Hey everybody! It's been a while since I updated, but I have excuses! See, I had to work on Black Rose, which a majority of you are reading. And if you hadn't, go look! Anyway, responses!

Taito Kid: I'm glad I got this out too. I'm also glad you enjoyed it. I love the characters and I'm glad you're not flaming me for having OCs. Tai has a few secrets actually, so you'll find out! This isn't soon, but I updated!

Lady Kamiya: Yup, he's got the eyes of a rock star! Glad you liked it so much LK. This isn't soon, but hey, you know what went on! TAI! Tai glomps Tyson YAY! I liked that, haha. I agree with you about Matt's band. Why do you think I made them that way? ;)

Luna Wolf aka Matt4ever: Why did I make Dais older then Tai? Simple. It's an AU. I can do what I want, lol. Besides, it fits my plot better. Glad you love it so far!

Welsh Girlio: Glad you think that, lol. This isn't soon, but I updated at least! I'm flattered that you enjoy my work. Wait no more, here it is!

Arashi Doragon: WAI! Thanks for telling me I'm cool! D Glad you like it so far! This isn't soon but hey, I updated!

Sillie: Glad you like it, Sillie. bounces around

shadow-seraph: I'm glad you like my stories Shadow. I love your work as well! I really like what I have planned for this fic and hope you guys will too. I always thought it'd be cool having Tai younger then Matt in some fic. And I agree, he does act younger then Matt anyways! I continued!

digininga: I know I need to get on track with my other idea Heero, stop scolding me. I will keep up the work!

Melissa-O: LOL! Well, I love your enthusiastic reviews, Mel. joins Mel in running around on a sugar high Simple Plan is so great! Glad you liked that I had one of their songs in this fic, lol. This isn't soon but I updated!

droppingby: Well, I'm glad you like it already. I'm updating now, so I hope you're still reading! I've read the band thing too but I never really thought much of it. I have to have a creative plot for my fics, otherwise I can't write them. Star struck……isn't my thing. It'll happen a bit, but not yet! Thanks for letting me know my writing is appreciated.

nEo-cHaN: joins neo in praising the Simple Plan shrine Glad you like it so far, Neo. I love having Tai younger than Yama, it's just so damn fun! And yea, you are rambling but that's ok because I ramble too when I'm high on sugar just because sugar makes me happy! YES I PROMOTE MY OWN FICS, OK! Lol, ok I'm done. GO WORK ON STUFF! NOW! And to answer your P.S. I wouldn't know. It's your turn to work on it. :D

Kayanna: I agree with you, the longer the better! I'm glad you enjoyed it so far. And I like the idea of Tai being younger too. It just fits his personality, and makes for an interesting plotline! This isn't soon, but I updated when I could!

Cloudshadow0: Glad you liked it. I will never stop writing, it's just me! I decided to play around with their sexual preferences to spice things up! Hope you review this chapter too.

backward: Glad you like it so far! I totally agree, Tai being younger then Matt is so cool! Well, at least I did something unique then, lol. AND YES SIMPLE PLAN! hugs her Simple Plan CD I love that song too. It is SO me! This isn't soon, but I updated! Hope you do review!

Redvind: Glad you like it Redvind. And the ages, I say screw them for now, but they will have some affect later. Daisuke's older then Tai because I said so. Lol, after all, it's an AU. That has a purpose too.

Maira: So glad you love it already! This isn't soon, but hey, don't hate me! I updated at least, lol. I'm glad you think so about my plot. I agree with you, having Tai younger does suit him better for Taito.

LGF: YAY! Glad you like it, LGF. Secrets, Tai has plenty, like always. XD And yes, a T-shirt! YAY! I am updating now!

Hiked: Wow, the day you reviewed is the day I planned to update. YAY, cherry! Thanks for the review!

That should be it. I'm done!

Warnings: Cussing (like always), AU, a very rude Matt. Don't flame me for making him the way I do, it's for plot purposes! I promise that he won't stay like that for the whole story.

It was quiet among the four boys as they ate. Nobody dared say anything that might ruin the moment, or maybe it was just awkward for all of them now that there was a fifth member. Which reminded them…

"Hey guys, where's Matt?" Tai stopped chewing long enough to ask.

"Probably still in his room," Daisuke brushed off the question, continuing to eat his pizza. The silence was once again brought on, engulfing the living room whole.

"Well…shouldn't he be out here eating?" Tai asked, once again breaking the silence. Arial shrugged and shook his head.

"Nah, he usually doesn't. He tends to lock himself in his room on certain days and spends them working on stuff. Lyrics, music sheets, etcetera," the bluenette explained, picking off a pepperoni and popping it into his mouth.

"Arial, why not just eat the pizza with the pepperoni on it?" Daisuke suggested, mildly amused by his friend's antics.

"I don't know really. It just….tastes better this way," Arial replied, examining the slice he had in his hand. Daisuke just shook his head and sighed.

"Have I ever mentioned that you are a pompous idiot?" he phrased as a statement rather then a question.

"Many, many times, Dais," Arial said, a grin spread across his features. It went back to being silent, each boy eating his food. Tai reached over for his sixth slice of pizza, Arial watching him with wide eyes.

"Damn, how much do you eat, kid?" he asked. Tai jumped and a light blush spread across his face.

"I didn't eat that much today," Tai said quietly and started to put the slice back.

"Tai, keep it," Daisuke ordered him sharply. Tai looked at Daisuke, meeting the burgundy-haired boy's eyes. Daisuke continued to glare at him until Tai took back the piece and started eating it. Throughout the entire meal, Ryan hadn't spoken a word. He silently observed the scene before him through his emerald green eyes. Slowly, he put down the slice of pizza in his hand and stood up. Still not speaking, he turned around and headed out into the front hall, slamming the door behind him. Tai looked at the door, blinking at Ryan's sudden disappearance.

"All right…what was that about?" he asked.

"Who knows?" Daisuke shook his head.

"Well, Ryan's like Matt. He has his days. Only he tends to disappear on his own every now and then. There have been times he won't come back for many days at a time," Arial explained, seeing as how he knew Ryan better then anyone else.

"Where does he go?" Tai continued asking questions.

"Not too sure. He never tells me and every time I ask, I just get a look saying never to ask again," Arial sighed. Tai nodded and put his plate down on the table.

"Um…do you mind if I just go to my, uh, room, I guess you would call it?" he inquired tentatively.

"Yeah of course, go ahead," Daisuke assured the boy, nodding his head in the vague direction of his room. Tai swiftly rose to his feet, bowed to the other two boys, and turned around as he headed for his new bedroom. He opened the door and quietly shut it behind him, Daisuke watching him all the while. He turned his gaze back to Arial, who was intently staring at him.

"What?" Daisuke asked, breaking the eerie silence between him and the bluenette. Arial's gaze could be a bit intimidating at times and this was one of those times. Although in reality the other boy could never hurt anybody, he could still strike fear into people's hearts.

"You know more about him then you're letting on, don't you?" Arial questioned him, blinking at him through his cornflower blue eyes.

"Possibly," Daisuke said cautiously.

"So, care to share what you know?" Arial shot back, determined to get answers. Nobody denied Arial Natsaki of answers to anything, unless they had a death sentence.

"Nope." Obviously Daisuke didn't care. The mahogany-haired boy rose from the couch and wandered into the kitchen to do the dishes that were left from the three older boys' lunch.

"Why not?" Arial got up and followed him, sitting down at the kitchen table and watching Daisuke's every move.

"Because it's not your business, Arial," Daisuke chided as he turned on the water on to rinse the dishes.

"Well it should be. I mean, we're all a band now and you guys know all of my secrets!" Arial all but whined, trying to get Daisuke to crack. Daisuke sighed and shook his head, not saying a word as he loaded plates into the dishwasher. Arial laid his head on his arms, looking up at Daisuke's back still. His gaze averted to the far-off wall, staring off into space.

"Are we ever going to know?" he asked timidly. Daisuke shut off the water and turned to look at his friend, leaning against the counter behind him.

"Maybe, it all depends on whether he wants to tell you or not," he simply replied, turning around again to dry off the counter.

"Well, why can't you just tell me? I mean, it's just you and me here and besides, you seem to know a lot about him," Arial tried to compromise.

"No is no is no, Ari. I can't tell you. I can't just betray Tai's trust like that."

"Well, who said you'd be betraying his trust huh? If he's going to tell us everything later on, it wouldn't hurt for you to tell me now."

"You really shouldn't assume things. They'll come back and bite you in the ass." Daisuke glared at the bluenette.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe he won't want to let you guys know everything."

"Why did he tell you then?"

"He didn't. I figured out most of it myself. Besides, he's family, so of course I was bound to find out sooner or later."

"Family?"

"Yes, family. The truth is, Tai's my cousin. I've known he's been able to play guitar for a while now, but I waited until he was up to Matt's expectations to bring him here," Daisuke explained, moving away from the counter and sitting across the table from Arial.

"Well, I can see the bit of resemblance. How are you related to him?"

"His mom is my father's sister."

"This explains some more things," Arial said thoughtfully.

"Such as?"

"Why you're protective of him." Daisuke raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Huh?" he finally said, wondering about what was going through the other boy's mind.

"Seriously, it's true. I saw the look you were giving him when he started to put back that slice of pizza," Arial said confidently.

"Okay, so yeah, I'm protective of him. I have to be." Daisuke shrugged.

"I suppose. But are things really that bad that he's not comfortable telling us?"

"…yes. Things are a bit rough for him. But it's nothing you should worry about," Daisuke replied, rising from his chair. "How about a round of GT4?" he offered, hoping to distract Arial from asking any more questions. Arial was the band's own video game junkie, and the Gran Turismo games were his favorite to play on the Playstation 2.

"You're on!" Arial jumped up, dashing out into the living room. Daisuke smiled smugly, once again thrilled to prove his theory of distraction to be correct. He followed Arial out to the living room and picked up his controller, ready for another race.

Tai laid on Ryan's-wait, no, his bed in his new room. All of this was so new to him, the whole concept of moving in with a bunch of older guys and being out on his own now. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this, but hey, he was fulfilling his dream. There was no way in hell he was about to pass up an opportunity like this. And yet… there was still an empty feeling inside of him. Something that wasn't right. Could it be that he just didn't feel like he fit in quite yet? Or maybe it was the idea that the leader of this band hated him.

"I didn't even do anything to him and he already hates me. Yeah, this is going to be great," Tai said to himself with an edge of sarcasm. Matt had pretty much gone out of his way to ignore the new boy, and when he did have to put up with him, he was rude. Well, maybe rude wasn't the right word. Maybe Matt was just as uncomfortable about having him around as he was about being there.

'Yeah, that's it.' Tai decided, pushing himself into a sitting position. It was time for him to go and get some things straightened out. Tai rose up from the bed and stretched his arms, walking towards the door. He stepped out of his room and looked around, not really knowing where anything was in this strange apartment. He knew where Ryan and Arial's room was and where the kitchen and living room were, but other then that, nothing was familiar. In the living room, he spotted Arial and Daisuke on the couch playing the PS2.

'Gran Turismo. At least they've got good taste.' he thought off-handedly. His gaze drifted around the medium-sized apartment. There were four rooms on the other side across from him and one more on the side he was standing on. He stepped out of the doorway and looked inside the room on his side first.

"Bathroom," he told himself, storing the location into his memory for future reference. Even though it wasn't that hard to remember that it was in between his room and Arial and Ryan's room.

'Okay, now that that's taken care of, time to go examine the other side of the apartment.' Tai walked behind the couch, reaching the other side of the apartment without distracting the other two on the couch. He wandered towards the room on the far left and opened the door. Inside was a washing machine, along with a dryer and a few piles of dirty clothing. Tai shook his head and shut the door.

"That wasn't the right room," the brunet stated the obvious. There were no lights on in the next room so he didn't even bother checking there. He skipped to the third room and stepped inside. It was indeed another bedroom, but not the one of Matt. Using the process of elimination, he concluded that this was Daisuke's bedroom. He spotted a backpack on the floor along with a history textbook and several papers scattered everywhere. A silver boom box sat on top of another table, along with about 35 different CDs. Then of course there was the bed with a navy blue comforter and three pillows. While this was all interesting to look at, it was not what he had originally been looking for. He backed out of the room and shut the door behind him, heading towards the last room on the wall. He opened the door to that room and turned on the light. Inside sat a variety of objects including the boys' instruments. Right when you walked into the door, there was a table sitting a little off to the right along with four chairs. Daisuke's drums sat in one corner, along with Ryan's bass guitar. There was a sound booth built into one of the walls along with a big machine that controlled the tempo and sound of the music. Tai couldn't quite remember what it was called but he was thoroughly impressed.

"These guys really know what they're doing," Tai said in awe. There was a stack of CDs by the recorder thingy, which again, Tai didn't know what it was called. Also scattered around the room were a bunch of music magazines, some open to certain pages and some just carelessly thrown around. And in the corner on the left side of the door sat a computer, which Tai noticed was hooked up for internet access.

"Impressive. Very impressive," Tai said to himself once again. He shut off the light and walked out of the room.

'Well, if that was the last room, where's Matt's?' the young brunet pondered. He then remembered the room he had previously passed by, the one without lights on. So maybe the blonde was asleep? The brown-eyed boy highly doubted this concept and marched back to the room. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but stopped shortly before he could actually knock.

"Maybe I shouldn't disturb him…" Tai trailed off thoughtfully, letting his hand return to his side. He shook his head roughly, raising his hand up again. He had to straighten things out with the older boy in hopes that he wouldn't continue hating him. His hand got a bit closer and he knocked quietly. After a short wait, there was still no reply. Tai frowned and knocked again, only a little louder this time. His frown deepened when there was still no response.

"This is ridiculous," he murmured to himself and grabbed the doorknob, turning it slowly and stepping into the dark room. He shut the door behind him and looked around the room. The only source of light was coming from a blue lava lamp on the nightstand, giving the room a soft aura. A black CD player sat on top of another desk, currently playing the Maroon 5 CD. The bed was sitting underneath the window, and on top of it was a blonde boy with piercing blue eyes. With those eyes, he glared at Tai in expectation.

"May I help you?" he asked in a low voice, staring at Tai from his position on the bed.

"Well, I-" Tai stopped himself, trying to think of how to word his intentions just right.

"You what?" Matt asked, arching a delicate eyebrow.

"Why do you hate me?" Tai blurted out bluntly, surprising both boys. Matt shook his head and smiled. Correction, it wasn't even a smile. More like a smirk, a mocking smirk for that matter. And Taichi Yagami did not like being mocked.

"My my my. I don't hate you, my dear apprentice. I merely look down upon you," Matt said smoothly, blinking up at Tai with those ocean blue eyes.

"Excuse me?" Tai all but growled at the leader, temper starting to boil inside of him.

"Well, face it kid, you've got a lot to learn and don't think we're going to slow down for you. You gotta be able to keep up with the rest of us and I simply feel that you're not ready."

"How do you I'm not ready for that?" Tai shot back, fire glowing in his chocolate-amber eyes.

"Ah, you apparently were not listening to me. I never said you weren't ready. I said that I felt that you weren't ready," Matt purred in satisfaction, enjoying every moment of making the brunet mad.

"Whatever! You don't know anything about me!" Tai yelled at the blonde boy.

"I know that you're acting very immature right now," Matt replied. Tai narrowed his eyes but couldn't argue with that statement. True, he was being immature, but he had basically been told that he couldn't handle being in the band without being given a chance. That gave him a right to pitch a fit.

"The issue is not my maturity. It's my skill level. And I know that I can handle this," Tai growled fiercely.

"Uh-huh. Right, well, I'll keep that in mind tomorrow when we start practicing," Matt retorted in a soft, airy tone.

"You are so focused on assumptions that you're not even going to give me a chance!" Tai protested.

"Well, we'll see tomorrow. Now go and get out of my sight." Matt waved his hand in the direction of the door.

"Fine!" Tai shouted and wrenched the door open, slamming it behind him. The slamming brought Arial and Daisuke out of their video game zone and they turned to Tai, who delivered one final kick to Matt's bedroom door.

"Please don't tell me you tried confronting Matt," Daisuke groaned, pausing the game at hand.

"Okay I won't," Tai huffed, glaring daggers at the door.

"Big mistake, mi compadre. Very big mistake," Arial said, switching the game to one-player and continuing to play.

"Um, ya, thanks for letting me know now," Tai moaned and flopped down on the couch next to Daisuke.

"No problem," the blue-eyed boy replied, oblivious to the sarcasm in Tai's tone.

"Matt is one of those people who will bite if he feels threatened. Not literally of course," Daisuke added quickly after seeing the look of terror on Tai's face. "But he can be very…sadistic at times."

"He's being an ass is what he's being. He pretty much said he doesn't feel that I belong here." Tai pouted as his eyebrows furrowed together.

"That's just Matt worrying about the band" Daisuke explained.

"Matt takes this band very seriously, so he wants everything to be in top shape, including all of us," Arial joined in, passing another car on the screen.

"Still, it's not like I'll be that far behind you guys," Tai said boldly.

"Still, you never know until you actually play with us." Daisuke shrugged. He wasn't about to let Tai's head grow to the size of a blimp.

"But hey, he said yes to letting me be here, didn't he? That's got to mean I'm somewhat good!" Tai stressed his point.

"Oh forget it," Daisuke sighed and shook his head. Suddenly there was another slam coming from the front hall. All three heads turned and spotted Ryan coming in from the front hall.

"Where have you been?" Arial asked, pausing the game to get up and greet his best friend.

"Just out taking care of some business," Ryan replied, looking over the three boys before him.

"Still, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to come back tonight!" Arial said cheerfully as he got closer to the black-haired boy. His face quickly changed from a smile to a look of disgust.

"You smell like smoke," Arial coughed lightly. Ryan shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot and forced a smile onto his face. Arial continued to examine him closely.

"And your eyes are kind of red and bloodshot. Have you been crying or something?" he asked more questions.

"It's nothing, Ari. Don't worry about it," he said semi-reassuringly. He pushed the bluenette out of the way and headed towards their bedroom.

"Hey, why don't you just stay out here with us?" Daisuke suggested, trying to hold Ryan's attention.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm kinda tired so I'm just going to shower and go to bed," Ryan said off-handedly and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Arial was still standing up, eyes fixated on the bathroom door.

"Something's not right with him," he declared softly, dragging himself back towards the couch and sitting down once again. Daisuke shook his head in agreement.

"You don't think he's-" he started to say but Arial cut him off.

"No. He's not smoking pot again. He promised me that he quit," Arial said sharply.

"Arial, you honestly don't know what he's doing when he goes out," Daisuke replied reasonably.

"No, but I do know that he's not smoking it anymore and I don't care what you think, Dai! I trust Ryan to tell me the truth and it's your own problem if you don't," Arial all but yelled at Daisuke as he rose up from the couch. He stormed off towards his bedroom in anger.

"Arial, c'mon, don't be mad!" Daisuke tried to convince his friend. His only response was the door slamming.

"You guys like slamming doors, don't you?" Tai inquired quietly, successfully breaking the silence.

"It's pretty much guaranteed to happen about…five times a day," Daisuke sighed.

"So what was that all about?" Tai asked. Daisuke shook his head and shrugged.

"Arial puts too much trust in Ryan."

"He used to be a pothead?"

"Back in high school, he did for a while. Like, when he was your age actually," Daisuke told him.

"Jeeze…you all have your own problems don't you?" Tai fiddled with the game controller next to him.

"Yeah, you're right. You have your problems, Ryan had his drug problems, Arial's had, well his whole life was a problem really, and Matt…"

"Matt…" Tai repeated.

"We're not quite sure about Matt. Some things happened, but he won't tell us."

"Oh." The silence took place again as Tai stared blankly at the TV.

"So you still believe that Ryan's smoking pot?" he asked Daisuke.

"I do. He usually does come back smelling like smoke and crap, but I don't know. I know Arial has so much trust and faith in him because they're practically brothers, but still. It's very possible."

"What do you mean they're practically brothers?" Tai asked.

"I mean, Ryan's parents pretty much adopted Arial when he was 12 because his mom disowned him."

"That's awful," Tai interjected suddenly, shocked that anyone would actually disown their child at that young age.

"Yeah, you'll have to ask Arial if you want the whole story. But for now, we both should probably hit the sack," Daisuke suggested, getting off of the couch.

"Why? It's only 11pm on a Friday night," Tai protested.

"Because Matt tends to wake us up early to practice," Daisuke replied, pulling Tai up from the couch.

"Slave driver," Tai mumbled. Daisuke smiled wryly and shook his head.

"You'll get used to it within time. Now go to bed," Daisuke said mockingly, hugging his cousin briefly.

"All right, g'night Dais."

"Night Tai. Don't complain to me in the morning about getting up so early." With those final good nights, both boys went into their separate rooms to let sleep claim them.

Tai was curled up in a nice, warm ball in his bed, enjoying the comfort he was experiencing. His bed at home was never that comfortable nor were his sheets that soft as the bed he was in now. But alas, someone decided to destroy his comfort. Daisuke opened the door and bounced in, sitting on Tai's bed.

"Wakey wakey, little Tai-chan. It's time to get up!" Daisuke chirped cheerfully. Tai cracked open one eye and glanced at the clock.

"Go. Away," he muttered, pulling the covers over his head.

"Tai, Matt wants you up so we can start practice," Daisuke argued, trying to pull the covers from Tai.

"Tell Matt to go suck an egg," Tai said sullenly.

"Actually, you just told me yourself, kid," a new voice spoke up, joining the conversation. Tai pulled his head out from his covers and sat up, glaring at the smirking blonde in the doorway.

"Why me?" Tai moaned, flopping back down on his bed.

"Because I said so. Now get up and dress so we can start practice," Matt ordered him, swiftly turning around and walking away. Tai groaned again and sat up, rubbing some of the sleep from his eyes.

"What the hell? It's only 8am!" he said in between yawns.

"Told you he likes having us up early. Now get dressed. I'll meet you in the practice room," Daisuke said, pushing himself off of the bed and walking out of Tai's room, shutting the door behind him. Tai sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his tousled hair. He rose from his warm and comfy bed and wandered over to his closet. He rummaged around for a bit before pulling out a navy blue T-shirt and dark blue jeans. He slipped both articles of clothing on and walked out of his room, stumbling into the practice room with his guitar. All four other band members were in there waiting for him patiently.

"Well, good morning sunshine!" Arial beamed, apparently in a chipper mood. Tai merely blinked at him and walked towards the others, waiting for instructions from the slave driver.

"Well, now that we're all finally here, we can get down to business," Matt said, eyeing every one of them.

"Such as?" Ryan asked him, shifting his guitar around.

"Just practice a few new songs, see if things sound good for now," Matt responded, specifically looking at Tai.

"Which songs?" Daisuke questioned, spinning around on his drummer stool.

"Probably the party song and maybe Don't Leave Me for today." Matt replied.

"Ooh! Can we do the party song first?" Arial asked excitedly.

"He has enough energy to sing really fast like it's supposed to be sung," Ryan explained for his sugar-rushed friend.

"Yup yup yup!" Arial beamed at Matt.

"All right, party song then." Matt said. Arial cheered and smiled widely again, causing Daisuke to laugh and Tai to wrinkle his nose in confusion.

"What on Earth is the party song?" the young brunet asked.

"One of our songs, duh. It's one of our more fun songs," Ryan replied calmly. Tai nodded and clutched his guitar nervously. Matt smiled smugly to himself, noticing the brunet's anxiety. As mean as it was, he still found it rather amusing. He fished through a pile of papers on the table and came up with an extra sheet of music for Tai to look at.

"Think you can keep up?" he asked innocently, still keeping some edge behind his meaning.

"Of course!" Tai exclaimed defensively. It was then he got a good look at the music.

'Wha? What's all this?' he thought to himself. The music was all stuff he wasn't used to. Repeated, rapid guitar strokes, shifting notes suddenly, and an number of other things that made his head spin.

'Oh crap.'

"Okay guys, ready?" Matt asked, picking up his own guitar, a beautiful dark blue one with silver designs.

"Ready whenever Ari is," Daisuke replied.

"I'm ready." Arial nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay then, start whenever," Ryan said, placing a firm grip on his bass. Arial took a deep breath and opened his mouth; the boys' signal to get ready.

"Do you want to come to a party, my friends picked me up in their truck at 11:30," Arial started singing and the boys started playing. Everything was going along smoothly up until the second part of the first verse. Suddenly, there was a sour guitar note followed by a crash. All four other members stopped and turned to look at Tai, who sheepishly grabbed his guitar off of the floor.

"Sorry, I kind of got lost," he said apologetically.

"Really now. Is it too hard for you, kid?" Matt asked him, in an almost taunting way.

"No, I just can't keep up," Tai said in reply. Matt nodded and a small smirk crossed his features.

"I can manage to keep up just fine, and so can Ryan," the blonde pointed out. Tai gritted his teeth and nodded slowly.

"I realize that. I'm just trying to get used to this music," he growled lowly.

"Are you sure you're ready for this type?" Matt questioned, reminding Tai of their conversation the previous night.

"Yes, I believe I can." Tai glared at him.

"Okay then, let's start from the top people!" Matt ordered. Arial took another deep breath and started to repeat the song. Tai was doing better with the guitaring but it was still hard to keep up and as it got harder, he kept messing up. After about seven tries, he was ready to quit.

"Really kid, you need to learn what you're doing with all types of music. Not just your own," Matt reminded him. At this point, Tai was on the brink of tears out of pure frustration.

"Don't you think I know that?" he hissed. He would have yelled, but he didn't trust his voice at the moment.

"Well then why haven't you yet?" Matt asked him in a demanding tone.

"Because I didn't think I would need to know right away," Tai replied honestly, feeling smaller and smaller by the moment.

"Hey, if you're not ready, you shouldn't be playing with the big boys, kid," Matt stated, adjusting his guitar strap. Tai let out another growl of frustration, but it came out more as a sob. He pulled his guitar off of his shoulder and set it down, walking out of the room at a rapid pace. The room was silent, all of the older boys taking in the scene that just happened.

"Matt, don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" Daisuke broke that silence, holding both of his drumsticks in one hand.

"No, not at all. He needs to learn that I'm not just messing around with my band. I want my band to succeed and go somewhere," Matt retorted haughtily.

"Matt, this isn't just your band. It's our band," Ryan cut in.

"Yeah, there's no I in team, or in band for that matter," Arial added thoughtfully.

"Still, if he can't handle it, he shouldn't be here." Matt refused to change his mind. Daisuke shook his head and walked out of the room, walking towards Tai's room.

Tai was sitting on his bed, with his head buried in his hands. Daisuke sighed softly and opened the door wider, walking up to his bed and sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry, Tai. Matt can be strict at times," Daisuke apologized for his friend's attitude.

"He can go burn in hell," Tai murmured through his tears.

"Tai, look at me," Daisuke ordered his cousin. Tai refused to move.

"Tai." Still no movement from the young brunet. Daisuke sighed louder then before and pulled Tai's hands from his face, revealing the tear-streaked face of a little boy. Well, he was a little boy compared to the rest of them at any rate.

"What's going on? I know you're not just upset about Matt saying all that stuff."

"No…it's true. I'm not ready for this. I can't do this," Tai whispered. Daisuke shook his head and took Tai by the shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"Listen to me, all right. You are ready. You just need practice, that's all," Daisuke reassured him. Tai slowly nodded in agreement.

"But what about-" Tai started to say but Daisuke cut him off.

"Don't worry about Matt okay? I can help you get up to speed and then he won't have anything to say," Daisuke interrupted, hoping that it would work.

"Yeah, then he won't have anything to say," Tai repeated with a small smile.

"See, that's the Tai I know." Daisuke smiled back. He grabbed Tai by the hands and pulled him to his feet.

"Let's make some lunch, and then we can head back to start practicing again," Daisuke suggested. Tai nodded and followed his cousin out of the room. Throughout his first night and his day's experience, he had come to only one conclusion.

'I absolutely hate Yamato Ishida.'

Edited, Party Song by blink-182, don't own GT-4, have fun.