(AN: Okay, here's where I can honestly say that this story has taken some influence from an outside source. I won't divulge too much about what is to come, but what I can say is that you will definitely be surprised at what you will see...you might just enjoy it too)

(Let me re-state that I probably won't have the Oz-ified musicians in my story, since FF rules say no non-fictional characters. I'll think of something)

(Now, enjoy)

Keys and Pleas

Afternoon at Shiz University.

Usually, the dinner meal was eaten in the Main Hall, with all of the students more or less together.

As for the lunch-meal, it was eaten outside, wherever the students desired as long as it was not disrupting the class-rooms or the professors.

On the lawn by Suicide Canal, a group of very unlikely friends sat together, eating their lunches in relative peace. Galinda had her arm locked around Fiyero's, who was staring out pensively at the canal. Sitting a little apart was Elphaba, and behind these three Nessarose sat in her wheel-chair, assisted by Boq.

Every so often, Boq would wave sheepishly at Galinda's direction.

The blond was busy trying to pretend that he did not exist.

"Elphie," Galinda queried, as she turned to her room-mate's sandwich. "Why don't you eat meat?"

It was true, Elphaba's lunch did not consist of any meat products.

"I used to," the green woman said, after swallowing a piece of her sandwich down. "But then I discovered that certain butchers have been using meat from Animals in their cuts."

Galinda and Fiyero said nothing to this, but Elphaba did not push the matter.

It wasn't that big of a deal to them, apparently.

"D'you know what we need, Elphaba?" Fiyero asked, his mouth full of the sandwich he was currently chewing.

"I don't know," she returned, a repulsed look on her face. "But I know YOU need to close your mouth when you chew. You may not care about being rude, but some of us don't want to be rained upon by your half-eaten sandwich."

Fiyero swallowed before speaking again.

"We need a piano, for our band." he suggested.

Elphaba scoffed. "They're huge, Fiyero. How would we carry one to practice? And what's more, who's going to play it?"

"Well, you see," Fiyero began, placing his sandwich down. "When I went to the Emerald Trader to pick up our gear, I saw this new-fangled invention from the Emerald City in the shop-window. The clerk called it a 'keyboard', I think. Anyway, she said it could play like a piano as well as duplicate the sound of an entire orchestra."

Galinda 'ooh'd' at this, though not out of great enthusiasm.

Just trying to sound interested in Fiyero's current topic.

"It's smaller than a piano," Fiyero said, motioning with his hands to indicate size comparison. "But still has all the black and white keys of a regular piano on it. I think it would go great for our band: all we need is someone who knows how to play piano: after all, it shouldn't be THAT much different, should it?"

Elphaba shrugged.

On Fiyero's other side, she noticed, Galinda looked out listfully across Suicide Canal.

The prince suddenly got up and walked away, leaving the two friends some time alone.

"Galinda," Elphaba said to her friend. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you think something's wrong?" Galinda returned.

"Well, you just don't seem your normal self today." Elphaba commented.

"I really thought it was going to work." Galinda pouted aloud.

"What was?"

"My stage-name," she returned. "I know that I said Fiyero's been acting strangely lately, but it didn't start when he said he's been thinking."

"Oh?"

"He's been like that ever since that horrendible old Goat was fired," the blond stated. "I thought he'd care if I made my stage-name something that would remind him of Dr. Dillamond, but I guess I was wrong."

Elphaba placed a warm arm around Galinda's shoulder.

It was the least she could do.

Inside, however, she was screaming to just shout the obvious.

He's not interested in you anymore, Galinda!

But she did not even dare hope that he was interested in...

"Uh-oh." she said, turning around.

Fiyero was talking to Nessarose, and it seemed that the invalid sister was horribly offended.

"Here comes trouble." Elphaba muttered, rising to her feet and walking over to where Nessa, Fiyero and Boq stood.

Well, where they stood around Nessarose, seated in her wheel-chair.

"Elphaba!" the invalid said, her voice very offended. "Is it true that you and this boy are in some...music band together?"

Elphaba merely nodded.

"How dare you!" the sister angrily rebuked. "Father will hear about this-this...wickedness!"

Elphaba cast a furtive glare at Fiyero.

"What?" he asked. "All I did was ask if she could play the piano and wanted to be in our band."

"Well I don't!" Nessarose snapped. "I've heard the kind of music Elphaba listens to: vile, dissolute, anarchist! I'll have no part in this." She began wheeling herself away. Then turned a sharp glare to her left. "Boq, follow!"

The Munchkin-lad stood as if torn between two choices.

Nessarose's glance, however, seemed to shock him over to her side.

"Mark my words," she barked at her sister. "No good will come of this!"

She wheeled herself away from the three friends, Boq following helplessly on behind.

Fiyero had a free period.

Or maybe he just decided not to attend class and gave himself a free period.

He was known for doing such.

Right now he walked by himself upon the lawn around the classrooms of Shiz.

Thinking.

That day when he helped Elphaba rescue the Lion-cub.

It never really occurred to him that someone could possibly see through all of his behavior and mannerisms to what was inside.

It was true, really.

A rich family had no time to waste on children, and so they left young Fiyero in the care of many nannies and governesses.

He made their lives hell for it.

That was probably where he got his knack for mischief.

People saw him when he acted out, when he broke all the rules.

They noticed him.

Elphaba was actually repulsed by this behavior.

But it was still so amazing that she could see inside him more clearly than his parents ever bothered to.

Than Galinda could.

That was the major difference between the two of them. Galinda loved everything she could see about Fiyero: his mannerisms, his handsomeness, his sharp wit, his popularity.

But she had no real care for what was inside him, what he thought about. She never gave a thought to what he could be feeling or even thinking, and instead focused on all the outward things.

It started to get annoying, really.

He had spent his whole life with people flocking to him, ogling over how handsome he was, or how rule-breaking he was.

Fiyero was used to it.

And he was bored of it as well.

Because when everybody sobered up and he moved on to another school, he could still feel the bite of emptiness.

Of loneliness.

But it was different with Elphaba.

She could see his feelings. He was open to her.

Part of him, the vain, silly part that told him every time he began to feel empty that he just needed to fill his life with more fun...

That part wished that she was not green.

Maybe then...just maybe...

A gaggle of giggling woke him out of his thoughts.

Shenshen, Pfannee and their friend Milla just walked past him.

"Excuse me, girls?" he asked, sullying forth his courage and walking towards them.

They giggled again.

"Yes, Prince Tiggular?" they asked, as if in unison.

"Um," he thought for a minute. "Do any of you know how to play piano?"

The two girls shook their heads, with eyes gaping towards the handsome prince.

"I do." little red-haired Milla pipped.

"Great!" Fiyero exclaimed. "Hey, if you're interested, would you, perhaps, be willing to come to Lakely and Oakes with us and show us what you got?"

"But I don't have a piano." Milla answered.

"Don't worry, that can be fixed."

Milla shrugged. "I guess it couldn't hurt to try out."

"Actually, dearie, it could." Pfannee stated.

"What do you mean?"

"We heard on the grape-vine," Shenshen said to Fiyero. "that you're in some kind of band with Avaric Tenmeadows and Galinda Upland."

"Yeah, that's true." Fiyero answered.

"Well, Milla," Pfannee said, turning to the auburn-haired girl. "I wouldn't go hanging out with the likes of Upland if I were you. She befriends all sorts of riff-raff."

"Oh, too true!" giggled Shenshen.

"You're calling me riff-raff?" Fiyero asked.

"Oh, no! Never!" the two girls almost chanted as one.

Bowing and scraping wouldn't be far from what these two are doing, Fiyero thought.

There I go again!

"No, you're too cool for school!" Pfannee stated.

Shenshen giggled at her friend's wit.

"Cliche," Fiyero said beneath his breath.

"But, your girlfriend," the larger of the two girls said, pointing to Fiyero. "She's got something wrong in that empty head of hers."

"What do you mean?" Fiyero asked.

"Um, hello? Befriending the cabbage? That's like so not the way to be popular!"

"You said it, Shenshen!"

The two started giggling, while Milla just sat there looking very confused.

"So remember, Milla," Pfannee said, turning to the confused-looking Munchkinlander. "It's either us or Upland."

"Toodles!" Shenshen added, waving at her 'friend.'

Victim, more like.

The two walked off, giggling as usual.

"Ah, don't pay attention to what they say," Fiyero said. "I never listen to criticism. If I did, I wouldn't have such a swankified reputation."

Milla laughed, though there was something forced about the way in which she smiled as she did.

"So, what do you think?" he concluded, returning to his offer.

"Um," Milla mused, biting her bottom lip as she looked after the two friends of hers.

"I gotta go."

She ran off after them.

Fiyero sighed.

People can be so empty-headed sometimes.

Why am I still thinking?

That afternoon on the way to Lakely and Oakes...

"Fiyero!" Galinda sang out as she saw her boy-friend just up the street.

Oh no, he sighed, hearing that voice. She still hasn't gotten over me yet.

A petite hand seized Fiyero's arm and pulled him over to where she and Elphaba had been walking.

"You know, we still haven't decided on a name for our band yet, Fifi." she said.

"Fifi?" Elphaba asked, trying hard not to laugh.

"That's my pet-name for him, don't you remember?"

"I'd prefer 'Yero'." the prince replied.

"But it's so..." Galinda made a face. "Adult-ish. We're still young, we're practically kids for Oz's sake! Fifi's much more peppy! It pops and snaps!"

"Don't tell me it sparkles too." Elphaba sighed.

"Or worse," Fiyero returned. "Does a little song and dance too. Something like..."

"I am brainless

No thoughts in my head

Can't say I've read that book"

Galinda giggled.

Elphaba turned back to the prince.

"Did you just make that up on the spot?" she asked.

"Yeah." he returned. "Just because I'm brainless doesn't mean I can't put two words together and make a rhyme."

"Well, maybe you should leave the writing to me." Elphaba said. "I could make some profound, insightful lyrics."

"Of course, you can do all the thinking for us." Fiyero stated.

"Hey! This isn't my band, I'll have you know." the green woman stated, pointing one of her thin, spindly fingers in his direction. "If I remember correctly, you were begging me to join."

"And you did!" Fiyero returned.

"So then this is Fifi's band?" Galinda asked, not really sure what was going on here.

"No, this belongs to all of us!" he exclaimed. "It should be a group effort."

"Yeah, you tell that to Tenmeadows." Elphaba said on the side.

"E-Excuse me?"

The three Ozians turned to see who was speaking to them.

For a school-day afternoon, the streets were rather deserted. There were people about, but they were so far away and so deeply buried in what they were doing that they could not have been the speaker.

For one, the speaker spoke as if he were close by them.

"I say, excuse me?" the voice asked again.

Elphaba was the first to notice who it was.

Crouched behind a trash-can in an alley-way on the side of Lakely and Oakes was a raccoon.

No, a Raccoon.

There was no doubt about it. He was the one who had spoken.

Fiyero's eyes opened in surprise. The Vinkus was mostly lawless and wild, but there weren't as many Animals over there as had once been truth. Galinda gave a startled cry, placing her hand over her chest.

Only Elphaba seemed unperturbed.

"Yes, you three." the Raccoon said again. "Are you going into Lakely and Oakes?"

"Yes, we are." Elphaba answered.

"Oh, do you happen to know whoever is playing music in there on week-day afternoons?" he asked.

"That's us." Fiyero answered, placing an arm around Galinda and Elphaba.

What better way to get himself within touching distance of Elphaba?

"Really?" the Raccoon asked in surprise. "But you're so young."

"We're students at Shiz." Elphaba answered.

"Oh, indeed." remarked the Raccoon. "Anyhow, I must say that I have been listening to your music from the alley and I am amazed to hear such fine quality music from such young men and women such as yourselves. You should be very proud, you know."

"Why were you listening to us from the alley?" Galinda asked suspiciously.

"Oh, it was not by design, my dear." the Raccoon said. "You see, there have been more bans placed on Animal rights. I used to be an orchestra conductor myself, but was sacked from the Tenniken Symphony Orchestra and forced to leave town all-together."

"Why?"

"Because of the bans, my dear!" insisted the Raccoon. "By my tail, something's not right in our dear Oz, children. I wonder why the Wizard does nothing about these problems."

"He-He's too busy making the rest of Oz wonderful!" Elphaba exclaimed.

"Is that what you truly believe?"

"I..." Elphaba sighed, finding herself at a lack for words. "I don't know."

"It's a little bit convenient, if you ask me, that apartheid laws restricting the mobility and workability of Animals have been going on throughout civilized Oz," the Raccoon said. "And yet our Wonderful Wizard has yet to do anything about it."

A moment of silence followed, while Elphaba pondered what this could mean.

No, she dismissed. There was no way. The Wizard had power, he wasn't wonderful for no reason. Whoever has been passing these laws of segregation is just being clever and covering their tracks.

But once the Wizard finds out, then it will be bad news for them.

"But enough politics," the Raccoon continued. "I believe I have not yet introduced myself." He held out a small, black hand towards them. "My name is Ramon Difarious, Raccoon conductor."

"Nice to meet you," Fiyero said, shaking the Raccoon's hand. "I'm Fiyero Tiggular, prince of the Vink..."

"Your highness!" Ramon bowed before Fiyero.

The prince chuckled. "That's a first. Hey, there's no need to bow."

"As you wish, your highness." Ramon said, nodding.

"Galinda Upland," the blond warily said, offering her hand to the Raccoon. "And that's Galinda, with a 'ga'."

"As you wish it." Ramon returned.

"Elphaba Thropp." The Raccoon and the green woman shook hands, and Ramon looked at his hand after they had exchanged hand-shakes.

"Nope, I really am...green." Elphaba commented. Ramon obviously was looking to see if his hand had rubbed off the green of her skin.

"Well that's nothing to be ashamed of," the Raccoon returned. "Does the Green Quadling poison-Frog think he's any less than a humble, brown Restwater toad?"

"I wouldn't know," Elphaba returned. "I've never been to Quadling."

"I have," he answered. "I spent my child-hood there before I moved to Gilikin to receive an education in music. That's what drew me to your music. I thought it was very inspiring and would like to offer my services to your band."

"We already have a guitarist, a bassist, a singer and a drummer." Fiyero answered.

"How about piano?" the Raccoon offered.

Fiyero and Elphaba exchanged surprised looks at each other.

If the green girl believed in the Unnamed God, then she'd think this was nothing short of a miracle!

(Here we go with the latest chapter! I hope you liked it. Yes, there is a reason for including the book-character of Milla. You'll see why later on)

(Ramon Difarious is an OC. He originally made a cameo in an unpublished story that told the Musical-verse events between Defying Gravity and Thank Goodness. The last name, unknowingly, was a rip-off from the Scooby-Doo movie [don't sue me, I don't own that either!] and I came up with Ramon because, as a Quadling, his name also is spoken as "Nomra", [similar to how Leia's character Leyen is also called Yenlay]. Do you think the name is a bad idea? If I should change it, what should it be changed to? Yes, he originally was a Raccoon. And Raccoon paws are black, that wasn't just me)

(So what should the band be called? Please give us your ideas in the review section and I'll pick the best one and use it in the next chapter. If not, I'll just have to come up with something on my own that may or may not suit your tastes [if so, don't say I didn't give you the opportunity to have a better name]. I'm already writing on the next chapter, and hope to have it posted a.s.a.p.)