Prologue

The spotlight was blinding as it fell upon the center of the stage. It was silent, such that a pin could be heard if it were dropped on the mesh carpets which lined the arena aisles. In the focus of that spotlight stood two women. All eyes were sharply focused on them, yet they refused to take their eyes off each other. The tension was so thick, it could have suffocated everyone there.

“Natsuki, you know why I’m here.” The first to speak was the woman dressed in pink and lavender from head to toe. Her blue eyes gazed intensely at the mocha eyes of the tanned woman dressed cutely in black and yellow. “I won’t let you toss your career away so easily. I forbid it!”

“So I should let you throw away your career instead?” The woman named Natsuki countered.

“My career has always been second to your success. After all, I only reached this point thanks to you. Nozomi exists because of you Natsuki, but I never truly embraced her. I followed you down this path so that you would never walk it alone. I vowed to support you and protect you at any cost. To do that I had to lie not only to the world, but also myself. However, you’re not a lie.”

“Nozomi, you are more real than any of the stars in the sky. You say you didn’t embrace her, but I’ve never seen you shine brighter. I may have started this journey for us, but it’s you who truly deserves to stand here now. For all that I’ve achieved, nothing’s satisfied me more than seeing you shine as Nozomi, my beautiful star of hope. Hope is what you give to the world, my love.”

“Those are my words for you Natsuki, my brilliant Summer star. You shine brightly just like the sun, and your rays light my darkest hours. Your song raises me up and brings me immeasurable joy. It’s not an exaggeration to say that you guide my way every day. So now, let me lead you.”

She stepped forward and bravely faced the crowd. Finally having broken free from their initial shock of her interruption, they began to shout at the peach-skinned woman. “Get out of here! Leave our Natsuki alone! She’s our idol! She sings only for us! Go back to your own fans!”

The crowd became increasingly hostile towards Nozomi, but she stared forward with stern determination. “I understand how you all feel, but I’m afraid she doesn’t just belong to you.” Nozomi pulled off her pink wig to reveal her true self. “Your dear idol, is my one and only star!”

In that instant, the lights went out, and the arena grew dark. The crowd murmured worriedly at what could have happened, their attention momentarily off the women on stage. This gave them time to flee. Natsuki quickly grabbed Nozomi and pulled her down the trap door on the stage to escape underground. Usually used as a convenient stage prop, it now served as their salvation.

“Are you insane?!” Natsuki unloaded as soon as they reached the ground. “Please tell me exactly what you were thinking!” Nozomi fell silent, suddenly at a loss for words. “Exactly, you didn’t.”

After a moment of reflection, Nozomi finally opened her mouth. “I wanted you to be happy Rei.”

“When did I ever say I was unhappy? Did I give you the impression that I wasn’t? Tell me Aki.”

Still clutching her wig, Nozomi’s arm dropped down in defeat. “You didn’t have to; I could see it in the way you seemed to always be looking away from us and towards something far away. You’d gaze out the window with your hand outstretched, as if trying to grab hold of some distant dream. Yet you’d quickly drop your hand and turn away from it the moment you realized I came into the room. You’d smile and give me your attention, yet I knew only a part of you was there.”

Natsuki was silent, but her trembling mocha eyes conveyed her sorrow. She reached up with her shaking hand and removed her own wig, dropping it with her arm to the ground. She then walked towards the timid woman before her, lifted her hand and glided her fingers through her long, silky waves of dark hair with pink highlights. “Did I leave you feeling lonely Akira? I’m sorry.”

A tear drop slid down Akira’s cheek as she once again met the eyes of her beloved. “I know it wasn’t your intention to say, but I feel I’m holding you back. So I thought I’d set you free from your obligations, which means one of us must stay behind for our Little. It should be me Reika.”

“Aki, yes, I may reach for the stars from time to time, but there’s no greater star in the universe that can shine brighter than you. I won’t ever leave my star behind or our Little. Not ever Akira.”

“How touching.” Their sweet moment was suddenly interrupted by an unknown presence. They turned to find a man in a dark suit and glasses facing them, and a gun aimed squarely between them. “Reika Otani, alias Natsuki. Akira Kuze, alias Nozomi. The Twin Star Idols of Japan, in the flesh, what an honor.” He slowly stepped towards them, prompting Akira to guard Reika. “Ah yes, you always were willing to protect her with your life. How noble of you Akira, I mean Nozomi, or perhaps…should I call you by your other name? Which will save you, I wonder…?”