.Icy ballad

.Sousuke

The piano before me is all I need today. A cigarette hangs lightly on my lips, smoke curling up from it and making my nose twitch slightly. My eyes are closed. Even though it doesn't matter to me since I can't see the piano. No. It has no true spiritual signature. But I know it in my mind. I remember what the keys look like. My hands drifts to them, carressing them like I would a lover. This is something that has always been there. Music has never betrayed me. This is my world. One I have created for myself to hide myself away in and not have to deal with the ugliness I know is beyond this small bubble.

I turn my head toward the door. I sense someone there. The spiritual force is familiar yet not. A knock comes to the door, the person almost hesitate it seems. "Come in," I call out after a moment, trying to remember where I know this person. I hear the door open and someone enters and shuts it behind them. The person's steps are quiet, but the way they walk indicates they are male.

"My aunt said I could use the piano. But Akureiko-san said you might be in here.." a soft husk of a voice speaks and I now remember. Kagura only has one nephew.

"You've grown, Toushiro-kun." I say to him, a faint smile touching my lips. The last time I heard him he still had a girlish squeak in his voice. He must be a senior in high school now. i haven't seen him in sometime. He tends not to allow his aunt to drag him to work. Today he must have been unable to escape her. I pity the boy.

-293

.Toushiro

How in the hell did I let her drag me. Me.. Of all people. But my aunt has super human strength. The woman makes men cower and whimper for their mommies. Seriously.. She's scary as all hell and some of my friends ask me if my aunt may have turned me gay. I scoff at that. Just because she is a crazy bitch doesn't mean I'm turn off of women for good. I just happen to think high school girls are a waste of my time. They cling and whine and honestly.. Tend to cheat alot more than older women. I just don't tell the team that I tend to date woman usually five years older. I like them matured and settled in life. Probably why I had a huge crush on the former captain of the kendo team at SaiU. She will be missed there, but I do see her in the new from time to time. My aunt mentioned that her one singer, Sousuke, dated her once. Lucky bastard. She has a rocking body and her abilities with a blade are enough to make any man on the kendo floor hard.

I sigh, combing my hand through my short white tresses as I walk away from my aunt babbling to Akureiko-san. Man is as scary as her. I'm surprised they haven't gotten married already. Surely they are fucking. Oh kami.. Fuckin' hell the image my brain just got burned with. Disgusting. I walk to the door my aunt told me of and I knocking, wondering if Sousuke was inside like Akureiko said.

'Come in.'

So he is inside. I step within and shut the door behind me. "My aunt said I could use the piano. But Akureiko-san said you might be in here.." I say softly as I approach the man at the piano. He smiles faintly and I'm surprised he knows its me. But then he knows how to use his other senses better than others.

'You've grown, Toushiro-kun.'

I smile a bit at his words. "Arigato. It took a bit but at least I hit a growth spurt. Wasn't much. But then my parents weren't all too tall. My aunt just got the freaky giant genes... In more than one area.." I mutter the last bit and he chuckles.

-383

'Arigato. It took a bit but at least I hit a growth spurt. Wasn't much. But then my parents weren't all too tall. My aunt just got the freaky giant genes... In more than one area..'

I find myself chuckling at this. The boy has always been known to talk about his aunt and insult her a bit. Probably why I liked him when he was younger also. But then.. At least I don't have to live with that demoness he calls his aunt. I'd rather hang myself than have to deal with her all the time. Dealing with her here for a couple hours a week is already too much. If I have to try and survive that 'valley of death' of hers that she calls cleavage one more time.. Well it won't be the last time ever I suppose.

"I hear you're become quite the violinist also. Any reason for the piano today?" I ask him politely. I sense him shifting from one foot to the other. Ah. So he wanted a violin but couldn't find one before he escaped here.

-476

I am surprised that I actually pulled a bit of laughter from him. I remember him as pretty emotionless when I was a bit younger. Though maybe that was because i tended to just sit in the corner while my aunt conducted her business. I like to write when alone. Sometimes lyrics. Mostly snippits of things I dream about. A snowy tundra. A voice howling something as the storm rages around me. And I swear one time I saw a dragon. With the weather cooling now I'm happy. I love winter. The cold is refreshing and I tend not to be bothered by it in the slightest unlike the others around me. My aunt whines about it. She says I'm like my dad. She told me she once watched him skinny dip into the high school pool in the middle of winter and come out without even feeling cold. She had said it was odd. But then I looked at her odd and asked her not to give me memories of my father being a naked delinquent. She laughed at that.

'I hear you're become quite the violinist also. Any reason for the piano today?'

The question catches me off guard and I look at him in surprise. I shift from one foot to the other, looking to the side. Damn. How the hell can a blind man be so fricken persceptive. I sigh and walk closer to the piano. "Honeslty.. I couldn't find a violin before I got away," I reply and he nods, smirking a bit and somehow I think he knew that is how I would answer. Really.. Sousuke-san can be creepy as hell sometimes.

-661

.Sousuke

I nod at his words. Just as I guessed. But then he wouldn't find the violin out there. I keep it in here to keep it safe from Yayoi. She likes to play around with it. But she is a drummer and handles it a bit too roughly. Last time she handled it I had to replace two of the strings. i was afraid she had ruined the fret board along the violin's slender neck. But after restringing it, I tuned it and found it was still perfect. Its the only violin we have here in the studio. I point to the side of me where I recall placing it. Nothing moves in this room due to the fact only TOhma comes here to bother me. Its not safe for people to move things around me. I can't 'see' objects too well yet with this sensing power of mine. People are easier. They have spiritual signatures that give off energy that can be 'seen' in a sense.

"Over there. I keep it here because of Yayoi-chan," I say to him and I sense his mood brighten the moment I mention we do still have a violin. He moves around me and I listen to him as he pcks something up and set it on my work desk. I fix all the instruments for the most part. THough Mamoru and Ryuumaru tend to restring their own. Its that guitar spirit of theirs. Basically.. If you can take care of your own guitar or bass.. You don't deserve to play. Something like that. I forget what Ryuu once said. He does tend to babble when he gets too hyper.


-753

.Toushiro

I step up to the piano as he nods. Honestly I think he is psychic. Maybe being blind helps him know things before others or something weird. My aunt says Sousuke does have this highly powered sixth sense or something. But I can be the pot calling the kettle black. Not normal myself. Aunt says not to show people. But I'm not normal. No.. Can't be. I'm way too 'good' at certain things to be. Aunt says I'm a hitorinji, but to keep it on the down low. She says there are those out there that will think I'm a freak or something even though alot of people these days are able to awaken this weird power within them.

'Over there. I keep it here because of Yayoi-chan.'

I perk the moment I hear that, snapping out of my previous thoughts. My eyes flick to where he points and I smile the moment I spot the violin case leaning against the wall. I move around his seated form and walk over to the wall, plucking up the case with care. I head over to the work table and open it up. My eyes fall on the most beautiful violin I've seen in ages. I gently run my fingers along its dark chestnut body and smile gently. I ease it out of the case and then pluck out the bow. I situate it against my shoulder and rest my chin on it lightly. I raise my other hand and begin plucking at the strings to listen for any out of tune.

'THe E string.. Tune it a fraction of an inch.'

Sousuke's voice startles me a bit but I do as he says and pluck the string again, eyes widening at how perfect it sounds now. I turn to look at his seated form. He really is an amazing musician.

-970

.Sousuke

I listen to him as he lifts the violin from its case and I relax and simply sit there as he seeks to tune it. I have not tuned it in sometime since I tend to stick to playing my piano over it. I then hear him pluck the E string and the horrid sound of it being out of tune grates on my delicate senses.

"The E string.. Tune it a fraction of an inch," I say to him and I can hear him jump in surprise because the bow brushes the strings. I smile a bit, unable to help it. I had not meant to startle him, but his reaction reminds me of my younger brother Shuuhei when I spook him without meaning too. Mother says I shouldn't be so cruel. But then.. What are older brothers for? We are suppose to torment our younger sibling a bit. Builds character and such.

I wait for him to do as I suggest and nod when I hear the string plucked and it is in tune. I can tell he is looking at me. Just my instinct. I tend ot know when others are peering at me. Being blind heightens one's other senses. My hearing is quite good. Tuning is very simple for me. It took alot of practice, but my band mates don't even use a tunner anymore. THey just use me since I tend to work better than one. He goes and plucks the D string and then wait. I realize he is waiting for me after a moment of silence.

"Full quarter turn. But slowly otherwise the string with stretch too quickly and you will not have the sound you wish for."

-1038

.Toushiro

I watch Sousuke. I can see a faint smile gracing his lips now. I feel a bit embarrassed that he spooked me like that. But the silence of the room gives you a sense that it remain quiet. So when he spoke it echoed just a touch and make me jump out of instinct. Still.. My cheeks are a bit warm. I'm slightly glad he can't see me like this. I look to the violin after a moment and I purse my lips. My eyes then look to the tuner, but I do not pluck it out to use. No.. My eyes turn back to the man seated at the piano. I lift my hand to the D string and hesitate. I don't know why I do, but I just do. I then steel myself and pluck it. Even I can hear its a bit out of tune. I watch Sousuke and wait. He doesn't say anything and I feel like I have overstepped my bounds here. I go to reach for the tuner when he speaks.

'Full quarter turn. But slowly otherwise the string with stretch too quickly and you will not have the sound you wish for.'

I feel a smile beginning to touch my lips and I carefully do as he has said. I gently urge the peg of the D string to turn, slowly making the string stretch. From playing a long while I know just how much he means when he says a full quarter turn. I stop when its reached that point and test it again, amazed how nice it sounds. I move to the A string and gently pluck it, somehow knowing he will answer the silent question I have asked of him.

-1260

.Sousuke

We move through the strings, tunning each one till they are perfect. I sit idly before the piano and I reverantly stroke the keys with my fingertips. Music is my one true love in life. It will never betray me. Because it lives in my very soul. I hear as he tests out the bow against the tuned strings. He pauses and I know he is tightening the bow because we he slides it along the strings again I can hear the differance.

"Perfect," I finally say and rest my fingers on the keys of the piano more firmly. "Care for a duet?" I ask and he pauses then comes to stand beside the piano and I can faintly see his outline as he gets into position. I nod and begin with a piano version of 'Devil's Trill'.

-1176

.Toushiro

Each string is tuned to perfection and I feel this ease within my soul. Music has always calmed me. My aunt tells me my mother was an amazing violinist. She says that my mother use to say I would kick in her belly in excitement whenever she played. I have a couple of cds of her. Its really the only thing I have of her. From my father I have a katana that has been in the family for ages. But really.. Those mementos.. I would trade them away if I could have them back. To know the real experience of having a mother and father be there in my life. My aunt is always working. She left me to my own devices growing up. Even now as I begin to finish high school she is distant. She hardly knows what I do. Though she knows I'm captain of the kendo team and only makes comments about my schooling when she gets my grades. Which are always A's. I need a 4.0. I want to go to SaiU and not have her pay for me.

I test the bow on the strings and frown at the sound. I pause to tighten the bow and then test again. Per-

'Perfect."

Sousuke's voice makes me blink and I look at him.

'Care for a duet?'

He suddenly asks and I feel excited. I walk over and stand beside him. I let him begin and smile at the piano redition of 'Devil's Trill'. I set my stance and lift the bow. I pause and wait for my opening in the notes. Then the bows slids along the strings and the sounds of the violin and piano meld in perfect harmony.

-1547

Sousuke and Toushiro sent to uyb