Bit Cloud sat backstage, fidgeting nervously while the master of ceremonies hyped up the crowd with his boisterous voice. This was his big chance, finally his shot at being seen by others with the connections to the industry. It had been a long road, one that had cost him his relationship with his father, whom with he never did see eye to eye. The rift between them had mended over the years and he was coming to grips with their separation. Personal experiences aside, he let his music become an outlet for his emotions and reflections, and now as he sat on an abandoned crate backstage his emotions were getting the best of him. He tried to ignore his nervousness and not throw up and only succeeded in the former. He had just come back from the washroom when his thoughts drifted towards his father.

The major stumbling block between them was his father's busy lifestyle, as his job as ZBC commisioner kept him away from home most of the time, and when he was at home he spent the majority of his time in his office. The tension mounted between them and eventually erupted in an argument between the two that resulted in his leaving home. His father had not impeded his departure, which made his exit all that much more painful. Bit had been 17 at the time.

Now, 19 and living on his own he was trying to scrape together funds to live in Romeo City. Earlier, he had tried his hand at junk dealing but found that there was barely enough profit to keep food on his plate. He had later found companionship with his band mates, bassist Brad Hunter, and drummer Jamie Hermeros. He had met Brad while junk dealing, at some truck stop outside Romeo City. Brad had been a jack-of-all trades for hire, and they had talked over coffee about various things. They both found they had a passion for music and decided to try to form a band. They later met Jamie while searching for a drummer at independant shows. Jamie agreed to join them and the rest was history.

Together they were trying to succeed in a world where the market was flooded with different musical groups each trying to eke out an existence in a cut throat industry. His band had met with little success, only playing at small bars and clubs. However, that had changed when he was contacted by the manager of the largest night club in town, Club Romeo. He was told that his band had been spotted the month before in a small, dank bar by an employee who had passed along their name to the club manager.

It was now that this manager hurried his way over and told him that they were to go on in two minutes. Composing himself he told the manager that he and his band were ready and that they would put on a great show. The manager wished them luck and wandered off to harass some of his employees who had been gathering to watch the musical entertainment. Telling the band they had two minutes to prepare, he picked up his guitar and strumming it, did some last minute fine tuning. Satisfied he turned to Brad and Jamie, and, receiving nods from them, Bit turned to face the curtain which had begun its slow, measured ascent towards the ceiling.


Leena Toros stood at the edges of the audience annoyed with herself for getting to the club late. As a result of a fight she had with her father she had lost the privilege of using the car, leaving her with the only option of taking the bus, causing her to be late. She sighed loudly, contemplating the argument she had just hours before with her father. She accused him of never listening, said that he was always worried about his work as a Zoids researcher, which then caused Doctor Toros to take away the car keys, rather than grounding her. As the events of the argument flowed lazily back into her thoughts, her anger began to mount more and more.

Maybe some music will calm me down, she mused. She heard the MC announce the next band and she turned in time to see the curtains rise upwards. She first noticed the bassist, a tall lanky looking man in his twenties who had a long head of shaggy hair. Next she noticed the drummer, a short boy with brown hair who was dwarfed by the size of his drum set. While the crowd clamoured for the next song the singer stood, frozen either by thought or by his own nerves. He had messy blonde hair that stuck out in practically every direction, and though the curtain had finished raising, he remained silent. She leaned forward, looking at this enigmatic boy and wondering why he hadn't said anything yet. The assembled people grew restless and began to shout at the stage. The band leader broke out of his reverie and his slow approach to the microphone caused her to lean closer, anticipating what he had to say. She jumped when she heard his sudden words, "This song is called Fade."

With that the band started up, a melancholy tune floating from the various instruments; the rhythmic drum beats keeping time with the sorrowful wail of the electric guitar while the bass beat out it's unrelenting dirge. As she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the music the singer's voice broke into her thoughts.

I try to breathe
Memories overtaking me
I try to face them but
The thought is too much to conceive

I only know that I can change
Everything else just stays the same
So now I step out of the darkness
that my life became 'cause

I just needed someone to talk to
You were just to busy with yourself
You were never there for me
To express how I felt
I just stuffed it down
Now I'm older and I feel like
I could let some of this anger fade
But it seems the surface I am scratching
Is the bed that I have made

As she stood there watching the boy sing it felt like he was pouring his heart out to her, spinning a tale of decisions made in the past that can never be reversed. Not only could she hear the pain in his voice as he sung of younger days, but there was an urgency behind his voice as well, as if he were asking others not to make the same mistake with their parents, or their children.

So where were you?
When all this I was going through
You never took the time

To ask me just what you could do

I only know that I can change
Everything else just stays the same
So now I step out of the darkness
that my life became 'cause

I just needed someone to talk to
You were just to busy with yourself
You were never there for me
To express how I felt
I just stuffed it down
Now I'm older and I feel like
I could let some of this anger fade
But it seems the surface I am scratching
Is the bed that I have made

I never meant to fade...
Away

I NEVER MEANT TO FADE

Her thoughts turned to her argument with her father. She realized how childish their argument had been, being one simply about a car and curfew when this boy was bleeding his life to the audience. The pain and problems in her life paled in comparison to the pain she felt when she heard about his. She silently made a note to herself to reconcile with her father after she got back from the club.

I just needed someone to talk to
You were just to busy with yourself
You were never there for me
To express how I felt
I just stuffed it down
Now I'm older and I feel like
I could let some of this anger fade
But it seems the surface I am scratching
Is the bed that I have made

I try to breathe...

As his song concluded she stood dumbfounded with the rest of the audience for a few moments. Then she began to clap vigourously and the crowd soon joined in with their raucous applause. As she stood their cheering she watched the singer carefully. He put his guitar down his eyes swept across the gathered group of people. For a moment he looked directly at her and it was then that she realized this was much more to him than just a song. She then made the decision to search him out backstage and tell him how his song had affected her.


Bit placed his guitar back on the stand and surveyed the crowd, basking for a moment in their applause. As his eyes swept across the audience he noticed a girl who seemed to be in deep contemplation about something. She had bubblegum pink hair and looked to be completely oblivious to her surroundings. Dismissing her for the moment he turned to walk off the stage and out of the corner of his eyes caught a glimpse of the curtains closing behind him. As the blue material fell across the stage he felt as if a chapter in his own life had closed as well. He had vented his grievances to his father but had also apologized for the way he delt with his problem. He promised himself to see his father at a later date and tell him what he had just come to realize, and then hopefully they could finish rebuilding their relationship. It was just then that someone came running up to him. It was that same girl who he had seen earlier, and as she approached he could hear "Hi. I'm Leena, what's your name?"


Disclaimer - I am neither in the band Staind nor do I own them. The song Fade is written by Staind and not owned by me. I am not making any money off its use. I don't own Zoids either.

Author Note: Actually, I wrote this a while back and there weren't any characters, it was just an anonymous song fic about a guy and a girl resolving seperate, but similar problems, and the healing power of music. But I was looking through my old stuff and decided to turn it into a Bit/Leena fic...and I think it turned out well. Let me know what you thought! REVIEW!