A/N: Thank you for all your reviews, faves and follows!

To Abyssdoor: that could have been a possibility, but we can't do that to them…yet. Their luck isn't so disastrous.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Trainees II: Level Up

The weeks ran off quickly, Catal Rhythm splitting their time between basketball and their idol work. And since it was summer, they had all the time in the world. Instead of having dance lessons only on weekends, it was now incorporated into their week days as well, much to Hikaru's pleasure.

In terms of their vocal and music training, they were coming on quite smoothly, and it was then that Akamine saw the distinction in the voices. Kise, had the most extensive range, and when the boys heard his highest, all they could say was:

"Given how loud he screeches and shrieks on a daily basis, we're not surprised."

But when they heard him hit his lowest note, they gaped in shock, saying:

"Ryou-chan's voice could get that deep? It almost sounds like Kagami!"

The others cringed slightly upon imagining Kise with a deep voice instead of his usual. "Disgusting." They murmured.

Of course, Kise would not take this lying down, and would retort: "Humph! You're just jealous!"

In addition to their music and dancing, the boys have to do acting as well. At first, they (minus Kise and Takao) were completely confused as to why acting was necessary but they were enlightened by the instructor ―Ichinose-sensei:

"Shooting music videos require acting. Plus, eventually, you'll be asked to take part in a drama or something."

But, even though the boys were ignorant of this fact (well, everyone except Kise and Takao), acting went the smoothest. Kenji was appalled at this, as knowing how blank Kuroko always was; he thought that the boy would have had a problem. It turns out; he has the capabilities to act, really well at that.

It absolutely floored the others present, seeing Kuroko go through anger, pain, sadness and all sorts of emotions was breathtaking. Kise didn't even hitch, he pulled out his phone and videoed despite Kuroko flinging anything he could have gotten his hands on at the blond. Kise could only reply:

"I'd rather die than to have this moment miss me!"

Strangely, Kagami was nodding in agreement.

Ichinose (and the others) was actually roaring with laughter, seeing Kuroko's flustered face as he tried to get Kise to stop videoing. Luckily, Ichinose was prepped beforehand by Kenji of their varying personalities and interacting with them, Ichinose found them amusing and irritating at times. Kise and Kagami were always arguing over petty things (and Kuroko), Takao would do nothing but laugh at them, Kasamatsu would blow a fuse and kick them into unconsciousness and Kuroko…He just ignores all four and goes on his phone.

But one thing Ichinose was glad for, whenever they got their scripts to practice; Kagami and Kasamatsu were good at everything except the romance scenes since they were the shy ones. Takao and Kuroko were great, the former boy getting into his roles quite well while Kuroko tends to forget to put expressions on his face. But Kise, the blond was amazing. He wondered if it was because Kise was a model but whatever the case is, Kise's acting was really amazing. His romance scenes especially.

Dancing with Hikaru went on perfectly yet brutally as well, and so far, they're able to dance the different genres such as hip-hop, Latin, urban etc. Also, Hikaru would have them mimic other idols' choreography, to see how just how well they could do it. Some parts came off quite well, while other parts were just a disaster. But he expected it; they were just beginners after all.

But he was glad at their improvements.

Another time, Hikaru had given them a test. Well, more like entertainment for him. The test took the form of spontaneous dancing, where Hikaru would play the different genres of music and they'd have to dance appropriately to it.

That said, Hikaru had a field day.

Rest assured, they had passed it, but during the test, they made Hikaru experience different emotions. The most memorable ones were when they danced hip-hop and Latin. In hip-hop, at one point, Takao and Kise were doing a generic toprock with an Indian step (hip twists) incorporated after which they went into hand hops.

Then suddenly, they transitioned from their hand-hops into marvellous air flares which they did twice before Hikaru saw them crunch one of their hands and went down on their shoulders and rolling onto their upper backs ending up in a windmill.

What shocked Hikaru were not the flares or the windmills, but the fact that they were doing them side-by-side and not colliding. But, it didn't end there. They went back down onto their shoulders and then into a headspin. However, after a minute or so, they finally collided as they had gotten dizzy.

Needless to say, Hikaru cracked up at this.

In the Latin dance, it had turned into an all-out war and Hikaru had to fetch a partner for Takao since the other four had automatically paired-up. At first, it started out simple; Kuroko was the only one dancing. But then, the music changed to cha-cha-chá and somehow Kise felt a rush and decided to join Kuroko. The two were dancing quite well for about two minutes, losing themselves in the music.

But, Kagami decided to feel jealous and dragged Kasamatsu with him, mumbling about 'Kise stealing his shadow, so he'll steal his' and whatnot. At that point, the music changed once again to Bachata. This is where the war began. Starting out with the simple steps, the two pairs moved side-by-side with their partners after which they went into the forward and back dance. Grabbing each other's hands, they moved really fluidly, Hikaru felt pride rising in him. To transform these ply boards into dancing machines was truly a job well done.

Hikaru then changed the song into Bachata Urbana, and looking at the Kagami-Kasamatsu pair was hilarious. They moved to the side with the 'one, two, three' and upon the 'tap', they went into the 'open position' and 'prep' which Kagami spun Kasamatsu in an underarm spin and then scooped him up and then slid backwards.

But what was hilarious about these two were their expressions. Kasamatsu was peeved that he was the follow even though he was the older one. Kagami had an embarrassed look on his face for some reason, and found it hard to look Kasamatsu in the eyes. Hikaru wanted to die with laughter but he figured that it would disrupt them. Add to that, Takao was laughing his ass off at them.

With the Kise-Kuroko pair, the blond made an underarm spin with Kuroko, after which he pulled the blue-haired teen close to him in an attempt to tease Kagami. Kise didn't let go of Kuroko and because of their positions, Kuroko had to hold the blond around his neck. Kise stuck his tongue out at the redhead, as if sending a message to him. But the instant Kise had done that, Kuroko squeezed Kise's neck as though trying to strangle him with this forearms.

It was truly a sight to behold, Kise whining and begging for his life, Kuroko looking blank as always but Hikaru knew his son. The boy was probably thinking of a way to kill the blond without leaving any evidence.

However, seeing how things were ending up, Hikaru changed the music to tango. And poor Takao feeling left-out joined the fray while Hikaru went to find free dancer. Hikaru purposely sought out a female, and to say things got steamy after was an understatement.

Due to Takao and the girl not familiar with each other, she was the lead and he was the follow. And when they started, all hell broke loose. Tango was still playing, Takao made an underarm spin but in the moment his partner returned to him, she jumped on him, leaving the other four to wonder what was happening.

Hikaru nearly dropped his camera.

Not knowing what to do, Takao acted almost on instinct ―he held her legs and spun with her while she arched backwards. She then came down in a fluid motion, and turned to face Takao. She stepped forward with her left foot, causing Takao to step back with his right. Then, he stepped forward with his right; she stepped back with her left. They did this with their other feet as well, so back and forth the two went.

Another time, Takao's partner came close to him which prompted him to hold her back. She then bent her knees and arched backwards, her head almost touching the ground. He followed and bent his back, his face ending up in her stomach.

Hikaru started to fan himself. This was too hot. Dance my babies, dance!

They then straightened, her face landing in the crook of his neck, one of her arms rested on his chest. Even though Hikaru was suppressing his laughter, the look on Takao's face was priceless; his partner was chuckling as well.

Watching the three pairs, Hikaru wore a blank expression on his face, but inside, he was tearing up with joy. The boys were actually having fun, even though they were competing with each other for an unknown reason. Takao looked flustered though, since he was dancing with a female, and well, her tendencies are just too much for a healthy high school boy. Add to that, Hikaru intentionally played music that would get them riled up, just for his own amusement.

But at the end of it all, they were exhausted. They went way too far with their competition, still Hikaru was glad for it. It was very good entertainment. So seeing that, he let them off until after lunch, when they'd be having a joint session with music and vocals and dancing for the first time.

And so the boys took the elevator down to the first floor to the cafeteria. Thankfully, the place wasn't packed (as yet), so quickly they ordered and managed to snatch a good table. While eating, they chatted about a million and one things, Kise and Takao always veering off the current topic but somehow managed to get back to it, Kuroko kept being his straightforward self which would wound Kise and piss off Kagami, Kasamatsu just watches them with amusement when he isn't throwing in his bits.

"But still, I never knew Ryou-chan and Tetsu-chan could have been such an awesome pair!" Takao laughed, referring to the Latin dance session.

"I know right! It's because Kurokocchi and I have history and chemistry!" Kise said with a proud air about him. "It's only sad that he wasn't a girl!"

"And if I was?" Kuroko asked.

"Then you'd have to become my wife!"

"Excuse me?" Kagami joined in. "If Kuroko was a girl, do you think you'd even meet her ―him? I mean, girls aren't allowed to play basketball with men."

"She'd be our manager! Right Kurokocchi?"

Kuroko shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Who's to tell? I probably wouldn't have an interest in the sport."

Kise shrieked while gripping the fabric at his chest. "You wound me!"

"You idiot." Kasamatsu said calmly. "Think about it, if Kuroko was born a female, obviously there's a possibility that she ―he wouldn't be crazy over basketball. I mean, don't girls usually go for something else? Like volleyball perhaps?"

"Yeah, they think they'd look really good in those mini-shorts." Takao said with a chuckle. "The girls on Shutoku's team confessed that that was what brought them to the sport in the first place. But as time went by, they grew to love the sport."

"What are you talking about?" Kagami said, looking at them incredulously. "Female Kuroko wouldn't be in any sports. She'd probably be in the literature club since he likes novels so much. I mean, Kuroko is always reading something."

The boys looked at Kuroko who was nodding in agreement. Kise let out a groan as if to say 'how could he have not realized that?', Takao and Kasamatsu looked lost as they didn't know Kuroko had always read books. But, then, they were taken out of their thoughts.

"Uh, hello." They then heard a voice greet them. Immediately, they stopped and looked up at the two boys. The one on the left was tall with short black hair like Kasamatsu and bright brown eyes. His companion was a head shorter and had ash-blond hair and green eyes.

"Hi." Kasamatsu said.

"Do you mind if we sit here?" The black-haired one asked. But even though he was asking, he was already taking the seat.

"Well, you're already sitting down." Kagami said. "Why bother ask?"

"Sorry, habit." He then turned to his companion. "He's Hirose and I'm Amari."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kasamatsu, and these two idiots are Kagami and Kise, he's Kuroko and this playful one is Takao."

Amari and Hirose laughed, but then Hirose asked, "Where's Kuroko?"

"I'm right here." He replied in his usual monotone. The two boys let out a shriek, and almost fell out of their chairs. Before they could say anything, the others of Catal Rhythm gave out,

"He's been sitting there the whole time."

"Oh sorry, I never noticed you at all." Amari said.

"It's fine."

"But what brings you here?" Kise asked. "I mean, there are plenty of free seats. Why did you choose this table?"

Amari and Hirose exchanged glances.

"Well, because you're famous." Hirose said nonchalantly. "Everyone in Eguchi-sensei's class is talking about you five who got in without auditioning. It's reached everyone's ears."

"Add to that, you have your own instructors." Amari said.

They choked on their food.

"What did you say?" Takao asked. "We're famous?"

"Pretty much." Amari chuckled. "Trainees like us who've been here for like two years, are really pissed that a bunch of rookies are getting it easy."

"As if we asked for this." Kasamatsu murmured. "Look, everything has just been luck, an unbelievable turn of events."

"Really? I find it awesome! I mean, you guys must be really skilled for you not to take the audition! I wish I had your talent!" Hirose perked.

That's when everyone burst out laughing.

"What are you talking about? Our talent? What talent? We absolutely sucked!" Takao said. "Well, except Tetsu-chan."

"We didn't suck. We could have done something. After all, we only had two weeks to get ready." Kise defended. "So when you say we have it easy, it's quite the opposite. We've been slaving out just like the rest of you. Or probably more."

"Heeh?" Hirose said. "The rumours didn't sound like that, though."

"Well, it is for a fact that we didn't do an audition. But that doesn't mean we bribed anyone to get here. We just made a video and posted it." Takao said with a shrug of his shoulder. "The next thing we knew, we were offered to become idols."

Amari and Hirose gaped.

"What kind of luck is that?! That's so unfair!" Amari protested.

Kise shrugged. "It's life."

But, they continued their chat in good spirit, until it was time for the five to return.

xxxx

When they had returned to the room, they saw Akamine and Hikaru sitting and seemingly discussing something. The boys felt a chill run down their spines, and seeing Hikaru's face, they had a feeling that he was planning something.

But it turns out, their gut feeling was right.

As of that moment onwards, they were going to be having vocal alongside dancing together. Confused at this, Kagami had asked the reason. With a gentle smile, Akamine had replied:

"Because unlike other companies, we don't use auto-tune; which means, while dancing on stage, you'll be singing as well with just a backtrack." He then added, "The president likes when fans hear their idols' true voices and not some perfect computerized vocals."

The five boys had gaped in horror. Performing on stage is one thing, but to do all that while singing? At that moment, Kise had felt his soul leave his body. Hikaru and Akamine laughed their expressions but then reassured them that they'll be fine. After all, that's what training is about. After they've calmed down, they started.

Since Hikaru would usually have them dance the choreography of the pros for training sometimes, he decided to use that. He made them dance to Perfect 5th's 'Girls Girls Girls' and since they knew majority of the lyrics already, they started without hitch.

However, by the time it was one minute in, Hikaru and Akamine had them stop and start over. That time, Hikaru let them dance the whole thing first, which ran smoothly. Akamine then had them sing the entirety, Kasamatsu and Kagami looked up the lyrics to able to sing the parts they don't know.

That too went smoothly.

Afterwards, Hikaru pointed out the reason they were stopped:

"Separately, your dancing and singing is perfect, but the problem is doing them together. As soon as you open your mouths, it's like you're focusing on singing well instead of dancing."

Akamine had added, "Don't worry; by the time we're done with you, you'll be able to do both beautifully."

Seeing Akamine's face made them think that the other man was spending too much time with Hikaru. It seems like Hikaru's sinister ways are contagious.

And thus, for the remainder of that day, the boys were engaged in practice, trying to sing and dance without sounding too tired in the middle of the song and trying not to subconsciously slack off on their dancing.

But of course, it ended in a disaster.

However, neither Hikaru nor Akamine got angry. They were doing this for the very first time, so it was expected. But what the two instructors did was laugh their asses off at them.

At the end of the day, the boys were exhausted, but both instructors told them to get plenty of rest because they'll be at it again tomorrow. They let out a groan, as after that, they have basketball practice for two days.

xxxx

"Man, I'm sore." Takao drawled as he took a sip of his milkshake. "I can't wait to get home and sleep."

"Me too." Kise yawned. Unlike everyone else, he was drinking water. Currently, the five boys were sitting in Maji's, Yamato City branch, Kanagawa.

"But to actually think that their idols don't use auto-tune." Takao changed the subject. "That's some pretty amazing lung and vocal capacity they got there."

"Yeah, I've been to Perfect 5th's concerts before, and honestly, I'm trembling in my boots." Kise said. "To sing all those songs and do all those choreographies without sounding like shit at the end…" he intentionally trailed off.

"Ha!" Kasamatsu joined in. "We said that we'll conquer Japan, right? That means this is child's play compared to what we'll actually have to do once we début. Remember, there'll be competitions from other idol groups all over the country and the world. If we can't handle this, then how are we going to be number one?"

"You said it, Kasamatsu-senpai." Kuroko said.

"That's right, Yu-chan!" Takao perked.

Kise nodded as well, but then he said, "I know this is a moment, but can we at least get out of here? I wouldn't want Hikaru-san to stumble upon us here. We'd be skinned alive for sure."

"Oh!" Kuroko then said as if in realization of something.

"What's it, Kuroko?" Kagami asked.

"Dad told me to wait for him. He's probably throwing a fit right now."

"Well, just call him and say that you're ―"

" ―heading to the train station! If you ever tell him that we were at Maji's, we'll be killed!" Kasamatsu said, almost tearing up.

Kuroko paled. "Oh right." He then grabbed Kagami and Takao's wrist and dragged them off into the direction of the train station. The trio bid their farewell to Kise and Kasamatsu who were waiting on Kise's father to pick them up. When the trio were a little away from Maji's, Kuroko called his hysterical father informing him of their position.

Meanwhile, at the Aihara Complex, Hikaru was really throwing a fit. He had gone to where he told Kuroko to meet him, but the boy wasn't there. He had headed back to the Arts Building and scoured the place for his son, but no luck. And he knew he couldn't ask anyone if they saw him since he was invisible like his mother. The man nearly ripped his hair out, but then he heard his phone ringing.

"Tetsuya! Where the hell are you?! Are you lost?! You weren't kidnapped?!" he asked. They weren't in Tokyo, so these incidents are a possibility.

"No. I'm with Takao-kun and Kagami-kun. We're heading to the station. Sorry about that."

"Alright. I'll come pick you boys up." He sighed. At that point, he realized that Kuroko had forgotten that he had told him to meet him in the parking lot. He sighed once again. "I wonder how people say he's more like me. He's obviously just like his mother, always disappearing on me."

With that Hikaru hopped into his car and drove out of the complex.

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