Disclaimer: Not mine, but enjoy anyway!
Author's Notes: This is to my reviewers! Thanks! I've never written a story that go so many reviews in one day. And to anyone who thought Tohma's affections were a little too much:
I can understand how it was difficult to follow the first chapter. We skip from a prologue type thing, right into the story where Suguru is just a child. Then he's eleven. I have to skip a lot of years as I go. But, I have plans for the missing years, now worries! Also, Tohma being affectionate to Suguru as a child is not where the romance begins. Tohma if just overly affectionate. Think of the cutest dog or cat ever. Now, with that in mind, don't you have the urge to just continually cuddle it? That's how it is between Tohma and Suguru… except Suguru isn't a dog or cat… yeah…
Anyway! Enjoy!
Teach Me
Take Me Away From Here
Tohma kept his word to the fullest, committing endless amounts of time to his little cousin each and every day. And it was never a chore for Suguru to do as he was asked. He was not like other children who went through endless amounts of activities for short periods of time and then become bored. Suguru was dedicated to the passion that both he and his cousin shared.
Tohma deemed his little cousin accomplished by the age of fourteen, seeing that Suguru truly loved what he did. He could play everything Tohma gave him and had even started creating pieces of his own. The blonde was more than pleased with the results of his work. It was one day when he'd come by, Suguru settled on the piano bench, which was rare since they had been working on the Synth for the last year, one hand sadly tinkering with the keys in a mournful, basic scale. He took a seat next to the shorter boy and mimicked his tune on a different pitch. Glancing over at Suguru, he saw a fleeting smile that brought out the sadness in his eyes.
"So, Sug-kun," Tohma eased. "How was school?"
His slender fingers halted for just a mere second, but Tohma caught it.
"Fine, To-chan," he said quietly. "Just fine."
"Well then, why don't you show me the piece you were working on yesterday?" Tohma suggested with a light tone.
"Sure."
Suguru got up and Tohma stopped playing, watching his forlorn cousin with studious eyes. The boy positioned himself behind the old Synth (Suguru refused to part with it) and started it up; head bowed lower than normal over his hands. The blonde watching intently as Suguru poured out the song, but instead of the upbeat mix he had heard the other day, the sound was tinged with sadness.
"Suguru, play it like you mean it, or not at all," he instructed firmly.
His cousin hesitated before starting again. And again and again. The sound wasn't coming out right.
"Suguru," Tohma said sharply, causing the young player to look up, startled.
Tohma gasped inaudibly. Around Suguru's right eye was a slick, dark bruise, the wide green eye smaller than the other with swelling.
"What happened, Sug-kun?" the older man asked softly, getting up from the bench and making his way towards his little cousin.
Suguru backed away slightly, protesting. "Nothing Tohma. It's absolutely nothing. I was just messing around with some of the guys at school, and we got a little rough."
The bass was still thumping on an endless loop, matching Tohma's racing heartbeat as he stopped, watching his cousin who looked like a deer in headlights.
"Suguru," he whispered, feeling deflated. "I want the truth."
"I was just bullied again," he confessed quietly, averting his eyes, feeling ashamed.
Again?
"What?" the blonde asked in quiet rage. Who would do this to his little cousin?
"They… they don't like me, Tohma," he said, sounding guilty. As if it were his fault. "I don't know why… I just sit in class, do my work, I don't bother anyone. It was like… I don't know."
Tohma was furious, taking Suguru in his arms. His cousin was stiff before almost collapsing into the embrace. He'd always relented to Tohma's touch, hands curling in the loose material of the blonde's shirt, shaking his head against his shoulder. Tohma held Suguru for a long moment, one hand rubbing his back lightly as the other pushed through his soft, thick hair. Over the years, the dark hair Suguru had been born with had gained an interesting quality. When shown in just the right light, you could see a faint tinge of green highlighted throughout. All of his little cousin had become unique and so, so precious to him.
"Tell me, Sug-kun," he whispered, placing a kiss atop his head.
"Ever since I started high school, they've all hated me," he murmured, voice muffled as he pressed into Tohma's lithe frame.
Ah, Suguru had attended high school early for his high marks. He'd been enthusiastic, but had never said much about it.
"Were they always violent?"
"No… they all seemed not to care, or put off by me," Suguru said, clinging tighter. "Until they realized I wouldn't fight back. Today was the worst though. These two guys held my arms while the other landed a good one."
He laughed then, looking up at Tohma bleakly. "It was the guy I beat out for a solo piece… I kicked him in the gut."
Tohma didn't know whether to laugh or frown. It seemed to be such a Suguru thing to do in retaliation, and yet it hadn't been proper at all. Surely his mother must've been aware of this. At least she couldn't've missed it now. Instead, he realized he needed to have a talk with his parents.
"Sug-kun, it won't happen again, I promise you," he assured firmly, hugging his little cousin tight.
"No! You can't get involved," he protested.
Tohma blinked, looking down at Suguru. "And why not?"
The smaller boy muttered something, head ducking back down again.
"Why not, Suguru," the blonde pressed.
"Cause you're the reason it happened in the first place. They think you're throwing your weight around so I keep getting the leads," he confessed sadly.
So not only was his family insulted, but his name sullied as well? Tohma would not stand for it.
"Sug-kun, I have to go speak with your mother. I'd appreciate it if you stayed here until I finished," he said evenly.
"To-chan," Suguru pleaded uselessly. "Please don't tell her! She bought the excuse about roughhousing."
"I'm sure she did," Tohma told him with a smile, running a hand through his hair again.
He knew better. His aunt may have been a little flightly compared to the rest of the family, but a mother was still a mother. And a mother knew her child. It was ingrained into their very being.
"But it's not about this… I have something else in mind."
His cousin's face was pensive, but he didn't argue. "Alright… I'll be here."
Tohma smiled, letting his little cousin go. Reluctantly, Suguru let his hands uncurl from the shirt and stepped away from the blonde. Tohma took his leave to go in search of his aunt who was working around the kitchen, cleaning, snacking, humming. The blonde smiled. She was so different from his mother.
"Aunt Akiko?" he asked softly, interrupting.
She turned, smiling. "I've barely heard any music! Something wrong, dear?"
"nothing more than you already know."
Akiko frowned, leaning back against the counter. "So he told you?"
"The truth? Yes," Tohma sighed, smile vanishing. His aunt looked hurt, dark eyes wounded. Her son had fed her an outright lie and she knew it. "Not right away though."
"Yes, so what can I help you with?" She asked with a small sigh, putting out of mind the images of her son being bullied.
"It's just an offer. You have the absolute final say in this, Aunt," he told her, which made her uneasy. Anytime someone said that to try and put you at ease, it was usually something you wouldn't like.
Akiko nodded stiffly for him to continue.
"Suguru has become talented far beyond anyone I've seen his age, Aunt Akiko. And as you know, I've just recently started up my label. I think it might be in his best interests now to have him undergo a more serious training," Tohma said, continuing before she could question him. "He has the potential to do great things. His pianist skills are magnificent and his Synth playing is catching up quickly. I'm not going to throw him into the music world yet, I'd prefer to wait until he was of age, of course… but until then, I ask that he come live with me and Mika."
There. Proposition out in the open. For some reason, he felt a yearning in his chest for his aunt to agree. Suguru was starting to remind him of Eiri so much. Fighting, causing unintentional fights… Tohma wanted to keep him untainted, unbroken. What better way to do that than to have him under his own roof?
His aunt was still for, what felt like, a long time. It was the longest he'd ever seen her without a smile or moving around for as long as he could remember. Tohma thought about taking back his offer for a moment before sticking to his resolve. It would be for the best. Akiko looked at him, taking a deep breath.
"Ask him, not me," she said finally.
He was a little surprised. "Do you think he would be able to make such a decision?"
She nodded firmly. "He knows what's best for him. Ask him."
Tohma gave her a smile. "Alright, Aunt. I will."
He went back upstairs, taking his time to slowly mull over his thoughts. One gloved hand gliding along the handrail, watching the steps of his feet as they made their way up carpeted stairs. Hand slipped into his pockets as he faced the shut door, behind which Suguru was waiting. His hand reached for the polished knob and then stopped. Flowing faintly from beyond the door was something new. Apparently his cousin had been busier than he had first thought. The music sounded flawless, flowing with the gentle ease of a seasoned professional. The blonde smiled to himself and opened the door, startling hid young cousin out of his momentum.
"To-chan," he sighed, giving a weak smile as he caught his breath. "Sorry, you scared me."
Even with the smooth darkened area around his eye, Suguru still looked as beautiful as he always did. It gave him a roughened charm. The same Eiri had when he would come home looking a little worse for wear. Tohma still felt guilty when he was thinking on the young, tainted blonde, now a young man. He had never healed from the scars of the past, and Tohma feared he never would. But Suguru was his fresh start. He offered Tohma another chance to do things right.
"Mm, sorry, Sug-kun," Tohma said, tilting his head slightly. "Could you shut that off? I have something important to ask you."
Suguru did as he was asked, taking a seat at the piano bench again, hands braced around the edge of it tightly. He looked over at his older cousin expectantly. Tohma took a seat next to him, still smiling, heart pounding, rushing blood through his ears, making all sound muffled.
"How far would you like to take your musical talents, Suguru?"
The boy blinked. This is what was so important.
"As far as I can, To-chan. You know that," he answered with a small chuckle.
"Then I have an offer for you. I have been training you and teaching you as well as I can with the situations we have. But I know I can push you harder, thus helping make any goals you have put within your reach," Tohma explained, leaving his young cousin confused. "As of right now… by the time you're of age, you would be equal to anyone else who works for me. But I don't want you to play like everyone else, Sug-kun. I want… I expect you to be better than that by the time you're of age."
"I'm glad you think so highly of me, Tohma. I'll work harder than ever," Suguru said with a decisive nod of his head.
"Oh, I have no doubts. But I want to know what you're willing to five up to reach those expectations."
Give up? What would he have to give up if he was already on a steady path to achieving those desired goals?
"Anything I suppose," he replied after a moment of thought.
"Would you be willing to give up your life as it is now? Friends, family, school?"
"Why?" Suguru asked warily.
Tohma rested his elbow on the piano cover, loose fist holding up his head. "Because I want you to come live with Mika and me."
Pure, unadulterated shock swept over his features. In his mind, it was like his dream come true. Finally, completely truly alone to play music with his cousin. But… his mother… Suguru knew his father wasn't so much the issue as it was his mother. He knew she loved him dearly and she had tried very hard to have him. Apparently a lot of procedures had been gone through before his parents had gotten lucky with him.
"What did my mother say?" he asked, putting two and two together.
"That I should ask you."
Did that mean his mother wanted him to go? That he would feel too guilty to accept? No. His mother kept to her word and never said anything she didn't mean. She had left this decision with him because she wanted him to choose. No simpler reason than that.
"I'll go, Tohma," Suguru answered after sorting through his thoughts.
The blonde smiled, feeling at ease now. "Are you positive? Because I assure you, this won't be easy. Living with your teacher and cousin all at once."
He knew that. The lines could get confused between work and play. Suguru could wind up upset over nothing. Things might get over his head. But he had that choice to make. No one else.
Suguru nodded, smiling over at his cousin. The person he'd always wanted to be closest to. "I know… but I want to try anyway."
This was a little dry, I know, but the next chapter is gooooooood stuffs! You'll be all teary in the beginning and then... well, I can't give it all away, right?
Please review and look for the next chapter: Make Me Real
SL