Half A Chance – At Innocence

Dedication: This one is for Card Mistress, giggleplex (sorry I couldn't remember your name last time), and Leita Motomiya because you guys review me! Thankyou for telling me that Hiiro's dream wasn't completely stupid, and Leita, some of the scenes you might get because of the plans I gave you!

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Got it?

Taichi: I may have said it before, but you guys HAVE to understand that I like Sora… I just haven't told her yet. No telling. And no dating them, got it?

Hiiro: Hn.

Quatre: I already told you, we're kinda pegged…

Minako: Oh no you're not! *Evil giggling (people can GIGGLE evilly? Oh yeah, Dot)*

Hiiro & Quatre: Nani?

Minako: You heard me! Nothing is ever pegged when it comes to me!

Trowa: Yes it is. I read your plans.

Minako: Shh Tro-kun, angering me could force me to change my mind…

Trowa: …Damn.

Minako: This is where we like to shake things up a little!

Keika: I like the philosophy of music!

Music Teacher: I like to listen to my students perform!

Sora: I like QUATRE!

All: Nani???

Sora: I'm just doing what I'm told!

Trowa: …*Drags Sora away. Looks like he has Hiiro's gun…*

Minako: Tro-kun, what are you doing? *irks after no response* Trowa?

Hiiro: You know he's gonna kill you for that, don't you?

Minako: *irks some more* Save me Hiiro! No? Keika? No? Music Teacher? No? Sora? NO? MEEP!

Leita: EBEE!

Quatre: Minako, can you fix this? Please?

Minako: Ask Trowa!

Quatre: *now to Trowa* PLEASE? *Gah! The sickeningly cute look! Run!*

Trowa: …Damn!

Quatre: THANK YOU! *Glomps Trowa. Trowa… blushes? NANI???*

Minako: Aw… KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-*cough-cough*

Leita: ^.^*****

Hiiro: *Whispers to you guys, the readers* Get me out of here!

Notes: I'm not kidding! Nothing is ever pegged! HAHAHA! Unfortunately this ISN'T the chapter when things get… decidedly… interesting! This chapter was largely inspired by the very difficult-to-play third movement of Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' (That's also what Q played). I have the midi and listened to it and was inspired. Hence the Music Teacher. If you want the midi, tell me and I'll be happy to send it to you. My email address is m9_minako9@hotmail.com, or fuzzball@gundamwing.net so you could email me, or leave me a review!

Today was Tuesday. Now, at the High School of Odaiba, every week Tuesday was the main PA/PE day. When I say this, I mean that one week the day would be dedicated to PE, as in Sports, and Theory. Since it was the whole day, you could do whichever you chose, as long as you stuck it out. Funnily enough, no one could get out of it. Not surprising, it was a very sport-orientated school. Not many people attended Theory classes. You could probably guess that our Taichi loved these days, being the soccer-freak he is. You might have guessed that Hiiro… liked it, I suppose. But, basketball was his forte. And he was darn good at it! (Sorry, it was the series, and then the Ground Zero manga that did that) Then, then next week, they would have Performing arts sessions. Of course, some people slacked off and did sports instead. But who could blame them. Our Izzy didn't like either of the days. He said that you couldn't really learn anything, as sport involved too much physical activity and arts required… artsy-ness? Izzy didn't really like anything like that. But, our dear pilot friends are only on their second week. So they don't really know yet, do they? They could choose from Music, Art, Dance, and Drama (Hiiro doing ballet… itai…) doing something sport related, and free sessions. So first up, Music!

Keika surveyed the room carefully, taking in each face with recognition. Aha, there was her prey! And spare seats all around! Keika approached the seat closest to her. But, alas, it was quickly taken by another. No matter, there was one directly behind. Nope, someone is already sitting there. How about in front? Too bad, that one is called too. Then, like a shining light, there was one seat right next to her target. She approached it, almost slowly. And then, just like the rest, it was taken. She dropped her head and sighed resignedly. She took the next seat from her perfect one, and for a while glared at The-Guy-Who-Stole-My-Chair-Guy. And then, the bell rang and everyone was seated. The Teacher entered the nicely-sized room. The room was adequate for it's purpose – it could hold about twenty students, and had a piano next to the desk. There was a second adjacent room filled with keyboards and sound-editing computers and the like. All-in-all, perfect for it's purpose. At the sight of the teacher, most of the students produced folders, presumably filled with sheet music, music books, notes, etc. Keika noted not for the first time that some people had cases next to their chairs.

"Good Morning Class, as always it's a pleasure to see you again. Today, as we had discussed last time, we will be talking about music as well as playing, and listening. But first, we must do the register." The teacher was quick about it, and none of the class held her up, eager to begin. She came to the end of the list. "Ah, I see we have two new students. Well I'll have to talk to you later, hmm?" She smiled lightly, and looked over what was probably notes. The cap was off the pen now, and the whiteboard had a simple title. 'What Is Music?'

"So, that's the topic for today, Class. What is Music? So, has anybody got any ideas?"

Hands shot up left and right, all with their own ideas. Only a few hands remained on desks, perhaps unsure of their opinions. The Teacher picked the first person.

"Well, Music is something you listen to!"

"That's very true. Anyone else?"

The next persons answer was just as easy as the first. "Well, Music is something you can make. Like a song."

"Yes, that's true." There were less people with hands this time, but Keika noticed that herself and another were the only ones left. Naturally the Teacher picked the other person.

"Music is something you make so others can listen!"

"That's a very good point! And now, Keika?"

Keika grinned as she pulled her thoughts together quickly, hoping she'd make as much sense saying it as she did thinking it.

"Well, the way I see it, Music is, well, everything."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, every sound anything makes is it's own kind of music. Music is natural, but we can also make music. We make music for other people to listen to, and we make music for other people to play."

"Is that it Keika?"

"Not quite. What I mean to say is, when we crate music, we create it in two ways. The first way is the way absolutely anyone can play it, simply playing the notes. Of course it makes a wonderful noise after practice, but the other way can be so much better. The second way, is to play music with our souls. If you play music and you pour everything into it, it can help people if they listen. When they listen, thy can understand more about you, and how you feel. You can tell who plays with their soul by how the music sounds; it never sounds the same twice."

"And can everyone play like this?"

"Oh no. There really aren't many who play with everything they have. The fact is, people who play with their everything, are passionate people. And passionate people always have issues."

"Why do you say that?"

"Anyone who has enough emotion to play with passion is not a happy person."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"Music is something we can play to show people how we feel. And if we listen well enough, we can, perhaps, feel what they do, or at least a ratio of it."

The Class stayed silent, contemplating what Keika has said. She smiled slightly, happy with the fact she'd seemed to throw so many people off.

"Those are all very good points. And this is a music calls, we are not only here to learn how to play instruments, but to learn how to listen. Music is a way of speaking, and if we can't listen to others too, it's a lost talent. So, who would like to play something for us first today?"

It turned out that from 20 students, about ten of them could actually play an instrument. The other half of the class was still learning. So, after Keika (who's name was previously at the bottom of the register) finished playing, there was quite a lot of time left. So the Teacher turned on the two newbies.

"So, do either of you play anything?" Keika quickly noted that Chair-Stealing-Guy was new. The object of her attention shrugged nonchalantly, possibly indicating he had no intention to learn. The other guy, who'd she'd been sitting next to for the whole time, and had just been Glaring Daggers to rival the object of her affection, apparently DID play something, but Keika didn't pay enough attention to what. She did, however, follow a couple of others to the piano to watch the kid play. Hiiro, the oh-so-wonderful guy she'd set her eye on, was there before anyone saw him get out of the chair. Keika barely noted his lips moving, saying something that she couldn't hear, even at her proximity. The other must have said something back, as Hiiro stepped back, but to the most observant of people, it would have been hard to note the slight look of concern that glinted in his eyes. Concern? For what?

*~*~*

Hiiro watched carefully as Quatre tinkered half-heartedly with the keys of the piano, as the Teacher spoke.

"So, what are you going to play?"

"Oh… um, this." Quatre handed the Teacher sheets of music, and the Teacher looked at the title as her eye twitched slightly. "Is that okay?" The Teacher nodded, but still had a vaguely stunned look on her face. Hiiro started wonder what was so strange about the sheet music. She tried to hand it back, but was refuted.

"Don't you need the sheet music?"

"No."

And so the Teacher looked a tiny bit paler than usual. Hiiro watched as someone took the sheets and got a very odd look. Hiiro quickly took the sheets, and all he saw was some kind of blotchy mess on the pages. Now, we all know our Hiiro has many talents, and being able to read music a bit was one of them, but this didn't look like music to him. It looked like an ink spill. (I haven't seen the sheet myself, but I'm sure that's all I'd see. I can't read music) He rifled through the seemingly many pages, and noticed some bits he understood since they weren't so… cluttered? He realized that he probably could have looked at the title, but didn't feel the need. He felt someone come near him, and quickly saw that it was Keika, the girl who had been hanging on to him yesterday. She smiled at the fact he noted her, and Hiiro briefly wondered what was going on in her head. He didn't smile back. It wasn't his style.

"So Hiiro," she began with her eyes glinting dangerously, "How are you today?"

"My condition is acceptable."

The glint lessened a little, and Hiiro knew more of this behavior would dent anyone who hadn't spent enough time with him. But then he noticed that there was now a look of unfaltering determination in her eyes, and she smiled again. "So, what is your friend going to play that has the Teacher and Dien so googly?"

Googly? What does she mean, googly? Is that even a word?

Hiiro mentally shrugged and showed her the first sheet. "This music looks like a mess," he commented dryly. Keika simply smiled more. She was reminding him slightly of Relena now. Then she looked at the sheet and her face fell a little.

"This isn't a mess, this is scary! Look at it! This is the kind of thing you have to play with about five extra arms! I think your friend is bluffing!" She looked like she was about to rant some more, but instead he found her trying to follow the sheet as the music began. After about a minute she gave up and sighed dramatically. Hiiro ignored her and listened as what could have been something obtrusive and angry was turned pained and morose. Perhaps he was the only one who could hear it this way. Perhaps everyone was busy trying to catch the individual components that they missed the whole. And in a way, he was happy if they did. Sometimes NOT understanding was the best way. In the minutes that passed Hiiro felt the music painted a painfully clear picture of how his friend was. And yet, in this place no one had the ears to hear nor the eyes to see what he did. However, when he faced Keika once more, the odd light in her eyes had left as her mouth hung slightly open. Was she hearing this too?

Abruptly Hiiro was forced from his thoughts as the piece abruptly ended, and a small bang resonated in the silence that followed afterwards. He walked slowly to the piano, which he noted he had moved some distance from since. He also noted that Keika was following, while everyone else remained seemingly frozen.

"Quatre," he whispered, "Quatre, are you okay?" The small shake he got was response enough.

*~*~*

Keika had followed Hiiro to the small blond playing the piano in a way she'd never heard. It all seemed too clear to her, some kind of lying truth or a truthful lie. She didn't really hear what Hiiro had said, but it didn't matter.

"Do you want to come to the nurses office?" she asked, carefully concealing the fact she was at least a little concerned. An expert and hiding how she felt, she didn't expect the most observant of observers to know.

"…Yeah,"

Keika looked to the Teacher, who nodded, still in the stunned silence that had taken everyone by hold. She watched as Quatre stood up and left the room, followed closely by Hiiro and herself. She wasn't even sure why she was following, and was surely unnoticed by Hiiro. At any other time she might have been peeved, but she wasn't thinking of that now. Now, she cast her mind back to the music that seemed to tell her something. But for the life of her she couldn't figure it out. Perhaps there was more to this than met the eye? She noticed her steps gaining rapider, while Hiiro seemed to fall back. When they reached the office Quatre kept walking, and she was sure Hiiro would have too. Obviously they didn't know where everything was yet. She did the only thing that came to mind and dragged Quatre back a bit. But when she did she got a feeling like an electric shock as her eyes widened slightly. But she didn't let anyone know. Static Keika, static. Don't be stupid.

The nurse was certainly surprised to see people she didn't know.

"Oh you certainly don't look well dear! Come, come, sit down! I think you have a fever…"

The nurse wasn't wrong. Quatre wasn't looking well at all, instead he looked small and pale, eyes filmed by fatigue, pain, and fear. The nurse left shortly, for reasons undisclosed. Keika leant on the door, very sure she was unnoticed. Hiiro seemed to her to be something akin to angry.

"You haven't been eating or sleeping. Why?"

"Why do you think?"

Keika wanted to know what it was Hiiro was supposed to think. It seemed interesting enough.

"Since we got to Sanq?"

"…Yeah."

Keika noticed that for some reason she could tell Hiiro was supposed to be carefully considering something. She could tell there was something important that he knew, and wasn't sure about saying until now. At this moment, she could see his uncertainty gone. Before she had a chance to think about anything Hiiro blurted something that made no sense, and at the same time, lots.

"Trowa isn't dead."

Quatre's eyes seemed to sparkle in an unseen light, and gave something that could barely be counted as a smile.

"Oh."

TO BE CONTINUED

Okay, quickly – I know (at least, I HOPE) that there is more that three people reading this. Card Mistress has kept on reviewing, as has Leita, but where are the rest of you? Let these two have a break from being my review muses. And to anyone who is wondering, yes, it did take me a whole week to write one chapter. SO, review so I may be inspired! PLEASE!