Rei

Advice!

This fanfic may not be for everyone since, as indicated in the title, this is directly related to music and also streaming, so part of the fanfic will be occupied with songs since the protagonist's power is linked to this.

Below I leave you with some symbols that I will use and the meaning I will give them:

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿: Change of scene

→: Comment

↪︎: Replying to a Comment

♦: Providing a Title

﹄﹃: When Rei speaks on stream

Normal words: Japanese

BBC (Black Font): English

SPOILER!!! Example (Italic): Sign language.

If you're going to read the fanfic anyway, I can only wish you enjoy it.

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Rei is a young man from Portugal who enjoys spending time alone, or so he thinks, as it's a complete lie.

He's fully aware of the loneliness that embraces him, and he doesn't embrace loneliness; rather, he's grown accustomed to it.

If we delve a little into his story, we can talk about what led him to all of this.

A man meets a woman, and they both end up in love, a common story.

They have a child, buy a house, and live happily for a while until the woman becomes pregnant again but 20 years later.

The woman's body is not as strong as it was when she had her first child in the past; the years have taken a toll on her strength, so having a child now is dangerous.

The doctor warns her; this could lead to the woman's death, but she doesn't care, or rather, she does care, she's afraid, but the memory of having her first child floods her with happiness, and she decides to have it.

It all turns out to be a grave mistake on her part; the child is born, but the woman succumbs to her deplorable state of health and dies, leaving the man shattered. Loneliness, pain, and overwhelming sadness cause him to also succumb to a stage of depression and pass away.

Now, only the child remains, without parents but with an older brother.

The older brother had a partner and a child; they had become parents very young, but this didn't hinder them from welcoming the little one into their family.

Joyful, lively, and sociable are the words that defined the little Rei who dragged along his shy nephew, Rafael, to play together with other people.

They played instruments found around the house and attended extracurricular activities together, spending most of their time doing everything as best friends, with their greatest enjoyment being spending time with each other.

Years passed, and the child, Rei, grew up calling his older brother "dad," his nephew "brother," and his sister-in-law "mom."

He wasn't aware of this, nor did he need to be, but the older brother made the mistake of telling Rei on his twelfth birthday, also informing him that his name was given by his real parents and that he harbored no resentment towards him, and that he shouldn't blame himself for anything.

Rei remained silent for a while and then turned with a smile to Rafael, who was nearby at the time.

"So, I'm your uncle, haha."

That was the last time the family heard Rei's laughter. In the following days, his outgoing personality took a 180-degree turn, and besides withdrawing into himself, he started isolating himself in his room.

The couple decided to give him space, but it was Rafael who decided to insist on maintaining their cheerful relationship because of all the kindness he had received from Rei. 

Three years passed; the older brother was a music producer along with his wife, and due to work-related issues, they had to intermittently travel, leaving them under the care of their neighbors who would check on them every few days.

When they went on trips, the couple also decided to leave them an allowance, which Rafael used for a newfound hobby he loved, anime, and also to go out with his friends now that he had more freedom. 

Rei, on the other hand, had spent his entire adolescence locked in his room, avoiding any possible social life with his classmates or childhood friends, and his only company was his older brother's old instruments and the computer he used to watch live streams about art, music, and some other things.

He didn't hate going out; it was just difficult for him to communicate with anyone. He needed someone to talk to about what he felt; he loved his family but unconsciously started distancing himself from them to the point of being totally alone.

Except for Rafael, who continued to try to get along with him, and it was something Rei appreciated, spending time together watching animes that Rafael liked: Konosuba, My Hero Academia, Re:Zero, etc. It was fun, but it didn't attract him enough to spend his time beyond the time he dedicated when watching the series with Rafael. 

He decided to start going out now that the house was emptier and used the money they sent him to enroll in some capoeira classes. He liked the combination of the music he was so passionate about and the physical movement of dance; it was striking, required concentration, and above all, the place where he booked the classes was quite secluded, so there weren't many people signed up. 

His routine became: wake up, go to class, come back home, spend a few hours playing the guitar or drums while watching some live streams about art, change, go to capoeira, and come back home where Rafael usually waited for him outside the house as it coincided with the end of his outings with his friends.

It seemed quite productive, and in fact, it was. He wasn't the best of his class, but free time left him with no choice but to study; he did sports, and above all, he enjoyed what he liked. 

The only problem was that he did all this feeling lonely. For Rei, it wasn't sad or anything like that; it was just that he felt trapped in a cycle.

He was regretful; if he could, he would go back in time and enjoy making friends, fixing his distant relationship with his family; he wanted to change.

And one night, he decided. Tomorrow, Sunday, would be the last repetitive day of his life; he would change again, leave that room, and become the young Rei who never stopped smiling.

The day began as usual, making the bed, having breakfast alone since Rafael left earlier on Sundays, grooming, and changing to go to capoeira since Sundays had a double bonus of hours for those who had been attending classes for a month. This would mean fewer hours playing instruments, but the dance was worth it. 

Some hours passed, and it became night; the class trainer put a hand on Rei's shoulder and gave a thumbs up; he knew Rei's few words personality and decided not to bother him to get a response out of politeness.

To his surprise, Rei smiled for the first time since he stepped into this room months ago and responded by giving a thumbs up.

"Thanks for teaching me one more day."

The teacher showed a big smile and began to pat Rei's shoulders with the palms of his hands.

"Thank you for coming for so long, Rei. You are one of the few who really feels the sport and stays for more than a month."

A small feeling that he hadn't felt for years arose in his chest, and he nodded, collecting his things ready to leave.

For the trip back home, Rei took a bus, so leaving a bit later than usual today, he had to take the later bus, and while waiting at the stop, he slowly reached into his pocket with some hesitation.

He couldn't remember the last time he had used his phone; it was quite old since he only used his computer, and the only messages he received on his phone were SMS from his phone company.

'I will change...'

Searching through his contacts list, he found the number he was looking for and looked up at the stars in the sky with the ringing sound in his ear.

*PIIII* ... *PIIII* ... *PII-*

"Hello? Rei? Is this the first time you've called me, is something wrong?"

"H-Hi, nothing's wrong... Uh, I just left a place and will be a little late, you don't need to wait outside for me today."

There was a momentary silence on the other end of the call that left Rei somewhat nervous, but a laugh quickly dispelled those thoughts.

"Hahaha, of course... not. You called me, Rei! That's amazing, I mean, I don't want to overwhelm you, but it seems like you're starting to open up, it's... GREAT! Do you want pizza? I want pizza, I'll order pizza and when you get here, we'll watch an anime movie... What about the one about the deaf girl that we couldn't finish last time? It was... A Silent Voice! I'll have everything ready for when you arrive, I'll wait for you outside, see you bro!"

Well... unlike the past, Rafael had grown into an outgoing young man who spent a lot of time with his partying friends and was the living embodiment of a storm when it came to talking on the phone.

Rei, on the other hand, was happy, if not excited to death; he wanted to leave this day as the last repetitive one and start anew tomorrow, but what had just happened made it clear that there was no need to wait any longer. Now, unlike other days, he had a small smile as he waited for the bus.

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

Hours passed as Rei made his way back home, transferring buses and finally getting off at the last stop. Excited about the idea of watching a movie and eating pizza, he started walking through the streets with a smile, tightly gripping the backpack containing his dirty clothes.

"Although I'd like to play the guitar for a while... bah, I'm sure I'll have more fun watching a movie... I have to make an effort not to stay the way I am."

"AAAAAHHHHHH"

A scream interrupted Rei's thoughts, and as he looked in the direction of the sound, his face momentarily turned pale as he began running.

"Please... no."

The scream was coming from the direction he was walking, on the street where his house was, his brother waiting and the precious night of brotherly reconciliation he so desired.

"Please, let it not be true, please!"

Running at full speed, he crossed the traffic light that led to the street where he lived, ignoring whether it was green or red. All that mattered to him was that Rafael was okay.

Upon reaching the intersection and looking towards the entrance of his house, his eyes widened, his bag fell off his shoulder, and his chest felt heavy as he clutched his shirt in an attempt to control his breathing.

A man wearing a balaclava and holding a knife stood just outside the house, looking around. Inside the house, there were sounds of banging and things breaking.

It didn't take connecting all the dots for Rei to hide against the wall and quickly call the police.

"Good evening, how can I hel-"

"Street !_!_!_!, Number !_!_!, a man with a balaclava outside the house, disturbances and sounds inside the house, presumably another armed suspect and a resident of the house, send police and ambulance."

"Wait-!"

Without giving time for a response, he hung up the call and took a deep breath. He had followed to the letter what his teacher had told them to do if they witnessed a robbery or similar situation, but what he was going to do next differed greatly from what he was supposed to do.

The trick was simple; Rei was on one side of the street, and the thief was in the house near the end of the street where Rei was. He would just have to throw the backpack with force to the other side, making the things inside the backpack catch the thief's attention, and then rush behind him to tackle him.

"Sounds simple... but can I do it?"

"AAHHHHHHHH"

Another scream echoed from inside the house, and this one was definitely from Rafael. Some of the lights in the nearby houses turned on, alarming the armed man. Without thinking twice, Rei threw the backpack.

"Who's there-"

At the moment the man turned alarmed by the backpack, Rei darted out from the corner of the street.

"W-WHAT?!"

The man didn't have time to fully turn around when Rei had already knocked him to the ground, causing him to lose his grip and drop his knife. Instantly, Rei kicked the knife away to send it flying, then proceeded to chokehold the thief with all the strength he could muster. This wasn't capoeira; it was a move his teacher had taught for use only in extreme danger.

The man struggled to free himself, moving towards the knife as he coughed and sputtered from the lack of air, but he eventually passed out, causing Rei to shove him aside while casting a sidelong glance at the knife on the ground.

"Phew... Rafael!"

Without giving a second glance to the man, he crouched for a moment and then rushed into the house. On the floor of the living room, Rafael was tied up with ropes, and unconsciously Rei took a step towards him when he saw him, but quickly stepped aside.

A lamp at full force swept past where his head had been moments ago, and his gaze turned to the man in front of him, also wearing a balaclava.

"Tsk, that idiot can't do his part, can he?! Letting a damn kid in..."

Rei remained silent as he analyzed the man. He looked more muscular than the other, and the only reason Rei was able to take down the other man was due to the element of surprise. Rei did exercise, but his 15-year-old body couldn't even remotely compare to an adult's.

"You must be related to that kid. I also have family waiting at home, so why don't you just stay still and-"

Mid-sentence, the man lunged at Rei again, swinging the lamp in his hand with the intention of smashing it over his head.

Rei quickly moved to the side, causing the lamp to crash into a wall and shatter, resulting in a wound on the man's right hand.

"You little brat... you asked for it."

With a face full of anger, the thief reached for his back and pulled out a knife similar to the one the other man had.

"Damn it."

Rei's face remained expressionless, but internally, he was scared. His hands trembled, and his gaze momentarily shifted towards the knife.

The man smirked mockingly and lunged again, swinging the knife from side to side. Rei tried to avoid the cuts, but he was taken by surprise by the man's agility, causing him to receive some wounds across his body.

The cuts weren't deep, but they stung, causing Rei to take a step back. He was afraid; he wanted to run, the man wanted to kill him.

So many thoughts engulfed him in panic, making his whole body tremble. But as he turned his head to the side, all the voices of danger in his head faded away, and his body went completely still.

In the distance, tied up and trembling, Rafael was looking at him. His eyes seemed to be begging for help, and all sense of reason faded in Rei.

The thief approached and stabbed Rei's right side, expecting him to dodge, but he was stunned when Rei remained still, allowing the knife to pierce his body. Blood gushed from the wound, and the thief reacted too late as Rei firmly grabbed his right hand and, with the other hand, directed a knife towards him.

"You crazy ki-"

*THUK*

The thief fell to the ground, accompanied by a massive bruise on his temple. Rei's face reflected the pain he was feeling, but he still turned towards Rafael with both knives in his body, one in his hand and the other embedded in his side.

"R-Rei! REI! The knife, Rei! Stop it, you're bleeding!"

"Stay calm."

With just one word, he continued walking, his body lacking strength, his legs trembling... this was nothing more than a display of Rei's will.

When he got close to Rafael, he crouched down with a grimace and cut the ropes that restrained him. With Rafael now freed, he tossed the knife aside and let himself fall to the ground.

His legs had no more strength, and they were stained with blood all over. 

"R-Rei, w-why-"

"...I called the police earlier, just wait. *cough*"

Rafael untied himself and crawled towards Rei, placing himself next to him amidst tears.

"I-I heard a knock at the door, thought it was the pizza, and I-I'm sorry-"

"I-*cough* It's not your fault, Rafa... I'm glad you're okay."

A small gush of blood escaped from Rei's mouth, his face turning paler by the moment, and he felt his arms losing strength. His gaze turned towards the ceiling, a sad smile forming on his face.

"...Your uncle is pretty cool, huh? Haha."

Rafael's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, more tears streaming from his eyes as he forced a smile filled with sadness.

"V-Very much..."

"I really wanted to watch that movie, eat those pizzas, start leaving my room, make friends-"

"Rei! Don't say it like you-"

Rafael's words halted as he saw Rei placing a hand on his head with a smile, looking at him with tired eyes.

"I'm sleepy..."

His eyes started to close intermittently, at first small flickers, but his eyelids gained ground as time passed.

"No, please... don't close your eyes, Rei... please..."

"...I'll sleep first."

Rei's eyes closed, and minutes later, the authorities arrived, the thieves were apprehended, Rafael was safe... But Rei was already gone, with a smile on his face.