Unsung Ballad

by Jack of Spades

Lan had taken up a new hobby.

Lt. Colonel Gingetsu filled the two obligatory cups with tea, leaning away from the clouds of steam that were threatening to fog up his visor. Absently he made a mental note to remind Kazuhiko to buy another packet of the floral brew. He took a moment to crumple the empty foil pack and launch it into the trash bin before washing his hands and carrying the two cups out into the living room.

Ordinarily it would be Lan who would be doing that routine, but it seemed to Gingetsu that ever since the 3-leaf had picked up his new hobby, even little everyday things went unheeded. Without Gingetsu�s prodding, the other would probably give food, drink and even sleep a pass.

It was slightly disturbing to see Lan being so engrossed in a particular task, more so considering it had very little to do with programming. Perhaps, Gingetsu thought, �hobby� wasn�t at all an appropriate term. Obsession, more like.

Lan didn�t turn as he approached. The 3-leaf was sitting cross-legged by the tall windows, eyes intently trained on the computer screen. His gaze shifted the very slightest when Gingetsu all but shoved the teacup in his face.

�I�ll have it later,� Lan said softly, returning his attention to what he had been doing since the start of the evening.

Gingetsu firmly grasped one slim hand in his own and curled the long fingers around the cup. �There is no later.�

The stunned look in Lan�s face faded as he resignedly accepted the tea. Gingetsu watched, stern, as the 3-leaf slowly took a sip. Satisfied that the other was drinking, the Lt. Colonel diverted his attention to the computer on the floor. Characteristically, like many of Lan�s mechanical toys, it lay on a tangle of its cords and wires, coils of electrical snakes in the dim light.

�What are you working on now?�

Lan started to put his cup down, but a sharp gesture from Gingetsu immediately stopped him. �It�s not finished yet,� he replied, scratching his temple. �I only started this morning.�

�At three a.m.,�Gingetsu corrected strictly. At least the 3-leaf had the decency to blush and hide his face beneath his unruly fringe.

The Lt. Colonel awoke in the wee hours of morning, sleepily making his way to the kitchen for a snack, only to trip over a certain 3-leaf in the middle of the floor. Initially he thought it was one of Lan�s computers, but when he heard a muffled �ow� he�d looked down in surprise and gazed straight into hazy gray eyes.

�That hurt,� Lan had murmured, sitting up and rubbing his bruised side.

�Why�re you sprawled here at this ungodly hour?� Gingetsu had asked.

At the 3-leaf�s non-committal shrug, the Lt. Colonel had all but marched Lan straight to bed, though he knew it was pointless to try to force the other to sleep � as soon as he�d shut Lan�s door, he�d sensed the brief gathering of power, and a second later a soft beep indicated the spontaneous conjuring of yet another computer.

�It was inspiration,� Lan said, defending himself. His smile in the gathering darkness was faint.

Gingetsu huffed, unimpressed. �Tell me again why you�ve disabled all the lights in the house.�

That disgruntled remark was met by a soft chuckle. �Appropriate atmosphere,� Lan said.

The Lt. Colonel gave up trying to argue. Instead, he wearily admitted defeat as he settled next to Lan. �What song is it this time?�

Lan had taken up composing music, of all things. Gingetsu didn�t know why. It had been quite some time after Suu�s death when he first found the 3-leaf humming quietly to himself, finger occasionally poking a key or two on his keyboard. Gingetsu had thought nothing of it then, assuming it to be another of Lan�s endless meddling, but when the 3-leaf started neglecting meals and � more importantly � his daily intake of tea, the Lt. Colonel just had to find out what it was that had Lan so addicted

He�d been bewildered at first.

Truthfully, if it wasn�t for Lan, the house wouldn�t be filled with strains of music from dawn till dusk. Sure, Gingetsu could appreciate stuff like music � even though he knew Kazuhiko would balk if he were to ever hear that � but an excess of rhythm was enough to bring on a mild headache. The 3-leaf, on the other hand, could go on a marathon, listening to one song after another. One minute he�d be tapping his foot in time to a fast, racy tune, head bobbing, and the next he�d be dreamily swaying to a ballad.

Gingetsu could never fully concentrate when Lan got into those moods. There was just something horribly fascinating about the 3-leaf when he switched moods as swiftly as that.

�It�s the same song.� Lan�s soft reply brought Gingetsu back to the present. Despite the Lt. Colonel�s earlier unspoken threats, the 3-leaf had nonchalantly placed his cup of tea on the floor, hands straying to caress the keyboard. �I wonder how Oruha did it,� he murmured, frowning slightly. �I just can�t get this part to move in smoothly into the next!� He shook his head in dismay and reached for the teacup near his elbow. Gingetsu�s hand twitched; paranoia was causing absurd images of Lan spilling his tea and electrocuting the both of them to circulate in his head.

The 3-leaf took a hasty sip of the beverage. �This is even harder than programming,� he continued, tone rising in his excitement. �It�s just so hard to make the parts of the music blend together. Don�t you see?� Lan jabbed at the cluster of hovering dots. �Where one note goes, the rest must follow its path. A wrong sound and the entire line is affected. Can you imagine? So many different sounds making one huge wave of music! Like threads interwoven to form a tapestry � take even just one away and you change the whole picture. Like pieces of a soul; every little part, however small it is, contributes to a person.� He paused for breath and turned to look at Gingetsu, eyes shining with barely concealed enthusiasm. �Fascinating,� he whispered.

The Lt. Colonel couldn�t speak for a moment. Lan was delirious, that much he could tell. Perhaps he really ought to have added sleeping pills in the tea. �You need a good rest,� he said slowly, hands out to steady the 3-leaf.

�No I don�t,� Lan insisted, shaking his head. �And I�m not crazy.�

�I didn�t say you were,� Gingetsu said soothingly. He curled his hands around Lan�s heaving shoulders. �See, the song won�t run away if you leave it for a few hours. It�ll still be there � "

�Inspiration will!� Lan declared suddenly, twisting in his grip. Gingetsu didn�t relent, though, and in exhaustion Lan slumped against him. �The song�s incomplete,� the 3-leaf mumbled.

�Tomorrow�s another day,� Gingetsu replied, half-wishing the notes would stop their slow hovering.

�I don�t know how to go from here.� Lan�s voice was muffled, lost in his soft yawn.

�Add lyrics, maybe,� Gingetsu answered absently, shaking himself from the hypnotizing lure of the floating notes.

There wasn�t a reply to that, and in the ensuing pause the Lt. Colonel glanced down and met Lan�s gaze, now shadowed with some unidentifiable emotion. �I was hoping,� the 3-leaf whispered then, expression vaguely distant, �that someone might add words to my song.� Then he smiled, a sad little curve of lips, and shook himself. �Perhaps someone will complete it after I�m gone.�

Gingetsu stared down at the 3-leaf. �Perhaps�I��

He never finished the sentence, mainly because Lan�s head drooped onto his shoulder, eyes closed in peaceful slumber. Gingetsu sighed, gazing out of the windows at the sea of lights, the muted beckoning of the normal outside world. Twining notes and words.

It wasn�t about music at all, was it?

Notes: This is my first Clover fic that I dared to put up, so please pardon the hectic manner in which it was written. It was based on an idea I had, that since Lan was always appreciating Oruha's songs, he would possibly try his hand at composing. ^_^ Then there was the little part about adding words to his song -- also a real slice of his situation, that Lan himself is incomplete... and no, Gingetsu's not all that dense, really.

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