Kei put his trust in me to make a bass part for their song. That ended up becoming a whole new song on accident. I trusted Yukine that the recordings sounded good. While waiting for Kei to get ready, I was nervous but excited. I haven't felt like this before but I welcomed the feeling. Yukine winked at me. Once Kei got between us in the front, we all hesitated. Sayo hit her sticks together to count us in. There was no going back now. We all started playing. It was a much better composition that had a lot more harmony. When we finished, Sayo was the first to say anything.
"Woah! I never knew our song could sound like that." She said with shock.
"It wasn't just the bass that added something either. What did you do, Yona?" Aki asked.
"I simplified a lot of the complicated rhythms as much as possible and had Yukine rewrite a few parts." I explained.
"Why did you give Yukine lead guitar instead of me?" Kei asked. He seemed upset.
"You should concentrate on singing and stage presence instead of the guitar. You're the main focus. If you accidentally mess up or get tired, the audience will be able to tell. If you want to be the best, you need to allow everyone else to help. You can't take all the main roles upon yourself. That's a recipe for disaster."
"How are you sure?"
"I've watched a lot of concerts and analyzed them. The groups where the lead vocalist is also the lead instrument never performed as well as other bands who let others take control. Everyone's eyes will still be on you unless it's one of our solos." I explained with certainty. Everyone looked at Kei for his reaction. I was expecting him to blow up since Yukine did warn me he might do that. However, he started to chuckle.
"He broke!" Sayo exclaimed.
"Are you alright?" Yukine asked him.
"No one has the balls you do, Yona." Kei said.
"Excuse me?"
"Most would have a hard time creating a bass line for the song and those that do can't create anything worth listening to. You, on the other hand, decided to also take apart a song I worked on for so long and turned it into something else."
"Don't do anything too harsh, Kei." Yukine warned. I smiled.
"It's alright, Yukine. He's just in shock."
"Say something, Kei." Aki said from the keyboard.
"I can't help but laugh. I never expected a mere child to complete such a feat. I feel ashamed that I love the arrangement that isn't even mine."
"Do I pass?" I asked, ignoring him.
"Do you not care what I said?" Kei asked me.
"I heard you loved my arrangement. The rest didn't register."
"You really are strange, Yona."
"I'm guessing I passed?" He nodded. "What's the next task?" I asked.
"There is none. You're more than qualified to be part of the band."
Yukine and Sayo ran over and hugged me. "This is the best day ever!" Sayo cheered.
"It's good to have you aboard, Yona. We'll have so much fun." Yukine reassured me.
"I can't wait."
"Let's go out to eat to celebrate. Kei, you should invite your sister. She's also part of the band." Aki said.
"I'll do that." I wondered if that girl from before was Kei's sister.
"Hurry up and pack up, Yona. I'm hungry." Sayo whined.
"Okay." We all packed up our belongings up and left the room.
"Today's rehearsal was short. Did something happen?" Karin asked Kei.
"We're celebrating with lunch. Yona here got Kei's approval to be in the band." Yukine explained. Karin gasped with wide eyes. She then smiled brightly.
"I'm so proud of you, Yona."
"Thank you." Kei paid and then we split up. Yukine and Sayo brought me to the local diner. Kei and Aki were going to pick Kei's sister up. We were handed menus.
"Don't worry about the price. We'll cover it." Yukine said.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"We're sure. We have more than enough money."
"Are you sure?" They looked confused.
"Do you not know what school we go to?" Sayo asked.
"No."
"We go to the private academy that has a focus on the arts. Most of the kids that attend come from rich families." Yukine explained.
"I didn't know there was a private academy like that."
"You should attend. With your talent, they'll wave the tuition fee." Sayo said.
"I don't think they'll do that. I come from a regular family. The fees would be too much for my mom."
"What does she do for work?" Yukine asked.
"She's a stay at home mom that takes care of me and my brother. Her husband works on the oil fields overseas."
"So, you're from another marriage?" Sayo asked with shock.
"It's something like that."
"Do you not like him?"
"I hate his existence, but mom loves him and he hasn't hurt her." The two looked like they understood my background and didn't ask any more questions about home.
"You never know, you might get an invitation to take their entrance test." Yukine said brightly.
"It'd be nice. I was thinking about going to a middle school instead of studying at home."
"We're here." Aki said. We looked and saw him with Kei and a girl around my age with long silver hair and gold eyes.
"This her?" The girl asked.
"Ayumu, this is Yona. Yona, this is my sister Ayumu." I stood and gave a small bow.
"It's nice to meet your acquaintance."
"At least she knows her manners." She sat beside Yukine. Aki and Kei sat next to me. "So, my brother tells me you have talent with the bass. Do you think you can keep up with us?"
"I think so." I replied.
"Thinking won't get you far. You'll quit when things get serious. They all do." She said with a snarl. She definitely wasn't friendly. I wonder if that was just her personality. A waitress came by to take our orders. I ordered a small fry and iced tea.
"You can get more, Yona." Yukine said.
"I'll be fine." Ayumu gave me a look. Was it because I ordered too little while everyone else got full meals? When we got our food, I ate mine slowly so I wouldn't awkwardly be waiting for everyone to finish. "What instrument do you play, Ayumu?" I wanted to make small talk with her.
"I'm the DJ but I can play any other instrument."
"Why haven't you been the bassist?" I asked.
"I don't like it."
"Oh."
"And don't call me by my name. Address me by Nakamura."
"Okay."
"Don't be mean, Ayumu. Yona is part of this band like you." Sayo said.
"It's okay. If that's what she wants me to call her by, I won't have a problem in calling her that." I spoke gently. I honestly was fine with calling her Nakamura. It wasn't like we were friends. It'd be rude to immediately call her by her first name.
"You're a doormat." Ayumu said in a matter of fact tone.
"I'm not, Nakamura." Her eyes narrowed.
"I don't like her. Kick her out, brother."
"I'm not letting a good bassist go to waste." Kei said. Ayumu huffed and puffed quietly the rest of the time we were eating. When we were all finished, I paid for my meal with the little money I had. Yukine gave me a look but I ignored it.
"Well, our homes are this way."
"Peace." Aki and Sayo left. A car pulled up.
"This is our ride home. Do you want a ride home, Yukine?" Kei asked.
"No thanks. I'm going to walk Yona home."
"Have a good night. I'll see you two tomorrow."
Once they left, we started walking towards my house. "Don't worry about what Ayumu said. That's just how she is."
"I can tell. She seems like a stuck-up princess." Yukine started to laugh.
"That's about right. Once you get to know her, she isn't too bad."
"I don't know if she'll let me get to know her."
"Just don't take anything she says to heart."
"I won't." We stopped outside a house.
"This is my stop. Do you need me to walk you the rest of the way home?"
"I'll be fine." The door opened and Yukine's mom greeted us.
"There you are. We were getting worried." She looked at me. "Who is this?"
"This is Yona. She's our new bassist."
"She got Kei's approval?"
"She did with flying colors. She rearranged that disaster of a song we made." Yukine said. Her mother looked at me with shock.
"You must have studied for many years."
"Actually, she only started playing bass over a year ago. She's self-taught."
"That's shocking. You must be a little genius."
"I just commented on what sounded off and then Yukine did the rest. I didn't do anything that extravagant." I defended myself.
"Shut up, Yona. You did just as much work as me." Yukine playfully hit me. "Take the compliment dammit!"
Her mom started to laugh. "I'm sure you did your fair share. Would you like to come in for some tea?" She asked me.
"No thank you. I need to get home for dinner. Thank you for the invite." I gave a small bow. "Have a good night, Yukine."
"You too, Yona. Don't forget to be at the live house tomorrow."
"I won't."
I went on my way. Unfortunately, I was being followed. I wondered if it was one of Iemitsu's enemies or one of his men. It was hard to tell. Either way, an enemy is an enemy. I didn't have one of the dolls with me. So, I picked up a pebble and created a glass tube containing the noise. I could smell how intoxicating they were. I stopped walking and turned around. A car was following me. A group of men walked out.
"Come with us, Sawada."
"I'm sorry, but you have the wrong person. I'm not a Sawada." They looked genuinely confused.
"Either way, come with us."
"Who are you people?"
"We're friends of your father."
"I don't have a father. Like I said, you have the wrong person." I turned my back on them and continued to walk.
"Go any further and we'll kill you." I looked back and saw them all with their guns drawn. My heart started to race. I couldn't show them I was panicking.
"Are you sure that's wise to point your weapons at me?" They didn't answer.
At least I'd be able to see just how destructive the noise are. I tossed the glass. Once it touched the ground, it broke and showed an alchemic circle. The men looked at the large human-sized noise with fear.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"Go." I commanded. The noise ran at them. It latched onto one of the men. It was the first time seeing someone die like this. The man's body started to turn black from where the noise touched him. When he was completely covered, his body turned to ash.
"Shoot him!"
The bullets didn't harm the noise or stop it from killing the rest. One of the men aimed at me. I put up my hand and made a shield before I could get hurt. Alchemy is stronger than any modern-day technology. Once the men were all killed, the noise dissipated. I turned and saw Kazuma.
"I'll take care of this." He said.
"You're not mad?"
"No. You may kill them if they attack you. Just tell me if there's any evidence left and I'll take care of it."
"Thank you, Kazuma."
"I'm glad I listened to you. I would have ended up like that."
"I didn't know until now how it'd look like. Grandma told me once they touch you, you're already dead. I don't think she used them before which is why she herself didn't explain how it looked. Anyway, I need to get home. I'm tired."
"Go get some rest, Yona. You'll be a lot busier with your finals and entrance exams."
"There's no need to remind me. Have a good night, Kazuma."
After a week, finals were here. That meant my tutor would come and watch me take all of my tests. When I finished, he graded everything right in front of me. I got almost perfect scores which made mama really happy. She was celebrating in the living room while we were in the kitchen. The rule was it had to be me and the instructor in the kitchen. No one else could be in the room.
"Have you been thinking about which middle school to go to?" The instructor asked.
"Sort of. I'm thinking of actually going to school, but I don't know which one."
"Well, there are many in the area that you are more than capable of going to. I'll send over a few packets and when you pick which one, I'll help you with preparing."
"Thank you." He left. Mama ran in and hugged me.
"Congrats, Yona!"
"Thank you, mama."
"How about we go get some cake to celebrate?"
"Yeah!" The two of us left. Tsuna would be home in two hours. It gave us enough time to get cake and come back. When we got to the cake shop, I saw Yukine and Aki.
"Pick whatever one you want, sweetie." Mama said.
"Okay." The two turned around.
"Yona?" The two questioned.
"Hello." They walked to me.
"What are you doing here?"
"We're celebrating. I just took all of my finals." I said happily.
"How did you do?" Aki asked.
"I either got perfect scores or a few points away from a perfect score." They whistled.
"That's impressive."
Mama nudged me. "Oh. Mama, these are two of my friends and bandmates, Aki and Yukine. Guys, this is my mom."
"It's nice to meet you ma'am." Aki said with a bow.
"No wonder Yona is so pretty. She had to have gotten it from you." Yukine said.
"It's nice to meet Yona's friends. She talks about everyone nonstop." My cheeks turned pink. I pinched mama's arm.
"You like us that much?" Yukine teased.
"She does. You're her first friend after all." That took the two by surprise. I didn't want them to know they were my first friend. It's too embarrassing.
"Sayo would be screeching if she saw you right now. Hold still." Yukine took a picture of me. "And send."
"If you send that to Sayo, she'll run as fast as she can to come over." I said.
"Yona!" Sayo shouted as she busted through the door.
"How did she get here so fast?!" I said with shock. Sayo ran to me and hugged me, lifting me off the ground. I only grunted in response.
"Your reactions are the cutest."
"Were you in the area?" Aki asked.
"Yeah! I was down the street when God gave me a gift today!"
"I never knew I was God." Yukine joked. Sayo saw mama and dropped me.
"I'm Sayo. I'm the best drummer ever and I want Yona to live with me forever."
"It's nice to meet you. Yona, you can play with your friends. I'll order cake and bring it home. We can celebrate with Tsuna."
"Okay." When mama went to order a cake, Yukine pouted at me and pinched my cheeks. "W-why are you doing this to me?"
"I felt like it."
"So mean." I whined, holding my cheeks.
"Who's Tsuna?" Sayo asked.
"That's my little brother." Sayo froze in her place.
"T-there's another you?!"
"Yes."
"I want to meet him."
"You'll scare him. He's really timid and gets scared by the wind. You'll make him pass out."
"I'll have to hold myself back in order to meet him." She spoke in a serious matter.
"Are you two done?" A man asked. We looked and saw two men in suits. They looked at Yukine and Aki and then me. They were intimidating, but it wasn't as bad as Kazuma.
"Dad, I want you to meet out bassist. This is Yona." Yukine said. I gave a small bow.
"It's nice to make your acquaintance." He just stared at me with cold eyes.
"Likewise." Mama walked back over.
"Yona, they have the lemon and lavender cake here. Do you want that or the chocolate and orange cake?" Mama asked me. The men looked at her.
"Lemon and lavender."
"My little girl is so sophisticated."
"Nana?" One of the men questioned. She looked up at him and gasped.
"Ryoma?"
"Your mom knows my dad?" Aki asked me.
"Why are you asking me? I've never seen him until now." I said. Aki's dad had black hair like him that was slicked back with facial hair on his chin.
"I haven't seen you since I graduated from high school. How have you been?" Ryoma asked mama.
"I've been well. I'm happily married with two kids. Yona is my eldest."
"I should have known. She has your beautiful eyes." Mama chuckled and turned her body a little bit.
"How are you doing?" She asked.
"I've been doing well. I'm running the largest bank in the prefecture. Aki is my only son. You should come over to visit so we can catch up." My eyes narrowed. Yukine's dad saw.
"I'm too busy to visit." I walked over and started pushing her.
"Go get the cake, mama. The fresher it is, the better it is."
"Okay!" She went back in line. I looked up at Ryoma with a dangerous glare.
"Don't flirt with her." I said.
"It was all in good fun." I scoffed and put my hand on my hip.
"I know bullshit when I see it. You couldn't even see she was uncomfortable. I don't care if you went to school with her. Do not talk to my mother like that."
"Dad." Aki said with an unamused voice.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think that would bother you."
"I wonder how many other women you've made uncomfortable."
"I've never seen Yona angry before." Yukine said.
"I'm not angry. I'm only annoyed." I clarified. Yukine pinched my cheeks. "Stop pinching!" I yelped.
"They're too pinchable." She stopped and stuck her tongue out. She did that to calm me down.
"Let's go, dad. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Aki said.
"Don't we have practice today?" I asked.
"You didn't know? Kei called it off. Ayumu is auditioning to get into the same school we go to." Yukine said.
"Really? I hope she does well."
"Despite her not liking you, you still treat her with kindness." Sayo said, rubbing the top of my head.
"Just because we don't get along doesn't mean I want her to fail."
"Did you decide what middle school you wanted to go to?" Aki asked me.
"No. My instructor is going to send a few pamphlets. He'll help me prepare for the entrance exam when I decide."
"You should audition like Ayumu. You might get in." Yukine suggested.
"There's no harm in trying, but I can't afford the tuition. It's better to not get my hopes up. I'll just go somewhere else."
"You could always find someone to sponsor you." Yukine's dad commented on the situation.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"If you get enough recommendations and show excellent skill in music and impressive grades, you'll be able to go for free."
"How many recommendations?" I asked him.
"The more the better."
"Will my martial arts instructor count?"
"Yes." He replied.
"Maybe it's worth a try."
"See? You never know what'll happen." Yukine pointed out.
Mama walked over with a box. "We'll see you later, Yona. Kei's working on a new song. Be prepared to mark it all over." Yukine warned me.
"I hope I won't hurt his feelings." The three started to laugh.
"Hurt them all you want. Besides, the only thing you'll do is make the song better." The group left.
"Aren't you going to hang out with your friends?" Mama asked.
"They had things to do. Let's go home." On our way home, I thought about Yukine's suggestion. It wouldn't hurt to try, but I won't get my hopes up. I'll be upset when I hear mama say we can't afford the tuition. When we got home, we noticed a car.
"I wonder who's here." Mama said. I hope if it was an intruder, Alter would have taken them out. We walked inside.
"Nana! The love of my life!" We saw Iemitsu in his usual clothing with his arms wide open. Mama ran inside and hugged him. She almost dropped the cake. What the hell is he doing here? When they parted, he looked right at me. "You grew a lot, Yona. You're starting to look more and more like your mother every day."
"Why are you here?" I asked with disgust.
"I came to see my lovely family. Aren't you happy to see me?"
"No. I liked it better without you."
"Nonsense! We all missed you." Mama said.
"I'm glad to know you missed me just as much as I missed you." Iemitsu said to mama. It disgusted me.
"I'll be in my room." I said.
"Go on, sweetie." I went upstairs after putting the cake on the table and saw the dolls waiting for me.
"That irritable man is here." Aya said.
"I know. Did he touch anything here?"
"No, but he's here to investigate his missing men."
"His missing men? An enemy is an enemy. I'm not interested to see what the difference is between his enemy and his men." I commented. The four gave demonic smiles.
"What if the ones that attacked are all his men?" Freya asked.
"I'll make sure Iemitsu's life is full of sorrow. I'll take everything from him starting with his men. He'll eventually run out of things."