FRANCE, 1771

Gulping in air like there was no tomorrow, Kai woke from his deep sleep with a strangled noise of surprise, heart drumming relentlessly against his ribcage like a mad piano player whose fingers mindlessly banged out rhythms long since embedded in his memory. Kai ran his slightly shaky fingers through his already tousled long brown locks, attempting to recall precisely what it was that had awoken him so abruptly.

Bright splashes of red. The sounds of ripping flesh. Sardonic laughter. And a thirst, for what he didn’t know, his throat just contracted dryly, his quench not yet satisfied. That was it. That was all he remembered. Same as always. Trying to find meaning in his recurring nightmare seemed as futile as attempting to hold water with your bare hands, the water always seeping through the crevices, refusing to be denied its escape.

Kai groaned in frustration, tossing the sheets off of his overheated body and clambering out of bed. The soft amber light leaking through the space between his window curtains revealed that it was nearly morning. Kai sighed, striding over to his mahogany wardrobe to sift through his clothing. Finding nothing in particular that tripped his trigger, he settled on a pair of simple black breeches matched with a navy blue tunic, accentuated with gold thread.

He then crossed his rather large bedroom floor, grabbing a navy blue (the exact shade of his tunic) ribbon from his dresser on the way, halting at the full-length stand-up mirror. Kai ran his fingers through his mess of hair, attempting to arrange it in a more aesthetically pleasing way. He struggled to tame his mane for some time before giving up and pulling it all back into a long ponytail and securing it with the navy ribbon. Well aren’t I just a dashing young lad? Kai thought as he grinned at his reflection. He tried to keep a straight face, really he did, but it just didn’t work and he ended up chortling loudly. 

His laughter was met with grumpy mewling several seconds later, as his abrupt commotion had woken his cat. The black coat of the grouchy creature rippled as it stretched, yawning in that disinterested way that only cats can.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Minni (short for Minuit), did I wake you?” Kai inquired, reaching down to pet his furry friend as Minni attempted to wrap herself around his legs. She purred in response, content with being awake so long as she got a nice scratch out of the deal.

“Well, I’m glad to see that you’re not angry with me.” Kai picked up the cat, cradling her gently and continuing to rub her silky black fur. He carried her downstairs, meandering his way to the kitchen, where he was surprised to find his mother already occupying one of the dozen or so chairs surround their vast dining room table.

“Maman?” Kai questioned. “What are you doing up so early?”

His mother turned to face him. It saddened him to see the dark rings beneath her eyes, showing her obvious exhaustion. He quickly set Minni down and lowered himself onto the seat next to her.

“Is something wrong?” His mother smiled, though he could sense a deep sadness hidden behind her cheery façade.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep well last night is all.” She answered, reassuring him with a comforting pat on the shoulder. She rose from her chair. “I’ll go see if Haetia can make us some breakfast.”

“D'accord. Merci.” Kai smiled brightly at his mother as she left. His grin faded as he recalled her exhaustion. Something’s wrong and she won’t tell me what it is…

Kai’s musing concerning the health of his mother ended the second he caught a whiff of whatever Haetia was cooking for breakfast. His stomach rumbled loudly, sounding more like the mating call of a moose than anything coming from a human.

Kai soon discovered that breakfast today came in the form of eggs, bacon, and croissants. He devoured them so fast that his mother reprimanded him, insisting that he’d get sick if he continued to “inhale his food” like that. Kai opened his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by the obnoxious chiming of the doorbell. Kai mumbled an apology for his terrible manners before he raced to answer the door.

Just as he had expected, standing on front porch was his piano teacher, the clear favorite among all of his tutors. The man didn’t appear to be much older than Kai himself, maybe two years at most, though looks can be deceiving. He also had a distinctly feminine air about him, though that could have been simply due to his rather skinny frame and somewhat delicate features.

“Taemin!” Kai shouted, enveloping his tutor in an enormous bear hug. Though he seemed a bit taken aback by the sudden show of affection, the piano teacher responded in kind. To be quite honest, Kai was one of his favorite students. He was so eager and willing to learn, and the kid actually had some talent as well. (This was usually not the case in the wealthier families as they only paid for a piano tutor for their children so they could have bragging rights amongst the other rich snobs.)

“I take it you missed me then?” Taemin joked, smiling at his overexcited student. Kai stared at him like he’d grown an extra leg or something.

“OF COURSE I MISSED YOU!!! You left me all alone for THREE WEEKS! I had to practice Bach ALL BY MYSELF!” Kai pronounced, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Taemin, barely able to contain his urge to chuckle at his endearingly excitable pupil, suggested that they go to the piano room so he can see if Kai’s really been practicing.

“Of course I’ve been practicing~” Kai whined in response. He really had been practicing, perhaps a bit more than strictly necessary, but he loved it when Taemin praised him for his improvement and enthusiasm.

Entering the room designated to piano playing, Kai felt unparalleled happiness to have his instructor back in there with him while he practiced. The pair sank into the soft leather of the piano bench, sitting side-by-side. They fell back into their old routine quickly, with Kai playing his pieces, and Taemin critiquing his efforts.

Taemin taught him a new piece, an excerpt from The Four Seasons, composed by Vivaldi. This is so nice…I’m glad he’s back from his trip. Kai couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he watched Taemin play, delighted to get lost in the beautiful melody reverberating through the room. 

AN: HOLY KRISUS GUYS 21 SUBS AND I DIDN'T EVEN POST THE CHAPTER YET!!! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

and I'm sorry but I just had to find a way to work shinee in here somehow because I'm just evil like that keke XD plus taekai is just too shippable

well anyway leave me comments and tell me what you think! (I always reply~) ^^ also, feel free to bother me about things on my tumblr

just for my entertainment, have some TaeKai~

(they totally do, it's ing creepy)

asdlfkjda;lsdkjf you doofuses c'mere and lemme hug you