Blowing steadily into the bone carved flute the now four-year-old Tayuya diligently played a tune with perfect pitch and resonance, her fingers moving deftly - with as much fluidity she could manage - to press over the air holes.

Eyes closed she listened to the light weight notes echo about the room until finally - thank god! - she came to the end.

Setting the flute down respectfully on the pillow sitting in front of her, Tayuya leveled her burnt gold eyes onto the old woman sitting across from her and took a breathe.

"I played the song with minimal errors." She said, fingers clenching into her yukata. "I didn't complain even once about how inferior that wind monstrosity is, can I finally be excused?"

Taking a few moments to stare her granddaughter in the eye, Kajuka offered a tiny nod.

"Well get on ya gaki, ya played well enough. This time." She snarked, raising one pale pieyebrowrow and Tayuya bristled. "And maybe if ya put as much effort into ya flute as much as ya did yer other little instrument then maybe ya would play better than well enough!"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes because Kajuka-obaa-chan was a fickle woman - and because her grandmother would make her play the song again if she showed such disrespect - Tayuya instead barely managed to bow her head and offer a restrained 'of course Kajuka-obaa' before she burst to a stand and ran out the room.

Racing down the hall she could barely feel the floor beneath her bare feet because she was running so goddamn fast and with a grin, she skidded to a stop before she could crash into the wooden entrance to her sleeping quarters.

Throwing open the door she peered across the room and her gaze locked onto the beautiful lute laying on the bed. Issuing a squeal - because what a dashing string instrument it was! - Tayuya practically flung herself across the room and positioned her new baby in her lap.

Now, this was a slightly different kind from her guitars, violins, cellos but once she got accustomed to holding it and the way it was put together, she merely transferred her memory of the music notes over to this and pretty soon she was playing.

She wasn't a musical prodigy for nothing after all.

Giving it a strum she let her fingers move in the most natural way possible as a song weaved itself into existence.

Ah! This was the way everything should be, with notes that could easily pitch high into the air or drag low across the floor! Now Tayuya wasn't as deaf as to say that wind instruments sounded absolutely terrible but she would never be able to honestly admit that they were better than her babies, the strings.

Now she only had to be able to cast illusions with both instruments and then she was set for life.

It was good to be her.

Humming to herself as she drove straight into another song, she startled as the sound of banging interrupted her playing.

"Turn that racket off!" Kajuka-obaa crowed and Tayuya glowered at the crotchety old woman standing in the doorway. "Some of us are trying to enjoy real music - like the kind played by the flute!"

And after a moment her grandmother burst into cackles and strode down the halls, leaving Tayuya with a twitching brow and gritted teeth.

"One day we're gonna have an illusion off and I'm gonna beat you with my superior strings!" She taunted as she leapt off the bed. "You can bet your old wrinkly ass I'll win too!"

"Oh be quiet you boney little shit!" She retorted from down the corridor. "You can barely cast using our family's instruments let alone that thing you like to play!"

"Bite the dust you old hag!"

"You wish you talentless peewee hack!"

She took it back, being her sucked ass.

Oh my god, I last updated this story in 2015 February. I'm sorry I left this for so long and I'm sorry this is so short but I'm bringing it back so bare with me.

Also thank yall for sticking with me for so long!

Also on a side note if you haven't heard already I need some help!

I've never really asked for help with anything that didn't involve writing fanfic so I hope you'll consider lending a hand! ^^

I would like you guys to follow my Instagram because I'm trying to get a paid fashion sponsorship and I need a high number of followers to do that! And I have a high amount of followers on this website so yeah! It would really mean a lot to me if you guys would do this. Like it would mean so so so sooo much if you guys could do me this favor.

So please help me out with a follow on my Instagram: slimjimsandarizonas pls and thank you!~