Track 08

Just a few hours later, the bus came to a stop that seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere. Crow looked out the window and made an excited little squeal. Luckily, Hikari was asleep and didn't hear his embarrassing reaction.

He gulped as he looked down at her. She looked so peaceful... but he had to wake her up so they could get off the bus. Slowly he reached forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey! We made it to our stop!"

Hikari groaned and opened her eyes. "Hmm...? Oh!" She sat up and grabbed her backpack. "Let's go, then!" she said with a smile as she threw her bag over her shoulder.

The two stepped off the bus and Crow turned around to face Hikari. "I just want to warn you, my parents may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but they are just really friendly."

Hikari shrugged. "It won't bother me," she said, surprising even herself. She wasn't exactly a social person, but something about being in a real family setting was something she was suddenly looking forward to.

He nodded, his excited little smile returning. He spun back around and started walking, the snow leopard following behind. He took a deep breath, gripping the strap of his guitar case. It felt nice to breathe that fresh country air again. Sure, he loved living in the city, but this place would always be home to him.

Hikari took in all of the sights around her. There were so many open fields. Did his family own all of this land...? As they walked, they passed by an old fashioned red barn. It looked as though it hadn't been used in years. Up ahead, a large farmhouse with a much newer looking barn became visible. "Is that it over there?" she asked, pointing in its direction.

"Yeah. This is where I grew up." She smiled to him and caught up so she could walk at his side. This rowdy little rocker grew up here? It was much different than she would have ever expected.

As they grew closer to the house, the front door flew open and a pair of older hedgehog myumons stepped outside. The female rushed toward Crow and threw her arms around him. "Oh~ Our little Hoglet has finally returned home!"

Hikari couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Crow be smothered in hugs and kisses, by who Hikari could only assume was his mother. It was kind of sweet. "And this time, he even brought a girlfriend home with him!" the lady cried with excitement. She finally let go of Crow, who had to take a moment to catch his breath, and she gave Hikari a huge squeezing hug. The leopard was completely caught off guard and her face was bright red.

"Ma! Hikari is just my friend. She's here to work on music with me," Crow told her while brushing off his clothes. He looked up to see that she had taken Hikari in after releasing him. "Aww come on... She just got here. You should give her some space..." he said, a little embarrassed.

She finally let Hikari go, but put her hands on her shoulders. "Well either way, we are glad to have you here, dear! Feel free to take the bed in Crow's old room," she said with a big smile. She took Crow by the arm and spun him around until he was facing the door and pushed him forward. "Now go on and show her to the room, Crow. You two wash up and I will get dinner ready."

Hikari thanked his mother before following him inside. She walked quietly with him as he lead her up the stairs to a room where an attic would have been if they had one. It was a large country style room with a single bed, a toy box overflowing with toy cars and farm animal plushes. It was kind of cute.

The embarrassed little hedgehog turned to face a smiling Hikari and held up a finger. "Not one word... I haven't used this room since I was a kid."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not here to judge, 'Hoglet,'" she said, using the name his mother had, teasingly. "What does that even mean, anyway?" She couldn't help but giggle... which wasn't a sound Crow was used to hearing come from her.

He knew that was coming. At least it was better that she asked now that it was just the two of them, rather than later when his mother was there. "Ahh... Well... you see. When you were a baby... you were called a cub." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his face grow red. "Hedgehogs... are hoglets... when they are babies..." He braced himself for the judging comments he was sure to hear from her, next.

"Oh my god," she replied. "That's probably one of the most adorable things I've ever heard!"

"A-Adorable?" he asked, blushing deeply. "Just... keep it between us, okay?" He would hate to hear the comments from his bandmates if they were to ever hear the nickname. Rodent was frustrating enough to hear all the time.

"Your secret is safe with me, Hoglet," she teased. After everything he had done for her, already, there was no way she would embarrass him with the nickname in front of everyone. That just wouldn't be fair.

"Seriously, Hikari...?" She was going to keep saying it, even though it obviously bothered him.

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone. I promise. Doesn't mean I can't like it~" she said as she poked him in the chest. His face was really red, wasn't it? She probably should have felt guilty for embarrassing him so much, but she couldn't get enough of his reaction.

He huffed a frustrated sigh, turning his head away from her as she poked him. "Fine... Whatever."

Hikari's expression softened once she realized he was actually getting annoyed with her. "Hey... I didn't mean to insult you or anything. I really do just find it cute. I'm not going to say anything. Whatever happens while we are here this week stays between us, got it?" She held her pinky out to him, something she and Kamiko used to do as kids when they would make promises to each other. It was never official with them until it was a pinky promise.

He looked over to her and cracked a smile when he saw what she was trying to do. He held out his own pinky and wrapped it around hers. "Deal."

Hikari unpacked her bag in the room and got herself all cleaned up in time for dinner. Crow had already ran off to his own room to get ready. She walked back into the bedroom after washing her face, drying it off with a towel. She gazed around the room, really enjoying the homey feeling it gave her. It was a big change from the mansion Kamiko lived in. The mansion felt like more of a museum than a home.

A knock at the door brought her back from her thoughts, so she turned around to see Crow standing in the doorway. "Ma finished making dinner. You hungry?" He still wore his red shirt and tie, but was no longer wearing his jacket. It looked kind of nice...

She cleared her throat and shook her head. "Um, yeah, sure! Dinner sounds great!" she replied with a nervous laugh. There were those butterflies again. Where were they coming from? This was Crow.

She followed him down to the dining room. The table was set with a spot for the two of them and both of his parents. There was all sorts of food placed in the center of the table. This was not something Hikari was used to at all. At Kamiko's the butler would bring each of them a plate of food. If they wanted more, he had to get it for them, which usually resulted in at least one person judging for how much that person was eating. Normally, she would wait until dinner was over and hang out in the kitchen with Sebastian and eat the leftovers while the two of them made fun of whatever prissy guest they had that evening had said.

Crow rushed to the table and took his seat, scooting the open one next to him out and patted the seat so she would sit there. "I forgot to tell you that Sunday nights are the best time to have dinner here. Ma always goes all out in the kitchen, and I bet there is going to be some kind of dessert in there for later," he whispered to her, an excited little giggle escaping him after he spoke.

She smiled. "It all looks great!" Everyone started filling their plates with food the moment they sat down. Suddenly feeling the tiniest bit of shyness, Hikari decided to wait until the entire family had their plates prepared, that way she wouldn't be taking anyone else's share.

"Go on and help yourself, Miss Hikari," Crow's father said to her.

His mother nodded and put a hand on Crow's shoulder. "Why don't you give her a hand, Sweetie."

"O-Oh. That's okay. I was just..." She looked over as Crow nodded to his mother with a smile. He began rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, just the slightest bit of muscle showing as he did. What!? Out of all the guys, he was the one she imagined to be weak and scrawny. She just sort of assumed so by how small he was, and by the fact that his clothing usually covered just about every inch of him. Suddenly, images of him flooded her mind. Obviously, growing up in a farm made a huge difference. Her face felt like it was about to burn off. Hopefully no one could tell she was blushing. "Um... Okay then. Thank you, Crow," she said as he placed a plate in front of her.

"So tell us about yourself, dear! You must be into that rock music our little Hoglet likes if you are here to work on music together. Are you in one of those bands, too?" his mother asks, starting up a conversation.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Something to take her mind off of what she just saw. "Oh! Yes, ma'am. My best friend and I are in a band called-"

"Monochrome Blush. They used to play our music at cafes and smaller venues. They're really good, Ma. They just got signed to our label just a few months ago," Crow said, practically interrupting her. Hikari looked over to him in shock. Not only was he explaining how her band got started to his mother, but he was giving them compliments, too.

"Ahh, I see~ So its just you and your friend, huh?" she asked, seeming highly interested. Living out where they did, Crow's family didn't hear much about the newest up and coming bands in Midi City.

"Uh huh. We've dreamed of being in a band together since we were kids. It's great to finally have the opportunity." She smiled brightly. "I'm working on our first song of our own right now. She is out visiting her family right now, so I plan to have it ready by the time we meet up again."

"She's with her family? But you came here, dear. Didn't you want to go ho-" Crow coughed loudly, about to choke on the milk he was drinking. He didn't want her to bring up Hikari's family and make her uncomfortable.

"Ma, did I tell you that Hikari loves drinking milk, too? She drinks it with chocolate in it. Can you believe it?" he asked, quickly. He reached under the table and took her hand, giving it a small squeeze as if he were telling her not to worry. His mother looked to him with an expression on her face that told him it was rude to interrupt. He shook his head and showed a bit of concern. She could tell it was a topic that he didn't want her to bring up, and she respected this.

"Chocolate milk...? Well why didn't you say so, dear? I'll have to get out the good chocolate for you. Excuse me for just a moment." She got up from the table and walked back to the kitchen.

As she left the room, Hikari looked over to Crow... who was still holding her hand. She didn't stop him, though. It wasn't like he was hurting anything by it. "Thanks for that..."

He smiled and gave her a thumbs up on his free hand while winking at her. "If my secret is safe with you, then yours is safe with me."

She gripped his hand lightly, which made him realize he was still holding hers. His eyes grew wide and he let her go, mumbling an apology under his breath. She chuckled a little and took her first bite. It was so good!

His mother came back in with a little dish of melted chocolate. It wasn't syrup. It was a block of real chocolate that she had melted for Hikari to mix into her milk. "Here you are. This is the best there is, so I'm sure you will like it! Have as much as you'd like. We have plenty."

Hikari's eyes sparkled as she sat the dish in front of her. She took the spoon and scooped some into the milk bottle that was at her place and mixed a decent amount in before taking a sip. 'Oh my god,' she thought. "This is amazing! Thank you so much!"

"You are very welcome. We make it ourselves! There are so many things you can make with milk, you know. Just like the homemade ice cream we have in the freezer for dessert," his father told her in response.

Crow cheered quietly to himself after hearing this, then turned to Hikari and whispered. "See? I told you there would be dessert!"

The dinner was fantastic. The chicken was great, the potatoes were the best she had ever eaten, and the corn on the cob looked like they had grown it themselves! After the family finished eating, they all stayed seated at the table and continued to talk to each other. They talked about their lives, specifically those of Hikari and Crow, about music, about Hikari's job in the cafe... Not all the business related talks she and Kamiko had to listen to at dinner with her family. This was much more comfortable.

Crow watched Hikari out of the corner of his eye, loving the way she lit up when she spoke. He wasn't used to seeing her this way. She didn't seem nearly as stressed as he usually saw her when they were at BRR. Maybe bringing her home with him was a better idea than he had originally thought.

When everyone was finished, Hikari grabbed a couple dishes and helped carry them to the kitchen. It was the least she could do for the wonderful meal they gave her. Crow's mother stopped her as she made it to the sink and took them from her hands. "Don't you worry about these. I've got them. You're a guest!

"A-Are you sure? I don't mind helping. You have all done so much for me already..." Hikari said, feeling a little guilty. She wasn't the type to take things without working for them, but being with a family that wanted nothing more than to take care of each other and any guest who stayed with them was nice. It felt different, and she wanted to show them her appreciation.

"Yes, yes! You go on and get some rest, dear. You will need your energy to finish that little song of yours," she said with a smile. "Sleep well tonight, okay? If you need anything, I'm sure little Crow won't mind getting it for you."

She smiled, finally deciding to give in. "Okay. Thank you, ma'am."

She turned away and started toward the room she was staying in, and passed by another room with the door open just a crack. Inside, she could hear one of Shingancrimsonz's latest songs. That must have been Crow's room. Slowly, she pushed the door open. As she did, she found herself in a large room with red walls, a black futon against one wall with red decorative pillows, a huge round bed with black pillows and blankets, and a little open area off to the side with a few instruments. Among these instruments were a couple of guitars, a drum set, and a black piano.

Crow was nowhere to be seen... Where did he disappear off to? Next to the area with the instruments, she saw another little door, which suddenly opened and the hedgehog stepped out, not expecting her to be in the room. The moment he opened the door, she saw that he was no longer wearing his shirt and tie. She froze in place, a bit caught off guard. Growing up on this farm did do wonders for him.

Crow, who had been too lost in his own lyrics, opened his eyes after drying his hair with a towel and wrapping it around his neck. "Oh! Hikari! Glad you're here. I didn't get the chance to show you all of this earlier!"

All of that? He didn't mean what she thought he meant, right? Was this why he was waltzing around with no shirt on? To show off? Who did he think he-

"Over here, come on!" He stood next to all of the instruments he had and waved for her to come to him. "When we remodeled the house and added this room, my parents bought all kinds of used instruments and made a little practice area in my room so that I could practice anytime I wanted. The walls are soundproof, so the noise doesn't bother my parents."

Oh... He meant the instruments. 'Silly me...' Hikari thought. She gulped back any nervousness she was starting to feel and followed him over there. Those damn butterflies were back again...

"This is awesome! You have a drum set? I didn't know you played drums!" she said, sounding impressed.

"Uhh... I don't actually. Ma kind of went a little crazy when they bought all these, hoping to help me get a band started. No one around here really wanted to do anything with music, though, and by the time I met the guys, they already had their own. So instead, we keep them here in case they ever are over here and want to rehearse," he told her as he picked up one of the guitars. It was black and had silver writing on the bottom. Hikari leaned forward to read what it said.

"Keep aiming for the top! Rock on, little buddy..." Hikari read out loud. She squinted her eyes to try and make out the signature at the bottom. "Grateful... King!? Wait a minute... you have a guitar autographed by Grateful King?"

Crow smiled a proud smile. "Damn right, I do! When I was young, I had always looked up to him. One year the fair in our town held a concert, that I was finally able to go to! In the same day, they held a talent contest with first prize being the very guitar he used on stage! I entered by singing one of his songs and won first place. It was probably one of the greatest moments of my life... This was my very first guitar. Ever since that day, I decided I wanted to be just as good as him, so that maybe one day we could be jamming up on stage together!"

Hikari stood back up and smiled at him. "Crow, that's awesome! You're definitely there, I can tell you that much." She sat down at the drums, and stared up at him from behind. It would be pretty awesome to play with him someday. He was pretty great. His lyrics, his playing, his singing...

He turned to the side and glanced back to her. "So what about you...?"

"Hmm...?" She blinked for a moment, not sure she heard the last thing he had said.

"I mean... What made you want to play drums?" he asked. He wasn't sure if she had ever mentioned it before.

"Oh..." She looked down at the drumset and sighed. She could tell him. He already knew about what happened with her parents, so she knew she could trust him. "Well drums were the first instrument I learned of course… And since Kamiko wanted to sing and play guitar, it just kind of worked out, I guess."

He nodded. "So if drums were the first instrument you learned, does that mean you can play other instruments, too? Like maybe guitar?" he asked just before shredding it on the guitar he was holding, just to show off and make her smile again.

She stood from the drums and laughed a little as she put a hand on the guitar to make him stop. "No, I don't play guitar... But you might want to be quiet! You'll get yourself in trouble!"

"Soundproof walls, remember?" he told her as he kept going, just to mess with her. He winked at her and turned away and, playing what sounded like Falling Roses.

Hikari inhaled sharply as he winked at her. How was he being so adorable? She wasn't used to seeing him this way. She crossed her arms and pouted, cheeks red. "Fine then! I'll just see myself up to my room for the night'"

The moment she spoke these words, the guitar playing stopped immediately, which earned a small devious smirk from Hikari that he couldn't see just yet. He turned to face her and she put on an innocent face. "Oh, hell no. You're not going anywhere until you tell me what else you play! I have to know!"

"Oh is that so, little Hoglet?" she replied in a teasing voice, embarrassing him. She leaned against the piano, her arms still crossed. "Well if you mustknow... I happen to know a little bit of piano."

"What!? No way!" He sat the autographed guitar back on its stand and ran over to her at the piano, practically sliding to a stop at the bench. He pulled up the cover, revealing the keys and sat on the bench. He pat the seat next to him, wanting her to sit down. She chuckled at him and sat next to him. "You have to play something for me!"

She smiled to him. "It's late... and I haven't practiced in years," she lied. "How about another time...?"

When it came to the piano, Hikari was a little secretive. Sure, drums were the instrument she played, but she actually had a passion for playing the piano. This was something even Kamiko didn't know about her.

The hedgehog pouted. "Hmph... fine. But you will play for me before we go back to the city, right?"

That pout... damn it Hikari, stop blushing over him. She reached up and lightly pinched his cheek, teasingly. "Of course I will, Hoglet."

He mumbled to himself and rubbed his cheek. "Would you quit calling me that? It's not funny."

She stood up and shrugged. "I never said it was funny. I just think it's cute~" Hikari, who lacked any experience with boys was unsure how to handle this situation. Was that considered flirting? And if it was... how okay was she with doing so? Out of all of the guys, he seemed to be the least annoying to her back at BRR, but she never imagined finding him "cute" or even... Her eyes scanned his body, slowly remembering he was still shirtless. Okay, yes, she found him pretty attractive. But it was something more than that. There was something about him that made her feel relaxed. It was easy to let her guard down and not stress out about anything.

He sighed, eyeing her for a minute. At least hearing the name sounded better coming from her than his mother, he'd admit that much.

Hikari walked away from the little studio and plopped herself down on the futon, feeling a box behind her feet. She pulled it out to see that it was labeled 'Shingancrimsonz.' "What's this, Crow?" She held it up and tilted her head curiously.

"Ahh... well..." He wasn't exactly sure how to explain. He didn't want her to think any weird thoughts about him.

She opened the box to find four little plushies. One for each member of his band. "Oh my god!" she cried, practically squealing over how cute they were. Where did he get them? They were so detailed and looked just like each of them. She pulled out the little Crow plush and held it up to him. "You do realize I'm borrowing this one for the night, don't you?"

His face grew bright red. She wanted his? That wasn't exactly expected considering they were all there. Everyone at BRR suspected that she had a thing for Rom, and even if he wouldn't admit it, the guys could all tell he liked her, too. He shook his head. "What do you need to borrow it for, exactly?"

She played with the little plush in her hands, fixing his little tie. "I'm sure it will be boring and lonely up there, so I might as well bring a little friend to keep me company, right?"

"Ehh... I guess that's a good point. It is pretty lonely up there." He sighed, knowing he couldn't tell her no. It just wasn't possible for him. "Okay, but you have to take care of it."

"You got it!" She flashed him a wink and hugged the little toy close to her. It was so cuddly, too!

Hikari finally left his room and went up the stairs to the one she would be staying in. She sat the little plush on her bed next to her pillow and left to change into her pajamas.

She crawled into the nice warm bed and faced the little toy she brought up with her. What had gotten into her...? The moment she saw it she knew she had to have it. "Why'd you have to be so cute...?" she asked the plush Crow. "I could have just acted normal and told him you were nice and put you back in the box... but I had to be all embarrassing and creepy and ask to sleep with you... Wow hearing it out loud sounds worse than I thought."

She shook those thoughts from her head and stared at it. It looked so much like him when he was in his small Myumon form. "I guess it's not all that weird. You're just like a cuddly stuffed animal. That's all, right...?" The toy sat in silence, obviously not going to talk back to her.

"I dunno, little guy... Something feels different here. His family is so sweet. I've never known what it's like to have a caring family like that... and when he's around them, he's not as loud and crazy as he is back home. He's usually so full of himself. Not a day goes by that he isn't calling himself amazing or patting himself on the back for his latest song. But here... when we were at dinner, he was talking about my band. What do you think that means? Anything...?" She looked over at him, not sure what kind of response she was expecting. "Goddamn it... I'm talking to a stuffed animal. What's wrong with me?"

She rolled over and sighed, closing her eyes. She needed to get some sleep if she was ever going to get any work done on that song. After only just a few moments of facing the opposite direction of the plush, she quickly turned back around and grabbed it, holding it close to her.