Another DN:TNG ficlet
Another one for my RP girls, with a shoutout to my not-forgotten MCR fandom.~*
Haru-Nori-Ichi ficlet #2: Lessons
Haru had never really had the patience to master a musical instrument. At the age when most kids were taking their first music lessons, Haru had simply lacked the attention span to commit to anything. A few months after starting one instrument, his interest would inevitably shift to something else. The closest thing he'd had to dedicated musical study was a episode in middle school which resulted in a very irritated Light Yagami confiscating a drum set. In fact Haru had a very good ear -- he could figure out how to play almost any basic song on the piano, he taught himself some basic chords on his friend Sako's electric guitar, and occasionally he experimented with some of Nori's more difficult instruments. But he just couldn't be bothered to practice when there were other things to do, so he never got past an intermediate level at anything.
His brothers were a different story. Nori was practically a musical prodigy; every instrument he got his hands on seemed to take on a whole new tonal quality when he played, and he had a lovely singing voice besides. Ichigo was talented too, but more than that it was his sheer devotion to the cello that made him so accomplished. He called the instrument "his baby," which Haru had always regarded as almost out-of-character for the no-nonsense Ichigo. It was both religious and therapeutic for him. For Haru, the most wonderful thing was listening to his brothers play together. Musically, just like with their personalities, those two really brought out the best in each other.
One day Haru came home from a long night that had spilled over into a long morning. Even before he opened the front door, his heart swelled: Nori was playing the piano. He followed the sound to the living room and crept in silently so as not to disrupt the genius at work. Ichigo was there, listening intently, a peaceful glow in his soft gold eyes. He noticed Haru before Nori did. But Nori followed Ichi's upward glance, and sighting his older brother was home at last, his whole face illuminated.
"Haru-nii is home!"
"Finally," said Ichigo, one eyebrow aloft.
"Haru-nii, sit down and staaaaaaay. I'm going to play a song just for you!"
Haru laughed with delight when he recognized the piece Nori had chosen for him.
"That's beautiful Nori," said Ichigo. "It sounds vaguely familiar...what is it?"
Nori winked at Haru. "Nii-chan knows this song, doesn't he?"
"I sure do," Haru replied. "But it really does sound different when you play..."
"What is it?" Ichigo asked again.
"It's called Helena," Haru said. "By My Chemical Romance"
Ichigo's nose wrinkled with distaste. "Wait, My Chemical Romance? They're the WORST! They're noisy, unlistenable punk combined with mindless bubblegum pop! Nori, don't tell me you listen to that! Aniki I can understand, but --"
"Shh, Chibi. Let him keep playing it."
Blushing slightly, Nori continued his playing. Ichigo and Haru sat and listened in awed silence. Even for Haru, who had always loved the song, Nori's rendition was moving. Maybe because he'd always loved the song. Maybe because it was Nori. He wasn't sure. But he almost teared up listening and watching. The way Nori's hands moved was awesome, effortless. Nori's fighting style was graceful, but this was something else, as if he didn't have to work at all. And the sound. He made the song feel at once mournful and uplifting. It was like hearing it for the first time all over again, something wholly new that strikes the same familiar chord that nothing had struck in quite the same way. When he'd finished, both Haru and Ichigo sat silent for a moment, soaking up the reverberation of the final chord.
"I bet I could play that on the cello," Ichigo said at last. "It doesn't sound that complicated."
"Could you?" Nori beamed. "Oh, that would be so funnnnnn!"
"It would be fun," said Haru. "It's too bad I can't play violin for crap; that would be the perfect third part."
"I play violin!" said Nori. "Haru-nii, you're not all that bad at piano, right? You could do this part that I'm playing now, and I could do the violin! We could all play it together!"
Haru shook his head. "Nah, I can't imagine trying to sound as good as you on the piano, Nori. I'd just mess it up."
"But it's your sonnnnnnnnnng," Nori pouted.
"My song?"
"You always listen to it," Nori said. "Or at least, you used to."
Haru smiled. "It's an old favorite of mine, I must admit."
"Get your violin, Nori," Ichigo encouraged. "It would be nice to do something with the three of us together."
"Yaaaaay!" Nori bounced up from the bench gleefully. Haru watched him dash towards his bedroom, then turned to his youngest brother.
"Well look at that, Chibi-chan is an MCR fan now."
"I'm a Nori fan," Ichigo replied. "Besides, I thought it might be fun to watch you struggle with something for once."
"Oh really?" Haru grinned. "You watch; I'll do just fine. I've only listened to the song about a billion times."
Ichigo shook his head. "You really have horrible taste, Aniki. But I have learned a lesson today."
"What, that you shouldn't be so quick to judge the quality of a composition based on the style in which it's preformed?"
"No," said Ichigo. "That Nori not only sees the beauty in everything, he also can transform anything into something beautiful."
"I'm back!" Nori announced proudly, clutching his violin case. "Let's do this, Nii-chan!"
Haru sat at the piano, fingering the warm keys. It had been some time since he had played. He figured out the notes for the melody right away, and let Nori patiently explain how he had arranged the accompanying left-hand parts. They sat together at the piano, the younger instructing the older, while Ichigo watched, secretly smiling.
"I can help you too, Ichi-chan," Nori said.
"I don't think I'll need it. This song is kids' stuff." As if to prove a point, he tested a few bars out on his strings.
"Have you got it now, Haru-nii?" Nori asked.
Haru nodded. "I basically memorized what your hands were doing, and I know the song so well, I think I'll be fine from here. I'm just the backup anyway."
"Hooray! Nii-chan is so smart!" Nori picked up his violin. "Okay let's get in the same key!"
Haru smiled. Nori was a wonderful teacher. He might just have to give piano lessons another try. Nori and Haru started the intro together, and Ichigo came in soon after, perfectly in harmony with Nori's sweet violin. Haru lost track of his chords a few times, getting caught up in listening to his brothers' parts, but he never made the same mistake twice. Ichigo focused hard on following Nori's lead. Nori played with the grace of a bird. None of the boys noticed the two sets of eyes on them until the very end, when they were greeted by warm, subdued applause.
"Dad!" Ichigo exclaimed. "L-tousan!"
"This is certainly unusual," said L. "I never expected to see you three all playing together like this. Even you, Haru..."
Nori beamed. "Haru-nii just got home and I wanted to play one of his songs! I'm always playing songs Ichi-chan likes, but I like Nii-chan's music too! And I'm even convincing Ichi-chan to like it!"
"Now that's really impressive," said Light.
"Tell me about it," Ichigo muttered.
"You never seemed so into playing piano back when you had those lessons," Light recalled.
"That's because I didn't have Nori as a teacher!" said Haru.
"It's because your teacher's weren't assigning you emo," said Ichigo. "But yes, Nori-chan is brilliant."
Nori blushed. Everyone smiled. And Haru was proud -- of Nori, and Ichi, and himself. Maybe, just maybe, he would actually practice this time around. For the first time, it really seemed worth it.
Haru-Nori-Ichi ficlet #2: Lessons
Haru had never really had the patience to master a musical instrument. At the age when most kids were taking their first music lessons, Haru had simply lacked the attention span to commit to anything. A few months after starting one instrument, his interest would inevitably shift to something else. The closest thing he'd had to dedicated musical study was a episode in middle school which resulted in a very irritated Light Yagami confiscating a drum set. In fact Haru had a very good ear -- he could figure out how to play almost any basic song on the piano, he taught himself some basic chords on his friend Sako's electric guitar, and occasionally he experimented with some of Nori's more difficult instruments. But he just couldn't be bothered to practice when there were other things to do, so he never got past an intermediate level at anything.
His brothers were a different story. Nori was practically a musical prodigy; every instrument he got his hands on seemed to take on a whole new tonal quality when he played, and he had a lovely singing voice besides. Ichigo was talented too, but more than that it was his sheer devotion to the cello that made him so accomplished. He called the instrument "his baby," which Haru had always regarded as almost out-of-character for the no-nonsense Ichigo. It was both religious and therapeutic for him. For Haru, the most wonderful thing was listening to his brothers play together. Musically, just like with their personalities, those two really brought out the best in each other.
One day Haru came home from a long night that had spilled over into a long morning. Even before he opened the front door, his heart swelled: Nori was playing the piano. He followed the sound to the living room and crept in silently so as not to disrupt the genius at work. Ichigo was there, listening intently, a peaceful glow in his soft gold eyes. He noticed Haru before Nori did. But Nori followed Ichi's upward glance, and sighting his older brother was home at last, his whole face illuminated.
"Haru-nii is home!"
"Finally," said Ichigo, one eyebrow aloft.
"Haru-nii, sit down and staaaaaaay. I'm going to play a song just for you!"
Haru laughed with delight when he recognized the piece Nori had chosen for him.
"That's beautiful Nori," said Ichigo. "It sounds vaguely familiar...what is it?"
Nori winked at Haru. "Nii-chan knows this song, doesn't he?"
"I sure do," Haru replied. "But it really does sound different when you play..."
"What is it?" Ichigo asked again.
"It's called Helena," Haru said. "By My Chemical Romance"
Ichigo's nose wrinkled with distaste. "Wait, My Chemical Romance? They're the WORST! They're noisy, unlistenable punk combined with mindless bubblegum pop! Nori, don't tell me you listen to that! Aniki I can understand, but --"
"Shh, Chibi. Let him keep playing it."
Blushing slightly, Nori continued his playing. Ichigo and Haru sat and listened in awed silence. Even for Haru, who had always loved the song, Nori's rendition was moving. Maybe because he'd always loved the song. Maybe because it was Nori. He wasn't sure. But he almost teared up listening and watching. The way Nori's hands moved was awesome, effortless. Nori's fighting style was graceful, but this was something else, as if he didn't have to work at all. And the sound. He made the song feel at once mournful and uplifting. It was like hearing it for the first time all over again, something wholly new that strikes the same familiar chord that nothing had struck in quite the same way. When he'd finished, both Haru and Ichigo sat silent for a moment, soaking up the reverberation of the final chord.
"I bet I could play that on the cello," Ichigo said at last. "It doesn't sound that complicated."
"Could you?" Nori beamed. "Oh, that would be so funnnnnn!"
"It would be fun," said Haru. "It's too bad I can't play violin for crap; that would be the perfect third part."
"I play violin!" said Nori. "Haru-nii, you're not all that bad at piano, right? You could do this part that I'm playing now, and I could do the violin! We could all play it together!"
Haru shook his head. "Nah, I can't imagine trying to sound as good as you on the piano, Nori. I'd just mess it up."
"But it's your sonnnnnnnnnng," Nori pouted.
"My song?"
"You always listen to it," Nori said. "Or at least, you used to."
Haru smiled. "It's an old favorite of mine, I must admit."
"Get your violin, Nori," Ichigo encouraged. "It would be nice to do something with the three of us together."
"Yaaaaay!" Nori bounced up from the bench gleefully. Haru watched him dash towards his bedroom, then turned to his youngest brother.
"Well look at that, Chibi-chan is an MCR fan now."
"I'm a Nori fan," Ichigo replied. "Besides, I thought it might be fun to watch you struggle with something for once."
"Oh really?" Haru grinned. "You watch; I'll do just fine. I've only listened to the song about a billion times."
Ichigo shook his head. "You really have horrible taste, Aniki. But I have learned a lesson today."
"What, that you shouldn't be so quick to judge the quality of a composition based on the style in which it's preformed?"
"No," said Ichigo. "That Nori not only sees the beauty in everything, he also can transform anything into something beautiful."
"I'm back!" Nori announced proudly, clutching his violin case. "Let's do this, Nii-chan!"
Haru sat at the piano, fingering the warm keys. It had been some time since he had played. He figured out the notes for the melody right away, and let Nori patiently explain how he had arranged the accompanying left-hand parts. They sat together at the piano, the younger instructing the older, while Ichigo watched, secretly smiling.
"I can help you too, Ichi-chan," Nori said.
"I don't think I'll need it. This song is kids' stuff." As if to prove a point, he tested a few bars out on his strings.
"Have you got it now, Haru-nii?" Nori asked.
Haru nodded. "I basically memorized what your hands were doing, and I know the song so well, I think I'll be fine from here. I'm just the backup anyway."
"Hooray! Nii-chan is so smart!" Nori picked up his violin. "Okay let's get in the same key!"
Haru smiled. Nori was a wonderful teacher. He might just have to give piano lessons another try. Nori and Haru started the intro together, and Ichigo came in soon after, perfectly in harmony with Nori's sweet violin. Haru lost track of his chords a few times, getting caught up in listening to his brothers' parts, but he never made the same mistake twice. Ichigo focused hard on following Nori's lead. Nori played with the grace of a bird. None of the boys noticed the two sets of eyes on them until the very end, when they were greeted by warm, subdued applause.
"Dad!" Ichigo exclaimed. "L-tousan!"
"This is certainly unusual," said L. "I never expected to see you three all playing together like this. Even you, Haru..."
Nori beamed. "Haru-nii just got home and I wanted to play one of his songs! I'm always playing songs Ichi-chan likes, but I like Nii-chan's music too! And I'm even convincing Ichi-chan to like it!"
"Now that's really impressive," said Light.
"Tell me about it," Ichigo muttered.
"You never seemed so into playing piano back when you had those lessons," Light recalled.
"That's because I didn't have Nori as a teacher!" said Haru.
"It's because your teacher's weren't assigning you emo," said Ichigo. "But yes, Nori-chan is brilliant."
Nori blushed. Everyone smiled. And Haru was proud -- of Nori, and Ichi, and himself. Maybe, just maybe, he would actually practice this time around. For the first time, it really seemed worth it.