Title: Switched music

Summary: An average musician with an extraordinary passion for music but was never given a break until her cousin needed a temporary replacement for his band. The only catch is it's a boy's shoes she has to fill in.

Chapter 1: Persuasion

"Crap, I'm late." Sakura cursed her luck as she ran to the audition for her cousin's band. "Tomoyo will have my head again if I didn't make it."

Sakura sprinted thru the soccer field as it was a shortcut to the auditorium where the band's audition would be held. But as we all know how clumsy our favorite character is, she tripped.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Now, I'll never really gonna make it on time." Sakura pounded her fist on the ground in frustration before she tries again to stand up as quickly as possible and resume her running.

At last, she made it to the auditorium five minutes after her "accident" in the field. It's really a mystery on how she's never seriously injured on all the falls she got into because of her inborn klutziness. Panting, she reached for the knob but unfortunately (this is really not her day) the door opened forcefully that got her dizzily sent to the sweet dirty ground a-gain.

"Kura?"

Getting knocked by the heavy auditorium door and face flat on the ground, Sakura could only groan in response.

"Oh shit, Kura? What are you doing down there?" Ikki asked worriedly.

"Duh? Isn't it obvious?"

"Huh?"

"You knocked her out. Oh boy, wait till Tomo finds out about this. You're in big trouble" Andy taunted.

Sakura could hear voices, someone chuckling, and someone pleading. "Who—" But before she could ask, a familiar voice screeched.

"Kura!"

"Ikki what have you done to my Kura?" Tomoyo shoved Ikki, accusing him and sending his butt flat on the ground.

"Hey, how sure you are it's me?"

Tomoyo just glared in response and tend to her dearest cousin. "Kura, kura…"

Sakura felt herself being shaken violently that even when she opened her eyes she could only see four people in a blur crowding her.

"Tomo stop shaking the hell out of her. She's awake and still alive. See..."

Tomoyo immediately stopped and waited for Sakura to come around. Sakura rubbed her eyes and waited for it to adjust and saw Tomo, Ikki, Andy and Ren in front of her.

"Are you okay, Kura?" Ren asked handing her a towel to rub off the dirt on her face from the fall.

"Yeah, just a little shaken."

"Now that you're okay, where have you been? You're forty-five minutes late. The audition was over." Sakura winced at her cousin's sudden nagging.

Luckily, Ikki, another cousin defended her. "Hey, give her a break Tomo; she's still in trauma from your 'shaking fit' five minutes ago."

"Shut up, it's your fault in the first place. She wouldn't be shaken if you hadn't knocked her out."

"I have no idea she's on the other side of the door."

"But you don't have to open it that vivaciously."

"Hey, I'm not that hyper."

"Yes you were. Ever since that slut audition, you've been acting weird. You're like a giddy ditzy smitten teenager all over again. It's quite revolting to watch."

"Huh? What's that got to do with it?" Ikki scratched his nape and then smirked as he realized something. "I know what this is. You're jealous."

"I'm not. Why would I be?" Tomoyo reddened.

Ikki teased her more. "What else, 'cause you're hopelessly in-love with me."

"In your dreams—"

"No need to."

Sakura, Ren and Andy feeling suddenly out of place, left Ikki and Tomoyo still bickering at each other as it was a day to day thing in the campus.

"So, what's it about now?" Sakura asked.

Ren sighed. "Just some slut who audition…"

"Instead of playing an instrument, the slut used the instrument as a prop on her dirty dancing, that got Ikki drooling all over the place until Tomo stopped the whole act." Andy continued chuckling at the memory.

Sakura laugh trying to imagine the scene she missed because of her tardiness.

"What's your excuse then?" Ren lazily slump on the bench they've come upon.

"Huh?" Sakura still dense for her age confusedly asked.

Ren rolled his eyes. "Why were you late?"

"Oh that, I was caught daydreaming in class and got detention for it." Sakura replied scratching her nape in embarrassment.

"Again?"

Andy and Ren sighed. Knowing Sakura, they should have anticipated this. They should have scheduled the audition at a later time or on a weekend. Silence reigned over them as they watched the cherry blossom petals floating gracefully around them.

"So had you found someone?"

"Unfortunately, none made it to the second audition. That's why we needed you there; you're the only one who could pacify those two cousins of yours." Ren heaved another sigh.

"None of the audition pieces were finished, for either one of them would bark at the applicant or with themselves on how they reacted on each act or person. A very good example was with the slut." Andy (short for Andrea) scowled at the memory of the never ending bickering of her two band mates.

Ren wittingly suggest. "If I didn't know those two, I'd say they like each other." Andy made a puking face. "Eww, wouldn't that be incest."

"Duh, no, Ikki's my cousin on my father's side while Tomo's on my mother's side." Sakura supplied.

"But that's still disgusting—" Andy got cut-off as Tomoyo and Ikki suddenly appeared.

"What's disgusting?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

Andy fidgeted, "Nothing."

Silence reigned over the group. There's no one in the audition that passed the screening so they'll have to go to there last resort which is…

Ren broke the silence. "So… What now?"

Sakura felt the tension in the air thicken. 'This is not a good sign. Please, please let it not what I think it would be.' She prayed silently as she waits for someone to speak up.

"You have to replace me for the time being. Please Kura?" Ikki pleaded and try to reason with his cousin. "I really need this scholarship… please proxy for me. I know I'm asking too much from you but—"

"But cuz, you're the lead vocalist. How the hell could I imitate your voice?"

"Kura, you don't have to imitate my voice. And you could sing in a low voice, and if it's really difficult for you Ren here could do it for you or Tomo."

"Bu-but…"

"Please Kura… you're my last hope."

"Babe, you're the most competent one for the job." Tomoyo piped in.

"What about Touya? Yuki? Ken? Yam? Ryu? Jun?"

Andy countered. "Touya, Yuki and Ken would also be there in the camp as facilitators, and Yam couldn't even sing."

"Ryu and Jun on the other hand would be out of the town for a couple of days for some family affair of some sort." Ren supplied.

"Please?" Ikki pouted cutely.

Looking at their desperate faces, Sakura finally cave in. "Fine just for 5 days right?"

"Yeah, I promise I'll be there for the orientation. You would just have to cover for me on the next five days and I'll be back before you know it."

- to be continued -

Jan 15, 2009 bangag_pa

June 21, 2013 revised

September 23, 2015 updated