Rubix Cube
Author's Note: Hello people of Fanfiction! I hope you enjoy my works and please give me some feedback! Good or bad, I want to know your thoughts and feelings. Constructive criticism would be helpful, but if they're hate/ love messages, please tell me what you hate/ love about it! –SubaruFrenzy
Chapter 1: Loop, The Ends of the Earth Meet
"What the crap, Rukia? Stop tripping over your own two feet!" A loud voice rang out of the darkness. If you squint just enough, you could make out a tall boy's figure next to a shorter girls' one in a darkened room. School had just ended and it was time for practice.
"Well I'm sorry you have such big feet!" The accompanying voice replied shrilly before the loud clunk of a fist hitting a skull.
"It's not my fault you're so clumsy!"
"I'm not clumsy; it's just so freaking dark in here!"
"So find the light switch already!"
Luckily for the odd pair, the petite girl found the light switch, and they both sighed in relief as light flooded the room. Inside the room was a piano, a drum set, a couple of chairs, a microphone, a speaker, and three guitars resting against a wall. One acoustic, one electric, and one bass. It seemed like a pretty odd place for a couple of twelve year olds, but that's where they spent most of their afternoons, hanging out and practicing what they both loved the most: music.
"Come on now, Baka-go, it's time to get serious." The short, raven-haired girl teased in the high-pitched fake voice that she knew ticked him off the most.
"Well I'm sorry, Ahou-kia, but you're gonna have to be patient for a sec while I plug in my guitar." The boy with the odd orange hair replied, mimicking her girly voice while busily trying to find to cord. "Shoot. Do you know where I put that thing, Rukia?"
"It's over here, Ichigo. How could you not see it when it's been lying on the piano seat the whole time?" She replied while handing him a black cord that he promptly plugged into the guitar and speaker. He ignored her question. Then, he handed her a black microphone covered in faded stickers with little animals on them, mostly resembling a rabbit of some sort.
"Sheesh, I still can't believe you covered the mic in all that junk. What are you, a second grader?" He snickered as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"What's it matter to you, Baka-go? I can decorate my things however I want to."
"Well I'm sorry you're so immatu-" Ichigo was about to reply, before being cut off by a soft, tinkling laugh that they both immediately recognized as…
"Hisana-nee!" They exclaimed at the same time. How long had she been here…? They both wondered, deciding to ask her on another date.
"What are you doing here so early? Did anyone find you?" Rukia asked, always conscious of the fact that if anyone figured out that she was related to Hisana, things would get complicated for them.
"You sound like you're not happy to see me here! And of course no one found out! I'm always careful." The older girl replied, giggling slightly before adding, "How has the practice been? Have you and Icchan been fighting again?"
"Nee-san…" Rukia sighed. "Of course I'm happy to see you, but Ichigo and I are always fighting. He only pretends to be a good little boy when you're around." She shot daggers at the orange haired boy who was pretending not to notice. "And the practices have been fine, as usual."
"Fine my ass." Ichigo snorted. "My music skills are always 100%, it's just you that's dragging us down." He was ticked off about Rukia's quip about being a 'good little boy' because of his slight crush on her older sister.
"Shut up, Baka-go! That's a lie and you know it!" Rukia replied angrily while kicking him in the shin. "Blegh!" She stuck out her tongue and gave him a funny face before turning to her sister again. "See? Perfectly fine."
"Come now, my little kittens. I'm here to listen to you two play, not your usual little witty banter." Hisana said with a cheerful smile on her face. "Show me what you've got so far!"
Little kittens!? They thought at the same time, but quickly buried the thought. Hisana was known for being overly cheerful and happy, if not a little eccentric at times, but she meant well. They got into their places, Ichigo sitting on a stool with the acoustic guitar in his hands, and Rukia standing next to him in front of a microphone, lyrics in hand. They weren't needed; the words to the song were practically etched into her brain forever, but were there as a force of habit and comfort.
Rukia and Ichigo looked at each other, slightly nervous. It was after all, their first performance in front of some sort of audience. She nodded once to him and he half-smiled, starting the intro with slightly shaky hands.
He was a bit jealous of the way she knowingly knew her way around music, as if it had been programmed into her. In an odd way, she had been surrounded by music since she was a child, so we he wasn't too surprised at her familiarity.
"Nee kono machi ga yuuyami ni somaru toki wa
Sekai non dokoka de asahi ga sasu
Kimi no te no naka sono hana ga kareru toki wa
Chiisana tane wo otosudarou
Fumi katamerarata tsuchi wo michi da to yobunonaraba
Me wo tojiru koto demo ai kana?"
Rukia's voice flowed from the song, flitting through the different chords delicately and smoothly. The song, Loop, was one of Hisana's singles which was easy enough for amateurs such as themselves. Ichigo hadn't been learning the guitar from Hisana for long, but he picked up rather quickly. Rukia had been singing with her sister since birth, but had only recently had she started taking more of an interest in it.
"Kono hoshi ga tairanara futari deaete nakatta
Otagai wo tooi sageru you ni hashitteita
Supiido wo yuru mezu ni imawa donna ni hanaretemo
Meguru kieski no tochuu ni mata muaki au no darou."
Rukia glanced at Ichigo on impulse. He seemed perfectly at ease when he was playing the guitar, without a single worry in the world. Why should he have a worry anyways? He has a wonderful family of two twin sisters, a loving mother, and a slightly eccentric father. Rukia sighed inwardly, for it was one of her wishes to have a happy, easy going life with a stable family like him.
"Nee kono machi no yuuyami ga sari iu toki ni
Kono namida tsuretette
Katarikaketekuru moji wo shousetsu to yobu no nara
Todokanai kotoba wa yume ka na?"
Hisana took in the sight of her two young 'pupils' performing for their first time, the whole way through, and one of her own songs, too! Her heart swelled with pride and loving affection for the two of them. So young and pure, yet so talented and dedicated. She knew they would be wonderful together; it was only their age and experience that was holding them back. They needed a school of some sort, for budding artists and musicians. A place of learning and nurturing of talents and the youth. They couldn't keep their joy and talent of music all to themselves, and she was determined to have them make a name for themselves in the musical world, one step at a time.
If only…If only time could stop right at this moment, everything would be absolutely perfect. But unfortunately (or fortunately), life goes on and things must change and come to an end eventually.
"Yodomi naku nagareteku kawa ni ukabeta konoha de
Umi wo mezashite kumo ni natte ame de furou
Tooi kimi no chikaku de ochita tane wo sodate you
Chigau basho de kimi ga kizuitekureru to ii na dake do."
Ichigo stole a glance at Rukia as she was singing. It had been a couple months since the beginning of the music lessons from her sister, Hisana, and he already felt like she was leaving him behind. Her voice was just so…so…unforgettable. Unexplainably beautiful and strong (not that he would ever admit it to anyone outside his own mind), and he felt like he wasn't doing enough.
He had never felt so inspired or determined to succeed in his short life of twelve years. Sure, she was a pain sometimes, but he felt like it was her way of staying strong through tough times…
"Kono hoshi ga taema naku mawaritsuzuketeiru kara
Chiisaku aketa mado no soto keshiki wo kae
Watashi no aishita hana sotto mebaeru kisetsu de
Meguru kiseki no sono hate mata mukaiau no darou."
Music was a wonderful thing. Whenever Rukia sang, or played guitar or piano, she felt…free. Whatever she did influenced her music and she was enthralled by that fact. Her music depended on her moods, talent, skill. Money, fame, and trickery weren't part of the equation, and everything was washed away from her when she was surrounded by music. Annulled in a way. Transformed in another.
"Megaru kiseki no sono hate mata mukaiau no darou…
Mukai au no darou
Kururu mawaru kurukuru to
Kuru kuru kimi no mawari wo…"
Music was splendid. In every meaning of the word.
Silence ensued for a moment after Rukia voice trailed off, hitting the last note and singing the last word. Stunned and impressed, Hisana started to clap. And cry. At the same time, of course. The two adolescents rushed forward to see if something was wrong, but she raised her head, eyes glistening with prideful tears.
"That was beautiful, children. You've really outshone yourselves. Time for a celebration, anyone?" Hisana asked, laughing at her own tears. "Ice cream's on me!"
No one could argue about that, and she giggled, watching them trip over each other and the equipment as they rushed to get their belongings and coats. Her face fell slightly as she watched them bicker, getting along as if they had known each other their whole lives.
It was true. Life does go on and things must change. But maybe things wouldn't end the way she thought it would? Not if I could help it, Hisana thought.
Author's Note: The song I used was Loop by Maaya Sakamoto. It is the first ending song for Tsubasa Chronicles. Just incase anyone wanted or was interested, here are the full lyrics, Japanese and translated English.
Japanese:
Nee kono machi ga yuuyami ni somaru toki wa
sekai no dokoka de asahi ga sasu
kimi no te no naka sono hana ga kareru toki wa
chiisana tane o otosu darou
fumikatamerareta tsuchi o michi da to yobu no naraba
me o tojiru koto de mo ai kanaa?
kono hoshi ga tairanara futari deaete nakatta
otagai o toozakeru you ni hashitteita
supiido o yurumezu ni ima wa donna ni hanarete mo
meguru kiseki no tochuu ni mata mukaiau no darou
nee kono machi no yuuyami ga sari iku toki ni
kono namida tsuretette
katarikakete kuru moji o shousetsu to yobu no nara
todokanai kotoba wa yume kanaa?
yodomi naku nagareteku kawa ni ukabeta konohade
umi o mezashite kumo ni natte ame de furou
tooi kimi no chikaku de ochita tane o sodate you
chigau basho de kimi ga kidzuitekureru to ii n dakedo
kono hoshi ga taemanaku mawaritsudzukete iru kara
chiisaku aketa mado no soto keshiki o kae
watashi no aishita hana sotto mebaeru kisetsu de
meguru kiseki no sono hate mata mukaiau no darou
mukaiau no darou
kururu mawaru kuru kuru to
kuru kuru kimi no mawari o
English:
Hey, when these streets are dyed with twilight,
somewhere else in the world, the sun is rising.
When that flower you grasp in your hand wilts,
its small seeds will fall onto the ground
If you call the well-trodden earth a path,
then I guess even the closing of my eyes is love?
If this Earth was flat, the both of us would have never met.
We'd have been running away from each other
without even slowing down. Now, even if we're separated to the ends of the Earth
we'll probably face each other again amidst the endlessly looping miracles
Hey, when the twilight veiling these streets disappears,
I'll ask it to take these tears of mine with it
If you call these written characters of a speech a short story,
then I guess these words I dare not say are a dream?
Carried by a leaf floating on the clear river,
they head for the sea, form a cloud and will fall as rain
to tend to those seeds that dropped near you so far away, even though it would be nice
if you, being in a different place, would notice it for me
It's because this Earth spins continuously without ever once stopping
that the scenery I see outside the slightly-open window changes
At the time when the flowers I loved bud softly,
at the end of these endlessly looping miracles, we'll probably face each other again
We'll probably face each other
Looping round and round and round,
Looping round and round around you
Thank you again for reading my story. More chapters will appear in the future. -SubaruFrenzy