Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“The grief you hold in your heart, would you like to wish it all away?”

_____________________

For as long as Toya can remember, he has been a caged bird, longing for the skies.

He remembers being 5, being forced to practice at the piano long hours daily in order to ace his upcoming piano examination.
He remembers being 8, begging his father to let him go to the school festival, only to be met with harsh words and even harsher rejection.

Now, he is 16, still stuck in the ever-tightening cage of piano keys and violin strings, and he wonders, what would it be like to be free?

So, the bird strains against the cage, in pursuit of an endless sky, throwing itself against its bars over and over again. But the cage does not relent, as after all, a cage is made of cold metal, and a bird is made of soft flesh.

Again and again, he tries to stand up to his father. Tries to tell him that he doesn’t want to constantly be away for competitions, to tell him that this path wasn’t what he wanted, to tell him that he wishes to experience his own life, but his words fall on deaf ears.

And so, watching the horizon of a place he is never allowed to reach, hearing the eternal grey tones of the music he’s forced to play, Toya breaks. He screams at his father, louder than he thought he was even capable of, and he runs.
He runs along the dimly lit streets, without any thought as to where he is going, just that he needs to escape.

When he finally has it in himself to stop, he finds, panting, that he is in a park overlooking a cliff. A faint wind rustles the leaves on the trees gently, and the light of the full moon casts them in a silver glow. Below, he can see the glaring lights of bustling streets.
And he wonders-

What now?

He’s run away from home, albeit temporarily, but regardless, he has still enraged his father. There is no doubt in him that he will not be welcomed when he returns.
He has escaped to a place far from his cage, yet he is alone and disoriented. The crickets chirp loudly in his ear, a high pitched and uncomfortable noise. He tries to fill his heart with the shining lights illuminating the streets below, but finds it as empty and defeated as ever.

The bird escapes the cage, only to find itself stranded in the middle of a desolate forest, with nothing familiar to call home. In its despair, it sits on the forest floor, staring up at the starry expanse of the sky it once longed to see.

It feels so empty.

What has he achieved by running away? He is now simply an ungrateful failure, who could not endure the gilded cage it lived in.

Perhaps he should have just stayed in his cage.

Pęrhæps hẽ shœůlð hâvę nēvëř ŵįßhèď țǒ bę fřéẽ.

Pẽřħąpş ļįfė ĩțşełf įß ħïş ćæğę, åņď œñļŷ ıņ ďẽäťħ ŵįļł ħę bě fřẽę.

And in the eerily quiet night, Aoyagi Toya stands at the edge of the cliff, and allows himself to plummet.

The next thing Toya knows, something is gripping the back of his shirt, and he is unceremoniously yanked up and back onto safe ground.

“Jeez, that was a close one, wasn’t it?”
A boy stands before him, a grappling hook in his hand that swiftly retracts back into a microphone. He’s wearing an orange-brown cape with light brown leather armor underneath, accentuated by yellows and oranges at the ends of the outfits. A gem as orange as his fiery hair rests on his left chest, attached to the rest of his outfit by a small black chain.

It’s only when he finally takes his eyes off the strangely dressed boy, that he notices with a jolt that his surroundings have changed. Gone are the tall trees of the park, and the glaring lights of the city. Instead, he stands in what seems to be a waterfall in a forest, drawn hastily by a child’s hand with chalk. A grotesque mass resides in the middle of the waterfall, some sort of mysterious brown goop falling off its body and dyeing its clear water an ugly brown-green.

Where is he?
What is that?
And more importantly, what-
What was he about to do?

He opens his mouth to seek answers, but all that comes out is a tiny, confused squeak.
The boy freezes for a second, before replying, “Right, I have to explain this shit, don’t I? I’ll, uh, do it later, but mind if I settle some business first?”
The microphone in his hand crackles to life again, its head opening up to form the claws of the grappling hook once more. He flings it towards a nearby tree, and takes off the ground with agility. The goopy mess roars to life too, somehow, and tries to bombard him with the gloop, which misses the mark almost comically, but burns a deep hole into everything it hits.

The boy dodges the relentless bombardment for a while, until the movements of the mass finally slow, and there is a pause in its attacks. It’s then that he stops, musters his best throwing position, and flings-

A rock.

A rock? An opening finally presents itself and he throws a puny rock? Do either of them have any hope at making it out of this alive?

Toya’s eyes follow the rock as it sails in a smooth arc , and it inches closer to the mass of goop where it is sure to be corroded into nothing. And against all known laws of Physics-

It detonates with the force of a military grade bomb, causing the mass to explode into a million droplets of goo, which promptly disintegrates into nothingness. The chalky landscape slowly phases out, and in its place stands the nightscape of the park.
The boy, in an orange flash of light, changes his outfit to a regular hoodie and pants, before picking up a strange object on the ground and somewhat begrudgingly walking over to him, “So, there’s that, I guess. Any questions?”

Oh, a lot of them. Starting with the most obvious:
“What was that… gloopy thing that you exploded?”

The boy's eyebrows raise slightly, “You could see it?”

“It’s a bit hard to miss.” He replies dryly, letting some of the snark he has when arguing with his father leak into his tone.

“You‘d be surprised.” The boy snorts in amusement, “That was a witch. They’re creatures who spread despair and kill people… or something. And I’m a magical boy, so I get powers and fight them, I guess. I wasn’t really listening to the debrief. ”

“…Right. And, uh, just now, when I… fell off the cliff, that was because of the “witch” thing, right?”

The boy’s lopsided grin falls from his face at that question, and he stares at him with his sharp green eyes before replying, “That witch was a weak one. So it’s incapable of… creating those thoughts, it can only amplify what’s already there.”

Oh.

Toya averts his eyes away from the boy’s intense gaze. A silence falls upon them, causing the crickets’ chirping to return, crescendoing into a high-pitched wail. In spite of how irritating it is, he can’t find it in himself to cut it off.

Because what is he supposed to say to that?

“God, An would be better going about this witch stuff than me. She’s the extravert.” In the end, it’s the boy who breaks the silence first, grumbling to himself, “But, anyways, I’m going to go to a cafe, want to come with?”

“…Okay.”

“Great. I’m Akito, by the way. Shinonome Akito.”

“…Aoyagi Toya.”

_____________________

He is led to a place called Vivid Street, which is lined with bright neon signs from its various bars and cafes. Loud singing emanates from the live houses they pass, accompanied by pounding beats and an electronic backing track. The voices he hears are clearly classically untrained, wavering from the intended tune occasionally in a way that his father would no doubt scoff at, though he personally finds the raw emotion in their inexperienced voices comforting.
The cafe in question is a small establishment by the name of Weekend Garage somewhere in the middle of the street. Its lights are still on, revealing a middle-aged man washing a coffee cup inside. It has a well-decorated but empty interior, most certainly due to the fact that the sign at the door is marked “CLOSED”.

In a truly stunning display of literacy, Shinonome pushes the door open anyways.

The man looks up hearing the creak of the door, but there is no flicker of surprise when he sees Shinonome, “Ah, Akito. I take it that the mission was a success?”

“Yep, I managed to kill the witch really quickly. Aoyagi here was caught up in the fighting, so I brought him here to regain his bearings a little, if you don’t mind.” Shinonome replies, pushing him forward a little to introduce him to the man. He tries his best to muster a smile, hoping to seem polite and friendly.

“I see. Nice to meet you, Aoyagi. The name’s Ken Shiraishi.” The man nods back in greeting, before turning back to Shinonome, “An’s in the back, Akito, in case you were wondering. I assume you’ll have your usual then?”

“Yeah, you know me. Aoyagi, you want anything? Anything from Ken's is good.” Shinonome answers with a grin on his face.

Toya startles a little at the sudden question, not expecting his presence to be acknowledged again. He’s… unfortunately not very experienced with anything offered by cafes, so he ponders if he should just pass on the offer. Then again, would it be considered rude to go into a cafe and not order anything? He doesn’t want to make a bad first impression, so he decided to just stick to something conventional, “I’ll have a black coffee, please.”

No sooner than the words leave his mouth, Shinonome tugs him towards the back of the cafe, ignoring the yelp of surprise he lets out, “Right, now that that’s settled, I’ll introduce you to An. She’s really annoying on a good day, but she also knows more about witches and stuff than I do, so you’ll probably be interested in meeting her.”

Toya is not too sure about that. “Extravert” is a rather concerning title to be called, even if he is childhood friends with Tsukasa, who is probably the loudest person in all of existence.

An, as it turns out, is a girl about their age with long, flowing black hair that fades into dark blue tips. She is wearing an oversized teal and white jacket, with neon green accents at the end. Her amber eyes are focused on a music video that’s playing loudly on her phone, so much so that she doesn’t even notice him and Shinonome approaching.

“Yo, An. Guess who got your dirty business done for you.” She looks up at Shinonome’s words, staring for a moment before a large mischievous smile overtakes her face and she practically leaps forward to greet them.

“Akito! My worst apprentice! You actually beat the witch? Oh, I’m so proud of you~” She raises her hand in a clearly exaggerated motion as if to ruffle Shinonome’s hair, which Shinonome quickly deflects with his hand, hissing like an angry cat.

“An, stop doing that! Also, I told you I’m not your apprentice!”

She gasps in mock offense, “And who was the one who had to save your ass from that really strong witch that one time? Surely after that, I get mentor rights! Also, who’s the new guy?”

“Some guy I saved from the witch. Brought him here to recuperate and stuff. Name’s Aoyagi Toya. Aoyagi, this is Shiraishi An.” Shinonome replies grumpily. At this, Toya politely waves a little, trying to ignore the way that Shiraishi’s eyes are narrowed and trained on him.

“Speaking of which,” Shinonome continues, mich to Toya’s relief, “Was that the Miku song I introduced to you last week?”

“Sure is! I’m trying to improve my singing for this part of the chorus, but it’s really fast.” She replays the part of the song in question for them to listen. The melody itself is quite simple, but for some reason, the producer saw fit to not only make the tempo absurdly quick, but also add some ornamentation on some of the notes. Truly, his heart goes out for Shiraishi and any others attempting to sing this song.

Shinonome perks up upon hearing the part, “I’ve actually been practicing this part for a bit, do you mind if I try?”

Shiraishi nods in response, slightly raising her eyebrows in interest.

There’s a pause, and then Shinonome breaks out into song.

His voice definitely shares some of the flaws the other singers he heard earlier has, wavering slightly on the long notes and sometimes with a little too much air. He also misses a few of the difficult notes and ornaments rather obviously. But more than anything, it carries a rich timbre to it, akin to the warm oranges of sunset, with unspoken feelings palpable through its tone.

It may not be perfect, but it feels full.

When Shinonome ends, Shiraishi looks suitably impressed, clapping for the performance with vigour. Should Toya say something as well? He’s a stranger in this conversation, after all. Then again, it would be considered polite to praise someone after a performance, would it not?

Toya opens his mouth to give his praise. Instead, what comes out is-
“Shinonome, you missed the slight appoggiatura on verse 2 of the chorus.”

He blinks. That was not what he wanted to start off with at all.

“Ah, I’m sorry, that was rude of me. Rest assured, I did find your singing very pleasant- ”

Shiraishi drowns out the rest of his statement in laughter, loud and raucous, like bright cyan paint splattered on a dark canvas, “That’s the first thing you say after coming here!? Man, Akito, where’d you find this dude?”

“I already told you, while I was fighting the witch. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, he’s probably right about me missing the appo-somethings.” Shinonome looks like he just swallowed a lemon, which makes Toya feel even worse.

“Again, I’m so sorry about what I said. Your singing is very beautiful.”

“Eh, don’t sweat it. It's a little hard to have a brain to mouth filter after almost dying, I’d say.”

Ken chooses to serve their orders at the exact moment, and he spends the rest of the time observing Shinonome and Shiraishi converse (bicker?) while sipping his black coffee.

(If Toya played the song Shinonome was singing on loop when he returned home, then that’s for only him to know.)
_____________________

The next day, he decides to run off to Weekend Garage first thing in the morning, mainly because his father wants him to practice even more to make up for running away yesterday, but also because Ken’s coffee is really good.

To his surprise, when he opens the (now actually open) cafe’s doors, he’s greeted by none other than Shinonome, sitting at the first table of the cafe and enjoying a stack of pancakes.

As luck would have it, Shinonome recognises him almost immediately too, waving to him in greeting, which he responds to awkwardly. After that, he wanders around in search of a free table, but is somehow met with none. He decides to buy a coffee first and wait for a seat, but no one leaves during that time either.

Oh well, Plan B, he supposes.

He walks up to Shinonome, and says a simple, “…Hey”, because he is Aoyagi Toya, master of starting conversations and definitely not a child deprived of social interaction and whose only friends are a boy who can scream louder than 10 rubber chickens combined and his sister who has been in the hospital for who knows how long.

“Oh, hey, Aoyagi. What’s up?” Is Shinonome’s reply, which is already 5 more words than what he mentally prepared for. Social interaction is going great, yup.

His throat feels dry, but he continues speaking, “Can I… sit here too?”

“Be my guest. No seats, I take it?” He nods in response to Shinonome’s question, “Yeah, today’s a surprisingly busy day for Ken. Maybe because it’s a holiday.”

“It’s a holiday?”

Shinonome’s eyebrows raise, unimpressed, “There’s literally no school today, what did you think?”

“I’m starting school in a month. I got permission to not go for a while because I just came back from an overseas competition.” The piano competition is technically still ongoing, but he was already eliminated because of his lackluster performance. Shinonome doesn’t need to know that, though.

“Oh. Which school do you go to, though?”

“Kamikou.”

“Hey, I go there too! Never seen you around before though.”

“That’s… probably because I’m always away for classical music competitions, sorry.”

“What’re you apologising for? That’s really cool, dude!”

Toya spends the rest of the morning talking to Shinonome, who treats him surprisingly well considering his bickering with Shiraishi yesterday.

At some point, they both finish their food, and Shinonome stands up to leave.

“So, um, where are you going now?”

“Just gonna go sing on the streets a little. Me and An both like doing that when we’re free.”

Oh. That certainly explains how good Shinonome’s singing was yesterday. He’d fallen asleep with its vibrant orange tones in mind yesterday, akin to the caress of warm sunshine in an eternal winter. Vaguely, Toya wonders what his father would think of Shinonome, whose lively music was a far departure from the dignified tones of classical music he practically worshipped.

Probably nothing good, Toya decides. But since he already ran away twice, then the more he spites his father, the better, right?

“…Mind if I join you?”

Shinonome blinks, surprised, “Sure?”

_____________________

“I think this would be a good place to sing.” Shinonome says about five minutes after what was basically a glorified walk down Vivid Street.

“This place?” Toya questions mildly, “There’s a PA to play the backing track, sure, but there’s no microphone, how are you going to si- ”

The tacky orange and brown microphone from yesterday manifests in Shinonome’s hand. Right, that was a thing, wasn’t it? Toya had half-convinced himself he had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms or something.

“Oh.” He says dumbly in response, much to the chagrin of the great physicians of the past watching their life’s work get debunked.

Shinonome snickers at the blank expression on his face, then collects himself, gripping the microphone tightly in order to focus-

-and starts singing.

He starts on a single C, voice slightly warbling in uncertainty in a way that can be heard clearly through the extremely unscientific amplification of the (unplugged) microphone. Though he recovers from the mistake perfectly fine, the damage is already done, as the passer-bys move on after glancing at him once. Shinonome’s eyes fall briefly in disappointment upon seeing this, but his voice doesn’t waver at all.

The song is undoubtedly the one he sang yesterday in Weekend Garage, complete with the same flawed but orange warmth in his voice.

Yet still, a crowd refuses to gather at his beckoning, with the singing having only invited a few stragglers to stand and nod along.

What a pity, Toya wonders to himself, the sun itself has come out to share its light, and yet no one is around to bask in it.

Though, would it be possible for him to help to reflect it anew?

It’s foolish, Toya knows. He only has skills accumulated from years of grueling hours playing the piano, with nowhere near the same emotions in his voice as Shinonome and no training with regards to singing. But he wants to, just for a moment, experience the sprawling world of street music his father had never let him explore.

So, impulsively, Toya starts singing.

His voice is too mellow to be audible to the few audience with the microphone as competition, but Shinonome clearly hears it, as his eyes dart over briefly in surprise.
He wonders nervously if he’s distracting Shinonome from his singing. Would this kind of behaviour be rude in street music? Is his singing so atrocious that Shinonome can’t concentrate?

He’s brought out of his thoughts by Shinonome throwing an orange and brown microphone in his direction, causing him to scramble to catch it. He stares at it for a moment uncomprehendingly, before realising-

Oh.

It’s an invitation to sing with him.

And so, the boy who ran away takes a deep breath, and pours his heart out through song.

His voice sounds nothing like Shinonome’s, apathetic despite his best efforts, like the monotone colours of piano keys. Yet, it melds together with Shinonome’s voice, like the moon reflecting the rays of the sun, and though it’s not perfect, he finds that the greys of his voice serve to make Shinonome’s pop more.

More people are starting to gather around, he vaguely notes to himself as he tries to keep pace with Shinonome. A few are tapping along to the strong beat of the song enthusiastically, which his heart leaps in satisfaction at.

And finally, they approach the end of the song. The climax. The “make it or break it” moment, in a sense.

Shinonome locks eyes with him, and with vigour-

They sing the last line at the same time, ending on an intense high note that they hold as the instrumental ending plays in the background. And Toya notes, for the first time, that the music he makes has transitioned to a dark blue.

The crowd around them bursts into applause and cheers, but he can barely hear it over his own pounding heartbeat.

Is this what it feels like to be free?

Distantly, he hears Shinonome telling the crowd that they’re done singing (Weird, isn’t busking typically longer than this?), and then unceremoniously drag him into a back alley.

“Dude, where’d you get a voice like that? I didn’t know you could sing so well!” Shinonome exclaims once they’re out of earshot, a broad grin spread across his face.

“I- I’m not quite sure myself. I suppose I have been learning music for a really long time, though.” He replies, unsure, “It was really fun though. I’ve never really sang before.”

“Dude, that kind of talent, and you don’t even use it? What a waste.” Shinonome shakes him by the shoulder lightly, “But if you had fun, then how about this?”

Shinonome’s hand extends towards him.

“Do you want to try singing together a little?”

The bird flies with the nightingale into the night sky, and as they reach the stars once out of reach, they realise that they are finally free.

“I would love to.”

Chapter Text

“Of course! Any wish you want can be yours, even the most fantastical of desires.”

_____________________

Over the next week or so, Toya’s life gains a schedule separate from his father’s control.

He wakes up, goes to Ken’s for a bit of morning coffee, then goes to the nearby CD shop to check out a few of Shinonome’s recommendations.

Around the time when Shinonome gets released from Kamikou, he waits for him by the school gates. Once Shinonome meets him by the gate, they go to Vivid Street together to practice together. They then go to Weekend Garage to buy something and converse with Shiraishi, which is something he has come to look forward to.

“Man, I can’t believe you got yourself a partner before me, Akito!” Shiraishi had commented after Shinonome brought him to the cafe to inform her of the news.

“It’s not decided yet. I still need to see if our voices are compatible. For all I know, the one we sang earlier was a fluke.” Shinonome had replied, causing Shiraishi to chuckle.

“You have such high standards for your partner, Akito~”

“Oi, as if you aren’t even more particular. And don’t think I don’t know how many people have offered!”

Their banter starts anew, until Ken comes over to mediate.

Shinonome and Shiraishi’s dynamic is nothing short of confusing, loud and boisterous like Tsukasa and Saki, but also with a hinge of competitiveness he doesn’t quite know what to make of. Ken smiles and calls it a “friendship” when he asks, while both Shinonome and Shiraishi insist that it’s a “rivalry”.

Around evening time, Weekend Garage closes and both Shiraishi and Shinonome go off for “witch hunting”. Toya returns home to whatever disapproving words his father has for that day.

It’s a simple monotony, like a music scale droning in the background, yet as he passes the piano on the way to his room, Toya finds that he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“What do you say about joining a battle event?”

Surprisingly, it’s Shinonome who breaks this monotony, when he brings up the prospect of enrolling into an event a week into their tentative partnership.

“A battle event? Why?” He responds, unsure how to react to the sheer excitement in Shinonome’s voice.

“With how competitive this place gets, the sooner we carve a name for ourselves here, the better.” Shinonome answers almost immediately. Toya can’t deny the truth of his words - he’s been to a battle event only once, at Shinonome’s and Shiraishi’s insistence. While the event still retained the friendliness of the rest of Vivid Street, he could also feel the weight of the various performers in their cut-throat scramble to win.

Shiraishi, eavesdropping as always, chimes in, “All for surpassing RAD WEEKEND, of course.”

“Absolutely.” Shinonome actually agrees with Shiraishi for once, which only serves to confuse Toya. He’s not sure if he heard right, but is Shinonome really trying to surpass the two best days of the week?

His confusion must have made its way onto his face for once, because Shinonome explains, “It’s this legendary event that Ken put up a long time ago. It was the talk of the street for weeks. That’s why, for both me and An, we’ve made it our greatest goal to put on something so good, we can dethrone it!”

“I see.” He says, admiring the way Shinonome’s eyes glitter enthusiastically as he says those words. His voice carries what he can only describe as passion, like a blazing fire in a pitch black night.

It makes him wonder, has he even been like that?

Perhaps he did, a long time ago, too small to be capable of reaching the piano keys, yet enamoured by the beautiful melodies at his father’s fingertips.

Perhaps he did, when, a little older, he was finally able to play the piano for the first time, hands pressing down the keys amateurishly yet alight in childish glee as he heard the sounds they made.

But eventually, classical music had become his cage, no longer an exciting dream, but instead a never-ending nightmare. He had wished to be free, but now that he is, he finds himself wandering aimlessly, as if hoping that street music can give him something worth caring for.

To be as dedicated to something as Shinonome and Shiraishi… it’s truly respectable, he notes with a twinge of jealousy.

“I’m alright with joining the battle event.” He tells Shinonome, if only to feel the unwavering resolve of the other’s dream once more.

_____________________

Practice for the battle event goes about as well as his last piano competition - which is to say, not at all.

It’s not that the notes are incorrect or anything, Toya is a hundred percent sure that his pitch is correct - Shiraishi had even pulled out a vocal pitch monitoring app on her phone to check at his request. The main problem lay in the fact that his voice-

“Honestly sounds more robotic than the synthesiser software singing the song, no offense.” Shiraishi comments as he and Shinonome finish another run-through of the song, head resting lazily on her hands as she enjoys their collective suffering. Shinonome had requested Ken to let them use the empty cafe to practice for a while longer before setting off to hunt witches for the night, and Shiraishi had been curious enough to pop in and listen.

“I’ll try to practice my section again.” He grits his teeth in frustration and answers. The song is bright and upbeat, a perfect fit for Shinonome’s powerful voice, but a stark contrast to his own. He’s painfully aware that the notes he sings, while accurate, feel like nothing more than a mess of greys and blacks - not even the dark blue tones that had showed up in his voice the other day had made any sign of returning.

He’s not surprised, honestly. Even in classical music, dynamics were something that he struggled horrendously with, much to his father’s chagrin. He had lost countless hours of sleep trying to perfect the emotions of pieces captured in the little symbols written on the sheets.

He remembers his father pointing, eyes filled to the brim with disappointment, at the piece he was playing for a competition, asking in a voice as sharp as a needle, “Toya, what dynamic is written here?”

“F- fortissimo.”

“Then play it like it’s written. Again.”

Once again, Toya goes through his parts of the song. He tries his best to infuse some of the energy he so desperately needs into his voice, but again, he looks up and is met with Shinonome’s grimace and a slight shake of Shiraishi’s head.

“Incorrect. Play it again.”

He tries again. Nothing changes.

“You keep hesitating. Start over.”

And again.

“You’re not going to sleep until you get this part down, Toya.”

Agai-

“O~kay!” Shiraishi slams her hands on the table before he can begin another attempt, “This clearly isn’t working.”

“No shit.” Shinonome snorts, though there isn’t any actual heat in his voice.

Shiraishi shoots him an unappreciative stare before continuing, “Maybe it’d be better if we used an analogy to explain how you should sing! Akito, what do you think?”

“Me?” Shinonome pauses to think for a second, “I’d say the song’s like an arcade. Loud and fast-paced, but also playful, if you know what I mean.”

There’s a long silence, and all Toya can think to say is, “Those exist?”

Shiraishi instantly chokes on nothing, before devolving into a fit of coughs. Shinonome’s mouth drops open as well, whipping around to stare at him with what can only be described as pure shock.

“What do you mean, “those exist?”? Have you never been to an arcade before?” Shinonone yells after a short, but very awkward pause.

“I mean, I’ve read about them? My father never allowed me to go to one before, though. He claimed that it was a waste of time that would be better spent practicing the piano or violin.” He replies truthfully, but regrets it when both Shiraishi and Shinonome’s expressions sour instantly.

“That’s it. We’re remedying this crime against humanity immediately.” Shiraishi states, face hardening to once of scarily unexplained determination. Shinonome agrees as well, rising from his seat and beckoning Toya to follow.

“I- but what about practice?”

“Practice can wait, just for today.”

_____________________

The arcade is… a lot.

Every bit of its interior is lined with some sort of game, from claw machines to fighter games, all flashing and beeping and playing some sort of electronic jingle.

It’s just as loud as Shinonome described, but not in an uncomfortable or chafing manner. He feels almost drawn to it, childishly.

“Here we are.” Shinonome announces, “What do you want to try first?”

What does he want to try first? Every machine is demanding his attention, neon lights flashing brightly at regular intervals. Yet, what he finds most intriguing are the assortment of star plushies, sitting enticingly at the bottom of a claw machine.

Wordlessly, he points towards the machine, before heading towards the coin exchange area.

“A claw machine? Aoyagi, I gotta warn you, those are practically scams, with how hard they are to win-”

He wins the claw machine on his second attempt, to the shock of the two singers watching him.

Twin stares of amazement transfix upon the little yellow star in his hands, “How did you…”

“It’s really not that hard. You just have to calculate the angle you’re grabbing it from, and manipulate the claw into that position.” He replies, feeling a small smile form on his face.

It’s at this moment that a stranger shoves past them with an uncoordinated, shambling gait, almost as if drunk, but without the stench of alcohol. There’s a fæințly głoŵinğ mąrk on his neck, resembling a black tattoo of a CD, with strange inscriptions written at the bottom.

Shinonome and Shiraishi both stiffen at the sight immediately, with Shinonome yanking him away from where the man was heading abruptly, motioning towards the back of the arcade.

The customers of the arcade shuffle, zombie-like, towards a ląrğe gľoŵįng marķ near the money exchange counter. On each and every one of their necks, is the same strange black tattoo from before.

“Witch. A strong one.” Shinonome hisses in explanation.

“A witch? The same kind of thing from when we met?” He asks nervously, watching the customers slowly disappear into the ląrġe ğløwiņg mařk, “We should probably snap them out of it, like you did with me, right?”

Shinonome shakes his head, “Too many. It’d be more efficient to just kill the witch.”

“Besides,” Shiraishi adds tersely, “Only those capable of contracting to become magical girls and boys can see witches.”

Only those capable of contracting? But he could see the witch perfectly the other day.

Did that mean that he-

“I can become a magical boy?” He questions disbelievingly.

“Yes, you can. In return for becoming a magical boy, Kyubey will grant you any wish you desire.” Shiraishi explains.

“But we’re wasting too much time. We need to kill the witch.”

And in a flash of cyan and orange light, they change outfits. Shiraishi also tosses him a spiked bat, light yellow in colour with cyan accents.

“If you’re considering contracting, it would help to get some first-hand experience first.” She elaborated in response to his questioning gaze. She turns to Shinonome with a nod, and they head towards the sțrångę mąrk, as he wordlessly follows.

And in a second, tħe wœrļd cħaņgěs.

_____________________

The scenes of the arcade melt away, giving way to a dilapidated rooftop, not too dissimilar from the one he remembers seeing at school. Overhead, the flashing neon lights transition into a beautifully oil-painted starry landscape, the stars twinkling in a way that would never be possible in this part of the city. Yet, in the middle of the night sky, a behemoth stands. Its head looks reminiscent of a record player, weathered over the years. It’s tied to the rest of the body with strings arranged in a similar fashion as that of an instrument. The rest of its body is barely visible, due to the mess of photographs that have been attached to it, seemingly covering every nook and cranny of its body.

It stands completely still under that night sky, record player slightly tilted up, almost as if it's enjoying the stars.

“Is that the witch?” He asks softly, earning a tense nod in response. At the slight noise, the record player tilts down and towards them with a loud metallic screech.

The screech echoes loudly throughout the labyrinth, and all of a sudden, the night sky cracks and falls.

“Get away!” Shinonome screams, using his grappling hook to pull himself away from the danger zone. Shiraishi also sets into motion, using two spiked bats to deflect the falling debris.

When the onslaught of debris eventually stops, however, shadowy figures with cracked stars for heads start crawling out of the ground instead. They stagger slowly to their full height, towering above all of them, and leap forward, dark claws forming and outstretched, with a mournful cry.

“The witch’s familiars!” Shiraishi yells out, cyan and pink skirt swaying as she barely dodges the swiping hands of the fallen stars, summoning another bat and throwing it to Shinonome, “Try to avoid them for now, we’ll attack when an opening presents itself!”

Toya’s hands tremble as he grips the bat tightly, cowering the stairway of the school’s roof. Even from afar, the claws of the familiars seemed as sharp as knives, capable of slicing through skin like butter. To fight such creatures on a daily basis… what a tremendous amount of resolve that would take.

Lost in thought, he fails to notice that a familiar is heading towards him. It’s only when he looks up, that he realises that all he can see are shadowy claws, poised towards his neck-

“Look out!” What could have almost certainly been his demise is intercepted by a flash of orange, as Shinonome dashes in front of him, left arm held up to block the blow. The claws rake through his arm mercilessly, leaving a deep gash that blood pours out from, causing Shinonome to gasp in pain.

“Akito!” Shiraishi calls out, concerned, “Aoyagi, get him somewhere safe, I’ll cause a distraction for you!” No sooner do the words leave her mouth than carbon copies of him and Shinonome appear in a stunning light display, causing the familiars to leap towards the clones instead.

Illusions, he realises as he half-carries Shinonome down the stairwell, hand pressed on the gash in hopes of staunching the blood flow. Outside, Shiraishi smashes through the familiars with ease, using bright light displays and the occasional illusion to distract any large groups of familiars.

When the number of familiars finally dwindles, Shiraishi turns her attention to the witch in the middle of the labyrinth, leaping up and striking it over the head with her spiked bats.

“Akito, now!” She calls out to them, before jumping out of the way. With his one good arm, Shinonome pulls out a rock, and throws it at the witch.

The resounding force of the explosion shakes the labyrinth, shattering the record player of the witch into a million metallic shards. And just as abruptly as the fight began, the labyrinth melts back into reality, leaving nothing but a small object lying on the ground where the witch once was.

_____________________

”Akito!” The very first thing Shiraishi does upon defeating the witch is to rush to Shinonome’s side, inspecting the wound on his arm, “Shit, that looks bad.”

“I’m sorry,” Toya apologises meekly, “It’s my fault he got hurt.”

And as much as he hated to admit it, Toya knew his words were right. He was the reason they had been at the arcade where the witch was in the first place, and only served to further exacerbate the problem by needing to be saved by Shinonome, because he lacked the courage and skill to fight for himself.

“Don’t be.” Shinonome replies easily, using his one good arm to pat him on the back, “We heal fast. I bet by tomorrow this gash will barely be noticeable.”

Better to have no injury than one that fades fast.

“Would it be safer for the two of you if I contracted as well?” He asks, voice barely rising above a whisper, and for a long time, there’s a silence, only interrupted by the beeps of the arcade machines.

“You have a choice. Don’t squander it so hastily, Toya.” Shinonome tells him quietly.

“I see.” He replies, “Thank you… Akito.”

And almost traitorously, he finds himself feeling relief at Shinonome’s- no, Akito’s, words, finding comfort in the fact that he does not have to put his life on the line against such eldritch abominations, even as Shiraishi and Akito fight courageously before him.

On that day, Toya Aoyagi learns that he is nothing but a half-hearted fool.

_____________________

The battle event comes and goes. While Toya manages to get his part down just fine, they just narrowly miss winning the event.

Akito’s arm heals so well that no one can tell a wound was there in the first place.

He goes back to school, and gets tackled to the floor in a hug by Tsukasa on his first day.

His schedule changes yet again, this time into a chromatic scale, formulaic yet exciting.

The seed of worry he has at his own half-heartedness gradually disappears.

That seed comes back all at once, when a month later, Shiraishi pushes a mousy brown-haired girl towards him and Akito.

“Kohane here is my new partner!”

Chapter Text

“That is, if you can shoulder the weight of becoming a magical boy.”

_____________________

Azusawa Kohane is a strange sight to see in Vivid Street.

Her stature is shorter than average, with her sandy blonde hair tied into low, limply hanging pigtails. Her large eyes are a soft, light brown, framed by a large pair of square glasses. She’s wearing the muted uniform of her school while slightly cowering behind the unapologetically brightly dressed An.

All in all, she gives off the impression of a very small, very scared hamster who just wandered out of its cage for the first time. Which seems accurate enough, given the amount of stutters she has when introducing herself to them for the first time.

“So, Azusawa, where have you performed before?” Akito asks Azusawa, the sickeningly polite smile that he uses when he meets new people plastered on his face. She seemed not to notice how fake it was, though to be fair, Toya himself had only found out after watching that smile fade about 5 seconds after trying to introduce Akito to Tsukasa. (It did not go well, unfortunately.)

Azusawa, startled by the sudden question, stammered a little before answering, “Oh, I’ve never performed anywhere before. I’ve only sang in music class, really…”

“What?” Out of the corner of his eye, Toya sees Akito’s hands curl into a fist for a split second, which he has enough common sense to know is never a good sign. He sincerely hopes Akito has enough sense not to throw hands in Weekend Garage, because he has learnt in the past month that Shiraishi is stronger than Akito, and looks perfectly beat him up if he even thinks of punching her new partner.

To his immense relief, Shiraishi does not notice the fist, instead turning to Azusawa in amazement, “No experience performing and you can still sing that well? That’s amazing, Kohane!”

Akito’s eye twitches.

“And you can even contract to become a magical girl! When that time comes, I’m sure you can surpass Akito here in strength in no time!” Shiraishi continues, and Azusawa shies away slightly with a small blush on her face.

He tries to give Azusawa a word of encouragement as well, but Akito cuts in before he can get a word out, “If you’re partnering with Shiraishi, then I’ve got an idea. How would you two like to be part of an upcoming event?”

An event? The only one Toya knows of is the one that they’re participating in three days’ time. While he was informed that they were still open to entries, it was… uncharacteristic of Akito to hand out an invitation so suddenly, to someone he just met.

He curiously peeks over at Akito, only to see a small smirk on his face.

He knows enough to know that that smirk meant nothing good.

_____________________

“Akito!” Toya calls out, chasing after him as they leave Weekend Garage and head for home. After extending the invitation that Shiraishi had enthusiastically accepted, Akito had been uncharacteristically frustrated, walking ahead while seemingly mulling over something.

He halts when he reaches the boy, asking tentatively, “What was that all about, Akito? Why did you invite them out of the blue like that?”

Akito hunches his shoulders silently, before abruptly asking, “Did you know I played soccer until I started junior high?”

“I- No.” He’d learnt a lot about Akito over the past month, but they had never chanced upon the topic of his past.

“I had quickly become the best on my team because of my skills, but I was never really into it. But then we faced off against a nationally ranked team, and you know what I realised?”

He shakes his head in response, staring silently.

“Those who have their eyes on a goal are on a completely different level. They’re willing to sacrifice anything- no, everything to work towards their goal. And seeing RAD WEEKEND, it was the first time I felt like I’d found something I could sacrifice everything for, y’know?”

Akito slowly turns around to face him, eyes blazing in a way that reminded Toya of how he always talked about RAD WEEKEND, expression bordering something like pure reverence and determination.

He wonders if he’s ever looked like that himself.

“I’d always thought that An was that way too. She never talked much about it, but it’s pretty obvious that it’s what keeps her fighting as a magical girl. And yet, here she is, teaming up with a complete amateur! There’s no way she can surpass that night with some timid, half-hearted noob like that.”

He tries his best not to let his emotions leak onto his face upon hearing Akito’s words, something that he’d never had an issue with before running away, but can’t help but direct his eyes downwards, heart sinking like a bag of rocks.

After all, wasn’t he just as timid and half-hearted as Akito described Azusawa?

A month had gone by since he’d found out that he could contract with the creature named Kyubey, and yet, in that time, he had never worked up the courage to make a wish. He’d accompanied Akito as he hunted witches, watched him defeat it with gashes and scrapes all over his body, and yet he had never thought to wish, instead choosing to stand at a side out of nothing but fear.

He’d never chosen street music out of passion, instead choosing to follow Akito blindly, latching onto his dream out of spite towards his father and an overwhelmingly selfish need to escape from his cage of classical music. And yet, Akito had fully accepted him as a partner after attending the battle event with him, despite his lack of experience in anything but piano and music.

Weakly, he tries to argue, “Akito, don’t you think it’s a bit too early to assume they’re only doing this half-heartedly?”

“Did you even see that girl? She said she only ever sang in music class. Someone like that doesn’t even deserve to use RAD WEEKEND’s name.”

His heart sinks further.

“…I mean, I didn’t have any experience singing before this either.”

“Which is why we had to try things out at first! But An, you have no idea how many people have offered to be her partner. Every time it happens, she would reject them! And then, this girl shows up out of nowhere, and without thinking, she just- “

Akito buries his face into his hands and groans, “It’s just, with a partner like her, she’ll never be able to achieve her dream.”

The rest of the walk home is filled with a tense silence that hadn’t been there since the witch battle a month ago. Their footsteps echo loudly in the empty streets, each thunk reverberating in Toya’s head as he mulls over Akito’s words.

In the end, what’s the difference between Kohane Azusawa and Toya Aoyagi?

What sets one coward apart from the other?

_____________________

Ignorant to the dread building in Toya’s chest, the day of the battle event creeps up like a predator hunting its prey.

Akito had been anticipating the day’s arrival, something about “overwhelming Azusawa with their performance and making her realise she didn’t have what it takes”. This was definitely an unhealthy mindset to go into a competition with, but he chooses to say nothing.

As per arrangement, they go first, finishing their performance amid loud cheers and raucous applause. As they walk offstage, Akito flashes him a wide grin, and they walk into the spectator’s area to watch Shiraishi and Azusawa, who had christened themselves the “Vivids”, perform.

Azusawa is surprisingly really good, for someone new to performing. Her voice, while shaky and slightly fearful, is pleasant to the ear. It’s soft and sweet, befitting of her general demeanour, but can be powerful and energetic enough if she wills it. Personally, it reminds him of flowers blooming in spring, blown gently by the breeze.

Before he knows it, he’s enamoured by the Vivids’ singing, and Akito even nods a little in approval. The audience is also cheering enthusiastically, and he knows that winning this event might be close-

And then the lights overhead go dark, and the backing track dies out abruptly, throwing everything into chaos.

“Did the electricity cut out? At a time like this?” He hears Akito say beside him.

Azusawa and Shiraishi stop singing the moment they realise what’s happening, glancing around with apprehension. Azusawa’s shaking intensifies, and she stands onstage, paralysed in fear by the sudden turn of events. Shiraishi, on the other hand, grits her teeth and continues singing, despite the lack of anything to project her voice with.

“This is weird. Let’s go investigate, Toya.” Akito says, pulling him out of the building.

In the end, the power trip turned out to be due to human intervention, specifically one of Akito’s acquaintances, by the name of Mita Kotaro. He had been… enthusiastic, to say the least, about the whole “crush the Vivids in the battle event” plan.

“What were you thinking?” Akito pushes Kotaro against a wall in barely contained rage, no doubt angered by the underhanded tactics he had used to disrupt the performance. While Toya agrees that such an act should have been stopped as according to Mill’s Harm Principle, it was other-regarding and caused harm to the Vivids, he also acknowledges the “crush” was a very vague term to use and resulted in what could frankly be described as a very pointless misunderstanding.

“I’m helping you!” Kotaro protests, “I thought you said you were going to crush them!”

If anything, Akito’s anger intensifies, his fist clenched into tight balls. For a brief moment, Toya wonders if he’s actually going to punch Kotaro, before-

“What’s this, Akito? You two were the ones who were behind this?” A chill runs down his spine as he turns around to face Shiraishi, dressed in her full magical girl outfit, spiked bat out and pointed directly towards them. Azusawa hides nervously behind her, staring in disbelief at the three of them.

In that moment, the world is silent, as if everything had come to a complete stop.

Akito looks shocked at first, but composes himself, chuckling slightly and finally breaking the silence, “Yeah, and so what if we were?”

“…Akito?” He whips around to stare in shock.

“You two clearly don’t have what it takes to surpass RAD WEEKEND. I mean, just look at Azusawa. One minor disruption and she’s there, shaking in fear. This is the girl you want to train as a magical girl, An? Seriously?”

Azusawa flinches at the harsh words, eyes widening in shock and fear. Toya looks away, pretending those words didn’t feel like needles piercing into his own heart.

Stand up for us, he wants to yell at Azusawa. Tell him we’re not half-hearted cowards afraid to commit. Please.

Instead, Azusawa runs away.

Like he did when things were too much to handle. Like the cowardly beings that they were.

“Kohane!” Shiraishi yells in shock, before abruptly swinging her bat towards Akito. When he dodges, she promptly kicks him into a wall, “Don’t you dare show your face at Weekend Garage again. Same goes for you, Aoyagi.”

And with that, she stalks off, leaving nothing but a whirling mass of disappointment and unease in Toya.

_____________________

Against all odds, Kohane Azusawa appears a week later, singing with An at a battle event.

She’s clearly changed in that week’s time. Her hair is now tied into high pigtails, and topped with a white cap. She’s stopped wearing glasses, presumably in an effort to look more cool.

The biggest change of all, however, was that a strange ring was now present on her finger, with a little pink gem embedded in the middle.

“She’s made her contract.” Akito tells him, nodding along to the singing with an expression of approval on her face.

“How can you tell?” He asks, ignoring the unease tearing away at his chest at the statement.

“The ring. That’s where her soul gem is.” Akito answers easily, “She’s made her choice to stay. It’s good to know she’s finally found her resolve.”

Upon that statement, the unease in his chest morphs into something else, a potent emotion eating away at his insides.

Hatred, he realises. He hates that Azusawa has made up her mind and found a dream to work for, while he’s still stuck here, dragging Akito down with him into the dirt. He hates that he can’t find the courage to make a wish, despite spending so much time beside Akito.

What’s the difference between Azusawa Kohane and Aoyagi Toya?

The difference is that Azusawa Kohane is a girl who has found her footing, while Aoyagi Toya is a coward who’s too afraid to commit.

_____________________

“Why are you even pursuing this?” His father asks him when he goes home, “Street music is nothing but meaningless noise.”

I don’t know, he thinks. I’ve never known. I’ve only ever clung to someone, hoping to share even a fraction of their dreams, until there’s nothing left to cling to. Pathetic, isn’t it?

_____________________

He needs to leave.

_____________________

“I can’t perform with you anymore.” He tells Akito a day after.

Akito’s face quickly morphs into one of vague amusement, “Toya, you know you’re no good at jokes.”

“I’m being serious.” He tells him.

This is the most serious decision I could ever make, he thinks.

“Did your old man say something again? You know he’s full of shit- ”

“This is my decision.” His heart threatens to break into a million tiny pieces as he enunciates those words, watching Akito’s expression turn into confusion and anger.

It’s for his own good.

He forces himself to continue, “Our kind of music doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a bunch of kids making some noise.”

“Are you being serious right now?” Akito’s voice is low and dangerous, the orange hues he’d gotten used to now bordering a stormy black.

He doesn’t need to understand. He just needs to be free of me.

“You’re the one who said I wasn’t good at making jokes.”

Go, he pleads silently, Go, before my heart shatters and I change my mind.

“That’s going too far. Our music has no meaning? I won’t take that, even from you, Toya!” Akito was shorter than him, but in that moment, it was as if the boy towered over him, hands gripping his arm tightly, “What are you going to do if you quit anyways? Go crawling back and let your dad control you again after you told me how much you hated things? How is that any more meaningful?”

He’s still clinging. Why is he clinging? Why is he staying?

“…Let go of me.” He forces his arm out of Akito’s grip.

“Get back here! This conversation isn’t over, Toya!”

He needs to leave. I need to make him leave.

He turns around, and chokes out, “Don’t you think it’s time you grew up and stopped chasing after some tiny event that no one’s even heard of outside of this town?”

Akito’s expression fully darkens, opening his mouth to scream something at him, but Toya can’t hear it over the frantic thumping of his own heartbeat.

The next thing Toya knows, he’s alone in the middle of a street with a stinging pain on his cheek and a shattered heart.

_____________________

He did it.

_____________________

His life is empty again, he realises, and it hurts.

It hurts knowing what it feels like to be free, and knowing that he can’t go back.

…

He’s ruminating again. What a fool he is.

_____________________

Neither Akito nor Shiraishi acknowledge him as they pass by in the school’s hallways. There’s always a spark of recognition, before their gaze is directed away.

He can hardly blame them.

_____________________

His father is nothing short of pleased to hear that he quit street music.

“I knew you’d come around eventually.” He says with a smile, “After all, you were made for classical music.”

He can’t find it in himself to respond.

_____________________

Tsukasa goes missing.

Toya is well and truly alone.

_____________________

He is perfectly fine back in his cage.

He is perfectly fine with being his father’s puppet again.

….

(He’s so lonely)

_____________________

…

_____________________

He supposes one last visit to Weekend Garage wouldn’t hurt.

Shiraishi will most definitely kick his face in for it, but they deserve to know.

_____________________

“Ever since I was a child, I was forced to learn the piano and violin by my father.” He tells Azusawa and Shiraishi at Weekend Garage, because apparently Kotaro had finally owned up to the incident and that meant they didn’t hate his guts anymore, “Before I knew it, I had started to hate everything about music.”

Azusawa’s eyes briefly widen in shock at his statement, though she nods in understanding soon after. The small act warms his heart a little.

He continues, “And to get back at my dad, I stopped playing both the piano and the violin. I ran away. And that’s how Akito found me.”

He remembers the way Akito’s hand stretched out towards him when offering to sing together for the first time, like a lifeline in a place devoid of anything.

“To be honest, I would have been fine with doing anything as long as my father was against it. But he…”

He thinks back to all those times Akito had sung with him, had brought him to places that he’d never been allowed to go before, had saved him from witches.

“He taught me about this town and helped me to enjoy music again. He invited me along when he hunted witches. He even shared his dream with me.”

There’s a pair of red eyes watching from the shadows, but he wills himself to stop staring at it and continue.

“But I can’t do the same. Even while I’m beside him, I can’t see the same thing he does. Even after I’ve watched him fight so many times, I’m still too afraid to wish. In the end, I had the weakest resolve of anyone here.”

He looks at Ken, Shiraishi and Azusawa, and tries his best to muster a smile.

“Azusawa, Shiraishi, Akito needs people like you beside him. People who will fight beside him and share his dreams with him. So, I’m going to stop acting like a child and relying on him.“

“Truly, thank you for everything.”

He gets up from his seat, but Ken stops him before he can leave.

“Toya, before you go, can you do one last thing for me?”

“What is it?”

“There seems to be someone who hasn’t accepted your decision yet. Would you mind talking to him?”

Who-

Akito stands in the doorway of Weekend Garage.

_____________________

There’s a tense silence for a very, very long time.

Akito’s here, he takes in with shock. Why is Akito here?

“… Akito, you were listening?” He asks slowly, almost disbelievingly.

Akito nods in response, “Yeah, I asked Ken to leave his phone on.”

So he heard all of that.

He knows now.

“…I see.” He chuckles a little, “I bet you’re disappointed that the person with the weakest resolve ended up being the one right next to you this whole time.”

Akito’s glare only hardens in response.

“In the end, I never could share your dream. I couldn’t even find anything worth making a wish for. Pathetic, isn’t it?”

For a long time, no one speaks.

“You know, I’ve never seen someone so hellbent on getting their singing right that they practice from morning to night.” Akito tells him.

Right, that had happened, hadn’t it? Back during their practice for their first battle event, when he had been struggling with the emotions of the song.

Akito still remembered it?

“I thought maybe it’d help me be worthy of standing on stage with you.” He replies truthfully.

“It’s true that I felt like I could be my real self whenever I sang with you. But that’s all the more reason I can’t stay here. There’s nothing I can do to help you, both as a magical boy and in your dream.”

He’s like the moon, borrowing the light from the sun, and passing it off as its own. When in reality, he’s nothing but a large chunk of space rock floating in the depths of space.

“Is that how you really feel?” Akito cuts his thoughts off harshly.

“ -What?”

“I don’t care what your reasons for starting were or that you were running away from classical music! All that matters is what you really want to do now!” Akito leaps and grabs him by the collar, catching him by surprise.

He’s still holding on. Why? Why hasn’t he left yet?

He needs to let go. Let go before he drags him down with him.

“Akito, but- ”

“Just shut up with the excuses already! What do your true feelings tell you! Do you really not want to do this with me anymore?”

He wants to. He wants to follow Akito so badly, to watch him chase his goals with a passion he could only dream of attaining.

“Of course I want to! You have no idea how many times I’ve thought of just focusing on chasing your dream with you!”

But life isn’t ever about what he wants, is it? It’s about doing what’s good.

Akito relaxes his grip with a smile, “So you finally admit it. If that’s what you want, then just do it.”

He’s missing the point entirely.

“But- ”

Akito waves his hand, cutting him off, “That’s enough from you already. I want to sing with you, and you want to sing with me. And that’s all that matters, isn’t it? Now, all that we need to do is to surpass RAD WEEKEND together.”

“But, is it really okay, for someone too cowardly to wish to stand next to you?” He asks quietly.

“I told you already, didn’t I? In the end, whether you wish is your choice. And besides, you may think you’re half-hearted, but tell you what?”

“You’re the best singing partner a guy could ask for.”

If you want to do it, just do it.

So the answer really was just that easy.

“I see.” He says, looking up to meet Akito’s eyes, “Then, I would be eternally grateful to sing by your side.”

He turns over to Azusawa and Shiraishi, who had been silently observing from the sidelines, “Azusawa, Shiraishi, I’m sorry for worrying both of you. I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to keep singing with Akito from now on.”

They both seem visibly relieved, despite him and Azusawa having barely met before now.

“I know you’re caught up over not having something to wish for yet, but really, you can ignore it.” Azusawa tells him, “When the time comes for you to make your wish, I think your heart will just know.”

He smiles and nods in response.

“Oh, and that reminds me. Azusawa?” Akito suddenly calls out.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry for what happened during the event.”

…

“I forgive you, Shinonome.”

_____________________

In the end, the four of them end up forming a singing group together. Vivid BAD Squad, they’d decided to call it.

And despite the slight worry remaining in his heart, Aoyagi Toya feels happy.

Chapter Text

“So, do you have the desire to contract, or would you rather be forgotten alongside this field of corpses?”

_____________________

About two weeks after the formation of their squad, Vivid Street is suddenly abuzz with chatter.

“Must be because Arata Tono is back.” Shiraishi muses, only to be met with quizzical looks from both Toya and Azusawa.

“According to Dad, he used to sing here years ago, before going to America to train. He’s a magical boy too, but I’ve never come across him before.” She informs them, “Might be dangerous. You never know what a new magical girl or boy is like.”

Dangerous? From what he had seen, magical girls and boys all seemed to have a common goal of killing witches right?

He voices his thoughts out, slightly puzzled by Shiraishi’s words.

She glances at him and sighs, “Toya, I’m not sure if you know this, but witches are the only source of grief seeds for us, and we need it to clean our soul gems.” At this, she brandishes her bright amber soul gem, alongside a strange dark orb with intricate grey designs, that he’s seen the rest of the team pocket after witch hunts before.

“It’s never been a problem so far because for a long time, the only contractor here was me, but when there’s too many magical girls or boys in one area, there starts being… competition.”

A chill goes down his spine at those words, which is only exacerbated by Akito’s serious expression. Eldritch abominations capable of mass murder were frightening enough, without adding in possible in-fighting, thank you very much.

Then again, Vivid Street had been nothing short of supportive in the short time he’d been here, hadn’t it? There was always a possibility that the new magical boy was friendly and non-threatening.

So, he simply says a relatively neutral, “I see.”

Internally, he files this newfound information under “Concerning things that should be forgotten as soon as possible”, and prays it never comes into relevancy.

_____________________

By sheer coincidence, he and Akito manage to catch Arata Tono doing a performance while on their way to meet Shiraishi and Azusawa for witch hunting.

He’s older than them, but not by much, with piercing green eyes that remind him of a fox. He has short brown hair with orange streaks in his bangs, simple but eye-catching. As he moves about onstage, Toya catches a glimpse of a glinting light brown gem on his right hand, no doubt where his soul gem is.

But perhaps the most standout thing about Arata Tono is his singing.

His voice is as powerful as Akito’s, each word sung reverberating through his body like the pounding of a drum. Despite this, it has the same kind of elegance that Azusawa’s voice possesses, and the same alluring quality that Shiraishi’s has.

It almost feels alive.

And yet, there’s something off about his singing. It almost feels incomplete, somehow, like there was supposed to be something else alongside it. Without that other thing, it feels cold, despite all its power.

As Tono bursts into the chorus, the crowd explodes in excitement, no doubt being pulled in by his voice. Akito seems enraptured by it too, but unfortunately he has to drag him away before Shiraishi gets on their case for being late for witch hunting.

Toya completely fails to notice the way Tono smirks as his eyes scan over him and Akito.

_____________________

The search for witches goes about as mundanely as it is on any other day. Which is to say that Akito goes in random directions trying to decide if his soul gem shines brighter when he goes in said direction, or if he’s just imagining things. Apparently soul gems glow brighter when close to a witch, which makes Toya wonder, does that mean magical girls and boys are considered bioluminescent organisms?

He should really just give up trying to think of magic scientifically.

Anyways, Shiraishi is the only one with enough experience to decipher where the witch is based on the glow of the soul gem, but she claims that the others need to learn too.

Eventually, though, they come across a large plush toy, its figure entirely defined by abstract shapes, its face grotesquely morphed beyond recognition.

“A familiar broken off from a witch.” Shiraishi hisses, and his three groupmates snap into battle attire instantly. Seeming to sense danger, the familiar turns tail and flees, its gait swift in a way unbefitting of its dilapidated appearance. Even the fastest among the three of them, Akito, with the added mobility from his hook, seemed to be struggling to keep up.

At some point, their chase leads them to a branching road, with the familiar headed towards the right, which according to Shiraishi, should lead into a dead end. They swiftly turn to follow it, but out of the corner of Toya’s eye-

A gļoŵinġ, ďisțorťed mařk.

A witch’s labyrinth.

“Another one?” Azusawa squeaks, looking desperately between the fleeing familiar and the gateway to the witch’s labyrinth.

“We’ll split up.” Shiraishi decides, gritting her teeth in frustration, “Kohane, you fight the witch with me. Akito, you’re the fastest, you catch up with the familiar.”

There are twin nods of unison at her words, before Azusawa and Shiraishi disappear into the labyrinth, and Akito continues his chase of the familiar.

Silently, Toya trails behind Akito.

_____________________

Just like Shiraishi said, the road does lead into a dead end. The familiar seems to realise this too late, after banging its head repeatedly into a wall. Toya is not too sure as to whether witches and familiars like humans do, but it seems scared for a moment, before letting out a shrill shriek, large hammers sprouting from tentacles on its back, that surge towards him and Akito at dangerous speeds.

He wisely steps back to a safe observing distance, while Akito promptly throws a rock at the familiar, before leaping out of the way. Unfortunately, the creature manages to dodge in time, the explosion only managing to take out one or two of the tentacles, the wound dripping a strange black liquid. It doesn’t even seem to process the injuries, hammers continuing to fly towards Akito in an onslaught.

He watches on in worry as Akito tries his best to dodge, occasionally using his hook to grab and deflect some of the hammers, but quickly getting overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Nothing’s hit him yet, but the hammers leave large craters in the ground where they strike.

If the battle keeps going the same way, even Toya can tell he’s going to get pummeled into the ground.

With no other choice left, Akito grabs another rock, but instead of aiming it at the familiar, he aims it at the floor directly in front of him.

A deafening boom ensues as the explosion takes out most of the hammers surrounding Akito, obscuring the battlefield in smoke. Through the thick smoke, he can hear a strangled scream of pain from Akito. He must have been injured in the blast as well.

For a moment, there’s a silence as the familiar is unable to identify their target.

And all of a sudden, Akito’s hook flies out of the cloud of smoke, latching to a pipe on the building, and Akito propels himself into the air, throwing another rock at the startled familiar. It’s fast, seemingly impossible for the off guard creature to dodge, and internally, Toya is already cheering when-

The black liquid spilt by the familiar when the first two tentacles were cut suddenly reform, one tentacle blocking the explosion before it gets close to it, the blast instead knocking Akito clean out of the air.

He falls on his back on the floor, confused and winded. Immediately after, the other tentacle grabs him, binding his legs together to stop him from moving.

Akito was defeated.

The familiar walks slowly over to Akito, making a few stilted chittering noises.

Shiraishi and Azusawa aren’t here to help him.

When it reaches Akito, its grotesque distorted face splits open to reveal sharp teeth.

He’s going to die.

Vaguely, Toya is aware that he’s screaming loudly, hoping desperately to distract the familiar. His attempts are futile however, as the creature’s teeth inch closer to Akito’s neck, clearly intending to bite his head clean off.

He’s going to die here, with no one able to help him.

Shaking silently in fear, Toya prays for a miracle. There’s no Kyubey around to hear it, but he prays anyway.

Remarkably, his prayers are answered.

Something leaps down from the building above, and in a flash of metal, there are blades piercing through the familiar, causing it to dissipate into nothingness.

“Jeez, never thought I’d see a partner of Ken Shiraishi’s daughter fail so miserably against a familiar.”

A man stands where the familiar once was, wearing a gaudy outfit with harsh blacks, reds and oranges. Long, sharp metal claws attached to his wrists glint in the moonlight. A red teardrop shaped gem glows around the stomach area.

Arata Tono.

He stands haughtily in front of them, claws still inches away from Akito’s face, having not been moved away after the defeat of the familiar. A smirk is painted across his face, unnerving Toya despite him having saved Akito just a few moments ago.

His claws are poised right towards Akito’s eye, moving ever so slightly closer. At this, Toya startles, moving forward in an attempt to stop him, but halts as the claws attached to his other hand flex dangerously.

“What‘s the matter? You sing around here, don’t you? Can’t you speak?”

Akito flinches, before muttering softly, “Thanks for the help.”

Tono’s smile broadens at those words, the arm lowering, but the metal claws not retracting, “Glad to be of assistance.”

“Though, I must say, you seem totally unequipped to handle such a territory. I must demand that the three of you let me handle Vivid Street from now on.”

There’s a slight pause as Akito considers his words

“I’m sure we can manage.” Is his strangled reply.

“Perhaps the others can, but the question is if you have the ability to, Shinonome.” Tono’s claws somehow extend to be longer, tip glinting brightly in the moonlight, “I have no qualms with Shiraishi or her new partner, but you’re clearly the weakest of the three of them.” Akito sharply inhales at those words, looking up at Tono with an indescribable expression.

The claws suddenly retract with a click.

“That is, unless you aren’t trying to fight properly?”

“Of course I am!” Akito shoves him away, clearly incensed by his words, “This is something I’m willing to dedicate my life to!”

“But isn’t that what it means to make a contract in the first place? Surely to become a magical boy, your life is the least you have to sign over?” He sneers at Akito, eyes turning as dark as coals, “In fact, instead of using your words, why don’t you prove your strength to me right now?”

He’s asking for a fight, Toya realises as he catches a glimpse of Tono’s soul gem flashing in challenge.

What kind of person asks for a fight now, of all times? That would practically be asking Akito to lose. Surely Akito would have enough common sense to reject such an offer.

“I accept that challenge.” His blood runs cold when he hears Akito growl, standing up and readying his hook once again. He wobbles a little as he straightens himself, a small puddle of blood already forming at his feet from when he was injured earlier. He’s clearly in no state to fight.

Hurriedly, Toya protests, “Akito- ”

“Right then, shall we begin?” Tono cuts him off with a sunny smile.

No sooner than those words leave his mouth, Akito springs into action, throwing a rock at Tono to start the fight. The explosion isn’t very large, but the resulting smoke and debris is enough to reduce visibility.

Smart. Tono is a close range fighter, after all.

Tono, however, doesn’t show a hint of surprise, standing still as a statue in the middle of the cloud of smoke as if nothing had happened. Capitalising on this, Akito uses his hook to grab a large piece of rock, swinging it forcefully towards him.

For a moment, the rock looks like it would connect, before Tono leaps into the air at the last moment, landing perfectly on the rock that just seconds before would have spelled his doom. The motion was polished and graceful, reading less like a hasty dodge and more like an acrobatic manoeuvre, designed to impress.

This person… just how experienced was he?

Akito grumbles a little at his failure, changing tactics and throwing a few more rocks in his direction. They explode more forcefully than before, and yet, when the smoke clears, there stands Tono, no worse for wear than before.

“You- How?”

Tono doesn’t even grace the question with a response, instead using the large rock as earlier to push off, hurtling towards Akito at a speed too fast to evade. Once within range, his hand grabs Akito’s head, and all of a sudden, both of them freeze.

Their figures stand, completely still, in the middle of the street. Toya rushes to them out of concern, but even when he’s right beside them, they don’t register anything.

For a brief moment, nothing happens.

Then, with a strangled gasp, Akito slumps to the floor, physically unharmed, but eyes blown wide with shock.

“I- What did you do?” He chokes out, hands trembling.

Instead of answering, Tono’s claws materialise once again, this time its tips pausing within a centimetre of Akito’s neck. He grins uglily, “I win.”

“You- ”

“Say, what should I take as my prize for winning?” Tono cuts him off as he tries to protest, eyes scanning him like a predator watching their prey.

“What- ”

“Should I take your life?” He muses, moving his claws closer to touch the skin of Akito’s neck. All of a sudden, claws materialise on his other hand as well, pointed right at Toya, “No, perhaps I should take your partner’s life?”

“No, please- ”

“Begging, are we now?” He chuckles, before leaning in close and spitting in Akito’s face, “God, your sister would be so ashamed of you.”

Ignoring the way Akito’s breath hitches at that last declaration, he turns around, leaping gracefully away. Leaving only Toya standing silently next to a panicking Akito, accompanied only by the distant noises of the street.

And as quickly as it began, everything came to a stop.

_____________________

Shiraishi and Azusawa eventually find them, right where they were on the street. Neither him nor Akito speak as they follow the girls back to Weekend Garage.

“He can read memories.” Akito tells them later, while gingerly eating a cheesecake in the cafe, “He saw the ones from when I made my wish.”

Toya knows better than to ask.

Foolishly, he hopes that Tono will leave them alone after this, and that this incident will eventually be lost to time.

_____________________

He’s proven wrong not even two days later, when Akito shows up to school with a sizable bandage wrapped around his arm.

“Witch hunting.” Akito tells him in explanation, which clears up nothing.

“That area was perfectly fine last night, though.” He argues, “And the wounds from Tono should have started to heal by now.”

Akito waves his hand dismissively, “I decided to go witch hunting this morning.”

“Without backup? Akito, you know that’s dangerous- Akito!” He calls after him, but any conversations regarding the topic are instantly dismissed.

Perhaps he’s just having a bad day? Tono had had a pretty large effect on them after all.

Toya completely fails to notice the way Akito’s usually bright orange soul gem has dimmed to an orange-brown, similar to that of iodine.

_____________________

The second time it happens, is after a witch hunting session with Shiraishi and Azusawa, as they prepare to head back to Weekend Garage.

“You guys can go back.” Akito tells them, “I’m going to stay out to hunt a little longer.”

“No can do!” Shiraishi wags a finger at him exaggeratedly, “It’s already late, any more and you won’t have energy for practice tomorrow.”

“Yeah, Shinonome, we should head back to Weekend Garage to rest for a bit.” Azusawa continues, politely trying to dissuade him.

Akito curses a little, but follows them anyway.

However, when going back home, Toya notices that Akito walks in the complete opposite direction from his normal route.

_____________________

The third time it happens, Toya can’t help but feel worried.

Akito had come into Weekend Garage for practice injured, with a large gash on his leg that was still bleeding.

“Akito.” He starts, trying not to let frustration leak into his tone, “You were out hunting again, weren’t you?”

The way Akito refuses to meet his gaze is more than enough of an answer.

“This isn’t sustainable.” He continues, “You’re going to burn yourself out if this keeps happening.”

Akito still refuses to say anything, instead fiddling with his soul gem, which has turned into an ugly shade of brown.

He sighs in frustration, “Why can’t you just rely on Shiraishi and Azusawa. There’s no need to keep pushing yourself like this.”

Akito’s lips curl into an angry frown at the question, and he finally, finally, meets Toya’s eyes, “To get stronger. To live up to my wish.”

And yet, looking into his eyes, Toya finds he cannot understand.

A wish. A single wish for the fate of becoming a magical boy. A magical wish that can make anything come true.

What would it feel like, to have your deepest desire realised?

He realises he has no idea.

“I don’t understand.” He says truthfully, “You’ve already made that wish. What is there to live up to?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Is the answer he is given, “All this time, you’ve been looking for something worth wishing for. I should have never let things get to the point where I had to wish in the first place.”

As much as he hates to admit it, Akito’s right. It’s been close to 2 months, and yet, when he thinks of contracting, he can’t imagine a single wish.

What would it feel like to have something worth wishing for?

The conversation stops dead in its tracks after that.

_____________________

It keeps happening. Akito keeps showing up to practices overworked and injured. He keeps trying to find time to hunt witches, even when he looks like a single stray wind will blow him over. His soul gem is a murky brown now, similar to that of wood.

“You’re worried.” Shiraishi notes during their practice break one day, when Akito was taking a brief walk outside (Azusawa was on surveillance duty).

“Of course I am. Akito’s my partner.” he replies.

Shiraishi nods in response, and the table falls quiet for a moment.

He’s nervous about breaking boundaries, but concern eventually wins out, “Shiraishi? What was… Akito’s wish?”

She blinks at him for a moment, clearly taken aback at the question, before burying her face in her hands, “I know a little, but not the details.”

“That’s quite alright.”

She sighs a little before beginning, “Me and Akito weren’t always friends. He came here often, but that was about it. We only really grew closer when he wished.”

She props her head up on her arm as she continues.

“I found him on the night he wished, you know that? He was losing to a witch badly. Really badly. Could barely aim his hook straight with how bad his hands were shaking. So I saved him and he asked me to teach him.”

“The most I know was that Akito… didn’t have much of a choice. Someone close to him died, so he revived them. He didn’t say much beyond that. I think… I think he regrets letting them die in the first place.”

There was a long, solemn silence.

“Tono mentioned a sister.” Toya says quietly.

“…I suppose that makes sense.”

Akito comes back soon after that, and Toya and Shiraishi try their best to avoid mentioning the conversation before.

_____________________

In the end, it all comes to a head when Shiraishi and Azusawa’s soul gems suddenly start flashing brightly in the middle of a practice session (Akito had not attended, strangely enough).

“A witch?” He asks, panicked.

“No.” Shiraishi tells him, voice clipped, “This is Akito’s and Tono’s magic. They’re fighting.”

“It should be nearby.” Azusawa continues, “Do we have enough time to reach there?”

“The question is if it's our place to interfere. They may not take kindly to outside interference.” Shiraishi replies.

But even so, with how badly Akito lost last time, would it be foolish to think that this time would go better?

That, and how dark Akito’s soul gem had gotten.

…

Speaking of which, what was the reason behind that?

“Shiraishi, why do soul gems get darker?” He asks suddenly, startling both of them.

“It’s because magic was used. The brighter the soul gem, the more magic the user has. Grief seeds are the only way to make a soul gem brighter. Why?”

He’s dragging Shiraishi out of the door before she even finishes her sentence.

_____________________

In the end, predictably, Akito and Tono were fighting on the very street where the last confrontation occurred.

Akito’s losing, and badly. He’s kneeling onto the floor, backed into a corner, grappling hook on the floor several metres away.

And there Tono stands, claws sharp and gleaming, as he approaches him triumphantly.

Toya hurriedly signals to Shiraishi, who passes him a spiked bat.

Tono raises his claws as he prepares to strike.

And Toya runs, faster than he’s ever run before, right in front of Akito. He lifts the bat up high, and with all the strength in his body, blocks the shot.

“Don’t touch him.” He all but snarls, a kind of malice dripping in his voice that he has never heard before.

Tono’s eyebrows raise slightly in shock, “Don’t you know it's rude to interrupt a duel between magical boys?”

“We’re calling it off anyways. For the safety of our partner.” Shiraishi calls out from behind him, holding her bat high, almost threateningly. Azusawa stands right behind her, “That is, unless, you want to fight all three of us?”

Tono’s eye twitches at that, “Unfortunately, Shiraishi, I don’t have a death wish. If you’re going to defend Shinonome here, then I will regrettably take my leave.”

And with that, he leaps into the air, and is gone.

“Akito!” Almost instantly, Toya rushes to his partner’s side, checking for any wounds. He doesn’t seem to have many, but his soul gem is almost black, which is definitely a cause for concern.

“Toya? Why are you here?” Akito asks slowly, almost as if he thinks he’s hallucinating.

“To stop you from making stupid decisions and killing yourself, of course. Why did you think you could beat Tono on your own?” He chides gently.

“Thought I could prove myself.” Akito replies, “Prove that I could save people.”

The circumstances of his wish go unsaid.

“Akito.” Toya starts, the worry in his heart placing words in his mouth before he even has time to process it, “You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. All of us here think you fight just fine with the others. You fight well, even. You’ve saved me, for one.”

“So stop trying to do everything on your own. You can rely on Shiraishi and Azusawa. On me, even, even though I can’t fight.”

Akito nods in response, which Toya takes as a success.

“Now sleep. We all know you need it.”

And Akito slumps forward and finally, finally rests.

Shiraishi passes him a grief seed, and silently, Toya puts it against Akito’s soul gem with a clink, marvelling at the way, the darkness in the soul gem almost seems pulled out by the grief seed, leaving the gem a bright citrine orange in its place.

And as he watches Akito's sleeping form, Toya wonders.

Is this what it feels like to have something worth wishing for?

To have something worth protecting, no matter the cost.

Quietly, he mutters to no one in particular.

“If I’m going to make a wish, it’s going to be for him.”

Shiraishi regards him impassively for a moment, before grinning, patting him on the shoulder encouragingly.

“If you do, don’t regret it.”

He gives a small smile in return.

“I won’t.”