Chapter 3
(A.N: I know that at the end of the last chapter, I wrote mother, instead of mouth…Sorry about that guys. I totally failed at typing that out. OOC WARNING - seriously! 'This means thoughts.' Dashes are scene changes or time passing. There's a flashback scene in italics - you'll understand. You guys know the drill! R&R? I love you guys!)
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When they had returned to the school, Fai followed Sakura and Watanuki back to the Arts Hall. As soon as they were through those double doors, the blonde grinned. This place was already beginning to feel like a hangout. It made him feel like he belonged.
"We have two hours of this?" Fai was baffled. It was amazing that you could spend your entire class singing and dancing, if you wanted to, and still get a credit.
"Yeah. It's pretty great, isn't it?" Sakura agreed, twirling her way down the hall. Watanuki stopped in the doorway of one of the classrooms. The room that seemed to be designated for writing purposes.
"I'll come by and see you two in a bit. I want to write this down, before I forget it."
"Alright," Fai agreed, following Sakura.
Two hours of bliss. What more could he ask for?
--
The raven was not looking forward to walking out of his classroom door. He was safe - for now. He was in woodshop, and they had a substitute…So they were supposed to copy notes down all class. This suited him, because he was a little too out-of-focus to really force his attention on his woodman ship today anyways. He was hardly even paying attention to the words that he was writing down. As the time slowly ticked away for everyone else, his irritation grew at seeing the class going by so fast.
He didn't want to go to the Arts Hall. He didn't want to try and make new friends. He had plenty of friends. Sure, one of them was currently mad at him, and another one was a real jerk, but the others weren't so bad. Syaoran was a good guy. Shogo and Primera weren't too bad either. Why should he be forced around Sakura, and her little friends?
He paused, as he stared down at his page. Watanuki wasn't really so bad. The guy just had trouble with speaking…Coherently. And he didn't know much about the new guy, minus the obvious - he knew what he looked like, he knew his name, and he knew that the blonde was bilingual. It was Sakura who bothered him. Mainly because she seemed to think that she understood him fully, and that she had him all figured out. Well…Maybe she did. He wasn't even sure anymore. He used to be a really good kid…But, things changed, and he changed right along with them.
He didn't know how to be good anymore.
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Fai had spent his first hour singing with Sakura, and they had occasionally burst into dance as well. Watanuki had shown up about twenty minutes into the class, and watched them with an amused expression on his face. He had laughed at the way the two seemed to harmonize, and become one as they sang and danced…And when the tone went, the students all filed out of the room, leaving the three of them behind.
The blonde stopped his hyperactive antics and looked to something that had been grabbing his attention for a while now. A black grand piano. He had been tempted to play it, but had ended up very distracted, because he'd started dancing about with Sakura. Now, as he transfixed his gaze on the beautiful instrument, he couldn't help but feel the need to play…
Sakura gave him a playful shove forwards,
"Fai, hurry up and play something!"
The blondes feet moved in a slow, stumbling sort of fashion as his friend propelled him towards the piano. When he reached it, Sakura returned to Watanuki. Fai's fingers traced over the instrument, and he sat down on the bench. Pressing a few randomized keys, he seemed to ponder what it was he was going to play. He stretched his fingers out, and closed his eyes. There was a song he knew well, and he had practiced it excessively. The slow and sad music began as the blonde allowed his fingers to travel across the keyboard.
"Beethoven?" Watanuki whispered to Sakura, not taking his eyes off of the blonde before them.
"His Mother was very musical. She taught him all sorts of things. French, piano, violin…He knows guitar too, but he learned that from his brother."
"He has a brother?"
"His Mother and brother passed away in an accident."
The blonde seemed to thrust his soul in every key. It was such a sad song…One he hadn't played in a long time. It had been the first thing he had played after his Mother and brother had passed away. And he had waited half a year to do so. On the emphasized notes, he pressed his pain into the keys. His soul was reaching into its depths, and hauling back memories. He would allow himself to play this sad, and familiar little tune. Allow his hidden pain to show for just a moment. And then he would go back to who he had been moments ago. Fai D. Flourite. One of the happiest teenagers on the planet.
Despite what he was going through.
Piano music drifted through the Arts Hall. Kids who were on their way to the various classrooms paused in the doorways, to listen. Anyone who was heading into the room Fai was playing in, walked in quietly. They stepped off the side, to watch, and listen. The blonde remained oblivious to the people entering the room.
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He pulled open the Arts Hall door. He was greeted by sad, and yet, captivating piano music. He allowed the door to fall shut behind him. His steps were slow. It was as though he was under a spell. A spell that slowly lured him to the last room on the left. He knew he was only hearing the last minute or two of the song. But it was still so enchanting…
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The blondes playing slowly came to an end. He was surprised when he looked over to his friends, and saw that Watanuki was in tears. Sakura had tears in her eyes too. When applause sounded from his other side, he turned to look. The tone had already gone, and he was staring into the faces of the people who would be in this periods class. A lot of them had tears in their eyes, or rolling down their cheeks. The blonde looked back to the keys - blushing. He'd made the majority of his classroom cry - without trying. He allowed his eyes to fall on Sakura, who was looking somewhere else.
And she didn't look happy.
"Sakura?" He wondered, following her gaze.
Standing a little ways away from the rest of the crowd, was a familiar raven haired male. His seemingly ever-present scowl had lightened up a bit in his surprise, and he was staring at the blonde. Self-conscious, Fai turned his attention back to the keys. He could hear his peers to the left of him, whispering about why the tall, tan male was in the Arts Hall at all…
"What's he doing here?" Sakura growled to Watanuki.
"I have no idea…I'm guessing Yuuko?"
"She must have changed his other class over to this one."
"I think she wants Fai and Kurogane to get to know one another."
"Well, I don't."
"Is that really up to you, Sakura?" Watanuki questioned her, sounding nervous,
"I-I mean…It's up to them…Isn't it?"
There wasn't an answer from the girl, so Watanuki sighed, and pulled out his notebook. Kurogane meanwhile seemed to regain his composure, his scowl returned and he looked away from the blonde. People were watching the male in confusion. The raven ignored them. He worked his way over to the most secluded corner possible, and plopped himself down on the floor. Pulling out his phone, he began to vigorously text Syaoran and Shogo. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be anywhere except for here. It was bad enough that he had French with the blonde - though why he had willingly sat down beside the male in the first place was beyond him - did he really need to be around him here too?
Fai stood up, and wandered to his friends.
"Sakura…You shouldn't scowl like that. You'll get wrinkles," the blonde teased.
Her face smoothed out a little, but she was still angry.
"Sakura?"
"I don't want him here," she muttered, throwing a glance to the raven in the corner of the room.
"You really have a vendetta against him, don't you?" Fai chuckled.
"Well yeah! Him and his stupid gang! Syaoran used to be so sweet…He was my best friend…And then he got caught up with them! Now we don't talk, or hang out! He's a whole new person, and I hate them for it!"
"But you don't hate Syaoran?"
"…No…I'm mad at him, but…He was my best friend…I just can't bring myself to hate him…"
Fai nodded in understanding. He remembered the two of them being close. They had been best friends even longer than Sakura and he himself had been. It was unfortunate however, that she chose to take a lot of this anger out on the raven. If the blonde was correct - and he was pretty sure that he was - then Kurogane was just tough on his exterior…He just wondered how he could prove it.
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He stormed out of the building. Let them mark him truant. He didn't care. Why should he? He just pulled out his car keys, and headed to his vehicle. He hadn't stopped himself back there. He hadn't been able to. Part of him was glad he'd done it.
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"What are you doing?"
"Texting."
"Why are you in Arts Hall, if you don't like it?"
"Yuuko."
"Did she change your class over to this?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know how to say more than one word at a time?"
The scowl had deepened, and the raven had locked his red eyes on the blondes blue eyed gaze,
"What are you, the welcoming committee? Yuuko sent me here because she wants me to meet new people - which I have no interest in doing. I'm being forced against my will to hang around you people."
"…What's wrong with us?" Fai didn't see anything wrong with the group. They were musically articulate in the classroom. Why did that make them any different from Kurogane and his group of friends?
"You really need to ask?" The raven only waited a moment before he sighed in frustration,
"These are the type of people who get along best with other people who share their interests and hobbies. Which means that they have trouble getting to know people who are outside of their weird little realm."
'He's right about the first half at least. We get along better in these classes due to shared interests. But, isn't that normal?'
"And - in case you hadn't noticed - at least half - if not more than that - of this schools population is made of people who are…" Kurogane hated the word, but he was going to use it anyways, hoping it would send the blonde away,
"…Fags," he said it, and it left a terrible taste in his mouth,
"I'll bet you're one of them." His gaze returned to the cell phone in his hand. He hated himself for saying it, but he didn't want any new friends. He knew it was wrong. Very, wrong. His cousin was homosexual…She would be very angry with him for using that term.
He didn't expect what happened next.
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It was bad enough that Kurogane had ripped on Fai's friends. His hands had curled into fists, and his whole body had trembled. Rage sent his adrenaline on fire. He could feel his heart thundering against his chest. He didn't care if the raven thought he was homosexual - in fact, he was rather on the dot with that one. But he hated the term that had been used.
Clenching his right hand into a very tight fist, the blonde drew back his arm. He didn't think in that moment. He just brought his hand across the top of Kurogane's head - hard.
"WHAT THE--?!" The raven looked to the blonde - confused and surprised, as one of his own hands came up to his head to touch the area which was already forming a bruise.
'He can hit, that's for sure…'
"You're an idiot," Fai told him, lowering his fist,
"It's only natural that people who share an interest would get along well with one another. That's a part of human nature. You and your little gang have things in common with each other, don't you?" He didn't wait for an answer,
"And that would be what draws all of you together. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out." He turned towards the open door, and stormed off. When he finally reached the threshold, he shot the male a cold glare,
"By the way, the accepted vernacular, is gay!"
With that, he was gone.
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(A.N: Bolded quotations means it's a text message from here on!)
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Now he was in his car, with the keys in the ignition. He pulled out his cell phone.
"Want us to come with you?"
He sighed, and typed out a reply,
"No. I may already be in trouble for this. You two stay. I want to be alone anyways."
Pocketing the phone, he pulled out of the student parking lot, and out onto the street. He wasn't one for skipping classes, but he supposed the occasional day off wouldn't hurt him. He was just starting out though…This wasn't going to look good. So, he'd just have to stay home the next day too. He'd lie and say he hadn't been feeling well. Staying home an extra day would back up that story.
Staying home would also mean a day of being locked away, alone. Fai's home wasn't really a home. It was an apartment, which counted as a home, sure enough.
But the blonde didn't treat it as a home.
It was his studio. His place for writing music and lyrics. A place to sing. A place to sleep, and eat.
It was not a home. It was a live-in studio.
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"Look what you did!" She announced, angered. She stuffed her phone into her pocket. Watanuki kept close to her as she approached the raven who was still sitting in the corner.
"I'm all for you two hating one another, but you didn't have to use that word against him!"
"Sakura…" Watanuki's voice warned her, as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm glad he hit you. I hope it hurts."
It hurt alright. More so than he'd thought it would. He got to his feet, slowly. Once he was standing, he stuffed his phone into his pocket. He wandered out into the hallway, and headed out of the Arts Hall. When he was back in the main part of the school, he worked his way down to the office. When he walked in, Yuuko looked surprised to see him. He couldn't blame her. Usually, if he wanted to go home, he just left.
"Something I can do for you, Mr. Suwa?" Yuuko questioned, still looking kind of confused.
"I want to go home," his head was killing him. And the guilt he was feeling was nearly enough to raise bile into his throat. He'd used a forbidden word, on someone he barely knew.
That was unjustified.
"Your reason?"
"I don't feel well. My head is killing me, and I feel like throwing up." He wasn't lying. It must have shown on his face, because Yuuko looked convinced - for once.
"Alright…Sign out."
Kurogane signed his name and headed out the school.
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(A.N: Ouch Kergs, that was a real jerk move! Can you guys tell I really hate that word? And Fai totally had a "Chuck & Larry" moment! Woo! Oh!! For anyone who is wondering what the hell Fai is playing on the piano…It's Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata!)