Hey guys! As promised, here's the next chapter within a week!

Thanks for all of the reviews guys! I really love hearing from all of the readers, and reviews definitely played a huge part of motivating me to continue writing this FF.

Though this update was relatively fast (and longer) for me, the next two chapters will be filled with more action, so please be patient with those. I've also decided to add a few more characters as a spur of the moment type of thing, so I need to reorganize my plot notes as well.

Anyways, please please please review and enjoy!

Warning(s): This is shounen ai/yaoi. If there are any problems people have with this, go find something else to read. Also, just so you all know, I like classical music, and there will be many references to classical music and composers (without spoiling plot too much) in this story. You don't like, bear with it. Still don't like, I will politely tell you now, go find something else to read. Rated M for language, as for lemons, oi, I said this was my first time writing shounen ai/yaoi, so no. Although, depending on how stuff goes and whether or not people like it, it may happen... it does occur in my plot notes, but not sure about how much I will touch on that.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings from Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi, they all belong to Nakamura Shungiku. Obviously.

Chapter 6:

"Beep. Beep. Beepbeep. Beepbeepbeep."

With a muffled growl, Yuu slammed his hand down on his unsuspecting cellphone. It landed sideways on the floor and flipped open, effectively silencing the shrill wake up call. (*AN: I feel sorry for Yuu's cellphone hahaha :P) Only Chiaki would think it amusing to go see a movie at an ungodly one in the afternoon. Though it was probably the only time Hatori would let him go, after all, Yuu probably wouldn't dare to do anything in broad daylight.

With a few more groans, Yuu finally sat up, his coppery hair sticking out at almost impossible angles and waving cheerfully in the breeze from the open window. With a huge yawn, he stretched his arms up towards the ceiling and sighed contentedly at the resulting popping of his joints. Well, a date with Chiaki was a date with Chiaki, even if it was before acceptable hours on a weekend.

He headed for the bathroom, making sure to pick up his phone from where it lay on the almost threadbare carpet. His apartment was old and small, but close to empty with only the essentials for a man in his late twenties. Yuu had always been neat; it was just how he was. Having even the smallest semblance of control over his surroundings gave him reassurance.

Yuu splashed cold water onto his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror. A pair of reddish-brown eyes with dark circles underneath stared back. They were boring eyes, serious and without much laughter, but could turn cold with sarcasm or blazing with anger. When he'd been in middle school, he remembered Chiaki commenting on his light-colored irises. The boy had called them special, and with that adorably naïve laugh of his, told Yuu that they were pretty when he smiled. However he could only take Chiaki's word for it, for he could never bring himself to genuinely smile when alone. In fact, before meeting Chiaki, he couldn't remember ever laughing and feeling so light-hearted. He had been a serious and rather lonely kid, being an only child, and his parents always left him in the care of an elderly neighbor as they traveled all over on business trips. The ball of sunshine and smiles that was Chiaki warmed the hollowness of his heart, and the arrogant redhead found himself willing to reach out to others for the first time. But that had all changed. Chiaki was a bright light bulb that would burn him if a moth like Yuu flew too close. Even though he was a kind and warm person at heart, Chiaki's complete unawareness of the extent of Yuu's feelings toward him hurt his friend time after time.

But Yuu still couldn't stay away. With a frustrated sight, he splashed a handful of water at the mirror, distorting his reflection, and headed out.

It had been Chiaki's idea to meet as a way of making up for the canceled trip. And desperate to keep his confused head from remembering another pair of indigo eyes, Yuu agreed. He pulled out a well-worn hoodie from the closet, but quickly exchanged it for the newer one he bought a few weeks ago. It didn't matter what Chiaki thought this was, for Yuu it was a date and so he would dress for a date. Wishful thinking… more like self-consolation.

Yuu grabbed a banana on his way out. He would eat something on the way there. Being alone was making him crazy.

Damn it. Chiaki was late. Yuu glared impatiently at his watch (*AN: I spared his poor phone this time haha) and the resulting scowl scared off several kids playing tag around the fountain. They had agreed to meet in the park by Chiaki's apartment at a quarter after noon. It was now a quarter till one. Where could that bumbling idiot have gone?

He pulled out his phone and punched in the digits he knew by heart. Just as the dial tone sounded, a familiar figure ran in sight.

"Yuu! Yuu…" Chiaki slowed to a stop, gasping for breath.

"Can't you read a clock? Does a quarter after and a quarter till look similar in any way?" the redhead grumbled and stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

The shorter man straightened and gave his signature embarrassed smile. "Mah… I was going to be on time, but Tori…" Here he turned bright red. "Uh…"

"Nevermind. I don't wanna know. Let's go." Yuu turned around, gritting his teeth. Here he'd been early and anticipating this meeting while Chiaki was still busy playing honeymoon couple with his lover.

Chiaki caught up to his friend and began chattering. "It's been so long, Yuu! I'm sorry I couldn't go to the hot springs with you last time. I really wanted to, but Tori wouldn't let me. He said he didn't trust you around me. I told him that it was fine and you would never do anything. But then he got really mad and sulked until I told him I wouldn't go. Maybe he could have gone too. But he's been really busy lately. Apparently one of the mangakas he's in charge of is getting her manga turned into an anime! Isn't that cool Yuu?"

No it wasn't cool. Chiaki was finally meeting with him, but all the idiot was talking about was "Tori." Of course, Yuu couldn't say that. He tried changing the subject. "So what are we watching?"

"Tori said he really likes this one movie that's playing right now. I haven't seen it yet, so I thought we'd watch it together." Chiaki turned his face up to Yuu and gave him a dazzling smile. "It's gonna be fun!"

He pasted on a smile. "If you say so."

The wooden door clicked shut behind him as he entered the practice room. Akio quickly placed his bag on the chair by the door and dropped the large stack of sheet music onto the piano bench. He needed to send in the finalized concert order for the charity concert before the business week started. He'd been told that there was going to be a small ensemble available if he needed it. For that reason, he'd considered several different movements of piano concertos, but since the days when he'd performed exclusively, he hadn't collaborated with other musicians.

His hand paused above Mozart's piano concerto No. 23. This one was alright, in fact the Adagio movement would be perfect. He set the music aside and sorted through the next few. He'd discovered the piece a few years back after things ended with Daisuke. Before then, he'd been wary of Mozart. The composer was a genius, that was for sure, but Akio found himself unable to produce the aristocratic, polished feel that he believed Mozart should possess. Yet this adagio was different. This adagio was "the true Mozart." It was a lonely, haunting sound that no other work of his possessed. It was the sound of the harsh reality that a genius lived in—misunderstood and placed on a pedestal by others. Akio found himself sympathizing with the composer from hundreds of years back. He was no genius, but his musical talent had separated him from other children, from his family, even from the one he loved. Yes, he had loved Daisuke; the man was one of his first friends and also his first love. Yoshiura Daisuke was a charming, handsome classmate of Akio's older sister. He didn't know anything about piano or music—he listened to that loud, crazy noise so admired by everyone else and attended cheap concerts held in bar basements of bands who couldn't stay in tune but had all the passion and energy to make up for it. Daisuke was of a completely different world. But now that Akio thought back on it, the high school student had taken pity on the introverted brother of his friend's girlfriend and befriended him. But for Akio, it was like meeting an angel; all the older guy needed was a pair of wings and a halo. So Akio made Daisuke wings. He had played for his muse, even tried learning some of the arrangements of popular songs Daisuke listened to, and his music began, for the first time, to take on a rose color.

Akio sat down before the old grand and placed his hands on the keys. He used to believe that music was the language that could cross all borders, and if he played enough for his muse, the man would one day realize his feelings. His slender fingers dropped down on the first notes of Chopin's "Raindrops" or his Prelude Opus 28 No. 15 (*AN: I'm playing this piece right now for my piano recital ). But Daisuke didn't understand. The man had girlfriend after girlfriend and "girl friend" after "girl friend." Then Daisuke had graduated the local college and left for business school in Tokyo. Akio's rose-colored dreams shattered, and he stopped performing all together. He enrolled in Geidai (Tokyo University of the Arts) and moved in with his first love, determined to reveal his true feelings one day.

He brought his hands down on the crescendo of chords, giving them a suppressed yet deeper, growing sound. It had been a disaster. Daisuke often came home late, though he never brought girls home as a token of respect for his younger roommate. When Akio had finally cracked, he ended up tearfully confessing during an argument. Daisuke had been so shocked by the confession he didn't return home for several days. Unable to stand the strained, awkward atmosphere any longer, Akio, heartbroken, moved out and "moved on." Daisuke gradually began talking to him again, but it could never be the same—he had ruined everything that had once been between them.

Chopin's prelude returned to its original melody, just as Akio was back where he had always been—longing for a love that could never be. Such dark thoughts… he chuckled grimly to himself and abruptly slammed his hands down on the final notes. He wasn't supposed to be reminiscing over past loves. He was supposed to be starting over. He would grow out of many shadows he'd always hid in. He would start over with music. The Tamura Akio people knew had been a fool in love, and his music had reflected that stupidly naïve heart of his. But Akio had seen the real world, and the real world had tainted him. He was determined to wipe out the existence of those rose-colored years and replace them with the man he would become. Geidai wasn't suited for him, he knew that, but Akio would make the best of this place before moving on. Tamura Akio would step out of the shadows of the other Tamura's and make a name for himself—he would prove to Daisuke, he would prove to others, but most importantly, he would prove to himself.

Of course, that would all come after the charity concert. Akio sighed and began flipping through the stacks of music again. It would be a long day.

Disastrous. Of course, what was he expecting? Yuu waved stiffly as Chiaki disappeared behind a set of double glass doors. They'd seen the movie, or rather, he'd seen the movie while Chiaki took a nap. He often wondered how Hatori and Chiaki could get along. The mangaka had lost interest in the politics behind the complex plot and characters and dozed off on Yuu's shoulder after about fifteen minutes. Yuu found the film intriguing, but too dense to stomach during one viewing, especially with one's unrequited breathing down one's neck. By the end, Yuu was grumpy and his arm was numb. Chiaki had been disappointed to have missed "Tori's favorite movie" and had ranted in Yuu's ear all the way to the restaurant. Luckily, a large serving of curry kept him happily occupied, but by then Yuu had a headache. If he heard one more "Tori" come from Chiaki's mouth, he swore he would have said or done something regrettable.

Yuu was tired of unrequited love, but he had sworn, both to himself and to Chiaki that he wouldn't give up. He weaved his way through a faceless crowd at the subway station and just barely squeezed his way into the subway car. At the end of the day, looking past the noble, chivalrous, impenetrable façade he put on for himself, Yuu was tired.

Slowly the passing skyline from the window stopped, and the doors opened. He had to grab tightly at the railing to keep from being dragged along with the flow of people. Yuu held on tightly to the bag of leftovers from his dinner with Chiaki and closed his eyes, accepting the blows and jabs of passing shoulders and elbows. Perhaps this was what it felt like to be a fish swimming upstream—fighting so hard just to keep your place, never mind making progress.

Luckily only a few people came on, and the doors closed after an old lady with a walker and several bags of vegetables. She stood by the door digging through her purse when the subway car lurched forward, sending her flying toward Yuu. Instinctively he caught her and noted that she weighed almost nothing.

After she steadied herself against the railing, she turned her wrinkled face up towards Yuu and smiled. "Thank you for catching me, young man. It sets even an old heart like mine beating faster."

Yuu felt his ears burn at the comment. "Uh… no problem, ma'am. Are you alright?"

"I think so." Here she patted her skirts down and looked around. Several vegetables lay scattered around, as she had tripped over her bags as she fell. "Oh my."

Yuu bent down and helped her reclaim her lost groceries. "It might not be a good idea to take the subway at a time like this, ma'am. You need to take care."

She smiled again, her eyes disappearing under folds of skin. "Oh I know. It's just that tomorrow is my grandson's birthday, and since his parents won't be home, I figured I would make him all of his favorite foods to compensate. The only store that sells the ingredients though is thirty minutes from our home if I walk, which I can't do so well." She laughed and gestured to her walker.

Yuu politely asked about her grandson, and she happily began telling him stories of all "Shou-kun's" mischief and achievements.

A few minutes later, the tram pulled to a stop. "Well, this is my stop! Thank you for your help young man."

Yuu looked up and noted that he was getting off as well. "Since it's on my way, I'll see you out."

He picked up two of her grocery bags and walked carefully behind her as the elderly lady pushed her walker out of the subway car.

As they walked out, Yuu heard a call of "obaa-san!" and looked up. A young boy, no more than nine or ten, waved down at them from the top of the stairs. One could see that his knees were dirty, probably from playing, as he wore a pair of shorts that revealed his skinny legs and a button up jacket. The boy's cheek was smudged with dirt and a Band-Aid crookedly covered a long scratch.

The old lady smiled happily at her grandson before barking out in a harsh tone Yuu jumped at hearing, "TAKAMOTO SHOU. WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT WEARING SHORTS IN WINTER?"

He grinned sheepishly and shrugged, rushing over to help his grandma with her groceries. The old lady turned to Yuu and thanked him again, and the boy solemly looked him up and down. "Thanks for helping out my obaa-san, I've got it now."

Yuu nodded and stuffed his now empty hands in his pockets. The pair turned and walked away, the boy, Shou, ducking as his grandma halfheartedly cuffed the back of his head. Yuu found himself smiling, the events on the way back easing the frustration of his day. And as the silhouette of the grandmother and her grandson grew smaller, he too turned and headed back for his apartment.

Please review! Next chapter will be at the charity concert, promise there will be some action!

3 D. Angeling