A/N: I would like to point out that the story will have more cameos of a certain author after the ending of this chapter, he appeared more sooner than I wanted but he doesn't show interest in Hiroki until WAY later in the fic.

-Lucicelo

Piano Player 9: His Wonderful Voice...

Kana yawned while she popped open a can of ice cold green tea that were brought at the convenience store days ago. It didn't take much convincing for Hiroki to voice the snacks he wanted when she told him about the ready meals that were heated up at checkout. The array of iced teas Hiroki wanted were added to the mix to replace beer. After the incident where Hiroki was hung over on the day of a performance which made him slip up on half of the performance, he swore not to drink alcohol again.

The sound of Hiroki's melodious playing drifted through the early morning, breaking through the hustle and bustle of the neighbor hurrying out of his apartment. A slam of a door came as well, though the music kept on playing, it meant that Hiroki was lost in his world to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Humming a song she heard on the radio, she grabbed a towel from her overnight bag and some new clothes. Having returned days after the convenience store trip, she stayed the night for the second time because she was worried about the man who stared at them the other day. She didn't voice it to Hiroki, who deemed the man unimportant on the night it happened, but still she couldn't help but remain suspicious. And the hospital was a good distance away but she would make it in on time for her shift after she left the apartment.

She jumped slightly as the sound of beeping reached her ears. Following the sound, she made it to the counter where the house phone resided and she saw Hiroki's cell phone was ringing. She stared over her shoulder to check if Hiroki caught onto the ringing phone, turning back around, she grabbed the phone and read the name on the I.D.

Hiroki's hands paused in the air, the sound of his cell phone ringing had broken his reverie on his usual morning practice. His eyebrows furrowed, his hands suddenly clenched into fists. No one called him in the morning, he made it a rule to anyone who knew him to only call on emergencies or because of something important that it warranted an early call. Pushing against the piano, his bench screeched backwards, his feet planted on the ground as he stood up on his feet.

Kana's voice reached him, he prepared himself to sit back on his bench when he heard Kana yelling for him. He let out a sigh when he stood erect on his seat, he walked out of his piano room, his hand gliding on the wall to give him an idea on which direction he was going. His father left indicators in the form of frames which had different designs, telling him on the room he was nearing.

"Oh! So you're the Nowaki Kusama, Hiroki-kun talked about the other day. I heard all about the date you two had as well." Hiroki cringed, her mischievous tone had surfaced and she would interrogate the poor guy if he didn't intervene.

Hiroki turned a corner as Kana addressed him. "Yes, he just arrived right now. It was a pleasure talking with you, Kusama-san." Hiroki knew she was staring at him with the biggest grin on her face.

She giggled in amusement the moment Hiroki reached for his phone. She handed it to him without a problem, the fact that Hiroki's new love interest called just made their morning all the more interesting. She was going to keep an ear out for any information if she managed to catch anything in the first place. Hiroki covered the speaker of the phone with his slim hand, she smirked and patted his shoulder while she waited for him to start speaking.

Hiroki gritted his teeth, he didn't want to speak with Nowaki when Kana was in the room. Her teasing nature was something he hated and she had waited for the chance to tease him for his love life. He always commented on the few dates she had, he knew from the tone of their voices that they were horrible, but he didn't tease her too bad in his opinion.

He told her after their brief moment of silence, "Leave, Kana."

"Why?" Kana batted her eyelashes as she stretched up her arms over her head. "Whatever you have to say to this man, can be said with me around you."

"I didn't hover when your last disaster called you for that ridiculous date." Hiroki retorted and he heard her huff, her slippers made a light sound as she went to the direction of his bedroom.

He waited until her footsteps were faint and he heard Nowaki saying his name in the phone. Slowly putting it on his ear, he honestly didn't know what to tell the guy. He had not expected any calls coming from him.

"Nowaki?" Hiroki inquired while he fought the urge to tap his fingers on the desk in front of him, "Why are you calling me?"

Nowaki laughed on the other line. "You told me to call you whenever I had time from my job. Today is my day off since the office is closed due to the holidays. How are you today?"

Hiroki carefully walked on forward, his hand stretched out, and he stopped when he felt the soft fabric of his sofa. "I see..." He walked around and sat on the one seat couch. "So you finally have time for a chat, this early in the morning."

"But Kamijou-san, it's ten in the morning."

Hiroki frowned. "It's early to me," He relaxed in his sofa, crossing his legs he said. "And to answer your question, I am doing alright. I was practicing the moment you called me."

"I can call you back on a later time if you want, you have to keep your skills in top shape. Not that you need it of course."

Hearing the regretful tone in Nowaki's voice from the first sentence, Hiroki assured him everything was alright. How was Nowaki supposed to know that he practiced in the morning, well Nowaki didn't know he only did it to further wake himself up. He hated making any mistakes, especially when his neighbors undoubtedly hear him while they got ready for the day.

"It's fine, I only practice in the morning to wake myself up. The mistakes aggravate me to fully wake myself up." Nowaki burst into laughter, Hiroki's lips quirked into a smile.

"I can only imagine, it is amazing how much you practice. It truly is amazing."

Hiroki's face warmed as he fiddled with the end of his shirt. "You really don't need to compliment me. Honestly, you really don't have to."

"I am only expressing my honesty, Kamijou-san. And before I forget, one of my co-workers saw you the other day with a young lady."

Recollection appeared in Hiroki's face at the mention of someone staring at them the other day, Hiroki said. "Don't tell me you know the man who made Kana's paranoia flare up while we took our evening walk? Because all of these sudden visits to my home means that he creeped her out on behalf of my safety."

His first response was a nervous laugh, the sound of shuffling on the other end of the line. "I see...well he told me she was your girlfriend."

Hiroki snorted. "She's my closest friend. There is no remote way I will ever fall for her. This is not a best friend turned girlfriend scenario, she's basically family. Though, your co-worker isn't the first to assume she is my lover, most of the residents in my apartment complex have commented on it."

"I only wanted to make sure, she sounded so nice on the phone. Tell her that my senpai is harmless but he does have a staring tendency I had to admit. Your friend mentioned how you talked a lot about me..."

"My so called friends were so interested in knowing the guy who got me to leave my apartment to get some fresh air." Hiroki heard Kana snickering in the other room, he lowered his voice. "Other than this confusion made by this co-worker of yours, how are you?"

"I am great! My week had turned absolutely great that I didn't mind all of the extra work from the office. What about you?"

"Fine. I am performing next week in another venue so just a variety of practice for the most part." Hiroki answered, "And it has gone much smoother on account of my neighbors taking their crying child along with them, probably not by choice."

"What?"

Hiroki explained. "I live next door to a couple who have a baby they let cry all the time. I would move but there are no openings in the neighboring apartment complexes so I have to bide my time. Besides, the schedules conflict so they have never met me."

"They don't know they live next to a blind neighbor? I would have thought apartment complexes were known for spreading gossip."

"Not in my experience in this apartment complex. In my last place, the moment I settled in my apartment I got knocks on the door from housewives bringing me food. Probably pity on my ordeal, my parents had a laugh when I told them about it."

"They meant well, Kamijou-san, but I have to say they must have assumed you were helpless the moment they saw you."

Hiroki rolled his eyes. "Of course they felt sorry for me, despite the fact that I have lived on my own with frequent visits from people I trust. Either way, I don't trust people on an immediate basis."

"But you trust me...right?"

"You have given me no reason to doubt you, you better not mess up on me." Hiroki told him with a slight teasing tone in his voice, he was certain Nowaki caught his tone when he heard him snickering. "The fact you didn't bullshit on naming piano pieces did give you some good points on my part."

"Oh wow, I am so positively honored, Kamijou-san."

Hiroki retorted with another remark directed at Nowaki as he propped his feet onto the couch.

He didn't realize Kana leaned against a wall, hearing his side of the banter he played with Nowaki. There were a couple of instances when she almost laughed at Hiroki's comments. She couldn't believe he was engaging with someone so amicably without the guise of politeness covering it up to seem professional to the public.

The moment Hiroki ended his call, Kana hurried back inside of the room. She noticed Hiroki was sitting up on the couch, she slapped Hiroki's back without any warning. He jumped in surprise, having not noticed his surroundings in the first place, he missed her footsteps coming toward him.

She swung her towel over her shoulder when she told him. "Miyagi and Shinobu will hear about this after my shower." Kana shut the door in time to miss anything Hiroki yelling her name.

The heat drifted through the apartment, air conditioning didn't work in keeping it at bay as Miyagi sweat too much in bed. Miyagi was certain that the machine broke and the extra heat that came from inside of the kitchen

Miyagi stared at the kitchen in dismay as he smelled the cooked cabbage Shinobu was making him. His stomach growled, his mind chanted the need for meat in his lunch, to yell that he wanted at least some beef in this cabbage stir fry. He didn't understand how a bright young man didn't venture out of cooking something different or at least another vegetable that he actually enjoyed.

Although, he knew he didn't have a right to complain when Shinobu offered to cook for him. Yet, the few times the younger man cooked for him, it was all one vegetable. There were guest appearances of other produce but at least he didn't add wine like the first time he made anything.

Whoever told Shinobu that red wine tasted delicious with cabbage didn't have his best interest at heart. Though, he knew some versions of beef stew had some red wine in it but the alcohol had to be cooked off to have flavor remain in the soup.

He doubted that was the case.

Sniffing the air, a huge grin appeared on his face when he caught the smell of meat coming from inside of the kitchen. Shinobu must have felt the need to add something extra to make lunch or just saw the meat in the fridge and used it on a whim.

He moved his gaze from the kitchen toward the tv as a show came on which described new recommendations for books. There were some books that caught his attentions, others were a bore on the description, but the next author raised an eyebrow from him. His grin slowly left his face when he heard the title and the author yet again.

The young lady on the screen described the tumultuous relationship between a blind man and a rich man who cast him aside the day the blindness fully took over. Miyagi gritted his teeth the more the young lady told the summary of the story, his anger slowly bubbled inside of him as well. How dare that man try to sell the story of his own disgrace and present the rich man's reasoning on abandoning the blind man seem justified.

He prayed Hiroki didn't catch wind of this on the radio or on the rare occasion the tv was turned on. The fact Akihiko Usami was trying to make money out of this was just flabbergasting. After thirteen years, didn't the man have any sense of shame on what he did to his best friend? His ex best friend. If this was his form of contacting Hiroki to gain some form of forgiveness, this was a horrible way to do it.

The lack of praise and compliments from the other woman on the show got him rooting for her, she said the writing was excellent but the content wasn't anything remotely close on something that was labeled real life. The main young lady combated anything she said as garbage. She told her how this was believable since the blind man hid his oncoming blindness and befriended the rich man knowing he wouldn't eventually see anymore. Probably to get a gander on his money through sympathy.

There was a jab on how the younger lady shouldn't be biased on authors just because of their physical appearance which set the girl off. The older woman remained poised and smirked at her direction, knowing that she found the real reason the young lady was singing such praises on this flop of a book from a supposed great author.

Shinobu peeked into the living room when he commented with a sneer while he waved his wooden spoon. "That story sounds like utter bullshit. Please tell me that people don't believe such garbage that this girl is spouting? Hell the older woman knows what the fuck she's talking about, she knows that book isn't any good."

Miyagi turned to gaze at Shinobu, the anger dissipated and was left with admiration, he declared without hesitation. "I love you, Shinobu-chin."

Shinobu's face turned bright red. "W-What? Go back to watching tv old man and don't say such things out of nowhere." Shinobu retreated back into the kitchen, Miyagi heard him muttering about his nonchalant way of saying he loved him and pots clashes in the room.

Miyagi caught the older woman winning the argument with a victorious grin and switching onto another book before the younger lady voiced her outrage. He let out a laugh while he relaxed back onto the couch, the tenseness left his body over Akihiko Usami and he enjoyed the rest of the show. There was also a great joy the moment he sat on the kitchen table and he saw a giant bowl of teriyaki beef.

"I love you." Miyagi let out a blissful sigh before he dug into the beef and put a good helping of cabbage, this way Shinobu wouldn't think he didn't like the cabbage.

At least the younger man got better at not adding unnecessary condiments on vegetables.

Shinobu took a long drink of his soda before he said. "You are so easily happy." He took of a bite of the beef, relief washed over him when he realized it didn't taste horrible. "Wow..it isn't horrible."

"This is good, Shinobu-chin, I told you practice made everything perfect."

Shinobu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you told me. Just eat."

A gleam of sunlight bounced off a pair of dark sunglasses, cigarette smoke filled the air.

The older gentleman in a fitted butler uniform bowed in front of the man who got off the private jet of the family. A gentle smile on his face crossed his face, having missed the young man after so many years abroad. He welcomed him with open arms but wouldn't physically initiate any embraces. He was a mere worker of the family and he didn't dare cross that line.

The same couldn't be said for the elder brother but his master was too busy to attend this home welcoming. Not that the butler minded, he had some free time and he head maid would take care to make sure the manor ran smoothly without his presence.

"So you are the one they sent to greet me, Tanaka?" A grimace marred the silver haired man's face.

Not that he hated the butler but his family should have made some effort to greet him back from England. He was the one who helped settle an agreement between his father's company and another one who didn't want to sign a deal. The only thing he wanted out of it was that his father cease pestering him in quitting his writing career in favor of one in the office.

In this case, his persuasive skills were used for something other than convincing his timid editor in extending his deadline over a few more months. He didn't particularly need them but he didn't want to write when he didn't feel like it. Until Isaka caught wind that he was supposedly intimidating the older woman into letting him slack off and miss his deadlines without any repercussions.

Tanaka gave a curt nod. "I was honored when they asked me to come meet you,"

After a dismissive wave of a hand, Tanaka was asked. "Has my car arrived?"

"Of course, it is back at the manor." He didn't react at the harsh glare he received, it wasn't really directed at him, "Usami-sama was adamant that it be left there, he really wants to see you again, Akihiko-sama."

"Considering the fact that I only did this one favor to have him back off of my career as an author and leave me alone." He patted down his expensive navy blue suit from any wrinkles from his long flight. "I don't want to have any conversation with him."

"Your mother-"

"And especially not her." Akihiko spat in hatred. "If she calls when I am at the manor grabbing my car, hang up on her."

Tanaka didn't continue on his sentence but Akihiko would have a surprise when Aki Usami returned from her trip overseas for the first time in a decade. He wanted to warn him, the bad blood in this family made the premise of any drama and in a way, he saw Akihiko as his own son. He spent more time with the Usami brothers than their own father, he never commented on it but he was sure Akihiko and Haruhiko took notice.

It didn't surprise him that both of them didn't want to have anything to do with their father. Fuyuhiko was too late in reaching out to his sons at this point, he needed to have done it when they were children. Nowadays, Akihiko and Haruhiko resented his absence after so many years but the older man was adamant in spending time with them. Every single attempt was met with failure which was not surprising.

Tanaka let out a deep sigh as he stared at Akihiko from the corner of his eyes. The furious expression Akihiko presented over his family moment ago was gone, it was now neutral. There was no existent emotion on his face but he saw the tension in his shoulders and the free hand which was clenched tightly in his pocket.

Voicing any solutions wouldn't fare in his favor. Not when he was one of the main secret keepers on the various problems in the depths of this family and one wrong comment risked his own safety.

"Tanaka."

"Yes?"

Akihiko blew a line of smoke. "I want to enter and leave that place as quickly as possible, do not announce my arrival. I will come in and drive my car away while you distract anyone wanting to go inside."

Tanaka nodded his head. "Of course, anything for you."

TBC