A/N: I was going through the my old stories... And I saw 'Two Mutes' which is a story about Kyd and Jericho meeting and becoming friends. So I decided to make a series of oneshots, of sorts. They may/may not be connected, but I doubt it... So enjoy. I hope this is something you can enjoy XD Also, prompts are just things I made up XD

Prompt: Talent Show

Nervously holding his guitar, his green eyes scanning the sparsely filled auditorium, Jericho wondered if he should just give up before even trying out. He had been told by his friends that he could do this. Kole, with her crazily colored hair and equally crazy personally, Robin, with his team-leader and hero of all style, and by pretty much everyone else in the school. It had all started when Kole had seen him in the park, strumming the strings of his guitar, eyes closed as he listened to the sounds. Jericho was not very good with crowds. He enjoyed nature, being away from the noise and clutter of society. So what exactly was he doing, about to play in front of at least thirty people?

"Elliot Kid?" A voice called out, calling up the next entry. Instantly, the room fell quiet as all eyes fell onto the new figure. And what a strange figure he was. Jericho didn't know this Elliot by the name only, and by his appearance... Well Elliot was the kind of person you noticed and remembered. Silently, the pale figure went up onto the stage.

He had pale skin, pale like a vampire or similar creature. His eyes were a ruby (or, a dark part of Jericho's mind whispered, blood) red and gleamed in the harsh auditorium light. He had jet-black hair that was cut short, and spiky enough to be noticeable, but not too spiky to the point were it looked fake. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt, which was apt considering it was fall, and black jeans that were slightly faded at the knees. Not punk, not Goth, not Emo, not really anything. He just seemed to be the kind of kid who wore a lot of black.

"You are playing... Something on the piano. It says here you made it yourself." The entire thing was being run by student council, which in turn was led by Robin and Raven (president and vice-president respectively). Robin sounded a little skeptical about Elliot, but he was required to give everyone a chance. And Robin always played by the rules.

Elliot nodded and walked over to the piano, sitting off to the side of the large (and nearly empty) stage. He sat down and seemed to pause, his fingers drifting over the keys without making a sound. He closed his eyes and then he started to play.

It was a bittersweet melody, one with love and kindness, hate and betrayal. It was both good and evil, all put together into a magical tune. It was like something out of a fairy tale, dancing around the room as Elliot's fingers hit the keys, and as the teenager played out the beat. It swelled into a crescendo, a beautiful swan flying around the room. It ended with a crash, the sound of thunder hitting the ground. Then a soft, elegant sound started up and it felt like a cool fall breeze, brushing past your face with its careful caress.

Then it drifted off and Elliot was done, the song was done. Everyone seemed to snap out of a dream and Jericho felt himself starting to panic. How was he supposed to compete with something like that? It would be like arguing with a god! Even Raven seemed a little speechless.

"W-Wow... That was... That was excellent. T-Thank you for entering." The girl managed to say. Robin ran a hand through his carefully spiked hair.

"I agree. I don't think I've heard anything as good as that before." Elliot nodded politely before stepping off the stage. None of the other students approached Elliot. Whether his performance had left them all in shock, or seeing his fierce red eyes scared them away, Jericho didn't know. But he took a shaky breath and stepped forward. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he leaned his guitar against the wall as he started to sign out hello and tell Elliot he had done really well. The pale-skinned boy seemed surprised for a moment; perhaps he didn't expect a mute at the school. Either way, several tense seconds went by before Elliot's own fingers started to fly.

He said thanks, and that he was sure that... Wait, he changed his motions and asked what Jericho's name was. Jericho replied with his own name, and Elliot nodded. Elliot said he was sure that Jericho would do well too. Replying with a thanks, their conversation was cut short when Robin called out Jericho's name. Good luck, motioned Elliot. Jericho nodded as he grabbed his guitar.

"You're also playing something you came up with. Alrighty then..." Robin motioned for Jericho to start. The blond nodded and took a deep breath. He decided to sit down, because that was how he usually played. So crossed-legged, eyes closed, he started to play.

Elliot hadn't know that there was another mute at the school. If he had, well, that might have made school a little easier to tolerate. Instead he was stuck with friends that tried, but just couldn't, relate to him. He buried himself in work instead of play, and finally, in an act of desperation, sought music as a sweet release to all his problems. It had worked.

Jericho couldn't have looked more different from Elliot, though. While Elliot's nickname was Demon Boy (thanks to the school bullies, though his friends were more considerate), Jericho looked more like a hippie, to be completely honest. Elliot knew he should leave (Seymour could only wait so long in his car) but something told him to wait and watch Jericho play. After all, Seymour wouldn't ditch his best friend.

Jericho started to strum the strings and it wasn't really any recognizable pattern. He did this for the first five seconds, but then he started to really play. His movements were slow at first, nearly lazy, but then one of his hands started to fly up and down the guitar, changing the notes before the strings were even done moving.

It wasn't beautiful, it wasn't terrible. It was, for lack of a better comparison, more like life. Normalcy was thrown into their ears, their sense over-taken by the sounds. It was nature, sounding like a companion to your average bird call. The wind snaked its way into the sounds, somehow, adding the feeling that they were outdoors (even though it was obvious they weren't). It reminded Elliot of the time he had, on a whim, gone to the park on a sunny spring day. The sounds of nature had run over him, calming tense nerves and destroying his headache. It wasn't pure beauty, not like some songs. It was more of a natural beauty, the flowers blossoming into colors on every side of the spectrum, butterflies in the day and fireflies at night.

Elliot found himself listening with his eyes closed, and forced them back open like one would force themselves awake in the morning. He realized that he hadn't been the only one; everyone else except for Raven and Robin had closed their eyes while listening to the tune. Raven looked like she always did, and Robin's eyes were hidden behind the dark shades he insisted on wearing. But something told Elliot that they were just as enthralled with the music as everyone else.

Jericho's fingers finally slowed down, retreating back into the tuneless, patternless strumming he had started with. Everyone seemed to wake from their dreams, and some even yawned. Then Jericho stopped playing and he opened his own eyes, which were the most amazing green Elliot had seen before. They were brighter then fresh grass, lighter then leaves.

Jericho stood up and listened to praise from both Raven and Robin, and when he stepped off the stage he walked over to Elliot and silently asked if Elliot liked the music. Elliot said that is was amazing, and that they would have to play together sometime.

And, somehow, a chance meeting turned into a silent agreement to meet again, and play a song of sadness, of tragedy, of lost friends and about lost love, and (most important of all) hope.