Author's note: Gosh… it's taking me some time to update this. Gome… I'm just very very busy.
As you might have noted (if you haven't what's taking you) this fiction depicts male x male relationships… but since it has become a bit tiring for me to always write the same warning, I'll stick with the usual shonen-ai warning… I will of course warn when there is a certain escalation in the maturity of the contents, although it shouldn't be necessary since I've rated this as an M fiction.
Also, prepare yourselves because here comes the second addition to this crossover… drums please.
Disclaimer: Guess there isn't much I can do to avoid this… oh well. The characters in this fiction do not belong to me and I make no profit whatsoever of this.
Warning: Shonen-ai
Chapter 5
Good morning ("21 September, 2017, Friday")
All' arme si accesi guerrieri- Alessandro Scarlatti (aria from the oratorio Pace)
The sun had already risen a few minutes ago and the gardens of the Institute had already started showing traces of the summer that had gone by. Leaves were slowly turning to a lighter tone of green (which would soon be yellow); the flowers gracefully shed of their petals and began to ripen into fruits; the nests of birds once filled with high pitched chirping from the offspring were now filled with small birds making their first experimental flights. The wind blew in unpredictable gusts lifting the few leaves that had already fallen from the high branches… the scent of moist ground and dried petals journeyed across the winds of the new Fall.
Of course none of this mattered to the sleeping figure of Shinji, comfortably lying inside his warm bed paying no heed to the newly arrived season that begged his presence for a brand new start. Sometimes he would turn in his sleep, a small smile planted on his calm face. The shutters were closed so only a few stray beads of light would enter the, otherwise, pitch dark room… and then the alarm started ringing in a furious dingle making Shinji jump out of bed and turn it off.
He looked to the bed on the other side of the room, afraid he had woken up his roommate; the classes would only begin the week after so there was no need to wake Kaworu up just because Shinji had the sudden urge to look around and see how the school was like before it was crowded.
"It's nice of you to care for my comfort… but I was already awake."
Shinji jumped with a yelp and found Kaworu coming out of the bathroom door, draped in nothing but a towel around his waist with bare chest, his hair still dripping with water. Shinji stared dazedly, still half asleep. The older male smiled as he used the towel on his hand to dry his hair.
"I always get up early; can't seem to find a good reason to stay in bed. The shower is free and you still have hot water… you should hurry if you don't want to freeze. One of the problems of being on the last floor I suppose… hot water; first come first serve."
Shinji finally woke up completely and found, to his embarrassment, he had been tracing a small drop of water that had been sliding down Kaworu's slim abdomen making the red eyed male look a bit uncomfortable with Shinji's fixation. The younger male got up in an instant, his cheeks ruby red and nodded.
"Thank you Nagisa-kun…"
Kaworu shushed the startled boy with a long finger closing his lips together… Shinji's skin burned with embarrassment. Kaworu gaped amusingly at his red complexion with a playful smile on his mouth.
"Kaworu… Ka-wo-ru… ok Shinji?"
The flustered male merely nodded… the hair on the back of his neck on edge; blue eyes open widely at the disturbing finger. He wasn't used to this kind of closeness and it felt awkward, uncomfortable even. Kaworu removed his index from Shinji's quivering lips and pointed to the door behind him.
"Anyway… you better get going if you want the chance to have a hot bath."
"Oh, I suppose I will; thank you…" Shinji paused at the hard stare the semi-nude male gave him. "… K-Kaworu-kun…"
Kaworu's smile widened to a fully contempt grin making the dark haired boy's stomach quiver strangely… it was like there had been cocoons stashed in his stomach and they had suddenly burst into a bluster of butterflies. He got inside the small bathroom not wishing to take any more part in the terribly embarrassing moment leaving a smiling Kaworu behind him.
Shinji closed the door and heaved a sigh. He stretched while looking around his surroundings… it wasn't big but still logged a sink with a small medication cabinet, a toilet, a towel stand and a small bathtub with a shower. The lingering smell of sweet shampoo confirmed that Kaworu had been having a shower; the blue eyed boy inhaled sharply, enjoying the scent of his roommate's bath lotion. He placed the towel he had taken in a hurry in his attempt at escape from the awkward situation and quickly took off his clothes.
He turned on the shower to let the water warm up before he entered the tub. While outside, he stretched his body and yawned… shivers ran down the male's spine; it was actually cold in the bathroom. Shinji wasn't used to it being this cold… especially on the first day of fall; this was almost as cold as the peak of winter back in Japan.
Does it get even colder in the winter?
Not wishing to find out, he quickly jumped into the warm steam that had formed inside the bath area. The water cascaded down his figure relaxing each one of his muscles and warming the chilly skin of his body. Shinji sighed letting the vapor fill his lungs clearing out his breath… he enjoyed the feeling of the steam caressing his skin and the way the tips of his fingers and hair dripped as if he was a part of an ancient Greek fountain. He sighed relaxingly and bent to grab the shampoo bottle and squirted some of the lotion on to his hands starting a bit of foam.
KNOCK
Shinji jumped with surprise, his hands in the midst of rinsing his head. Fingers still entwined in his hair, he peered from the other side of the tub's curtain at the door and asked meekly.
"Hmm… yes?"
"Shinji-kun…" Kaworu's voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Are you going downstairs for breakfast after your bath…?"
"Y-Yes, why do you ask?"
"I just wanted to know… I guess I'll wait for you. It's always better to eat accompanied." A small chuckle was heard at the end of the sentence.
"No… Kaworu… you mustn't…" Shinji was of a completely different opinion. "I mean… I may take a while. I don't want to make you wait; you must be hungry."
"No really… it's no problem at all. I insist, dinner was very enjoyable with you and repeating a meal sounds promising."
"But I…" Shinji considered his options. It didn't seem older male was going to change his mind and it was just possible that he might just feel it necessary to express his opinion face to face (and the idea of Kaworu walking in and find him naked was not something Shinji considered in any way acceptable). Kaworu had been right; dinner had been very good and it was nice to be able to talk to him… although there was always the uncomfortable fluttering in his stomach when he smiled in that strange way he did. And in the end; it was just a breakfast… what could happen?
"Shinji-kun… are you there?"
"Hmm… oh yes, I'm here!" Shinji exclaimed when he saw the door handle start to turn. "I guess we could have breakfast together. If you don't mind waiting for a little while longer while I finish bathing."
"I don't mind waiting for you… time doesn't really matter."
Shinji blushed hotly and was very glad there was no one there to see him. He clenched his wavering stomach and fought the smile that had quickly drawn on his lips. He swiftly resumed taking his bath as he heard footsteps outside…
"Good… you're ready." Shinji exited the bathroom fully clad (he had brought the clothes with him inside the bathroom) in a pair of brown trousers and a salmon shirt. He was used to have a school uniform but it seemed the Institute had a very open view to any kind of clothing… which gave him the strange and discomforting feeling that he was always wearing the wrong thing. Yet seeing that Kaworu had chosen a very similar outfit was quite a burden off his shoulders.
The older male got up. "Shall we go… have your key with you?" Shinji nodded.
"Are you sure that breakfast is served at this time? I mean… classes haven't even started and it's a bit early."
That resulted in a chuckle from the older male. "I can see you're not used to this kind of school. There's a small bar that's almost always open… and even if it's closed there are some vending machines that serve a good coffee and some cakes or sandwiches. And the student's lounge is always available… if we're lucky we'll have it all to ourselves."
"Have what to ourselves…?"
Kaworu smiled. "The piano of course… it was a great idea to bring one of the Steinways to the lounge. After all… we're the ones who use it."
"Oh…" Shinji bent his head down. "… but I don't know how to play the piano."
"Didn't you get keyboard lessons in the school where you were?" Kaworu sighed as Shinji shook his head in denial "Well… no matter; you're going to start them here and I'm sure you are a quick learner. And I can always help…"
Shinji nodded but was already thinking of a plausible excuse to avoid Kaworu's tutoring… he didn't quite like the way he reacted to the older male and it was just a matter of time before he did something stupid. It was probably the fascination of meeting his idol… if not then he was simply uncomfortable to be with.
The blue eyed boy turned the door handle and opened the door… a waft of frigid air blew through the thin fabric of his clothing making the young man shut the door automatically, shivering like a sick person. Kaworu's laughter woke him from his slight hypothermia… he turned and was met with an arm stretched out to him holding a jacket. Shinji accepted the extra garment and quickly wore it warding the low temperature.
"Thank you… didn't expect it to be this cold."
Kaworu smirked as he finished putting on his own jacket "You really aren't used to this kind of school… the rooms are heated. And don't expect it to be any warmer in the morning from now on… for six months at least."
Shinji nodded and opened the door yet again… the cold wind was still blowing but at least the air did not cut against his skin now that he had added a new layer of protection. The halls of the dormitories that had once been filled with people accommodating themselves to the room, was now silent. They walked a few steps and Shinji stopped in front of the elevator's metallic door.
"Are you sure you don't want to go down the stairs?" Kaworu asked a few steps away from him.
Shinji nodded sternly; the red eyed male simply shrugged and waited while he pressed the button. A few seconds passed before the cabin stopped in front of them. They entered the rather cramped space and descended to the bottom floor. The moment they exited the lift they were greeted with loud piano harmonics. Kaworu frowned and sighed with a small pout on his lips.
"Guess we were a bit too late."
"But it's only a quarter past seven… who could be playing at this hour?"
The older male chuckled. "I think I can guess"
As they walked into the students' lounge Shinji was surprise to find sitting on the piano the big fringed male, Trowa placidly playing scales and standing by the piano was Quatre warming his voice with quick and well timbered exercises, singing notes he never thought a man could reach. Kaworu chuckled looking at his roommate's flabbergasted expression. The exercises went on for a while, Trowa helping Quatre get the right pitch until the moment the blonde reached a top A (author's note: for those of you who do not understand I'll put it simply: a top A is a note that normally only high-pitched feminine voices can reach) making Shinji gasp.
With that Quatre became aware of their presence and turned, his green eyes fixed on Shinji's blue ones… but instead of stopping, the Arabian singer simply smiled and took a deep breath inflating his chest and abdomen to almost double the size it had been. The sound that came out of his throat was indescribable… a series of thrills, fast scales and ornamentations that seemed to put the rest of the world to silence finishing on an ever so clear top B (note a tone higher than A and that as a rule only a soprano could intone) that grew to a huge sound and then slowly muting in an almost imperceptible sigh. Shinji was left speechless before the beautiful demonstration the smiling blonde gave him… it was only after a few seconds he remembered to inhale.
"Showoff…" Kaworu chuckled.
Quatre responded with a snicker. "I thought we were all showoffs Kaworu."
Trowa kept sitting by the piano, a smile planted on his face. The smaller male approached the newly arrived pair with a shining grin drawn on his petite lips and greeted them. Shinji just gazed… he had heard about Quatre's fabulous voice and he had even listened to his recordings; he had always been impressed but what he had witnessed… was almost godly. The counter-tenor (author's note: counter-tenor is the name you give to a man who sings in a register similar to feminine voices) greeted them both.
"Good to see you again Shinji. So you came for breakfast or did Kaworu wake you up with his early habits?"
"Look who's talking… I'm not the one already up and singing." Kaworu joked with a wide grin.
"It was nothing like that… I woke up on my own. I wanted to take a look around school before classes started."
"And I'm going to give him a little tour." The red eyed male intervened, surprising Shinji. "But first we'll treat ourselves to some coffee and breakfast."
"Good… we'll come with you."
Trowa joined the group as they occupied on of the tables sitting on the comfortable chairs. Already sited, the long fringed man got up and walked to the open bar.
"You know what I like to have…" Quatre begged in sweet tone and Trowa nodded as he walked away to fetch them breakfast.
Shinji and Kaworu got up at the same time but Kaworu stopped Shinji in mid-lift making him sit down again. "I can get you breakfast if you like Shinji."
The blue eyed teenager blushed hotly at the proposition. "But you don't know what I want… there really is no need." He tried to get up but Kaworu's hand restrained him once more.
"Trust me… I'm good at guessing people's tastes."
Shinji was left speechless as Kaworu walked away to join Trowa at the bar, his face reddened as it was becoming more and more usual. The young boy looked at the other person sited on the table…. Quatre was staring at the grey haired youth with an extremely amused expression on his face, almost as if containing a laugh.
"What is it Quatre?" He asked with the slightest hint of suspicion.
The Arabian looked at Shinji and a mere glance at his rosier than usual cheeks stretched his amused grin even further making the cellist uncomfortable.
"It's nothing Shinji… I was just thinking about something interesting."
Very interesting indeed…
And again Kaworu had been right… he truly had a talent for guessing people's tastes. Although Shinji was sure he would have been thankful for anything that the grey haired male would bring him; Kaworu had got him an almost perfect breakfast… a warm chocolate muffin, a toast with butter (without salt, which made it even more amazing), grapes and, to achieve the peek of perfection, warm milk with a mix of coffee and powdered chocolate with a sweet cream topping. Shinji could really get used to waking up to this every morning… although he had the slight suspicion that the drink wasn't from the automatic vendors; it was just too good to be produced in a machine.
Quatre was having warmed milk with honey ("for the voice" he had commented), hot apple mousse and an omelet, which he was trying to feed Trowa who refused, happy with his simple black coffee (without sugar which sent shivers up Shinji's spine) and apple muffin with raisins. In Shinji's point of view Quatre and Trowa were exceptionally close for simple friends or roommates which made it extremely obvious what exactly they were to each other… although Shinji could be a bit daft about that sort of things, even something this direct could not escape him. The way they looked at each other, how every seemingly innocent action ended coincidentally with them touching hands or the ever so willing almost servant-like way Trowa treated the blonde Arabian.
"Oh, come on… just this bit! It's good for you… you can't expect to only go on that cake and your coffee!" Quatre lunged onto Trowa with a forkful of eggs in yet another desperate attempt to make the long fringed male eat something other than his modest breakfast.
The older male got up avoiding with uneasy steps the continuous tries of the blonde by his side. "I'm perfectly fine with what I'm having. Now get back on your sit or you'll make us t… AH!"
Both males tripped and fell to the ground, Quatre on top of Trowa… who threw his arms around his waist in what appeared to be a semi-automatic, protective fashion; they stayed like that on the floor for a few seconds. Shinji sighed as he looked at the pair; in a scale of ten for bluntness… they reached eleven. The blue eyed male looked at the figure eating at his side… Kaworu was looking directly at him and when their eyes met he grinned and nodded in an understanding way bringing a smile (and the usual rosy tone) to his face.
Shinji tried to make conversation making all effort not to trip on his own words. "You really have a talent for guessing people's tastes."
"I told you…" He chuckled.
"Yes, I know you told me. But this is a bit beyond what I was expecting… you got everything right, even the drink… h-how did you guess that?"
"Well… I simply deducted you like things when they're sweet."
Shinji's mouth went wide open. "T-That's amazing… how did…?"
"Ah… that, well; you look like an extremely sweet…"
Shinji lowered his head with embarrassment and brought his hands to his forehead rubbing it gently, doing the utmost to lighten up. That diversion did not go well… and to make it worse Quatre, who was now sitting at the table again, started to giggle at the comment interrupting Kaworu in mid-speech. The Arabian received an icy, sharp crimson gaze from Kaworu who did not seem that up for good humor anymore. Quatre stopped his snickering and looked back at Trowa who was also looking dead seriously. The blonde youth sighed and pouted, taking another spoonful of apple mousse.
Shinji quickly finished his meal and got up trying to get away from the embarrassing situation. "I'll be going… I really want to see how the school is. There's no need for you to get up… I'm just not in the mood for long meals since I have so much to explore. We'll see each later ok…"
"Nonsense Shinji…" Kaworu stopped Shinji the moment he started to leave them and with a surprisingly big gulp he finished the cappuccino he had been having he got up. "Don't forget I'm giving you a tour." He shot one final glare at Quatre before he skipped to join his young roommate.
The moment both of them had left the room Quatre brought his chair closer to Trowa with an excited expression. "Did you notice the same thing I did?"
Trowa maintained an uninterested face and took a long sip from his cup. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh yes you do… the way Kaworu is acting."
"He's nice to people… you know that." he spoke like cold water trying to divert the Arabian from his interest.
"I know he's nice to people… but this was different. Oh come on… "you look like an extremely sweet"… you know very well what I'm talking about."
"No I don't" Trowa cut the blue eyed youth short.
"And what about the way Shinji was blushing all the time…"
"From what I was able to see, Shinji looks like a person that doesn't really feel comfortable with other people… he doesn't know how to deal them."
A bit like Kaworu... He added, but interiorly, not wishing to give his companion anymore string to pull.
"One thing is not dealing with people… what I saw was someone looking at another's ass while they offer themselves to get them breakfast and gets you the perfect meal."
"You really shouldn't look at my ass Quatre when I'm not expecting… if you want you can ask you know; you have that right."
The blonde slapped the brown haired male on the hand. "I wasn't talking about you… you know what I mean."
"No, I don't… now stop it…"
"But they…"
"No."
"But I…"
"No!"
"And what about the way…?"
Quatre was no longer able to speak since his mouth was covered with Trowa's own. It was not a cold, restraining kiss; it was actually very warm and loving… yet the message was clear: "this conversation is over; otherwise this will be the last one you'll get for a while". Parting their lips, Quatre resumed his seat and took a large spoonful of apple mousse, a pout visible, while Trowa kept sipping his bitter drink in a mild, indifferent way.
A few seconds passed before the Arabian could not contain it any longer and gave one last attempt at seizing his companion's attention by sitting on top of the table and taking old of Trowa's coffee mug. The older male looked up with a bored expression if he had been expecting it all along. Quatre frowned and sighed.
"I don't know why you're acting like this… but you can't deny it even you saw it. That little glint in Kaworu's eyes… you know what it means."
"Yes, Quatre… I know precisely what it means." Trowa's response came abruptly.
The blonde smiled; the shine of victory reflecting on his eyes… but before he could say anything…
"But one thing I do remember is the last time I saw that glint. And the way we tried to interfere with that… and the way it turned out."
You almost couldn't make out how much time it took for Quatre's face to change from victorious to outright depressed. He looked down like a child who knew he had done something terrible. He sighed with a hint of sulk… Trowa quickly came closer to him caressing his hair in gentle assurance.
"Please… don't be like that. I'm not in anyway blaming you for what happened; but the truth is that interference might lead to that situation again. If it must happen, it will happen… but we should let things progress on their own." He paused for a bit… and added "Yet, that doesn't mean I agree with you about them two."
That seemed to spur a reaction from the small Arabian… he looked up at the young Russian with a vicious and certain look and smiled.
"Oh, you'll see, just wait… there are some things that are too obvious." and with that he kissed his companion with puckish lips.
Trowa smiled at him. "Speaking of obvious… how much did you want Shinji to find out about our relationship?"
Quatre chuckled. "Enough…"
"So basically the school is divided in four sections… three of them are for the explicit use of the students and staff while the other is dedicated to outsiders where the concert rooms, group chambers and the museum are located."
The grey haired youth walked placidly across the halls of the school as he explained with the clearness of a gifted spokesman every detail he might find interesting for Shinji to know. The younger male walked beside him with an awestruck expression absorbing every word that came from Kaworu's mouth; what surprised him the most was the way he himself had become so enthralled in the red eyed male's speech. They had already visited the various grounds of the school and two of the buildings that made up the complex of the school. At the moment they were visiting the final stop of the guided tour, improvised by Kaworu.
"As for our part of the Conservatory, it is composed of three buildings." Nagisa kept talking, sensing the interest in Shinji's face. "One of them, the dormitories where we sleep, eat and, in our case, study. The second, and in my opinion the most important, the Early Music department, which was the first pavilion we visited; it's there that we have the chamber classes, the harpsichord and organ study rooms and most of the instrument classes. After all, this Conservatoire is known for its interpreters of the Ancient Music. You'll be having classes there…"
"Yes… let me just check." Shinji's hand came to his pocket where he retrieved a small folded paper. "Yes, you're right… my cello classes are in that building. But I don't understand a few things."
"Hmm…" Kaworu stopped his speech and came closer to Shinji to look at his schedule. "… what is it you don't understand?"
"Well… the schedule says that Monday I have cello classes in the Early Music building. But Tuesday I have them in this building. And what's strange is that Thursday I have them here and also in the other building. Why can't I have them all in one building?"
Kaworu smiled. "That's because you play the cello… your instrument is very old."
The younger man blushed. "Well I know it's a bit worn off… but I don't have enough money to buy a new one."
Kaworu almost choked with laughter, leaning on his stomach and trying not to fall to the ground with the effort to stand on two feet, while squirming like a mad man.
"What did I say?" Shinji's glowed at the unexpected response.
"Oh god… Shinji, you're too much…" Kaworu wiped off a few tears but quickly stopped laughing, seeing the somewhat hurt expression on his roommate's face. "I'm sorry."
Kaworu's hand was placed on Shinji's head softly tousling his hair. While that did make the dark haired boy's expression change it did not take away the red colour lodged on its cheeks. It did in fact deepen it and Shinji did stiffen with the contact, his eyes swelling to double their size… yes, it was no longer saddened, more like god-forsakenly embarrassed. Sensing this Kaworu also blushed, a strange colour for his face, and quickly took his hand from the younger male's head.
"Hmm… let me explain; when I said that your instrument was very old, I meant historically speaking. The cello has existed since the first centuries of the history of erudite music… which means its existence is about seven hundred years old." His methodical way of speaking diverted their attention from the previous situation. "Therefore, many compositors of the Early Age composed for it… so it's normal for you to have classes in the Early Music building. But, unlike many instrument of that time like the violla da gamba, your instrument survived the classical and romantic period without becoming obsolete. So you have many composers that, throughout the centuries have always been composing for your instrument."
"Oh… you're right. I have lots of scores from every century. Never thought about it that way…"
Kaworu smiled, seeing how easily Shinji had understood everything he had told him. It was strange to find someone who understood him so well… he continued. "So it's only natural that you have some of your classes in this building since it is devoted to the more advanced stages of music history. Actually… only three instruments have classes here."
"Really, which of them…?"
Kaworu smiled and pointed at him. "Cello…" pointed at himself "…violin…" and then pointed at his throat. "… and voice."
"Oh… so Quatre has classes in both buildings as well."
"Hmm… no; he only has classes in the other building since his voice is a bit out of the ordinary."
"And then some…" Shinji commented making both males share a small chuckle.
"Well anyway…" he turned to continue walking down the hall "… we should continue with our tour."
He instantly froze his eyes locked on the small plank hanging from the ceiling. Shinji did not notice Kaworu's worried expression and looked up as well where he read "Piano Section".
"Oh… I've been here yesterday."
"Y-yes… since you have then I guess I should leave you since there isn't much more to see." The red eyed youth slowly started to back away as if frightened by something.
"Oh, do you think so? I was hoping we could just talk for a little…"
"I'm sorry Shinji… but I have things to do. I'll see you later, 'k?"
And with that Kaworu was steadily walking away, almost running for the exit of the building. Shinji turned to try and call out the young man, feeling there was something wrong but he was already to far away. He began to follow him…
"Shinji… there you are!"
The dark haired boy turned around and smiled.
"You'll never guess who I just met Rei… we were just walking around here when you came round."
"Later Shinji…" The blue haired girls cut him off, knowing only too well what happened when you allowed Shinji to continue in one of his "you'll never guess" dialogues. Normally you would end up discussing why the sky was blue, know way too much about Shinji's phobias and ended up, as Shinji had stated, never guessing.
"Rei, why are we walking so fast?" He spoke trying to keep up with the speeding female.
"Oh… I just don't want to miss them."
"Miss who…?" Shinji browed at his friend's strange explanation. "Am I supposed to know someone here?"
"No…" She continued walking, never looking back. "You are supposed to be meeting them. Remember, I told you I wanted you to meet a person I knew."
"Oh… you want me to meet that "friend" of yours, eh?"
"Yes I do. And if you dare pronounce the word "friend" in that way ever again when speaking about him, so help me Shinji, I'll show you why most people are afraid of me in this school. It's something I really don't feel like doing right now."
"Alright, alright… jeez, a guy can't have any fun around here."
"No, you really can't." She suddenly stopped in front of a door labelled "Piano section/ 12", almost causing Shinji to bump into her. "But that doesn't matter now… we're here"
"Ok… I still don't understand why you're so thrilled."
"Well… it's not everyday I get my two bestfriends to meet each other."
Shinji could hear voices coming from the other side of the room… and they didn't seem as thrilled as Ayanami.
"You call that moving! I've seen sloths more theatrical than you!"
"Shut up… it's supposed to be a sober piece USURATONKACHI!"
Rei opened the door, revealing two figures standing next to a piano. One of them, male with golden blonde hair and his face slowly turning blue, was being chocked by the other one, also male with striking greyish eyes and black hair. The girl smiled at the two as if cold blooded murder was the most natural thing in the world.
"Shinji-kun…I want you to meet Naruto and, my great friend Sasuke."
Both figures stopped with their dispute and looked over to Shinji. The boy smiled a bit scared at the possibility of being engaged in their little, life-threatening brawl. He waved his hand, trying not to seem bothered (and failing utterly).
"H-hajimemashite…?"
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) was the great vocal composer of the Neapolitan era. His work is inspired but more than that, it requires great virtuosity for it to be sung properly. It was thanks to him that the second period of the Italian Baroque started with his technical novelties and expert taste. But Scarlatti was also a revolutionary; angered by the Pope's decision to abolish opera (the great vocal genre of the time), he wrote Oratorios (kind of like an opera but without acting and normally related with religious themes) of an operatic genre and themes that did not quite fit the canons of the church in order to escape the Inquisition's censure.
In the aria All arme si accesi guerrieri ("attention fierce warriors") the character the represents Pace (peace) alerts the angered people of Jerusalem that they must fight if they truly want to reach peace... it is Scarlatti's way of telling people to stand up for their beliefs. What is so amazing about the piece is that even though it is obviously written out for a very high-pitched feminine voice, the character of Pace is supposed to be played by a man… I'll explain this later since it is relevant to the rest of the story.
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