Author's Note: Sorry that this story is so crappy. I literally wrote this at two in the morning, but, hey, the more practice, the better you get right?
"Shark!"
Shark jumped at the sudden screech of a familiar 13 year old boy. He turned around to see Yuma racing toward him.
"Don't you ever hang out with your friends?"
Yuma cocked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? We're friends aren't we? Anyway, what are you carrying there?"
Shark scoffed at Yuma and waved his hand at the item on his back.
"What does it look like to you?"
"Something big," Yuma replied, narrowing his eyes as if squinting would reveal something that he couldn't see before.
Shark jabbed his thumb at his luggage. "Obviously, you stupid guy, this is a guitar. The case is shaped just like it. I left it at my grandmother's house, and I'm bringing it home," He narrowed his eyes and leaned over to glare at Yuma. "Are you sure that there's a functioning brain in there?"
"Of course there is! Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'people with brains do an awful lot of talking'? I'm talking aren't I?"
"That's without brains," Shark responded. He turned his direction ahead. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Hey, can you play that?" Yuma pointed at the guitar case.
"No, I cannot play a guitar case."
"Smartass, I was asking if you could play the instrument inside of it, "Yuma crossed his arms.
Shark shrugged. "In spades, I guess."
Yuma grinned. "Beans of the coolest variety! So you can kattobingu when it comes to instruments?"
Shark ignored Yuma's question and ambled on. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" He repeated.
"Hey, you should play it!" Yuma bulldozed Shark's question. Shark sighed.
"Look, we're walking down the road, you dumbass. I can't just pull out an instrument and start gallivanting along. I mean, seriously-"
"But we're in the park," Yuma stated flatly.
Shark furrowed his brow and scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, the pair had ended up in the park and were standing inches from the benches. Shark rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his flippant violet hair.
"Okay, so if I play the damn thing, will you-"
"Hey, Kotori! Shark's going to put on a show for us!" Yuma bellowed across the park to his green haired friend as she came trotting in their direction.
"Us?" Shark put his face in his hand. He straightened and waved politely at Kotori when she finally reached the pair. She eyed the guitar case with interest.
"You're going to play it?" Shark nodded bashfully. She smiled and clapped her hands together. "That's so cool that you know how to play! Yuma why don't you know how to play the guitar?"
"What's so cool about that?" Yuma pouted. Still he pointed at the swinging bench. "Hey, let's see how good you are! Rock out, Shark!"
Shark knelt down and carefully placed the case on the ground. "This is an acoustic guitar, imbecile."
Shark unsheathed the instrument and stood, adjusting the strap on his shoulders. Yuma and Kotori perched awkwardly on one end of the bench and Shark sat on the other, so his knee was almost touching Kotori's. He trailed his left foot along the pavement. He stared at his instrument for a moment before furrowing his brow. He sat up and looked around, checking to see if anyone was paying any attention to the trio. He sighed and began to poise his fingers on the neck of the guitar.
"Oi, what's going on here?"
The three turned their attention to Tetsuo, who whistled at the sight of Shark's instrument.
"Hey, are about to play it?" Tetsuo sat down on his skateboard.
Shark nodded his head and surveyed his surroundings once more. When he decided that the coast was clear, he lifted his index finger.
"One song," he stated. Everyone nodded. Shark turned to Yuma specifically.
"One song," he repeated himself. Yuma shrugged.
"How do I even know that you're good enough for me to want to hear all of the first one?"
Kotori jabbed Yuma in the ribs, almost knocking him out of his unsteady spot on the bench. Yuma, Kotori, and Tetsuo all leaned slightly forward in anticipation.
Having finally decided what to play, Shark exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. He poised his fingers on the neck of his guitar and strummed the first three notes.
It seemed like all of Shark's surroundings had melted away. He forgot about the bench he was sitting on. He forgot the park. He forgot about Yuma and Kotori and Tetsuo.
His head bobbed to the rhythm of the song he played and he swung the bench slightly with each tap of his foot. The sound that poured from the guitar was beautiful; it was sad. Shark's fingers travelled up and down the neck of the guitar lazily.
A sudden harmony joined the sound of the guitar: the sound of Shark's voice. His voice melded perfectly with the tune swimming out of the guitar, matching the melancholy tone to the note.
The notes drifted softly over the park, grabbing the attention of the other park goers and filling them with the same romantic dread that Shark pounded out the six strings.
The trio sat awestruck in their seats, unable to move.
Why does everything I do cause tragedy? Why does everyone I know keep leaving me here? Why do I feel so empty inside?
Shark watched his finger work through half lidded eyes, suddenly remembering where he was. His playing slowed.
I only want... to...
Die...
Shark's fingers slid off of the neck of the guitar, his ears turning a bright shade of pink. He cleared his throat and turned on the bench and knelt down, busying himself with returning the guitar to its case.
Almost as if broken from a trance, Yuma blinked and frowned.
"Is... is it over?"
Shark nodded. Yuma turned around on the bench and pouted. "But couldn't you just play-"
"I said only one," Shark blurted. He shut the case.
The others in the park broke from the trance as well, and a scattered applause echoed throughout the park.
Shark returned to his spot on the bench and picked at the end of his shoe, suddenly deflated.
Tetsuo exhaled. "That was legit. I thought you were just going to strum a kid's song or something."
Kotori nodded and looked up at Shark, still hazy from the song.
"But why that song? I didn't know you listened to that kind of music. And such a sad one..."
"My sister." Shark answered. "She really loved that song and always asked me to play it. She sang along when I played it..." Shark glanced at his hands. "But I don't know why it came out of my fingers out of everything I know." He shrugged.
Yuma's energy finally caught with him and he sat up in shock.
"Shark! You could be, like, an idol!" He waved his arms frantically. "You could buy me duel monster cards with all the money you make!"
"Shut the fuck up."
Kotori sat up on the bench and tapped her fingers against her knees.
"That was really good, anyway. Are you sure that you.. Don't...?"
Shark sighed and opened the case again. He held up one index finger the other hand holding the neck of his guitar.
"But only one more."
A/N: The song that Shark is singing is a legit song, and it's called "Sayoko" and it's really sad. There's both and english and a Japanese version, though the words vary a little. I chose to go with the english lyrics though since I'm writing in english, and the point gets across a little better.
