Before they left town, Skwisgaar decided that he should tell his band that he was quitting. He was not reluctant to leave his band, and had been thinking about leaving for quite some time now. Skwisgaar, of course, was the lead guitarist, a boy named Scott was the vocalist, and not a good one. A boy who made everyone call him Devil played the drums. And that was it. That was his band...

He didn't want to leave Toki alone anywhere, so he decided to bring him along to tell his band mates that he was leaving.

"I needs to talks to a few peoples befores we leaves," Skwisgaar said to Toki, "Okays?"

"Okays," Toki said, smiling up at him, as they walked. "Who?"

"Just my bands," Skwisgaar said.

"Bands!" Toki said, with awe in his voice, "You has a bands? Wowwee... Maybe dey should runs aways with us too! Maybe..."

"No," Skwisgaar interrupted, "Deys nots a very good bands. I's de best guitarist in my schools. I cans finds a betters band, easilies, I am sures."

"Oh," Toki said, "Can I be your bands?" he asked, smiling up at Skwisgaar.

"Umm," Skwisgaar hesitated. He didn't want to promise anything, but also didn't want to be mean to Toki. "We sees if yous any goods at de guitars, and decides dat laters, hm?"

"Okays," Toki agreed, "I plays de guitars sometimes, but nots a very many times. De guitars not alloweds in my house..."

"We can gets yous a guitars, okay?" Skwisgaar offered.

"Okays," Toki said.

"Alrights, heres we are," Skwisgaar said, "Hopefullies Scott and 'Devil' are in heres."

Skwisgaar knocked on the door, and a cheerful woman answered. "Hello, sweetie," she said, smiling, "Are you here to practice your songs?"

Honestly, Skwisgaar hated Scott's mother. She was extremely nice, but almost too nice. She treated them all like stupid kids who thought they were talented, but were clearly not. Though she was quite accurate in the regard of Scott and 'Devil,' she was very inaccurate concerning Skwisgaar's talents. Did Scott's horrible singing, and 'Devil's" horrible drums completely drown out his guitar?

"Actuallys, I am leavings town," he said to her, "I needs to talks to Scott and de other one, mays we comes in?"

It was then that Scott's mother noticed young Toki, shyly hiding behind Skwisgaar. "Oh! Who is this adorable young man?" she shrieked out, smiling so big it was almost frightening to both Toki and Skwisgaar.

She reached out to pinch his cheeks, like annoying old women do sometimes to children, but she stopped when she noticed the bruise that Skwisgaar had noticed earlier.

"Oh, sweetie! What happened to you?" she asked, with a motherly tone.

"Nothings," Toki said, quietly, "I justs falls down. I's clumsy."

"Awwww. Do you need some ice for it, sweetie?" she asked, "It might make it feel better. Did you scratch your knees or elbows or anything when you fell? Do you need any bandaids."

For Toki that was three questions too many. He didn't know this woman, and though she was being nice to him, it was a bit overwhelming. He hid further behind Skwisgaar.

"He's fines," Skwisgaar said, "He didn'ts fall on anythings likes rocks. He fells in de grass. Bumped intos a tree branches, silly little kids. Just a little bruise ons his face. Dat's all. We ares in kinds of a hurries... So cans I goes and talks to Scott and de other one?"

"Oh, sure thing sweetheart," she said smiling, "and you, young man," she said, putting her hand on Toki's arm, "be careful. You are such a cutie," she said, patting him on the head.

Toki followed very close behind Skwisgaar, as they walked down some stairs and into a basement where two odd-looking boys about Skwisgaar's age sat, one writing in a notebook, and the other sitting at a desk where he was downloading music.

"Hey! Skwisie!" the one downloading music called out, "and you have a little friend... Who's kid is that? And why are you running around with him?"

"I tolds you, nots to calls me dat," Skwisgaar said, "Dis is my mom's friend's kid. I's watchings hims for a whiles."

The boy laughed, "You are babysitting."

"No I am not!" Skwisgaar said, angrily, "I cames heres to tells you dat I's quittings de bands, because I'm leavings towns."

"No!" the boy who was writing in the notebook pleaded, "You are the only guy in the whole school who is any good at guitar! We won't be able to replace you! We need you! You aren't really even leaving town, are you? You're quitting to join a better band!" he accused.

The other boy added, "And so you'll have more time to babysit..." he walked toward Skwisgaar. Both of them looked angry. Toki backed up into a corner, as he didn't want to be in the middle of any fight that might quite possibly be about to take place.

"Seriouslys, guys," Skwisgaar started, "I's leaving, just fors a few months... I will come backs later, and I can joins de band agains..." he lied, "Just keeps practicings, because I'll be practicings while I'm aways, and I expects you to do it too."

"Are you really going to come back?" the boy who had been writing asked, looking like he might cry, "We won't be able to do any shows without you. Just me and Devil aren't enough... You can't have a band with just a lyricist and a drummer."

"I comes backs," Skwisgaar assured him, "I promises."

Meanwhile, Toki was starting to become very nervous. He didn't know whether Skwisgaar was lying to his friends, or if he really was going to return later. If Skwisgaar decided to go back home, where would Toki go? He couldn't go back home. He wouldn't. He started breathing harder, not meaning to, and trying to control his breathing. He was panicking. Fortunately, no one was noticing, since the drummer and lyricist were hugging Skwisgaar good-bye, and Skwisgaar was focusing all of his attention on getting the drummer and lyricist off of him.

Toki forced himself to breath slower, but it was a difficult task, as he was still panicking. What if Skwisgaar really was planning on coming back? He managed to breath slower, but now his breaths were shaky, and his body was trembling, slightly. He closed his eyes, and tried to even out his breathing, and assure himself that Skwisgaar was not going to abandon him.

"Hey," Scott, the lyricist said, pulling himself out of the embrace he had around Skwisgaar, as he looked over the guitarist's shoulder at his young friend, "Does that kid have asthma or something?"

Skwisgaar didn't know what was wrong with Toki, but he thought definitely that being in this basement with these horrid looking and awful musicians was not helping the matter. He quickly made up an excuse to get Toki out of the house.

"He'll be fines," Skwisgaar said, "but we needs to leave. He's very claustrophobics, and afraid of the darks. Sees you laters!" he said, and grasped Toki's hand, putting his other hand on Toki's shoulder, and leading him up the stairs.

Skwisgaar was very relieved that Scott's mother was no where to be seen, so he quickly slipped out the front door, still holding on to Toki's small hand, and grasping his shoulder, tightly. Outside, he sat Toki down on the ground and tilted his head up where he could see the boy's face.

"Toki?" Skwisgaar asked, "You's alrights? Open your eyes. What's the matters with yous?"

Toki slowly opened his eyes, and looked up at Skwisgaar, "Are you really going to come backs here laters?" he asked, in a whisper, his eyes shimmering with tears.

"Of course nots!" Skwisgaar said, looking at Toki, who was still shaking, and whose breathing was still not completely regular. "I hates dat band! Deys sucks! We's never comings back."

"Okays," Toki breathed a sigh of relief, "You lies to dem, because dey were goings to be mads at yous? Dat's a good plans."

Skwisgaar smiled at Toki, still a little worried about him, "Ares you alrights den?" he asked him. "Everythings goings to be okays now?"

"Yeah," Toki began, "I was just thinkings you might comes back here, and den I wouldn'ts know wheres to goes... I's okays now."

"Okay," Skwisgaar said, "Good. Are you ready to goes? I gots to sneeks into my mother's house to get's my money. Den we can goes, okays?"

"Okays..." Toki said, "Whats if your mothers sees me though?"

"Can I leaves you at de musics store for a while? Would dats be okay?" Skwisgaar asked.

"I guess so," Toki said.

"Alrights," Skwisgaar said, leading the way back to the music store.

xxxxxx

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