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Everyone has a unique heart—not the human organ we all know that beats inside our chest cavity but the ones that we keep somewhere close to ourselves. These hearts that show what we are to all who have the privilege.
There was a young boy who had a singing heart. His lovely heart looked like a stereo, always playing songs that matched his emotions and the boy loved it, his days never passed in total silence with it.
Yet others don't like his little heart.
"Can you turn off your heart? It's like a radio, right? I can't concentrate with how loud it is."
It made the boy sad when others complained about the constant singing, making him hide his precious heart deeper where it muffled the songs for them to their relief and to his pain. He was still free-spirited, loud and rebellious—doing things he feels right but with a touch of caution when it comes to being more open to his heart and trust. The stereo heart looked a bit bruised with a few spots of its surface scratched from the pain he experienced yet strong that still played music from his soul.
Time passed, not much changed from the people he grew up with, he packed his belongings and left to find a place where he feels he will belong. Something he can say will be his home.
Through deserts and seas, from town to town where he stopped to stay for a while, performing his music to passersby and crowds that would stop and sway in the flow of his voice and melody. Yet not one has called out to him to make it his home.
The boy was again fueled by his determination, continued on. With no particular path, his whole journey colored more of life and made his blue eyes see much much more of the beauty and its darkness to him.
More older and backed up with these experiences, he cannot be called a young boy anymore but a man whose heart is as free and soulful as the winds that accompanied him in his life.
In this turning point of his life did meet one of the things that have left a huge impact on him.
He was resting on a log of the Forest with white trees that were said to bore little fruit-like jewels. He nipped some of them to eat, the shining turquoise inside tasted sweet in his tongue. While the young man munched more of the jewel-fruit, he wasn't aware of the creatures that were observing him from afar, their eyes brimming with curiosity. After a moment, they seem to decide to come closer to him.
As his hunger had sated, the man became more aware of his surroundings, his ears trying to pick up all of the sounds until there was a tinkling sound that came from his left side. He spun around, a sprinkle of fear worming its way in his eyes before they widened in shock at the sight.
Small little blue notes that fly around wearing headphones, tittering in various pitches that all expressed a joyful tune as one brave note went up close to his face, making him cross-eyed from the distance. It earned a laugh from the man as he held up his hands to cup the note, slender fingers stroked its head softly.
"What are you guys doing in this place?" he asked, his tone gentle as he continued to pet the little creature as its other friends cane closer to rest on his shoulders, lap and on top of his head.
The man did not expect an answer from his question, content in letting them hang around him, delighted that he has company after a long journey from the place he grew up on. The silence was nice and comfortable.
Then he sat upright, jolting the notes from their cosy positions in surprised confusion with the accompanying tune of annoyance of their naps being interrupted. This made him feel sheepish from the reactions, moving to pet them in apology.
"Do you know some place that I can stay, little guys?"
The one on his lap jumped in the air at the question, moving like a buzzing bee.
Yes! They know a place where their friends' human companions live! Come, come! Let us lead you to the Hearth!!!
With that, the rest of them started to move, holding a piece of the man's clothes and began tugging him to the direction of the Forest. They entered the more lusher area, walking deeper and deeper and deeper into the hearth of it with trees and plants more dense than the ones from the edge. After what he felt an eternity of walking, he could make out the sunlight that slipped in between the gaps of the leaves and branches, and the faint sounds of music and talking, urging him to move faster and pushed through the bushes.
The bright light had him momentarily blind, arms raised instinctively to block it as he blinked the dark spots behind his eyes before lowering them down to look at the sight before him.
There's a small village in the centre of the Forest: shops and houses in his line of view and animals roaming around with other strange creatures.
A person nearby, who was watering the plants with a small crowd of tiny purple jellyfish floating around them, stopped what they were doing, pink and purple eyes shining from surprise at seeing the young man. They stood up, moving towards him with a soft smile on their face.
"Oh, welcome to the Hearth! I hope your trek here wasn't terrible." they said, raising a hand to the man who took it in a handshake.
"Don't worry, the way down here was fine."
A relieved smile appeared on their face in answer. "I'm very glad to hear about that."
Then they added, "What's your name? Mine is—"
Uki Violeta
"It's nice to meet you! I'm—"
Yugo Asuma
That was the beginning of the man's stay in the Hearth. The person gave him a tour around the village: from the quaint houses that scattered around and the busy-looking stalls and shops in the marketplace with a woman in witch's outfit lifting several glasswares towards the table displayed in front of her shop, a black cat watching over on top of it. There were also several people talking, gathered in front of a shelf full of books. It made parts of the lively place that seeped warmth in the man's singing heart.
When they introduced him to three men as both of them entered the farthest house from the Hearth that almost boarded the coast, the smell of salt mixing with the fresh air of the Forest made him feel more and more relaxed, as if the weight of his own person got lighter.
He smiled at the brunet who came up to him first, one of his hands holding a taller blond with him that carried this caom air around him.
Alban Knox
Sonny Brisko
Lastly, with his tour guide's teasing and flirting, the last person with light grey hair and red metal arms gives his own introduction.
Fulgur Ovid
Somehow, he fitted into their group so well—like the last puzzle piece to complete the picture. He cannot remember the last time he felt like this in the past.
He helped around the Hearth, doing mostly the physical labour of moving stuff for everyone and the freedom to create and play his music on the stage with several of the musically inclined villagers especially the bespectacled novelist and owner of the music shop.
When he's done for the day, he goes home with the brunet who slings an arm around his shoulder along with a hand ruffling his hair which he tried to bat away unsuccessfully. He joked about ditching his shift to feed the cats that hang around his shop, earning him a pinch on his cheek.
With roaring laughter, they strolled back home with a small clutter of notes and white cats with blue caps following them. The man wondered why those notes had gotten attached to him like how his friend with his special cats and the other's respective creatures. Opening the front door, both men were greeted with the smell of food cooked by their psychic, their two-toned eyes focused on stirring the pot in front of them while they gently instructed the jellyfish hoarde in delivering the finished dishes to the dining table with the help of a few white sheeps and yellow cuttlefish that set up the table for them.
Then his blue eyes flit to the living room where the blond and the silver-haired man were sitting, watching something on the television. The blond doesn't seem fazed with a cuttlefish clinging on one of his legs or the loud beeping noises coming from an angry black sheep who seemed to be arguing with the cyborg, who merely laughed like a kettle at it.
As he closed the door, the brunet called out as they both took off their shoes and the cats and notes immediately zoomed in in various areas of the house.
"We're home!"
The three replied instantly, "Welcome back."
He can hear his stereo heart getting louder from the warmth and happiness that he feels as all of them gather at the table when the psychic told them that the soup was done. Looking at the scene of these people enjoying a simple dinner with each other, chatting about whatever happened today or other things made him smile.
Once, he was afraid of showing his scratched singing heart because of what others have said to him in youth. But now, living with these equally scarred men with misshapen hearts—the man doesn't feel alone anymore. He can safely put his heart where the rest kept theirs. Along with the cyborg's dented, smoke stained mechanical heart, the psychic's deep amethyst one, the konbini owner's heart vault and the police officer's glass heart—he trusts them all enough to put his own heart with theirs.
As much as he can confidently say he found something that he can call his family, his home…it did not dispel the call of the winds, the adventures he hasn't been yet. It plagued him for days, lying through his teeth that he was fine when he's asked. He could sense them knowing he's lying but never pushed him.
Until the cyborg sat with him one night as he was stargazing behind the back of the house.
They didn't talk for a while, enjoying the silence, only the buzzing of the insects and the soft breeze brushing against their faces filled that space.
"You know," the cyborg began, red fingers drumming lightly on the wooden rails as he stared straight out to the woods. He never turned to make eye contact with him but somehow it felt like he's looking at him still.
It unnerves him.
"If you feel that itch to go out again, we won't stop you. We can see how restless you were the past month." he paused, taking a breath or two as he tried to formulate his thoughts properly to him while the man turned his head to him in shock.
"All of us sat down and talked about this" he waved his metal hand in some pattern, unsure.
"Just know that—you will always have a home to return to, kyoudai. No matter how long or how far you go, you can count on us greeting you back home here."
This left him speechless—he has no idea on what to feel or say about this.
He can feel something welled up inside him, bringing tears to his eyes yet he refuses to cry.
He will save it for his goodbyes.
After that night, a flurry of having so much to pack on his journey with their help—he's ready to go on another adventure.
The DJ was given tight hugs and watery words that had him tear up too. He tells them that he will miss them and promises to come home with lots of souvenirs.
He can hear his heart beating so loud from how nervous he was, clutching the straps of his luggages with the little notes on his hair and shoulders offering comfort while the rest were standing a few feet away.
He looks back at them, smiling as he gave them a weak wave.
"Safe travels, Yugo."
With a nod, he faced the road once more and let his feet take him on a new chapter of his travels. A pendant of a heart that has a piece of their own hearts glued together dangling from his neck, shining against the sunlight.