title: The Extravagant Challenge Anthology
scene: 01. The Composer, pt 1.
summary: Behind every singer's successful song is a composer.
notes: this will be a drabble anthology series revolving showbiz world (kind of)

Scene 01.

The Composer

(Behind every singer's successful song is a composer.)

"Tadai—" he begins but immediately stops upon the sound that welcomes him home that night. It is something he hasn't heard in a very long while.

Silently, as if in a trance he follows the sound until arriving on the threshold to the kitchen. A ghost of smile touches his lips at the sight of her, sitting on a high stool with her back facing the entrance as she strum on his guitar and sing. He cannot remember the last time he heard her sing.

Then she pauses, grabs a pencil from the breakfast nook next to her and scribbles on a piece of paper before she started playing again. Her voice is quiet as she sings delicately. But the music doesn't last long because she starts to write furiously again.

When she plays again, he finally recognises the song as one of his incomplete compositions. It is then he makes his presence known.

"Sakura."

She jumps to her feet and the guitar almost crashes to the floor if not for her quick reflexes.

"Sasuke-kun. Okaeri."

"Hn."

He walks over to her and picks the music sheet she has been working on from atop the breakfast nook. It was one of his unfinished compositions. And his eyes widen slightly as he looks at it, though he knows he should hardly be surprised. There are writings all over—corrections, additions, notes—and suddenly, he feels ashamed of himself. Between the two of them, he is the one pursuing a professional singing career but seeing all the notes she has written makes him realise he still has long ways to go. Because after all these years, despite her dream-crippling condition, she is still better at this than he ever will be.

"I'm sorry," she begins to stammer; clutching his acoustic guitar—the one she gave him on his twelfth birthday—against her chest tightly. He ignores his sudden irrational urge to rip the instrument away from her.

"I didn't mean to, uh, ruin it," she continues, "I saw it under your bed while cleaning and it looked really good. Has lots of potential. But it was incomplete. Then I got carried away. I didn't really—"

"Sakura," her name from his lips halts her dialogue and a blush paints her cheeks when she realized she was rambling again.

"This is really good," he tells her the truth because she deserves the compliment, "do you mind if I release this as my new single?"

Green eyes widen and her lips part, momentarily speechless before she stammers again, "why, why are you asking me? It's yours. You..."

"You're the one who's almost finished it," he hands her back the music sheet.

"But it's not done yet."

"Then work on it and I'll make dinner," he tells her as he puts a frying pan on the stove.

He hears her gasp behind him. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun. I didn't know you were coming and I got caught up with this."

"It's fine," he says dismissively, "you don't have to apologise for everything."

Because he is the one at fault. He is the one who just comes home whenever he pleases. He is the one who brought her here and leaves her by herself. But he isn't sorry, nor does he regret anything. If he had left her, she'd probably be wearing a ring around her left ring finger by now.

tbc.