A/N: So here's the second chapter. I really hope you all will enjoy this story, I know its kind of weird to picture Wata and Dou to sing, but hey, thats what an AU's all about right? So Enjoy

First Encounters of the Second Kind:

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We were planning on going through our previous recordings, only this time with the still unknown addition.

I hadn't had a very good nights rest, and I couldn't stop myself from yawning as I walked down the many hallways of Lattice Records. I passed by several rooms when something caught my ears and my entire body stopped in-front of the door in question.

I listened in to the sounds emitting from behind the barrier and my jaw fell slightly open.

An innocent piano was being played, its tones reminding me of childhood, of something beautiful, something unstained.

A muffled voice could also be heard, though the lyrics which it sang I couldn't quite discern.

All that I could make out was that the voice was beautiful, and I could have stood there listening to it forever.

The song continued, becoming more emotional as it went, as if following a child through the years, watching it gradually grow older.

The notes themselves were not very complicated, it was just the intervals at which it was played that made the tune so enrapturing.

All I could think was, I want to make something with that voice.

But then the song gradually died down, came back from its epitome and down to reality and I sighed in regret, along with what sounded like a sigh from whoever was playing on the inside.

"I just don't know what to expect from it..." The voice said as the music completely stopped.

I then heard footsteps come toward the door from the inside and I only had so much time to pull away before the door was opened.

I shucked in a breath at the boy in front of me, the same set of piercing blue eyes, and only slightly more tamed black hair as the day before in Mr. Smith's office. He looked up at me angrily.

I can't believe THAT came from THIS. I couldn't help but think.

"What do you want?" He questioned hotly and I just returned his remark with an emotionless glare. He hmphed and turned away, walking down the hall, the same direction I too had to go.

I started walking behind him.

"Why are you following me?" He asked, more irritation in his voice then before. "I'm going this way too." I stated unfazed. This just seemed to irk him more. "Well, just don't walk so close!" He declared as he took faster paces. I couldn't help but smirk at him. "You don't seem like someone with real reservations on their personal space." I commented. The younger boy's cream skin seemed to crawl.

"And what does that mean?" He questioned, a full blush creeping onto his cheeks. I just shrugged indifferently, having had my share of picking on the stammering ball of retorts.

The handsome stranger seemed to be fuming as we continued to walk in silence until finally he stopped in front of our recording room, so therefore, I had to stop as well.

"What is your problem?!" He exclaimed, throwing thin arms in the air. I looked at him again in indifference. "We're recording here today." I stated and the boy's face went blank. We stared at each other for a few minutes.

"Excuse me?" He asked finally, a complete look of disbelief mingling with his features. I reached for the door knob. "You must be the vocals Mr. Smith was talking about." I stated, walking into the occupied room.

Sakura was the first to spot my entrance and she smiled widely. "Doumeki!" She yelled, jumping up from where she was sitting. Syaoran and Kunogi looked up and smiled warmly. I nodded in greeting. Sakura hopped over to me, grabbing one of my hands in both of hers, but then something else caught her attention.

"Whose this?" She asked curiously, peeking around me at the boy still standing outside. I turned my eyes to the still flabbergasted male and just shrugged, looking back at Sakura. She chuckled at the scene and walked over to the boy.

"I'm Sakura!" She stated happily, holding out one of her petite hands. The other seemed to look at it hesitantly before grabbing it in his, shaking softly. "Uhm, I'm Kimihiro Watanuki." He stated kindly, a complete change from how he was previously and I couldn't help but look at him with hidden curiosity. Sakura smiled warmly and started to pull the boy into the room.

"Well! Let me introduce you to the rest of us!" She stated happily. "That over there is our guitarist Syaoran." The boy waved, saying a small 'nice to meet you.' Watanuki nodded in acceptance. "And that's Himawari our drummer." She stated again. Himawari smiled warmly and what appeared to be a small blush appeared across Watanuki's slim face, only managing to confuse me further.

Sakura nodded in excitement. "And I guess you already know Doumeki." She stated and Watanuki looked angrily in my direction. "Not really." He stated, and I just quirked an uncaring eyebrow at his comment. Himawari laughed, Syaoran looked slightly confused. Sakura just continued to smile.

"He's our vocals and second guitar." She stated happily again. Sakura's constant cheeriness never seemed to amaze me, it was unrivaled. "So..." Sakura continued, trying to break the tension Watanuki was creating between the two of us as he continued to glare daggers at my general direction. "What are you here for Kimihiro?"

He looked at her fondly, a beautiful and yet awkward smile pulled at his lips. "I'm...here to do your vocals, I guess." He stated timidly and Sakura's emerald eyes widened, her gaze darted to me. I just shrugged.

Everyone seemed to tense, but the moment passed as a tall man entered the room. "Hey everyone! Ready to get started?"

...

Both Watanuki and I had managed to be shoved into the sound-proof booth together, both of standing at an individual mic, headphones on. I couldn't help but stare at the other boy.

For some unknown reason he insisted that there was no need to go through the song...or even give him the starting notes, simply dismissing it as "this is his job, don't waste your time." This was only allowed to slide with us once Mr. Smith came into the room, confirming what Watanuki had said, declaring that what we had requested for Watanuki's benefit was not necessary.

I was unsure to say the least.

The recording director had decided on track four, saying that he wants to see how the voices will blend with Watanuki's alto/saprano range compared to my tenor, before we get into the more singular songs.

So we started, Watanuki's blue eyes closed tight, me waiting apprehensively to see what all the hype was about.

Breath in.

Twenty-four beats, then the drums. Thirty-two more, and I heard Watanuki take a breath, somehow just knowing when to come in.

"Sad, small, sweet, so delicate. We used to be this dying breed." He started much to my surprise, almost causing me to forget when to come in. "I got a bad feeling about this, I got a bad feeling about this..."

Then he started again, already knowing the melody, the harmony...everything.

"You kept still until the long drive home. You slept safe and close to the window." "I got a bad feeling about this, I got a bad feeling about."

God, his voice. Its so perfect, as if the notes were created for him...or he was creating them himself.

"Who's to say you'll have to go? I could go all night. Well, say you'll have to go. I could go all... To hell with you and all your friends, to hell with you and all your friends. Its on."

How did we know when to listen to the other? How could I have ever imagined being brought to such a high level? I never wanted it to stop.

"Sad, small, sure in porcelain. You're skin and bones, I'm a nervous wreck. I got a bad feeling about this, when it comes to this, I got a bad feeling about this."

Watanuki was singing. A pure, unwavering sound. I sighed when we were indicated to stop.

I removed the head set, looking to the group of people in the adjacent room. Mr. Smith sat again in the back, smirking incredulously, the other men's mouths hung slightly.

Something in my chest swelled.

I turned to the boy who was tracing his fingers over the lyrics sheet, small scowl on his face.

"Who wrote this?" He asked clearly, not taking his eyes off the page. "I did." I answered evenly. His head whipped towards me, eyes glaring daggers. He seemed like he was going to say something when the man in glasses spoke to us.

"We're going to edit this. Doumeki you can come back here. Kimihiro, we want to hear you do track seven."

Watanuki looked at the ceiling towards the speakers, scowling at them like mad, I turned to leave the confined space, but was stopped when Watanuki began to shuffle paper and muttered something along the lines of, "its good."

I smirked, closing the white door behind me, walking towards the room of mixing men.

...

"Why track seven?" I had asked when I entered the room. Two of the men up-front turned to me smiling. "You'll see."

The same feeling of apprehension filled me as they pressed the small switch to their left.

Sakura's base started three counts in, and I folded my arms as it carried out. I had always felt like there was something missing in this song...perhaps Watanuki would be able to fill it, though I had a feeling it was more an instrumental problem then vocal.

I caught a small twitch in the boy's right hand, distracting me from my thoughts. That spasm had happened exactly where I felt the hole was, did he sense it too?

Then Kunogi's drums started to creep in gradually getting louder along with the base, Syaoran strumming occasionally when it was required.

The twitch became more pronounced and I couldn't help but stare at the boy when he once again knew the exact tone and pitch at which the song was sung, carrying out the melody and mood perfectly.

"How I wish you could see the potential, the potential of you and me. Its like a book elegantly bound, but...in a language that you can't read, cause ya." Watanuki's slender arms raised slightly at the end of the first verse, as if he were playing along piano keys.

That's it. That's what's missing. I thought, completely in unexpressed shock. The boy had a look of agitation on his face as he continued on.

"Ya gotta spend some time, love. You gotta spend some time, with me. And I know that you'll find love. I will possess your heart." Arms raised a bit higher, fingers playing out the missing notes.

Mr. Smith chuckled silently and the two main men in front turned to each other, the looks on their faces reading "I told you." I couldn't help but smile. Angry ranting or not, Watanuki was clearly gifted.

"Ya gotta spend some time love." More keys, more irritation on the boy's face. "You gotta spend some time, with me." Watanuki looked as if he was on his breaking point, fingers still playing. "And I know that you'll find, love. I will possess....AGH!" The boy finally screamed throwing his hands in the air, stomping out of the room quickly.

"How can you not hear that?!" He stated angrily as he walked into the room where the instruments, as well as my other band mates, stood, expressions a mixture between shock and fear.

Watanuki walked passed them to the standing, unused piano in the corner. "Jeez, I couldn't take it anymore." He said, flopping down onto the piano bench, pushing open the top to expose the keys.

The entire mixing room was in fits of laughter, all of them clearly hoping for this out-come. I shrugged and walked into the room Watanuki had just entered, nodding to reassure my wary companions.

Watanuki took a deep breath and turned to Sakura, who looked back at him curiously. "Could you start from the beginning?" He asked, all previous irritation gone, just easily breakable patients now present.

"Sure." Sakura said energetically, adjusting her base to the right angle and then she started to play. Watanuki nodded along, fingers spread, hovering over the keys. Then, right in the invisible open spot in the instrumental, Watanuki filled it with four-hardhitting cords, both in the right and left hand.

My eyes widened, mouth falling slightly slack. A small relieved smile seemed to spread across Watanuki's face as Sakura kept playing, the prodigy following with his intuitive playing all the while. Then Kunogi and Syaoran joined as well, causing the music to build and build, just absorbing you into the sound.

Then it quieted as Watanuki began to sing, all of them in perfect sync, already knowing when to follow the other. The same feeling swelled within me.

Watanuki made it back to the place where he had had his panic attack, carrying through the notes expertly, making the song into something unimaginably beautiful. I connected glances with Syaoran, then Sakura and Kunogi, all happy smiles and pronounced nods.

We needed Watanuki.

I turned to look at the men in the mixing booth, all of them just quietly listening, nodding to the other in certain spots, clearly just enjoying the sound. My gaze wavered back to the thin frame at the piano.

Watanuki seemed completely lost in the music, completely blissful, there wasn't a trace of hesitance of ego anywhere in him.

The song began to evaporate into the air, slowly coming to its end. Finally, Sakura's base struck its last cords, and the final sound echoed for a few beats.

A pronounced sigh escaped Watanuki's lips before he quickly covered them, seemingly scolding himself on the inside. Sakura, Syaoran, and Kunogi all looked at me, same thought clear in their heads as it was in mine.

Watanuki was just like us, we needed him.

I walked over to the lithe boy who was still hunched over the keys and extended a hand towards him. He looked at the hand reproachfully and then connected his blue eyes with mine.

"Welcome." I stated simply, trying to be civil with the person in-front of me. Watanuki looked again at the hand, and his features scrunched into annoyance. He quickly stood from the bench and turned to me, index finger extended and pointing at my chest.

"I don't need to be a part of your group, or your weird ideals. This is my job, not my hobby." He stated coldly, walking past me and slamming the door behind him, leaving the rest of us in a state of confusion.

"Will he be okay?" Kunogi asked quietly after a few vacant seconds and we all looked towards her. Syaoran rubbed his arm and looked at the ground. "I hope so." He stated in the same somber tone.

Mr. Smith entered the room, clearly entertained by the display he had been watching. The man patted my shoulder in a kind gesture. We looked at him.

"Kim may say that, but this is the first time he's ever actually composed something for anyone." The man stated, smiling reassuringly at us before walking out of the room too, most likely following the black-haired boy who had just left.

Again we all looked at each other, all having the same coherent thought. Now that we knew where our music could go, now that we knew the amazing sounds we could achieve, there was no way we could just go back to the four of us.

And that was our first encounter with Lattice Record's voice for hire.

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A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter...please Review and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer/Songs Used: These are not mine.

A Decade Under The Influence- Taking Back Sunday

I Will Possess Your Heart- Death Cab For Cutie