Everyone who are my Dry shout's fans…I'm really sorry about this. I try not to give up on it, but I really do need something else into my life at the moment, or I'll be under eternal dry spell. So, let's call this my summer project or something, shall we?
This is sort of a new version of 'switching places'. All of the main cast are in High School together, ages and age differences are different and the characters are in a way opposite of their normal character, but there are some traces of it left there. You'll see what I mean when you read.
Webster's Dictionary defines 'Remix' as: "an alternative mix of a song, often radically different from the original, and usually incorporating elements of dance music." And this is pretty much what I meant to do with the characters for this one as well.
All the names for the chapters will be taken from songs I know and like that seem to speak about that chapter. This chapter's is Nemo by Nightwish, because the whole song seems to be like a theme for Shuichi in this ^^.
Summary: Very AU. Shuichi is the uptight student with secret dreams of being a rock star. Eiri is the naive, budding novelist of school. Their worlds cross, and Eiri realises it is his job to show Shuichi just how important dreams are. YS, HS
Dedication: My dear best friend kylkiluu, who leaves for an exchange year to China in late August. I'm going to miss you so much, girl! Take care, and let's keep in contact!
Prologue: The one without a name
This is me for forever
One of the lost ones
The one without a name
Without an honest heart as compass
-Nemo by Nightwish
For as long as he could remember, Shuichi had had the dream of being a rock star. He had known it ever since he had first sang, back in the kindergarten, where they had been practising nursery rhymes. Singing gave him fulfilment inside he had never experienced before, and it was only then that he realised something had been missing there. It was as if there had been some kind of hole deep in his heart that singing filled with its essence, and made him complete. That moment, Shuichi knew he had been meant to sing.
From then on, Shuichi was always singing, using hairbrushes and his sister's Barbie dolls as fake microphones. Of course Maiko always got mad at him for taking her dolls without asking, so eventually Shuichi changed the dolls into toothbrushes.
Every morning and evening he sang into them, looking at himself in the mirror while doing so, perfecting his pose, technique and flirty wink he had seen a rocker give his fans on TV. He almost always made everyone late from their work and schedule with his morning practises.
The summer after which Shuichi would enter elementary school, a new family moved across the street. The old woman Maeda, who had previously lived there had "moved away", as his mother had told him. She had also told him that the new family was from Hokkaido(1), and that they had two sons, one of which was about two years older than Shuichi himself.
The next day, Shuichi went with his family to greet the new family on the street, a home-made lasagne prepared by Shuichi's mother with them as a housewarming gift. After the brief introductions, Mrs. Nakano (as that was the new family's name) encouraged Shuichi to go upstairs to the first room on the right, where her younger son Hiroshi was, asking him to try and be friends with him. Shuichi, the nice and naive boy he was back then, nodded and went.
When he reached upstairs, he could clearly hear music coming from there. He recognised the song, it was by one of his favourite bands and he loved singing along with it. After a while, he realised it was coming from behind the closed door that was first on the right. He slowly opened the door just a little bit, and saw a boy looking a few years older than himself, with dark red and slightly wild shoulder-length hair, playing a toy guitar in his hands as passionately and harshly as he could, with his eyes closed. Unable to help himself after seeing the other boy's passion and dedication, Shuichi opened his mouth and began singing along with the beat. The red-head opened his dark blue eyes in wonderment at the sound of his voice, but made no move to stop playing. He just kept doing it, now just with his eyes open, as he observed Shuichi sing and walk closer.
After the song finished, the two boys stared at each other for a while. Then the red-head held out his hand.
"I'm Hiroshi. You can call me Hiro."
Shuichi smiled and took his hand. "Shuichi."
Ever since that day, the two boys were inseparable. Shuichi learnt that Hiro was two years older than him, and would be going to the same school where Shuichi would start next fall. Hiro told him of his dream of being a star guitarist someday, and Shuichi told of his singing dreams. In that fleeting moment, they both knew what Hiro was about to say next. They would make it to the top of the music world together, and as a partnership they would form a band.
From then on the two always practised music or wrote lyrics together as a team. They played often feeling on top of the world, and performed with their families as an audience, who laughed, smiled and clapped happily for them. Hiro and Shuichi spent hours talking about the future, their dreams and hopes. Their grades at school were rather poor, but they were still in elementary school, so who cared?
Three years passed almost too quickly, and the two friends felt like they were in a dream. They certainly spent a lot of their time dreaming. And now too, as they looked back, those times seemed so far away to them that they really did seem like a dream.
The dream was about to come to end.
The year Shuichi turned ten, his parents sent his little sister Maiko to a friend's house for the night one day, and told Shuichi they had something very important to talk to him about. They were all sitting in the living room, and Shuichi was just about to get worried over the serious looks on his parents' faces, when his father said the words that would change his life forever:
"Shuichi, your mother and I have been thinking about this, and we think you're old enough now, and deserve to know the truth. Shuichi…you're not actually our son. We adopted you right after you were born."
That was where the dream ended.
(1)According to Wikipedia, Hiro's birthplace is Hokkaido, so…
