All descriptions of places here are not accurate and are merely a figment of imagination. Should it match anything or any place, it will be purely coincidental and is truly unintended by the author.

DISCLAIMER: Yes!I own Gakuen Alice, along with the Eiffel Tower, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Pyramids of Giza, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Empire State Building. So, well…yeah, you get the point.

The Echo Harp
Winter Moonlight Sonata

Uno Little Girl

:|:

I am a hundred and ten percent sure I am dreaming, because how else would you explain a scene picturing a smiling Hotaru, a canary-yellow-headed Misaki, and a flustered Anna holding a tray of what looked like hardened asphalt? There is no way this scene is humanely possible. So, yeah…this must be a dream—or a daydream, at the very least. I look to my right: 6:03. Crap. Even if this is just a dream, there had better be a good reason for why they barged in at this hour.

But still, you don't get a lot of smiling hallucinatory Hotarus or yellow-haired Misakis. I might as well enjoy the moment; after all, it's not everyday you get to see these ostentatious and silly dreams. Maybe I'll see how this turns out to be.

I waited for two minutes, unmoving, aware of the fact that they were gazing at me as well. I watched mutely as Anna placed the plate down on the bedside drawer and followed her every move closely, from the way she walked to how she said, "I'm sorry, I burned the omelet."

Oh. So that was what the asphalt thing was.

After a few more minutes, I became conscious of myself, noticing that the three pairs of multi-hued eyes that were watching me too were practically skinning me alive: Anna's blue ones, Hotaru's amethyst, and Misaki's magenta. Now I'm getting freaked out.

"What?" I hear myself say impatiently after Misaki gave Hotaru a conspicuous and anxious flicker of a gaze. They didn't answer; instead they remained intent on staring at me, probably waiting for me to drop dead in this dream. Weird, but I stared back anyway, uncomprehending, wondering what this was all about.

Apparently some of the confusion must have reached my face, because Misaki cleared her throat loudly and Hotaru's firm gaze suddenly moved from my clearly stupid-looking face to some point below me, to something I was probably holding in my hands. Without further ado, I mimicked her actions and looked down as well, and what I saw only intensified my original theory of this being a sheer dream, nothing more, nothing less...

Because there was just no way, no way I could be holding in between my long, frail fingers two envelopes that said "Letter of Acceptance" from Juilliard's and GASA. There was just no freaking way this could be happening...no way. Getting through to pass a Juilliard's screening program was bad and hard enough and it was most certainly impossible that out of the two-thousand applicants I would be one of twenty passers. There was just no way.

—And GASA? Hah! I'd have to be dead by the time I get accepted there! The prelims alone were excruciating! Not to mention the teachers! It was just horrible! And now I'm having a letter in my hands saying I passed both school exams? No way. I'm already positive I'm dreaming.

But how I wished I wasn't.

GASA had to be a dream come true to me if truly this were real. It would serve my purpose in life well, and it could make my parents proud, knowing they had been GASA students. They were practically GASA Alumni royalty. If they could only see me now...

And about Juilliard's...I've been dreaming of a pass to Juilliard's for so long now, because I've been yearning to see him...his dark blue eyes, his black, satiny hair...even the tiny birthmark of a star on his left cheek. I miss him so much...

With shaking hands, I removed the letter from GASA first. I knew that those three were watching me (I could also smell the burnt egg omelet) but I didn't care. This was a dream, after all...

Fumbling with the letter and taking a deep breath in preparation for the sour disappointment and hurtful letdown later when I finally woke up—because I knew this was just a dream, though my brain argued with that— I unfolded it:

"29 May 2009
Musical Arts Department
Gakuen Alice School of the Arts

Dearest Miss Mikan Sakura:

We are very pleased to inform you that you have been granted position here at Gakuen Alice School of the Arts. Your acceptance was brought about by the countless approvals gained by your audition piece from the academy's Application Review Team. We welcome you with open arms and thus shout: Welcome to GASA!

Further instructions, details of your classes, and your various requirements for the term are hereby enclosed. Thank you, and looking forward to having you here at the academy.

Yours truly,
Professor Narumi."

I closed the letter warily and shook my head back and forth, willingly—yet unwillingly at the same time—waking myself up from this dream before it gets the chance to turn into a nightmare. The more I brood over it the, more I'll get painfully disappointed, and I wouldn't like that, especially as I also had the letter of acceptance from Juilliard's. No, I don't want to get the feeling that this might not be a dream after all; that would hurt. Nope, no way.

However, no matter how hard I forced myself to wake up, no matter how many times—or how painfully—I pinch myself, I can't seem to wake up, and my hazel eyes found that Hotaru's former smiling face was now back to its usual arrangement: devoid of any expression, and with a hint of irritation. As I watched her—continuously beating my left arm—she smirked at me and faced Misaki and Anna.

"The baka thinks she's dreaming," she said as Misaki laughed and Anna grinned. She turned her mauve eyes then to me and said, with the tiniest hint of a smile lingering on the corners of her thin mouth, words that I'd been fearing yet waiting to hear.

"You're not dreaming." The far right end of her thin lips twitched upwards as I froze in the act of hitting my own forearm. "You're wide awake and you're certainly holding two letters of acceptance from the two most prestigious schools in the whole world. They are solid, and so are you."

I shook my head again. Surely...surely this was just some side-effect of my stressful three-week wait for the letters. Surely this dream is just a result of the painstakingly long wait for a reply...this might just be the stress of my situation. Yeah, I'll assure myself with that much. That'll be it—that'll explain this weird dream.

I opened my eyes forcefully, hoping that what I would see now would be everything in my room before I went back to sleep: a book on my right side, the room as green as ever, and I was alone, not holding any letter-shmetter in my hand, and definitely no smiling Hotaru, no blonde Misaki, and most certainly NO Anna with a tray of burnt eggs (because I assume I'll have to eat it—and I will not). I hope this is just a horrible dream cooked up by my unconscious to relieve me of the sore feeling of waiting for those damned letters.

Yet all hope vanished as I looked around and saw everything exactly as it was before I closed my eyes, except that Hotaru's arms were crossed in front of her chest and her eyes were now a deadly shade of purple (the kind that shows up when she's really pissed) while her lips were as thin as ever with her eyes flashing, making her look absolutely appalling and hawk-like. When I looked at her in disbelief, she rolled her eyes at me and stared fastidiously, obviously very much annoyed.

"Really an idiot," she whispered, obviously trying to keep it to herself, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. She turned gracefully around and glided towards my oaken double-doors, grabbing the handle before she spoke. "Tell me if she stops acting like the idiot that she is," she said to Misaki and Anna, the former stuffing her fists into her mouth to keep from giggling aloud. Then she rounded on me, looking as if she'd love nothing more that to devour me on the spot for my show of idiocy. "And you,"—she was murderous, but oddly I felt like laughing at her—"tell me which school you'll choose and come back down to the dining area. I'll be there cooking us something that looks more decent than a hard black blob one of us claims to be an omelet. After all, unlike you two"—she pointed at the two girls in front of me, one who was now positively quivering with suppressed laughter—"I have more important things to do rather than watch Little Miss Stupid here gawk over her Juilliard's and GASA acceptance letters while truly convincing herself through self-flagellation that she is not dreaming. Goodbye."

And the door snapped shut behind her, leaving an inkling silence that ensued between all three of us.

Only one thought penetrated my hazed mind, and it's the one they've been trying to convince me with: Yep, I am so not dreaming.

I looked after the door, finally won over, knowing full-well that I was really awake and these were real letters, not just hallucinations or fragments of my imagination. I looked around feeling elated, looking for an outlet, and instantly digested Misaki's ridiculous look before finally addressing her.

"What the bloody hell happened to your pink hair?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed and my eyes squinting to stop from blinding myself with her yellow hair, intensified by the sunlight now rising through my window. "You look like a chicken egg newly hatched." I checked the clock again, and it said half-past seven. So I'd spent nearly an hour and a half acting all dim-witted and ignorant; no wonder Hotaru was impatient.

Misaki scowled at me while Anna was now clutching her stomach from excessive laughter. "Relax," she said, twisting her hair around her fingers and tying it into a messy bun while sending Anna a big glare. I saw some loose threads of dark pink hair. "I accidentally used the yellow colorant on my head this morning when I showered. I mistook it for shampoo and absentmindedly dumped it over my head. I'll be taking it off this afternoon."

Eventually I joined in on Anna's laugh fest.

I was still giggling as I skipped down the hallway into the kitchen (much to Misaki's displeasure and Anna's chagrin), where my nose picked up the first signs of bacon, spam, and eggs.

"Well, glad you're finally your normal stupid self again," Hotaru said as she placed four plates of my four favorite breakfast meals: corned beef, spam, eggs, and bacon. I only smiled and held on tighter at the two letters clutched in my left hand.

"So, where do you want to go?" Misaki asked, her eyes wary and guarded as if hoping I'd choose the right one. I wonder why...

"Well, of course I want to go to Juilliard's!" I said excitedly. I watched as their faces fell at my words. I knew there was something wrong here...but what?

It took them quite a long time to answer my unspoken query, and even then all they managed to say were a few words.

"Fat chance," Hotaru said bleakly, keeping her eyes trailed on her food, primly cutting up the pieces of spam into tiny bite-sized pieces. Anna swallowed hard and Misaki choked on her food.

What the hell was happening?

"Why?" I said, indignant. "What the—what are you guys saying, that I'm not good enough, that I'm not worthy of going to Juilliard's? That I'm—"

"—you're under the age requirement," Hotaru cut across me indifferently. Anna and Misaki shot her anxious and mad glares while I looked crestfallen (as seen from the back of my spoon, upside down). I felt color drain from my face and all the blood slowly rush out of my system. I wasn't going to Juilliard's?

I can't go to Juilliard's?

"No!" I yelled aloud, making the three of them jump. I didn't care; I had been counting on going to Julliard's! I've been counting on seeing him, and besides, it'll be my first ever airplane ride! NO! This is unfair!

"Mikan-chan," said Anna gently, rising from her chair and running over to hug me, "you are the youngest applicant out of the two thousand there, and you passed!"

"But still, Mikan, you're just sixteen," agreed Misaki, her eyes pinned to me affectionately. She got up and hugged me too.

"One year!" I said feebly; disappointment was welling up inside me. "It's just one freakin' year!"

It finally hit me that I haven't read the letter from Juilliard's yet. I took out the envelope from my jacket pocket, hands shaking like Parkinson's.

"Read the letter," Hotaru commanded silently, and I unconsciously followed.

"Dear Miss Sakura," I read quietly, tears spilling onto the yellowish paper. "We are p-pleased to congratulate and inform y-you that you have p-passed the J-J-Juilliard's screening program."

It was only then that I realized that the envelope was abnormally thin for an acceptance letter, and contained only one piece of paper, compared with GASA's which was overflowing with prints. I wanted to kick myself for being so hopeful and stupid.

"However, it is our deepest regret to say that you have not passed the age requirement. We do not wish to not accept you, with talents as exemplary as yours, but as is the case, we cannot accept underage students due to security reasons. We apologize heartily, and please know that we truly lament this."

I dropped the letter and felt a certain numbness steal over me—every hope, every chance...all gone.

And as I sobbed uncontrollably, swaying unsteadily, I felt Hotaru add to the arms that were now hugging me...

"I'm done packing!"

Eventually I got over the initial shock and disappointment that came over me and stole my brain functions, and after I had recovered it was only then that I remembered why I applied to GASA in the first place: because Hotaru, Anna, and Misaki all went to school there. I felt very, very, VERY guilty of that little episode and the sulking period of nearly two weeks, knowing that I had been so selfish about the whole ordeal. Not until he called, however, did I even remember that Hotaru, Anna, and Misaki all went there, and the guilt-ridden feeling is definitely hard to shake off. I want to slap myself, but I also do not want to look ridiculous and insane so I don't think that's possible. But if it were, I'd do it. And besides, I only found out from Hotaru a week ago that there was a small compromise—a ray of light or a silver lining, if you may—about the Juilliard's thing: after one year at GASA, I'd get to go. So basically I'm going to be at GASA's just for a few months and then, when I finally turn seventeen, I'll go to Juilliard's. Not a bad deal at all, now that I'm in the right mind for this.

Regarding the airplane trip, well—I found out that going to GASA wasn't easy either. We were a good two-thousand miles away from the blasted place and no car can get there in record speed, especially as today was the start of term, September First.

So now, here we are, about to leave Sendai for Tokyo.

I heard someone's voice float up the stairs.

"Baka," said Hotaru's usual stoic voice. "You should be done preparing, not packing; packing was supposed to be done a fortnight ago. We're leaving in twenty minutes and you're still in your pajamas."

Oh. OH!

Damn! I forgot about the part where you were supposed to actually dress up and look pretty before riding the airplane! Crap!

I sprinted towards my room after having yelled at the landing by the top of the stairs. Twenty minutes to prepare; twenty freaking minutes to prepare! Bah...how stupid can I really get?

After rushing through showering and a pile of clothes, I finally found enough sense to come down fully dressed and prepared, dragging my trunk along with me noisily. I noticed that they were no longer convened at the kitchen and so I went to the living room and much to my surprise, there was a new addition to the group.

It was odd seeing him there, with his perfect blonde hair and deep blue eyes, holding a rabbit—he seemed oddly out of place in our old-fashioned Victorian living room. He was truly gorgeous, in the most sincere meaning of the word. His face was genteel, and his aura was...alluring. He was strangely radiant and his beauty was too overpowering. For a second I thought he was a she.

I made my presence known to the room at large with a loud cough.

"Hotaru? Anna? Misaki?"

He flicked his azure gaze at me and smiled, all pearly whites gleaming and blinding. Anna giggled and Misaki rolled her eyes. Hotaru remained as indifferent as always.

"Mikan," Hotaru said. "This is Ruka Nogi. Nogi, this is Mikan Sakura."

He walked toward me, dropping his rabbit in the black couch, and assisting me in carrying my luggage. I felt unusually light-headed and my cheeks were suddenly warm. Anna giggled even more. Hotaru looked amused at the least, and I was certain I saw a hint of some sort of practical joke lingering in her eyes.

I got the joke when she mumbled the next few words.

"He's my boyfriend."

I felt my jaw drop two feet underground and watched Anna and Misaki guffaw and Hotaru actually crack a smile. I never knew what happened next.

Only that I was now in a plane riding from Sendai to Tokyo, and Misaki was still chortling about my shock of Hotaru's news.

"Did you see her face?" Misaki said inside the plane, holding her stomach because of excessive laughter. "Oh, good heavens! Her mouth was dropped down and her eyes were round as the galleons in Harry Potter! Ha ha ha!"

I was beginning to get irritated and Ruka sent me an apologetic smile. I smiled back, and he just held onto Hotaru's hand, the latter seeping with indifference.

"—And then when she stuttered about Ruka being Hotaru's boyfriend, hah!"

"Yes, yes," I said impatiently. "But at least I never looked like a person with chicks on my head walking around Sendai markets, forcing everybody to wear sunglasses because of my hair."

This seemed to shut her up, but it began another round of laughter from all four of us, Ruka included. It seems like Hotaru told him everything about us all.

In an attempt to lighten up the conversation, I turned to the blonde-headed boy. "So, Ruka-pyon,"—my new-found nickname for him—"what instrument do you play?"

Until now we hadn't discussed anything related to the school, except for those three's vague descriptions of the grounds. From what I've heard, they were huge. The campus, they said, was more like a city that an actual school.

"Me?" Ruka looked startled at being addressed. I beamed at him brightly and nodded. "I play the piano," he said.

A slight realization hit me. "So that's how you met Hotaru?"

He flashed a smug grin and squeezed Hotaru's hand. "Yeah. We met at a piano recital in Dewy Hall. Want to know the story?"

He stole a quick mischievous glance at Hotaru before the latter hit him at the sides. I was too engulfed in school details to beg for more love-dove stories.

"Dewy Hall?"

"The piano hall, so to speak," said Misaki. "Every instrument at GASA has its own practice hall, and every hall has a name—naturally. Pianos are at Dewy Hall, Strings are at Vance, Harps are at Sakura—"

"Oh!"

"—yes, the same as yours and your instrument, and...let's see...I guess that's about it. Vocals and theatre are out of the Musical Arts department."

"You play the harp?" Ruka said, astonished. I can see why; people often mistake the harp as a boring old thing with lots of strings. I think the only time people remember it is when they see a picture of a cherub.

"Yeah," I said proudly, "ever since."

Hotaru snorted. "You can never really tell which instrument she plays. She plays a lot."

"Really?" Ruka was now seriously surprised, and I was seriously embarrassed—they were putting me on the limelight again. This is getting ridiculous.

"Hotaru, stop—"

"Yeah," agreed Anna; well, at least I tried to stop them. I sighed in defeat while Anna just babbled on. "She plays the violin, the piano, the guitar, and the cello. We barely know which her true calling is. But I guess it's the harp."

"Will you guys stop it?" I hissed. Ruka laughed.

"Impressive, very. But don't worry, Mikan-san. I know someone just like you," he said, his eyes glinting with pleasure. Hotaru smirked; Anna and Misaki both exchanged glances.

"Who?" I found myself asking.

"Oh, you'll see," said Ruka, smiling along with Anna and Misaki. "You'll get along very well, knowing you as I now do."

I could only stay silent, and so I looked out the window and listened to their small talk about the school. By the minute I was growing more and more excited.

"So, Misaki, how's your violin?" he suddenly said to Misaki, changing the subject. Misaki grimaced.

"As usual. Octaves and numbers. I really hate Jinno," she grumbled, much to Ruka and Anna's delight. Anna was still chortling when she answered, her blue eyes alight.

"Yeah, Jinno's a freak," she seconded, Ruka nodding in approval. Hotaru had not a care, and I was out of place. "He made me write a concerto back then when I accidentally dropped my bow at the Fundraiser practice."

"Yeah, he can get irritating at times," said Ruka, his blue eyes boring into mine as he addressed me. "You should be careful, Mikan. He's really one hell of a lasher. Everyone hates him, and he hates everyone."

And there goes my excitement. I'm beginning to feel a little uncomfortable about going to GASA. Seemingly enough, I felt my thoughts whirl to a completely different side.

Will I meet anyone there? Will anyone like me? I might become the school nerd for all I know...and then there's the attitude. I need to readjust myself, because this is a new place, a new environment.

There was a lot of getting used to. I hadn't thought of that.

And everything seemed to be turning dark and misty and my eyes were suddenly tired and heavy...

"Do you think we should wake her up?"

"Of course, Ruka can't carry her, Hotaru'll disagree."

"But she looks so tired! We can't just go and scream at her like that!"

"Back off."

What was going on? I keep hearing these voices...

"SAKURA MIKAN! Get up!"

I jerked awake and crashed down the carpeted floors of the airplane. I was still woozy and groggy; I didn't notice that I fell asleep the entire flight.

"What—we—we're here?" I mumbled, rubbing my back. That crash hurt. Misaki was looking very smug, feigning a yawn. I glared at her.

"You could have just nudged me," I said sourly. "Are we at GASA yet?"

"No. Not yet, Mikan-san," said Ruka, kindly offering his hand to help me get up. What a gentleman; Hotaru is lucky enough to find this impossible Prince Charming. I got up and off the plane, and outside, waiting for us, was a black limo, with the chauffeur waiting for us just at the bottom of the stairs, down the tarmac.

"Welcome to Tokyo," he greeted cheerfully.

This is it, I guess.

The ride was another fifteen minutes, but it was mainly because of the cheery conversation we had inside the car that took my mind off those petty matters I've been thinking of on the plane. Before I knew it, the driver pulled over, opened our doors, and I was standing so little beside the largest school I have ever beheld.

I stood there, my mouth lopsided and my eyes roving around in their sockets so fast to take in everything. It was huge—and that word isn't even enough to describe. It was marvelous, and next to it I felt like a little girl.

The grounds were humongous, and all around there were students already, from all corners of the world, I suppose. They were lying down on the grass, eyeing each other's new haircuts, relishing stories of the vacation. All over were buildings, towering, looming, and colossal, and I simply can't believe that this is now my school, my place.

It seemed that we arrived just in time, me leading the way, them pulling me back in the right direction whenever I went astray. We proceeded inside a beautiful marble-white building, the largest in the campus (or so I've seen so far) and to the pristine counter, where a woman stood waiting for us. She had long, wavy black hair and bright green eyes, hinting orange somewhere near the pupils.

"Ah," she said, a smile gracing her face; she walked forward to meet us halfway through the hall, "Ruka, Hotaru, Anna, Misaki, Mikan!"

I was surprised she knew my name; she spoke like we were long time friends or something of the sort. It was slightly unnerving, but she had a pretty face and I felt compelled to like her.

She each handed us a keycard and a piece of paper. It was our dormitory name, floor level, and room number. Mine read Xavier Hall Dormitory, Level 9, Room number 19.

"Xavier Hall Dorms?" Ruka asked, bewildered. "Saya, have they gone nuts?"

The girl called Saya shook her head. "No, Ruka. They've decided it's time you four got the highest degree. You deserved it."

"Good," said Hotaru. "It's about time."

"What about me?" I piped up. "I'm in Xavier Hall too!"

Everyone who seemed to have heard—Ruka and the others included—froze. I began to feel scared, not knowing why they did so. I bowed my head, embarrassed and irritated with myself.

Suddenly, murmurs began.

"She's the new girl? Gosh, she's pretty!"

"Oh, she's The Echo Harp's contender? She looks cute."

"God, look at that face! She's not too desperate to have that sort of thick make-up on, is she?"

Oh, great. Just what I wanted: the limelight.

Saya turned her big green eyes towards me and smiled. "Don't worry Mikan-chan. It's nothing to think about. The rumors and chatters, I mean. But you must know that Xavier Hall Dormitory is the most—shall we say—beautiful dorms here, only for the best."

She winked at me. I assume it was supposed to be an assuring reaction, but instead of feeling lighter, I felt even heavier.

I don't like attention. I'm a klutzy person, and anyone—Bella Swan included—would never agree to have a spotlight on you wherever you went when you would trip every few seconds and fall in a manhole every hour. Just as Bella put it, "No one wants a spotlight when you're likely to fall on your face." Or something like that, anyway.

This was going to be a long day.

I spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping heavily on my big king-sized red bed, only disrupted by the sudden sounding of the intercom system.

"To all students, please proceed to the auditorium immediately."

Anna and Misaki slammed the French double doors open, panting.

"Mikan!" Anna yelled. "Come on! We'll be having the term welcoming!"

I jumped out of bed, not knowing what all the fuss is about. I searched for my shoes, found them under the bed.

"Hurry up! We're running late!" Misaki said, pulling at my arm. And so we ran.

And we ran for about half a century! The grounds were large and the building was too far. Anna kept a firm grip on my hands, just in case I trip, and we raced towards another large building. On its façade, in bold, elegant scripts, were the words GASA Open Auditorium. With us were hordes of students running in the same direction as us; I noticed Hotaru wasn't here and thought of her maybe running with Ruka.

We reached the auditorium—alive, thankfully—and sat down in the seat nearest the stage.

"Where's Hotaru?" I whispered to Misaki; Anna was sitting a row away, chatting animatedly to another blue-eyed girl beside her. She had straight navy-blue hair and a pale face and looked curiously at me when I caught her eye. I watched as Anna whispered in her ear again and her dark blue eyes shone with delight. They began whispering fiercely against each other's ears. I gave her a tentative smiled and she smiled back, Anna waving to me.

"She's there, inside, with Ruka. She's part of the welcoming committee; she'll perform later. Now, shut up Mikan Sakura; it'll start soon."

And just as she said it, the lights went down and all students fell silent, as if a veil was suddenly thrown over my head, stopping all sound and shunning all brightness. I heard the unmistakable rolling of curtains when they were being opened, and surely enough, the spotlight focused on a spot somewhere in the centermost of the stage.

Standing there was a lone figure. He had dirty blonde hair and big, bright brown eyes. He was holding a glass violin—I burned with envy, I'd been dying to have that—and began to play what I knew was a Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 5. Alone.

He looked solemn, with his eyes slowly drifting to a close, and then, three more boys came from behind him, and they were all playing simultaneously now. They were amazing...their prowess was to be compared to none, and they were all so handsome. And they all played so gracefully; what I knew to be an orchestra piece was now being played by four boys—just those four.

One of them was playing the cello. He, like the one performing now, had dirty blonde hair, but his eyes were too tiny, slanted for me to make out the color of his irises. He, too, closed his eyes as his fingers roved forcefully over the neck of the cello. The other one was Ruka, who I recognized by his platinum-blonde hair. His blue eyes were wide open and his fingers were tapping almost effortlessly against the piano. All of them looked comfortable in that stage...no sign of stage fright or what ever it was performers feel before a crowd feat.

But most of all, I noticed the only odd man out of the group, because not only was he the only raven-haired guy amongst all four, but he was also playing the harp. An instrument I never knew possible to be played by anyone. He was also at the center of the group, as if emphasizing the fact that he is the only different one, sort of implying that he's the leader.

I was engrossed in their performance, especially the guy in the harp. He made playing it look so beautiful, so simple, and it caught me by surprise that when he looked at me as if daring me to go and play against him, he had these curious red eyes, that once caught you would be hard to let go.

I was hooked.

They finished with a flourish and stood up, taking a bow. I was still caught in awe, because it was unbelievable and downright impossible that these four boys were human.

Suddenly, out of the blue, I heard my name called by a voice that sounded like Saya's.

"And now, to perform her audition piece 'Swan Lake', please welcome, our newcomer, Miss Mikan Sakura."

The deafening claps and cheers were sounding distant to me. I told her I didn't want any attention, and she should have caught that when she met me this morning at the reception hall. Obviously what I wanted was being ignored.

Saya was now standing beside the stage, calling my name again.

"Miss Mikan Sakura?"

Misaki clapped my back and urged me forward. I was out of breath, and I even tripped as I hastily clambered up the stairs leading to the stage. There stood the same harp he used when they performed, and awkwardly, I sat down and began playing.

I closed my eyes to the sensation, the feeling that nothing can go wrong, and the music flowed easily from my head to my heart to my fingers, strumming the harp and listening to the sound of its melody...

Unknown to me, red eyes were staring directly at me, observing...

After my performance, the show went on with various performances from the school's dance troupe and choir. Afterwards, dismissal was announced.

I stood up wearily when suddenly, Anna and the blue-haired girl came bounding forward and both were smiling brightly. I smiled back, relieved that she (the blue-haired girl) didn't think of me like a freak.

"So, you're the little girl, huh?" she asked. She was still beaming, and so I saw that her comment had no intentions of any insult. "I'm Nonoko. Nonoko Ogasawara."

"Little girl?" I asked awkwardly. "What?"

She laughed a silvery chime to my ears. "You're the little girl who couldn't make Juilliard's, right? Too bad, but GASA's better than JSA, so it's worth it."

I had no idea how she found out about that, but I liked her all the same. Oh, well. Part of adjustment.

We walked back towards the dormitory. I found that she was Anna's in-school best friend and that she was also an XHD student. So she must be one of the good ones.

Also, I found out—much to my dismay—that rumors all around were circulating, and they were all focused on me.

So much for staying inconspicuous.

"So, Nonoko-chan," I said while they both giggled over something. They stopped and she raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement of my query. "What instrument do you play?"

She shrugged. "Me? I play the guitar."

"The guitar? You actually stick to those classic Spanish guitar pieces?" I asked. Someone like her had to be a rebel: long blue locks, a short black mini skirt, leather jacket, and baby blue tank top underneath it.

"Well, I like to cross a few lines every now and then." And she winked. Well, that was all I need. I can see she had no intention of sticking to the classics.

I nodded. Suddenly, the memory of those four boys crossed my mind, and before I could stop myself, the question slipped from my tongue.

"Anna, Nonoko, who were those four boys who performed first a while ago?"

Anna giggled and Nonoko smiled. "They're the four greatest music students here at the academy. Until you came, of course."

Well that caught me off guard. Did people really think I was that good? I made a mental note to ask Hotaru about that later.

"They are four boys from four of the richest families in Asia, and they are also the four—"she scowled—"heartthrobs of the school. They're more known as The Coven."

I looked up, surprised. "The Coven? Sounds like vampires or bats..."

"Vampires? You're cute. But yeah," said Anna, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "They're the top students, so to speak. The first one on the stage is Kokoro Yome, the other one who looks like him is Kitsuneme—what was his last name again, Nonoko?"

"I don't remember. It was too negligible. Besides, he barely uses his last name. Everybody knows him as Kitsy."

"Yeah, so that. And then Ruka, of course, you know him already—" I nodded; finally, the red-eyed boy. "And then of course, there's Hyuuga."

"Hyuuga?" What a weird name.

"Natsume Hyuuga. He's sort of...the alpha of the pack. He's drop-dead-gorgeous, but he really doesn't take any interest in girls."

I shrugged; I couldn't care less about his love life. "Well, that clears it up. They were unusually good, I can see that."

"He's also called the Echo Harp," said Anna. "He's always been in the background, you know. He sort of echoes the music all around him, form the slight murmurs, to the sound of a nail against a chalkboard. His fingers are also much too dynamic; he can play five to ten notes in one pluck, as long as it can include all his fingers. He's really, really good. But somehow, he's nothing short of cold."

"Of course," Nonoko cut in, giggling slightly. "He never had taken any sort of liking or interest for any other girl...until your performance this afternoon."

" What?" I said, stunned. "What do you mean?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Mikan. Don't tell me you didn't see?"

"See what? I had my eyes closed the entire performance. If I opened them I might've gotten sick."

She nodded, as if seeing her point. "He was staring at you the whole time you performed."

"What do you mean?"

Before they could answer, however, a gruff, husky voice whispered in my ear, his cool breath fanning my left jaw, sending shivers down my spine. From in front of me, I saw Anna and Nonoko freeze. What the hell?

"So. Here's the little girl."

I turned around and found myself face-to-face with deep, crimson orbs and somehow I felt like I was hurtling through the air. Our noses were barely an inch apart, and he was smirking.

"Who are you?" I bit back frostily. I couldn't see him properly, because to do so would mean looking up, and I'm not sure I want to do that.

Somehow it feels like I'm in an awkward state of danger, and I don't know why.

"You're asking me who I am?" he replied lazily; vaguely I was aware of the amount of attention we were attracting. Even Anna and Nonoko seemed breathless. "I'm the only other person here in this campus who does everything you do."

I knew it then. "So," I whispered, his breath still fanning the lengths of my face. I couldn't seem to move away. Damn—what was wrong with these feet? "You're the echo harp?"

"Probably," he replied. "And you're the little girl, with the polka-dotted...you know."

He was really getting on my nerves, this one.

I hope you liked it - it's a really long start. Sixth story. :) It's something like a musical love story. As always. Love you all.
And tell me if you think this is a ridiculous story, okay? Okay? Ha ha. Not too persistent, am I? Am I? AM I?
©WMS.

PS. This has been edited. (: