Chapter 1: Unheard Lullaby
Heat melting the surrounding, summer, that's how I would describe. A taste of hell for humanity, a calvary for those who detest the burning sensation that the sun emits. Me and my friends chilling at the arcade, playing a shooting game to kill time. While playing, a guy taller than me, wearing a burning red shirt that has a well-known band logo printed in front, faded black rebel jeans and skater shoes. Groans about the tardiness of our bassist,
"He is always late, I told him several times that we should start practicing at exactly ten..."
he pauses to focus his attention at the game, pulling the trigger repetitively and furiously, with a deadly glare at the enemy he adds,
"...and here we are spending 40 minutes of our lives on a senseless game!"
the clicks sound that comes from the gun cease and with a malicious grin, he stares at the carcass of the final boss of the game that is now lying on the ground, lifeless.
"Dude, relax!..."
I say while patting his shoulder, trying to calm him down,
"...he'll come."
at the same time, I show the message that I've received from the bassist. Yukine Honda, the guy who slain the boss and the lead guitarist of the band. Half japanese, born and raised here in Italy by his grandfather. Yuki sighs as he read the message and drops the gun on the compartment.
"Let's wait for him at my house, tell him..."
he then rubs his stomach to emphasize that he is hungry.
"...I need my onigiri."
I chuckle and nod, I also felt that hunger is slowly exhausting me
"Order some pizza, I got enough of those riceballs."
I say as we are looking for the drummer that is playing pinball at the other angle of the arcade the whole time.
"Seriously, why you guys hate my onigiri? It's one of the well-known dishes in our country."
he responds with a melancholic look.
"Dude, we're in Italy, eat what Romans eat!"
I reply in a sarcastic way. A familiar sound of metals bumping each other can be heard at the corner of the room, a mid-height guy is standing in front of the machinery that keeps him busy, long hair that covers his broad shoulders, on one glance you can say that he is a muscle maniac by those enormous biceps that could explode in a matter of seconds.
"Rob! We're going!"
Yuki whoops while approaching the guy.
"I'll just finish this game, you can go first."
A deep voice comes out form the guy that is playing without looking at Yuki, then I reply with a tempting way,
"We'll order some margherita, you sure?"
He suddenly stops playing as he hears the word margherita; all of a sudden an enormous and brute force lands on our shoulders, the guy that was busy playing is now dragging us out the arcade, a smirk is imprinted on his face.
"Let's move before the food gets cold!"
We started laughing as Roberto Farfalla, the guy who drags us out of the arcade and our drummer sounded like a man who didn't eat for ages.
"Okay, I got it! So please release me or your beloved bandmate will die!"
Yuki yells while choking some words as he tries to breathe.
"If you continue choking us, there won't be any pizza for you!"
I assist as I felt that the air begins to scarce. Fortunately, Rob loosens his grip and lets us down, he begged of apology while I and Yuki were searching for air to breathe. I nod as a sign that I'm fine and alive, while the other one who almost met death, Yukine, bonks Rob's head as he gained air and strength.
Yuki's house is only two blocks away from the arcade, there are also different kinds of stores on the street, from pastries to loaves of bread, from restaurants to fast foods, there is almost everything. Since his house is near a popular tourist spot, of course, different kinds of people come and goes. We almost arrived at his house when we saw a street performer. A guy at his thirtyish I presume, that caught our attention. He plays his violin with so much passion that can carry his audience away. You can find talent everywhere but genuine ones are like wildflowers, rare and hard to find. Yuki pats me and wakes me up from the enchantment, I got carried away that I almost forgot our destination.
"You always daydream, when it comes to music you always have that weird face."
says Rob pointing at me while chuckling. Yuki bonks Rob's head for the second time and starts walking, a squeak slips out of Rob as he was caught off-guard, he winces and rubs the painful part as he follows Yuki.
"If you guys want to stay here and listen to that third rate musician, then I'm leaving. I can't support this hunger any longer."
Says Yuki as he makes way to the crowd. With a tone of resignment, I reply and hurriedly follow their trails.
"Fine, I'm coming... H-hey! Don't leave me!"
The sound of the violin fading on the loud chatters of the people passing by. The sweet melody becomes a traffic noise that is typical and daily in the city, the smell of burnt gas, the stingy sound of the whistle of a traffic enforcer. Everything is normal, overpopulated streets, roaring cars, and restaurants packed with customers, a daily scene in a city. A familiar odor bumps on my nostrils, something oriental, a revigorating smell of incense that are commonly found on japanese restaurants. We stop in front of a modern looking building, signage is hanging on top of the door, it says "Kuroshima Japanese Restaurant". Yuki's grandfather is an owner of one of the ten well known japanese restaurants here in Italy, no wonder why their family is so influential on the neighborhood. The three of us enter the mystic portal of the orient; waiters carrying trays full of dishes walking through the room and serving them while the others are taking the costumer's order. A typical view on rush hours, a female wearing a yukata, a japanese dress for female worn on summer, greets and shows us the way. Yuki, as always, gives the bossy look at the poor waitress, we don't know why he likes to act bossy to those new waitresses, but one thing is sure, his attitude differs when his grandfather is around. As the grandson of an elite family, the family members have high expectations of the next successor. Since he is the only possible to inherit the grandfather's wealth, he is doing his best to surpass the expectation of his grandfather. I was on my deepest thoughts when someone flicked my forehead.
"Ow! ... What the- !"
I wince and glare at whom has the courage to flick me. A familiar laugh tickles my ears, a tall guy appears in front of me, shaggy hair and skin covered with tattoos and piercings.
"Earth calling Dave?! You're obstructing the way, hello?!"
He is making fun of me as he waves his hand in front of my eyes, I instinctively shove his hand away and flick his nose back.
"Next time, don't flick my forehead, you know that it hurts like hell!!"
I grimace and talk to him with furor as I head to Yuki's house that it is located upstairs of this restaurant, the two guys that I was with, disappeared like bubbles, maybe because I was drowned on my mind for too long. The tall guy follows me, covering his nose and complains
"Why my nose dude?!? And sorry if I'm late again. There was something important I needed to attend first."
Both of us climb the staircase leading upstairs to Yuki's house, the walls are decorated with papers that have Japanese symbols and different kinds of ornaments that represent Japan, as we were heading upstairs, I reply to Andrea Mancini, the one who made us wait for 40 minutes in the arcade, the one who had the guts to flick my forehead and our bassist.
"First of all dude, stop being a Casanova, there will be a day when you will be labeled as the worst enemy of the women."
I push the doorbell button that is attached on the wall and a ring can be heard coming through the other side of the door. Then someone inside shouts that it is open, I didn't hesitate and open the door, as it opens the wooden door screeches. Andrea suddenly speaks back as we are entering the room.
"Y'know that you can't blame me, Dave. The girls need me."
He ends the conversation with a malefic chuckle, he was speaking with a proud and mighty tone, as if playing with someone's feeling is fun and a form of entertainment for him. I sigh as Andrea is already sitting beside the two who are busy eating and watching random shown on the television.
"The band is complete, we can rehearse after our lunch break."
I mumble as I head to the beige colored sofa and sit on it. In front of us, there is a plate full of onigiri, a dozen sodas and four extra large boxes of pizza margherita.
"Finally we can practice for the upcoming Battle of the Bands!"
Yuki seems fired up, his aura emits sparks that are visible by the naked eyes. It is overwhelming and at the same time terrifying. Andrea speaks up as he pops up a soda.
"I'll make up with you guys since I recently been absent on our practices."
With a flashy smile he looks at Yuki, he seems sincere. As always, Rob is too busy munching the pizza that he has on his hand. He is a glutton, I always wonder how can he maintain a herculean body with that monstrous appetite. He sits still, unmovable like an iceberg, delightfully enjoying the triangular shaped food. Yuki stares at Andrea with an executioner's look and says
"You really should, or on our next gig you'll be the one who'll carry the band's belongings."
and then he resumes eating the riceballs. Andrea gives a weak nod, a defeated look is depicted on his face. Our bassist, Andrea Mancini, may be the number one playboy in the whole universe, but when it comes to serious matters, he changes into someone that can make impossible things into possible. The lead guitarist, Yukine Honda, maybe the richest and most influential, but he is not a brat and spoiled like other rich kids. The drummer, Roberto Farfalla, maybe a titan and the toughest on looks. But in reality, he's the most kindhearted and most understanding on our band. And me, the vocalist and keyboardist of the band, Dave Ciuffi, I'm the heart and mind of the group. We are different from attitudes and environment where we grew, but we share only one passion, playing music in front of many people. The band Pallid Days might be unknown to the crowd. But we, Andrea, Yukine, Roberto and me, believe in one goal. Our band will be one of the most famous in the whole world. The audience will be screaming our names while playing in front of them. I can already hear their yells
"You're daydreaming again aren't ya?"
shouts one of our fans.
"Wake up! You're drooling all over your food!!"
No, wait! I heard the voice loud and clear now, it wasn't a fan, but Andrea! I snap out of my daydream and fix my composure.
"Ah! Sorry. I got lost on the thoughts of our band being famous."
the pizza that I am holding is now drenched in my own drool. The idea of eating it makes my stomach upside down, I put the food on the empty plate and went to the kitchen sink to wash my hands thoroughly.
"You really love dreaming Dave, that's good. But don't forget to make an action to them, or else it will only become wishes."
says Yuki while tuning his guitar, I can also see Rob on the recording studio that is adjacent to the kitchen, fixing the drumset. Maybe being rich is not that bad. I smile at them while rubbing my hands on a towel to dry it up. Andrea enter the studio and starts rehearsing, Yuki follows and I'm the only one left. Having fellows that share the same passion is a blessing. I start walking towards them, like a long lost sheep who finally found the right path. This ecstatic feeling that makes me high. My bandmates are already waiting for me, the adrenaline rushes inside my veins as I step inside the studio. A long journey of fame that we will travel together. Step by step we will reach the goal. Five different instruments mixing with each other, making an unheard lullaby.
The journey had just started.
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