Chapter one -- How Haru got invited
Friendship
If you were to ask Saito Haru how exactly she got into Arashi, she would answer as truthfully as she could and say that she really had no idea. If you asked anyone in Arashi, they would respond that she has talent and potential and they just plain liked her. ‘It was hard work of course,’ Sakurai Sho would say, ‘but we managed to do it.’
Everybody knows that Johnny’s Entertainment is purely a male-only entertainment company and females of any kind besides staff and makeup are strictly prohibited from entering the company. Heck, it’s hard for any boys to get in. But Johnny Kitagawa likes simple, and simple is what he gets most of the time.
But he allows creativity. That was why he allowed Arashi’s idea to do a new show, ‘Roku-ri no Arashi’, to take off. The concept of the six person Arashi show was for guests to come on the show, go through one of the group’s regular day schedules so the guest could experience what it was like, and then go home. Everyone thought it would be funny trying to hurry through costume changes and learning lyrics and trying to figure out how to get from Minato to Shibuya in ten minutes. The fans were excited, the members were excited, but the critics thought that this show was the stupidest idea ever produced for television. ‘Who would watch this?’ they asked. ‘This sounds like the most boring television show that Johnny has ever approved of.’
However, for a girl who was losing ratings and hope herself, the show was perhaps the one thing that saved her from completely giving up on everything.
--
“Sora, your ratings are going down. Your latest single didn’t help you at all.”
The woman sitting at the table looked down at her hands. Of course she knew that. “Yes sir,” she said.
“Sora, if you don’t release or write something that the fans will want—“
Saito Haru looked up at her manager. “Write something that the fans will want?” she repeated. “What the hell do you think I’ve been doing?!” Haru stood up and stared at the man in front of her. “If you think that I’m not writing songs for people to enjoy, what do you think I’m doing here?! I am not writing some stupid lame- song about how hot a guy is when he’s ! I’m not doing it!”
The older man stared down on her. “If you don’t get your act together real soon, Saito-san, then this company may have to let you go. Is that what you want? You want to be a one hit wonder just like the majority of people in the music business?”
Haru stared at him, livid with anger inside of her. This was the second company that told her that she had to be something she’s not. The first company wanted her to take off her clothes and be close to a gravure model. She wouldn’t stand for it. Now this second company wanted her to write songs about and artificial love. Her first song sold like crazy. It was as if the only way she could become famous was by singing songs that were not from her.
“Fine,” she said finally. “If you want someone to sing terrible songs, find another singer. I quit.”
--
That was how Haru ended up at the ice cream parlor, regretting the decision she made yet again. She was jobless. Again.
“Would you stop feeling guilty?” Haru’s older brother, Toshio, said taking another huge bite of ice cream. “You made the right decision.”
“If I made the right decision, then why do I feel miserable?” Haru asked. “I’m a one-hit wonder, Toshio. I’m a wash-out. A failure. I should have just listened to Dad when he wanted me to go work in Denver with him.”
Toshio sighed. “God has a plan for you. Besides, do you really want to go back to Denver and count nails all day?” he asked.
“At least I would get paid.” Haru suddenly stopped and looked over at the television set. There was a commercial for ‘Roku-ri no Arashi’, and Haru watched it with a deep sense of longing. ‘A special guest to share and experience Arashi’s everyday life. Will the guest be able to keep up?’ it said as it showed video in the background of the five Arashi members plus some comedian they decided to invite.
Haru sighed once the commercial was over. “Why can’t I be in a group like that?” she asked. “Always busy, always together. I would love to be able to do something like that.” She her spoon clean before digging it into her pile of chocolate ice cream. “But of course, I’m a nobody. I was Sora for a few weeks before it all fell apart. I’m not worth anybody’s time.”
Toshio wanted to hit his sister. “Would you stop with that?” he said. “You are one of the best singers out there today! You’re twenty-one years old, barely out of college, and you’re already giving up on your dreams! You have to try harder!”
“The only company I haven’t applied to is Johnny’s, Toshio!” Haru nearly yelled throwing down her spoon. “No one wants me! I’ve applied everywhere that would accept me. I just have to give up and go home. There’s no point.”
As she and her brother left, they were completely oblivious to the man in the booth behind them who had been listening intently to every word the pair were saying. He watched them walk out and felt bad for the girl. “Sora….” he whispered to himself. He felt bad for her, but just sitting there wasn’t going to help her. Quickly, the man took the cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. “Keiko-san? It’s Sakurai Sho. Can you make an appointment for me to see Kitagawa-san as soon as possible?”
--
“You seriously would consider a girl to be in Arashi?” Johnny Kitagawa asked the next day in his office. He shuffled through some papers, ignoring the obviously agitated Sakurai Sho in front of him. “I know you five are wanting to add another member, but you seriously would consider a female?”
“Why not?” Sho asked him. “And even if she doesn’t get accepted into the group, I want her on the show.”
“Why do you want her so much?” Matsumoto Jun asked, bringing Sho back to the reality that he wasn’t the only Arashi member in the room. In fact, all five of them were there listening to Johnny and Sho’s conversation.
“She looked so… discouraged, yesterday,” Sho explained. “I thought about getting up to tell her that she’s not as useless and terrible as she thinks so, but I didn’t want to create a mess in public.”
Ninomiya Kazunari quickly hit the buttons on his DS as Ohno Satoshi watched him carefully. “I don’t have a problem with having a girl in the group,” he answered. “As long as she’s cute.”
Ohno pouted. “Hey, what about us?”
Nino smirked. “What? I can’t find other people attractive if I’m dating you?”
“Ohno-kun might get jealous of you, Nino!” Aiba laughed.
“Anyway!” Sho said looking back at the boss. “Can we allow Sora-san to come onto ‘Roku-ri no Arashi’?”
Johnny put his papers on his desk. “I don’t have a problem with it. If you want her in the group, then it would be a great experiment to see if females could really do as well as the males in this company. There’s just one more person you have to convince.”
Sho looked at him, worried. “Who?”
--
“ABSOLUTELY NOT.”
“Julie-san, why not?”
Julie Kitagawa sighed and looked at Sho. “Really? You want to allow a girl to become the sixth member of Arashi? Are you crazy?”
“Only if we like her will we ask her to be,” Sho explained as he followed the woman as she hauled huge totes of stage equipment from one side of the room. “Please, Julie-san I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important!”
“What did that SMAP manager tell you?” she asked, a little bitter as she dropped another tote down. “She’s trying to take over the company too, haven’t you heard?”
Sho stopped Julie by grabbing her elbow gently. “Please, Julie-san. I want your approval. Iijima-san will agree to anything, you know that. I want an approval from you. You’re his niece after all.”
Julie sighed and looked at him, releasing her elbow from his grip. “Alright, alright. I’ll let her be on your variety show. But if you decide that you want her to be in Arashi then she better be a damn good singer!”
--
That was how Saito Haru got the call. She woke up one morning, her brother got the call, and she was invited to come on ‘Roku-ri no Arashi’. Haru wasn’t sure if he had ever screamed so loudly before. And she was pretty sure she had never really been that excited before.
“OH MY GOD!” she yelled. “Oh my god, I’m going to meet Arashi! I’m going to meet Ohno-kun and Nino and Sho… OH GOD MY BIAS SAKURAI SHO. Oh my god what am I going to wear? I have to look good. Oh my god ITS ARASHI.”
Toshio only smiled happily at his sister. “Glad to see you finally happy about something.”
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Two stories at once! Do you think I can do it, everyone? xD I'll try~
Chapter one of 'Friendship' is up! Don't forget to comment and leave your thoughts behind~ Comments are love~
and please support my new story based on my fictional female Johnny's group, Hanabi.
I look forward to seeing you all next chapter!!!
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