[+][L-N+][P-UL] ~ SHOUNEN POP - 少年ＰＯＰ ~

[Kaikoloren]

What a shock, it was so surprising,

You looked so small and frail------------------------------------------------}:-

Izzy Lucky
At times life can be so enlightening .uoy no nrut nac ti tuB


Hearing the sweet sounding notes drifting into his ears caused a flow of happy tears to leak from his eyes. but he was exhausted and the comforting sounds started to sooth his weary head. Eventually he was drifting off and his hands loosened on Akihiko's shirt and chest.

------

Ko looked up at the clock in the room then again as he played. Gee. Was Akihiko-niisan ever going to return? After a moment, his fingers slowed on the keyboard and he popped right off the chair in mid-song then ran off for the door of the studio.

Crystal turned her head but wasn't able to stop the boy before Ko had opened the door and poked his head in, "Akiihiko-niisan? Is everything ok?! Can we play together now? He was a little impatient but he was only a child so he didn't have the same concept of time that everyone adult had.

However, Ko tilted his head hearing the end of Akihiko's song. Akhiko-niisan had a pretty voice, "Is he going to ok??"

-:{------------------------------------------------I didn't know what to do

I grabbed the tiger by the tail!

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Blue eyes flickered up to Ko and he quickly put a finger to his lips, indicating that the boy should be quiet for a few moments.
Very carefully, Akihiko maneuvered the now sleeping Izzy, slipping off the bed and gently tucking the man in. With perfect stage grace, Narcissus came over to the studio, smiling at Ko. "He'll be fine. Just has a bit of a cold." the musician whispered, patting the boy on the head as he lead the child back into the studio itself. "Ruki has a cold and sinus congestion. The physician's given him a shot and prescribed some medication. Luckily, I think I've convinced him to stay in bed."
For a moment, Akihiko just stood there, looking at the keyboard. Then he put his hands together, "Alright, you wanted to play, right Ko-kun? Just let me grab a guitar..." the musician did just that, checking the tuning of the instrument after strapping it on. "Sorry it took so long, Ko-kun. I wanted to make sure he stayed in bed." Akihiko wagged a finger at the boy, mimicking the same way both Crystal and Izzy did it. "Whenever your sick, Ko-kun, you should always say in bed. You'll get well faster that way. Ruki's such a horrible patient."

 

[Kaikoloren]

Ko covered his lips with both hands and watched as Akihiko put Izzy under the covers. He peeked around Akihiko as the man walked over then stared up at him as he spoke. "I don't like being sick either." Ko whispered then scooted back into the studio before raising his voice to normal level. "Colds are bad. I had a cold once....It wasn't fun. But...I.." He looked up to the ceiling, "I remember someone checking my head, and making me soup....But staying in bed is the worst!"

The young boy shook off the thought as he scampered over to the keyboard, "I know. He really looks unhappy and miserable so it's ok. Um...I'm not so good at staying in bed either." he admitted as he scooted to get comfortable in the chair.

Crystal chuckled as Akihiko wagged his finger wondering if he was picking up the habit too. "Well young boys always have a hard time staying in bed when sick because it is at that instance that they figure out that there was so many other things that they hadn't done and should be doing. There's always more time to think when one in lying in bed."

Ko laughed because she was probably right but then focused on Akihiko for a moment and the guitar. "I know what! You lead us today. I'm still getting use to the keyboard but I've programmed in some sounds so you get to take the lead." He smiled brightly as the idea struck, "I'm working on a new song already and all the instruments that this keyboard can play is helping! I want to ask Uncle Shou to buy me a keyboard."

"But...if you want me to lead, I can try to play some of what I've put into the keyboard. It's not hard to program in the notes. But getting the timing right is tough. I plugged in my Ipad and started to sync in my tunes. I saw you had some tunes on here too. But their dates are very old. Did you make them when you lived here??"  

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"There are plenty of things he could do in bed." Akihiko replied with a wave of one hand. "Watch television, listen to music, read, talk on his cell, play solitaire, surf the web and check email from a laptop. I mean it isn't like he has to lay there and stare at the ceiling." the musician smirked slightly, finishing his tune check for the guitar. "Heck, I'll bring him a pair of knitting needles and a book on knitting and he can take up a new hobby. I just want him to stay IN bed."
Of course Narcissus had to go silent as he thought about what to play. Should he just go with the flow? Should he play something he'd written before?
"Okay if I'm leading we'll see how you keep up, ne?" the young tiger asked with a wink to Ko. "Huh? Oh well... this is... was, my grandfather's house. I grew up here. Most of my work with that keyboard was in Junior High and High School."

 

[Kaikoloren]

"Your grandfather's house?" Ko paused and looked around. "But...I've been here. I know I have. Not in this room but...downstairs. I...remember that butler. He wouldn't let me touch anything. I don't remember Uncle Shou bringing me here but I was here." He scratched his head and frowned for a moment, "Does this house have secret passages in it? I bet it does. It's so big. Are you going to live here? Someone should live here because it's so big."

Crystal knew that the boy didn't remember Yuuji but obviously this house had impacted the boy. "Well maybe you were here with someone else. Shou-san wouldn't be the only one that could take you places. Maybe you were here before with Akihiko-kun? or someone else?" She suggested options not touching Yuuji directly knowing it was better to not push to hard.

"Um...maybe..." Ko tapped his finger on the side of the keyboard, "I don't know but...mmm" He squinted for a second, "I don't remember. I remember an hand taking mine....a man's hand. I think."

Then he dropped the subject and looked to Akihiko, "Oh...so maybe he needs a laptop and games on the bed! He's not going to sing in the concert is he? Because you can't bring the bed to the concert if he's in it right?" The child's logic was still growing. It had a fantastical element to it still, "He can sing from his bed if you get him a small bed and bring it to the concert! Then he doesn't have to get up at all."

But as soon as Akihiko told him to keep up, Ko smiled, "I will keep up, I promise. I won't let you down Akihiko-niisan." His fingers shook slightly as if excited to be released to play. He knew the notes would start filling his head as soon as the first string was pluck. But he'd try to wait for the man to get into the rhythm. Ko wanted to hear Akihiko's song.
 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Memories were a touchy subject for Akihiko and try as he might, he simply didn't understand any way to slowly jog one's memory because... well his own memories had been slapped in the face and basically told to surface.
He couldn't comprehend how to help Ko... but it seemed Crystal was on the right track.
"No. I'm not going to live here. I... I think Yuuji-kun might though. It's bigger than his home... and I'm sure he'll want to keep it in our family." smiling slightly, Akihiko reached out, lithe fingers touching the walls. "There's a lot of memories here... but I like me house better. The back half of my home, the part you haven't seen yet... it originally belonged to our family. It's where I was born. Ojisan never sold it, even though he built this place instead after my parents were gone and we lived here. When I got older he gave the house to me and I made some expansion improvements." blue eyes flickered to Ko, then pointed out the door to indicate Izzy. "Ruki likes my place better so we're going back there tonight. I like my place better. Less windows." he winked before suddenly a look of complete bafflement crossed his face.
A bed on stage...
Akihiko started laughing, sitting down on a stool as the mental image passed. "No no no, Ko-kun. He can't sing in a bed on stage. He's not singing in the concert. I know you and Shou-san wanted to hear him, but he's too sick to be singing. The lights on stage are too hot. Probably make his fever rise. We don't want him sicker than he is now, do we?"
Positioning the guitar, Narcissus began to strum slowly. He wasn't playing anything just yet... simply getting the feel for this particular make and model.
He hadn't played this guitar in years...
Then, the notes started to flow in a simple melody. At least at first. It was a relaxing tune, a slightly sad hint to it. Slow... melancholic... but it was the notes that flowed from Akihiko's heart. He couldn't help it.
Music... another way to grieve.

 

[Kaikoloren]

"This house needs a lot of people. So maybe more than...um...Yu...Yuuji-san. Is he your brother?? You and he act like it." Ko said with a smile, "I...I don't think I have any brothers or sisters."

"Memories. Sometimes I have them." Ko frowned and gazed at the walls. "But I like my memories with Uncle Shou and you better. Nothing hurts here...."

"So your house was where you were born? Umm...where was I born?" he frowned and looked around the house then bit his lip as if confused for a moment before abruptly saying, "I want to help Lucky-san somehow get on stage." As if dropping the previous conversation and pulling himself to the new one.

"I do want to hear him....and you...and that Michi guy." then he frowned because it seemed like there were many reasons that Izzy couldn't be on stage. "So the bed is a no go? Even if you put a fan on him while he was singing so he wouldn't get hot??"

Ko closed his eyes and he could hear the tune. There was a ache of sadness with the strumming of those fingers upon the strings. Eventually, Ko added his own wistful harmony. The notes hinted on despair with the flat notes sliding under the melody with a understanding all too clear.

Crystal leaned up against the wall listening to the song as it began to form. Noting how quickly the boy grasped the sound and filled in the space. She could see how both musicians could get lost in the depths this free formed composition. She reached into her pocket and turned on the recording aspect of her phone to capture the memory.
 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Akihiko didn't stop playing. His fingers kept moving, flowing with the song. He could hear the melody of the piano, but the musician didn't adjust his playing for the boy. No... he was testing the child's skill of adaptation.
But more than that... Narcissus could feel a similar sadness push forth from Ko's own notes.
What did the child really remember?
What fears were in his heart?
Where was the love he had once held for his mother and father?
twenty minutes later, the song wound down to an end and Akihiko's blue eyes fell on the boy before the keyboard. "Very good, Ko-kun." he whispered with a soft smile. "What do you think, Crystal-san?" Narcissus sighed slightly then looked to the older woman. "Ko-kun's very talented... isn't he?"
Carefully Akihiko put the guitar away. "No... you don't have any brothers or sisters. Yuuji-kun's my cousin... but we grew up together. As for where you were born..." he shook his head. "I'm sure it was here in Tokyo, but I don't know where. Ruki's not singing. If a vocalist sings when they're sick, they can strain their vocal chords and then they can't sing for a long time. Sometimes can't even talk well. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?" standing from the stool, Narcissus moved to sit beside Ko at the keyboard, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders before playfully ruffling his hair lightly. "Imagine having to write everything on a wipe off board for days! It's horrible! I've been there before. You end up in bed a lot longer too."

 

[Kaikoloren]

As the song progressed the keyboards undertones created a haunting rhythm that blended with the guitar direction complementing it. The keyboard never tried to over power the guitar's song directly but the song that was spun between them seemed to be telling a painful tale that was difficult to express in by normal words alone.

Even as the music died off, Crystal just stood there without words then finally snapped out of it wiping her eye, "Oh....I think..." She stuck her hand in her pocket to shut off the phone recording. "I think that Ko-kun is very special. Your music is very moving. Both of you...."

"Thank you....I'm glad you liked the song." Ko's fingers settled on the keyboard feeling the depths of the music. Maybe he felt just a little bit edge as it stirred thoughts hidden deeper within, "I didn't think I had any brothers or sisters." He seemed almost disappointed as he tilted his head as listened to the Akihiko's voice. "Tokyo. Maybe I should ask Uncle Shou. Oh...so almost like brothers...so you're not alone. You've always got your cousin to rely on. That's nice."

He turned slowly in his chair, "Then maybe Lucky-san should stay in bed...I don't want him losing his voice forever. Oh...no...I couldn't do that. I'd go crazy if I only had a white board!" He seemed shocked by the idea and rejected it right away.

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"Think of it... like an instrument." Akihiko spoke, hoping to make the boy understand. "If your piano is out of tune, it won't make a beautiful sound. If you sing and your throat hurts or you've been coughing and sneezing and your throat's all ready and icky... it's the same as a piano being out of tune or like breaking a guitar string. You have to fix the problem... heal the instrument." his smile turned slightly sad however, lifting Hideo's chin with a finger. "Hey. You're not alone either, mister. You've got Yuuji-kun and Shou-san and Oumori-san. You've got me and Ruki and even Yamada-san too. Right now you've also got Crystal-san." he nodded his head toward the woman standing off to the side. "Don't ever think you're alone... because we won't let you be alone ever again. You came from a bad place... but we're going to make sure nothing hurts you and that You. Are. Happy."

 

[Kaikoloren]

"Oh....so like that? Wow...So you can't tune it up like a piano I guess." He tapped his toe on the floor as understanding took hold. "I guess he should sleep lots like you said."

As soon as Akihiko explained out all the people he had in his life with that tip of a finger on he chin. Ko's smiled became brighter. It seems like the words had shooed any difficult thoughts out of his head. Suddenly his hands wrapped around Akihiko so he could give him a BIG child hug. His fingers gripped together and squeezed tight around Akihiko's lean tummy, "I am happy! I've got so many nice people around me. And I've got YOU too."

Crystal put her hands on her hips as she watched the boys, "He's going to grow up just like you Akihiko, spoiled....spoiled heartbreaker. Way too many doting Uncles." But maybe the boy needed that right now to help him feel more confident. Just by that song alone she knew that there was a darkness that lurked deeper in the heart of the boy. It would take time to dig it out.

"She called me a heartbreaker too!" Ko pointed out to Akihiko. "That's two times. So that means I'm like you!"

"Oh no! Now wait....there cannot be two Akihiko-kun's in this world." She wagged her finger, "Definitely not. That would drive my poor Ruki crazy."

"Tee Hee." Ko giggled and stuffed his face into Akihiko's stomach to hide his laughter.
 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

The sudden hug took Akihiko a moment to register, but then he gently put his arms over Ko's shoulders returning the hug. Blue eyes glanced over to focus on Crystal. "Mmm... I think the world would love two of me. One of me could sing and the other take a vacation. Course..." he looked down to Ko, thinking for a long moment.
"Maybe we could teach your voice to be an instrument. You could sing like me and Shou-san and Ruki. Then you could play music and sing it too and..." the young tiger smirked. "And then you'd be even more a heartbreaker. You'll catch the eye of every girl in Tokyo if you keep practicing."
of course Narcissus wanted to sign the boy to Ohayou. He would have loved marketing the child's talents, especially to the younger crowd or his classical skills to the more high society... but would Yuuji allow it? Ohayou could certainly use the boy... but his father...
Yuuji'd never wanted Hideo mixed up in the industry. He'd made that perfectly clear by never introducing the child to him. Now though... it was inevitable... wasn't it?

 

[Kaikoloren]

"Your fans are one thing but they don't have to live with two of you everyday." Crystal said with a huff as she watched Akihiko hug Ko. She could tell that Akihiko really did like Ko. Seemed that the young boy had a big heart even if he was troubled within.

"You can teach me to sing?" Ko asked stopping his giggling and looking seriously at the man. "I could sing like you and Uncle Shou??" The look of amazement came over the boy's face as his eyes widened. "I want to learn! I want to be a heartbreaker just like you! Girls? What do you mean? They aren't going to throw eyeballs at me....ewh...." He giggled though as he thought of it because he didn't think girls threw eyeballs...unless they were candy.

Crystal tried so hard not to laugh but she couldn't help it. "He likes the heartbreaker part. I think he might be a little too young for the girl part of the equation. Don't worry Ko, when you're a heartbreaker like Akihiko-kun, you'll understand the girl part It's a Level 13+ mission. And when you reach the mission, Akihiko-kun has a lot of experience to help you figure it out."

"AWH! Girls and Eyeballs is Level 13+??" he pouted and then looked up at Akihiko for confirmation.

"Well yes, technically but initial level may vary. Depends on how quick your interest grows." She was getting into this Level idea. It didn't take nearly as much explanation for a concept the child wasn't ready for yet. "But...I agree Akihiko, you should teach Ko how to sing. So he learns how to use his instrument properly. Since he's so eager to learn how, you shouldn't hold him back. It's easy to learn while you're young."

"Please teach me Akihiko-niisan?" Ko smiled brightly up at Akihiko hopeful that he would agree.

Crystal had a feeling that Akihiko was at odds about putting Ko into the world of music by the look on his face. She didn't know the complete circumstances but she offered this advice that was meant for ears beyond Akihiko. She knew Yuuji was watching from somewhere, "One day, Ko-kun is going to break out into the world of music whether 'you' like it or not. Someone is going to see him play somewhere. It only takes one person putting his music on Youtube for it to go viral."

She turned and headed towards the door to the studio, "If I were you, I set up an exclusive contract to protect him from other suitors in the industry that will come courting as soon as it happens. And teach him the industry young so he understands it. If he weren't with 'Shou-san' I'd make him an offer at MeKA." Crystal was at least honest because she was very interested in this talent. If Akihiko had no label she would have certainly made him an offer. Ko's talent was...one that could bring a new wave of symphonies to the ears of men who had listened to the old masters for too long. But she also knew that there had to be a balance of childhood, schooling, and music.

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"I... I can teach you." Akihiko replied softly, running his fingers through Ko's hair as the boy looked up at him. "BUT you have to do something for me in return, Ko-kun. I'll teach you to sing and to play any instrument you want to learn... well that I know. But you have to promise to study math and grammar and all your other school subjects just as hard. Shou-san's going to hire a tutor for you and I don't want to hear that you're spending all your time playing music and singing and not studying. Agreed?" he smiled, thinking back to his own childhood.
He'd studied hard... made good grades, even though math had seemingly haunted his every step and somehow he'd managed to never learn English...
It was important for Hideo to learn things outside the realm of music.
"I'll even talk to Shou-san about maybe getting you into our music program at Ohayou. You'll learn even more and faster than you are now." blue eyes flickered over to Crystal. "I'm not sure he would take the offer... however... be it Ohayou or MeKA... I'd rather Ko-kun not be contracted to SMASH for... obvious reasons."

 

[Kaikoloren]

Ko's joyful smile seemed to be plastered to his face as he listened to Akihiko. "Yay! When do we start? But school...awh..." He sighed and pouted just a little, "Ok...I'll do my best. Agreed...But I'm not really good at school. Math is easy though. Numbers are easy. But I don't like social studies...and mm....English is hard. But Uncle Naoko and I met these American kids at the Aquarium. And I learned some English words! Umm...his father works for...um...mmm...Em...Um..Emmm...bas...Embass...Embassy. And he plays soccer! OH YEAH! And Uncle Naoko got me a SOCCER GOAL!"

Crystal laughed as she reached the door because this really was the first time she had heard the boy talk about anything besides music. "Soccer will keep your legs physically fit. And you know Japan has a pro soccer league. Maybe Yuuji-kun or Akihiko-kun can take you to a game."

She turned as she touched the door knob, "Well, I think it would be smart if he did. For Ko's own sake. But I can understand his hesitation. I agree SMASH is not an option."

"Uh? But Uncle Shou works for SMASH right? So can't I work for the same one?" Ko asked very confused, "I could work for all 3!"

"Oh my, Mm...maybe Akihiko-kun can explain that better than I." she said forgetting that sometimes young children caught some things but were oblivious to others.