Yay, chapter ten. Sorry for the long wait. I think the MokoFai crack temporarily killed my brain. Thanks to everyone for the support.
Musician
XX
Paper cluttered the already small, box-like room. Ink wells and feather quills lay scattered over a desk that had disappeared under the heaps of white paper. A small window was partially open, letting in a trickle of light. There was hardly any room to move. Each corner had been invaded by more mess, which had decided to take up permanent residence there.
Amongst such a confused heap, Fai fished out a chair, sweeping the paper on it to the floor as he sat. Kurogane perched on top of the desk, crushing sheets of ink-stained paper beneath him. They sat opposite from each other, though still close enough to invade each other's personal space inside the box of a room.
Kurogane lifted an electric guitar by its neck, plucking random chords. Without an amp, the sound was thin and reedy.
"We're running out of time and the princess still hasn't come up with lyrics," he muttered, plucking at strings with calloused hands.
Fai swept an ink pot towards him and dipped a quill inside it. His base guitar rested on his lap, screaming out for the same attention that Kurogane was giving to his.
"That's why we're helping, isn't it? We already have the tune down, we just need words and then the grand prize is ours!" he spoke absently, jotting down something on paper without a glance at his instrument.
"We could always just steal it," Kurogane grinned at the thought.
Fai humoured him with a smile but then shook his head at the very notion. "We could but Sakura-chan would rather that we win her feather."
"Princesses always have such troublesome requests," he grumbled, running a hand through his dark hair.
"But, somehow, you don't mind doing them, do you?" Fai smiled as Kurogane's defensive side spiked dangerously.
"What the hell does that mean?" he looked for something to chuck at the man but paper did not make good projectiles.
"Let's see…lyrics…lyrics," the blond turned towards his paper, ignoring the man opposite. "Should it be a love song?" he wondered.
"Are you listening to me?"
"How about 'How much is that doggy in the window?'" Fai suggested.
"Don't you dare!" he snapped, horrified by the very thought of it.
"Why not? It's a good song."
"If you make the princess sing that for the competition, we'll definitely loose!"
Fai smiled wryly. He carefully leant the guitar against the side of the chair and stood, taking three paces towards the ninja. Kurogane put his instrument aside too and slid off of the desk as Fai took the final step towards him, his slender hands mischievously fingering the high collar around the ninja's neck. A teasing smile played on his lips.
"Then inspire me."
XX
The rooms backstage were clean but not much bugger than the dingy room in which they had practiced for this day. Syaoran's drums took up most of the room and he sat at them with an apologetic blush.
Kurogane leant against the far wall, giving his guitar the last-minute tuning. One crimson eye he kept constantly trained on the princess as she paced restlessly up and down the room, a sleeping Mokona, balanced upon her head.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't think of anything. The competition will begin in a few hours and we still don't have any lyrics!" she regretted, muttering 'sorry' for every other length up and down the room that she walked.
"It's okay, Sakura-hime," Syaoran assured her.
Kurogane grunted his agreement but his mind was wandering away from the guitar in his hands, away from the small room, to wherever that crazy magician was with the lyrics that he promised to write. Perhaps more inspiration was necessary.
As if his thoughts had summoned him, Fai burst into room, startling Mokona awake. He held a sheet of paper in his hands, both triumphant and breathless.
"It's done!" he grinned. "It took all night but I finally finished the lyrics!"
"Thank you, Fai-san!" Sakura gushed, taking the paper from him as if it contained the recipe for the elixir of life.
"Now we just put it to the tune," Fai waved away her thanks and picked up his base.
"Let's just get this over with," Kurogane grunted and they began their last, final practice session before they hit the stage.
Syaoran began tapping at the drums, growing louder and faster as he beat, clashing the cymbals. Kurogane joined in slowly then Fai, with the strong sound of the electric and the warm, low tones of the base merging with the beating drums.
"Um…Fai-san?"
Sakura stared down at the piece of paper that he had given her. A small frown creased her lips, her eyes clouded with concentration.
The sound of the base stopped.
"What is it?"
Sakura turned the sheet so that the written side was facing him. The clear black letters in Fai's own flowing script stood perfectly aligned against the white of the paper.
"I can't understand your world's writing."
The sound of the guitar stopped. The sound of the drums ceased as well.
Perhaps it was hope or maybe expectation, but everyone's eyes trailed towards Mokona.
"Yuuko always says, 'You get what you pay for'," it piped in its defense.
"What do you mean, you stupid steamed bun?" Kurogane snapped, grabbing it from the top of Sakura's head. "So, for the combined price of our most important things, we get some smart-mouthed, gluttonous creature with incomplete translation abilities!"
"You get what you pay for."
Kurogane was about to embark on along journey to find Mokona's neck so that he could wring it when the door opening forced him to put his travels on hold. One of the workers poked his head through, holding up two fingers in a 'V' sign.
"You're on in two hours!"
"Looks like I'll just have to teach it to you myself. Let's go somewhere quiet," Fai sighed, taking Sakura and leading her away by the hand.
Syaoran and Kurogane watched them go wordlessly. In the ensuing silence, Syaoran coughed and the two awkwardly returned to practice, neither of them voicing the misgivings that they no doubt shared.
XX
They met again backstage as they prepared for their turn to perform. Their instruments had been set up on a large, round platform and now there was no longer a chance to practice, only to worry and wait.
Sakura still glanced about fretfully. Kurogane would sometimes feel her eyes rest upon him for more than a few moments but every time he glanced her way she would quickly divert her attention towards the floor.
Finally, he could take no more of her silent messages and approached her. The wizard be damned, if Fai wanted to accuse him of any sort of fatherly feelings then let him.
"It'll be fine. Relax," he whispered, placing a firm hand on Sakura's shoulder.
The princess did not look the least bit reassured. "Um…Kurogane-san, if…if…" she stuttered.
"It's okay. Even if we don't win, no one will blame you for it. The kid will get back your feather for sure."
"But, Kurogane-san, if I sing…"
"Okay, you're on now!"
The group was ushered onto the stage, beckoned to take their places in front of a crowd of faceless people.
"Are you ready?" Fai whispered as he passed Kurogane. "It's thanks to your inspiration that we got this far. This is the song that you inspired me to write."
Kurogane took his guitar from the stand and took position at Sakura's right side. He was ready.
"Um…well…good evening!" Sakura's voice tripped and stumbled but grew more confident as she spoke. Her eyes washed over the crowd, gazing from face to face from behind the microphone. "We're a really new group. In fact this is our band, Tsubasa, this is our debut. We have Syaoran-kun on the drums," she gestured behind her and Syaoran performed a quick piece as an introduction, the others following suit as Sakura named them. "This is our song - 'How much'." She bowed and the music began.
The drums began rolling and Kurogane came in on his cue with the guitar. His fingers slid up and down the neck; the result of days upon days of relentless practice. It was like repeating a battle that he had fought over and over, familiar yet furious, comfortable yet passionate.
It's thanks to your inspiration that we got this far.
It was just like Fai. This music felt just like that crazy, elusive wizard; a ball of contradictions and tangled hopes. It was just like the teasing touches and caring caresses, the things they never said and all the things they never did.
This is the song that you inspired me to write.
Sakura's voice flowed sweetly from her lips, tender yet strong as she sang.
"Hooow much is that doggy in the window?"
Next time, Kurogane would be giving a lot more inspiration.
I wanted to write angst but then I decided to reserve it for a later chapter (and Sakura was being too flowery and not letting me torture the bishies.)