AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, remember this story? I've been really busy and I always the plot for this story in my head but never got around to writing this next chapter 'till now. It sheds some more light on Desdemona. Unfortunately, I lost my chapter outline, so it may be a while until the next chapter. Lots of plot building in here. Read and enjoy.

CHAPTER SIX

Even before Sei's Doc Martens had slapped the cement floor as he trotted into the driveway, the screaming was making its loud crescendo up. Sei stiffened, his eyes shut. Surely the neighbors wondered what went on in the Kashino house. Mr. Kashino had a beautiful trophy wife and two of the most handsome sons a man could ask for. What could EVER cause such a loud ruckus?

Sei knew. He was thoughts away from turning around and rushing back to the art studio. His art teacher, Ms. Goto, had kept him hours after the regular students had gone home. She wanted him to "perfect" his art, he had "something going", no no, this should be this color, that should be that texture. No, no, Sei, you've got it all wrong! I shouldn't think like this, Sei said as he fit the key into its slot, Ms. Goto only wants to help me. She believes in me, she thinks I can go places, Ms. Goto is right.

The door was unlocked. Damn. Nothing to keep him from turning around and rushing away.

The non-musical opera of father and son yelling filled the room as Sei stepped in. Rei was throwing another one of his arguments. What was it this time? What did Rei hate so much about their own father? Sei shook his head; for once could Rei just shut up and let them be a family?

With his father in this kind of mood, there was no way Sei could sneak past him into the kitchen for food. Another night of no dinner was in store.

If he could just make his way up the stairs.

"And where have YOU been?"

Shit.

Sei turned around. His father was sitting in a recliner, imported cigars in between his stained teeth. Standing above him was Rei, arms crossed, smirking at the fact his brother wasn't going to escape tonight.

"Ms. Goto kept me after school to work on my art."

"This is ridiculous, I want you home early, not out doing God knows what God knows where!" shouted Mr. Kashino. Obviously he wouldn't have even noticed if he and Rei hadn't been in a fight. There was a hole in the wall beside Mr. Kashino's recliner. Perhaps Rei was attempting to start a collection.

"What time is it?" asked Sei.

"After 6," Rei muttered.

Sei's jaw dropped. Desdemona expected him to be at her concert. "I have to go."

"What?! You can't just leave--"

Yes he could.

"Bye!"

The thud of his shoes as he left another round of screaming and swearing. Where was it again? Longview? That was it. Purposely cheesy, socially low dive where all the beautiful freaks went. Sei's pace picked up. He could hear the screaming of a goddess in the dive. Then, he realized that it was the music. Desdemona's music.

"Pay up." The beefy bouncer with his porn fanatic mustache blocked Sei's entrance. Sei dug into his pocket and handed the bouncer what he needed.

Then Sei was unleashed onto Longview.

It was crowded and smelled faintly of second-hand perfume and sweaty boys. They were jumping or slamming into each other, or some were just slipping their tongues into the others' hearts. Sei was gentle at first, quietly trying to make his way to the front and mumbling, "excuse me" every so often. The crowd did not understand his good intentions. They shoved and threw him. They were a multi-armed, multi-legged creature, like from the Hindu religion. With one force they lifted Sei above their heads and tossed him to the front of the crowd. His jeans scraped the floor and cut open his jeans' knee. But Sei was in front, where he needed. Then he looked up.

There she was.

Desdemona was screaming. But in a melodic sort of way. She was strumming her guitar rather professionally for someone who was unleashing such rage and pent-up emotion. There were two other boys, a drummer and a bassist, and they were caught up in the moment too.

Clearly Desdemona had forgotten her lines, or perhaps she didn't feel like she needed to go on, because she started using her microphone stand as a pole and began to swing herself on it. The bassist smashed his bass and began repeatedly hitting his head against the amps, perhaps hoping they'd explode and catch his hair on fire ala Michael Jackson. Desdemona slipped from the her clutch on the microphone and fell into the crowd. The drummer was the only one playing anymore, pounding away into a descending decrescendo, until eventually he just collapsed into his own drum set.

Sei caught Desdemona from her stage fall. She didn't smell like she was drunk, maybe she was just a bit tipsy.

"Thanks," Desdemona muttered, and then pulled back her tangles of hair to see it was Sei. "Sei?"

"I'm sorry if I'm late," Sei told her.

Desdemona shook her hair and waved him off, "It's OK. Show's over before it was supposed to be. Manager's gonna kick our asses for it, but I thought we got the crowd pretty riled up."

Riled up was a modest way to describe it, but Sei wasn't going to bring that up. To Desdemona this was a great success.

"Here, come on."

"Aren't you going to get paid?"

Desdemona looked a little bit sick, "Jose will pick it up for me. If he keeps it for himself, then he'll lose his new lead singer, who I think drew a pretty big crowd for him." The reaction was overwhelmingly positive. The others were nodding to Desdemona with approval. She even got asked out twice during the walk from the stage to the back door.

"See ya, girly."

Desdemona waved with her middle finger and they entered the normal world. It was getting darker and darker out. Sei sighed and forgot he had placed his arm around Desdemona's slightly shaking shoulders.

"You cold?"

"I think I'm a little drunk, actually," Desdemona admitted. She stumbled. "OK, more then maybe a little."

"Want to go anywhere.?"

Desdemona shook her head, "No, I just want to walk home."

Sei nodded. He'd missed his chance to really spend time with Desdemona. Then he sighed, and it felt chilly outside. Desdemona had crossed her arms and was hunched over slightly.

They did not speak again until they arrived at the apartments. Sei walked Desdemona to her apartment and up the stairs. (She tripped twice, and would've faced flights of stairs and fracture of her neck if Sei hadn't been there). Desdemona fished in her bra and pulled out a key, in which she unlocked the door.

"Don't stand out there, come in." Sei cautiously peered in. The place wasn't messy or disgusting, rather clean and comfortable, yet cramped.

"Desdemona, who is this?" A light flickered from the bathroom as a tall, muscular man strolled out. He was a rather youthful looking man, gold attached to his ears and it appeared as if he had just shaved and cut his hair.

"Itchy, this is Sei Kashino, he's a friend from school. Sei, this is my dad, Ichiro, but I just call him Itchy."

Sei nodded and gave a polite smile. "Hello." He stood up to offer his hand to Ichiro. Ichiro looked him over filled with apprehension and shook his head back. By the casual friendliness between Ichiro and Desdemona, they seemed more like brother and sister then father and daughter.

"I'm going to bed," announced Desdemona as she trudged off to the bathroom. This left Ichiro and Sei in an awkward silence. Sei began to squirm.

"So, you're a friend of Desi's?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm," said Ichiro skeptically. "I see. What classes do you have with her?"

"Uhm."

"What do you plan to do with your life?"

"I want to go to art school--"

"Itchy, leave him alone." Desdemona emerged from the bathroom. "He doesn't want to sleep with me."

Ichiro shrugged, "I have to go serve a shift at 7-11 tonight, you going to be OK?"

Desdemona nodded. Ichiro walked over and kissed her on the forehead. Her hair was matted with sweat to her forehead. Then Ichiro turned to Sei and whispered, "I'm giving you five minutes. There's a cop below, if I hear anything happened I'll have your ass in jail so quickly it won't be funny."

Sei nodded, "Yes, sir." Apparently Ichiro liked the way he had referred to him, for he slapped Sei on the back approvingly then left.

Sei glanced to Desdemona, who was standing in the make-shift kitchen. She was picking up spaghetti with her bare hands and letting it drip back onto the plate, muttering, "He didn't even have time for dinner." Then she looked up to Sei and smiled, "He likes you."

"How do you know?"

"Didn't pull the rifle out on you." Sei wasn't sure whether to life or be very nervous. Desdemona scratched her head, headed for the couch, and curled up in a worn blanket.

"I guess I better go."

"Wait," Desdemona said. "Stay."

"I can't. If I did your dad really would pull the rifle on me."

Desdemona nodded, and pouted a little, "You're right."

Sei moved towards the door. He had his hand around it when he heard a whispered, "Sei?"

Sei turned back, "Yes?"

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

Sei paused. Desdemona sat there, bruised beauty from the rough. There was this longing in her eyes, to be loved, to have everyone love her. What was it? No painting could have captured the raw, unadulterated emotion in just that one girl's face.

And it wasn't even Shiori.

"Yes," murmured Sei. Then he sneaked out and shut the door.