Rehearsals were killer.

That was all that had to be said about the subject. What made it even worse was that while he was able to stay in Okijama until after the gig (or whenever he decided he wanted to come home), Asuna's presence was requested back in Tokyo, so she had to jet off Monday morning with promises of being there on Thursday for his performance. At least Kai was generous enough to offer to fly her out the day of. Still, he had to deal with being alone with near-strangers for another four days.

Tommy and the gang had shown up promptly at ten on Monday morning, just an hour after Asuna left for the airport. The four of them were treated to a hearty breakfast of waffles before they were sent off to do some rehearsing. And there is definitely something to be said about the way Tommy could switch personalities when it came to rehearsals. The guy was a damn tyrant.

They didn't take more than ten five minute breaks through the entire 12-hour rehearsal schedule. They were spared only thirty minutes to scarf down a small lunch before they went back to rehearsals. It was grueling and Kazuto was sure he didn't want to hear any of these songs after Thursday night. They spent all twelve hours on Monday working on the first song, and while the rest of the band had nailed their instrumental parts, Kazuto was still having trouble with memorizing the lyrics. About twenty times one of the band members had to remind him of the lyrics. But at about the tenth hour, he finally had the song down and he knew the lyrics like the back of his hand.

Tuesday was a little less grueling, if only because this time it was Ryo who wrote two of the songs they would be singing and the lyrics had a basic structure that was easy to memorize. Tommy may be a poet, but Ryo had his own way with words. The band already knew their instrumental parts to this song, so they were able to focus solely on helping their new member memorize the lyrics. Ryo was also much easier to work with than Tommy. He was laid back and wanted to make sure that Kazuto was comfortable.

"You just gotta feel the music, dude. Once you've got that, you're golden," the brunette boy had said.

Kazuto felt a little better after hearing some advice from Rima and Kai as well. The two were well versed in memorizing lyrics and taught him all of their performance techniques. Rima even offered up some advice on what to do if he had stage fright, though he wasn't really as worried as he was in the beginning. Asuna was right, if he performed as confidently as he did anything else, he would be just fine.

"I drove by all the places we used to hang out getting wasted…" he sang softly into the microphone with Tommy strumming softly on the guitar. "I thought about our last kiss, how it felt, the way you tasted. And even though your friends tell me you're doing fine,"

They were rehearsing one of the slower songs that Ryo had written, and the lyrics almost made Kazuto want to tear up a little. There weren't many instrumentals in this song, just two guitars which Tommy and Annie played. He and Ryo were singing the main vocals. It would be the only slow song they would perform on Thursday, and Tommy warned him that because the song was slower, it would be more obvious if one of them messed up.

"Are you somewhere feeling lonely even though he's right beside you? When he says those words that hurt you do you read the ones I wrote you?" Ryo joined in, his voice low and melancholic. He really did have quite the voice, and it sort of made Kazuto wonder why they even bothered looking for another vocalist when they already had someone so talented.

It was songs like this that Kazuto liked to sing the most. It was easy for him to project the emotion that they wanted to go with the song into the lyrics that he sang. He didn't know heartbreak yet, but he could still feel the raw emotion in the words that Ryo sang and he did his best to mimic it. Kai had told him that one of the hardest parts of singing was projecting feeling into the song, but to him it came naturally. This new song, Amnesia, was so prominently heartbreaking and melancholic, and Kazuto was glad that he and Ryo could do the lyrics justice. He hoped that one day he'd be able to write songs that had that level of emotion.

Wednesday was another Tommy day, but it definitely wasn't as bad now that he knew what to expect. They sang more upbeat songs, with a simple lyric structure so the words were easy to memorize. Rima worked with him on being energetic on stage. Apparently that was a large part of performing, especially when they sang one of their faster and more energetic songs. The audience wouldn't be psyched about the song if they weren't psyched about it.

"Don't worry too much about it, though. Rima sings mostly pop songs, so she has to have a lot of energy," Tommy told him during one of their infrequent breaks.

"I don't know how anyone has as much energy as Rima. I'm glad I'm not expected to act like the Energizer Bunny on stage," Kazuto sighed.

Tommy quirked his lips. "Well, yeah. But with that being said, you still need to make the audience excited about the song. I know you can do it though, so don't freak out over it. We got this," he finished with a fist bump.

The song they were closing the night with was Social Casualty, Kazuto's favorite. It expressed how people his age usually felt, young enough to be treated like kids but expected to make adult decisions. He agreed with Tommy's lyrics one hundred percent, and it was easy for him to feel passionate about singing it. He had the lyrics down in about two hours and Annie had commented that he was getting good at picking up song lyrics, but he could argue that he really just liked the song.

"So save me from who I'm supposed to be. Don't wanna be a victim of authority, I'll always be a part of the minority. Save me from who I'm supposed to be. So tell me, tell me, tell me what you want from me, I don't wanna be another social casualty," he belted out in the small practice room.

Had the room not been designed to absorb sound, he was positive his voice would have been bouncing off the walls from volume. He himself was a little shocked at how he sounded when he sang. A few days ago, he would've questioned if he would be able to hit those high notes, but now there was no doubt in his mind. He was going to perform this song, and all the others he'd rehearsed, to their fullest potential. There was no way he'd let his new bandmates down.

Thursday was a living nightmare.

It was the night of the performance, and Tommy was letting his nerves get to him, thus putting more stress on Kazuto. The guy was a mess, concerned about anything and everything that could go wrong. For once, Ryo was absurdly calm and Annie was quiet. It kind of balanced out how he and Tommy were feeling at the moment. They rehearsed nearly every second in the morning, only to have Kai come and shut their rehearsals down, claiming they shouldn't put any extra strain on their vocal chords. It was bad enough that they'd been rehearsing for three days straight. Kazuto winced, thinking of what would happen if one of them lost their voice the night of their big debut.

Rima made them all drink tea with plenty of lemon and honey, making sure they used their voices as little as possible. She and Kai made lots of food for their early dinner, which was at three because you don't want to have food in your stomach right before your first performance, you'll be more nauseous than ever. Kazuto didn't expect this much preparation to go into one performance, one night, but Kai explained that that's usually how it went, especially when you're performing at a venue as big as the Band Hall.

"Be lucky you're not on tour, too. That's the most hell, having to deal with all that shit and being on a damn tour bus," the older male commented, just a few hours before they were supposed to leave.

Kazuto and Kai were lounging on the deck beside the pool, fully dressed and ready to leave in spite of it only being seven in the evening when their show didn't start until eleven. Kazuto wore all black, just like his days in Sword Art Online. Black pants, black belt, black t-shirt, and black sneakers to top it all off. Annie said the color suited him, and that she wouldn't be surprised if he chose to only wear black ever. Kai wore a black sports coat over a white t-shirt and some dark washed jeans.

"But going on tour sounds like so much fun, getting to see all those cities," Kazuto said, but Kai shook his head.

"Trust me, you're so busy you don't even get to enjoy the traveling. It's more like working 24/7 than being on vacation," he replied.

Rima came outside with a Smirnoff for herself and a beer for Kai. She offered to go back inside and get something for Kazuto ("Something for the nerves? I know Tommy and Ryo are gonna take a couple shots before we go," she had said) but he quite adamantly refused. There was no way he was experienced enough with drinking to trust himself to perform well with it in his system.

"How are you feeling? Are you ready?" she asked with a kind smile as she cuddled into Kai's side.

Kazuto shrugged. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. We rehearsed like hell all week and I'm not gonna let it be for nothing,"

He was feeling surprisingly calm now that he was no longer in the presence of a certain stressed out brunette guitarist. He doubted he would feel the same when they actually got to the club and saw how many people there were, but for now he was at peace. Kai and Rima coached him through his nerves all week and now he was seemingly prepared for what was to come. The fact that he was performing with three experienced musicians gave him some solace too. They were all freaking out in some way, and they've all been musicians for quite some time.

"We can all talk and act like we do this all the time, but it never really changes. I still get nervous before I go on stage, it's completely normal," Rima assured him.

An hour later he got a video call from Asuna, who looked like she was at the airport. Her flight was delayed an hour so she wouldn't be able to travel with them to the club, but she assured him that she would still get to see his performance and hopefully spend some time with him after. Unfortunately, her parents still had some business in Kyoto so she had to leave again early in the morning.

"I'm glad I'll be able to see you, at least. I miss you," he told her, loving the way her blush spread down her neck as he said it. He'd never get tired of seeing her blush.

"I miss you too, Kirito," she said, not quite looking at the screen. "I'll see you tonight though, after the performance."

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm already looking forward to it."

Asuna's face took on a curious expression. "Say, Kirito, have you thought about what's going to happen after the performance? Are you going to stay in Okijama with the band and your brother?"

Kazuto sighed. It's all he'd been thinking about the past few days. He never imagined he'd be given the chance to sing and perform with a band on-stage. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and judging by the connections and talent that they all had, he had no doubt in his mind that they'd make it big. He could potentially make it big too, if he chose to stick around. But that was an awful lot to ask from someone his age, and after all he'd just been through. He sort of still longed for a normal, less hectic lifestyle, but he couldn't deny that he was having fun living the life of a potential rock star.

"I don't know yet. Hopefully after tonight I'll finally have my answer, but so far I really like it here. Kai's great and so is everyone else, but I'd also be leaving a lot behind…" he trailed off.

"Well, I want you to know that you have my support in whatever you decide to do. I'm sure everyone back home feels the same way. Have you told them yet?" Asuna asked, cocking her head to the side.

Kazuto grimaced. "Haven't really gotten around to it, to be honest. I'll tell them after the performance tonight, when I've made my decision."

Talking to Asuna was really doing the job of calming his growing nerves. He wasn't necessarily stressed about the show anymore, but more about the decision he was expected to make by the end of it. There was just so much to weigh. He had friends and family back in Tokyo, and a degree he wanted to pursue. If he moved here and continued to be a part of the band, it was going to be a full-time job. Thinking about it, the cons drastically outweighed the pros in this situation, but some part of him really wanted to stay, to see what he could make of this.

When his phone call with Asuna ended, he was surprised to see Rima sitting by herself in the living room, reading a book while the others hung out on the patio outside.

"Hey," he greeted as she looked up briefly from her novel to acknowledge him, "what are you doing in here all by yourself?"

"I usually like to have some downtime before we go out," she said simply, not removing her eyes from the words on the page.

Kazuto sighed and sat down on the couch adjacent to hers. The night hadn't even started and he was already exhausted. There was still so much thinking to be done, but look at all the good that had done him. He weighed all the pros and cons and still couldn't make a decision. The rash and impulsive side of him really wanted to do it, wanted to see what it'd be like.

"Still having trouble deciding?"

Kazuto looked up to see Rima had put her book down and was looking at him with some concern. "That obvious?" he sighed, falling back into the cushions.

"Just a little," Rima smiled, "you know I never actually decided to become a pop star, right?"

Kazuto furrowed his brow, "But didn't you and Kai go to an artsy high school or something?"

"Well, yeah. But that's high school. I chose to go there because I liked to sing and it sounded like fun, way more fun than math and science. But I didn't know how many doors would be opened for me, and before I knew it, I found myself with the opportunity to sing in front of Annie's sister, Kimiko. She wanted to sign me, and then I just kind of fell into this lifestyle," the small blonde explained, looking wistful as she remembered her old life. "It happened for Kai in much the same way. Your grandfather left a career for him, a dojo to take care of. But instead of doing everything that made sense, that was secure, he chose to follow his dreams and focus on music. And it happened for him. It's happening for you too."

Kai was left astounded at the way Rima seemed to tell him everything he wanted to hear. He still needed to perform and get that experience before it was set in stone, but he had already pretty much decided on what he was going to do. Back in SAO, any uncalculated move could have gotten him killed, so he let logic lead the way. Now he was being given the chance to follow his heart instead of his brain, and he really wanted to do this.

Screw logic, he had the opportunity of a lifetime.