For the next couple of months, Kazuma has been training me. It's extremely tiring, but I had to do it to protect myself. Kyoya would help me on most days by either sparring with me or giving me pointers. I was nowhere near his strength, but Kazuma said Hibari are naturally stronger than everyone. Iemitsu hasn't come home yet and it's been bothering mama. He sends letters and gifts as if that will appease us. At least I was able to complete my noise project. Iemitsu being gone was a blessing in disguise. I showed Kazuma the noise one day after training.
"What exactly is this?" He asked. The noise looked up at Kazuma.
"They're weapons."
"How?"
"They incinerate anything they touch. Essentially, their target will turn into dust."
"Even people?"
"Especially people. I perfected the formula to have them completely under my control. They'll attack or stop when I command them to." I said proudly.
"If I touch it, will it kill me?"
"Yes."
"You can't stop it?"
"It's something irreversible. Please don't try to touch them. Even I can't touch them and I'm their creator." Kazuma hummed and stroked his chin.
"If I use one of your tubes, will they listen to me?"
"I'm not too sure, but I think they'll just stand there waiting for my direction." The noise turned to me. "You can go now. Thank you." It made a chirping noise before destroying itself.
"How do you make them?" Kazuma asked. I went outside and brought in a handful of sand. I pressed my hands together and forged the formula onto them. When I opened my hands, four new tubes were in my hands.
"You made them out of sand?"
"I did. I can do anything." I said proudly.
"Can you turn lead into gold?"
"I can turn anything into gold if I wish it."
"You really are a miracle maker." I shook my head.
"I don't make miracles. I use alchemy."
"What about a philosopher's stone?"
"That requires a lot of work. Do you want one?" I asked.
"I heard it could grant immortality."
"Not really. It prolongs life to an extent, but it's more likely used to create a weapon." This got Kazuma's attention.
"A weapon?"
"Depending on how many sacrifices are made, the stone will be more powerful."
"And would someone like me be able to use that weapon?"
"I don't know. I'd be able to use it or those who come from alchemic blood lines would be able to. Tsuna and mama would be able to, but it wouldn't be at full power."
"And that would be because their blood is weak?"
"That's right. So far, I'm the only alchemist in Japan. I'm sure there are more around the world. Grandma said something about our blood containing the origin."
"What's that?" Kazuma asked.
"The origin is where alchemy was first created. My ancestor was the first alchemist known to the world."
"You're rather important, little alchemist."
"I guess I am. The dolls were made by my ancestor to protect their master whenever they were passed down to each generation."
"Did your mother have them?"
"No. Grandma said something about mama having no alchemic ability. It was all passed down to me, including my ancestor herself. Her soul is passed down so she may one day rise." I explained sadly. I didn't like it one bit. I didn't want to get taken over by my ancestor.
"Yona."
"Yes?" I looked up at Kazuma.
"You'll be fine. In fact, I'm sure you'll surpass all your ancestors. You're a bright child that can do the impossible. You're able to do things not even your ancestors could, right? You could always fight against it. You'll stay you as long as you stay strong in body and mind." He said, knowing I was down about my predicament.
"You think so?" I questioned.
"I'm not sure, but it's worth a try." Somehow, his words made me feel better. Even if he didn't really get what we talked about, he was good at making my worries disappear. "Now, you need to go home. Your mother will worry. Kyoya, walk Yona home." Kyoya walked into the room and nodded. Kyoya had to hold my hand the entire way since his father requested him to. It was cute.
A whole year has gone by since Iemitsu left. He still hasn't come back. Mama was sighing more and more lately. My studies were the same, but I was interested in going to middle school instead of continuing my home schooling. The bass was becoming something I was getting good at. I just didn't have an amp to use. So, I'd go to a local live house to rent a room out to use their equipment. Mama didn't mind paying for it since I got a discount. I've been going there for a couple of months. Today, I went in to book a room after my studies were completed.
"Good afternoon, Yona. Here to rent a room?" Karin asked. She was the one in charge and the owner's daughter.
"Yes!" She looked through the computer.
"I'm sorry. They're all booked. You can stick around and wait at the café outside until one is open."
"That sounds good to me. Iced tea sounds good." That's when we heard a commotion. A guy stomped out of one of the rooms. It ended up making a big scene.
"I can't take it anymore! You're all insane!" Five people walked out and looked at the guy.
"C'mon, just stay. Kei didn't mean it." A girl said.
"I meant it all. You're a third-class player, one of the worst." Kei said as a matter of fact. He was rather blunt.
"Kei!"
"See? All you think is about your own future without considering anyone's feelings." The man said, pointing at Kei.
"And?"
"Let's just talk it out." Another girl said.
"It's no use, Sayo." A guy said.
"Fine. We can talk it out, but I'm not going to accept anything."
"Good. We'll have a twenty-minute break then." The girl said.
"Um, excuse me." They looked at Karin.
"Could you all keep it quiet? Also, while you aren't in the room, would you mind letting this girl go practice in your room?" The group looked at me.
"She's so cute." Sayo said with stars in her eyes. Kei looked at me with cold eyes.
"How old are you?"
"Twelve."
"What instrument do you play?"
"Bass."
"Who's your instructor?"
"Myself."
"Super cute." Sayo whined.
"Just let her practice. She seems nice. I doubt she'd do anything." The guy beside Sayo said. Kei shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't damage our instruments. They're very expensive and I doubt your parents will be able to pay for damages."
"I won't damage them." I walked into their room and sat my things down in the corner.
I didn't really care about their drama. I just wanted to play. I got my bass out and plugged it into an amp. I started my exercises and then worked on a couple of techniques I wrote down in a notebook of mine. I spent most of my free time watching concerts over and over to see how the bassist would play. I even went through all the lesson books available in the library. After ten minutes of practicing, two of the members walked in. I stopped and looked at them.
"Don't mind us. Go ahead and keep practicing." Sayo said.
"Okay." They sat on the couch and watched me. I didn't mind, but it did make me a little self-conscious.
"What song are you playing?" The guy asked me.
"I'm practicing techniques."
"Really? It sounds like a line from a song."
"Have you played with others before?" Sayo asked.
"No." She jumped up excitedly and sat at the drums.
"Aki, join me."
"What are you up to?" He questioned wearily.
"Let's play together! You too!" She said in my direction.
"I'm sorry about her. You don't have to do it if you don't want to. Sayo is pushy."
"I don't mind." I said a little excited myself.
"You should stand up. A true bassist stands." I stood up. Aki walked to the keyboard. I was nervous.
"Go ahead and start. We'll keep up." Sayo said.
"C-can you two start? I've never done something like this before."
"Sure!"
The two started playing as if it was natural. It wasn't awkward. I looked at one of the music stands and saw they were following the general melody and rhythm of it. It must have been a song they were working on. The sheet music had guitar tabs, but it was enough for me to get the rhythm of the song somewhat down. I soon clumsily joined in half-way through. The notes I played were the same I heard from the piano. I used that so it wouldn't sound weird when I joined. When we stopped playing, a girl walked into the room.
"So, this is what you're all up to." She said with a warm smile.
"You did such a good job, kid! And that was your first time playing with people?" Sayo asked.
"It was."
"You didn't even have sheet music and yet you were able to keep up." Aki observed.
"I heard the notes your left hand was playing and recognized them. I saw the guitar tabs and used the rhythm as a guide." I explained. The girl came up to me and held my shoulders.
"You did all of that?" She seemed surprised.
"Yes."
"You're going to scare the girl, Yukine." Aki said.
"I'm sorry, kid. You just surprised me. Not many can do that."
"Oh. I…thought that would be the logical thing to do."
"By the way, what's your name? We can't keep calling you kid." Yukine said.
"Yona."
"You're super adorable! I want to keep you!" Sayo exclaimed. Yukine handed me a sheet with bass notes.
"Let's go from the top. This time, you'll be prepared. Can you read the notes?" I nodded and put the paper on the stand as Yukine picked up her guitar.
I scanned over the lines. It wasn't too terrible, but still had its difficulty. So, I decided to play a simplified version of the piece. The piano started like last time. The rest of us came in at the same time. The lyrics were written on my page. I was quietly humming to myself, imagining what the full song would sound like. Yukine started singing which surprised me. She looked at me and winked. She heard me humming. Kei walked in and watched from the doorway. When we finished, Kei walked towards us. He looked directly at me with narrowed, intense eyes.
"You have talent."
"Thank you?"
"But if you're going to sing, you need to be louder. I couldn't hear you."
"Huh?! I didn't mean to sing at all." I said nervously. He walked to his spot between me and Yukine and picked up his guitar.
"From the top." He looked at me. "And you sing louder. You're the main vocalist."
"Isn't that a little cruel, Kei?" Yukine asked.
"No." He turned on the microphone in front of me.
"Will you be fine, Yona?" Sayo asked.
"I'll be fine, I think. I'm sort of comfortable with what's going on with the music." It was the truth. The music wasn't too difficult and I could even incorporate sliding up and down the neck of the bass with no trouble.
"Good. From the start." Kei demanded.
When the piano music played, I became nervous. Then, I remembered I didn't have a reason to be nervous. It's not like this is an evaluation. They're not even professionals themselves. Plus, this would be the only time I'd see them like this. I took a deep breath and sang the first line into the microphone in front of me. Yukine and Kei joined in during some parts. Overall, I was just okay. It wasn't the best singing in the world, but it was good for not practicing in a long time and warming up. I could notice Kei looking at me a few times. When we stopped, I felt magical. My hands were shaking. It was weird.
"Your voice is deep for your age!" Sayo said.
"I guess so?" I replied.
"She's right. I haven't heard a kid have such a deep singing voice. Usually, they're all squeaky." Yukine replied.
"I wouldn't know."
"Why not? Don't you sing in the choir in school? That's usually required." Aki said.
"I'm home schooled. It's why I've been able to spend a lot of time practicing."
"How long do you practice?" Kei asked. "I practice four hours every weekday. The weekends are for martial arts but I still manage to practice the bass for a little."
"I'm sure you'll have time for us then." I tilted my head not knowing what he meant. The three behind him let out surprised gasps. "I'm going to run a month-long trial for you. If you can meet my expectations, I'll let you be part of this band."
"Why?" I asked.
"You have promise and talent. I want to see how much you can grow from my instruction."
I never thought I'd actually be in a band. Though, it didn't seem like a bad idea. In fact, it sounded exciting. "O-okay."
"For your first task, I want you to create the bass part for a song. I'll have our manager send it to you." They had a manager already? Isn't that only for professional bands?
"That isn't even a little too much, Kei. Are you sure you want to do that to her? You'll scare her off." Sayo asked. He ignored her and kept staring at me.
"You have a week."
"That doesn't seem too bad." I commented.
"We practice every day but the weekends at the same time. If you happen to finish earlier, you can come here."
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I expect a lot out of you. Do not disappoint."
"I'll do my best." Kei then called off practice.
I went to the café outside to get iced tea. I needed to ground myself after what happened. I wondered where that other girl went. She was with them when they initially left the room but then disappeared. Yukine approached me with ice cream. "Good playing today, Yona."
"Thank you."
"Don't worry about meeting Kei's expectation. Only he can do that."
"He seems like a perfectionist because he wants to be the best." I explained before sipping on the iced drink.
"That's about right. His parents were musicians before they retired. So, he has a lot riding on his shoulders."
"I see."
"Do you have a phone or an email I can use to contact you?"
"No. I have a house phone."
"This is going to a little difficult." She muttered before digging out an mp3 player with headphones. "Here. Listen to the song that Kei wants you to finish."
While listening, I closed my eyes and focused. There were a lot of bare spots and some where they were clashing together. It didn't fit right together. I took the headphones out.
"Well?"
"It sucks." She looked at me with disbelief before laughing.
"I-I'm sorry for laughing, Yona. That's the first time anyone has told us that. Even with incomplete songs like this, people still compliment us."
"It clashes too much to make up for the lack of bass."
"I guess you'll have to rearrange it then. I'll get you the entire score so you can see everyone's part. You probably won't be able to actually rearrange everything, but you can circle things where they clash and write notes on what to do. I'll help with the rest. I'm pretty good when it comes to this stuff."
"That sounds like a plan."
"Well, I need to get home. Do you want me to walk you home?"
"I'll be fine. Have a safe trip back, Yukine." She smiled brightly.
"You too, Yona."
After I finished my tea, I went home with exciting news. I could hardly keep my excitement inside. "My, someone's excited." Mama said. She was putting dinner on the table.
"I'm in a band."
"Really?! That's amazing, Yona!"
"I'm in a trial period, though. They need to see if I'm actually good and can meet expectations."
"I'm sure you'll do just fine. Come eat. I heard that stomach of yours a mile away."
The next day, I met Yukine at the live house. It was just the two of us since it was a weekend. Kazuma wasn't too happy I was skipping out on practice, but he praised me for making friends for the first time. Yukine had a small booklet. We went inside one of the rooms to practice. She played the music while we followed the score. I marked the entire score up.
"I wouldn't have imagined you heard so many things wrong."
"The circles are clashes, the squares are empty places, and the triangles are where things are just weird and I don't know what's wrong."
"I see." She wrote down what the symbols meant at the top. "Let's get started working on this." Two hours have passed and we figured out the first three lines. Karin came in with two iced teas and snacks.
"Going without breaks aren't good. They're on the house." Our eyes sparkled.
"Thank you!" We said.
"You're welcome, girls." We immediately started to snack on the small crackers and cookies.
"I didn't realize we were here so long." Yukine said.
"We did get through some kinks."
"We made progress and that's all that matters. Do you mind if I record your bass part? I'll have everyone else play the fixed version and mix the two together. I can't wait to hear what it sounds like with everyone."
Kei Nakamura was a genius born from two very successful musicians that toured the world. He had his father's silver hair and his mother's golden eyes. He wanted to one day be at the same level as them. However, finding bandmates would be difficult. No one would be up to his standards. He practiced with what seemed hundreds of people and they were all terrible. Were his expectations too high? That's when he found Yukine and Aki. They're two childhood friends that seemed to be more experienced than everyone Kei has heard. Yukine had medium length dark blue hair and green eyes. Aki had straight black hair that spiked at the end with purple eyes. They seemed to be in sync which showed how much they've practiced. So, Kei asked if they wanted to join him and they agreed. Soon, Kei had a guitarist and a keyboardist on board. A couple days later, he met the eccentric Sayo. She had long blond hair in pigtails and blue eyes. She was American but had lived in Japan her whole life. Despite her personality not meshing well with Kei, her playing did. She was just as passionate as everyone. Finding a bassist was the most difficult part. No one was up to their standards. Most would leave after a single practice saying they're too intense.
That's when he heard Yona practicing with the rest of his band. At first, she didn't seem like much other than an amateur bassist. However, she was able to keep up despite not having sheet music or hearing the song before. After Yukine played with then, Kei wanted to test Yona one more time by joining them. This would be the real test. His presence was more extreme than some professionals and always intimidated people. Yona didn't seem to care. She was more nervous about singing despite having a nice tone and a pleasing to hear voice. Though, her bass was solid. She had decided on what she'd play and stuck to it. Kei couldn't understand how someone self-taught could be this skilled. Her technique was a little weird, but it was to be expected. Seeing her shake after the song confirmed Kei's suspicion. She was in sync with them, personality and playing wise. After Yona left, Yukine nudged him.
"You liked her."
"She's interesting."
"Interesting? She's adorable and good! You have to let her join." Sayo said excitedly.
"You're just testing her to see if she can handle things." Aki said, packing his things.
"And if I am?"
"I have a feeling she'll be just fine and crush those expectations despite you giving her the most jumbled up song we made." Yukine teased.
"Why do you think so?"
"Women's intuition."
Kei saw how Yukine would get antsier the closer Yona's deadline came. She was hiding something from everyone and Kei didn't like it. "So, Yukine, how has Yona been doing?" Sayo asked.
"You'll see Monday." That's all Yukine said before leaving.
When Monday came, Yukine and Yona met outside the live house. The rest were watching from a window from the inside. Kei saw Yona hand papers over to Yukine. Was that sheet music? The two walked towards the building which signaled the rest to hurry up into the practice room. The two walked in.
"Are you prepared?" Kei asked Yona.
"I am." She replied with a bright smile. Sayo almost died from how adorable Yona was. Yukine handed out sheet music to everyone.
"New music?" Kei questioned.
"Yona didn't like the original and basically rearranged everything herself."
"You helped me with most of it. I only told you where things were clashing." Yona chimed in with a pink color on her cheeks. Kei looked at his sheet and saw it was less difficult than his original. Sayo ran to the drum set and readied herself. Aki went to his keyboard while Yukine took her guitar out. Yona took her red bass out. She seemed very confident. No bass player before ever had that confidence when playing with him.
"What are you waiting for, Kei? Let's try it out. Trust Yona. She put her heart in it." Yukine said from her usual spot.
"Okay."