It had been a long day and to make it worse, it was freezing out. Rin had just gotten over a cold and the weather was not going to help him get any better. After gym class and a warm shower, Rin met Kuro out by the courtyard and sat on the edge of the fountain. It was a cool October day. Leaves had recently fallen and the ground was covered in a light blanket of orange. The sun was out and shinning, though it was cold enough that you could see your own breath. Rin watched as little familiar jumped into a huge pile of leaves and suddenly disappeared. Autumn was all around and he took in a deep breath. This time of year was his favorite.
The Kyoto trio appeared from the main building and began to walk in his direction. Rin smirked and waved. "Hey guys," he called. Renzo waved back, throwing an arm over Bon. "Hey dude." Konekomaru smiled, too. "We're about to go out to the pizza place down the street a few blocks. Wanna join?" Rin quickly nodded and grabbed the bag he kept his sword in. "Yeah, sure. That sounds cool." He got up and followed his buddies. Kuro caught up with them and jumped up onto Rin's shoulder. Together, they walked to the pizza place and sat down at a table in the corner.
It was quiet as they went to get drinks and all came back to their seats. Bon was the first to speak. "You guys ready for our exam tomorrow?" Konekomaru smiled gave his friend a 'thumbs up.' He put his hands down and answered, "I studied all night." Renzo and Rin didn't look as convincing, though. Bon gave them both odd looks. "One day, one of you is actually going to pass a test. One day it will have to happen." Everyone laughed and took sips of their sodas. "I know," they both said, practically in unison.
When the waitress finally went to their table, they ordered a large pizza and decided to split the tab. Aggravated at the fact that she had to serve boys, the waitress huffed and walked away. "She's gonna spit in our food," Renzo said and made a face. "You're probably right," Rin agreed and began laughing. After some thought, he continued to speak. "So, I been thinking…" A crowd of "uh-oh's" followed him. "Oh, be quiet. It's not even that bad. Mephisto… I mean the director, has planned a talent show to happen sometime within six or seven months." His friends all watched him as he talked. "I really wanna do it." Bon cleared his throat before talking. "What do you wanna do?" he asked. Rin shrugged in response. "I don't have any idea yet." Everyone around the table thought hard. Konekomaru spoke up after a moment or so. "We should do something band related, like do a song." He smiled. "I can play keyboards, Rin." Bon nodded, totally into Konekomaru's idea. "That's great. I can play drums. I learned a long time ago and I never really gave it up. Kinzo taught me," he smirked over at Renzo. "I'm sure if I was to pick up some drum sticks again, I'd have no problem." Rin nodded approvingly, jealous of his friend's skills. Inside his shirt, his tail began to wag a bit.
Everyone was buzzing with ideas as Rin spoke up again. "I played guitar a bit when I was younger. My dad taught me." He smiled a little, remembering the good times he had with Shiro and his old white Gisbon Stratocaster. Everyone looked to Renzo and his eyes got wide. "I have no musical talent at all. Just because Kinzo's a rock star doesn't mean I am, too. Don't look at me." He put his palms up in defense. Rin bumped his elbow jokingly and his pinkish hair bounced and hung over his eyes. He pushed his hangs back. Rin smiled. "You can learn. Try bass. We need a bass player. "After a long moment, Renzo scratched his head. "Well, you guys are just crazy for even coming up with his idea but, I'll do it. It sounds like fun." Everyone at the table laughed and rejoiced. "Wait, who's going to sing?" Bon asked after a beat or two. Rin looked like he was scheming hard. Smoke was nearly coming out of his ears. "My brother used to sing at all our school functions back in middle school and grammar school. Maybe, he'll wanna do it."
"Your brother?" Renzo asked, really surprised. Rin smiled proudly. "Yup, Yukio used to love to sing. I used to love hearing him. He was good." He smiled, again. "I'm sure he'll warm up to the idea of doing this with us, maybe not right away but I think he will. He could use some loosening up once and a while. This'll be good for him, and us." Konekomaru, Renzo, and Bon smiled and agreed. "You're right, he sure could," Bon commented after some thought.
Finally, their waitress came back to their table, pizza pie-plate in hand. Rin remembered Renzo's comment and prayed to God that she hadn't spit in their food. She placed the big plate on the table and left. She didn't even bother to ask if they needed anything else. "It's a shame," Renzo said. "She's a babe, too. I hate girls with attitudes like that." Bon shrugged. "I mean, we're not twelve. We're all seventeen and eighteen." Rin nodded in agreement. "We weren't even doing anything that bad, either." They each took a slice of pizza. "It's really good," Rin announced, satisfied. He took another bite just as Bon nodded in agreement. Konekomaru laughed. "It is, but I Rin could make better." Rin laughed and blushed a little. "Thanks, Kone."
After lunch, splitting the paycheck, and leaving, they decided to stop by a pawn shop near the academy. Bon insisted because he wanted to know if someone pawned a drum set for a decent price. De said he was willing to work with anything.