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I couldn't believe I had let them drag me up here. I know I had told them I didn't sing. I know I had said something to Stealth at least. But then, here we were. I was up here, behind this curtain, an acoustic guitar in my hands and my heart in tatters. We were up next, to sing for the enjoyment of the audience... and I needed a drink, but can you find anything to drink in a teahouse? Anything worthwhile, anyway?

"Next up is a guy who simply wants to be known as the Carbine. He's here to sing for you a song about heartbreak. Give it up for the Carbine!"

The stagehand began pulling the cord on the curtain and revealing Stealth and I to the audience. I was holding that stupid guitar, and Stealth was behind me on the drums. Supposedly, he could cover drums and backup vocals, but I really didn't want him to cover either. I didn't want to be here.

"Woot! Go Carbine!"

There were several catcalls and whistles from the audience, and a microphone was set up before me. I adjusted the guitar in my lap, strummed a couple strings to check for tuning, and then leaned into the mic.

"I did not write this song... my buddy Stealth introduced me to a band called Jars of Clay, and this song belongs to them." There... that should be all the warm up I need.

My left hand fit the frets on the guitar neck, and my right hand fingered the pick, ready to strike at any moment. Tonight... tonight, this would be my weapon. Who was the enemy? My broken heart.

_ Fare thee well... _

_ Trade in all our words for tea and sympathy... _

_ And wonder why we tried for things could never be... _

_ Play our hearts' lament like an unrehearsed symphony... _

I began to sing, and began to play. As the room fell silent, I could hear my heart beat to the rhythm of my music. As each note fell, and as each word formed upon and expelled from my lips, I could almost hear her words.

"Carbine... we need to talk."

She walked up to me, her ears hanging cutely in front of her. This was my dream girl, my one and only. She was called Cream, and in earlier years, she had been the talk of the town, going from door to door every day to help the needy with no regard to her own safety. This was how we had met.

I had been walking down the street when I spotted a thief trying to exit my neighbor's house through a window while carrying their large screen television. I had run forward, removing my energy pistol from the holster on my belt, and began shouting for the man to stop. He didn't listen, and instead ran out into the middle of the road and snatched up Cream as she was crossing. The young rabbit was so afraid she didn't know where to turn when the man pulled a knife out of his pocket and pressed it up against her throat.

I had stopped and stood there, staring the man down, my gun pointed at his head. My finger stayed off the trigger in fear of provoking him into actually killing the young girl, but as I inched forward, he began to shake. Cream squirmed slightly and yelled, which startled the man and he dropped both the knife and Cream. I took my chance and fired my weapon, nailing him between the eyes. He died on the spot, but before he had even hit the ground, the young rabbit had run to me and had buried her face into my shirt, her arms wrapped around my midsection. She had been 12 at the time, same as I.

That was nearly 4 years prior to our current meeting. We had been dating ever since, and I had thought that we were both happy.

"Yeah, babe? What do you need to talk about?" I looked up into her eyes, and I saw pain there. Pain and sadness... the two emotions I had tried so hard over our relationship to keep away from her. I didn't like my girlfriends to be sad or to hurt in any way. It made me feel like I wasn't doing my job.

Cream sighed and sat down across from me. We had agreed to meet here, at this very same teahouse, earlier in the day. They served my favorite, black tea with lime, as well as her favorite, carrot tea. I had already ordered our teas and they were on their way to the table when she arrived.

I could tell there was something on her mind. It hadn't even occurred to me that she had started the conversation with the classic trouble starter 'we need to talk' line. I watched her face, and realized she was trying to avoid my eyes. This didn't bode well.

_ Not intent... _

_ To leave this castle full of empty rooms... _

_ Love the captive in the tower never rescued... _

_ And all our victory songs seem to be playing out of tune... _

She looked into my eyes and took a deep breath. "Carbine, spending time with you has been the best. I loved being with you. You're the kindest, gentlest person I've ever been with." She stopped talking for a moment and looked down.

Something struck me as odd. Cream never talked like this. I mean, I knew she liked me, and I knew she appreciated and enjoyed being with me, but she never voiced it. She never once told me all this in all our years together. It felt like she was... oh no. Please, please God, no.

'_ Cause it's not the way... _

_ It has to be... _

_ Don't trade our love for tea and sympathy, no... _

_ And it's not the way... _

_ It has to be... _

She lifted her head, tears streaming down her face. "Carbine, I love you, but not in the way I should be. I don't love you the way a girlfriend should love her boyfriend."

_ You begin... _

_ All your words fall to the floor and break like china cups... _

"I love you as a friend," she continued. "In my heart, as much as it hurts... I know we'd be better off as friends."

There it was. Those were the words I had been dreading. Cream was everything to me, but now she wanted to be just friends. I didn't know what to say. I lowered my head to avoid looking her in the eyes, then reached for the cup of tea that had been set in front of me and began to drink it, slowly, purposefully. I needed to think.

_ And the waitress grabs a broom and tries to sweep them up... _

_ I reach for my tea, and slowly drink in... _

I hear a quiet shatter behind me and turn my head. A child seated at a table not far from ours had knocked his cup off accidentally. I watched out of the corner of my eye as a waitress hurried over to the table with a broom and dustpan and began cleaning up the mess. I slowly turned my head back to Cream.

'_ Cause it's not the way... _

_ It has to be... _

_ Don't trade our love for tea and sympathy, no... _

_ And it's not the way... _

_ It has to be... _

_ Don't trade our love for tea and sympathy... _

I watched as Cream made to rise, leaving her cup of tea untouched. She held her eyes away from mine. I still had yet to say anything, as I could think of nothing to say. My heart had just been shattered into a million pieces, and no amount of glue could ever piece it back together.

"I'm sorry Carbine. I really am... I hope we can still get together sometime. You know... chat up life. I really want us to continue seeing each other as friends. I can't stand to lose you because of a simple little thing like this." She sniffled and I watched as a single tear fell from her left eye, rolled down her cheek, and then fell onto the floor. She turned to leave.

_ Fare thee well... _

_ Your words, the bag of leaves that fill my head... _

My tea was gone, and so was my dream girl. I sighed and wiped my eyes of the water that had begun to build in them, then turned back to the table and reached for her tea. I had never tried this kind before, but there was no use letting good tea go to waste. I took a drink and puckered as the sour tasting liquid bounded into my mouth.

_ I could taste the bitterness, but call the waitress instead... _

'_ Cause she holds the answer... she smiles and asks, "One teaspoon or two?" _

I called the waitress to my table and asked for sugar, and as she poured three spoonfuls into my cup and stirred, I sighed. She smiled, leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek to cheer me up, then turned and walked away. I really should have asked her for her number... her nametag had read Kezadee, as far as I could remember.

'_ Cause it's not the way... _

_ It has to be... _

_ Don't trade our love for tea and sympathy, no... _

_ And it's not the way... _

_ It has to be... _

_ Don't trade our love for tea and sympathy... _

I choked up at the last line, setting my guitar down and wiping my eyes. The last echo of my music faded into oblivion, and the audience was silent. I felt a hand on my back, and as I turned my head, I saw Stealth standing there, offering me a handkerchief. He put his arm around my shoulders, gathered up my guitar, and we walked offstage.

As we disappeared behind the curtain once more, I heard applause start in the teahouse. It wasn't very loud, and sounded like only two or three people clapping, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that I felt much better then I had before coming to this thing. I had had a chance to think things over, and my heart didn't feel so heavy anymore.

I walked with my head down for a while, then smiled and lifted my eyes to where I could see where I was going. I stopped for a second to lean against a wall and observe the next performers, and a foxy girl walked up to me, smiling. She seemed familiar.

"Hi, I'm Kez."