"I want... My mom's omelette!" I said loud and clear.

Everyone looked at me surprised.

"Why are you crying? What's wrong? Why your mother's omelette? I don't think we can make it. Does she work at a restaurant?" Aiba-san asked worried.

I clenched my fists. I felt weak.

Matsumoto-san gave me tissues and I blew my nose.

"You're not afraid of being yourself are you?" Sakurai-san said chuckling.

Ninomiya-san brushed my hair with his fingers.

"My mother passed away 15 years ago, two months before your debut."

"Did she work at a restaurant? Maybe we can go there."

"She worked as a waitress but not a cook. I don't think she asked or received the recipe for anything." After the last sniffle, I asked, "May I borrow the kitchen again?"

"Go ahead."

I felt like I remembered what she put in the omelette.

Small flashbacks appeared in my mind. I felt that I could do it.

"This smell!" When I turned to the owner of the voice, Ohno-san was looking at me surprised. Then I heard him whisper to himself, "It can't be..."

He remembers the smell.

I dropped the chopsticks I was holding.

"Reena-chan!" Ninomiya-san came running in.

"I'm... Sorry..." I faked a smile and picked up the chopsticks I dropped. "I must be tired."

"What happened? Is everything okay?" The other members came in.

"Yeah everything's fine. There's nothing to worry about." Ninomiya-san said before Ohno-san or I could say anything.

"It smells nice. Is it finished?" Aiba-san changed the subject.

"Oh... Um, yeah."

"Let's eat!" Aiba-san was energetic even during his private time.

"Here I'll do it." It was always Matsumoto-san who was acting like a gentleman. I felt bad for causing them so much trouble.

My body felt warm and light.

"Riida, you need to learn how to stop making me jealous. I want to hug her too." Sakurai-san stated as he gave his refreshing smile.

Sakurai-san seemed truly desperate so I walked up to Sakurai-san and put my arms around him. He sighed and patted my head. His hoodie was fluffy and it smelled nice. I closed my eyes. I naturally smiled at him as I let him go. He looked away as he blushed.

"How about we go to the living room?" Matsumoto-san suggested.

"I'm sitting next to Reena-chan!" Sakurai-san called.

I sat on the floor in front of where I was sitting before.

"Don't you want to sit on the couch instead?" Sakurai-san asked.

"I prefer to sit on the floor in front of the table when eating."

I looked at everyone else before starting to eat.

------------------

I smiled seeing them eat everything. It was the best compliment.

"I've never seen you smile so naturally like that. You should smile more. You have a cute smile. Good things will happen if you smile." Aiba-san pointed out.

--------------------

I was listening to their interesting talk. They were always having fun together, I was jealous.

I tried falling asleep on the floor after they left while Ohno-san slept on the couch. When I woke up after falling asleep, only an hour passed, so I left to work.

--------------------

"Reena! What are you doing? It's dark, you shouldn't be walking around! And I thought you were coming tomorrow!" My manager scolded me.

"Sorry. I couldn't fall asleep so I thought of coming while he was asleep."

My manager sighed. "Well you came just in time for Nepuriigu. You're in the same team as the comedian group Neptune with DAIGO."

Nepuriigu (Nep League) is a Japanese TV show in which two or three teams (Usually two) of five people go against each other by answering questions.

--------------------

We won against our opponent and we advanced to the bonus stage where we choose the correct choice five times to win a hundred thousand yen. I chose the correct one each time and finished.

--------------------

"Great work. Hope we can work together again." The funniest of Neptune said.

I bowed deeply and left. I had modeling next.

"Reena, you should think of a motto or a quote as an idol."

"Is it okay if it's in English?"

"Of course!"

"Okay. Then I have one."

"Bring it on." My manager chuckled.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain."

"I don't know why but I think it suits you well."

--------------------

The promotion video of my debut single was a great hit. Rumors even went overseas to places like America. My first live was going to be in Hawaii, where Arashi had their first live concert. I didn't know what I'd be able to do for my first few fans, but I had to do something to entertain them. I could dance to some songs and I could draw some anime, but that was about it.

--------------------

"Sorry it’s pretty late but nice job Reena-chan! You're having your first concert where we first had it! Don't worry, everything will go well! I know you only have one song to sing, but you can entertain people with your talent?" It was always Aiba-san at this kind of time.

I appreciated it though. Aiba-san always pushed me on and encouraged me. Matsumoto-san reminded me to be more relaxed at certain times. Ninomiya-san supported me when I was about to fall. When I did fall, Sakurai-san helped me stand back up on my own feet again. Ohno-san was always very relaxed, but he kept me motivated somehow. I was very grateful of them.

-------------------

Ohno-san's birthday was coming in two days. The first time I've been on VS Arashi was aired just a few days before. The CD and mv were released the day of my live concert. People liked the pv. I hoped they liked the mv too.

I was alone in the room thinking about what I should get for Ohno-san's birthday the next day. That was when I got a phone call from Sakurai-san. We promised to go to a mall with the three other members to buy Ohno-san a present. I couldn't wait for work to finish. They had a free day and I finished working at 10 am. I ran out and had a ride to the mall.

We visited different stores but I couldn't find anything suitable. I found a store with a lot of art supplies and headed straight there. Sakurai-san was watching over me while the others went to different stores. This art store wasn't like any other art store. My eyes shined with excitement. There were two items which caught my attention.

"How about I get this?" I asked Sakurai-san as I held a foot tall and three inches wide pencil, which was my first choice.

"Isn't it just that you want it? How about the one next to it?" Sakurai-san chuckled as he pointed to a block of wood with carving tools, my second choice.

He put his arm around my waist so that his body was touching my shoulder so that he wouldn't lose sight of me. I became tense and nervous when I heard his voice by my ear. I ended up only buying the pencil because I couldn't handle the situation.

--------------------

We all met in front of a clothes shop next to the art shop. As we were about to leave the mall, I bumped into someone. It was Ohno-san.

"Oh hey, what are all of you guys doing here leaving me out? Let me join."

"We all met by coincidence and we were just about to leave." Ninomiya-san lied.

"Good timing. Bring me home." Ohno-san chuckled.

Relaxed, I smiled.

"Wait, isn't that Arashi? Why are they here?" I heard someone whisper.

"Who is that girl? She looks like a high schooler." Another whispered.

"She's definitely a middle schooler." The first one said.

Arashi's fans were gathering around us. Ohno-san took my hand and we all ran into the closest store. We ran into the dressing room.

What's going on? What is this? Why did Ohno-san take my hand? He didn't have to do that. I would've done something even on my own.

I was standing in a corner and I felt his breath on me. Ohno-san was hiding me in the corner of the changing room. I grabbed onto his shirt.

"That girl! Who is she? I want to kill that middle schooler. She thinks she's so special, being able to spend time with such a national treasure like Arashi."

"But I feel like I saw her before... Like on a TV show."

"That's impossible. But that doesn't matter right now. We have to find that ugly girl from keeping Arashi all to herself!"

I was hurt by their words. I grabbed onto Ohno-san's shirt tighter and started shaking. He noticed and held me closer. I soon felt a presence. Someone was looking in this direction. Then I saw it. Someone was looking inside the dressing room. She probably didn't see me see her. I was shocked and afraid in how people could do that to find their idol.

I whispered to Ohno-san. "I think we got found. I'm not sure yet but we should prepare to run to Sakurai-san's car if we get found by the others. I'll lead the way."

His nose was on my shoulder. I could feel his breath and became afraid that he'd hear or feel how quickly my heart was beating from the distance in between us. He lightly kissed my neck. I jumped in surprise. At that moment, I really wanted to tell him that I was Tai-chan...

As I noticed a few more people have gathered, I pulled Ohno-san's hand and ran out towards Sakurai-san's car. At that moment, I was glad that I did track.

When we arrived at Sakurai-san's car, the others were already there waiting for us.

"You're late." Ninomiya-san smiled.

I hugged Ninomiya-san and apologized. We were in a situation we couldn't handle. I couldn't do anything but run from them.

I sat in between Ninomiya-san and Ohno-san in the back of the car.

"I thought you all met by coincidence. Reena-chan I understand, but why are we all going back with Sho-chan's car?" Ohno-san pointed out.

Silence fell in the car. I took Ohno-san's hand to nail it to the car seat and pecked his cheek. He hid his blushing face with his hand, looked out the window, and asked why I did it. It was payback for what happened in the dressing room earlier. My head fell on his shoulder and my eyes closed before I could answer. He smelled nice.

"She still didn't recover from the jet lag fully. She'll have a concert so I guess that might help her recover." I heard a voice say.

--------------------

It's fluffy. What is this light feeling?

I heard a voice clearly speaking to me. "Tai-chan! You'll send me letters right? It's a promise! If you don't keep it, I'll tease you! Haha."

I reached out, but I couldn't feel anything. I felt like someone was pushing me down. What is this? Why am I being stopped? What have I done wrong? I'm being pulled away. The scenery is fading. No... Stop this... Why is this happening? Is this an illusion? Don't leave me here. I don't want to leave you. I don't want you to leave either. What is going on? Please...

I reached even further...

I fell off the bed with a thud. I was at Ohno-san's house. Tears were falling out. I was sorry for Kei-niichan that I couldn't stop thinking about them. I didn't even know why was I even staying at Ohno-san's place? I should be at Kei-niichan's place.

The door opened. I brushed my face.

"Reena-chan... Are you okay? I heard a thud."

I nodded and walked up to him. I reached for him and grabbed his shirt. I put my forehead against his chest. I felt his hand on my cheek.

"You were crying in your sleep... Were you watching a flashback? A nightmare? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm just worried for you."

"Is it because I remind of you of that girl you've met years ago?" I asked without thinking, looking into his widened eyes.

He was surprised. I just wanted to tell him that it's me. I didn't want to hold it in any longer but at the same time, I felt that I shouldn't tell him.

His arms went around my waist and his face, next to mine. "Yes. You remind me of her, because you resemble her. You two are just s... Alike. Can you tell me? Are you Tai-chan? ...Are you?" His voice shook as he held me tighter.

NOW what do I do? I asked him a stupid question and now he's asking me if I'm her. Well, yes I AM her but... How should I answer? I can't just tell him that I am now? But if I lied now, I can't tell him that it was a lie later.

I bit my lips.

"Hey... You're shaking. Are you sure that you're okay? I'm sorry I asked you such question. You don't have to answer. I-"

I pushed him away mid-sentence. I put my ears over my ears and continued to shake. I clenched my teeth. He looked down at me with a serious face. He brushed my hands away from my ears and lifted my face up by gently holding my cheeks. He sighed and kissed my forehead sweetly for a short while. His thumbs traced my bottom eyelids.

"Please don't push yourself. Don't do everything on your own. You have to open up and trust others. You can't do everything on your own. You have people you can trust now. Like us, Arashi. You don't have to fight alone. You're not on your own anymore. This isn't America. I don't know what happened in your past and you don't have to tell me. But please... Just this one wish... Don't do everything on your own anymore. Rely on us."

I took a glance at the clock behind him. Then I looked out the window. 3 am. There was the same scene and voices from the dream I had, just that it wasn't fading. I fell backwards and looked at the empty ceiling. Everything became blurry.

Why did it have to be me of all people? Why am I and Kei-niichan related? Why did I have to meet Ohno-san? Why did I have to meet Arashi?

Tears were falling down my face. I didn't know what to do. I never did... Ever since I was left alone in this cruel world.

I gasped as Ohno-San picked the top half of my body up and whispered these words into my ear, "I love you." I looked into his eyes.

The door opened so suddenly and Ninomiya-san entered. "Riida what's taking you so long? We've been waiting for ten minutes now." His tone changed when he saw me sitting on the floor. "Reena-chan... You woke up? Are you okay? Why are you crying? Oh wait, was that thud you falling off the bed? Riida, is this the reason why you came?"

"Stop shooting questions. I'm going back. What do you want to do Reena-chan? Would you like to come and sleep with us though I know you wouldn't be able to?" He smiled.

I faced down with my eyes half closed. Ohno-san started my hair. It felt nice so I closed my eyes. I heard a sigh. I took his hand with both my hands and put it on my right cheek. I reached my left hand out to Ninomiya-san who stayed standing at the entrance of the bedroom. I took his hand and put it on my other cheek. I felt like I was being brought into a different dimension.