I'LL FAKE GOD - ID7 (long hiatus)

十四

— Story POV :

The melody was left technicolour-vivid. Memories need something to anchor to—words, communication, notion, people, emotion.

Riku had given Hanemiya words and emotion. Riku gave him a memorable performance, a moment that opened something in the younger boy.

Click. Slam.

The dazed teen snapped his head towards the sliding doors, remembering the exact moment a slant in Hanemiya's mouth appeared, eyes creasing with ardour.

"Ri-chan, you're pretty awesome. That voice of yours is really something."

Blossoms of pink could be seen surrounding the ultramarine, lapis optics. Tear-stained lids blinked avidly at the cherubic face that was shocked at the vision before him.

"H-huh? You heard me sing, Aki-chan?" his eyes widened in embarrassment, "Ahh ... How flimsy I sound, right? A total demon at that."

"What ... Who said that to you? I think you're a seraph type-of-thing, you know? One that would unite people together and come to support your own ideals."

"You ... You think so?"

"Oh. I KNOW SO, Ri-chan! If you know how to utilize it properly, you could practically dominate the aesthetic field of entertainment!"

"I ... I'd rather not, Tenn-nii was taken because of his beautiful voice."

"Tenn-nii? Taken? ... What do you mean?"

The throbbing torment of evocations spurred in his mind, Riku heavily gasped-not wanting to recall the horrifying events.

"Hah ... Aki-chan, I'll tell you. My nii-chan was stolen from me, his voice captured the heart of a despicable man. That very same person deceived him and eventually convinced him to become his new son. He's the main reason I was admitted to the hospital, I'm used to staying here though."

"... What the hell. Why would someone do that?" he gritted his teeth in anger, distaste filled his senses.

"But, what can I do? It's partly my fault, my parents were put into debt because most of their funds went into my hospital treatment, rather than the music studio they owned. They were so busy those years that Tenn-nii was forced to take care of me, he was probably sick of it."

Hands clutched the resting boy, the younger was even stunned at his own movements.

"H-hey! Ri-chan ... Don't think like that. I've only met you today and it makes me sad to see you think like that ..."

Riku's eyes softened and giggled at the statement.

"You really are strange, but that's great. I'm strange like you, hehe."

The boy in the bed started to pet the child that sitting in the chair beside him. The locks got tangled around Riku's fingers, Hanemiya's head subconsciously leaned into the touch-reminding him of his mother.

Whistles and taps replaced the atmosphere, it felt like time had gone by. All in soundless harmony.

Literally, it had been a couple of hours since someone had spoken a single ounce.

His shoulders suddenly tensed, realising what he just did. The boy's face was somewhat pale with a tincture of uttermost peony flowers, pouting with evident incandescent comfort and exhilaration.

"... Hey Aki-chan?"

Hanemiya responded with a hum, now playing with Riku's svelte, mellow fingers.