Author's Notes: Hey! So, I haven't written anything since graduating high school, and I haven't written any fan fiction in much longer than that time period. But, here I am! Not sure if anyone will enjoy this, seeing as how there's a main character in the story who is secondary in the YYH storyline. Also, the other main character is an OC, and while I usually don't read much fan fiction with OCs, I thought of this idea a while back, and decided to write it down. If someone enjoys it, awesome! If not, hey! I gave it a go, right? Anyway, this story doesn't follow the entire canon storyline, but it follows quite a bit, so sorry if it gets a little confusing. Also, there will be quite a few flashback chapters (including this one), but I'll warn you ahead of time so you have an idea of what's going on. Well, enjoy! R&R?

Edit: I've changed the rating of this story, just so everyone is aware. It's for trigger warnings and such in later chapters. There's gonna be a little bit of racier stuff in later chapters, too. Nothing graphic, just vague mentions, and I don't want anyone to be offended or anything. I figured I should give everyone a heads up. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, or any of its characters.

The Red

The sound of chatter filled his ears. The distracting noise forced him to draw his piercing black eyes up from his open book, and look into the small mass of people who stood in front of him, and next to him on both sides.

The youth around him, ages varying from what looked to be middle schoolers on up to young adults around college level, all clad in an interesting, and frankly quite tacky, array of interesting street clothes and modified school uniforms. Plaid skirts paired with fishnets and shiny black combat boots. Skin tight jeans cut off just above the knee (obviously well worn), adorning equally as tight band T's on their torsos and old, cheap sneakers on their feet, most likely the only pair of shoes they owned by the ratted nature of them. Tall, spiky hair. Lip rings, gauged ears, a bountiful supply of studs and safety pins. Both boys and girls with shades of hair color that spanned the entire rainbow.

He breathed in deeply, ready to exhale a disgruntled sigh, when a long arm wrapped its way around his shoulders and pulled him into the chest of a taller figure. The curly, black haired boy glanced up at this, eyes landing on a boy a good few inches taller than him with shaved sides on his scalp, leading to a tall, blue mohawk. The taller boys eyes were half lidded, appearing as if he hadn't slept in days, were it not for the cheery glint in them.

"Yu, you actually came!", sang the mohawk clad boy. As he looked down at the smaller boy, his eyes squinted, and a wide, excited smile appeared on his face.

The curly headed boy turned away from him, pushing his thick, black rimmed glasses up further on his freckled nose, revealing more freckles on his cheeks now that the frames were not sitting directly over them. "Trust me, it took all of my will power to drag myself down into this bizarre circus," Yu spat back with bitterness in his tone, "I can barely see the words in my book with this poor lighting, and comprehension of text is most definitely out the window with all this blabbering,".

The two boys were young and looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years of age. The first was Yu, with his short black curls atop his head, freckles strewn across his pale, square face. He wore his black, long sleeved school uniform with its golden buttons done all the way to the top, his white undershirt peeking out from under his collar. In his right hand, he still held onto his book, and his other hand sat in the pocket of his neatly ironed black school issued slacks. Plain, black loafers on his feet. A neat, prim looking boy.

He couldn't have been more of the opposite of his friend who still stood beside him, arm wrapped about his shoulder and leaning into him with a good majority of his weight. His blue mohawk stood atop his head, squared neatly. The gel he used must have been made with actual glue, seeing as how his hair barely moved when his head bobbed about as he let out a hearty laugh. He wore a cropped jean jacket, studs and band pins scattered about the breast of the jacket and spikes attached to the seams on his shoulders. Under his jacket was a loose fitting, comfortable looking band T-shirt with the collar removed by what had to have been a pair of rusty, old scissors, considering the jagged nature of the cut. The hand that was not insnaring his friend was tucked into the pocket of his baggy plaid shorts that came down to his knees. A pair of suspenders lay slack at either side of his body, running back up and attaching to the back of his pants. A black, leather belt was strung loosely around his waist, clearly giving no assistance with keeping up his shorts, considering it wasn't even threaded through his belt loops. Down at his feet were a clunky pair of black boots, untied.

"Ah! Come on!", cried the blue haired boy, "You've always got your nose stuck in a book! You need to get out a little. See the world!", as he said this, he took his hand from his pocket, and raised it into the air, gazing off dramatically into the darkness of the room.

"Tch," Yu scoffed, closing his eyes and turning his head in the opposite direction of his friend, "Yana, if you believe that this could even come close to be a monumental experience, you're seriously disturbed,".

Yana's smile vanished, and he slumped against his friend again, his hand now back in his pocket as he gave a mopey frown, "Man, you sure know how to bring down the mood, Mr. Anti-social," he whined.

The black haired boy merely glanced at his friend, then squinted down at his book again, "This is hardly what I would consider to be an appropriate social event for two second years in middle school to attend. Especially on a school night," came his sour reply.

"Make that three second years!", came a shout from Yu's free side.

At this, both boys looked curiously to the left, and Yana immediately lunged forth at the sight of the voice's owner, a huge grin once again gracing that tired looking face, "Asato!", he called, raising his free hand in the air in greeting.

Walking toward them was a boy about Yu's height, perhaps only slightly taller, but not nearly as tall as Yana. He had a wide grin on his face, his eyes darkened with a very thin layer of black eye liner on his water line. He had a scruffy mess of blond hair atop his head, appearing to have not been combed in a number of days. He had on a white button down, both sleeves rolled up to his biceps. Only one side of his shirt was tucked into his dark blue, plaid pants. His pants fit well, not too tight, and not baggy. They came to his ankles, where he had folded the bottoms to reveal his sockless ankles that lead the eye to his black and white creepers. Well worn, with scuffs all over the white leather parts, and the sole, though at least an inch thick still, looked heavily scuffed.

The blond made one more bound toward his friends before being pulled into Yana's armpit in the same fashion he held the bookworm. He looked up at their captor, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Jeeze, you sure know how to cut it close, bro," Yana said, his goofy smile still present as well.

Asato pulled back, yanking his head out from his grip. He placed one of his hands in his pocket, hunched over as he rubbed the underside of his nose with his free index finger, a smug look on his face. "Yeah, well I think the man of the hour gets the right to a late arrival," He said smugly, closing his eyes and straightening his back with his chest out proud, and brows raised.

Yu let out a disagreeing sound as he looked up at the blond. "I'm pretty sure that the backup guitarist isn't considered the man of the hour," He mumbled.

Asato's grin never wavered after hearing the comment. He looked down at the curly haired boy, "Hey, cut me some slack. At least I'm in the band, right?" he said proudly despite his friend's words.

Yana nodded his head in agreeance, finally freeing Yu from his grip. "Right, man!" He proclaimed, rubbing his nose in the same fashion Asato had just done, "Don't listen to Yu. He's just jealous 'cause he can't play any instruments like us," at this, he pointed to his chest with his thumb, chin up, "But, dude! If I could play my drum set half as good as you play guitar, I might have a shot at being a member of The Heavy Hitter!" he said, both hands now on his hips.

Yu let out another sigh, and turned away from both of them, his nose pushed back into his book. "What a clever name," he remarked sarcastically under his breath.

The two taller boys simply brushed him off, smiling stupidly at one another. "Yeah, yeah. We all know you think it's just a lot of screaming and noise," Asato said, waving a hand, "But, try to have at least a little fun? I mean, this is the first time you've actually come out to see us play, and the band's been playing together since nearly a year and a half ago," as he spoke, his expression softened, looking down at Yu's mess of black curls. "Regardless of whether or not you enjoy it even a little, I really appreciate you coming out, man. I really means a lot."

Yu's black eyes peeked up for a millisecond before returning back to his book, "Mm," he said in acknowledgement. He cared for his two friends greatly, despite the vast rift between their interests and his own. "Well, I think you'd better get up on the stage before the show's over, then," he said, pointing a finger toward the crowd that now swarmed the front of the stage, their screams loud and piercing.

Asato stiffened, his hair fluffing up as he jumped at the sight. "Aw, jeez! Thanks, man! I'll see you two after the show!" And with that, he ran past the two of them toward the stage, waving a hand as he pushed through the stampede of boys and girls.

Yana smiled proudly, and looked down at his one friend who still remained at his side. He placed his hands in his pockets and nudged the boy with his elbow as he looked back at the stage. "Hey, come on! Pay attention! Show's about to start," He said as he looked forward toward the stage where Asato was now standing with his electric guitar slung over his shoulder and his finger tips strumming and tuning the instrument.

Behind Asato, the drummer sat on his throne, sticks in hand, shirt off, and took a huge gulp of water into his mouth. The lights dimmed in the room darker, darker, until it was nearly pitch black. Suddenly, the spot light shined down on the stage, illuminating where Asato and his band mate were at the ready.

Yu glanced up at the stage, his book nearly covering his sight. He had only come to support his friend, and had no intentions of actually watching the show fully or half attentively. But, that resolve would not last long, as his eyes caught sight of two more figures walking onto the stage. Unlike Yu and Yana's blond friend, who seemed giddy and aloof as he stood waiting by his backup microphone in a way that showed he was just happy to be there, these two figures had a determined stomp to their walk. Their legs bounding upon the stage in unison, they approuched their band mates. Yu raised his hand to the edge of his glasses, and re adjusted them, squinting to get a better look at the two in the harsh lighting of the overhead stage lights now shining on them.

The one in the front was a tall boy, around Yana's height, but clearly a year or two older than himself and his friends. He had shiny black hair, short in the back, but hanging down a bit past eye level in the front, and parted slightly down the middle. His face seemed blank, as if devoid of emotion, not a thought running through his head. Like he was running on auto pilot. He was pale, and at a closer look, quite handsome in the face. He wore a simple black shirt that hugged his obviously toned torso like a glove, showing his strong chest and rippling abs. The crew collar was still on the shirt, but the sleeves seemed to have been cut off. Shining leather pants showed his leg muscles, and a simple brown belt secured them around his waist, though Yu was certain the pants must have been painted on with no worry of falling down. His feet had heavy black combat boots adorned with buckles that went three quarters of the way up his calves.

Yu could almost not even hear himself think as the screams got louder, the strong figure taking center stage and reaching down to re-adjust his microphone with fingerless gloved hands. His strong muscled arms tightened as he moved the mic to his mouth and looked out into the audience with piercing eyes, violet in color.

"How's everybody doin' out there tonight?" he spoke into the mic, looking toward the ground to tap the toe of his boot on the stage beneath his feet, hands still gripping the mic stand. This acknowledgement caused a sudden uproar in the crowd now reaching in toward the stage, fists held high in the air.

Though while the crowd seemed focusing solely on the front man, Yu's attention slowly rolled back to the other figure who had come onto the stage with the black haired boy. This figure was much, much shorter than the man holding the mic stand, and quite petite. Despite this fact, this person's demeanor seemed hard and jagged, as if they were ready to brawl at any minute. Looking past the glare that shown on his glasses, he watched the form walk up to the side of the front man, opposite of his friend Asato. The figure had jet black hair, save for a chunk on the left side of their head that was a soft pink color. Their hair came to about their chin with it parted down the middle, and framing their face, choppy and unruly, as if teased that way on purpose. At a closer look, Yu was finally able to decipher the reason for the much more petite form as he noticed them wearing dangerously short acid wash jean shorts, the bottoms that hugged their thighs stringy and uneven. Again, a pair of interesting black boots with ties up the length of the person's calves, only this pair had a slight heel in the back. Up, up, up those short but toned legs, and there was a comfortably fitting tank top dawned the name 'Megallica' across the chest. The arm openings on the top looked stretched from repeated wear, and under the tank top, a black band was present, thick and covering only a bit of the exposed skin on the person's sides. The shorts, the heels, the bra, this was clearly the only female member of the group.

She leaned down near where the drummer sat on his throne and took up a bass guitar, red and vibrant in the wash of mostly black clothing. As the girl pulled the strap over her shoulder and rested it there, the size of the bass seemed greatly disproportionate to her small frame, as if it weighed almost half of her. As she adjusted her hands, covered in silver rings, on the instrument and treaded over to her own respective backup mic, she threw her head back to move her messy hair from her dewy face. Her lips were painted with matte red, the same shade as her guitar, minus the luster. Her cheeks were pierced, one silver ball in each dimple. Her eyes were rimmed with a dark smokey black that made her deep brown eyes pop.

The small girl, most likely around the center stage boy's age, looked out toward the crowd. But Yu noticed something strange about the way her eyes looked. They were almost indifferent to the world around her, as if her mind were elsewhere, her thoughts in a completely different part of the universe. The determination on her face was ever present even still. And she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth roughly before shouting into the microphone.

"Let's get this damn show rollin', boys!" she growled, her voice course and deep for someone so small.

The front man walked quickly back toward the drummer and picked up his own electric guitar, and plugged it in, the feed back loud as he stomped back to the mic, "We… are The Heavy Hitter!" he screamed, and suddenly there was an almost deafening sound of his guitar shredding against the pick between his fingers.

The rest of the band joined in, bodies tight. Asato and the singer's fingers flew over the necks of their guitars as the music poured out. The drummer behind them wailed on his set, sending crashing sounds echoing through the room. But despite that, and despite the sound of the black haired boy now stepping to the mic and letting his singing voice be heard loudly, Yu found his attention focused on those thin, dainty fingers pulling up on the thick strings of a bass guitar, the smooth vibration ringing in his ears. Slapping those strings and moving her other hand up and down the neck of the bass with such skill, the black haired girl closed her eyes, and her body swayed to the soft sound of her playing.

To everyone else in the room, the sound of the girl's instrument was nearly drowned out, background to the violent guitar riffs from the singer and Yu's blond friend, and the sound of the drummer smashing away with his drumsticks. But that smooth sound of bass reverberated in Yu's ear drums. It rang deep, and Yu found himself stiffening.

Things began to happen in slow motion for him. The book that he had previously been so caught up in was now falling from his now slack grip on it, and dropped to his feet to be trampled on by more groupies pushing past to get a better view of the show. He pushed his glasses up on the side of his face and stared, mouth agape, and a deep breath pulling in through his lips, filling his pounding chest with air. It was the most surreal experience he had ever felt, his body seeming to go numb, and eyes glazed over with wonder at the smooth sound of the girl's playing. And as the show went on, his attention was focused only on that red bass, shining in the blinding spotlights. By the end of the first song, Yu knew that something had sparked in him, an interest. A hunger. A void that had been blasted into him that needed to be filled.

Skinny, freckled, brainiac Yu had found something that surpassed his love of words and puzzles and equations. And that love was radiating toward that shiny red bass.