AN: Sorry for the late post. FF was being stupid again. Enjoy!


Time was a strange creature to deal with. For so long, the years in Domino had dragged along, clawing at Yami's coat as he struggled to brush past the dreary city. He felt as if he couldn't escape its hold, like gray tendrils wrapping around his limbs until he found himself locked and unable to play the familiar ivory keys.

The last few weeks with Tea helped him rediscover his passion and love for music. He hadn't realized how much he loved music until he started aiding Tea for her audition. He hadn't noticed how disillusioned he felt with his own craft, the constant weight of a frustrating career that trapped him artistically and stifled his spirit.

Much like Tea had to rediscover how to become art and not just perform it, Yami felt himself do the same. So easy was it to go through the motions – to teach, to rehearse, to practice, to study, to compose. Through the constant repetition in his life, he had begun to feel the drain of it all. Making music was work, and he had inadvertently learned to separate work from pleasure. All of this was at the cost of losing sight of what he loved.

Yami loved music. He would always love music. But sometimes one had to be reminded why they loved music.

A couple weeks after their conversation on the couch, Tea wanted to do a full run of all of her audition pieces. There was something confident and assured in her gaze that Yami saw. Even if he didn't quite understand what she did differently, he could feel the air about her. From an outside view, the run didn't seem any different from any others prior.

But as Yami and Tea observed the recording on Yami's phone (as Tea's phone finally ran out of the storage), they both knew that Tea had found it. She no longer danced, but rather her very being became the dance.

A couple of days later, Tristan came by with his recording equipment as the three finally put together the long awaited video. The following day, DVDs were mailed out with Tea's portfolio and resume all across the country. From that point, there wasn't much else to do. They would have to wait to hear back. Until then, it was back to their daily grind.


The only thing that got Yami through rehearsals at Domino Theatre was knowing he would see Tea. Despite the hard part of getting her audition together now was over, the upcoming spring recital for their students was coming up and eating up more and more of their time. The lack of time and money was truly their constant struggle as artists.

So when Yami showed up for the first full rehearsal for the musical, cast and all, he was surprised when he didn't see Tea there.

Typically, Tea was good at contacting him and letting him know if she couldn't make it to rehearsal. Even then, that was a very rare occasion to begin with. She was one of the rare few that would beat Yami to the theatre, generally speaking. Yami had left his phone in his jacket pocket backstage, so he scoured the sea of faces, trying to spot his partner in crime.

"Hello Yami! Ready for the start of a new season?"

Yami turned to face his ever-hyper director. He barely spared a moment to glance over Pegasus before returning to his original goal of finding Tea. "I suppose. Where's Tea? I thought we were going over the big dance number in the first act today."

Pegasus laughed out loud, an odd look flashing across his smiling visage. "Tea won't be coming to rehearsal, I'm afraid."

"Did she text you?"

Pegasus rested his hands on his hip, glancing out at the sea of performers. "Well no… She didn't make the cut."

Yami blinked, thinking he misheard the silver-haired man. Based on the completely straight face Pegasus still wore, he realized he heard right. "I'm sorry – what?"

"Well, you know these things do happen-"

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." Yami glanced away, a cheerfully, light tone quickly disappearing as he snapped back. "What I meant was 'what the fuck are you talking about?'"

For once, Pegasus's cheerful demeanor disappeared, shock quickly taking its place. Despite the intense burning anger Yami felt at the moment for the horribly moronic decision of his director, it still felt good to know he could elicit this sort of reaction out of him. After years of dealing with his bullshit, Yami finally started to feel something grow beyond his frustration. For once, he was starting to feel angry.

Pegasus tried to dig himself out of the hole he got himself into. He gathered himself, a stern look crossing over him as he finally decided to be serious. About damn time. "Yami, watch your tone. This is a more complicated matter than a simple audition. It's my job to gather a cast for the show and there are a lot of factors in deciding said-cast."

"Then let's talk about qualifications for this community show! Did she not have enough theater backing for the show? She's only been acting for over a decade now! Or perhaps her dancing wasn't quite up to snuff? I mean, how could it when she has a master's degree from one of the best art schools on the east coast?"

Yami was unable to bite back the flood of sarcasm that spilled over. He was far beyond being salty. He was royally pissed at Pegasus's stupidity and he wouldn't bite his tongue back any longer.

Pegasus narrowed his eyes, his own frustration and annoyance slipping through. "I never said that she wasn't a good performer. But that doesn't mean she is a good fit for what our theater is trying to be."

"And what exactly are you trying to make the Domino City Theatre into, Mr. Pegasus? I'd love to know!" Yami snapped back, cynicism dripping in his voice.

"I'm trying to make the theatre more accessible to the public!"

"By dropping your best dancer?"

"I'm allowing other people to grow and mature as artists."

"By dropping your best dancer, you're encouraging others to emulate what can be achieved? Sure. That makes perfect sense. Just drag this old building's reputation through the mud while you're at it."

"Damn it, Yami! Will you drop it? I can't afford to pay for some damn extras in the cast. It's a win-win for the theatre in the end!"

"I'm sorry- what?" Yami hissed out, a jolt of shock catching him upon this accidental revelation. He could tell by the way Pegasus swore under his breath that he hadn't meant to say that last part out loud. Well, the cat was out of the bag and Yami intended to know what the hell was going on.

Pegasus let out a loud sigh, studying the irate pianist in front of him. He stepped to the side, gesturing Yami to follow. He debated refusing, forcing Pegasus to explain there, but for some reason, he obliged and followed Pegasus away from the gathered crew. He could see the odd looks he was receiving from the various members.

Several yards now separating them from their curious audience, Pegasus leaned back, running a hand back through his hair. "It's nothing personal against Tea. She's a lovely person and a talented dancer. But there's been budget cuts and the turn out to our shows isn't enough for us to break even for our production value. So I had to make some cuts as to what roles should become unpaid."

Yami had heard these arguments before. He had run this circle many times with many different directors. It was the constant struggle of the theater and arts program across the nation. Sacrifices had to be made. It certainly did explain the sudden increase of new faces in the cast on stage. Perhaps several years before, Yami might have been a bit more forgiving of Pegasus's desperate actions.

But Yami had been in the business long enough to know how one builds a strong arts program. You'll always be tight on cash, and reducing the quality of your performance by driving off your best performers was not the way to do it. It was through publicity and reaching out and building that community support. It took more than sponsors and popular shows. It was about inviting the community to become a part of the program.

And it most definitely was not whittling down your staff and not paying your faithful employees.

Perhaps this was made more obvious by the fact that Tea was highly marketable and definitely deserved a salary for her work. Either way, someone had to fight her case. "So you chose to cut your choreographer? Don't think I didn't forget the fact that Tea's been programming your shows for free these last couple of years. So how is cutting her now suddenly economical and beneficial to your theater program?"

"We'll make it work. It's unreasonable to expect that I pay the artists for every show. I offered her the opportunity to keep choreographing our shows for the experience and exposure, but she declined. She's the one who ended up turning it down – it was her decision to leave."

"You asked her to work for you without pay. How else did you expect her to respond?"

Yami wasn't sure why he was getting so angry. He wasn't one for yelling, but he couldn't help how his volume kept rising, like a pot reaching its boiling point. He knew it was pointless to argue on Pegasus. It always was. In the end of the day, Pegasus would do what he wanted and not take the advice of those around him.

That was why the theater was going under as it was.

Pegasus crossed his arms, standing firm in his position. Unsurprising, he didn't see Yami's concerns as valid. "Look – what's done is done. What happens between management and Tea stays between us. It doesn't concern you. Let's just focus on this season and we'll talk finances and salaries another day."

Yami snorted, glancing away. In typical Maximillion fashion, he was just going to sweep this under the rug and not talk about it. If anybody asked, just glance over the issue as Tea chose not to come back. Yami suspected Pegasus only told him as much as he knew his closeness to the dancer, but most likely because he miscalculated what his reaction would be. As usual, Pegasus was trying to think of his theater as his business.

Pegasus chose the wrong field to aspire for a thriving business. Unless one worked up to an established arts society or organization, most small theaters and music ensembles would remain so. Yami had been aware of that when he took this job. He knew that Domino City Theater would never ascend to the heights of famous philharmonics of the larger cities. If it ever did, it would take decades of careful structuring and a strong community base willing to back it.

Pegasus had no knowledge in either of those tasks nor did he possess a desire to learn the necessary skills.

Yami had tried for many years to help Pegasus. He had tried to meet him in the middle and suggest how to help the theater program grow. It's a tricky situation to do so, but most stemmed from understanding your community surrounding the theater. Pegasus had no desire to learn and build a connection with the community. Most sponsors last for a couple of seasons before leaving, feeling a lack of connection or value by the theater they're supporting.

Yami watched Pegasus suffocate the program here. Yami understood that he couldn't let it suffocate him any longer.

"Save the talk, Pegasus. We don't need that conversation."

Pegasus blinked, somewhat confused by Yami's stern, almost scolding tone. He raised a silver eyebrow, arms crossed as he observed the short virtuoso. "Oh. Well, I'm glad to see you're being reasonable about this."

Yami smirked, pulling out his set of keys. He took the time to fish two out in particular – ones that allowed him access into the theater hall. "I am. For once, I'm being sensible and doing what I should have done years to go."

Yami took Pegasus's hand and forced the two worn, bronze keys in his hand. "Consider this my resignation. The boom box and album CD should be somewhere in the booth if you need musical accompaniment. I hope you have a great rehearsal and good luck with your theater program."

Despite how aggravating the conversation had been, the stunned and horrified look on Pegasus's face gave Yami the slightest twinge of satisfaction. He didn't waste a second longer on the man who had wasted so much of his time. He walked back onto the stage, grabbing his binder of music. If anyone tried to catch his attention, he wouldn't have noticed. He was busy calling Tea up to check in on how his recently fired girlfriend was doing.


When Yami went to go see Tea that evening, she had moved past being upset and sad over losing her job to pissed as hell. In all fairness, Yami felt like she had every right to be given how horribly she had been treated. He came bearing Ben & Jerry's and the last season of Game of Thrones.

Watching people stab each other helped lift their spirits.

Strangely enough, the two not working at the theatre didn't feel like a loss but rather an opportunity. Whether it had been bad fortune and fate, they felt no reason to tether themselves to Domino any longer. Yami felt even more determined to make their move a reality. Without having to discuss it, both were in it for the long hall.

Perhaps it was presumptuous to uproot his life for his girlfriend, but Yami had no qualms about doing so. He had moved to this city with Tea – he would leave Domino with her as well.

Several weeks later as they approached the end of spring, Tea started hearing back from touring companies. There were the inevitable rejected applications, but they were thrilled when four touring companies wanted her to come in for an in-person interview and audition. Yami felt more hopeful and excited as Tea left for the week, travelling around the Northeast to audition in various cities.

Yami held down the home front, occupying himself with his students' spring recital and applying for jobs in the cities that Tea had heard back from. It seemed their move would be inevitable, yet Yami knew he would have to figure out his job situation soon once Tea got the final word back. Everything was happening so fast and Yami found himself a little unprepared for the situation.

He eventually had to put aside job apps temporarily as the upcoming spring recital ate up his time. Since quitting his job at the theatre, Yami decided to change the recital location to a local church that he played at before. The hall was spacious and their grand piano was a stellar instrument. They had been more than willing to accommodate Yami's studio.

This seemed like a better alternative than answering one of Pegasus's never-ending phone calls asking him to come back.

Yami felt some satisfaction in that Pegasus realized his mistake too late. Even if he promised Yami and Tea their jobs back, Yami knew he wouldn't take it. He had wasted him time at that theatre for too long and dealt with the stupid bureaucratic decisions of Pegasus for even longer. He was going to focus on his solo career more and pursue what he actually loved to do.

Yami contemplated all these things, sitting out in the crowd as he listened to his student run through her piece. Rebecca was at the age where she was starting to memorize her music. He listened to her play the Clementi sonatina that she had been working hard on the last few months. She had come a long ways since March. Though only a freshman in high school, he could see her becoming a stellar musician should she wish to pursue the field further.

He smirked as he watched her unnatural composure and concentration while playing. Rebecca was one of his more confident students, though he did notice that she tended to tense up during the actual performance. In today's final dress rehearsal, she seemed more relaxed than she had in weeks previous. Perhaps this will be the changing point where overcomes this last hurdle.

Yami was broken away from his thoughts as Rebecca finished, perking up from her seat as she mimed a bow. "How did I sound?"

Yami nodded, allowing a smile to grow on his face. "You sounded great. Just don't rush those technical bits in the third movement – you know you can do it. Don't need to push yourself there."

Rebecca nodded, agreeing with Yami as she glanced back over the section. Yami felt a strange sense of nostalgia as he watched Rebecca look over her music. She had come a long way in the few years he's taught her. If there was one thing he was going to miss about Domino, it would be his students. They had been a light in a dreadfully gray and dreary town. Their unending joy and excitement for music still filled Yami with pride.

Yami stood up, walking up next to the piano. "You're going to do great tomorrow. You've improved so much this past year – you should be proud."

Rebecca, in a rare show of humility, ducked her head down, a shy smile on her face. "Thanks. I feel ready for tomorrow. I kinda feel excited too. Is that normal?"

Yami chuckled. "Yeah. That's a good sign. It means you'll keep your wits about you when performing."

Rebecca nodded, standing up as she went to pack up her music. She paused as she glanced back at Yami. "So… will I keep taking lessons with you until you move or…?"

Yami had already contacted his students parents to let them know he would be leaving Domino soon so they could plan accordingly. Though his exact departure day wasn't set, he wanted the parents to know so they could figure how who to continue lessons with. "That's up to your parents. I'll keep teaching you if you want, but if you want to move on to a new teacher for the fall, I won't be offended."

Before Rebecca could respond, the church doors open as an elderly man went to go meet them. Yami didn't recognize the man as Rebecca's parents, so he assumed that he was a grandparent. Based on Rebecca's unsurprised expression, it was a fair guess.

"Be here an hour before and make sure your nails are cut before tomorrow. Those trills will be a pain if you don't otherwise." Yami instructed, chuckling at Rebecca pouted at the command. Despite her passion for piano, her annoyance at basic self-care and preparation for the instrument annoyed her.

"You better listen to him, Rebecca. He looks like someone who knows what he's doing," the older gentleman jested. Rebecca just rolled her eyes. "I know, grandpa!"

Yami smirked before facing the newly appeared guardian. "Forgive me – my name is Yami Mutou. As you might have guessed, I'm Rebecca's piano teacher."

The elder gentleman placed out a hand for Yami to shake. "Arthur Hawkins. Professor of violin out in Cincinnati. Rebecca has told me quite a bit about you. Says you're a piano virtuoso."

Yami raised an eyebrow before flicking his eyes towards his student. He wasn't sure which one of them was blushing more, though he suspect she felt embarrassed at being put on the spot. At the same time, it shouldn't surprise him that his student would talk about her piano teacher with her grandfather who was a professional musician. "Oh? I'm not sure about virtuoso. I'm not one now, but I'd like to get back into performing."

"Hence why you're moving?"

Yami chuckled, amused as Rebecca walked slowly away. Looks like the cat's out of the bag. "Sort of. My… girlfriend taking a new job, so I'm moving with her. Going to set my roots again, so to speak."

"Any particular ensembles you've looked at?" Arthur asked, leaning back slightly on his cane.

Yami furrowed his eyes, trying to remember where he had submitted applications recently. He wasn't sure why, but he felt relaxed around Arthur. The elder gentleman reminded him a lot of his own grandfather. "I'm looking at ensembles in the four cities we might be moving to. It's still early to be honest, so it's hard to make a certain move. Though, funnily enough, Cincinnati is one of the cities that might be on our radar."

Arthur's grin widened, a knowing look crossed his face. "How familiar are you with chamber ensemble?"

"Quite familiar. I used to be part of a wind trio back when I was a doctorate student, but I haven't had a chance to get back into it since getting my degree." Yami smiled lightly as he thought back on his days working in their ensemble comprised of flute, bassoon, and piano. It certainly had been very enjoyable, and Yami wouldn't mind getting back into something like that.

Then again, he was looking at doing something not like the Domino theatre. So any step in the right direction was a huge plus in his book. Whether it was a large orchestra or a small chamber ensemble, anything was fair game.

"If you're considering Cincinnati, you should audition for the piano trio housed at the university. Myself and another cellist are in it, but the piano professor is looking to retire at the end of the season. The other piano professor has too much on her plate to consider, so you could definitely audition to be an artist in residence."

Yami blinked, not sure if he had heard everything correctly. It took him a half-second to realize the implications of what Arthur was asking, his heart stopping at the offer. "Wait – seriously?"

"Dead serious. Rebecca kept talking about you to me and I got curious and decided to take a look online to figure out who you were. And might I say, your education and competition record is might impressive. It would be tough competition for the chamber position, mind you, but I imagine a musician like you doesn't mind a little competition." Arthur's smile was reassuring and confident, but Yami caught the gleam in his eyes. The sharp edge to it that Yami saw in the eyes of a musician.

Arthur had read him right. Yami did love competition. And he was never one to back down.

Even still, perhaps this was the foot in the door he needed in his future career. They often say it wasn't what you know, but who you know. Skill and talent were important, but making connections was equally important. It would be difficult to try kicking off his own solo career, but it was tricky finding a spot in an ensemble. But perhaps the right recommendation and support could be exactly what he needed.

Even if he auditioned and didn't make it into the string trio, there would be other opportunities to consider. He had found an unlikely ally in the grandfather of one of his student – perhaps Arthur could help him establish his career should he move to Cincinnati.

Either way, Yami felt as if his job hunt just became more… interesting.

"Well, I'm definitely interested in what you're describing. Would you be able to tell me more about the various music you'd like to cover in this trio setting?"