(^∀^)hello. thank you for your time and patience and for the kind words!(^∀^)
■ ■ Small World ■ ■
Dark and chilly, Ijuuin let out a sigh from where he was standing. The only thing he could remember was standing by the window, watching the darkness take over.
Placing the empty cup on the small table in the middle of the room, the man darted his gaze at the pendulum clock on his right. Seven in the evening. He should be going back to his studio. He and Misaki should be going back.
He fished his phone and sent a text message. He did not want to make a call since he didn't know what voice he would make knowing that the teen was with the man he was always second with everything. After seeing a reply that said 'okay', Ijuuin went out the personal room of the owner and softly closed the door. The yellowish light from the lamp he left turned on was escaping from the space of the door and the floor.
Fixing the cream scarf around his neck, Ijuuin quietly walked down the spiral staircase. It was eerily silent during the night anyone could almost hear the breath coming from one's mouth. He continued walking until he reached the working room of the old man. He figured he should properly say goodbye before leaving.
"Oji-chan?" Ijuuin called out to the man whose eyes were focused on a violin with its strings snapped.
The door wasn't completely closed so Ijuuin just invited himself in. He didn't say anything as the old man expertly changed the snapped strings with newer ones. The attention the old man was giving to the almost unusable instrument was something Ijuuin admired ever since he was a teenager.
A faint song was playing that served as the old man's background. It was soothing and warm and sweet. A voice that belonged to a child filled the working room it was calming.
"Ah, Kyo-kun, about to leave?" the old man finally took notice of Ijuuin. He placed the violin down on his table carefully and wiped the dust that accumulated on his spectacles.
"Yes. It's getting late and Takahashi-kun still has a lot to do."
Motoharu-san smiled and turned off the lamp on his table, leaving the yellowish glint of the bulb above their heads shower them with a feel of mystery.
"I see, well nice having you here! I better get some rest too..." the old man muttered massaging his hips. "I can feel the signs of old age now."
"You still look so strong to me."
"You are the best, the best grandpa in the world!"
Both Ijuuin and the old man looked at each other for a while as their attention got captured by the somehow ridiculous lyrics of the song in the background.
Smirking, Ijuuin crossed his arms. "What a nice song there Oji-chan. Where did you got that 'grandfather' song?"
Walking towards the old cassette on top of a wooden cabinet, the old man turned it off and took the tape out of it. "You couldn't find anything else like this in this world you know? This is a master piece that belongs only to me..." he said with pride.
"I see..." Ijuuin cocked his head when the old man pulled open one of the drawers of the cabinet and revealed a collection of tapes. From the looks of it, they were already old. The titles barely visible.
"These are from my grandson. He would often compose songs on his own and record them and give them to me. See I accumulated so much already?"
There was a soft clicking sound after the old man had pushed the drawer closed and a bitter smile flashed on his face. He walked ahead of Ijuuin out of the working room and let Ijuuin to the main lobby of the house where it was brighter.
"Your grandson has a sweet voice. It's the first time I have heard of it."
"Because he hated hearing those tapes," the old man cut in. "Reminds him of something he didn't want."
"Hated?" Ijuuin repeated as he rested his back against the wall, waiting for any sign of Misaki from the wide open doors. The chandelier that was obviously old shining in the middle, giving off a vintage feel.
Removing his apron and carefully folding it, the old man looked out the door leading to the main road like he was seeing a flashback of his history.
"He loved singing. He loved musical instruments too. I could even tell that he has a huge talent, but let's say...he almost gave up his dreams."
"Sounds like a sad story to me."
As if the old man's strenght got sapped just by remembering, he sighed and took his eyeglasses off.
"He was eight years old when he recorded the songs in those tapes. His dream was to become a singer. But they were all taken from him within a night."
"Why? Sorry but did he die of sickness?" Ijuuin asked curiously since after all the time knowing the old man, it was the first time hearing about those tapes and the old man's grandson.
Gazing at Ijuuin, the old man frowned. "Oi, my grandson is still very much alive. He's turning nineteen this year."
Smiling, Ijuuin scratched the tip of his nose lightly and looked at the clock hanging by the wall.
"Sorry. Hearing that child's voice, I think it would grow into something once it matures. What happened Oji-chan?"
"He got sick. There was a grave complication in his throat they had to operate him. After that, he couldn't carry a tune anymore. Sure he has good ears, can play most of the instruments you can see in this house, but the thing he wanted the most," the old man paused as if saying it aloud was piercing him too. "To be able to sing...he couldn't do anymore."
Silence enveloped them. Ijuuin didn't know what to say anyway. Just imagining his hands being taken away from him was enough to make him cringe. His hands that he used for writing notes, for playing the intruments he enjoyed, they were his treasure and he wouldn't know what he would do in case something happened to them. He could only imagine the withdrawal Oji-san's grandson must have been through.
"Don't feel pity there Kyo-kun, my grandson grew up strong," the old man muttered, his brows flinching a little. "Maybe too strong and hard headed to handle though. He doesn't listen to me anymore," he continued chuckling.
He felt like dragging himself back to the old house. Pulling away from the strong arms around him, turning away his gaze from the eyes that was drowning him, and walking away from the person he wanted to be with, they were all a painful task as Misaki held on to his strenght, wishing not to leave Usagi-san with a teary face.
"This is only temporary. No need to cry..." Misaki chanted in his mind. The faint moon and the stars were the only source of his light back to where he came from. He could clearly hear the leaves and the twigs snapping under his weight. It was as if it was his heart on the ground.
Misaki stopped and turned his head a little towards his Usagi-san. The man was standing watching him with a faint smile.
"Don't smile like that," Misaki muttered to himself. "That looks so sad."
As if Usami Akihiko could read what was in Misaki's mind who was already a couple of yards away from him, the man raised his hand in the air.
Usami Akihiko insisted that Misaki leave him first. That way he coud have the liberty to watch Misaki's back, Misaki's hair againts the soft breeze, Misaki's figure under the night. He would never get tired of watching everything about Misaki.
When the teen finally reached the old house, he found himself in awe again. The house was beautiful during the day, but it was stunning at night. Its huge windows showing a hint of light, the walls illuminated by the moon's bluish rays and the soft swaying of the leaves of the trees around it as its song at night.
Misaki noticed Ijuuin standing by the door, clearly waiting for him. Embarrassed that he took off for so long without telling the man properly, Misaki approached the dark haired man with his head bowed.
"Did you have fun?" was Ijuuin's question.
Misaki had to raise his head due to confusion. When he met eyes with the man, Ijuuin was just gazing at him as if he was some kind of a precious flower that only bloomed at night. It was unnerving and saddening at the same time. Misaki wished Ijuuin would stop looking at him that way. There was no way on Earth he could return that gaze, no matter how he flip the situation.
"I-I did..." Misaki mumbled. "Sorry for taking so lo-Achoooo!"
"This is not the proper time to get a cold, Takahashi..." Ijuuin muttered with his brow raised.
Nose a little red, Misaki tried to run his sleeves against his nose but Ijuuin stopped him.
"Don't..." he ordered firmly.
Misaki could only watch Ijuuin as the older man pull his cream scarf off his neck . Misaki caught a whiff of the composer's cologne from the fabric after the older man had tried to put it on the teen. It was really chilly and the warmth from Ijuuin's skin was still lingering on the soft scarf. In all honesty, Misaki felt like what was happening was a little too much. It felt like cheating.
Stepping back, Misaki raised his hands in refusal. "No...no thank you I'm fine."
With a frown, Ijuuin threw the scarf behind Misaki with both the ends of the cream fabric on both his hands. He then pulled the scarf closer to him, pulling Misaki at the same time.
"Don't be stubborn," Ijuuin grumbled. "Stay still."
Defeated, Misaki sighed and just allowed Ijuuin to cover him with the scarf, wishing that it would all be over soon. He knew the man was just taking good care of him. But the way things were going, when they were that close, Misaki couldn't help but feel like he was doing something bad. Both to his Usagi-san and to Ijuuin Kyo as well.
"Oh...Takahashi-kun!" the old man stepped out of the door with a huge grin. "Be careful not to get sick!"
"Ah! Ye-yes! Thank you!" Misaki exclaimed, bowing towards the man.
"Kyo-kun, Takahashi-kun, please be careful on your way!"
The two walked away from the house to the parking lot with smiles on their faces. The whole trip to that house had been both entertaining and surprising. The silence that prevailed on their way to the parking lot was surprisingly soothing instead of the awkwardness Misaki was expecting.
"Did you get anything from the old man's house?" Ijuuin asked after opening the door to the driver's seat. The light post near them was flickering as if it would die anytime soon.
Smiling with all honesty, Misaki threw a glance back at the house. "Yes...I realized some things... Thank you for bringing me here, Ijuuin-san."
"Then purpose served," Ijuuin smiled and went inside the car.
Not long after that, Misaki hopped in and from a distance, Usami Akihiko watched the black car pull out of the parking lot into the dirt road.
The silence inside the car, the trees they passed by, and the darkness ahead of them made everything inside Misaki's head hazy. They haven't got away that far from the old house and yet, the teen's head was already on the verge of hitting the car window. Ijuuin stole a glance at Misaki then back at the path before him.
"You must be tired from all the crying you did..." Ijuuin whispered into the car. He could very well see the swelling around Misaki's eyes, a sign of crying. But Ijuuin chose not to press on the matter anymore since he knew it would just lead to something he didn't like to hear. And so making sure that he was driving at a medium speed, careful not to wake Misaki, Ijuuin silently hummed to himself.
His black car continued to work its way out of the quiet neighborhood back to the bustling city. He noticed that there was an approaching vehicle due to the headlights and judging from the dirt, dust and the leaves that were being scattered around the approaching car, the vehicle was running at a high speed. Just being cautious, Ijuuin chose to run slower. In that road, dark and quiet, was a place susceptible for accidents.
Even under the closed windows of the car, the swish of the car could be heard as it passed by Ijuuin's. Drowsy Misaki opened his eyes a little as he watched the approaching lights as well. He thought that the bluish car was familiar, but the sleepiness in him prevailed and before he knew it, he was already asleep.
-
Just as Usami Akihiko pulled out of the parking lot, the bluish car Ijuuin saw went in. The composer didn't care so much at the car. He focused his eyes towards the road and hit the accelarator towards his own home.
"Hmmm?" the driver inside the car that just arrived turned his head back noticing the disappearing red sports car from his grandfather's house. "I guess Oji-chan do get high-profile customers once in a while."
He jumped out of his car and shivered at the chilly breeze that welcomed him. His eyes wandered from the flickering light post towards the old house that would look totally grand if the owner would just agree to renovating the place. But the old man was stubborn saying the spirit of the house will get lost if they renovate it.
"Ah...I'm hungry," slamming the car door shut, he trudged the leafy ground with his boots towards the back entrance of the house. He didn't like the main entrance for some reason.
He knocked but no one answered.
"Ah my god are the people in the house trying to freeze me here?" he started kicking the door with his boots while his face was in a scowl. He was really impatient when it comes to trivial things. Or maybe not just trivial things.
"Oi! Could someone open the damn door?!"
Who could blame anyone in the house when it was so huge and there were only two people occuppying it? What if the people inside were busy doing something? But to the person outside the house, he didn't care. He only cared about the freaking door to open and allow him to experience the warmth inside.
After five minutes of kicking and cursing, he heard running steps from the inside. Finally.
"Ishi!" the voice from the inside shouted. "Stop kicking the door, it will fall off from its hinges!" a voice of a young man shouted from the inside accompanied by clumsy sounds of locks being opened.
Running his hands on his soft hair, Ishi smirked at the excited voice of his childhood friend his grandfather had adopted and was now working as a helper in that instruments shop. "Damn slow! Hurry up!"
When the door with flower carvings opened, the young man Misaki talked to earlier gave a bow as if worshipping the prince of the house. "Welcome back, your highness..." the young man pretended. They always did that when they were younger.
"Cut it out will you?" Ishi laughed while smacking his friend at the back.
Ishi inhaled the scent of the entire house. It was a mix of wood, acetone and varnish. Something he always missed when he had to stay in Tokyo for so long.
"Where's Oji-chan?"
The young man turned his head at Ishi as he was locking the numerous latches back and nodded his head towards the farthest door of the hallway. "The usual...listening to the news with his old radio."
"Oh..." Ishi replied with bored eyes. "Then I'll go to him...could you get me food if there's any? Shit...I hope there is!"
"There is, don't worry."
Ishi walked like royalty in the ancentral house. His shoes clicking loudly, his black shirt contrasting with his eyes. The shadows casting on his slim body as he got nearer to the ajar door.
"Oj-"
"Sonate competition is just around the corner. Everyone is anticipating one of the major events of the year-" the soft, hissy sound of the radio reached the young man's ears. He was always in wonder why the old man was settling with the old radio when he had bought him huge flat screen TV.
"Meanwhile...a trustworthy source said that a major pop idol already returned to Japan a couple of days ago. The rumor about him studying and having someone preg-"
Ishi stomped towards the radio beside his grandfather who was rocking himself on a rocking chair. He slammed his hand on it and the radio instantly turned off.
"Oji-chan...Kanata is seriously thinking you're listening to some worthwhile news. Not some show business crap."
The old man opened his closed eyes and smiled at the handsome or more like a pretty face hovering over his. "Ishi-chan...welcome home!"
Smiling the first genuine smile of the day, Ishi leaned closer and gave a peck on the old man's forehead. "Tadaima..."
Like the accomodating old man that he was, Motoharu-san stood from his chair and went to the corner of the room to prepare tea for his seldom home grandson. The room was cluttered with old newspapers and empty lids and cover of pianos. The floor dusty. If it wasn't the place he loved, Ishi would have cursed the entire place.
"Ishi have you lost weight? Your face is slimmer..."
Ishi sat on the rocking chair and played with it while his eyes were fixed outside of the huge window facing the vast lot of trees. "I did? I spent half my life in the US but I can't get used to the food."
"And what's that rumor saying you got some girl pregnant? Is that even true?"
Laughing a hearty laugh, Ishi almost cried as he clutched his stomach. "Pregnant? No way...no way!"
"So why did you come back so suddenly?"
"Eh...Oji-chan...I feel like I have some use here. Io has some major role to play and I am damn excited!" the teen muttered happily, rocking himself harder.
"That screen name of yours has nothing but destructive rumors right now. I didn't stop you with your shadow singer thing but please be careful in the future Ishi. You're the only family I have, my dear grandson, I might die from heart attack if I hear worse gossips about you..."
"Oji-chan...don't be too dramatic! There's nothing to worry," Shizuku Ishi, known as Io declared with a satisfied grin. "This'll be fun."
The descructive rays of the morning light was making Misaki's head hurt. When they arrived home last night, he instantly went to working on his song. He felt that if he rested and waited for the next day, his inspiration would dissolve into thin air. And so, wanting to enclose every emotion he had that day into his song, he stayed up all night.
Ijuuin Kyo who had stopped going home as well and instead chose to stay in his office yawned. The first few buttons of his polo from the other night open, his hair as a mess as he tried to sleep on one of the sofas in his office. He couldn't just go home and sleep in the comfort of his bed knowing that Misaki was in his studio, burning his eyes, shedding his blood into composing.
With lazy fingers, the composer tapped something on his laptop and looked at the calender on his table. "One week...there's only one week..."
The tall man found himself smiling a little at the sight of a paper bag under his table. Clearly, his secretary even went on his way to prepare a change of clothes for Ijuuin.
"Hmm?" brows raised, Ijuuin bended to pick the paper bag and the attached note on it.
"This is only until the Sonate is done. I have never seen you work your head off so I am glad about it.-Fuji"
Brushing his hair in place with his long fingers, Ijuuin stood and walked out of his office. It has become a habit to check on Misaki whether he was sleeping on the floor, focused on writing or trying to figure out how those huge consoles and mixers work. Ijuuin had started to check on Misaki before he even fix himself. Although Misaki didn't know it, it was always Ijuuin who checked if the temperature of the studio wasn't too cold or warm for him.
When Ijuuin pushed open the door, he found Misaki, bags under the eyes staring hard at the Neve VR60 in his studio used for recording. Misaki looked like he was so into looking at it that he hasn't noticed Ijuuin approach him.
"What? Overwhelmed?" Ijuuin started.
Instead of a jumpy Misaki Ijuuin was expecting, the teen just stared at the equipment with fiery eyes. It somehow made Ijuuin look at it too.
The numerous buttons of that machine could really make an average person get a headache. It was complicated and takes a lot of time using it before one could get used to it.
Both men deprived of sleep watched the machine occupying a huge space in silence. Amused at the serious look on Misaki's face, Ijuuin tapped Misaki on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll teach you everything you have to know about using these things."
"Uhm..." Misaki clenched his fists. His face with a serious look Ijuuin couldn't just brush off.
Ijuuin waited for Misaki to talk. The ticking of each passing second told Ijuuin that Misaki probably was thinking of something deep or hard or hard to achieve. But still he waited.
Raising his gaze towards the man standing beside him, Misaki looked straight at the dark eyes before him. The teen didn't care that he looked pale. He just really need to know the composer's reaction.
"Ijuuin-san...about this digital composing..." Misaki looked at the wall behind Ijuuin and then back at the tall man. His green eyes showing nervousness.
"Are you worried you might not learn how to use them?" Ijuuin coaxed.
"No...not that."
"No need to be shy. Tell me so we can address the concern properly."
"Err..." starting to smile at the absurdity of what he was planning, Misaki let out a small laugh. "Instead of recording it Ijuuin-san..." the teen started fidgeting. "Can we hire a real orchestra for the Sonate?"
Ijuuin just looked at the nervously smiling Misaki before him. Well, it wasn't a matter of money why he was surprised hearing that. True, digital composing could be hard. But arranging a piece for a whole orchestra would be harder. Especially for a newbie like Misaki.
The long pause from Ijuuin, Misaki interpreted it as a 'no'. He looked at his feet and felt sad. He really wanted the help of real people playing than a sound produced by equipments. But if there was no one to help him, there was no way on the planet he could get himself one.
"Don't look so down. I didn't say no, did I?" Ijuuin cut through Misaki's thoughts. The man crossed his arms on his chest and sighed. "What you want to do is harder. But I have no qualms in a student who's trying to cross the lines."
Like the morning sunshine outside, Misaki's face started to lit up as he stared with expectant and grateful eyes at his 'sensei'.
Ijuuin smiled and ruffled Misaki's messy hair. One of the gestures he could do which he thoroughly enjoyed. "You asked, and I shall give it to you."
"Usami-sama, I'll be waiting in the lobby."
The tall man, who was wearing a suit and tie didn't move an inch to where he was standing. He didn't turn as he heard the disappearing sound of his right-hand man's shoes on the floor.
It was still very early in the morning. The light was shining brighter than usual inside his flat. It was because there was no more curtains blocking them.
Looking around, the paintings on the wall weren't there anymore. The shelves, empty. The cubboards has nothing in it. The dressers with no clothes. The whole flat was an empty place, about to be left by its owner for a long time.
When a person stand in such a huge space about to be left, all of the important person's memories would somehow flash before the eyes. There was no telling if it was the owner's wish not to leave, or the wish of the memories lingering in it. Instead of seeing the material things that occupied that space, it was the things and the replay of all the things that took place that was visible. The experience was both heartfilling and heartwrenching at the same time.
"A week before Sonate..." he sighed. "Time is really fast."
The composer paid one last look at the entirety of his flat before quietly closing the door. Leaving the house behind.
The legendary composer decided to leave his recidence due to the fact that paparazzis had started making a camp outside the whole residencial area. He couldn't get privacy and peace. There would always be someone ringing the door bell despite the tight security dispatched for him.
And so he decided to stay in a hotel until the day of the Sonate. Or until the day of his flight.
It was as if he didn't even have the freedom to choose what he wanted due to the threats about the pictures of which the full blow would land on Misaki.
Wanting to stay to give Misaki his support, yet knowing that it could also break Misaki at the same time was torture. There was no way to choose without having to hurt.
chapter end notes:
YOHO! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND KIND WORDS! BTW...IF YOU ARE THINKING WHO'S SHIZUKU ISHI, HE'S IS IN JR CHAPTER 32! HAHAHA...SO NOW YOU CAN SEE IO.^^
btw..interestingly..ishi could also mean stone in Japan...very fitting for Io...is still fishy? ne? hahaha
this is the newest cover of Shadow Singer I made...the pics of Usagi-san, Misaki, Ijuuin and Io.^^ please check it too! domo!
mainichiyaoi. tu m bl r.c0m / image/45860348489
