Title: A cold night of January
Fandom: ONE OK ROCK
Chapter: 4
Characters/Pairing: Tomoya
Rating: all ages
Genre: slice of life, drama.
Disclaimer: You may find a terrible grammar, be warned.
Especial disclaimer for members of House Kanki: I promise this isn't the last chapter. Relax, it will all be worth it at the end.
Not yet
convinced, 14 years old Kanki Tomoya revolved between his fingers a new set of
drumsticks, lying on his bed, feeling the moonlight bath his body as it entered
through the window. The fraternal
Christmas gift wasn’t enough to change his hobby from baseball to music. To
make things worse, the New Year money was specifically given to him so he could
change those old drums his brother left him. “Go to music school. You’re good at it”. Maybe nii-chan was right.
But, for Tomoya, the only thought of leaving Hyodo, and therefore, his family
and friends, was too much to handle.
For some
reason, his brother managed to talk his parents into this madness, and has been
insisting him for 3 months now. Maybe it was some way to see his own dream
fulfilled through him. After all, he never got to be a famous drummer as he
wanted. You’re too selfish. This isn’t my
dream, this is yours. All he ever wanted was to play baseball. Sure, he
always liked when nii-chan taught him to play. He was always nice and patient, the
definition of a good teacher. Plus, it was the only moment when they could be
alone, and enjoy each other. At least, since they were kids. Still, is not my fault that you decided to
marry early.
Craving for
fresh air, he sneaked out of his house, trying not to get caught by his
parents. He grabbed his bike, and hit the road.
It was a
clear and cold night. The air was somehow dry, even when it had been raining
until the night before. There were huge puddles where rice pads should be
during summer and it was cold enough to see the moon reflect on the smooth
surface of the frozen water. They looked like giant silver lakes. He stopped on
the side of the road to watch the scenery. The cold breeze ruffled his already
too long hair. A sigh escaped his lips, leaving a trail of mist behind. I need to make him understand. I can’t leave
them, not my family. He shook his head in frustration. How did you do that? How did you managed to convince mom and dad? They
talked you out of it, but now they’re talking me in? I just don’t understand.
Why me? Why?
With the
recent thoughts still flooding his head, he hit the road again. His legs ached
because of the intense cold, but he kept pedaling hoping they would get warm
with the exercise. Bending his toes inside his boots, he felt the cold texture
of the sock’s fabric against his bare skin. A long chill went down his spine.
He clenched to the handlebar while starting to pass a curve. Beyond there was a
long descent, straight as a ruler, that he used to ride when he was little.
This is it. After the descent, I’ll have my
head clear. I’ll have my decision made and it will be what’s best for me. He stopped pedaling as the descent
began. Driven only by the inertia of the fall, he slowly let go of the
handlebar, and prepared to stand on the pedals. As he raised his arms, he felt
the wind leak through every hair, and every fiber of his clothes. The cold
burned his skin and permeated his bones.
And so, while closing his eyes, his thoughts began to emerge, along with some
long forgotten memories.
The first
lesson with nii-chan, when he was just 6 years old. “This is the bass drum. And if you press this pedal here, it will make a
BOOM.” After that he got so fund of
it, that he just kept adding more bass to all the rhythms. At the end, he added
another bass drum to the set. He could still feel the anger from that time when
nii-chan suggested him to use a double pedal. He was sure he could get the same
sound just with the speed of his feet.
There was
also that time. A couple years ago, the last time nii-chan stayed for the night
without his wife. Tomoya remembered waking up late at night. It was a warm
summer night, and the back door was open
wide. As he draw near, he heard his brother talking to someone. At first he
thought he was just on the phone. But after a while, he realized he could hear
the other’s voice. It was a very delicate but confident woman’s voice. They
both sounded very serious, as if they were discussing something important. “So that means I can’t do it?” “I’m sorry,
but that’s just the way it is. I know it’s not fair to you, but there’s nothing
I can do. Even if I wanted too.” “No, don’t get me wrong. I think he deserves
it. I’ll try my best. I promise.” And the memory vanished, as easy as it had
emerged.
The moon
was still high, in all its glory, bathing with its light the long descent, as showing
its travelers the road. Tomoya
could feel the light leaking through his eyelids, turning every idea into a
pink shade that covered everything.
A roaring
sound forced him out of his trance. As soon as he opened his eyes, he got
dazzled by the bright light in front of him. Oh, right. I forgot my safety vest . His body, already numbed
because of the cold, softened the
pain. Near his left ear, the beat of the
engine pistons wove a fast requiem, accompanied by the scratching
sound of several tires trying desperately to avoid the inevitable. Ah. It needs more bass drum.
To be
continued.
0 comments:
Post a Comment