Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Warnings: Heero POV, fluff, some sap, AU (Our world and time)

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: 1+2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story. GW and all the brands mentioned here belong to whomever they belong to. All names and songs mentioned do not belong to me either. Thank you for paying attention. ^o^

Thanks to Dark Tenchi for beta-ing!

Seventh Heaven Series Part 4
Heavenly Matched Valentines

Unbeknownst to many of my friends, I adore music.

It is one of my other loves apart from photography, and my love for it has been around for far longer than the latter. But no, you won't see me dancing to the tune of Avril Lavigne's 'Sk8ter Boi' or the likes. Hilde can try all she wants, but I'm not succumbing to pop ditties. Some of them sound so... crude, like that rapper's who has dissed nearly the whole of planet pop. I think some singers are already dreading the day they'll get onto that guy's insult list. Other pop songs sound... suggestive. If not the song, then the MTV featuring the singer in clothes that reveals more than it covers.

Sure, there are some really nice pop songs, but still... I'm not interested.

What I'm interested in is new age.

New age music is mostly soothing, heartfelt, and the perfect genre to comfort and uplift a tired mind and soul. It is mysterious and deep. It is as smooth as silk and as tranquil as a spring breeze. It is what lures me to sleep at night, and what wakes me up in the morning.

It is also what Hilde interprets as classical music. That's probably why she thinks I'm uncool.

But really, I think music serves to relax us. So if new age relaxes me, it's the one for me. There's no such thing as cool and uncool types of music. Music is music. While the music we listen to causes others to label us as a certain type of people, music itself does not.

I used to listen to classical though, and I still do. But I'm mostly a new age fan nowadays. However great the music is, listening to the works of composers ages past does get boring occasionally.

I remember a few months ago, I had gotten a little fed up listening to the dramatic piano and violin pieces and I wanted to try something new. I approached Hilde for help first, since she was my sister and the closest in proximity, and my eardrums nearly doubled over in pain when she insisted that I listen to some Christina what's-her-name's song. I knew better after that. She then tried to help by asking Wufei, but his CDs are a big no no, because it's all Chinese pop stars. I don't like listening to things I don't understand. My next attempt was to try out Treize's music collection. It was fine the first few days, but if I had to listen to that opera one more time, I'll kill myself.

But it was Zechs who dealt me the killing blow by blasting my hi-five set with trance and club music. I swear, that guy just loves to torture me. Who would have thought that a grown man of nearly 23 could be so petty to remember a prank I played on him 10 years ago? It wasn't even intentional. When I had brought my pet frog to his house, I had no idea it would escape, much less jump into the oven and land up in Zechs' dinner. I mourned for the frog, okay?

Just when I thought it would be safer if I just went back to classical, Quatre hooked me up to new age music.

He had invited me over to his house that day, and he tried to play a Kevin Kern tune on the piano. I stress: 'tried' is the operative word here. God, Quatre is amazing when it comes to the violin, but he absolutely murders the piano.

When he finally finished the piece, Catherine started to comment on his piano skills, although I think 'criticize' is a more appropriate word. Anyway, while they were debating heatedly (Quatre insists that he never argues), Trowa silently led me aside and shoved me an album, telling me that I should go listen to the original piece.

However disbelievingly, I did. And I got addicted.

And now my list of favourite new age musical artists has extended to include Lorena Mckennit, Enya, Bond, Vanessa Mae, and Enigma, although a Kevin Kern CD is still my first choice.

Which is exactly the reason why I'm currently going into HMV, looking for his latest album 'More than Words'.

I step inside the store, and move to the third level where the new age section is at. Once there, I eagerly pick up the headphones and have a sample of the album. Almost immediately, I'm awash in a realm where music is everything, from the heavens to the seas. Every note plucks at my heartstrings. The melody is wondrous.

By the time I take off the headphones, I've already made up my mind. I'm definitely getting the album, and that 'Where Paths Meet' is my song of the month.

I nearly frown with disgust when I reach the counter at the ground floor, the pop album that Hilde wants in my hands along with my Kevin Kern's. The queue is so long it'll take at least 15 minutes to get to the front. Sighing, I get into the line. Although I have nothing pressing at hand, queuing up is not the way I want to spend my time. I'd rather be doing something more productive.

Of course, my eyes get restless when I'm bored, and they start searching for attractive people. Like the blonde guy over at the nearby shelf. His eyes are an icy blue that would have sent penguins flying, and his faint grin looks as though he's up to no good. Simply put, he looks like someone who would murder anyone that even considers cracking a blonde joke.

The brunette a little far off doesn't look too bad either. Bright hazel eyes... pink cheeks... slender body... Yeah, she's quite a good-looking one too. Her hair's a little too short for me though. I'd prefer someone with longer hair.

Something inside me reminds me that Mars has long hair. I like the length of his hair too. Could this be the reason why I'm attracted to him in the first place? Because I have a hair fetish? Hilde knows that. When she was younger, I used to make her keep her hair long so I could brush it out and experiment with it. I think I wanted to be a hair stylist then, and she was the perfect doll to play with. I mean, she was too young to understand how stupid she looked with a couple of loose pigtails all over her head. Or even the horrendous act of tying those pigtails with ribbons of at least ten different colours that clashed like water and fire.

That must be the reason why she's been insisting on keeping short hair for the past few years.

Anyway, I have to admit that I like Mars' long silky tresses. At least, it looked silky under the sun that day.

Then, the person behind me in the queue nudges me forward, reminding me of the fact that I'm queuing up to buy an album. I tend to shut down on everything else when I'm thinking. I look up, and I'm a little surprised to find myself still a little distance to the counter. The cashier is working a little slow for my liking.

I look at her. She's dressed up in the normal HMV uniform with the pink letters sewn over her left chest. Neat enough. But the metal rings and chains covering her hands and neck, and her facial features all seems to me that she is very young. Perhaps only Hilde's age or maybe even younger. Must be a part-time worker working over the summer holidays then. And she's probably new; anyone can get that from the unaccustomed manner in which she handles the purchases and the cash register. It just screams inexperience.

After some time, I finally find myself at the counter and I hand the CDs over to the cashier. She takes it with a critical eye, like she despises the music, and slowly scans the barcode over the system. However, the system seems unable to read it, and the cashier fumbles with the album, moving it this way and that way.

I sigh; it seems that the purchase will take a little longer. I gaze around again, hoping to see that young brunette again. Vaguely, I wonder if I can convince Hilde to get that haircut. However, she's no longer there. Instead, I see a familiar braid.

Mars is leaving the store.

If this isn't a public place, I think I'll scream. But I /am/ in a public place, and I have a composure to maintain. I turn back to the cashier.

"Can't you be a little faster? I'm in a hurry here!"

She just rolls her eyes, stuffing the things into HMV's trademarked plastic bags. "I'm going as fast as I can! Just wait a little!"

I push the cash into her hands, and she opens the cash register. I swear she's taking her own sweet time looking for the change. Either that, or she flunked her math classes in school.

When she finally gives me my change, I grab it, throw it into the plastic bag and rush out of the store. Just as I have expected, Mars is already far-gone. I don't even have an inkling of an idea of where to begin looking. Forget it. If the pattern keeps up as it has in the past days, I'll be seeing him again tomorrow.

Geez.

I get over to a bus stop, and before long, my bus arrives. I get on it, and slump into a quiet corner of the bus. Flinging to backpack to my side, I unzip it and pull out my disc man. With a little trouble, I pop in my latest purchase and hit the 'play' button, starting from track 5 since I'd sampled the previous tracks in the store. Almost immediately, I hear the music flowing out and I feel the peace of the music. The bus drives along the busy roads, but I can care less. The music is taking away all my attention.

Just then, a certain track completely captivates me. It is a tender melody that threatens to drown me in a swirl of peaceful rhythms. Out of nowhere, an image of Mars appears in my mind's eye again. I can almost see him gazing at me with his eyes that are perhaps a bright shade of blue, and he smiles at me with his pink lips. His chestnut braid has been unraveled, and it spills over his back like a waterfall of silk.

I'm almost touching him. I can see it. I can feel it. But a sudden jerk of the bus jerks me out of my fantasy as well. I nearly choke on the fact that I'm fantasizing about someone I've barely met. Still feeling a little shocked, I pull out the album and flip it to the back. Track number 9... "We all fall in love sometimes".

Is this fate's way of giving me advice?

If it is, I hope that Mars' and my paths will meet after the rain tomorrow.

OWARI

 

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