What? She's uploaded twice in the same month? Unheard of. Really though, this is me making up for all the neglect I've given the story and all of you guys. So enjoy!

"Welcome to the band, Kaz."

Kazuto spluttered. What band? He didn't know he was auditioning for a band! "Wait, what?"

Annie leaned in slightly in her seat. "You have the best voice we've heard in a while. It's on par with Kai's, really. Please say yes, because I do not want to go through auditioning another thirty vocalists when I feel like you already fit in with the rest of us," she pleaded.

Even though he was flattered, Kazuto felt that it wasn't the kind of decision he could make right away. "I don't know, you guys. I mean, I'm not even from here. I'm from Tokyo and being in a band is kind of a big commitment. I'd have to move away, and be away from Asuna and—" he rambled, finding any excuse to deter these people from thinking he was the right person for the job.

It was crazy. They were crazy! He didn't even think he was that great of singer, but they were all looking at him like he was a god that had come down to bless them with his presence. He could carry a tune, sure, but perform? It wasn't like he was shy but would he be able to stand up in front of people and sing?

"Dude, chill. This isn't a big deal. If you don't want to do it, no one's forcing you. But give it a shot first?" Ryo reasoned, seeing the panicked look on the dark-haired teen's face.

"Yeah. Why don't you just perform one gig with us? If it doesn't work out or you don't like it, then we won't ask you again. But think of it as like…a sneak preview?" said Annie.

Kazuto looked towards Asuna, who hadn't said anything so far. "What do you think?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and Kazuto was sure she'd tell him not to do it. If he became a part of their band, he wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her. All of his spare time would go to rehearsing with them. It was all too much to take in at the moment.

"I think you should do it," she said finally. His eyes snapped to hers. "I mean, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity babe. You can't not try it out,"

Even though he was still unsure, he was glad to hear that side of the argument. This was a really good opportunity, and a rare one at that. But still, this whole trip was turning his world upside down. If Asuna said he should do it, then he supposed it was probably the best way to go. He trusted her opinion that much. The others looked so hopeful too. He couldn't find it in himself to let them down.

"Okay, fine. I'll perform with you guys for one gig. Then we'll see where it goes from there," he agreed. Tommy pumped a fist in the air and Ryo hollered excitedly.

"Dude! This is gonna be so legit. You're gonna love it. Trust me, you were born for this!" Ryo exclaimed. Annie giggled a little at the boys' excitement before shooting Kazuto an excited grin, "We're happy to have you on board," she said simply.

On the ride back to the estate, Kazuto wondered what Kai and Rima would say about the news. He hoped they would be as excited and supportive as Tommy and them. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. Music was never something he ever really explored, but this was Kai's life. He lived and breathed music. Maybe if he stepped into the world of artists and musicians, he'd be able to relate to his brother that much more.

Rima was ecstatic to hear the news. Kazuto didn't think she could get any bubblier and happier, but he was proved wrong by the giddy, girlish squeal that escaped her when he told them the news. Nevertheless, he was glad to have her support, especially since Kai seemed to be a little more on the weary side.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It's a big step, you know?" his brother inquired for what seemed like the tenth time.

Kazuto nodded. "It's just an experimental gig, so I don't really see the harm. Tommy said if I didn't like it, he wouldn't force me,"

At this, Kai smirked. "Of course, that kid would be the one to convince you. Well, if you're sure that this is what you want, I say go for it. I'll fully support whatever you decide to do in the end."

Satisfied, Kazuto pulled out his phone to text Tommy and let him know. It felt like this was all happening so fast, he couldn't really wrap his head around it. Tommy and the rest of them were terrific musicians and have dedicated most of their lives to music, and here he was with no technical training whatsoever and they think he's good enough to be the missing piece of their band.

"Say Asuna?" he called over to her.

At the present moment, they were just lounging in the bedroom together while Kai and Rima prepared dinner for the four of them. It was pretty much the only downtime they've had since they arrived in Okijama. Asuna looked up from the book she was reading to her boyfriend, who was laying on his back with his hands behind his head and a certain look on his face she was getting accustomed to seeing.

Kazuto tended to overthink things. It happened more often than she would have liked, but it was always easy to tell when he had something on his mind. Thankfully, he never seemed to have a problem sharing things with her. Communication was one of their strong points, and for that she was grateful.

"Yeah?" she answered. He shifted his eyes over to her, but stayed in the same position.

"Do you think I'll be okay? Singing, I mean? It's… not something I usually do in front of people…" he admitted, a light blush on his cheeks.

"I think if you're as confident as you are with anything else you do, you'll be fine. Just have fun with it," she told him, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek, "and if all else fails, just find me in the crowd. I'll be cheering you on no matter what."

Kazuto smiled and turned his face to meet her lips in a chaste kiss. "Thanks, Asuna. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

Dinner consisted of homemade sushi that Kai and Rima expertly rolled, some miso soup, and ice cream for dessert. Kai had said that Rima had a thing for "family dinners" and homemade meals. Asuna was much of the same way, even though dinners were a less social affair at her house. She liked eating with Kazuto's family for that reason. Suguha and Kazuto always made dinner such a lively affair with their sibling banter. Now though, she had Kazuto and Kaito's sibling banter to entertain her. Rima was a little ball of energy too, always having something to contribute the conversation.

"And then he said 'Rima, will you go to prom with me?' and it was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me!" the small blonde chattered, reminiscing about her and Kai's high school days.

"Wow, that's a really cute story. I didn't know you guys went to high school together," said Asuna. Kai nodded.

"We knew each other for a long time before that, though. We had a mutual friend named Daniel who introduced us. He lives in America now, but basically we all met when we were like eleven or something?" Kai told them. Kazuto shook his head in disbelief.

"That's crazy though. So, you guys were really good friends basically since you were kids,"

Kai laughed. "Oh heavens no. Rima and I didn't like each other much until, what? Like junior year?"

"Yeah, your brother here had some sort of superiority complex in his younger days," Rima snorted, "He always thought he was too cool to talk to me,"

"Okay, okay. Let's not relive some of my less than flattering moments, shall we?" he mumbled, "Besides, I think there's something more important that needs to be discussed tonight," he said, eager to remove himself from the topic of conversation. He shifted his gaze to his younger brother.

"I talked to Sam and Bryan earlier today, and they've agreed to let you and the others debut your performance at the Band Hall," he stated, looking at the teen seriously, "Take a moment and think about how big of a deal this is…"

Kazuto stared wide-eyed at his brother. When Tommy had listed off the venues where they could perform, it was all smaller places with a crowd of less than a hundred people. The Band Hall wasn't even mentioned, since the club was so exclusive and pretty much anyone who was anyone went there. Even on slow nights, the club still had a minimum of three hundred people packed inside. There would be that many people watching him perform for the first time? And of course, everyone who went there had already made a name for themselves in one way or another. Talk about the pressure!

"D-Do the others know about this?" he stuttered out.

Kai shrugged. "I haven't gotten around to telling them yet. Do you want to be the one to break the news? I'm sure they'll be through the roof."

After dinner, Kazuto set out to make said call to his fellow bandmates. He sat perched on the edge of his and Asuna's bed, phone in hand, but too psyched out to dial the number. He was, in all honesty, a little scared of how the others would react. He didn't think they'd be scared of performing, no not in the slightest. After all, each of them already has some sort of background with performing music. He was the odd one out when it came to those matters. He was more afraid that the excitement would overtake them and they would forget it's his first time performing.

He took a deep breath and dialed Tommy's number. The brunette boy picked up on the third ring.

"Yo, what's up?" came his voice from the other end of the line.

"Hey, so… about the performance. Did you have any particular venue in mind yet?" he asked, starting off simple. Telling him that they'd be performing at the hottest venue in southern Japan just didn't roll off the tongue.

"Hmm... well I had my mind on the Iron Jungle, but I might have missed my window to book us a gig. We'll probably just end up taking whichever place has a spot for us," Tommy explained, which made perfect sense.

"Um, yeah about that," Kazuto started, clearing his throat awkwardly, "Kai sort of pulled some strings when he heard the news. He told Sam and Bryan about the whole debut and they said they could book us at the Band Hall… if you guys would like…"

The other line went silent for a long time. Kazuto actually started to worry that he'd put the other boy into some state of shock. Finally, after a long pause, he got a reply.

"Are you serious? Really man, you can't fuck with me about this sort of thing,"

Kazuto, in a way, wished he was pulling his friend's leg. But this was the scary reality. "No, man. I wouldn't kid with you on this. We have the spot if you want it," he said.

He thought he could practically hear Tommy vibrating with excitement on the other line. "You-I mean- fuck, of course we're in! Do you even know how big that is?"

Evidently, the brunette's excitement was contagious, as Kazuto could feel a giddy smile forming on his own face. It was really huge, the opportunity they were given. And it wasn't one that they could have gotten on their own. He so owed Kai now. "Yeah, I figured it was kind of a huge deal. Kai mentioned Thursday was a good night, does that work for you guys?"

"I mean I'll have to check the schedule but…. Aw, fuck it. Nothing would be more important than the gig. But… one more thing. You sure you're cool with this. I mean you mentioned you never performed before…" Tommy said hesitantly, trailing off.

Kazuto took a moment to think. He was glad that Tommy caught that and was concerned, but he'd already agreed to perform the gig and if they didn't have a vocalist, they couldn't perform. There was no way he'd be able to let these guys down. He was mostly worried about screwing up the set, but now that there was so much pressure, he didn't want to mess up even more. He decided, that for everyone's sake, he would do his best to not screw up anything, even if it meant rehearsing for hours on end.

"I'm in. You're right, this is a huge opportunity, and not just for me," he confirmed.

The other male's relief was nearly tangible. "Thanks, man. You're a Rockstar for doing this for us."

Kazuto hung up the phone with an odd mixture of anxiety and excitement over the upcoming performance. He hoped he'd be able to shake his nerves before he actually got on stage. He had had no problem singing in front of Tommy and the others, but those were his friends, even if he hadn't known them for very long. There was something very different about performing in front of hundreds of strangers rather than in front of a small group.

The performance was set to occur Thursday night. Since it was Sunday, that gave them around four days to prepare a set. Tommy said that he and Ryo had already written the lyrics and they had around four songs that they could play. It was a decent set, and if he rehearsed often enough, he was sure he could nail all of them by the time Thursday night rolled around. Tommy even got permission from Kai to use one of the estate's many rehearsal rooms over the week to rehearse, and stay overnight so Kazuto and Asuna wouldn't have to make the drive down to downtown Okijama every day.

It seemed like everything was falling into place.

Asuna was excited for him. As little as she'd heard him sing, she knew he had a stellar voice and she wanted to hear more of it at all times. Kai was a little less vocal about his enthusiasm, but Kazuto could tell that he was intrigued. Kai had never heard his little brother sing, but Tommy's group was very picky when it came to their vocalists so he knew that Kazuto had to be good. He was proceeding with caution, not knowing how Kazuto was with performing in front of people in general. Rima held the most enthusiasm, nearly bouncing off the walls in her excitement. She offered to help him rehearse one-on-one, and also gave him some tips on how to conquer stage fright, should he find that he had it. Overall, Kazuto could say he was looking forward to Thursday more and more.

It was sure to be an interesting night.