They walked down the street to the local pizza place, where the studio celebrities could eat in peace without being bombarded by fans. They were quickly seated in a booth together, looking over their menus hungrily. After ordering, they happily blew their straw sleeves at each other, laughing and joking. Eventually, Hisagi broke the merry get together.

"So, Hitsugaya. What's your story?"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression I had just joined the Soul Reapers, the band least likely to spill their pasts to anyone."

And it was true. The Soul Reapers were not only well known for their amazing musical talent, but also their refusal to give their backstories out to anyone. No matter how many interviews they endured, never once did any magazine, tabloid, or TV show manage to get the scoop on their mysterious pasts.

"True. We hide our pasts from others. But amongst us, we know just about everything." Renji smirked. He had relaxed considerably in the amiable atmosphere.

"Well, if you want to hear about me, tell me about yourselves first." Toshiro demanded. "What're your tragic stories you don't want to tell the world?"

"You already know mine..." Ichigo mumbled off, taking a sip of his water.

"Mine's not tragic, but it is personal. I was attacked by a criminal." Hisagi explained. "Saved by this guy… He had a 69 tattooed on his chest, which inspired me to get my tattoo on my face. I owe that guy my life."

"I always thought it was cause you were gay." Renji teased.

"Shut up." Hisagi muttered, glaring at Renji as he took another drink from his beer.

"As for me." Renji continued, ignoring Hisagi. "I grew up on the streets. Me and my friends, we looked out for each other. But, there was this accident, and…they all died. So," Renji continued, a stoic mask on his face, hiding his emotions. "me and my friend, Rukia, we were taken into foster care. We were best friends, me and Rukia. Then one day, she was gone. Got adopted by some rich guy. But y'know what?" Renji looked Toshiro straight in the eye. "I'm glad I was put in foster care. It was there that I met Kira and Momo, and those two helped me through a really hard time." He smiled at Momo, who smiled shyly back at him. "There was a music program for kids like us, and that's how the Soul Reapers came to be. Simple as that."

Toshiro sat there for a moment, letting it all sink in. Finally, he turned to the last member, the one who, as of yet, had not said a single word to him. Momo.

"Well?" he cocked an eyebrow at her. "What about you?"

Momo stared at him for a moment. A number of emotions were pulsing through her eyes. Hurt, sadness, fear… it was amazing, the things she was telling him without saying a word. That's when it hit Toshiro. She spoke with her eyes.

"Momo's story is for her to tell." Renji spoke up, warily eyeing the new lead guitarist. "All you need to know for now is that she grew up with me and Kira in foster care. Got it, kid?"

A vein pulsed angrily in Toshiro's forehead. "What did you just call me?"

Renji smirked. "A kid. Why, got a problem with that, shrimp?"

"Don't call me a kid." Toshiro stated in a cold, icy tone. "Or shrimp." He added as an afterthought.

"Make me." Renji smirked, enjoying Toshiro's anger.

"Why you-" Toshiro began, only to be interrupted by a quiet voice.

"C'mon you guys, please stop fighting. We're here to welcome Hitsugaya into the band, not pick fights. Right, Renji?" Momo turned to Renji, eyes pleading with him to calm down.

Much to Toshiro's surprise and everyone else's amusement, Renji instantly stopped, instead snorting and looking away, drinking from his beer and muttering something under his breath.

Toshiro looked over at the girl. She had been awfully quiet ever since the audition. He hadn't heard her say a word. Not till now. Her voice… it was hushed and shy. He couldn't imagine her yelling. He was also confused by her behavior. She had stopped a fight from breaking out between the two, but he couldn't help but wonder if she had been… sticking up for him?

Don't be ridiculous, Toshiro, he told himself. She just didn't want to get kicked out of the restaurant.

Finally, their food arrived, and the hungry group dug in.


Tee hee! Can't you just feel the love from that little bonding session oozing out of your computer screen? ;3

So, Chapter 2. (It was so short! Next chapter will be longer, I promise!) I decided to name each chapter after a song that best fits what the chapter's about. Dirty Little Secret by the All-American Rejects seemed appropiate for this. And I changed the name of the story… I didn't realize how many people were already using Laughter in the Rain for their stories! Plus, Ob La Di, Ob La Do actually suits it much better, so… what do you all think??

Oh, yes, thanks for the reviews kRyStAlt3aRz, Moonlight-Milkyway, JoaNyMar12, Momo – Toshiro, HEDGEHOGZ, and Kalow!

It's nice to see so many people coming back from Hide and Go Seek! ^^

I haven't decided yet whose POV this is going to be from… obviously, this is Toshiro's POV, but I'm thinking of changing it up every chapter. But at the same time, I find it surprisingly easy to type in Shiro-chan's POV, so… I don't know, I'll just type whatever comes to mind and see how it goes~!

Thanks for reading and please review! X3

P.s., for those of you following Tag, Chapter 2 should be up very soon!