Crashing the Good Times

I: Reality:

The party can only go on for so long. Pretty soon, reality is going to come in and shut it all down. Then what happens next? Do you try to get the flow of the party back? Or do you go forward into reality? That’s the choice that Tokyo has to face.

It would start with an accident. Not a small one either. One that would put a princess in a coma, leaving her life in the balance. Reality would destroy it all with one little phone.

II: The Phone Call:

Ring.

“Hello?” Kiko asked. The call didn’t have to last long. The color drained from her face.

“No… Which hospital?” she asked. She took out a notepad and wrote down the address.

“What?” she asked. More words came into her ears.

“I don’t care,” Yoko said. “I am coming there anyway. I won’t panic.” She hung up the phone and hurried out the door. Tears started to well up in her eyes.

Baby sister…

III: Sleeping Beauty:

Kei lay there in her bed. She had tubes in her arms and chest. She even had a mask over her face. The heiress was lucky to be alive. The doctors didn’t have much hope for her to pull through.

Kiko ran into the lobby of the hospital.

“I’m sorry miss, but you are going to have to slow down,” a security guard said as he stopped her at the doors.

“I have to see my sister!” the woman yelled.

“I understand,” the security guard said. “But you can’t run in here like you’ve lost your mind.”

“I have to see my sister!” Kiko yelled as she tried to push past him.

“Ma’am, you need to calm down,” he said.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” the woman screamed. By now, everyone was staring at her. Kiko didn’t care at this point. She just wanted to see her little sister.

“It’s okay, Sanjiro-san,” a voice said. Kiko and the security guard looked up. A man in a white coat came walking into the lobby. The guard let go of the woman. Kiko looked over his shoulder.

“Suzuki-sensei?” she asked. She pushed the younger man out of the way and walked up to the doctor.

“How is she?” she asked. Suzuki-sensei pushed up his glasses.

“It doesn’t look good,” he said. “Did the EMT’s explain everything to you over the phone?”

“Is she going to die?” Kiko asked. She had her hands on his shoulders. The doctor gently pushed her off.

“We are doing the best that we can,” he said. “She just got out of surgery. We just need to wait and see. I am going to need you to sit down and wait. Do you understand me?” Kiko stared at him.

“Okay…” she said in a weak voice.

“Very good,” Suzuki-sensei whispered. He walked her over to a seat and sat her down. Kiko’s stomach dropped as she feared the worst.

IV: Toshiko:

Toshiko doesn’t like how things have been run lately. Andy’s lost touch of what the Factory used to be. She doesn’t fit here anymore. Maybe it’s time to go.

This wasn’t a random decision either. It took since the last project was announced. That was a sign for her to leave. Andy was the one who talked her into staying a little bit longer.

“We can’t do this without you,” he said. Toshiko was won over. But that didn’t last long.

“Who are these guys?” she whispered to Violet Rays after the second day. The purple-haired artist had a nervous look on her face.

“They are just some people who are going to help us,” she whispered.

“Is that right?” Toshiko asked. She wrinkled her nose.

“Are they going to stay long?” the actress asked. Violet didn’t answer. The other actress frowned.

It would only get worse.

After the first week of shooting, the men in suits had their actors sign a contract. Some of them were okay to do this. Toshiko was not one of them.

“Why do I have to sign this?” she asked.

“It’s to protect our business,” one of the men in suits said. Toshiko quickly read over the contract.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” she said. The actress looked up.

“I’m not signing this,” she said. The suits wouldn’t let up, however. They went back and forth for five days. Finally, they gave her an ultimatum: sign the contract or leave.

Toshiko chose to leave.

V: Riding Away:

-Toshiko-

It’s been time for me to leave Tokyo after all. I don’t know where I’m going next. Maybe I should go to Osaka. Or maybe New York. That sounds good.

But first, there was something that I needed to do.

I sent Seiji a text at my apartment. “Meet me near the train station.”

I pressed send and I was ready to go. Before I left, I packed up everything that I had owned and sold the rest. I packed up and headed out for the last time.

I found Seiji waiting for me at the entrance to the train station. I rode up to him and took off my helmet.

“Yo,” I said. He held up his phone.

“I got your text,” Seiji said. “What’s up?”

“I’m here to say goodbye,” I said. Seiji had a confused look on his face.

“What?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve had enough of Tokyo. It’s time for me to go.” I noticed the look on his face.

“What? Don’t look so depressed,” I said. “You have your fiancée, remember?”

“Oh…” Seiji said. “Are you coming back?”

“Nah,” I said. “This is goodbye.”

“Okay…” he said. I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

“Goodbye,” I said.

“Bye,” Seiji said. I climbed onto my motorbike and rode off. And that was the end of my story with the Stardust Factory.

VI: The Show Must Go On:

Nevertheless, the movie still has to be shot. Andy was down one actress, but he still had to go on. Everything was riding on this. He was going to finish this movie one way or another. Maybe he could shoot this as his Factory slowly breaking down and disappearing. He would have to see.

Either way, the show has to go on.

VII: Awake:

Kei’s been in a coma for three weeks now. Kiko worries about what she is going to do now. 9 Records is barely hanging on as it is. Conrad and Simon refuse to give up.

“We might have to face the worst possibility,” Kiko said. They didn’t want to hear it, but she was probably right.

“Don’t worry, Simon,” Nia told him. “She’ll wake up.” Simone gave her a sad little smile. He wanted to believe her. He really did. But still…

That all changed when Kei finally woke up days later.

VIII: Reality’s Reckoning:

Reality isn’t done yet. It’s only just got here and it’s going to take everything will it. Who’s going to come unscathed? You are going to have wait and see.