A Dragon's Symphony

Chapter 2: Never Will I Forget

A/N: Welcome back everyone and thank you so much for the reviews, follows and favorites. Just to address some comments, I'm trying to make this as different from the other stories as possible. I do however want to stick to the cannon story line as close as possible but with simply yet effective twists that makes mine different. Anyway, here's chapter 2. Enjoy your stay here everyone.

~ADS~

On the roof, laid a young man under the spring sky where a breeze would pass by with only enough power to ruffle the blazer that the only occupant there wore. Issei Hyoudou was not sociable by any means. He hated unneeded and unwarranted conversations or interactions. When the bell rung he was all too eager to escape the avalanche of questions that were sure to come. Since he knew how hard it would be to escape the curiosity of gossip spreading students, he escaped to the only place that he felt at ease, the roof. He would have went to the music room, if he knew where it was. He'll probably have to take a venture around the school building after school.

As the soft and smooth instrumentals blared out over the black and green headphones he wore, Issei lamented on why he was here. Not in a spiritual sense, as in what was his purpose on this earth, but more on the fact of why was he here at this school? He face turned into a scowl as he remembered the conversation that took place a week ago that led to him to attending a new school.

*Flashback*

"Issei! Can you come down to the kitchen please!" a female's voice called from downstairs. In his room, Issei was in the middle finishing his final set of elevated pushups. His feet were on top of his bed, putting his body at a 45° degree angle. On his back he wore a book bag that held three weighted plates that weighed 25lbs a piece. He wore a pair of light grey sweatpants and sweatshirt as his workout gear. Even if Thailand was a very humid place, Issei knew the more sweat he released equaled to effort that he exerted.

"97...98...99...100." he counted out loud as he finished his last set. If he was straining, his voice currently didn't show it. Standing up, he wiped his sweat with a hand towel and took a few sips from the ice cold water bottle to his right. Chugging it too fast after an intense workout would probably cause him to get sick so better safe than sorry.

Opening the door and walking down stairs, Issei saw both of his parents sitting at the table of the place they called home for seven years. It was a medium sized house, a living room that also acted as the dining room. A kitchen further down the hall which made up the first floor. On the top floor, laid the master bedroom and Issei's room. At the table, the only son saw his parents sitting down next to each other's. Behind them, he saw some boxes packed up. Raising an eyebrow, he sat down and looked at his parents, wondering what they were trying to do.

"Ise..." his father began. Shiro Hyoudou was the foundation of his son's physical appearance. Only a few inches shorter than his son, people could see where his height came from. His build was similar to his son as well. Lithe and made for fast and efficient movement. His jet black hair was short, cut close to the middle of his neck which barely touch the top of spine and his ears. "My assignment here is finished." he announced as he stared directly into his son's eyes, which was a lighter shade than his own. Issei only raised an eyebrow, which conveyed to his father exactly what did it have to do with him?

"Ise-chan, that means that we can go back home! Back to Japan!" his mother cleared up, her voice laced thickly with unrestrained giddiness. His mother Yuki Hyoudou was the odd one out, being smaller than both her husband and son. Being about chest level to her husband, what she lacked in height she more than made up with personality. She was a bubbly and happy soul, the opposite of both her often stoic and cold husband and son, but she loved them none the less. Her hair was a nice and silky honey brown, that trailed down her back stopping below her shoulder blades. She honestly was extremely happy to go home, back to her country and where she grew up. Her light green eyes light up at the prospect of going back to her home and seeing all of her friends and family.

Shiro's company dealt with electronic appliances and lighting. They had finally closed an expansion deal with a company in Thailand, causing a merger. That had the effect of causing the company to send a few of their associates to train the other company in how they operated for an extended period of time. Being one of the higher ups along with being practically the most knowledgeable about their products, Shiro was chosen to go along with his family to a new country. Shiro wasn't bothered by the move, he was getting paid double for as long as he was there so who was he to argue? Plus, he got some time away from his in-laws.

He still had no idea why his mother-in-law hated him.

Issei however let a small expression of shock cross his face. Going back home? After having spent seven years of his life adjusting to a different lifestyle, now he has to go back to a place that he barely even remembered. Even if they did practice Japanese customs in the house, he spent most of his time outside, under the sun where he felt so free. He refused to go back, not to a place that he had no love for anyway.

"...leave me" Issei declared with a stern face. His clenched jaw the only indication that he was troubled and angry. Yuki gasped in shock as Shiro shook his head. He understood why his son wanted to stay, couldn't fault him at all. But his work was finished, and he needed to go back home. The company had put his so called" understudy" to cover for his absence. After a well he couldn't handle the mental and physical stress the job came with and passed out. They were lucky enough that he finished his training of their Thailand branch early or they would have had to go without him for a while.

Yuki on the other hand was caught unprepared for her son's out right refusal of going back to Japan. She thought that this would have been good news to hear, at least it was for her.

"B-but Ise-chan, don't you want to go home?" Yuki questioned as she tried to recover from the shock.

"...I am home" Issei answered back, his slight glare boring into his mother's soft green eyes.

"But, don't you miss our family? Remember Obaa-san Fukimara?"

"...hates me" Issei's scowl deepened at the thought of his grandmother on his mother's side. Every Saturday, she would come by the house and harass him and his father. Telling them that they were "too dark" or "not approachable". Then complain about how they dressed or how they rarely talked. Most of it was mostly directed to Issei however. Since he was a "growing young man", Obaa-san took it upon herself to try and educate him about females and how a proper gentlemen should act or he would be undesirable almost like his father. Whatever he did that she didn't agree with, not smiling for instance, she popped him on the back of his hand with her wooden cane.

Oh how he wanted to break that dreaded cane and watch that wretched old woman hobble around.

"Well..." Yuki honestly forgot how much her family didn't get along with her beloved mother. "I'm sorry Ise-chan, but we can't leave you here alone. It wouldn't be right of us if we did so you're coming back home to Japan with us and that's final." the words were slowly making Issei angry but he kept a lid on it. Well, he tried to at least.

"Besides, don't you have any friends that you missed back home?" Yuki said with a smile. Getting up and backing away slowly from the table, Issei walked towards the door before looking back at his parents and said

"...what friends?" and journeyed out the house into the crisp evening air. The door closed softly behind him but it might as well have been slammed. Yuki replace her smile with a sad frown and looked down at her lap. Shiro only looked at his wife and shook his head. He loved his darling wife dearly, but sometimes she said the wrong words at the wrong time. Grabbing her hand, he let her lean her body on his arm as she sighed softly.

"Shiro-kun, I'm worried about him" Yuki admitted as she took one of her hands and rubbed on his arm to comfort herself. Shiro leaned his head down and kissed her on his forehead to ease her worries a little bit.

"He'll be fine" he answered, his voice being somewhat deep yet reassuring to his wife.

*Flashback End*

That night, he climbed up to the roof and ran. He scaled the buildings, leaped over the gaps that were alleyways and enjoyed the wind that whipped across his face.

Freerunning. He had picked it up from some of the local kids from the neighborhood. After scraping his knees and hands for a while, he finally got the hang of it. Freerunning, was exactly what it sounded like. Freeing your mind of all inhibitions and just letting go. It was hard at first, constantly worrying about was he putting enough speed into his run? Was he putting enough power into his legs for a jump? Could he even make the jump? These were the thoughts that swirled around his head which caused him to unknowingly constrict his movements. Soon he was keeping up with the local teenagers as they flew from building to building, freeing themselves from the world around them.

Issei let the memory of him constantly slipping and falling put a grin on his face. However it soon slipped and turned into a frown as he thought of the other thing that made him want to say. Or should I say, one person. One person that made a tremendous impact in his life and then ripped away from him forcibly by unfortunate circumstances.

"...Hiyami Yuma"

*Flashback #2*

When it was first revealed that his family had to move to a whole new country, Issei was somewhat giddy even if his family couldn't tell. Issei didn't speak much, so it was hard to make friends. Even after a few play dates his parents had set up with that weirdly dressed girl, she said he was "too weird" to be friends with. He didn't mind her not coming around anymore anyway, she was too noisy for his taste along with being way too touchy. He was even bullied a bit due to him being not only taller than most kids his age bit stoic as well. So when his father broke the news to him and his mother, he couldn't pack his bags fast enough. Of course his mother was worried about her house and family but Obaa-san eased her worries by saying she would house sit for however long they were away.

He just hopped she wouldn't turn his room into a knitting circle or something.

The plane ride there didn't take too long and they got there in one piece so that was a win for him. After they departed from the plane and received their luggage, there was a relatively tall man with a tan skin tone in an all black suit, white shirt and tie waiting on them with a sign that read "Hyoudou Family". They followed after him out the airport to a large black SUV that had a spacious trunk and leg room.

"Welcome to Thailand Hyoudou-san. My name is Yojima Kisuke and I will be taking you to where you will be staying for the next few years. The area where you will be staying is near a market place along with a school and a recreation center. You are also close to other of your company's employees so you won't feel as isolated. The national language here is Thai, and there are a few translators around just in case you need help with anything around here. Starting next week, everyday at 8:30am, there will be a shuttle outside your home to take you to your work place and at 8:30pm you will be picked up by the same shuttle will be picking you up and dropping you off at home." The newly named Kisuke informed as he expertly navigated the tightly packed streets. It took about a few couple minutes to arrive to their new home and it didn't look too much different than the house they had back home. It was just a little bigger and in beige paint, but still felt like home. Getting their luggage out the car and putting it into the house, Shiro tipped the driver and sent him on his way. Turning back towards his house, he could only sweat drop as he watched his son drag his mother into the house as she tried to run after the SUV, claiming that she wanted to go back home.

Shouldn't Issei being the one doing that?

Sighing at the actions of his wife, he walked towards Issei and easily picked both him and his wife up, propping them up over his shoulder and walked into the house. It was going to be a long couple of years.

*Three Year Time Skip*

It took a while but the Hyoudou family got adjusted. With diligent studying and with help from some of the locals, they learned new the customs along with the language to blend in more. Yuki had made friends with the other Japanese house mother's, which erased some of her homesickness. Shiro was immersed in his work but even if he wasn't, the homesick feeling didn't effect him at all. Issei, who just turned thirteen, finally found something that peek his interest. He heard a few kids at school talking about it at lunch in school. It was supposed to be a presentation or something at the rec center after school and classes for the people who were interested. The one thing they kept saying over and over again was: Muay Thai.

Muay Thai. The art of the eight limbs.

Issei never really cared for fighting much, never seeing a need for it but kaa-san did say he needed a hobby. So after school, he followed the mob of students that made their way to the rec center. He was in the back, behind the pack, or at least he thought so. He felt a tap on his right shoulder which drew his attention to the person who tapped him. Looking down, he saw a small tan girl that wore the same white and red school uniform as him. A red skirt that hung down to her knees, black thigh high socks, black dress shoes and a white short sleeve oxford shirt with a red tie. Her dark brown, almost black hair was pulled into a high ponytail That reached the top of her neck. Her eyes were a light hazel color and her face was upturned into a bright smile.

"Hello Hyoudou-san!" she said, her voice very bubbly which reminded him of his mother.

"...hello" he replied back, his emotionless voice doing nothing to the girl's upbeat attitude. He kind of liked her a bit more than that one weird girl that used to live next door already. She didn't keep tapping him or pulling on him. Now how she responds would make or break how he would approach her from now on.

"My name is Hiyami Yuma. I've seen you around the neighborhood and I never got a changed to introduce myself but since we're both going to the same gym together, let's be friends!" she smiled and cocked her head to the side. Issei allowed a small grin to slip on his face.

Maybe making a friend wouldn't be so bad after all?

After that day, the duo was nigh inseparable. Issei didn't talk much, he didn't need to since Yuma did all the talking for him. She somehow had this innate ability to tell what he was trying to say or how he was feeling by his body language alone. Saved him a lot of unwanted conversations he did not want to deal with. At the gym, he enjoyed the few hours he spent there everyday after school. At first, he wasn't sure what the appeal was until they put the gloves on him and put him in front of a heavy bag. They walked him through a basic combo of two right handed jabs and a right shin kick.

He fell in love right then and there. The sounds the bag made after each strike sent shivers down his spine. He felt an intense heat stem from the pit of his stomach and spread all over his body. He didn't know what happened but he felt himself slowly lose himself in the euphoria and didn't come out of it until the coach of the gym caught his hand. He was told that he had been hitting the bag for a total of twenty-five minutes straight, subconsciously switching hands and legs and the power of his strikes. As he was about to apologize, the coach grinned at him and told him to come back tomorrow, he wanted to train sculpt a young man into a pristine fighting a machine.

That's how life went for him after that day. Wake up, wait for Yuma at the corner, go to school, go to the rec center, walk Yuma home, eat, shower, stretch, sleep and repeat. He felt as if that was a pretty good routine until Yuma told him that he needed to relax more. He only tilted his head at that, he thought going to the gym was relaxing enough. Instead, she dug into her book bag and pulled out her phone and a pair of ear buds.

"Here Issei, put these in your ears." she instructed to her cold friend. Doing as he was told, he put them in his ear and waited. He didn't have to wait long as Yuma scrolled through her music gallery and picked a simple instrumental track she liked to listen to. (A/N: Personally, I like Cam Meekins "Life Is Good" instrumental track. However, you can input any instrumental track you find easing and input it here)

The same feeling Issei got when he first struck the heavy bag returned but in a different form. This time the feeling stemmed from his head. The feeling was soothing, incredibly so. It was as if he was dumped into a pool of water that made his eye lids lower against his well and his body slack a little bit. When the song ended, he looked at Yuma, his eyes like a sad pup that just realized he wasn't allowed on the couch. It made Yuma internally squeal at how cute he looked at the moment. Pulling one of the ear buds out and putting one in her own ear as she looked up at her friend and explained why she did that.

"Didn't that feel good Issei?" she asked and he nodded his head as she put the song back on and on repeat. "This is relaxing Issei, just of a different kind. Too much of going to the gym and your body is going to burn out on you. You have to find something that you can enjoy just as much, which doesn't put your body through a lot of stress. Music is my favorite thing to unwind to after our workouts" she looked at Issei who only tilted his head a little bit more to the left. She giggled and put her hand on his cheek and smiled her vibrant smile at him at him.

"Of course, I'll let you listen to more music anytime you want."

A few month later, it was getting close to Issei's birthday. His parents had met with Yuma and her parents and had planned a party after the kids got back from the gym and the husbands returned from work. The day before, after another hard workout and Issei learned a new combo and form, he and his only friend walked home. Connecting them were a pair of ear buds as Yuma played their favorite song. As they came to Yuma's front door, she took her ear buds back and turned her phone off. Before Issei could walk off, Yuma pulled him back by the sleeve of his sweat shirt.

"Issei..." Yuma said, her voice low which was unusual. Turning around he looked at her as she began to speak "you know...you're my only friend right? I know it seems unlikely but I'm telling you the truth. I'm too bubbly or so happy all the time, nobody wanted to deal with my energy. They said I was too draining on them. But you, you stayed with me. You helped me walk home after practice. You helped me study and prepare for tests at school. You keep me balanced and...and..." she lunged at him and hugged him around his waist, almost knocking him off his feet.

"I'm so happy I met you Issei" she claimed and quickly rushed into the house to hide her blush. Issei could only stand there, not sure what to do and why his cheeks felt so hot. Turning around, Issei walked home, not knowing that he had slept with that smile in his face.

However he was violently pulled from his slept when he smelt something. It didn't smell very good either, smelt like sulfur and...smoke. Shooting up, he ran to the window and saw the fire that was spewing up into the night sky. That wasn't the worst part however.

The fire was coming from Yuma's house.

Immediately he got his shoes on and ran out the door, his parents following right after. He arrived outside her house, where a crowd was gathered and watched as the blazes tore down the structure of the house. Looking through the crowd frantically, looking for his only friend and her family. He watched as the fire department futility compared the flames, the water barely doing any damage to the roaring inferno. Issei started to panic, unable to find his friends dark hair or vibrant eyes.

"ISSEI!" his head snapped towards the fire, hearing his friend crying his name in fear and pain.

"YUMA!" he cried back and broke into a dead sprint to go and save his friend. Unfortunately before he got to the steps, the house erupted. Shrapnel flew through the air, cutting Issei across the chest and his ribs as he was the closet to the blast zone. With the adrenaline running through his veins, he didn't even feel it. He collapsed to his knees, and began to weep. Tears streaming down his face as he faced the sky and began to wail the name of his lost friend.

It was 12:00am, Issei's fourteenth birthday.

*Flashback #2 End*

When the fire finally died down, the fire department ruled it as an electrical fire due to a faulty fuse. The only things that survived the fire were the bodies of the Hiyami family and the gift that was intended for him. It was the headphones that he wore around his neck religiously, a picture of them at the park and a note. Pulling out his wallet and opening it up, the first thing he saw was the fire tinged picture. It was of him and Yuma, underneath a tree leaned up against each other listening to music, serene smiles on their faces. Underneath the picture was the note Yuma had written for him.

"Dear Issei,

I know how much you love your music, so I got you these headphones ^_^! I noticed that your favorite colors were green and black so my father and I had these custom made just for you. They're even noise cancellation headphones, so you won't have to hear anything that you don't want you. I hope that you like them!

Sincerely,

Hiyami Yuma"

He carried these three items around with him everywhere he could. It felt as if as long as he had them, he would never forget about her.

"Yuma, I never got to tell you...That you meant so much to me too"

~END~

A/N: And so we reach the end of another chapter. Hopefully this one was better than chapter one and gave you more of an insight on how I intend to build Issei's character. Next chapter, our hero has a run in with somebody who will impact a lot of his decisions from now on. Thanks for reading and have a good whatever time you're reading this.