A/N: hey guys! I'm just curious on how you respond to a very unusual pairing…the tallest + the shortest in all Pot characters. I'm pertaining to Ryoma and Choutarou. Heheheh…just curious. Oh yeah… Ryoma's an OOC here… well only with Choutarou. To add, Ryo and Chou will not play/sing in every single chapter. There will be chapters when he/they are just listening to the radio or singing in the karaoke. It's quite clumsy to have them play all the time. It's not very convenient.

Disclaimer: the usual…I don't own the song, "Family". The makers of "Dreamgirls" do. I may change the lyrics a bit; you know like turning she to he to be more appropriate...

P.S.: "" for dialogs, '' for thoughts, italics for flashbacks and italics are for the song lyrics. Oh! And () for text msgs. English conversations are in bold. And the scenes from the video tape will be in italics.

And once again, thanks to my loyal reviewers! I wouldn't be here without you! (sobs!).

Let's take a detour from the romance-drama-angst and take a closer look at the life of Ryoma. This might clear up some questions…I hope.

AND YEAH….THERE WILL BE A CHANGE IN THEY WAY THE SONG IS INCORPORATED. JUST THIS ONCE, I'LL TRY HAVING IT IN A STYLE AKIN TO THAT OF A MUSICAL PLAY. TO THE POSSIBLE FLAMERS…IT'S OK, YOU'RE HUMBLY ACCEPTED. BUT JUST THIS ONCE…PUHLEASE…!!!!!! THANKS!!!! IT'LL GO BACK TO NORMAL AFTER THIS CHAPTER THOUGH.

I JUST HAD TO DO IT TO BRING OUT THE BEAUTY OF THE SONG. BUT OF COURSE, I TWEAKED THE LYRICS TO MATCH MY SCENE.

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Ryoma was given immediate care when they arrived at his house. Kirihara, Yuuta and Fuji were stunned to see almost everyone from the "Buena Familia" inside.

"Wow… is there a party or something?" Yuuta asked as he scanned the living room which was filled with decorations.

"Well, sorta…" Sylvan tugged them in. Inside they saw each and everyone for who he really is which is very different from what everyone was used to be while in US. Inside the Echizen's house the once-formal and standoffish crowd looked relaxed and laid-back.

"Amazing isn't it?" Warren was ecstatic while he led the boys into the living room. "It's been six years since we last came here and celebrated as one big family."

Fuji scanned the placed and was amazed by how it was sparkling clean. "So you hired workers to clean the place?" he heard Kirihara asked.

"Oh no." James looked offended. "We may be pampered, rich kids but we do know how to do house chores and stuff." He held his head proudly. "Our parents, especially Uncle Jiroh and Aunt Rinko made sure that we're able to survive on our own. "

"Oh there you are my little cuddly bears!!!" Nanako squealed when she appeared by the stairs. She ran down and gave each one of them a hug, much to their surprise I mean.

"I'm so glad that you came." She smiled at them.

Fuji chuckled a little. "Saa…let's just say we're taken against our will." He smiled at the younger blonde who in turn just flipped his hair off his shoulders.

"Akaya?" they turned around to see Cassandra, Janet and Estelle coming out of the kitchen. Cassandra's expression softened at the sight of the brunette. She then gave him a warm hug. "Oh we miss you so much, hijo." Cassandra held Kirihara's hand in her hands, making the poor boy blush. "And this must be Yuuta." She turned to scarred boy next to Kirihara. "Oh James talks so much about you."

Yuuta blushed crimson. He caught glance of the blonde boy and was surprised to see a taint of blush on his cheeks as well. "Ano…"

"There wasn't much to talk about when Ryoma's gone." James chimed in. "that's all."

The other kids started hooting and teasing the two.

"Not fair!!!" James protested.

"Now what do we have here?" Dominic appeared at the top of the staircase.

"How was Ryoma?" Estelle asked which caused the whole room to quiet down.

Dominic smiled at her. "He'll be fine. I gave hit a shot so he'll be waking up in a few minutes or so." He sighed. "But given that he's supposedly the godchild of valium, it might take some time for him to get out of bed."

"Uncle Jiroh and Aunt Rinko are with him right now. They're fussing over the poor boy. Good thing that Uncle Igo and Estrella are there to do damage control." Rayver said. "Or is it? I don't know."

"Ok, people break it up. Let the kids retire for a while." Mat spoke up. "Ray, help me with these bags ok?"

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Rinko was pacing the length of Ryoma's bed while Nanjiroh and Rodrigo sat by his bedside, watching the boy.

"When will he wake up, Papito?" Estrella asked.

Rodrigo shook his head as he took the little girl and placed her in his lap. "We don't know yet, me Benita. Just pray to Jesus that Ryo-nii-san wakes up soon." He smiled when the little girl closed her eyes and brought her hands together, as if she's praying.

Nanjiroh held his son's hand. "Be strong Shounen…do not give in to the darkness."

Rinko sat beside her husband. "If what Sumire-san said was true, oh goodness he might…"

"Don't say that Rinko." Nanjiroh said in a clipped tone. "Your son has changed."

Rodrigo brushed off the stubborn strands of the freshman's face. "Don't worry; we're all here to help him."

"Tio…" Estrella whispered. Nanjiroh gazed into a pair of blue orbs. "Will Jesus help him this time?"

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The three were seated on the floor with the rest of the BF members surrounding them.

"Wow…I wonder how you actually met and became friends." Fuji stated.

"The Echizens came to Protected Pines when Ryoma was still two months old. Nanjiroh was at the peak of his career as a professional tennis player while Rinko was starting to earn fame as a good lawyer. We were still one of the typical rich families who have their own problems to deal with. Having the Echizens as our neighbors turned our lives upside down and made us change for the best." Warren said.

"Really?"

"Yes." Florenz nodded. "Before we met them, our marriage was in the verge of destruction." He gazed lovingly at his wife.

"And ours too." Janet added. "Rod and Estelle's marriage was still strong but their having problems with their kids."

"Nanjiroh and Rinko were like counselors to us. Without them, our marriages could've ended up in divorce. They taught us that all the richest in the world could amount to nothing if those you love are not with you." Estelle told them.

"Wow…" Yuuta was amazed.

"So that's how we became friends. I never imagined it'd be possible to clear Saturdays and Sundays just to be with the family but when Nanjiroh had us started, we couldn't stop. We're even surprised to find out that we've missed cocktails and dinner parties…" Janet smiled.

"Or meetings…"

"Social gatherings…"

"Over-time from work just to get home by 7 pm to eat dinner with the whole family and tuck the children to bed." Florenz finished for them.

"Yeah." Mathieu butted in. "I can still remember how everyone gathered at one house where the moms and dads play cards while the kids played to their hearts' content."

"But Ryoma and the others were still babies that time so they always end up together in the nursery room, sleeping like there's no tomorrow." Antonio added.

"Yeah…those were the good days." Hyacinth and Ericka sighed in unison.

"Yeah you were still cute back then." Alexandra snorted.

Fuji shook his head at their antics. 'You had such a good life Ryoma…but look at you now.'

"That was the start of their lifelong friendship. I can still remember that even as babies, they already look up to Ryoma as if he's their leader and since Ryoma has a peculiar sleeping habit and cries abruptly, it seems like the three gets stressed as well." Rayver told them. "After that they can't seem to move if one was missing. From cradle to grave…you can't have much that kind of bond these days."

"Is that true?" Kirihara turned to Sylvan.

The bespectacled boy pushed up his glasses then nodded. " being born into a rich family and being the youngest as well, we have a lot of grievances that sometimes our parents couldn't solve no matter how hard they try. One is lack of attention and the other was sibling rivalry. Honestly, it was Ryoma who filled that hollow part of our personality. He became a parent, a brother and most of all, a friend to the three of us."

"That's why we never left each other's side." James added.

'Wow…if Ryoma had such solid foundation for his personality, how come he's so far off from human contact?' Yuuta mused.

"So they went to prep school together, then to kindergarten and eventually until grade school." Nanako said. "We actually thought that the news of Ryoma and Carlos's relationship would break them apart but it actually made them stronger."

"Yeah." James droned. "We told them that we won't have anything against their relationship as long as they don't go lovey dovey while Sylvan and I are around."

"We've been pampered by Ryoma for too long to be pushed aside to give way for Carlos." Sylvan scoffed. "And since CJ was a saint in disguise, we didn't have further problems after that."

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Ryoma started to stir in his sleep.

"Papito, Ryo-nii-san is waking up!" the little blonde jumped in glee. The three just stared expectantly at the freshman as the effects of the sleeping pill started to wear off.

Ryoma soon opened his eyes and this earned a squeal from Estrella.

"Eek!!!" the girl jumped behind her father. "There goes his eyes again, Tia!"

Rinko was alarmed at the sight of Ryoma's cat-like eyes. "Ryoma…is there something wrong? Your eyes…it's…"

Ryoma was fully awake and soon felt reality flooding back to his senses. All he could remember was the confrontation earlier. He blinked a couple of times but still his eyes won't go back to normal. "It's fine mom." He yawned.

Nanjiroh was frozen on the spot. The last time Ryoma behaved this way was a day after Carlos' funeral. "Shounen, if there's something bothering you…" he trailed off when the boy wordlessly got up and walked towards the bathroom.

"Ease up, dad…" Ryoma stared back at them, his eyes boring holes into their souls. Even Karupin was too scared to approach him "I've never felt so good before." he then locked himself inside the bathroom.

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"Forgive me for asking, minna-sama. But how did he become a self-destructive person?" Fuji asked. His question seemingly turned the temperature down.

"Ryoma was devastated when my brother died." Stephan spoke up. "He can't seem to pull his life back together and he succumbed to depression."

"The night that Carlos died, he tried to kill himself by jumping off the bridge. It would've been fine but the rapids are treacherous that night." Sylvan sighed. "It was fortunate that James and I were still in the right state of mind so we were able to save him. I even had to beat him into a pulp in hopes to get him out of his trance."

"But it seems that my son's death did a greater damage to him, so great that he sunk deeper into despair." Estelle muttered.

"He started cruising through the days as if he's someone else. He was drinking and smoking uncontrollably. What's worse he started acting like James." Sylvan grimaced.

"Hey! I resent that!" James protested.

"A lot of female hearts were broken as he lived the life in the fast lane. At one glance you'd think he's over it but the numerous suicide attempts and countless tears shed, not only by him but also his parents, had proven that he's still hurting." Florenz bit his lip as a sudden flood of memories took over him.

"What made him change?" Kirihara asked.

"We don't know." Nanako frowned. "He just woke up one morning, lucid as if he just woke up from a deep slumber. It was then that we have found hope that he'll be able to get back into the light. That's why we decided to go back here so that we can start anew."

"But given what happened to him these past few weeks…" Cassandra muttered. Their meeting was cut short though when Estrella ran down the stairs.

"Mamita, Mamita!!!" the girl cried. By the look on her face is seemed like she witnessed something really scary.

"What is it, darling?" Estelle caught her daughter.

"Ryo-nii-san's eyes…Mamita…" the girl sobbed. " Ryo-nii-san's scary eyes are back!"

"Oh no…"

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Ryoma studied his reflection in the mirror. His golden orbs were long gone and all that's left was his piercing cat-eyes. This gave him a scarier aura, always menacing and intimidating as before.

"From this day on, no one will ever be able to come close to me…" Ryoma muttered. He vigorously washed his face before stepping out of the bathroom, only to be greeted by the stern faces of his uncles.

"Wow…who called a family reunion?" Ryoma asked but he got nothing aside from being dragged out of his room.

Ryoma tried to fight off his uncles but they're too strong and given that he's just 12 yrs old and they're standing mightily at forties. Warren and Florenz brought the boy into the living room where everyone awaits anxiously.

"What the hell is happening here?!" Ryoma demanded after being released from his uncles' death grips.

"We're not doing through this again Ryo." Cassandra said. They watched in horror as Ryoma's eyes seemed to glow in anger.

"I don't need this!!" Ryoma cried. "I want to be alone, can't you see?!"

"But Ryoma…we're here!" Sylvan cried. "Let us help you this time!"

Ryoma glared at his best friend. "Help?! I don't need any help! I can get by on my own!"

"ENOUGH OF THIS YOUNG MAN!" Florenz' voice boomed inside the house. "You will not display this kind of attitude towards other people who are willing to help you!"

Ryoma glued his eyes to the ground. "I just want to be alone for now…please…"

"Ryoma, no matter how much we wanted to give you space, we can't." Estelle appealed to the brunette. "For we know you'll just go back to your old self."

"Don't be like this Ryoma." James cried." Look we even transferred to Seigaku so that you'll never be lonely again."

Ryoma's head shot up when he heard what James said. "What?" he blurted out. "Seriously, you don't mean that…"

"It's true Ryoma." Kirihara chimed in.

"No…"

"Everything will be ok, just give us a chance." Sylvan added but he bit back his tongue when he saw Ryoma's hurt expression.

What about what I need?

"Uncle Jiroh said it'll be the best thing for everyone." Nanako asked hopefully. Ryoma clenched his fist to subdue his anger.

What about what's best for me?

"With James and Sylvan here, you won't feel alone and depressed anymore. It'll be just like the old times." Rayver added.

'Don't you understand?! I need to be alone!!!' Ryoma mentally protested.

What about how I feel?

"You will have help in running RJ since we're planning to install a new RJ in Clariel Shibuya. It'll be perfect." Mathieu stood beside Nanako, looking at the brunette expectantly.

What about me?

What about me?

Ryoma bit back the bitterness he felt. "I don't want to stay for this…I'm out." he started to walk away when a hand grabbed his. He turned around only to see his father, gazing at him lovingly.

"Shounen…Ryoma…"

It's more than you, it's more than me

No matter what we are, we are a family.

He pulled the boy into his embrace. 'I will not let history repeat itself Shounen…I'll protect you no matter what.'

These plans are for all of us, this one is for real

And you can't leave us now, because of how you feel.

Rinko came towards them and placed a hand on Ryoma's shoulders. His eyes seemed to soften a little as the sight of the tears on his mother's eyes.

It's more than you, it's more than me

Whatever things we planned, it's for our family.

She tugged her son to look at the hopeful faces of their friends.

You're not alone anymore, we have our friends here

And you're pain is great enough that we wanted to take our share.

Ryoma bit his lip hard to suppress the tears. Never in his whole life he had so much love and caring around him. 'Maybe I shouldn't push them away anymore…' his lips quivered a little when he saw James and Sylvan walking towards him.

So don't think you're going. You're not going anywhere

You're staying… don't you ever dare.

James and Sylvan embraced him.

And if you get afraid again, we'll be there…

Soon the tears that he has been fighting back were let lose as he succumbed to their warmth. "I'm sorry….s-so sorry…" Ryoma sobbed. Soon everyone joined in the music in which they created, in the melody in which they prevailed…in the harmony in which they will start to thrive on.

We are a family, like a giant tree

Branching out towards the sky.

We are a family, we are so much more

Than just you and I

They held each other's hands, even Fuji, Yuuta and Kirihara. In their struggle to reach out of the poor boy they stood united, hoping that their one voice would soften Ryoma's granite heart.

You are a family, like a giant tree…

Nanjiroh held his face in his hands. 'Shounen, you're not alone anymore…we're here to help you. Don't give in to the Lynx…please!'

Growing stronger, growing wiser!

Ryoma dissolved into fits of tears as his heart was finally melted. He collapsed into his knees…unable to control the emotions that came over him. 'Oh god…how could've been so stupid?! The lynx will never do me good…it is my family that will help me pick up the pieces of my life.'

We are growing free…

Rinko took Ryoma into her embrace. 'I love you, son. I shall never leave you…'

We need you…

Fuji wiped the tears the escaped his eyes. The scene before him was so heart-wrenching. 'You will regain your youth now that you have a whole lot of people ready to take your hand and pull you up after you've crashed into the ground. And I'm glad I'm one of them…'

We are a family…

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After their dinner, Ryoma decided to retire in the music room. Since their house only has six rooms made for sleeping, it was decided that they will go back to basics. The kids aging 15 years and below are to sleep together (Japanese style: futons!!!! Yay!!!) In the music room while the older people will take the rooms.

He has already changed into his PJ's before he went into the veranda with a cup of punch in his hands. He didn't expect though was for Fuji to stand beside him as he stared into the vast pool of stars above them.

"Echizen…"

"You know, Carlos loved to count the stars whenever we're out on the patio. He would beam like a kid then start counting until he falls asleep." Ryoma took a deep breath. "We were soul mates, he said that I complete him and vice versa. We were born on the same day and yet our personalities are poles apart." Ryoma gazed up his senpai. "During our tenth birthday, I made his dreams come true. He wanted to be a star and have a place of his own in the heavens so I did everything I in my power so that I could get a star be named after him: the Carion' Cluster. In return he gave me Karupin, so that I will not be parted to him anymore,"

"I should've foreseen what will happen in the future by just that statement alone."

"But you're only human, Echizen," Fuji told him. "There are things that happen outside of your control."

"I know." Ryoma replied. "But don't you wish sometimes that you were a god instead so that when things go wrong you can go back with just a snap of your fingers to right everything?"

"I think that's part of being human. Our incapability to live a perfect life grants us the desire to take control of everything around us." Fuji opened his eyes so that gold could meet with sapphire. "Even I do that sometimes."

"Like wanting to change what happened to you and to Kunimitsu?" Ryoma suddenly asked.

Fuji blinked back the pain. "You know, you have a knack of hitting the nail on the head." This comment made Ryoma smirk.

"Did you feel the same when Carlos died?"

Ryoma's face sobered up. "Carlos death was like death to me as well. Losing someone who actually gave a damn about how you really feel or who you really are felt like drowning into the pyres of hell and yet emerging alive only to suffer the same thing the following morning." He took a sip from his cup, then grimaced upon finding out that it's not cold anymore. "I had to escape…I had to do something to appease the pain in my heart."

"Is that why you tried every vice known to a man?" Fuji raised his eyebrow.

"FYI, I don't gamble. Smoking was a habit even before Carlos died so as drinking." Ryoma replied. "And sex…it gave me warmth for about two seconds and then I'm back in the cold once more. Everything I did was an experiment to rid myself of the woes of my past. In my quest for redemption, I didn't notice that it caused more damage than the healing that I expected."

"Oh really?" Fuji asked. "What happened?"

Ryoma scoffed. "Playing with high school girls was ok. They understand what the words "one-night-stand" and enough meant. JH and graders however…"

"Were a pain in the ass..." James suddenly spoke up. The two didn't notice that James and Sylvan crept inside the room.

"Oh you too, James-kun?" Fuji asked.

"If Ryoma is the "Jock"…" Sylvan smirked. "…James is the "Walking Sex Machine."

James scoffed. "I can't help it if everyone wants to get a piece of me."

Fuji was surprised to hear Ryoma's laughter again after a long time.

"I think you should laugh more often Echizen." Fuji stated.

Ryoma smiled sadly. "I don't think I could do that anymore…"

"Idiot…" James and Sylvan muttered in unison.

"When will you stop turning your back to someone whom you really want to be with? When will you stop making Ohtori-kun feel he's neglected when in fact he is important?" Fuji asked.

"Ano…"

"It's difficult to show someone that you don't mind when in fact you care a lot," Sylvan told him, "to avoid someone when in fact you want to take a stolen glance."

"Stop it guys…you don't know a thing…"

"It's hard to treat someone as if he's an ordinary being when in fact he's really special." James added, "To let someone realize that his presence is naturally welcomed when in fact it creates an extraordinary excitement."

"This is none of your business…"

"Echizen…"

"Ryoma…"

"What?!"

"Stop saying things that are contrary to what or how you feel…"

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A/N: finally…I love this chapter!!!!!! screams I love it, I love it I love it!!!!!

Please make me happy and review!!!!!

Although some of the reviews put me down…I'll do my best to continue. Am only human…I can't help it if MS Word's Spelling and Grammar check says that my work is good to go…I do have little time to revise…GOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And besides…am still learning.