I expanded the chapter. It is now longer.
Just incase you haven't noticed. This is not written in order. The chapter title tells you what year the chapter takes place and yes, we will be repeating some of the years.
Year 3: Timber / Counting Stars (Da Capo)
"We'll be counting stars," Tsuna sang, trailing off on the last note.
"Cut! That's a wrap," Shouchi said as Spanner stopped filming. "That was great Tsuna-san," the redhead said, beaming.
Tsuna smiled back. "Thanks for your and Spanner's help, Shouchi," Tsuna said. "I wouldn't have been able to make this video without all of your cameras and tech."
This was Tsuna's very first music video cover. Three years of encouragement from his friends and family and learning had improved Tsuna's musical ability. Just a month ago, his brother suggested posting music covers online as a way to market himself. It was an idea that all of Tsuna's friends immediately threw themselves into. It certainly helped that most of them had family members in the music industry to begin with.
It started off rather simply. Shouchi and Spanner immediately volunteered to be Tsuna's tech crew, taking care of the cameras and special effects. Lambo, wanting to help his favorite (adoptive) big brother, gleefully learned how to set up and control lights. Tsuna was ever grateful because the technical background stuff was far out of his reach, and given the way his friends reacted when Tsuna said he was going to just take a plain camcorder to tape his video cover, it was clear they weren't going to let him settle for anything less than the best.
"Maa," Spanner drawled, popping a lollipop into his mouth. "It wasn't much."
"Excellent job Tsuna-sama!" Hayato shouted, handing Tsuna a towel.
Tsuna blushed a bright red and accepted the towel, wiping down his face. "Thanks Hayato. Do you really think people will like this?"
On top of being his pianist for this piece, Hayato insisted on being Tsuna's personal assistant. It was something Tsuna fought with him constantly, but since it was in Hayato's nature and something he had been doing since the day Tsuna met him in elementary school, Tsuna resignedly let him do as he pleased.
"Hahi! Tsuna's music is the best," Haru said. "With my clothing designs and his voice, girls will go crazy for him!"
Tsuna ducked his head at the praise. Haru had proclaimed right off the bat that he was not allowed to perform in his hoodies and jeans and went about designing clothes for Tsuna.
"I'll get it uploaded to the internet," Hana said, accepting the file from Spanner.
"Thanks Hana," Tsuna said.
Hana was a godsent. As possibly the only sane and logical person in Tsuna's friends, Hana tackled the managerial duties of Tsuna's rising status as a singer. While the endless support from his friends and family was wonderful, Hana was the only one who sat down with Tsuna to work out the logistics of everything. She was the one who coordinated and gotten permission for them to film in the studio. All paperwork though, was immediately handed over to Hayato.
Tsuna then found himself being tackled into a hug. "That was excellent Tsuna!" Giotto picked up his little brother in a hug and spun him around.
"Giotto-nii," Tsuna said, dizzily.
"You're gonna be a rockstar just like your big brother. I'm so proud!" Giotto continued.
Tsuna had to smile at that. Giotto, being five years older, had entered the music industry with his friends as a band called Primo. They were immediately launched into stardom, becoming an instant hit. The minute Giotto found out about Tsuna's desire to become a singer (like his cool older brother), Giotto supported it wholeheartedly. Giotto had offered to talk to someone at his record company, but Tsuna insisted on not riding on his brother's coattails and making a name for himself.
Because music played such a huge role in their society, becoming a singer, a famous one at least, was a long and hard road to travel. Nearly everyone at one point aspired to become one while growing up, but very few were successful on a national level. But music was so high in demand, that even those who fail to become singers often found stable jobs in the music industry, whether it was arranging the city wide Sing-Along concerts to song writing. In fact the music industry was so large, that 3 out of 10 people (or 30 percent of the population) had some job related to music.
Giotto had gotten into the music industry accidently, a story that Tsuna never quite believed, but at the same time, Giotto had served as an inspiration for Tsuna who wanted to do nothing more than to follow in his brother's footsteps and become a singer in his own right. Well, at least that was what Tsuna told everyone.
While Tsuna did want to follow in his brother's footsteps, he did have a secondary motivation for doing so.
Maybe his soulmate would see the music video and the silence in his head wouldn't be so lonely.
Song: Timber / Counting Stars Mashup by Sam Tsui (See last chapter for link)
Da Capo (DC): From Beginning. A musical term to repeat a previous part of music.
Tsuna's part! Here's the thing, Reborn doesn't sing or listen to music (much less really believe in all this soulmate nonsense) as such, I wondered how to write Tsuna's part. So I compromised, you get to see what's going on in Tsuna's life instead (which is much more interesting than Reborn's office job).
Worldbuilding Notes:
Giotto started a band (accidentally) with his friends. They're a rowdy bunch, but their good looks and Giotto's heavenly voice made them an instant hit. However, no employee lasts long with them due to their… high spirited nature, forcing some of the band members into secondary job roles (such as G serving as manager for the band, Asari as their PR person, and Aluade as their head of security).
For the record, Tsuna is currently 18 going on 19 (in Year 3)
