GENERATION OF MUSIC
Song 5; Destiny.
"Today's lucky item for Cancer is a CD of a band famous in the old days, has 6 words, starts with an S and ends with an N! Cancers, you will experience something big and it will change you! Be careful around Scorpios—"
Midorima listened to Oha-Asa's broadcast in the morning, processing the information of his lucky item for the day and nodded as he finished doing so. He searched popular, old bands in Google; to his disappointment, he found none that matched the details that Oha-Asa told him.
He frowned, before an idea popped into his mind; why not ask Akashi? He knew everything after all. Midorima texted the redhead.
Midorima: Akashi, I want to ask you something.
A reply came soon.
Akashi: What is it, Shintaro?
Midorima: What is the name of a once famous band that starts with an S and ends with an N? It has 6 letters. It's my lucky item for the day.
Akashi: I believe that would be.. Tetsuya's former band; Seirin.
Midorima: Kuroko's former band? Anyway, thank you, Akashi.
Akashi: Remember now, you're in my debt.
Damn. That was why Midorima hated asking favors of Akashi.
Takao Kazunari hummed the song Catal Rhythm by OLDCODEX playing on his phone. Soon, he started to string his guitar. He sang along with the song.
"Bring back the Catalyst "a simple way to best"
And Rhythm like this never ends
Sometimes your voice reached to me
Because I don't want to face the fate"
"Kazu-kun!" his mother shouted from outside his room. "Open the door! I want to ask you a favor!"
"Sure mom. The door is not locked~" Takao answered. "So what's up?"
His mother gave him a list. "I want you to buy these, alright? We're having a very important guest tonight!"
Takao nodded, a grin plastered on his face. "Who's the guest? This is one hell of a long list."
She winked, giving him the slyest smile. "You'll find out later."
He scoffed. "Alright. I'm going." He turned off the music.
"Who's that person?"
"He sure has some weird fashion sense."
"He's quite tall and handsome."
"Gosh, look at his clothes."
"Weird."
Right now, Midorima was being labeled as 'the-weird-yet-handsome-person-who-had-no-sense-in -fashion-'. He was dressed in a black gakuran. A striped red and green cloth hung from his left shoulder to his waist and he wore a silver belt. His right sleeve was rolled to his elbow, revealing the dark green wristband he wore. Below his black pants, he wore knee-length black boots. Let's not forget about the sunglasses, shall we?
His clothing was weird.
However, other people commented:
"He looks like a cosplayer~"
"OH MY GOD, he looks like my favorite character who also has strange fashion sense!"
"I want to take a photo with him!"
Those were the comments of you-know-who – otakus, the people who adore anime or manga.
Midorima sweat-dropped at the attention. "I'm attracting attention, aren't I?"he questioned himself. "Akashi warned me about the reputation of the Generation of Miracles being ruined if we're spotted lingering around the town. That's why I wore a disguise but... It seems that with it, I'm attracting more attention."
The singer sighed and approached one of the girls. "Where is the DVD store?"
The girl blushed instantly and pointed to her left. Midorima nodded and said his thanks. Before he could leave, she grabbed his sleeve while looking at him with stars in her eyes. "P-Please take a photo with me, mister!"
"What—? No. I won't do something like that. I have business to do," Midorima reasoned.
"Please!" The girl – no, her group said in unison.
This is getting out of control...!
From afar, more precisely, the bookstore, a teenage boy wearing casual clothes with light blue hair watched the scene outside. His lips parted, "Midorima-kun?"
Takao carried the groceries in both hands. His face scrunched in pain, he complained, "Damn these things are heavy!"
As he was on his way back home, he noticed the crowd in the town. His eyebrows raised as he tried to find out what was it about. Finally, he spotted a person wearing strange clothes. "That person..."
Amazingly, he approached the person, gently nudging the girls aside. "You're..." Takao started, taking a better look at the stranger, "Midorima Shintaro. Right?"
The man froze.
"Aha! I knew it. My Hawk Eye really helps with this!"
"WHAT?! MIDORIMA SHINTARO OF THE GENERATION OF MIRACLES?!" A girl shouted in her high-pitched voice. "YOU'RE LYING! THAT CAN'T BE TRUE!"
Takao grinned, removing Midorima's glasses, to the green haired boy's protests. "Here's the proof!"
"KYAA~!"
Midorima cursed under his breath. This person ruined his plan! How dare—!
"Please follow me," a familiar voice pleaded. Midorima glanced at him and nodded, then began to follow after him, running from the crowd.
Takao, who realized Midorima had ran, smirked and followed him.
"I'm indebted to you, Kuroko," Midorima breathed out. "Those fans just keep pestering me to—"
"More importantly, why were you outside, Midorima-kun?" Kuroko cut him off. "Is there something wrong?"
Midorima scratched his head. "Today's lucky item is a CD of Seirin. I went off to buy it."
"With that kind of clothing?"
"Akashi told me to wear a disguise."
"Ah, I see. Akashi-kun must have considered the possibilities. As expected of him." Kuroko nodded. "I have a CD of them. You can borrow it if you want."
Midorima sighed in relief. "Thank you, Kuroko. I am once again in your debt."
"Ara~ So you guys ran here!"
Both of them looked at the source of the voice. It was the boy from earlier; he had black hair combed back and grey, almost black eyes. Midorima clicked his tongue; he already hated this guy from the incident earlier. "What do you want?" he spat.
Takao laughed. "I'm Takao Kazunari. Nice to meet you, Midorima Shintaro... and Kuroko Tetsuya!"
Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat tense, Kuroko interrupted. "Nice to meet you too, Takao-kun. Now, please answer Midorima-kun's question. Why did you reveal his identity? Moreover, how did you know?"
"In these kinds of situations, my Hawk Eye really helps. Like you can guess from the name, my eye vision is similar to a hawk's," Takao explained. "I just have some good eyesight, that's all."
Midorima hm-ed and said, "Now answer the second question; my reputation was almost ruined." Akashi could kill me.
"Midorima, take me to the recording room."
"What?" Midorima blinked. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Takao pouted. "I've always wanted to be a singer! All this time, I've only recorded things on my computer and posted them online. I want to try and be a real singer, not an online one."
"No."
"Aw, come on! Why not?"
"It's not as easy as you think, fool! Being a singer means you have a job. A job is something to do seriously. Not like you carefree, easy-going guys!" Midorima blurted out.
Takao winced. Kuroko frowned. "Midorima-kun."
"Singing should be fun! It's not only a job! As long as we have fun with singing, isn't that fine?" Takao growled.
"How could you understand? It's not a thing someone like you can have fun with."
"It is!"
"No. Singing is only a job to get money."
"You greedy person."
"Fool."
"Grass head."
"Why you—"
Kuroko sighed, kneeing both Takao and Midorima in the stomach. They groaned in pain. When Midorima was about to retort, Kuroko shadowed his eyes with his bangs. "Both of you, can you be quiet?"
They went silent. Kuroko nodded, "Midorima-kun, shall we get your lucky item for the day? Let's go to my house. Takao-kun can also come."
"Kuroko—" Midorima protested.
"Takao-kun is coming, right?" Kuroko stared at him with deadpan eyes. Midorima stopped.
Takao gulped. "O-Okay.."
Kuroko's house was a normal house; neither fancy nor poor. Midorima and Takao sat in the living room, where there was a giant grand piano. "I'll go get the CD."
He went his room; it was a simple room, with blue wallpaper and a white carpet. Rummaging through his things, he finally found it and felt nostalgic.
"No matter what we do, we lose."
"Kuroko, maybe we're better off without music in our lives."
Kuroko shook his head, it'd be better if he didn't remember that memory here. He stood up and left his room, locking it.
Takao sighed in boredom.
Midorima cursed inside his breath; this Takao boy really got on his nerves. "Cancers will experience something big and it will change you! Be careful with Scorpios—" He remembered what Oha-Asa told him in the morning.
"Oi, what's your horoscope?" he asked the black haired boy.
Takao raised an eyebrow. "Why ask that? I'm a Scorpio."
"Be careful with Scorpios—"
Oha-Asa was really accurate.
Midorima stared at the piano in the room. It must have been cared for, seeing as it looked like it was new.
"That piano belonged to my mother," Kuroko said, suddenly appearing. "She was a famous pianist."
Midorima stared longingly at it. "I see... "
"When I was a child, she used to sing songs for me to lull me back to sleep. She enjoyed singing and playing the piano." The teal haired boy frowned. "I loved her."
Takao frowned. "Why the past tense? Where is she now?"
"She's in heaven right now, I presume."
Takao paled as Midorima glared at him for being dense. "S-Sorry."
"Where is your father, Kuroko?" Midorima asked, changing the subject.
"He's on a business trip with my grandmother," Kuroko stated simply. "Ah, here is the CD." He handed Midorima the CD; it had all of the Seirin on the cover, holding up peace signs with grins on their faces.
The green haired boy nodded, saying his thanks. "Thank you, Kuroko—"
TING!
"...Takao.." Midorima twitched.
Takao chuckled. "This piano is really awesome. I only play the guitar, though." He hummed the chords. "It's good. The chords are correct, Kuroko-kun. You must take great care of this. I bet your mom appreciates that a lot."
Kuroko smiled a tiny smile. "Thank you, Takao-kun."
Midorima sighed. "This is why I said 'no' to you."
"Again with that matter?! What's wrong with loving music? Don't you like it?"
"Be quiet," Midorima started. "I don't know why are you this determined. But... give it a shot."
Takao's eyes widened.
"What're you waiting for? Kuroko, you come too."
Takao grinned, "Thanks, Shin-chan!"
"What's with that name?!"
"Woaah, this is huge." Takao gaped. "Awesome!"
Midorima twitched at his childish behavior. "Stop gaping like a fish. It's a good thing that Akashi and the others are busy so they won't show up and see this."
"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Takao frowned.
"Nothing. Now let's just enter the recording room and I'll make you realize that your belief about singing is actually fun-is wrong." Midorima walked in; Kuroko and Takao followed curtly.
The workers there were shocked to see Midorima with guests. Said person just shrugged and asked them to start the recording already.
Key.
"Key of the light is a chain reaction, man and woman reflecting each other
Key of the dark, my red eye gazes to see dead or alive
I'd been searching for the truth, while wandering aimlessly
Billions of elements intertwine with me (I feel), in the midst of thought."
Takao widened his eyes, his adrenaline increasing. He was excited; this was the first time he had ever seen a singer singing in front of him. His lips quirked into a grin.
"The chaotic town is quaking, so completely in confusion
The spiritual pain won't disappear, so where do we go?
Key of the life, what do we start dancing for?
Key of the light, guide me to the other side of the dark night
Why do you smile at me with tender eyes?
The door that was shut is about to open, and you're just like an angel of grief
My soul is trembling in the chemistry of warmth
While listening to the voice of my heart (awake), I advance in a Pandora world
Hand of the goddess, the pulse of fate starts echoing
Key of the dark will be born, our bond spreads its wings
Key of the life, what do we start singing for?
Key of the light, tinged with heat, the future lures me
Light and shadows shake infinitely, angels start dancing with demons
The DNA memory that transcended time is the key of the life, and the truth is right there..."
The workers in the room applauded Midorima's voice, telling him 'good work' while Kuroko just stared at him with a frown. Meanwhile, Takao was entering the recording room, ignoring the protests of the workers.
"Let him." Midorima sighed heavily. "Prove it, that you're having fun singing, fool."
"Come on, now~ I'm a little disappointed You've gotta be on your guard
I'm pretty capable myself. You'll see soon enough
Lame feints like yours are so simple to read
Wo-o-o-oh I told you it was pointless."
Kuroko chuckled softly. This was the kind of singing he liked. He smiled.
"I'm more than just the partner of a prodigy (Haha, that's right!)
Besides, filling that role (Haha, don't you know?) is tougher than you think
There's no escape, not even for that 'shadow'.
Everything is within my field of view
But if you still want to try your luck, then make sure you bring your A-game
Come at me and put your pride on the line
Half-hearted plays are never gonna cut it
Whether it's a tricky play or a head-on attack
I can see it perfectly in my field of view."
Takao was smiling while singing. The workers snapped out of their thoughts and quickly recorded the song.
"After all~ That's what it means to grow and improve
I'd get bored if we never advanced
I'll increase my skills and level up
I'll take myself to the next stage
That's the way "effort" works, I guess
Before you know it, you're already on your way
Wo-o-o-oh I swore I'd make it."
Midorima was silent.
"What you see is the reflection of our purpose and our will (Haha, it's so cool)
Until it becomes second nature to us (Haha, and easy) we won't just go with the flow
I won't lose sight of you
I can see you clearly
You're inside my field of view
No matter where you go
No matter how many times you try
It makes no difference in my eyes.
There's no escape, not even for that 'shadow'
Everything is within my field of view
But if you still want to try your luck, then make sure you bring your A game
Come at me and put your pride on the line
Half-hearted plays are never gonna cut it
Whether it's a trick play or a head-on attack
I can see it perfectly in my field of view."
Takao exhaled and inhaled, doing the same thing over and over again. He grinned. That had been fun. To sing in a recording studio...was a dream for him.
Clap.
His eyes widened, hearing the clapping again, now louder. He looked up and saw everyone clapping for him – except for a certain green haired boy. "That was magnificent!" someone chirped. "Yes! Um, would you like to join as a singer in this group?" he added.
If possible, his eyes would have bulged out, hearing that very sentence. "Wa—" He processed the information further, before a grin broke out on his face. "Of course!"
The door opened; the two singers from the Generation of Miracles had left. Takao realized that and ran after them. "Wait up." The two turned to him. As Kuroko said his compliments to the boy, Midorima was left unfazed. "Shin-chan! Thanks so much for today!"
"Stop calling me by that name," Midorima growled. "There, your goal is achieved. You proved it to me...that singing is fun to you."
Takao scratched his head. "Yeah, but I have another goal!" he exclaimed. "I want to compete – no, I want to be acknowledged by you."
Midorima raised an eyebrow.
Takao grinned. "That's all! Bye!"
Takao got a mail later that night. Surprisingly, it was from Midorima Shintaro.
It read:
Yes, I do think singing is quite fun.
Takao grinned, eyes widening. "You idiot, that was a late answer. And a text? What a tsundere."
He hummed a song, as a thought entered his mind. "Wait, how did he get my address?"
After showering that night, Kuroko dried his teal hair with the towel Momoi had given him. "What's this?" He questioned when seeing the message on his phone
Kuroko blinked. Midorima? It was rare seeing him sending a text.
He opened it anyway.
Kuroko, now I understand why I feel your singing is 'somehow' different with us – the Generation of Miracles.
It was thanks to that fool that I know.
I played the songs on the Seirin CD you lent me. They were...good, but we're still better.
Hmph, after hearing that, I'm sure that my answer is correct.
It's because you had fun singing right? We didn't.
To be honest, I realized that singing is not just a job. We can have fun with it.
That's all. Don't laugh if you read this message.
A soft laugh escaped Kuroko's lips. Midorima was really being honest here. "Midorima-kun, you're really a tsundere."
Kuroko looked at his desk. "Seirin...huh?" He grabbed a photo on his desk, his eyes glinting with loneliness. "Having fun when we sing...that's half true." He smiled a pained smile. "We hated singing once."
Then he put the photo back; a photo of them eating together as a band, laughing.
OMAKE 1;
How Midorima got Takao's email address.
Midorima: Akashi, I'll need to ask a favor of you again.
Akashi: What is it, Shintaro?
Midorima: Because your information is accurate and reliable, can you search Takao Kazunari's profile?
Akashi: Sure. Why, though? Is he your... boyfriend or something?
Midorima: That's just wrong, Akashi.
Akashi: I know. Here's the address: hawk_eye889 gmail.
Midorima: Thank you.
Akashi: You're in debt to me again, Shintaro.
Midorima:...
OMAKE 2;
Takao Kazunari's mom.
When Takao got home, he immediately told his mom about the news. His mom then replied with a sickeningly sweet voice and smile. "Kazu-kun, it's great that you got accepted to be a singer but... where are my groceries?"
Takao paled until he was as white as a ghost.
"I-I think I left them in town.."
His mom smiled while cracking her knuckles.
The neighborhood wondered who screamed that night.
Songs used in this chapter;
Key by Daisuke Ono
F. O. V by Tatsuhisa Suzuki.
A/N; Alright, I finally updated. Happy guys? wkwk. Well, I may update faster now but I dunno, I haven't been in the mood lately. But hey, I'll try to be in the mood /shot/ Okay, that's just weird. Special Thanks to Airway Static for beta-in and all of you guys! Love you.
All of you authors in KnB fandom, maybe you can check this forum; KnB Author Forum. I don't really go there anymore because I'm a bit busy, but the forum is really fun (er, maybe I'll leave /shot/) Sorry. I'm in a bad mood right now, depression, like that. Sorry. While you go at it, check the stories of the authors there, it's really good.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm afraid, is Midorima OOC here? Gosh, I think I ruined his character and Takao's.
By the way, please vote on the poll (: So far, AkaKuro is leading, with GoM x Kuroko behind, then it's KiKuro and KagaKuro with the friendship fluff (tied!) Haha, AkaKuro is winning! ^^ Side pairings, anyone? Who wants side pairings? Just tell me :D
Please review then, tell me what you think, criticisms allowed.
Again, please support my other stories; Losing, and Colors which are still on-going. But if you want to see the complete one, crack here; Teiko Host Club.
Thank you. Arriverdeci~