Chapter Text
Masami and Shigeru Saihara were an entertainment industry power couple. One an actress, the other a screenwriter, they ruled over the silver screen and dazzled every interviewer with their smiles. When asked why she married Shigeru, Masami would insist that it was love at first sight. That the man captivated her heart the moment he said hi. In truth, it was his career that captivated her. When she took his name her screen time tripled, and then she was certain she was in love. Shigeru didn’t mind in the slightest. He had married her because, statistically speaking, married men make more than single men, and taking on a pretty little thing like her for a bigger paycheck was hardly a burden.
They had been married two years when they brought a darling little baby into the world, and it took barely ten minutes for the tabloids and gossip columns to fill up with pictures of the child. Masami and Shigeru had expected this and reveled in the attention they received.
Celebrity children are always a bit of a novelty. When they first come to be, everyone flocks around them to see those rosy cheeks, big bulb eyes, and adorable little mannerisms. Pictures of them in cute onesies, interviews with the parents about how motherhood or fatherhood is treating them, and articles about how they’re managing to balance their careers and home life, the press just can’t get enough The parents and child are the center of attention, and to this day Masami would insist she got her best roles directly after the fact, the tabloids reporting on her surprising fit figure post-birth. Shigeru agreed, for the very next year he won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Screenplay.
But, as with all novelties, they wear off. And they wear off fast. And soon the press moved on to other things and Mr. and Mrs. Saihara were left with a lifelong commitment to a child and no press attention to make it worthwhile. What do you do then?
Masami believed she had found the solution. At this point, the child was around five years old. With beautiful grey-ish green eyes with flecks of gold in them and silky smooth black hair that bordered on blue, they were a sight to behold. And with their appearance and their age, she determined that it was the perfect time to bring the child into the world of acting.
Masami herself had only gotten into acting in her teens, and she believed that was far too late. While she and her husband may have been doing great, and their wealth was plenty, she could’ve been making even more money for an even longer time had her parents only taken the initiative and dolled her up for the burning bright lights. And it was up to her to do that for her own child.
And so that is what she did. Shigeru had so many connections in the casting department, it honestly wasn’t that hard. Role after role after role. Memorize these lines, pose for these cameras. Suddenly, not only was there a third money maker in the house, but the little baby was once again getting them attention.
And sure, the child protested, but Shigeru merely smiled and said, “If you act well and make the camera happy then mommy and daddy will love you,” and suddenly they were as well behaved as could be.
It made perfect sense to him. His relationship with Masami was conditional. He got her the acting roles she wanted, gave her prominent roles either in his own films or others. And she helped him make more money and get more publicity by standing beside him and looking pretty. They still loved each other. It was just that that love hinged on a few things.
Of course, it would be the same way with his child, sitting there with a forced smile for the interviewer asking about their latest role. Shigeru and Masami loved the pretty little thing. They did. So long as a few conditions were met.
And things were good. The number of actors in the house doubled and the cute face of their child was yet again drawing headlines. There was only one issue.
Taking care of a child was exhausting. Or, more accurately, it seemed like it would be exhausting. Neither could really be certain, as they hadn’t done much taking care of. The child’s room was mostly empty, save for a large number of outfits hung up in the closet. Neither of them saw the point in buying the child many toys. Toys were for photoshoots or brand deals, not to actually play with. After all, nobody really used the products they were marketing. The child didn’t need toys and was rewarded for being low maintenance.
“If you don’t ask for toys, we’ll love you more,” Shigeru said.
“Don’t ask for sweets or treats. It’ll make us love you less. Ask for less food a day and we’ll love you more,” Masami said.
“We love you,” they both said, “so long as you provide more than you take.”
When the child was just about to turn 12, Masami and Shigeru got an offer to work on a film in California. All the way in the U.S. They didn’t hesitate to accept, and they didn’t hesitate to drop the child off at Shigeru’s brother’s place.
“It’ll only be for a couple of months,” Shigeru said.
Three years later the child would be starting High School, still living in their Uncle’s house.
“It wasn’t a big loss,” Masami said, reminiscing on that fact in a mansion in Cali, “They weren’t providing much anyway.”