Hyakujuu sentai Gaoranger. Kai/Shirogane. #69 - Thunder
Title: Musicality
Fandom: Hyakujuu sentai Gaoranger
Characters/Pairing: Kai/Shirogane
Prompt: #69 - Thunder
Word Count: 2013
Rating: G
Summary: Shirogane smiled and relaxed into the chair, even as thunder rumbled in the distance: the nerves of the evening were finally wearing off and it looked like he was in for a very pleasant evening
Notes: AU.
Link to table: Here
Shirogane paced nervously as he waited, Hayate ignoring him in favour of checking the keys on his flute. He hated performing sometimes, Shirogane thought to himself, wishing once again that he hadn't agreed to this. It might be considered odd for a Bard to not enjoy performing, but it was the one aspect of his profession that Shirogane didn't enjoy. Oh, he loved playing, loved losing himself in the music and he enjoyed playing for his friends in informal settings, but put him in a setting like this - playing for the Karsite delegation - and he just wished he could be anywhere else but there.
It would be better once he was actually out there, he knew. He and Hayate often played duets like this and he was immensely thankful for Hayate's steadying presence: the prospect of a solo performace hadn't been a pleasant one. When he got out there and the music actually started he'd be fine, it was just the waiting...
"Pacing won't make him come, you know," Hayate murmured, finishing his inspection of his flute and raising an eyebrow in Shirogane's direction.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shirogane replied loftily, pointedly ignoring the faint smile on Hayate's face. And therein lay the other source of his anxiety: whether or not Healer Kai had taken him up on the invitation to the performance tonight. He hadn't been there when Shirogane had stolen a quick look at the audience and wilted at the size of it, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.
"Something might have come up," Hayate continued. "They're both Healers, after all."
"I know that!" Shirogane snapped. "I know he-- they might not be able to come." He cursed his tongue for his lapse, knowing that Hayate would pick up on it. He tried telling himself he wouldn't be disappointed if the Healer couldn't make it, hoping that if he repeated himself often enough it might make it true. Not that it was working so far.
"Alright then," Hayate said, tapping him on the arm and indicating the stage. "Let's go. Give them a performance they won't forget."
***
The performance went off without a hitch, much to Shirogane's relief and making a mockery of his earlier nerves. He and Hayate had always played well together and as they shared equal proficiency in both harp and flute it was easy for them to switch between the two as the songs demanded.
Much as he wanted to, once he had emerged for the performance Shirogane didn't look for Healer Kai: if he had and found him, he'd be distracted. Then again, if he looked and didn't find him he would just be distracted again and distraction wasn't something he could afford at this particular moment. Only when he and Hayate were finished a couple of hours later did he dare to look around the audience.
Healer Kai... wasn't there. Shirogane's stomach plummeted but he forced a smile onto his face as he began the requisite mingling with the audience, their words flowing over him without really registering until a persistent voice broke through his reverie. He blinked and turned to face the speaker, wincing inwardly when he found himself face to face with a member of the Karsite delegation - one of the more senior Sun Priests - who seemed to be waiting for an answer from him on something.
"I'm sorry," he apologised, inclining his head slightly. "I didn't hear you, Excellency."
The priest raised an eyebrow at him, his hands tucked inside the sleeves of his black and gold robes. "Merely that it is unusual to find Karsite music played so well outside of Karse," was the measured response. "Your parents must have taught you well."
Shirogane flinched inwardly but forced himself to keep smiling. "Not from my parents, Excellency. Ambassador Karal has been very helpful in that respect."
"I'm sure he has," the priest replied, as if he were anything but. "I must, however, compliment you on your mastery of Karsite, if it is not your first language."
Only then did Shirogane realise that the entire conversation had been taking place in Karsite and he desperately wished Hayate was around to extract him from this barbed conversation, but Hayate was currently otherwise occupied by other dignitaries and couldn't even extract himself, let alone help Shirogane. "I speak four languages fluently," he replied, pointedly switching back to Valdemaran. "The Bardic Collegium has a very good languages programme."
"Is that so."
It wasn't a question and Shirogane was at a loss as to how to end the conversation gracefully and make his escape.
"There you are!" came a loud voice, interrupting before the conversation could continue and Shirogane jumped, feeling obscurely guilty for some reason. "I suppose you thought you could get out of it this evening as well, didn't you?" Healer Kai was standing right behind the Sun Priest, in his best green Healer robes, his arms folded as he glared at Shirogane. "Don't even think about denying it," Kai continued. "You are coming to the Healer's Collegium this evening."
"Is there a problem?" the priest asked, matching Kai's attitude with an arrogance of his own. Kai's eyes flickered over him, then he smiled the smile that Shirogane knew to be utterly insincere even as the smile did its job of charming its target.
"Nothing to concern yourself with, Excellency," Kai replied. "It's nothing contagious. It could still be serious, however, and Bard Shirogane seems to have an aversion to the Healer's Collegium."
The priest raised that blasted eyebrow again, in a supercilious manner that set Shirogane's teeth on edge. "In that case," he said, "I believe I will leave him in your hands, Healer." And with that he bowed, turning back to the gathered crowd of diplomats and various other dignitaries. Fortunately, Hayate was also beginning to extract himself which meant Shirogane could make a break for it without feeling too guilty about doing so.
"Thank you," he breathed in relief once they were well away from the performance hall, his flute case tucked securely under his arm.
"You're welcome," Kai grinned. "You looked like you needed rescuing and no-one else seemed to be obliging."
"I looked that desperate?" Shirogane asked ruefully. If he had he would definitely be hearing about it later: Bards were supposed to remain calm in all situations.
"No," Kai replied judiciously. "But you felt that desperate." Shirogane blinked in surprise but Kai rolled his eyes. "Healer, remember?" he asked pointedly. "Gift of Empathy?"
"Oh, of course," Shirogane said hastily. It had never occurred to him that Healer Kai had any Gift besides that of his incredibly strong Healing Gift, but Empathy would make sense.
Kai shook his head and appeared on the verge of saying something before he changed his mind. "Was that guy being really obnoxious?" he asked instead, giving Shirogane a sideways look. "You seemed to want out of that conversation very badly."
Shirogane shrugged, turning the corner of the corridor that led towards the Bardic Collegium without even thinking about it. "It felt like he was trying to catch me out in something," he admitted. "And he kept talking about my family as well. It was... unnerving."
"Your family?" Kai asked incredulously. "What does your family have to do with anything?"
Shirogane shrugged. "He seemed to think I learnt Karsite - and some of the pieces we played tonight - from them."
Kai frowned. "Why would he think that?"
Shirogane halted in surprise, right at the bottom of a flight of stairs. "Because my family's originally from Karse?" he replied, wondering in astonishment how Kai could have missed it. His Karsite background was usually obvious to everyone, no matter that his family had lived in Valdemar for over a hundred years now. With hostilities between Valdemar and Karse only recently coming to an end it had made for an uneasy upbringing sometimes.
"They are?" Kai blinked. "I didn't know that."
Again Shirogane wondered how anyone who had grown up in Valdemar could possibly not recognise Karsite ancestry, then decided it wasn't a discussion worth getting into and he started to walk up the stairs. "It was a long time ago," he said instead. "My family fled Karse three, four generations ago now. I was born here, my parents were born here, my grandparents on my mother's side were born here." He shrugged. "I suppose that Sun Priest was expecting a different attitude, though."
"Huh," was the thoughtful response. "Interesting. But you do speak Karsite, though, right?"
Shirogane shrugged, opening the door to his rooms. "Yes, but I also speak Hardornen and Rethwellen, doesn't mean I'm from either of those places, either."
Kai grinned and followed him in. "How many languages do you speak?" he asked. "Inquiring minds want to know."
Grabbing a cushion off a chair, Shirogane threw it at the Healer who caught it easily and wrapped his arms around it, ducking his chin into the soft material. "Aside from Valdemaran, three fluently: Karsite, Hardornen and Rethwellen. I'm passable in a couple of others but I wouldn't like to hold serious conversations in any of them without brushing up on them first. Do you want anything to drink?" he finished. "Not that I've got much beyond tea."
Kai shrugged and plumped himself down in the chair Shirogane had swiped the cushion from. "Tea's fine, thanks." There seemed to be something playing on his mind, but Shirogane wasn't sure what it was or if even he should ask. Well, he supposed that if Kai wanted to ask, he would; the man wasn't shy about holding his opinions back, after all.
Maybe it was just his imagination, Shirogane decided a moment later, concentrating on heating the water for the tea. He could be misinterpreting something simply because he was off balance about having Kai in his rooms and how had that even happened anyway? "I'm glad you made the performace," he said, once the water had finished boiling and he had lifted the teapot off the tiny stove. "I wasn't sure you'd be able to come."
Kai gave him a rueful grin, tucking the cushion down the side of the chair. "We almost weren't," he admitted. "But Murasaki kicked us out: something about how we don't take enough time off and should go out and enjoy ourselves for once." He shrugged. "I have no idea what she was talking about."
Shirogane grinned and made a mental note to thank Healer Murasaki if he ever met her. From what little he knew of her, she seemed to be the equivalent of Master Bard Hikaru, the most senior position in the Bardic Collegium and possibly the best flautist Shirogane had ever met. He had no doubt that Healer Murasaki was just as formidable a woman as Master Bard Hikaru was and that saying no to her would be all but impossible. "Well, I'm glad you came," he repeated, picking the teapot up and pouring the tea into two cups.
"Likewise," Kai grinned, carefully taking one of the cups off him. "I hadn't heard you play before, you're really good."
Shirogane smiled nervously, hoping his blushes weren't showing too badly. He knew he was a good player, a good Bard, but somehow Kai's opinion was scarily important. "Thank you," he muttered, settling into the other chair easily.
"You play the harp, too, right?" Kai asked, small frown on his face. "I'm pretty sure it was the harp?"
"That's right," Shirogane agreed. "We almost used both for the performance today but decided it would be better to stick with our flutes."
"I'd like to hear you on the harp sometime," Kai said wistfully, wrapping his fingers around his cup tightly.
Shirogane almost volunteered to play there and then, but reluctantly decided it would probably be a bad idea to play when he was both tired and still a little off-balance. "I'll have to play for you some time, then," he said instead, the words coming out before he even registered them.
Kai beamed, pulling his feet up underneath him in the chair as he shifted to get comfortable. "I'd like that."
Shirogane smiled back and relaxed into the chair, even as thunder rumbled in the distance: the nerves of earlier were finally wearing off and it looked like he was in for a very pleasant evening.
Fandom: Hyakujuu sentai Gaoranger
Characters/Pairing: Kai/Shirogane
Prompt: #69 - Thunder
Word Count: 2013
Rating: G
Summary: Shirogane smiled and relaxed into the chair, even as thunder rumbled in the distance: the nerves of the evening were finally wearing off and it looked like he was in for a very pleasant evening
Notes: AU.
Link to table: Here
Shirogane paced nervously as he waited, Hayate ignoring him in favour of checking the keys on his flute. He hated performing sometimes, Shirogane thought to himself, wishing once again that he hadn't agreed to this. It might be considered odd for a Bard to not enjoy performing, but it was the one aspect of his profession that Shirogane didn't enjoy. Oh, he loved playing, loved losing himself in the music and he enjoyed playing for his friends in informal settings, but put him in a setting like this - playing for the Karsite delegation - and he just wished he could be anywhere else but there.
It would be better once he was actually out there, he knew. He and Hayate often played duets like this and he was immensely thankful for Hayate's steadying presence: the prospect of a solo performace hadn't been a pleasant one. When he got out there and the music actually started he'd be fine, it was just the waiting...
"Pacing won't make him come, you know," Hayate murmured, finishing his inspection of his flute and raising an eyebrow in Shirogane's direction.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shirogane replied loftily, pointedly ignoring the faint smile on Hayate's face. And therein lay the other source of his anxiety: whether or not Healer Kai had taken him up on the invitation to the performance tonight. He hadn't been there when Shirogane had stolen a quick look at the audience and wilted at the size of it, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.
"Something might have come up," Hayate continued. "They're both Healers, after all."
"I know that!" Shirogane snapped. "I know he-- they might not be able to come." He cursed his tongue for his lapse, knowing that Hayate would pick up on it. He tried telling himself he wouldn't be disappointed if the Healer couldn't make it, hoping that if he repeated himself often enough it might make it true. Not that it was working so far.
"Alright then," Hayate said, tapping him on the arm and indicating the stage. "Let's go. Give them a performance they won't forget."
***
The performance went off without a hitch, much to Shirogane's relief and making a mockery of his earlier nerves. He and Hayate had always played well together and as they shared equal proficiency in both harp and flute it was easy for them to switch between the two as the songs demanded.
Much as he wanted to, once he had emerged for the performance Shirogane didn't look for Healer Kai: if he had and found him, he'd be distracted. Then again, if he looked and didn't find him he would just be distracted again and distraction wasn't something he could afford at this particular moment. Only when he and Hayate were finished a couple of hours later did he dare to look around the audience.
Healer Kai... wasn't there. Shirogane's stomach plummeted but he forced a smile onto his face as he began the requisite mingling with the audience, their words flowing over him without really registering until a persistent voice broke through his reverie. He blinked and turned to face the speaker, wincing inwardly when he found himself face to face with a member of the Karsite delegation - one of the more senior Sun Priests - who seemed to be waiting for an answer from him on something.
"I'm sorry," he apologised, inclining his head slightly. "I didn't hear you, Excellency."
The priest raised an eyebrow at him, his hands tucked inside the sleeves of his black and gold robes. "Merely that it is unusual to find Karsite music played so well outside of Karse," was the measured response. "Your parents must have taught you well."
Shirogane flinched inwardly but forced himself to keep smiling. "Not from my parents, Excellency. Ambassador Karal has been very helpful in that respect."
"I'm sure he has," the priest replied, as if he were anything but. "I must, however, compliment you on your mastery of Karsite, if it is not your first language."
Only then did Shirogane realise that the entire conversation had been taking place in Karsite and he desperately wished Hayate was around to extract him from this barbed conversation, but Hayate was currently otherwise occupied by other dignitaries and couldn't even extract himself, let alone help Shirogane. "I speak four languages fluently," he replied, pointedly switching back to Valdemaran. "The Bardic Collegium has a very good languages programme."
"Is that so."
It wasn't a question and Shirogane was at a loss as to how to end the conversation gracefully and make his escape.
"There you are!" came a loud voice, interrupting before the conversation could continue and Shirogane jumped, feeling obscurely guilty for some reason. "I suppose you thought you could get out of it this evening as well, didn't you?" Healer Kai was standing right behind the Sun Priest, in his best green Healer robes, his arms folded as he glared at Shirogane. "Don't even think about denying it," Kai continued. "You are coming to the Healer's Collegium this evening."
"Is there a problem?" the priest asked, matching Kai's attitude with an arrogance of his own. Kai's eyes flickered over him, then he smiled the smile that Shirogane knew to be utterly insincere even as the smile did its job of charming its target.
"Nothing to concern yourself with, Excellency," Kai replied. "It's nothing contagious. It could still be serious, however, and Bard Shirogane seems to have an aversion to the Healer's Collegium."
The priest raised that blasted eyebrow again, in a supercilious manner that set Shirogane's teeth on edge. "In that case," he said, "I believe I will leave him in your hands, Healer." And with that he bowed, turning back to the gathered crowd of diplomats and various other dignitaries. Fortunately, Hayate was also beginning to extract himself which meant Shirogane could make a break for it without feeling too guilty about doing so.
"Thank you," he breathed in relief once they were well away from the performance hall, his flute case tucked securely under his arm.
"You're welcome," Kai grinned. "You looked like you needed rescuing and no-one else seemed to be obliging."
"I looked that desperate?" Shirogane asked ruefully. If he had he would definitely be hearing about it later: Bards were supposed to remain calm in all situations.
"No," Kai replied judiciously. "But you felt that desperate." Shirogane blinked in surprise but Kai rolled his eyes. "Healer, remember?" he asked pointedly. "Gift of Empathy?"
"Oh, of course," Shirogane said hastily. It had never occurred to him that Healer Kai had any Gift besides that of his incredibly strong Healing Gift, but Empathy would make sense.
Kai shook his head and appeared on the verge of saying something before he changed his mind. "Was that guy being really obnoxious?" he asked instead, giving Shirogane a sideways look. "You seemed to want out of that conversation very badly."
Shirogane shrugged, turning the corner of the corridor that led towards the Bardic Collegium without even thinking about it. "It felt like he was trying to catch me out in something," he admitted. "And he kept talking about my family as well. It was... unnerving."
"Your family?" Kai asked incredulously. "What does your family have to do with anything?"
Shirogane shrugged. "He seemed to think I learnt Karsite - and some of the pieces we played tonight - from them."
Kai frowned. "Why would he think that?"
Shirogane halted in surprise, right at the bottom of a flight of stairs. "Because my family's originally from Karse?" he replied, wondering in astonishment how Kai could have missed it. His Karsite background was usually obvious to everyone, no matter that his family had lived in Valdemar for over a hundred years now. With hostilities between Valdemar and Karse only recently coming to an end it had made for an uneasy upbringing sometimes.
"They are?" Kai blinked. "I didn't know that."
Again Shirogane wondered how anyone who had grown up in Valdemar could possibly not recognise Karsite ancestry, then decided it wasn't a discussion worth getting into and he started to walk up the stairs. "It was a long time ago," he said instead. "My family fled Karse three, four generations ago now. I was born here, my parents were born here, my grandparents on my mother's side were born here." He shrugged. "I suppose that Sun Priest was expecting a different attitude, though."
"Huh," was the thoughtful response. "Interesting. But you do speak Karsite, though, right?"
Shirogane shrugged, opening the door to his rooms. "Yes, but I also speak Hardornen and Rethwellen, doesn't mean I'm from either of those places, either."
Kai grinned and followed him in. "How many languages do you speak?" he asked. "Inquiring minds want to know."
Grabbing a cushion off a chair, Shirogane threw it at the Healer who caught it easily and wrapped his arms around it, ducking his chin into the soft material. "Aside from Valdemaran, three fluently: Karsite, Hardornen and Rethwellen. I'm passable in a couple of others but I wouldn't like to hold serious conversations in any of them without brushing up on them first. Do you want anything to drink?" he finished. "Not that I've got much beyond tea."
Kai shrugged and plumped himself down in the chair Shirogane had swiped the cushion from. "Tea's fine, thanks." There seemed to be something playing on his mind, but Shirogane wasn't sure what it was or if even he should ask. Well, he supposed that if Kai wanted to ask, he would; the man wasn't shy about holding his opinions back, after all.
Maybe it was just his imagination, Shirogane decided a moment later, concentrating on heating the water for the tea. He could be misinterpreting something simply because he was off balance about having Kai in his rooms and how had that even happened anyway? "I'm glad you made the performace," he said, once the water had finished boiling and he had lifted the teapot off the tiny stove. "I wasn't sure you'd be able to come."
Kai gave him a rueful grin, tucking the cushion down the side of the chair. "We almost weren't," he admitted. "But Murasaki kicked us out: something about how we don't take enough time off and should go out and enjoy ourselves for once." He shrugged. "I have no idea what she was talking about."
Shirogane grinned and made a mental note to thank Healer Murasaki if he ever met her. From what little he knew of her, she seemed to be the equivalent of Master Bard Hikaru, the most senior position in the Bardic Collegium and possibly the best flautist Shirogane had ever met. He had no doubt that Healer Murasaki was just as formidable a woman as Master Bard Hikaru was and that saying no to her would be all but impossible. "Well, I'm glad you came," he repeated, picking the teapot up and pouring the tea into two cups.
"Likewise," Kai grinned, carefully taking one of the cups off him. "I hadn't heard you play before, you're really good."
Shirogane smiled nervously, hoping his blushes weren't showing too badly. He knew he was a good player, a good Bard, but somehow Kai's opinion was scarily important. "Thank you," he muttered, settling into the other chair easily.
"You play the harp, too, right?" Kai asked, small frown on his face. "I'm pretty sure it was the harp?"
"That's right," Shirogane agreed. "We almost used both for the performance today but decided it would be better to stick with our flutes."
"I'd like to hear you on the harp sometime," Kai said wistfully, wrapping his fingers around his cup tightly.
Shirogane almost volunteered to play there and then, but reluctantly decided it would probably be a bad idea to play when he was both tired and still a little off-balance. "I'll have to play for you some time, then," he said instead, the words coming out before he even registered them.
Kai beamed, pulling his feet up underneath him in the chair as he shifted to get comfortable. "I'd like that."
Shirogane smiled back and relaxed into the chair, even as thunder rumbled in the distance: the nerves of earlier were finally wearing off and it looked like he was in for a very pleasant evening.