Izuru reached out to the pitch-black cat. It hissed at him before swiping at his hand. He was fast enough to avoid getting hurt, but he frowned as the cat ran away. He straightened as his brother stood at the nearby corner. Both were in their own forms of casual wear. Izuru wore a dress-shirt with a black vest, slacks, and shoes. His long hair was tied off into a long, winding ponytail, stopping at his waist. Hajime wore a white shirt with a black blazer, jeans, and sandshoes. With a few accessories, that being a pair of thick-framed glasses and a black mouth-mask.

The ravenet spoke with a slight hint of sadness in his voice, "Ultimate Everything, but I can't get a cat to like me."

Hajime shrugged, writing in a small notebook, "It's a stray. Probably met too many bad people before you."

Izuru reached up to his own face, "I thought it could've been my eyes…"

"But that's the part that makes you look cool." He slyly commented, "Only thing that works with the long hair."

The ravenet glared at him, "Is that your way of telling me to get it cut?"

Hajime's face was covered, but Izuru knew that there was a smirk on his face, "It might be the cat's way."

Izuru concluded, "I'm okay with cats not liking me."

His twin closed his notebook, tucking it away, "Well, alright. I'm going to grab groceries." He commented on the side, "Because our little dorm has a disturbingly lack of good cooking ingredients." He turned to his brother, "And you can whatever it is you do when you don't feel like shopping with me."

"I'll check out a few of the stores nearby."

"Meet back here in a… hour?"

Izuru nodded, "Doable." They were about to depart before he advised his brother, "Remember. We can't get into any trouble. We don't want to make hiding our presence any harder than it already is."

Hajime replied, "Cash only, then."

The pair then departed, walking down the opposite sides of the corner they had stood on. With one saying, "Have fun." And his twin replying, "I will. Unless there's a bargain sale, then I'm going to be mauled to death by a bunch of housewives."

Izuru stepped into the music shop. It was grungy with varying types of decoration with each one correlating to some genre of music: from neon signs to signed posters to hung instruments. Music played throughout the room both from a speaker and from someone playing a guitar in the back. He weaved amongst the shelves to look at its items. He slowed to a stop towards the back of the shop.

A girl whaled on a guitar, playing a string of dark melodic music. Her black hair had white streaks, dyed bangs, and a stylization that formed locks of her hair into horns. The spiked piercings on her ears and the nub on her lip were another set of noticeable things. Her face was also very familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Though, he could place her as a classmate of sorts as she wore a modified version of the academy's uniform. The shopkeeper nearby wasn't too happy with the girl's live performance but was complacent enough to allow it.

She reared her head back, laughing, "Ha-ha! Ibuki loves this baby!" And that put everything together for the living experiment. "How much does it cost again?"

The shopkeeper spoke matter-of-factly, "280,000 Yen."

She seemed to foam at the mouth, "Ah! Ha! That's a crazy amount!"

He rolled his eyes, "Well, you already have a guitar. So, you really don't have to worry about it."

Ibuki put the guitar away, skipping after him, "Yeah! How is she?" She tapped her hands against a counter as he stepped behind it, "She being a good girl?"

"Your requested changes are strenuous but should be done as soon as I have time."

"Ooh, I know! Let Ibuki run your shop and you can finish up right now!"

The shopkeeper panned, "No."

Ibuki reeled back, "Ooh! Stomped out like a wild flame!" She giggled, "Ibuki will just stick around for a little bit longer. Then she'll head home."

He sighed, "Whatever you say."

She pointed finger-guns at him, "Heh-heh, you're the best~."

"Yes, yes."

Izuru turned away, examining the laid-out drum-sets, "She's… much more energetic than I remember…" He shrugged, "Then again… She's very different since I met her…"

He blinked when her voice neared his back, "Ooh, are you a girl or a boy?"

His mind bounced in thought as he turned, "Is my figure that confusing…?" He replied frankly, "Boy."

She blinked, "Ah…" Her eyes narrowed as she tilted her head, "You look familiar…"

He raised a brow, "That so?"

Ibuki stepped back, "Ooh, this is giving Ibuki a mysterious vibe." She tapped her lip, "Or is it a stalker-ish vibe?"

He blinked, "Stalker-ish…?"

She leaned forward once again, "But, Ibuki totally remembers your face…" She rubbed her knuckles into the sides of her temples as she leaned back, "Ooh-ooh! Ibuki's good with these things! She can totally figure it out."

Izuru chuckled, "Well, I'll be here."

She reeled back, "You're him!" She sung excitedly, "Ordinary World~!" She laughed, "Ibuki remembers you!" She spoke somewhat sadly, "We never got to talk afterwards."

"No, we didn't."

"What's your name again?"

"Kamukura Izuru. And I can assure you that I remember your name, Mioda Ibuki."

She rubbed the back of her neck, "Heh-heh, Ibuki feels kinda bad for forgetting."

Izuru shook his head, "Don't. I can't blame you." He turned back to the drum-set, picking up a set of drumsticks, "Heard Black Cherry disbanded. Creative differences, was it?"

Ibuki hummed in consideration, "Creative differences...? Personality differences...? Well, it's not that big of a deal. That's the destiny of a band member after all."

"So, do you attend"

"What about you? Still singing?"

He shrugged, stepping behind the set, "No, not professionally at least."

She seemed slightly disappointed, "Ooh, that's too bad."

"Yes, well. Things happen. Things change."

"We all change." She blinked as he took a seat behind the set, "Do you know how to play drums?"

"Among other things."

She gasped with a wild grin, "We can totally jam out!"

"Sure, I don't mind."

Ibuki laughed, "It's been forever since Ibuki's jammed out." She smiled at him as she picked up her guitar, "I'm gonna sing a song I've been working on."

Izuru tapped his drumsticks, "I'll accompany you then."

She strummed the guitar, and he started with a light ride on a cymbal before starting up a bassline with the main drum. They weren't in sync. In fact, they sounded awful. They were both two very different people with very different melodies. The shopkeeper was wincing at horrific sound.

However, as they continued to play, they adjusted to each other. It wasn't a quick adjustment. Slowly and steadily, the pair began to harmonize. Ibuki's guitar was the star of the show and Izuru's drums provided a needed bolstering. Her wildness was enabled by his efficient beat. Soon, the weights of their melodies were equal, and their differing rhythms, instead of clashing, melded.

From the Ultimates, there came a dark melancholy with harsh claps of thunder. And then, she sung, "I sent you a threatening letter… And added "I LOVE YOU" in invisible ink… But it doesn't reach you…"

Izuru thought to himself as he matched her melody, "Very different from her time with Black Cherry…"

"The straw doll I prepared in the hour of the Ox… Is looking at me, laughing… Cackling, cackling, cackling and laughing…" It was almost haunting, "I thrust a spike into its chest… A hammer in my hand, and bang, bang, bang… Serves you right…! Bang, bang, bang… Bang~… Bang~… Bang~…" After all, it was a song describing an ancient curse-ritual, "Let's have it… Let's have it… Let my feelings reach… Let my feelings reach you too…"

And then… silence…

Izuru recognized the steps listed in the lyrics. The ritual known as the "Shrine Visit at the Hour of the Ox" was described in her lyrics. The superstitious would no doubt hate this song. No matter how good it sounded, and, of course, it sounded good. She was the Ultimate Musician, after all.

The shopkeeper shouted at the pair from behind the counter, "Oi, are you trying to curse my shop!?"

Ibuki shook her head, "What? Nah." She looked down at the guitar, "This is just a little experiment." She turned to her drummer, "How… How did Ibuki sound?"

Izuru replied, "Amazing." He twirled a drumstick in one hand, "It leaves an effect on the heart. For some, it will be a rallying cry. And for others, a song to get the heart-thumping and their bodies moving."

The shopkeeper commented, "For the door-" but was silenced by Izuru's menacing glare.

Her voice snapped him back to their conversation, "Ooh, Zu-zu looks kinda scary sometimes, huh?"

He blinked, "Zu-zu?" His mind caught up with her words, "I don't scare you, do I?"

She grinned, "Nah. Ibuki knows you. You're not bad."

Izuru was silent for a moment before he slowly nodded, "Thanks…"

She chuckled, "No prob!" She tilted her head, "Hey, are you at Hope's Peak?"

"I attend."

"Were you ever in any school clubs?"

He shook his head, "No. Never."

She cheered, "That's a major bingo!"

"What is?"

Ibuki put her hands on her hips, "Well, isn't it obvious!? You should be part of Ibuki's music club from now on!"

He blinked, "I…" He shook his head, "I'm not sure…"

"You can totally play drums!"

Izuru opened his mouth, "I…" His mind considered, "I don't have much else to do…" He slowly nodded, "Sure. I can attend a few meetings."

She laughed, "Awesome! This is gonna be great, Zu-zu!"

The Ultimate Everything simply nodded along, "I'm sure."

"Well, let's start now!"

He blinked, "Now?"

Ibuki laughed, "We gotta make up for lost time." She leaned forward, "Do you know how to use a loudspeaker?"

"Yes."

She grinned, "Then allow me to test you!"

Izuru blinked, shrugging, "If you must."

X-ONE-YEAR-AGO-X

Ibuki Mioda looked at herself in the mirror. Her black hair was long and straight. Her school uniform was plain black with white accents, and the only thing exempting from that monochrome were the pins on her blouse. Oh, and a safety pin piercing the skin of her ear.

She murmured to herself as she brought her hand to the wound, "It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would…" She slowly freed the pin from her ear, wincing, as tears welled up in her eyes' ducts. She let out a breath as it fell from her hand and into the sink, "N-Nevermind…" The shift in her own perception drew a laugh from her lips. For so long, she was normal—looked normal, and… at some point… that started to feel wrong.

A knock wrapped against her bedroom door before her mother's voice called to her, "Ibuki?" The ravenette's eyes widened for a moment before she heard, "Your friends are here!"

She pulled her towel and dapped the hole, "Give… Give me a second!" She mentally cursed as she pulled open the drawers of her bathroom counter with her free hand. She found a packaging of bead-piercings. She shook her head as she pulled a piercing free. She leaned into the sink, washing the blood from her ear. She ignored the strands of her hair fell into the water.

After cleaning it with soap and water, Ibuki pushed the piercing into place and tightening it onto her earlobe. She panted, pushing through the pain. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes slowly drifted to her new piercing. Between pants, the corners of her lips slowly pulled upwards before a grin graced her face.

Her mother's voice echoed from behind her door, "Ibuki?"

Ibuki bounced out of her bathroom, smiling, "I'm coming~!" She pulled open her door before making her way down the stairs. She was met with her three bandmates: a keyboard artist, a bass-player, and their drummer. (Tsumugi Kotobuki, Yui Hirasawa, and Ritsu Tainaka respectively.) They weren't exactly happy with the new look, but Ibuki didn't care. Their complaints fell on deaf ears anyway; they had a show to get to.

The stage was set, and the audience was ready for the show. Though, their manager had a surprise for them. The four-members of the 'Black Cherry' band were amidst their preparations for the show when the news was dropped. He grinned proudly, "So, we got a pair of singers to open for you girls! They'll be singing a purely English song with you girls taking up the instrumental."

Yui shook her head, "W-Wait, we haven't even had a chance to learn the notes!"

The manager spoke matter-of-factly, "There are teleprompters in the back of the auditorium."

Ritsu frowned, "You're joking."

He quickly explained, "This is to drag in his niche audience! With that, we'll get the edge over 'Summer Tree'!"

Tsumugi looked over her keys, "Hmm…"

The bass-player played with her bass's strings, "I don't know."

The guitarist looked up from her guitar, scowling, "Ibuki just thinks you aren't confident in us."

The manager's smile faltered slightly, "W-What? Of course not!" He gestured to the suspecting teen, "Especially with you here!" A bout of silence followed with members of Black Cherry distrusting their manager.

Ritsu broke the silence with a sigh, "Well, our audiences are in. We don't exactly have the option to disappoint."

Tsumugi pumped her fist, "We'll… We'll do our best!"

Yui nodded, "Together!"

Ibuki strummed her guitar, "Let's rock!" Black Cherry cheered before readying themselves for their opening performance. They adjusted their instruments as two individuals stood on either side of the stage. One had pitch-black hair and piercing-red eyes while the other had brown hair and green-colored eyes. They wore similar outfits. The ravenet wore a white shirt under a black leather jacket, black ripped jeans, and white boots. The brunet wore a black shirt under a white blazer, slightly ripped white jeans, and black sandshoes. They both had red bandanas tied at the biceps, opposing each other in their arm placement.

The bass-player looked between the two, "You're our opening act?"

While the ravenet nodded, the brunet let out a breath, fiddling with his mic, "Yeah…" He shook his hands as he bounced on the balls of his feet, "Phew… God…"

His twin raised a brow, "Nervous?"

The response was balancing on an edge, "A bit, yeah."

The drummer tilted her brow as she fiddled with her drumsticks, "Who're you guys exactly?"

"Izuru Kamukura."

"Hajime Hinata."

The bass-player looked between them once more, "You guys know your song, right?"

Izuru nodded, "Yes."

Hajime shook his head, "Not really."

Ritsu frowned, "You're joking."

The ravenet shook his head, messing with the mic in his hand, "He'll be fine. I just needed a voice similar to mine for certain parts of the song." He assured his brother, "It'll be like playing one of those karaoke games. Just match me."

The brunet sighed, "There's a very big difference between that and this." He shook his head, "I guess this is what it means to be your 'assistant', huh?"

Izuru shrugged, "You offered, brother. You are subjugated to my life now."

An announcer came over the loudspeakers, "Now, ladies and gentlemen…!"

The ravenet pointed to his brother, "Remember, enter on 'Gone away'."

"Izuru Kamukura and his other half, singing 'Ordinary World'!"

The curtains parted and lights shown upon the band as an instrumental played through the stereos. A moment of orchestral play came and went before Tsumugi played a slow melody on her keyboard. A few moments of the same beat past before Izuru stepped onto the stage with a singular spotlight landing on him.

"Came in from a rainy Thursday~… On the avenue~…" He stepped towards the band, not acknowledging the audience, "Thought I heard you talking softly~…" Ibuki watched as he made his way towards the center of the stage, "I turned on the lights, the TV… and the radio~…" His voice was perfect in pitch and tone. A dreadful sorrow came from his lips and infected her mind, "Still I can't escape the ghost of you~…"

Ibuki was lost in his voice as he sung. There was something about it that clicked with her. Not the lyrics, she knew English, but not well enough to follow everything that was coming out of his mouth. There was just something about the beat and the instrumental. The something like genre of music she desired… Adored by an audience. And they said it was too out there.

Hajime stepped onto the stage with a spotlight landing on him as they sang, "Gone away." He made his way towards the center stage as Izuru stood beside Ibuki, "But I won't cry for yesterday… There's an ordinary world… Somehow I have to find~…" While Hajime wasn't as perfect as Izuru, the ravenet's performance was able to cover up his brother's slips, "And as I try to make my way… To the ordinary world… I will learn to survive~…"

Tsumugi's keystrokes took up the next few moments as Hajime stood on the other side of Ibuki. The pair faced the audience as they waited for their queue. Their portion of the crowd seemed to love it. Sure, the audience that was used to Black Cherry's poppy music was hesitant over the music choice, but that crowd that loved this song was the only part she thought about.

Izuru sung to the crowd while Hajime entered and exited the song with his support. The twins' harmonized voice danced towards the audience, "Well now pride's gone out the window… Cross the rooftops… Run away…" Mirroring each other, the set of twins extended their hands to the crowd with a portion cheering in response. "Left me in the vacuum of my heart~." Izuru moved without much worry, exuding confidence with simple motions, and while Hajime mirrored him, a good look at his face would unveil his nervousness.

Ibuki's time on the guitar finally came about with Izuru's voice, "What is happening to me~?" Her strums were heavy, contrasting against his melodic voice, "Crazy, some'd say… Where is my friend when I need you most?" With their harmonized voice, the twins queued the rest of Black Cherry in, "Gone away."

Black Cherry went into full swing, playing the dark melodic beat alongside their opening act, "But I won't cry for yesterday!" Their song shifted from slow and methodic beat to a rocking one as the singers pushed more energy into their voices, "There's an ordinary world! Somehow, I have to find~! And as I try to make my way… To the ordinary world… I will learn to survive!"

Ibuki danced her fingers across her guitar's strings as she flew into the solo. Izuru, Hajime, and Black Cherry faded away as she played. As energy pumped throughout her body, she began to rock to the beat as she grew more intense. She gave her whole body to the song as her guitar echoed in her own ears. She could see Hajime and Izuru sing, her bandmates play, but she couldn't stop now.

Her mind was lit abuzz as a weight flew off her shoulders, "I… I want to sing…" And… as if granting her wish… Izuru moved her mic stand and planted firmly between Hajime and himself. Her eyes quickly landed on the teleprompter displaying the lyrics as she sucked air into her lungs.

A trio of voices harmonized on stage as a wave of sound blasted at the crowd, "And I don't cry for yesterday! There's an ordinary world! Somehow, I have to find~! And as I try to make my way. To the ordinary world! I will learn to survive!"

Hajime's and Izuru's voiced died as hers took the center stage, "Everyone~! Is my world!" The twins' voices sung underneath hers, "I will learn to survive!" Ibuki tossed her head skyward, screwing her eyes shut, "Anyone~!" And her soul sung, "Is my world!" With accompaniment, of course, "I will learn to survive!" The instrumental built alongside them before dying into slow keystrokes of a melodic beat…

Ibuki's mind was still reeling. Blood was pumping through veins so fast that she almost couldn't hear the applause. Once her eyes landed on the crowd, the curtains slid shut and slowly came the silence.

Ritsu panted, "That was… intense…"

Yui flexed her fingers, "Yeah… I kinda like our music more, but that was… kinda fun."

The ravenette balled her hands into fists before throwing them high, "Ibuki loved that! That…" She grinned from ear-to-ear, "That was awesome!"

Hajime coughed, "Heh, and that was just the opening act." He murmured something about water as he followed Izuru's departure.

The ravenet gave a simple nod as they began to exit the stage, "We'll leave you to it." He seemed to ponder for a moment before raising the mic in his hand for them, "Knock them dead with your sound." Ibuki couldn't help, but grin as a newfound energy coursed through her veins.

The brunet chuckled after clearing his throat, "Wow, that actually sounded kinda cool."

Izuru spat, "Shut it."

Hajime gasped with a shit-eating grin upon his lips, "You were trying!"

The ravenet shouted at his brother as they exited stage right, "Shut up!"

Tsumugi chuckled, "Those two are… special."

Yui rolled her shoulder, "Hope they stick around. I kinda want to talk to them."

Ritsu shook her head, "But, now, we gotta focus on our own show."

She was met with an array of agreement before the ravenette spoke to no one in particular, "Ibuki thinks they're awesome."

X|X|X

Ibuki laughed in between pants as her sprint slowed to a stumbling stop. "You're… pretty… fast…" The pair had been 'racing'. Though, racing was a kind way of putting it. He was leagues ahead of her, keeping a meter between them the entire time. Without breaking a sweat either. She did well in spirit.

He stood, putting his hands in his pockets, "Thank you."

She grinned, "Ibuki's new bandmate is really talented." She scratched her nose, "You're on your way to being an excellent bandmate." Her eyes narrowed, "But…" She leaned forward, "You don't look the part." She rubbed her chin, straightening, "The hair's great, but you're going to need a costume."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "But leave that to Ibuki!" She chuckled, "Sewing skills are a necessity for musicians!"

"I'll take your word for it."

Ibuki blinked, raising her hand, "Ooh, ooh! What about your old outfits?"

Izuru blinked, "Oh, those…" He looked off to the side, "I couldn't tell you where they are." He tried to recall, "I'm pretty sure that someone stole them."

"Aw, man. That sucks." She smacked his shoulder, "Don't worry. Ibuki will make you a new one!"

His brother's voice pulled him out of the conversation, "Izu?" He turned to see his brother, walking down the sidewalk with grocery bags in his hands, "Who's your new friend?"

Ibuki peered at him, "Ooh, a mask stranger reveals himself~…"

He pulled down his mask, "Hinata Hajime," before pulling it back up, "and you… look familiar…"

The musician danced, "'Mio,' 'Da,' 'I,' 'Buki!' Put it together and what do you get? Mioda Ibuki!"

"Yeah, I remember you."

"Ibuki remembers your voice~. Ah-ha, you're great!"

"Thanks."

A low grumble came from her stomach, "Ooh, Ibuki's hungry."

Izuru turned to his twin, "Dinner for three?"

Hajime shrugged, "Sure. I got enough."

The ravenet turned to the musician, "Would you like to come over to our dorm-house for dinner?"

The brunet shrugged, "It isn't the prettiest or nicest place on campus, but it's home."

"For now."

She grinned, "Ooh, Ibuki's totally up for some grub!" The trio now made their way towards the academy's grounds.

Hajime leaned towards his brother, "What inspired this invite?"

Izuru shrugged, "I liked her music."

Ibuki spun, walking backwards, "Aw, thanks."

The twins blinked for a moment before agreeing wordlessly, "Note to self, don't bring up work around her…"

X|X|X

AN: So, I'm posting early because home is bit... unstable. I do hate talking about this stuff, but I'm mostly doing it to warn against possible complications in the future. Things are getting quite complicated. It's almost as if the family is imploding. One is desperately clinging onto whatever they can come up with and not listening to any differing opinion, lashing out in response. The other seems so disinterested in their family it is a surprise to see him. And the rest of us are left with the pieces.

I don't want to stop writing. I enjoy it. Despite the blocks and frustrating hours of non-progress, it's one of my favorite things to do. And I'm try to keep things going for as long as I can.

Thank you all so much for the support you've already given me. Through Favorites, Follows, and Reviews. I promise to keep going.