Gakupo still scowled as he led Piko out of the building. Piko knew something troubled the elder male, but a part of him sensed he should not ask. Piko wondered where they were heading for a moment and waited for Gakupo to drive them to wherever it was they were going. Unease settled in Piko's gut until he kept visibly squirming in fearful anticipation.

Gakupo noticed this and stopped the car in a nearby parking spot. "Are you okay?" Gakupo asked sincerely putting his hand on Piko's shoulder, causing the poor boy to jump violently.

"Ah!" the smaller small exclaimed from Gakupo's unexpected touch. "Mr. Gakupo? Y-you asked me something?" immediately Piko wanted to face-palm from the stupidness of the question, but he tried to remain neutral.

"Yes, are you okay? You look uncomfortable. Did something happen with that bas- guy you were with before?" Gakupo questioned with pools concern filling his lucid blue eyes.

"I-I'm very okay! It's you that worried me, Mr. Gakupo. You acted so very upset when we left, I thought it might be because of me. You aren't still mad, are you?" such sweet and endearing two-toned orbs stared too deeply at Gakupo that, even if he was angry before, his rage melted clean away by Piko's gaze.

A sigh escaped Gakupo's lips, and then he smiled. The violette shook his head and removed his hand from Piko's shoulder. "I'm not angry at you at all. I am a bit pissed off, but never at you. The board said because too many stars are popping up from the VY siblings or SeeU. They aren't really looking for new talent, but you would be so great! You're what any girl would want in a guy from polite and sweet to attractive and cute. You'd make them rich; I can't see why they don't even want to hear you," Gakupo said with anger surfacing some in his voice.

Piko blushed at such a high compliment being directed to him of all people, but truthfully he focused at how much he missed Gakupo's warm hand on his shoulder. "Er... It's okay! I'm sure it'll happen if it's meant to. Fate is a bit weird, but she knows what to do; she led me to you, after all," Piko said with his blush heightened. "Plus, I met someone new today! He was really odd, but I liked him! His name was Yuma-dono."

Gakupo gripped the wheel tightly. Slight anger slipped in, but it was mostly something else. "Well I'm not sure when you'd see him if the studio doesn't want you," he said, almost proud how evenly he said it. "Regardless of that, we need to get you clothes. We're actually pretty much at the place; come on, Piko." Gakupo stated getting out of the car.

Piko followed behind closely but often got distracted by the various shops everywhere. Some were high story complexes and others were small little street business stands. Various items caught Piko's eyes from antiques, toys, pretty jewelry, and finally a guitar store.

Piko nearly jumped for joy when Gakupo made the turn to the guitar store's part of the street, and then he inwardly wept as Gakupo walked right by it for a plain looking tailor shop. The reaction did not go unnoticed by the elder male as he smirked to himself.

"Hey! Lily, Luka? Come out here; I got a special order for you!" Gakupo commanded to the emptiness of the store. Piko was about to ask what was going on before he heard a rustle from the back rooms. Soon after two ladies came out decorated in leftover fabrics and thread all over.

"Yo, old man! New star in the makin'? He looks so cute~!" the younger looking female with blond hair said teasingly.

Then the other, elder looking woman with pink hair flicked the blonde's ear and sigh. "My apologies. I am Luka and this brat here is Lily. Did Gakupo bring you here for any particular style?" the pinkette asked to Piko directly.

"Uh...um... What?" was all Piko got out, confused by the new people.

"Yes. Piko has no clothes of his own and needs something more... him. How long will it take to make 6 specific outfits, 5 generic outfits, and 4 pairs of sleepwear?"

"'Pends. Anywhere between a week or two. We got no other orders, so we can try to get it done fast for a tip," Lily said with a sly wink, Luka sharing her mischievous smile.

Gakupo groaned at the thought of any "tip". Still, Piko needed new clothes. "Fine, but no more than 100 orilos*! You two ripped me off last time!"

"Ah, but what a good time it was. And you know as well as we do that we are the best tailors around. Just send him to the back and we'll measure the boy." Luka said heading into back rooms for Piko to follow. "Have Lily take your designs!"

Lily led Gakupo away to his own room and got out her pencils and paper. "So, how'd ya like it? Please be a little bit creative. The more cutting-edge the better!" Lily snickered out in all her punk-styled glory.

"I just want something white, first of all. Don't call it lame until you hear my idea, either. White's his favorite color, and he looks good in it; it makes him seem so angelic. There needs to be some black, too! And a touch of something else. And good boots! And-"

"What does he like?" Lily cut in trying to get more ideas to work with.

Gakupo explained as much as he could about Piko and his interest to the young blond. He felt bad for not knowing much, but he did set it up that way. Gakupo managed to get the key details for design down, at least. With more answers from Gakupo and Lily's clever planning, she designed a very fashionable piece in no time; all there was left to do was have Luka finish her measurements.

Piko just was not very cooperative with Luka, sadly. The poor boy looked ready to pass out from embarrassment when Luka seemed to measure everything while he stood on a pedestal in only his boxers. Piko assumed the mad tailor woman was secretly a pedophile, and he wanted to jump away screaming. He didn't only because he didn't want Gakupo see and be ashamed of knowing a would-be almost streaking Piko. Luka kept touching and making him move in such awkward positions to get the "perfect" measurements that it was fairly obsessive.

"There! All done! I must say you're actually quite more ... developed than I had guessed. I would have made those poor pants far too tight for you! Yet another way we go above and beyond to deliver perfect products for our clients!" the older woman boasted taking the noteboard with all Piko's measurements. "Oh, and about the USB cord, we figured that we would just make an area it can slip through. I don't really understand how you put it on or why, so we'll make a point in the pants it can go through instead of having to stick up from the side. Get dressed and come back to the front soon."

Piko flushed all over and scrambled to get his clothes back on. Admittedly he had no idea what she meant about his development, but he just nodded and tried to get the experience out of his head. The only thing he was grateful for was the fact he'd supposedly get that worked with his tail comfortably soon. Piko really just wanted to leave already.

Once he put back on the last boot, Piko went back to the main lobby to find everyone there and looking rather smug.

"Um... Something on my face?" Piko asked feeling mildly exposed again.

"No, no. Just can't wait to see ya out of those rags. You'll have so much fu-freaking swag when we're done!" Lily announced with a sketchbook in her hand. "Your first load of stuff should be up and out in about two days. We'll talk price later."

At this Gakupo nodded and bowed respectfully, but not without a bit of concern, "Then we will be here the day after next. Try not to overcharge this time," Gakupo requested warily. "Come along, Piko," he commanded holding his hand out for the other to take readily.

"Have nice day!" the shop owners said in unison when both males were a foot out the door.

Gakupo sighed once they walked completely out, but hid it with a smile. "Piko~" he cooed out sweetly. "Would you like to visit the guitar store now?"

"Yes! Never bring me back here again, please!" Piko exclaimed. A flush spread over the smaller's ear tips at the memory of the tailor shop, but he merely held onto Gakupo's hand tighter as he led them to the store.

Piko truthfully never went into any stores before then. Living on the street made poor Piko self-conscious about entering such a place without looking at least clean and a dollar to his name. And before he ran away, Piko was sheltered almost entirely alone save for his "Master" and few others. Seeing all the wondrous things in such a store brightened up Piko better than most anything could, but it also still intimidated him to say the least.

Gakupo took Piko's hyperactive curiosity in stride. More than once the talent agent had to explain why some of the instruments cost thousands more for another one like it because of a signature, why signatures are important, which each person is, why guitars come in so many types, why what type is better for what, and a plethora more questions. The fact Piko ran around the store so much without breaking anything surprised Gakupo, truthfully.

"Don't you just love the way this one sounds the best?- or how about this one! Mr. Gakupo! They all are so beautiful!" a overloaded Piko whined finally collapsing on a wall and (rather cutely) played with several picks dejectedly. "I dunno what to love most anymore! And-and they're all so expensive! I couldn't ever afford anything more than a silly pick, and that's no good without a guitar...!" the young male cried out in feeble distress.

"Then pick your favorite, and I'll help you save up for it. I already know you won't let me buy you a guitar, but I can help you get it yourself. I can even get you a pick for now."

"Re-really? Thank you, Mr. Gakupo! You're amazing! I-I think it'll take me awhile, but I'll pick a good one! And can I get this pick?" the boy asked holding out the pick he played with most.

The hard little triangular flake was black with thin blue lines scattering over it like a circuit-board. Over that was inscribed a shimmery white "P". Gakupo liked it and had no troubled paying for the little pick. Piko took some time to find a guitar to go with it, but he eventually settled for an electric one that had an acoustic look to it. The handle showed a solid white paint job and black strings. There was a slight touch of blue in the toner parts and slightly on the widest part, and it all suited Piko.

"Let's go put this on reserves and buy the pick, alright?" he said receiving a nod from Piko.

Both Piko and Gakupo went up to the counter to pay and reserve their items. Gakupo did all the signing and paying while Piko played with the security camera monitor. Gakupo and the cashier found the way Piko would look up at the screen memorized and flail around in the camera's view to see his mirror reactions. The acts reminded Gakupo how young Piko was compared to himself, but he didn't mind; he actually jumped in from behind and made a few silly gestures himself when he knew he could catch Piko off guard.

"Hee hee! Isn't this so cool, Mr. Gakupo? Do we have to go already?" Piko asked looking at Gakupo through the little tv monitor.

Gakupo laughed and nodded. "Of course. Don't you want to go home?"

"Of course I do!" Piko exclaimed hoping to not have given Gakupo the wrong impression. The idea of even having a real home was foreign to Piko, but he wanted to stay with Gakupo as long as he could.

With that said Gakupo chuckled and led Piko back to the car. The sun was not quite setting at only 5:30, but the sudden urge to fill out what was left of the day consumed him. Gakupo knew Piko would not mind one last little detour, so he carefully took a special route that went beside his apartment building to a certain place.

"H-hey...! Weren't you supposed to go right? Mr. Gakupo?" but Piko's question went unanswered as Gakupo made no effort to turn back around. "Um... Mr. Gakupo... I thought we were going home."

"We will. I think I have one last stop for you. I think you'll like it."

Piko fidgeted in his seat some in worry. For all he knew Gakupo was planning on bringing him somewhere horrible, but he continuously assured himself the elder male would never. The uneasiness still squirmed inside Piko. In truth, the young boy wanted to relax inside of Gakupo's luscious home, but his curiosity made it so that he waited to reach wherever it was Gakupo planned to bring him. When the car finally parked beside what looked like a park, Piko's heart calmed greatly.

"We're here. Let's go out," the violette said with a handsome smile no one would truly turn down.

Piko nodded and held Gakupo's hand while they walked around. Most people cleared out with night coming soon, but the way he sun's orangey-pink hues hit the natural greens of the park only to be so gloriously experienced and not explained, Gakupo knew he was right in his choice to come. The two males did not even speak so much, as they were far too wrapped up in their short nature walk to disturb the peaceful sounds in the air already. From the softly crowing birds to the chatter of squirrels getting ready to rest for the day, both males found contentment in their walk, especially knowing that the other took as much joy in the scenery as himself.

Truthfully, Piko had been to the park several times before when he was out on the streets and looked for shelter under the trees from the sun or rain. Piko sang a little tune to the birds or tried to catch frogs and butterflies, but those times didn't seem as... mellow as what he felt when he came with Gakupo. Just holding onto the other's soft, strong hands made the wonderful place all the more amazing. After a few minutes of walking through and hitting near the center, Gakupo spoke first.

"Would you like some ice cream, Piko? There's a vendor just ahead. We can catch him if we hurry up," he stated pointing at the near-closing ice cream stand.

Piko's eyes lit up at the question. "Yes!" his eyes shouted as he could not find the word to actually say. Time and time again he saw children, youthful lovers, adults, elderly citizens or he like all liking supposedly cool desert without ever being able to know its sweet wonders. "Pl-please?" the boy managed to get out hopefully.

"Sure thing. Hurry up, I'll race you!" Gakupo teased letting go of Piko's hand to get a head start.

"He-hey! Not fair!" Piko called after. Forgotten by Gakupo, Piko was a much, much faster runner and reached the vender in hardly a few seconds without so much as a small need to pant.

The vender looked confused at how the boy seemed to appear out of nowhere, but acted kindly enough. "Oh, I'm sorry, boy. The sun is almost gone. I'm done for the night. Come back tomorrow or something," an older man said with an apologetic smile.

"Aw! B-but I really wanted to try ice cream... What about just a spoonful? Pleaaaase?" pleaded Piko with his best puppy-dog eyes. The old man was hopeless under the look's affects.

"Yes, yes. You can only choose from what isn't already packed away, though."

Piko thought that was more than fair and carefully analyzed his choices. Gakupo reached them, but Piko only looked at the rainbow of ice cream flavors. Gakupo quickly chose grape, and decided he would help Piko make up his mind.

"Try this one. You really can't go wrong with Vanilla and Oreo," the elder noted pointing at the white ice cream with black specks in it.

"Really? Okay! I'll have whatever he said!" Piko decided with a bit of pride in his (Gakupo's) choice. "Oh! And may I get the blue speckle thingies on mine, too?" Piko asked pointing at a jar of blue sprinkles.

"Sure thing," said the man as he scooped up and sprinkled Piko's ice cream. "That's Ø4.75, please."

Gakupo paid in exact change for Piko and himself and moved on. He finished off his cone in only a few minutes, and could only stifle a chuckle when he saw how Piko messily savored every lick. White cream, black specks, and blue sprinkles covered his mouth and chin, but the cold substance with the chilly breeze did nothing to faze the younger as he worshipped the foreign and wonderful flavors in his mouth. The urge to lean in and experience what Piko was trying was too great as he leaned in and stole some ice cream off of the corner of Piko's lips.

"That really is delicious. I should have gotten that flavor... And some napkins!" the taller male laughed out swiping another round with his finger.

"He-hey! No stealing! It's mine! Don't do that ever again!" a flustered Piko tried to threaten out to no avail as he tried to wipe away the ice cream with his hand.

"Im sorry, but hey, I paid for it. Plus, I was only trying to clean your mess," teased Gakupo again. "I'm only jealous you're paying so much attention to the ice cream and not at meeeee~!" the violette pouted out pitifully. The older male could hardly recall a time he felt so childish and young, but being with Piko just ignited his playful side, as well as his protective side.

"Wh-whatever! I finished my ice cream anyway! Next time I'm keeping my distance when I eat it!" the still blushing Piko said. "Besides, there isn't anything I care about more than Mr. Gakupo..." he added in a mumble.

Gakupo laughed again and hugged Piko tightly. Having someone else around alone was refreshing, but Piko just made Gakupo experience things in an entirely new light- a better light. The larger male embraced the smaller endearingly and gave a slight twirl, much to the younger's dismay.

"Stop that! We-we should go home now! The sun set, and I'm really tired!" Piko cried trying to cover his beat-colored face.

"Yeah, that sounds best. I'm feeling tired myself. And since you'll probably end up there again, want to share my bed?" Gakupo offered with a smirk.

"Of course! Let's go!" commanded Piko at the prospect.

Meteors

"So he finally slipped up?" a deep voice asked rhetorically.

"Indeed," answered a fierce looking woman. Her pink hair was tied in a neat ponytail with the rest cleanly cut near her chin. Her golden eyes were like the slits of a cat with an expression as monotone as one. "We have indisputable footage from earlier today. The boy was playing in a security camera and had the exact same hair, eyes, and tail."

"Excellent. Play the video, please." though the man said please, the clear and cruel threat behind the order were not to be refused.

The video played in mere seconds after the command on a large and extravagant screen. There the murky security images of a white-haired boy with a "P" cowlick appeared with green and blue eyes, and -most importantly- a definite USB wire hanging from his lower back. The background looked like some musical store which seemed oddly ironic due to who exactly was found there. Another man appeared, but the ones watching took little interest in him.

"Should we worry about the other man?"

"No, no. That's unnecessary. Simply run a background check on him should he have any relation to our dearly missed puppet. It's sad; given a few more months away and I would have just assumed the fool turned into food for the birds on the side of the road and let him roam free. So lucky are we to be able to reclaim him. You will find him, yes, Iroha?" threatened the man once again in his question-formed command.

"Of course, Master."

*Meteors*

* orilos- a currency I made up the equivalent to the USD and expressed by Ø. I don't want to set this directly in our world. Sure, they may have similar traits, cities, people, stars, homeless, etc, but I still don't want to make this a real place. So! If I ever give an EXACT location that is a real place like Tokyo or New York, slap me! I don't know about you, but I sure as heck never saw anyone that has natural pink hair, or blue hair or purple or whatever. Fiction is fiction. ^.^;

And yes, after three long chapters and waits- PLOT! told y'all I was going to move this story somewhere. I know it's a bit delayed, but it's here, more or less (less).

I hope the story is making up for the long waits! School is... so hard. I have more college classes than college students! T~T I don't even care about AP Chemistry or APUSH! Dx

Review! I'm going to bake Halloween themed cupcakes soon! Reviewers all get some! PLEASE REVIEW!
Please?