Disclaimer: If I owned Fruits Basket do you think I would be getting most of my earnings off being a teacher? Rated M for future chapters.
Anything but Solo
Chapter 1
Will's POV
A Six o'clock start was definitely not something I wanted nor needed today. But that's one of the woes of a weary traveller. A young traveller at seventeen trying to find his place in the world with his guitar as his only friend, that was my life. Today I was touring with a group of Americans to a place in Japan called Kaibara. I never really heard of the place but I was told it was famous for its hot springs and its vast market areas. Interested, and because I was in Japan, I decided to book a ticket for the day. I didn't worry about money. Since my parents died I had a vast amount of wealth, that and I would do busking at every town, city and country I visited. My number one worry was finding where I belong.
We arrive at the Kaibara markets and I was rather impressed to see that so many people and so many shops were there for me to investigate. All I really want was to find what I needed to do in order to settle down, to not continue travelling. Well that was easy; I would make a friend who I had a common interest with. Sure I have friends all over the world but there was something missing; love. In order to truly find where I belong, I need to find a person I can truly love being with.
It didn't take me long to pick up the sound of fellow busking musicians trying to make their worth on the market streets. I try to locate the source of the sound but they are everywhere. The seemed to be one sound I was drawn to the most. I walk in the direction and I try to hone in as much as I can on that one song.
'Every time I close my eyes
It's you and I know now
Who I am Yea yea yea and I know now'
It has such a good feel to it, the singer is playing a guitar just like I do. It's a song I know well too, but I cant think about the song right now, even if the chorus is beating through my head, make my ears burn with longing. All I had to was locate the source. But where? Where?
'You do so much
That you don't know
It's true And I know now
Who I am Yea yea yea And I know now'
At last. There he was. Standing in the middle of the market square beating the strings out of that guitar. The boy looked like he was about my age, he was quite pale but muscular though and he had what appeared to be hair dyed black and white. I never thought two-toned hair would work for anyone but his look suited him very well. He's singing the chorus again, his alabaster fingers still strumming his guitar as if his life depended on it. He lifted up his head and that was the first time I saw his eyes. At that moment I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest.
Hatsuharu's POV
Today has been such a good day for tippers. I guess that puts me in a good mood, and when I'm in a good mood I can play all day. The tourists, the locals and people who appreciate my cover songs will always work in my favour to help pay my rent to Shigure. Since leaving Sohma house I had to pay Shigure in some way. That way he suggested was inappropriate so I picked up a guitar and I haven't stopped since. Every day I keep get better and I find new songs to challenge me.
'See you as a mountain
A fountain of God
See you as a descant soul
in the setting sun
You as the sound I'm young'
As I beat out that last word I look up at my crowd who give me applause for my work. Apparently it's really had to sing out notes that long but I never seemed to have much of a problem.
'There's a place I go
When I'm alone'
I did notice one person who wasn't clapping. He stood there looking at me with deep green eyes.
'Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be'
He had a guitar strapped to his back so I assumed that he was a bit of competition.
'But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I'm fallin'
But god he looked beautiful.
'That's where I'm goin
Where are you goin'
He was pale but appeared too cultured to be my shade, he definitely wasn't from around here. I give him a nod of recognition and a smile just before I hand out the last few notes.
'Hold it close won't let this go
Dream catch me, yea
Dream catch me when I fall
Or else I won't come back at all.'
Will's POV
This was the sound I was looking for all this time. His cover of the song was perfect. I had to know who he was. The crowd clapped for the longest time as he emptied the change he accumulated from today and put his guitar away. As the crowd parted I decided to make my move. It was just too good to be true.
'That was brilliant.' I said, you could probably tell I was lost for words.
'Thank you, I saw that you liked it.' The boy replied.
'Heh, was my mouth open like a fish the entire time?'
'Well, yeah.' The boy said before giving a snigger.
Well that was kind of embarrassing, but at least I was talking to him. I wanted to show him how much I appreciated his style, his individuality, but most of all, him. So I figured I'd do it through the only way I know how.
'Um, do you mind if I...? I trailed off, pointing to my guitar still strapped to my back.
'Oh, no, not at all. I was about to leave anyway.'
'NO! ... I mean don't leave yet, I.' Oh my God, I was never good at this.
Hatsuharu's POV
What was that? Why did he want me to stay? Was it he wanted me to hear him play?
'My name is Will. What's yours?'
'Hatsuharu, but everybody calls me Haru.'
'Well, Haru. I've been travelling the world for a very long time, trying to find out where I belong and who I belonged with. My story has many twists and turns. I have been looking for somebody with a new sound and I believe you have that sound. Haru, I want you to hear me play.'
Man this guy was so cute. And he's a travelling musician too, that is so my kind of guy. But why would he come here? More to the point, why would he want just me to listen to him play. I watched him as he undressed his guitar, bending down to pick it up while doing so. He was almost as skinny as I was, but he had no tone in his muscles at all. He looked like he could fall into a heap at any second, plus side, people like that are very flexible.
Will's POV
I picked up my guitar and put it around the right way. The only thing that sucked about being left-handed was that I had to change the strings so I could still play the way I was taught by my father. I didn't play like everyone else because of this.
'I hope you're ready for this, Haru.'
Oh God do I hope you are.
'Sure thing, go right ahead.'
'Okay.'
Hatsuharu's POV
He started tapping the body of his guitar, which was a weird way to start a song, but I listened anyway. Suddenly he struck his first note and the rest of his notes started to fall into place before he started to sing.
'I want you to want me
I need you to need me
I'd love you to love me
I'm beggin' you to beg me
I want you to want me
I need you to need me
I'd love you to love me'
I was completely dumbfounded by what I heard. As I look at him and behind him I notice that people were looking in our direction. Soon, a lot of the shoppers had their eye's on Will as he played his song. But Will was looking at me the whole time he was playing. His fingerwork was amazing and didn't need to look at the strings at all like I do. Best of all, the song he was playing was fast, a kind of tempo that I loved.
'Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'
Feeling all alone without a friend you know you feel like dying
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'
He was brilliant; this was live music like I've never heard it before. Even though the song was supposed to have more synthetic sound to it, it was still something I craved more for. Note after note, in tune to the song, the crowd was starting to clap in unison as Will powered through his lyrics. Will sang in a falsetto voice, often he seemed like he scream the words as well but even so, that was the way the song was supposed to be sung. Then it hit me, this wasn't just a song... this is a love song!
'I want you to want me
I need you to need me
I'd love you to love me
I'm beggin' you to beg me
I want you to want me
I want you to want me'
I couldn't speak. I knew that the song was entirely directed at me. All around me I could hear the crowd erupt into cheers and applause. But I didn't see them; the only person I could see was him. I relaxed and knew what I had to do, hoping my black side wouldn't come out in the process.
Will's POV
The crowd was still cheering when I put my guitar away. I strapped my best friend to my back and looked back at Haru. He was sort of looking down, his hair covering his grey eyes.
'So what did you think?' I asked him nervously.
Suddenly, Haru picked up his guitar and took me by the hand with his other hand. He grinned at me momentarily.
'I think you need to come with me.' He said, without a word more he started taking me, almost forcefully, through the crowd. A quick as that, we left the market square.
'Wait! Where are you taking me?'
TO BE CONTINUED
So this is my first shot at a potential yaoi fic. Future chapters will be longer I promise.
Everybody who reviews my fic will be fed Pocky. All flames will be gathered to make my fireplace warmer. Feel free to review and I will love you forever.
Songs used in this chapter:
Dream Catch Me – Newton Faulkner
I Want You To Want Me – Cheap Trick