Author: aomurasakiai
Warnings: Cross dressing, Shounen ai, Fluff, Sap, Angst, AU, OOC-ness
Pairings: 1+2+1
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
*Everything above may be subject to change*
Song: "Mother ~ For the Earthian" from "Earthian"
Songfic Notes:
[romaji song lyrics]
(English translation)
Finally the last period of the day arrived. While walking to the music/choir room with the Duo, Heero was seriously contemplating about quitting his self-appointed mission of discovering the mystery of the braided boy. A couple of classes he sat through were bearable but more often than not they were just boring! It took every ounce of control not to scream in irritation. The guardian angel wondered to himself yet again if the whole thing was worth it. He almost crashed into Duo when the other teen stopped in front of a rather large room at the end of the hall.
"Here we are," Duo said and he slid the door open. Kisho-sensei looked up from his piano playing to see one of his best male soloists of all the periods he taught, step in. Duo was accompanied by what he presumed to be the new student. Kisho-sensei stood up and smiled warmly at the girl.
"Kisho-sensei, this is Aiko Kohana." Heero bowed slightly to the other man as he heard the other students come into the room.
"Welcome Aiko-san. I'm sure you'll have fun here. But first I must hear your vocal range so I can place you accordingly," Kisho-sensei explained, gesturing the seats. Heero nodded.
"How?"
"Just by singing a short portion of a song. It will have both high and low notes so I can hear if your voice is stronger in the soprano or in the alto." The guardian angel's eyebrow twitched. Sing in front of the class? He glanced around and saw that there were perhaps no more than 15 people in the room. But that was beside the point. He'd never sung before in his life and he didn't know if he could measure up to these people. If he couldn't measure up then there was a chance that he might not be able to stay in the class… and he *had* to. He had to be with Duo at all times.
Duo smiled and stepped up next to Aiko. He figured that she must be nervous, and that was natural. The braided teen knew how nervous he was when he had to sing in front of someone else, especially if that person was judging you. Butterflies would just swarm in his stomach for hours before a performance. He gently patted Aiko's shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine. Just try your best, ne?" he said, smiling. Heero blinked at the other in surprise. Duo had confidence in him. He turned away from the other boy, murmuring a soft "Arigato," to him. Facing Kisho-sensei, the teacher pulled out a thin binder and handed it to him.
"Pick any song you like. There's a variety and in turn, we will get to know a little bit about you from what you choose," he explained. Heero nodded and began flipping through page after page of music sheets that had accompanying instruments along with the vocals. He briefly wondered if he was expected to sing it acapella or will Kisho-sensei be playing an instrument while he sang? The angel flipped yet another page and stopped, an idea forming in his mind on how to impress the vocal teacher. He showed him the song entitled "Mother ~ For the Earthian."
"Can I play the harp while I sing this?" Heero had been taught how to play the harp like all angels were required to do at a young age. He didn't particularly like it at the time but it definitely would serve its use to him today. Kisho-sensei blinked in amazement.
"Of course!" he exclaimed, excitement written all over his face. He gestured the harp at one corner of the room and motioned Duo to follow him so they could both move it to the center of the room. Duo was equally surprised because the harp was a difficult instrument to play, not to mention hard to learn. But, he loved the sound of a harp and he couldn't believe that he would get to hear it in real life rather than a just synthesized version. He was glad to know such a talented girl.
When they finally finished moving it, Heero already had the short song memorized as well as the instrumental accompaniment. He bowed slightly to Duo and Kisho-sensei in thanks and after handing the binder back to the teacher he pulled up a chair. He gently touched one of the long strings, trying to familiarize himself with the large, golden instrument. It had been a long time since he'd played one. Lightly plucking them one at a time, he nodded his approval that it was in tune and also in good condition, without a speck of dust anywhere. Spreading his fingers apart and separating his hands slightly, he softly played the beginning chords of the song before he began to sing in a low alto voice.
[aisuru koto o akiramenaide]
[todokanai iradachi mo yagate kieru hazu da yo]
(Don't give up loving someone)
(Your suffering will go away someday)
Duo perked up at the new song. In the years he had been a part of Kisho-sensei's class this song hadn't been chosen by anyone before.
[kanjiru koto o
akiramenaide]
[kodachi ga yureru youni fuan darou kedo]
(Don't give up feeling for yourself)
(Like a grove swaying)
The braided teen relaxed in his seat as Aiko continued singing. She had a good voice… a *really* good voice. He suspected that it rivaled some of the other girls' in the class. He grinned inwardly as he thought what it would be like if they did a duet together sometime in the future.
[Oh boy…]
[anata no yasashisa anata no tsuyosa mo]
[anata ga motsu yowasa mo]
(Oh boy…)
(Your tenderness, your strength)
(The weakness you carry)
Heero winced to himself as he hit the long high notes. It was much harder than he thought.
[Oh boy…]
[umareta toki kara mimamotte iru yo]
[mirai no hate made mo]
(Oh boy…)
(I've been watching and protecting you)
(And I will until the end of time)
The guardian angel glanced up at Duo while he sang the words to see if the other would give any indication that he was doing satisfactory work or not. Violet eyes locked onto his and Duo smiled, giving him thumbs up.
Duo tried hard not to fidget when Aiko looked over to him. It was as if she was singing those words to *him* but he berated himself. She was just looking for reassurance that she was doing fine. She was… she definitely was.
[yoake ga kuru to yume wa
kieru yo]
[yorokobi mo kanashimi mo subete ai ni naru]
(When the day breaks, my dream vanishes)
(Joy and sadness, everything changes into love)
The final chords of the song faded away and Heero gave an inconspicuous sigh of relief. Though it was quite short, it seemed to take forever to get through. He kept his head bowed as everyone applauded rather loudly for him. Kisho-sensei stood up, clapping the loudest of them all.
"Wonderful! That was just marvelous, Aiko-san!" Heero nodded slightly to the enthusiastic teacher as Kisho-sensei started to explain that she would be placed in the alto section officially but if there ever came a time for a stronger soprano part she would just shift over. When he'd finished, Duo came over.
"Aiko, that was amazing. You had absolutely *nothing* to worry about with that voice of yours! Not to mention your talent on the harp. Where did you learn to play it anyway?" Heero was quiet for a moment, trying to formulate an answer that wouldn't give himself away.
"When I was young." He decided to just keep it ambiguous and vague. Luckily, Duo didn't push further and was talking excitedly about upcoming performances and auditions for solo parts as well as duets and small groups.
"You should really give it a try!" Duo said, grinning. Heero just shrugged in an "I'll think about it" manner and went to sit down. Almost immediately the other students crowded around him, excited to have such a talented "girl" in their class. They each hoped to sing with her someday, especially the guys. Heero was starting to feel a little overwhelmed at all the praise before Duo pushed his way through, waving them off.
"All right, let her breathe for Kami-sama's sake." The others backed away with sheepish smiles. Heero looked up gratefully at the braided boy. Duo just smiled at him again. The guardian angel wondered if this was what made Duo so special… his kind, amiable nature and never ceasing ability to smile. He could easily capture the hearts of anyone, any human. Perhaps even angels.
Duo started to feel the heat rise up his face as Aiko continued to stare at him as if she was contemplating something. No other girl had ever been able to do that, although some boys had if their glances lingered a little too long. He wondered why Aiko was able to stir such feelings in a gay teen such as himself. Maybe he really was BI after all. Or maybe… it was just Aiko herself. The rest of the class period became a blur as he continued to get the feeling that Aiko was *watching* him. Not an uneasy feeling… but a more excited one.
Soon the school day finally ended and Heero breathed a small sigh of relief. Now he had to get back to the sky before he was missed by anyone, like Lady Une. He picked up his school bag and walked swiftly down the hall to the front entrance.
Duo blinked when he saw Aiko speed up. Where was she going in such a hurry? Home? Well that was probably the reason but still… he wanted to spend a little more time with her and get to know her a little better. The braided teen sped up his own pace.
"Aiko-san, matte!" Duo smiled when the young girl stopped and turned around. He waved in greeting to her, despite the fact that they'd just had the previous class together.
"Nani?" she questioned him and Duo's smile faltered a bit, his mind racing to come up with some reason… *any* reason.
"A-Anou… I was just thinking that… if you want to go…" The proverbial light bulb blinked on over his head. "Go get your textbooks! It's best if you get them now so you can use them tomorrow." Aiko stared at Duo and the American felt heat rise up once again. Eventually, she nodded in agreement and he relaxed, smiling.
~*~*~
"Ne Aiko-san, want me to help you carry those?" Heero looked at the pile of hardcover and paperback books of various sizes in his arms. He had no trouble carrying them but then again, he had to remember he was "a girl" and it was natural for Duo to offer to help. The guardian angel handed some of the books over to the other and put the rest in his bag.
"Arigato."
"Iie, it's nothing. We only have to get a few more, ne?" Heero nodded. He didn't realize that he was also *required* to buy a few more books along with the ones the school provided. This was really cutting into his time but he had no other choice. They both walked out of the school and down the street to the closest bookstore. Finding the English books wasn't a challenge since they were in stock and they were done within 5 minutes. Duo turned to him as they walked out of the store.
"Anou… do you need help getting these home? I can walk with you," he asked quietly and tentatively. Aiko shook her head and took the books from him.
"I can get home myself," she said, bowing to him in thanks.
"Do you want to walk to school together tomorrow? I can wait for you… somewhere." Heero glanced up into desperate violet eyes and the feelings begin to stir again. The human really did have a powerful effect on the young angel. Duo had done a lot for him throughout the day… the least he could do was grant him this wish. He looked around and pointed to the street corner.
"There, tomorrow morning at 7. Okay?" Duo immediately brightened.
"Hai! I'll be there early!" he exclaimed, resisting the urge to hug Aiko, even though he wanted to. "I'll see you tomorrow, Aiko-san! Ja ne!" He waved and jogged down the street. Heero shook his head at the boy's excitement, a faint smile gracing his lips. He walked in the other direction until he came to a dark alleyway. Turning into it, there was a flash of light and he was gone.
tbc…
Notes: As I've been told, the Japanese school system has the teachers switching between classes and the students stay put. I'm not going to change it so… just pretend Moriyama incorporated the American school system.
In my choir class we were required to sing "My Country, 'tis of Thee" and I got placed in 2nd soprano (which is the 2nd highest vocal range, 1st soprano being the highest). Alto (also 1st and 2nd) is the lower one that is usually for the girls (although some guys made it that high). Finally it's the guys with tenor (higher) and bass (lower).