Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but if I did… well let's leave it at that shall we…
Leo: Heyo! I'm back for another instalment of Solo Voice, which hopefully is living up to your guys standards, and if you want anything changed or just any general comments, I'll be happy to here them… so let's get on with it shall we?
Molokai: Let's go!
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Chapter Nine – 2nd Album
Since Riku showed Sora that plane ticket, both of them were living much better lives then they were previously. Sora didn't seem as depressed or enraged anymore, which the band truly thanked Riku for, and his boyfriend wasn't having to work the night shift, unless it were a public holiday, in which he gets paid double time and a half for.
The band itself was on the backburner so the members could relax a little before heading into work for their next album. That meant that Yuffie and Leon could get on with their preparations (AN: Two hints now, who can guess…) while Cloud and Aerith were getting into their brand new home for which Cloud was able to scrap up enough money from the tour to pay off right up front. Finally, Tidus and Yuna spent their time on a relaxing holiday at some island resort that Sora never even heard.
Mainly the band still kept into contact, mainly with Sora to tell him to record ideas that they discovered, but also to make sure that Sora wasn't overworking himself with any band work, for which Riku was enforcing. This meant the singer was able to get to work developing his original idea from his web story, into an actual manga idea, with his boyfriend drawing character ideas for inspiration.
However, their relaxing came to an end after their two months vacation and the band went back to work. That meant the band sealed themselves in a room, preferably Cloud's new sound proof room that he had installed into his new house, for up to nine hours a day developing overall ideas for the band.
"Well I think we're still on the light side of rock you know?" Tidus said, playing his bass casually speaking to the rest of the group who nodded in response.
"Yea, considering we were going to be a heavy metal band, that's kind of a complete 180 swing isn't it?" Yuffie said, twirling her drumsticks eagerly waiting to start basing her new drum kit to hell for warm up, as well as to break in the new pads.
"Yea, blame Cloud and Sora for that." Leon snorted, getting the two spiked hair artists to complain simultaneously.
"Yea, well it was a good decision, cause look where we ended up…" Sora said, giving his first pout in over five years.
The rest of the band laughed at Sora's expression, which caused the singer to start laughing as well in reply. For one of the first times, since they've officially formed, the band was enjoying themselves whilst discussing new ideas.
After about half an hour more on discussing their next approach, which swung to a more punk and outlandish approach for this new album, the band went to work developing ideas for what they wanted to do. Cloud, Tidus and Sora went to one room, whilst Leon and Yuffie went to another. This was because the rhythm and the bass are the two most essential parts that the singer listens to for his cue, and Leon relies on Yuffie's beat for his acute soloing and lead role.
"So what kind of punkish song could we do guys?" Cloud said, retuning his guitar that went out during its two months of misuse.
"Well I've heard that a good punk song needs a killer riff line and bass backing, that's why I wanted you two to work with me this week." Sora said leaning back in his chair for a while before using his own momentum to lift himself out of his chair and over to where his trademark black guitar stood. Cloud and Leon shrugged their shoulders as Sora swung the strap over his head and sat back down, waiting for a start from either the guitarist or the bassist.
"Well… what kind of backing do you want, heavy, or soft?" Tidus asked, deciding whether it was a picking or fingering method he should use.
"Well most punk is hard rock and very fast backing, so you need to finger it…" Cloud stated, causing the bassist to throw his pick back into his case, and set his right index and middle finger by the lowest string.
Whilst the three of them discussed, Yuffie and Leon where discussing their new punk ideas together and how they were about to address it. This took a while, as Yuffie really wanted to break in her new drum pads before they even considered to record or even practise an idea. Though, this was a good time for Leon to get his fret speed in check as Yuffie gave him a basic fast rock beat, in which required four notes per half second of playing from Leon, which took him a while to remaster, but eventually he got his groove back and started to bring life into his guitar.
"Well what are you thinking for your lead?" Yuffie said, whilst still practising, though lightly.
"Well I'm pretty sure that either Sora or Cloud are gonna say it's gotta be hard rock though fast as well. So I was thinking we do a cover song for inspiration and then do the rest as our own works." Leon said practising his scales as he spoke, which also was useful for developing backing vocal abilities as well.
"Well what song?"
"We don't want a song in which everyone knows very much, so most of the contemporary punk is out, but how about the greats of punk?" Leon said, starting to pull out pages of guitar tabulations and sheets from his guitar case and started to practise with them.
"Like?" Yuffie was starting to get slightly annoyed with Leon's answer, which never got straight to a specific answer, but kind of aired it around.
"Ask Sora, he knows the history of rock and punk like the back of his hand, not me. Remember, I'm one of the ones the wanted the heavy metal approached again, because that is the stuff I know."
With that both the two groups formed again and started discussing ideas for their first hit, besides "I Hate to Say I Told You So". All eyes looked at Sora as he pulled out one of his classical magazines which had an article on the history of punk legends and started to flip through the pages until he found the band that he knew would suit them. He stopped when he found one of the most influential bands in the history of punk, nay the history of music itself.
"Iggy Pop and the Stooges." Sora stated, his mouth skewed up in a smirk.
"What?" Most of the band replied, getting the singer to repeat the band name to the rest, whose eyes darted from one another.
"Come on, Iggy Pop guys, one of the most drunken and abusive person ever on the stage of rock and punk. The band is a living legend in rock history and I have to say we should do their song "Search and Destroy"."
"Okay, I'm gonna believe you on the most influential part, but we need to hear it to actually believe it Sora." Tidus said making the rest nod their heads, causing Sora's smile to thicken.
"Luckily I brought it, cause attached is the top 20 influential punk songs of all time, and number one is Search and Destroy."
Sora went over to the CD player in the far corner of the room and flipped in the CD and turned the volume up making the initial first and hardest chord of the song echo around the room, though it didn't affect any of the members. Especially because after performing live on stage, artists sort of get used to loud sounds, because they normally have their speakers right beside them or right behind them.
After the small chord introduction, it went into a miniature introduction solo, which peaked Leon's interest, while the variations of the chords got the other guitarist intrigued. For Tidus he was intently listening into the heavy and fast bass line which he could tell was fingered, not picked. Yuffie loved the drum line as it was crazy, yet somehow choreographed at the same time.
(AN: I don't own this song, which is Search and Destroy, but if you don't really like old music, then I suggest listening to the best cover version which is by a recent band called Emanuel. They do a brilliant version of it.)
I'm a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm
I'm a runaway son of the nuclear a-bomb
I am a worlds forgotten boy
The one who searches and destroys
Honey gotta help me please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby detonate for me
Look out honey, cause I'm using technology
Ain't got time to make no apology
Soul radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a fire fight
Honey gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby penetrate my mind
And I'm the worlds forgotten boy
The one who's searchin, searchin to destroy
And honey I'm the worlds forgotten boy
The one who's searchin, searchin to destroy
Forgotten boy, forgotten boy
Forgotten boy said hey forgotten boy
I'm saying hey--- hey, hey
Hey---- hey hey HEY-----!
Needless to say that the rest of band was stunned at the song. It was in your face, it was hard rock, the lyrics were belted out with no consideration of their value, the guitaring had no sense, but it seemed to work… it was punk at its greatest. Leon was the first to move as he picked up his guitar and turned to Sora.
"How does that introduction solo go?" Leon asked, making the singer give a small smirk as he grabbed his guitar and played it off the top of his head. Then he spoke it out loud, getting Leon to play the notes while Cloud and Tidus wrote down a copy of it for tabulation purposes.
"Okay start on the D string and play 11, then up one string then 9, 11, bend half 11, 11, 9, down one string, 11, 9, 11, up one string…" Sora trailed off as him and Leon slowly made progress on the introduction solo. Tidus and Cloud were waiting for Sora to finish describing the solos to Leon so they could learn their parts to the song, while Yuffie to the song into the sound proof section, and learnt her drumming by listening to the song as it was been played through.
For the rest of the day, the rest of the band, minus Sora, went of and practised their parts the way that Sora tabulated them to play it, even though it was by Sora's ears, he didn't mind doing a cover of the great song their own way, that's what cover versions do basically. As for him, he went of to look at other lyrics and riffs that he could comprise for their other songs for the album.
Sora couldn't really focus on anything that was slandering the government or society that most punk songs normally did, but he did pick up a great guitar riff. It comprised of fast and heavy movements on one string just moving it up and down the frets, all he needed was to find the right starting note and he had it made.
Success came after half an hour of trying, when he wanted to play a song that he knew, but missed the starting note by one, accidentally playing the semitone below, giving him the inspiration to start the riff and then complete it, making it sound perfect.
When the day was done and the four other members returned for the final meeting, Cloud, Leon and Tidus all found three separate sheets of tabulation, labelled Sweet As Sugar on the top of it. Cloud's had the lead role, Tidus', as usual, had the bass, whilst Leon had the solo music attached to his. Apart from that, there was a small note by Sora to his fellow members, explaining his lack of appearance for the final meeting.
It read:
Sorry guys, I really had to run, there was an emergency call by Riku about my apartment. You probably have got the new sheets of music for an idea. I was practising on your backup equip. so don't hate me for it but I got you the tabs for what I made. Also attached to the back is your back up vocals, and attached to this is the actual lyrics.
Enjoy,
Sora
Leon flipped over the page to find, very scribbled and messed up lyrics, but luckily for the band, Sora crossed out his mistakes and labelled the verses and choruses appropriately leaving the song the way he envisioned it. As the band looked over the notes they had to smirk.
Typical Sora…
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Leo: Well again it's a shorty…
Molokai: Much like you…
Leo: Keep that up and we're not doing it tonight.
Molokai: -:whimpers:-
Leo: That's what I thought, but yea as I said last chapter, these are gonna be short ones, because I'm building up to the climax of the story which none of you will expect… mwhahaha… anyways please review I'd love to hear what you have to say…
Molokai: Do I still get some?
Leo: …….. why not….
Molokai: YES!
