment.
He briefly wondered if they would accept his proposal or reject it.
It was at that moment that Johnny chose to spoke, to give his decision on the matter.
“Sakurai-kun, are you sure about what you’re saying?”
Sho nodded nervously, trying not to say anything lest things take a wrong turn. Even being a prized talent in the agency for several years did nothing to calm his nerves whenever he encountered the big boss.
“I presume you’ve already sent in your applications for law school, then?” Johnny inquired, keeping close eye contact with his talent. Sho shook his head this time, and spoke in a voice which he hoped wasn’t breaking nor trembling.
“No, not yet, Kitagawa-san. I thought I should just wait for the decision of the agency before I even continued to proceed with my plans.”
“Hm.”
Johnny gave Sho a long hard look, which somehow weathered the younger man’s self confidence bit by bit, before he sighed and took a sip from his coffee, while Sho motioned to bend his head down again.
“Very well, Sakurai-kun. You do understand this is a risky gamble for the agency… But we decided that we should allow you to give this endeavor a try.”
Sho’s head snapped up in shock as he met the older man’s gaze yet again. “E-Excuse me?”
“You’re no doubt one of my most intelligent and most talented boys, Sakurai-kun… But I’ve realized that at some point, some may want to reconsider their paths, and to search for where they truly belong. Honestly, I expected this to come from you.”
“R-Really, Sir?”
Johnny nodded, the corner of his lip curving into a small smile. “I was actually wondering when you’d ever try and ask me about this. It’s about time… However, I do have some conditions if you would really like to pursue this.”
Sho sat up attentively to listen to the conditions, and so did the rest of the board members.
“Well, I would very much want you to still stay on News ZERO as a newscaster on Mondays. However, I would probably request them to allow you to be a caster on Fridays.”
Sho couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘News ZERO? Just News ZERO? It’s actually better than what I was hoping for!’ he thought.
“And… I want you to continue writing rap lyrics for Arashi songs, and to make appearances with them whenever your schedule allows it. We’ll eventually lessen your workload as you go through school - this is just so that we won’t shock the fans so much.”
‘I knew this was the catch. Not that I mind anyway…’ Sho thought, and sighed.
“I don’t see any problem with that, Sir… It’s actually better than what I hoped for.”
Johnny beamed yet again. “I’ve been considering the idea for a very long time, Sakurai-kun. I’ll allow you to go to law school… But you better not disappoint us because this will be the only chance I can offer you in order to reach for your childhood dreams.”
- END CHAPTER ONE -
A/N: How do you like it, guys? I’m sorry if the chapter’s a little bit long. I went overboard, obviously, since I’ve been struggling with writing this chapter for quite a while, and only managed to finish now.
As you can see, I’ve been reluctant to dive into this fanfic, as it’s a largely research/reality-based one. I had to research so much just to get ideas…
Comments and suggestions are appreciated! ♥