Chapter Text
The night was quiet. A few insects could be heard chirping and a couple cars were zooming through the streets, but other than that, it was silent. Akito liked the silence. It would always soothe him when he'd practice. He was alone. Didn't have a partner, couldn't seem to find the match he dreamed of. Akito's dream was to surpass the legendary event known only as RAD WEEKEND. When he heard the way KEN and his team sang that night, he couldn't get the thought out of his head. He would do something like that, and it would be 10 times better.
So, when he got a bit too ahead of himself, he decided to accept a very rude invite to perform at Crawl Green. Crawl Green is a venue for talented musicians. Akito knew he wasn't on any of their levels, but his junior high self kept screaming in his mind. He could do it with some more practice. That's what he believed.
He kept practicing and rehearsing. He overworked himself completely and nearly lost his voice a handful of times. He kept trying to improve and get on their level, but when the day finally came..
He embarrassed himself and made the venue look like a joke. The other musicians hollered at him and told him to never show his face around here again.
He wanted to listen, but he just couldn't. Failing made him hate himself, but he'd hate himself more if he just completely gave up.
He finally decided that he needed a partner. He needed one fast.
If anyone could surpass RAD WEEKEND, it'd be him and another who had the same exact dream in mind.
That's when he found me. The night he embarrassed himself at Crawl Green was the same night I finally told my dad I was done.
My name is Aoyagi Toya. I was a classical musician - in training. I used to like using that title for myself, but now?
I despise it.
I've played the piano since I was three. My father pushed down gently on one of the keys. It made a delicate noise that I can't quite explain. All I knew is that I couldn't get it out my mind.
I craved the piano.
My father was very harsh on my brothers, so I knew it'd be difficult, but I didn't expect to be so horribly. Sometimes, I think I enabled his mean words. I never stood up for myself.
The older I got, the more I wanted to be done with classical music. My fingers got heavy and I couldn't stand hearing or seeing anything related to that genre.
One day, I finally had enough of it. I still remember how the conversation went.
I stood in front of my dad, my hands trembling and my words shaky. "I'm done." I told him.
He looked confused. "What do you mean you're done?" He asked.
"I'm done with classical music.. I-.. I can't do it anymore." I explained. "I'm aware of your high expectations, but I-.." My voice got more and more quiet as I spoke.
"What nonsense. Is this really it for you, Toya?"
"What..?"
"You're going to throw away everything you worked for just like that? How pathetic."
"What-... what do you know about me!? I want to live my life the way I want! I want to be a normal teenager and I'm sick of being stuck in that room! I can't take it anymore.. that's all." I shouted at my father before running outside and shutting the front door behind me. It was raining and I got soaked, but I couldn't bare to be inside that house much longer.
I ran a few blocks all the way down to Vivid Street. At the time, I had never been there before. I just happened to find it. Tears formed in my eyes, softly falling down my cheeks. I sat down on a curb and put my hand over my mouth, trying to keep my sobbing hidden from the people around. I sniffled and wiped my eyes, then I looked up at my surroundings. I noticed a lot, but the main thing I couldn't look away from, was a boy.
He looked around my age and had orangey red hair. I saw him talking to another guy with long brown hair and facial hair. I wasn't too sure who either of them were, but I could see the disappointed look on the teenagers face.
Of course, I was too scared to ask him if he was okay, so I just observed. Observing was something I was good at.
Suddenly, the older man left and went into some cafe named Weekend Garage. The teen stood there for a second, took a deep breath, and took a step. Then I realized he had spotted me
He came my way and sat on the curb with me. "Hey, you good?" He had a fairly monotone voice, but I could tell he was still concerned. Our eyes met. I wanted to look away, but I just couldn't.
I nodded and sniffed in again. "Yes, I'm okay."
He snickered. "Don't look like it.." The boy cut eye contact and looked straight ahead. "I've never seen you around here before."
"I've never been here before. I just ran down the road and ended up here."
"Why'd you run?" He seemed curious.
Why did I run..?
That's something that's stuck with me forever. Running away.
Running from my parents' dreams for me.
I shrugged. "Got in a fight with my dad and just needed to get away." I admitted to him, despite just meeting.
"Ah, that's why you were crying?"
"Guess you saw it." I was embarassed, but I also felt this strange sense of comfort. I hadn't met many people my age.
"Yeah." The conversation started to die, until he gasped and looked back at me immediately. "Hey, you like music?"
"Um.." I couldn't give an answer. I loved music, but after being stuck with it for years, I couldn't let the word 'yes' come out my mouth. "I think."
"Why do you only think?"
"I've been forced to play classical. I don't know how I feel towards music anymore." I spat out.
"Maybe you need something that isn't classical."
"Huh?"
"Ever heard of street music?" He asked.
"A bit. Dad's always talked poorly of it."
"Poorly..." It seemed like he had to get it through his head that people thought low of street music. "Hm. Wanna hear some of it?"
"..... sure." I agreed.
He stood up and grabbed a microphone from a stand. The music started playing, and his voice was loud and clear. I had never heard anyone sing like that before. My body started to shake a little and I felt the need to sing. It came out of nowhere. I felt as if I needed the music. It was calling to me. I've loved street music since the first time I ever heard it.
When he was done, he came back over. "So, what'd you think?"
I smiled. "I really liked it."
He grinned and took my hand, helping me off the ground. "Wanna be my partner?"
"What?" I said as I brushed myself off.
"Music partners, you know? We'd be a duo and work on street music together."
Partners...
I've never thought about what goes into other kinds of music, but having a partner would probably be easier. He asked me out of all people.
"I'd love to be your partner." I said to him.
"One thing to know, though. I'm not singing without purpose. My dream is to surpass an event called RAD WEEKEND. If we're partners, we're gonna do it together." He looked in my eyes as he spoke.
"RAD WEEKEND..?"
"It was the most insane event I've ever been to. It was so crazy that words can't even describe it. The energy and the overall mood was so intense. That's when I decided to devote my life to music and put on an event with even more energy."
His words made me really think on if this is what I want. It seems really difficult to put on an event with more energy than that, based on how he couldn't even describe it. However.. he looked like he was excited. It was something he was focused on and he needed a partner to help him. I couldn't back down.
"Then, let's surpass it together."
"Really....!!!?" He looked out of his mind excited.
I couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Hehe, yes really. I'll be your partner and put the same dream in my mind. Let's surpass RAD WEEKEND."
"Okay, I'm counting on you, partner." He took a deep breath. "Oh hey, I never told you my name. I'm Shinonome Akito."
"... I'm Aoyagi Toya."
"Pfft, you look like a Toya." He laughed. It was always hard for me to tell when people were joking, but with him, it's like I just knew it. I felt safe.
That was the beginning of our friendship. I'll always be grateful for Akito. He helped me through some difficult times and he helped me discover street music.
I think about our first encounter a lot. Today, we're known as Vivid BAD SQUAD. We've teamed up with two others, Azusawa Kohane and Shiraishi An. Their name at the time was Vivids, and ours was BAD DOGS. Together, our names just kinda combined into one.
We all managed to surpass RAD WEEKEND, even after finding the truth behind the event, losing to Taiga, and losing all our other teammates. Thankfully, they came back just in time to surpass it.
This wasn't a story based on music. It's a story about Akito and I.
The person who taught me so much.
So, Akito..
I'm counting on you, partner. Always.
I sighed as I put my pencil down and raised my hand.
"Yes, Aoyagi?" The teacher came over to me.
"I'm done with my assignment." I handed it to her.
Just as I finished, two knocks were heard at the classroom door. It slid open. "Toya in here?"
"Akito." I stood out my seat and grabbed my backpack.
"Come on, let's get lunch." Akito said to me with a grin on his face.
Akito's always told me that I have a pretty wild poker face, but I definitely feel happiness shine on my face whenever he's near. "Alright. Let's go."
The two of us headed down the hall. "I wrote my essay about you." I said to Akito.
"Did you really?"
"Yes."
"Dude, that's so embarrassing having a teacher read something and think about me. Now that's all she's gonna see when she spots me."
"No, I'd actually admire you if I were reading it for the first time."
He scoffed. "Thanks for the compliment, I guess."
"Always." I punched him in his side gently.
As we were walking, we heard two voices in a room. One was quiet, the other loud. It sounded like something was going on in there.
Akito groaned. "Goddammit, is that-"
Then, a loud beep was heard. It cut off Akito. Both voices inside the room got quiet.
Akito tapped his foot. "Toya, we gotta go right now before we see it."
"It?"
"....... Tsukasa..." He said in a voice below a whisper.
"Ah, do you figure that's Tsukasa-senpai and Kamishiro-senpai in there?"
"Just a hunch."
"Hm. Let's see."
"Dammit.." Akito huffed.
I knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before opening it. Akito was correct, it was Kamishiro and Tsukasa. I smiled upon seeing them and dragged Akito in as well.
"Toya?" Tsukasa said, looking straight at me.
"What are you two doing?" I tilted my head some.
"I'm being the guinea pig again..."
"Why do you say that like you hate it?" Kamishiro had a cheeky look on his face.
I looked over at Akito. He seemed annoyed.
"Well, I just wanted to see what was happening... also I'll have you know that everyone in the halls can hear you both." I let both of them know. Akito held onto my shoulder tightly like he was getting mad, but I could tell he was just being dramatic.
"Ah, thanks for letting us know, Toya!" Tsukasa always talked in an outside voice, but he was doing surprisingly well at keeping it down while in school.
I nodded and closed the door, leaving them be inside.
Akito looked at me. "Wasn't it completely unnecessary to go see them?"
"Well, not entirely. Because now we know they're in there, so we can have the rooftop today."
"You already knew they were in there, they're loud as hell.."
"Hm. I suppose you're right. Anyways, let's go up."
"Alright.."
Akito always acts like he despises Tsukasa, but I know that's not true. I know sometimes he can be a bit much with his voice and personality, but I've always envied him. I wish I could be more out with myself and attempt to meet new people. Since I'm quiet, I'm usually avoided. However, I think that's why Akito and I clicked so fast. He's never avoided me or acted like I didn't exist. He's treated me like a human. He's treated me like his partner, his friend..
Honestly, I think he's my best friend. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't still be in love with music. It's been hard, but I also still love classical music. Akito's made me realize that. I couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else.
We finally got to the top of the roof and sat down.
"So, when's our next event?" Akito asked while getting his food out.
"I'm pretty sure it's in two weeks. You should ask Shiraishi when you see her next, she's the one who signed us up."
"Alright, will do."
Whenever Akito and I ate lunch together, I'd always get this feeling of belonging. He's never tried to hide me before.
"What?" Akito randomly said with his mouth half full of food.
"Hm?" I looked over slightly.
"You just look like you're deep in thought about something."
"Oh." I lightly shook my head. "No, it's nothing important."
"No, tell me. If you don't, it's just gonna be annoying to know you're thinking about something and I don't know what."
"I thought I had a poker face? How could you tell I'm thinking about something?" I said in a sarcastic tone.
"Dude, shut the hell up and tell me what's wrong." Akito rolled his eyes.
"Hm. Nothing's really wrong. I've just been thinking about our friendship a lot today."
"Ah." Akito nodded twice slowly and took another bite of his food.
"I feel like you sorta saved me, Akito." I blurted out.
Akito finished chewing first, then grabbed my shoulder. I flinched a little before his hand touched me. Our eyes reflected in each other's and it appeared as if he was trying to keep himself from exposing his true happiness.
"You saved me too, Toya. Stop giving me all the credit." Akito patted my shoulder a few times.
My eyebrows rised. "I did?"
"How couldn't you tell? Before we became partners, I was hopeless. Everyone on Vivid Street hated me and I wanted to give up on my dream, but then I met you the same night I ruined Crawl Green's reputation. Directly after Ken came to talk to me, I noticed you sitting on that curb and crying your eyes out. Asked you to be my partner, teamed up with Kohane and An a little while later, and now we've surpassed RAD WEEKEND and we've met others to help. If you weren't there that night, I don't know if I could've ever done it." Akito said those words while smiling. He looked like he was happy to be my partner.
"I didn't know that." I took a second to think about what I could say. We have moments like this where we share our thoughts and feelings without actually doing it fully, but I've been wanting to be more open. I've never been sure how to openly express how I feel, or how I truly feel at all, but Akito's made me want to try. "I didn't really think about what you could've been going through when we first met. All I knew is that I felt safe with you."
"You never told me how it was going back home that night."
"I don't remember what it was like, honestly. I think my brain's blocking it out. Either way, I already thought about my past when I had to write our songs for RAD WEEKEND, and it ended up in me just calling myself names and eventually having a talk with my dad from him hearing me yell.." I never told any of them about what I went through while writing the song, so I knew he wouldn't take my words easily.
"What?"
"Hm?"
"I just wasn't aware the song gave you that much trouble. I knew it was difficult, but.."
"I'm sorry for keeping it from you, Akito."
"You should've told me, I would have tried to help you." Akito looked a little upset. Not at me, but at himself.
"I wanted to do it alone."
"I guess it's not wrong to want to do something by yourself."
I nodded then stood up and stretched.
Akito noticed me. He closed his box of food and put it into his bag, then stood up and stretched as well. "It's almost next bell and you still haven't touched your food, dude."
"I'm not really hungry right now." I softly said, closing my food and stuffing it in my backpack.
"... if you say so." Akito sighed and put his bag on his back.
The bell rang. I zipped up my bag and wore it too. We headed down the stairwell together in silence. Once we got to the main hall, we had to say goodbye for now.
"See you in like two hours." Akito said to me, punching my arm and going straight into his class.
I nodded at him and exhaled. He has this class with Shiraishi, so hopefully he'd be getting some information about our next gig.
My feet carried me into class. As I expected, Akiyama wasn't here today. Class was long and lonely. Usually, I'd talk with Akiyama, but she doesn't come to school unless she absolutely needs to. I should probably try to make friends, but I'm not sure how to start up a conversation. All I could do was observe and think about what I'm watching in my head. Today, first quarter grades were put in. We'd all be getting our results on how we've done so far in the school year.
The teacher grabbed a stack of papers sitting neatly on his desk. He stood up and went to everyone's desk, placing a paper faced up. I patiently waited to recieve mine. Once he reached my table, he smiled and put the paper down. He didn't smile at anyone else. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them and looked down at the sheet.
I carefully went over my scores. I'm passing every class so far with full marks. I could've guessed I would since I usually do, but I've felt myself slacking a bit lately. With us as a team starting to visit America, getting more traction, and my father still being upset I didn't go with what he hoped for me, I can admit I've been overwhelmed. School hasn't been my top priority like it should be.
I stared at the clock for what seemed like an eternity until the bell rang. I sighed and grabbed my bag off the floor. As I turned around in my seat, Akito was directly behind me.
It startled me and I jumped. I'll be honest, I didn't expect him to be here that quick. I needed a moment to catch my breath.
"I scared you?" Akito looked like he was holding back his laughter.
"Yes, you did." I said to him while panting slowly.
"Sorry. Come on, let's get out of here." Akito then pointed at the exit door.
"Alright." My words were shaking a bit. Akito and I headed out into the courtyard. Once the door open, he paused. "Hm?"
"Oh, also.." His expression changed from being energetic and excited to being worried.
Seeing his face change like that made me worry as well. "What?"
"Um, this is probably a bad time to mention this, but I can't really stop myself from wanting to ask anymore."
".... hm?"
"You know you can't get rid of me, right?" Akito's voice was low and soft.
I felt the air around me become colder. "Akito?" I had no idea where any of this was coming from. His face told me he was seriously concerned. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but couldn't find the right words. That's not something Akito's face shows a lot, so I was confused.
"I just want you to know that we're partners and that I'd pick you over anyone else. Everytime." Akito's words were shaking. It wasn't too noticeable, but I still heard it.
I could tell this wasn't what he wanted to say. He's just testing the waters. "Is there something you'd like to ask me?" I inquired.
Akito sighed. He hesitated, then spoke. "Are you doing okay, Toya?"
"Guh-..." The noise audibly came out my mouth. His words punched me in the stomach. My throat felt as if it couldn't let out any words, but I somehow still managed to speak. "Yes. Why are you asking?"
I didn't lie. I just didn't tell the truth.
I feel okay. I'm not sad, I'm not miserable, I'm not living in the loop of practicing piano everyday anymore. I get to sing with my friends all day, that's why I'm doing good. However, a part of me is empty. Something in me isn't okay, I just... can't figure out why or what.
Akito didn't look less worried from my reply. If anything, he looked worse.
"Alright." He said before continuing to walk forwards as if nothing happened.
Why did he completely just let the topic go?..
Perhaps he was trying to not push further. I do appreciate that, but...
Never mind. It's nothing.
"Come on, Toya." Akito grabbed my arm.
I flung forwards. My feet didn't move when he grabbed me, I had to tell them to. I started to walk alongside Akito. "Where are we going?"
"We're going to buy some stuff." Akito grinned.
"I assume you're in the mood for chee-"
He cut me off. "Cheesecake, yes."
"Hehe, I thought so."
"You want some coffee?" Akito pried, jokingly.
"Most definitely."
I followed him without asking questions.
I think I always will.