The Knight in Chocolate
By: CrescentLight
I just got this idea, but I've got the feeling I've read a story like this before...so as always, standard disclaimer applied!!
Please enjoy the story and review!
June 22nd was a special day for Kamiya Kaoru, a freshman at UCSD. Not only June 22nd was the day of summer solstice, but also it was her birthday. And every year, Kaoru would spend this day pigging out on cakes, having ice cream fights, and receiving pretty-packaged presents...but little did she know this year, this year when she turns eighteen, would be different from all the previous ones she had...
Kaoru woke up one June morning, listening to the birds chirping happily outside. She beamed proudly at a frame hung on her bedroom wall.
"Good morning, Dad," She whispered, "I'm finally eighteen now," Then quickly wiping away a tear that had escaped from her blue eyes, she giggled, "Oopsy, a slip."
Getting out of bed, she put on her favorite outfit: a blue baby blouse with a pair of jeans. Then looking through her jewelry, she picked out her lucky necklace. It had amber in the middle of the necklace and she always felt good when wearing it, after all, she promised her best friend Soujirou she'd always wear it on her birthday.
"Kaoru, happy birthday!" Her little brother, Yahiko grinned from downstairs as she descended the staircase.
"Thanks bro never thought you'd remember." She smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Hey, just because it's your special day doesn't mean you get to mess with my hairstyle!" Then smirking, he added thoughtfully, " But you will always be my ugly older sister."
"Be quiet." She flicked a pea in his direction, missing his face by an inch.
"Kaoru-chan, you're eighteen now," A rather tiresome voice sounded out from behind," But you still act like a ten-year-old."
"Good morning, Mom," She whirled around and smiled brightly at her mother," Tough client you had?"
"Yeah," The single parent tucked a strand of her brown hair behind and rubbed her temple," It was really hard to make him believe what I told him, but I succeeded in the end."
"Congrats." Kaoru handed her a cup of freshly brewed raspberry tea. Her mother took it grateful. The blue-eyed teen watched as her mother closed her eyes and took a sip...but then something went wrong.
"What's wrong?" Yahiko asked as a frown appeared on his mother's face.
"Kaoru," She asked in a strange voice," How many spoons of sugar did you put?"
"Three? I knew you liked your tea sweet."
"Yes I do, but are you sure you didn't mistaken the salt for sugar?"
"Don't be silly, Mom, of course no-oh my god!" The birthday girl shrieked on top of her voice," I got mixed up! I put salt in the tea instead of sugar!" By this time, Yahiko was already doubling over in laughter.
"Eighteen, Ugly, eighteen." He choked out with tears in his eyes.
"Shut up, brat!" She flicked another pea in his direction.
Kaoru hummed a happy tune as she walked to school after that little sugar-salt incident, not letting it bother her. After all, this is the Kamiya Kaoru we're talking about who always mistaking sugar for salt, never learned to sew, burned the kitchen when she tried cooking at age 16, flunked her driving test four times in a row, totaled the course of tea ceremony preparation and trashed her flower arrangement class, and did I mention she's always tripping over things?
"Ouch!" The blue-eyed girl yelled as she stumbled over a rock and ended up examining a pair of white sneakers.
"Kaoru, Kaoru, Kaoru," A familiar voice said, clearly amused by the girl sprawling on the ground," When will you learn?" Offering a hand, she was pulled up.
"And how are you today, Sou?" She asked brightly, dusting her jeans, not even bothering to say thank you to the boy she grew up with.
"Happy, aren't we?" He asked, twirling the tennis racket in his hands.
"You bet it. Going for tennis practice?" Then as if suddenly remembering something, she smacked herself on the forehead, messing up her already messed up bangs," I forgot I had string class today!"
"Your cello at home?" Soujirou, a teen with blue eyes and black hair, asked. It's so typical of Kaoru to leave her beloved cello at home, "Wait here; I'll go get it for you." Then he was gone, in a whirl of wind.
"Soujirou's so good at running," She admired, tucking a loosen strand of black hair behind her ear," No wonder he's on the track team," Then fingering her necklace, she murmured, a bit disappointed," He doesn't remember..."
"Hey, Misao!" Kaoru waved to her best friend, watching her leading a squad of cheerleaders practicing. The national tennis competition will be held at their school two days later. She suddenly remembered,' Maybe that's why Sou forgot my birthday.' With that thought in mind, her mood brightened a bit and waved to Misao again with more enthusiasm.
"Hi, Kaoru! It's your birthday today, right?" The aquamarine-eyed teen waved her pom-poms around, clearly hyperactive.
"How did you know?" It wasn't that Misao's forgetful, but Kaoru didn't think her friend would remember.
"Ever heard of student profiles?" She rolled her eyes, flipping her black braid over her shoulder as Kaoru opened her locker. There were books and her mirror, a picture of her family, and a mini version of her beautiful cello...and a box of chocolate.
'Who's this from?" She thought, and then glancing at Misao's beaming face, she wondered if it was from her. Just as the thought flashed through her mind, the cheerleader drew something from behind.
"Happy birthday, Kaoru! I hope you like this!" She handed a narrow long box to the surprised teen. It's wrapped in a light purple paper and had pale pink ribbons tied to it.
Unwrapping it, she found a beautifully new bow for her cello that had a craved crescent at the tip," It's beautiful..." She whispered, sliding her fingers up and down the new bow, fingering the crescent," Thank you so much! I really love it!" She hugged her friend. Though she was happy especially with the carving, she was still a bit disappointed. Who could have sent it?
"No prob, Kao, that's what friends are for. Hey, where did you get that box of chocolate?"
Seeing Kaoru's shrug, Misao squealed." Oh my god, this is so exciting! It's like in one of those movies where the female receives a mysterious present...this is so romantic!" Misao giggled happily to herself, then squeezing her companion's hand, she winked," We're gonna get to the bottom of it...let's call the sender the Knight in Chocolate."
"But what if it was a she instead?" Kaoru protested, a blush spreading over her cheeks. Who would like a girl who can be happy one second and cold the next?
"So what? So the people who know your locker combination are Sano, but he's not here, Megumi who's in Germany for a student summit, me, and Soujirou…wait, Soujirou has been with you since kindergarten, right?"
"Soujirou totally forgot. When I saw him today, he was scolding me for my clumsiness, and then he went to fetch my cello for me. That jerk didn't even mention my birthday." As Misao was going to open her mouth to say more, the bell rang.
"Yikes! Let's run!"
The day passed pretty quickly, Kaoru received several more gifts from her classmates and two letters from Megumi and Sano. Then the time came for cello practice.
"Next up, Kamiya Kaoru." The strings teacher announced as the teen got on the stage and made her way toward the center of the stage. A single spot was lighted for her; it made her of the Carol MV did by Ayumi Hamasaki who was her favorite singer. Then her thoughts were pulled back into reality, today was the test day and Kaoru really wanted the first chair. She fingered her new bow once more and took a deep breath, praying silently. Her grip on her cello tightened till her knuckles turned white. Her father was a great cellist was the reason why she was so determined to learn the cello. It was all for the memories and fun times she and her father shared.
Flashback
"Daddy! Daddy!" A five-year-old Kaoru pulled her father's sleeve, whining," Could you play that piece for me again, please?" She looked up with pleading eyes," Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
Her father only chuckled as he got out his instrument and winked," One more time and off to bed, Kaoru."
Kaoru snuggled to her favorite blue beanie bag and sat there quietly, listening to her father playing the cello, feeling cozy and warm.
End of Flashback
Her father was a great cellist, she realized that, and he would still have been a great one if it wasn't for that plane crash that carried her father and his orchestra. After that, she was determined to learn the cello and become as good as her father.
Flashback
"Please teach me, Mr.Techimaki!" The ten-year-old Kaoru pleaded, standing before the best cello teacher in her city, Yoshi Techimaki, ignoring the layer of snow on her shoulder.
However, the gray-haired man shook his head firmly," By my observation, you have no talent in learning cello!" Then slamming the door shut, he left Kaoru in the cold winter air.
"If you really want to prove your determination for learning the cello, then kneel in front of the doorsteps for three days!" Mr.Techimaki's voice floated out and Kaoru shot her head up. This was her chance!
End of Flashback
Kaoru smiled a little as she remembered how she kneeled in the spot for three days and she also remember how surprised Mr.Techimaki was when he opened the door to see her still there. She can remember how heavily it snowed and how Soujirou had begged for her to go home.
However, it was the road she chose and now, all her hard work paid off. She's finally in the school orchestra and she just had to win that chair. She can't give up nor will she give up, not after all the difficulties and challenges she went through.
Then all of the sudden, she saw her father standing in front of her. He was smiling at her and at that moment, she felt confident, she felt she could win. So she began to play the piece of music she composed last week. It was dedicated for her father and the name was Dear Daddy.
The sound of her cello vibrated back and forth in the room, the music itself seemed to be alive...well, at least it was to her friends who understood what she went through and what she endured in her childhood. A teen standing in the back of the auditorium closed his eyes as he felt the sorrow and the heavy burden Kaoru had to carry underneath that smile of hers, picking up a hint of optimism and self-comfort in her song. He had heard it played by her every day last week and also heard her humming the song, but every time he heard it, he felt different.
"Cello really is the instrument for you." He chuckled as he made his way toward the exit. Suddenly he heard two girls talking.
"I'll bet anything she's gonna fake tears now, just more to get Soujirou's attention." A blonde huffed, putting down her drumsticks.
"Yeah, and every time she sees him, she's always faking tripping over things. What a fake!" The other girl scoffed, popping the reed for her clarinet out of her mouth. And the conversation went like that. It caused the teen to freeze in his tracks. How dare they say such things about her when they don't know anything about her? Did they know she lost her grandma at age 7, and if that wasn't bad enough, her father left her forever two days before her 8th birthday? She was trying so hard to be cheerful for her mother and brother and she was always trying her best at everything...even though she might mess up pretty badly at times. He walked over to the two girls and whispered in their ears," Be careful with what you are saying, girls." Then he left, leaving the two girls gulping for air.
All of this went unknown by Kaoru who was lost in memories, good and bad, sad and happy. With one last note hanging in the air, she finished her music.
"Very good, Kamiya!" The music teacher clapped, beaming in her way," You really put yourself in this song. Write out the lyrics for it and also write the piano and the violin's part. This homework is due the week after next week. I hope you'll not fail." Then patting her on the shoulder, she went on announcing the next student. Kaoru, grabbing her cello, left the stage, moaning inside her. 'Next week?! No way!'
Kaoru walked home by herself since Soujirou had tennis match and Misao, as a cheerleader, had to cheer on the sideline.
"Maybe I should go and watch it." Then fingering her amber stone again, watching it sparkling the lights of the sun, she smiled with the same sparkles in her eyes," Yeah, I should go and cheer too."
So with a cello on one shoulder and a backpack dragging on the ground, she made her way to the gym where loud cries and screams were heard. 'Seems like an exciting match.'
"Kaoru!" A pom-pom was thrown into her face. She caught it neatly and threw it back with the same force.
"Misao, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in there cheering instead of out here doing nothing?" The sapphire-eyed teen asked, bewildered.
"Well yeah, but it's break time now and Soujirou's way behind too."
"No way, he's the best player in our city…heck, he might as well as be no.1 in the country."
"But...come on, maybe your presence will make him perform better."
"Shut it, Mi." A blush appeared on Kaoru's face as she allowed her best friend drag her toward the gym where they meet a...unexpected friend.
"Sano?" Kaoru stared.
"Aren't you supposed to be in Hawaii now?" Like Kaoru, Misao also stared.
"Well, I'm back. Jou-chan, heard you got yourself a box of love chocolate."
"What?"
"It's in the fashion these days. The person who bought it for you is in love with you, or at least, he has a crush on you."
"A crush?" Misao asked curiously, then elbowed her friend, winking," See? I told you it was a mister." while thinking 'Maybe I should get some for my Lord Aoshi too. Hehe...'
"Yep, Kenshin told me. He works at the only cookie shop that sells this kind of chocolate, so maybe you should ask him to see if he knows anything."
"Was someone talking about me?" A redhead suddenly appeared out of nowhere, smiling.
"Oi, Kenshin! Don't scare me like that!" Sano yelled.
"Sorry, Sano," Scratching his head, he grinned sheepishly," So what were you guys talking about?"
"Love chocolate." Misao replied.
"Yes, well you see seesha just sold one to-"
"Kenshin, give me a hand here!" The tennis coach Hiko yelled.
"Bu-bu-but…" Kaoru trailed off.
"I'll tell you later, okay?" Kenshin smiled.
"Go Soujirou!" Misao and her squad cried, waving their pom-poms to add to the effect.
Beads of sweat ran down Soujirou cheek, he was panting heavily. This was it, the final match point of the game. After this, all would be over.
"Hey, Sou! If you win, we'll have an ice cream fight!" A new voice shouted from the audience. Soujirou smiled, even without glancing he knew that the voice came from Kaoru. She's the only one in the world who could think of having an ice cream fight.
'Right, I'll win this, for Kaoru.' He thought as he shifted his stance.
'I know you can do this, Sou.' She squeezed her pendant, praying inside her mind.
One time...two times...three times...Soujirou caught the ball...his opponent had a close call...seven times...eight times...
'Soujirou...'Kaoru thought.
'Kaoru...'Soujirou thought.
Then after ten whole minutes, he finally won. By merely one point. Waving at the people who are cheering, he only noticed a certain teen with cascading black hair and the chocolate she was holding. 'What the-?'
Kaoru and Soujirou walked home together, chatting about the game.
"You were really good and you totally wiped out that idiot!" The birthday girl waved her fists in the air, banging her cello case.
"Kaoru, I only won by one point and be careful, that's the violin you're shaking." He caught her hand. It was then they noticed how close they were. A slight wind ruffled through their hand and Soujirou gently tucked one of Kaoru's flying strands behind her ear.
"That strand is always flying about." He whispered.
"I know." The tennis player touched her cheek and brought her closer and closer and...
"Kaoru!" The two jumped apart, face flushed," Can I speak to you...privately?"
"Um...sure, wait here, Sou, okay?" Managing a smile to her best friend, she jogged off to the palm tree where Kenshin was walking towards," What's up?"
"About the chocolate...I only sold one this month."
"And who bought it?" Kaoru asked, unable to contain her excitement at finding out the true identity of the Knight in Chocolate.
"Hey, Kaoru!" Yahiko suddenly appeared out of nowhere," Aww...you are dating! Ha ha! Kaoru and Kenshin, sitting in a tree-"
"Oro?"
"Shut up, Yahiko!" Kaoru whacked him mercilessly on the head with her cello.
"That hurt," The youngster rubbed his bruise," Anyway...Sano said he has something urgent to tell you, Kenshin."
"Oh, okay. Lead the way!" Then the twosome left.
"So what was up?" Soujirou suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Well, he was going to tell me who send me this box of chocolate...but now, I guess I'll never know," Sighing, she unwrapped the box," Guess I'll eat it anyway."
"Really?" Kaoru's ears peaked up and she looked up to Soujirou's cobalt eyes dancing with mirth.
"Yep," The tennis player smiled. 'Is it me or is he blushing?' Kaoru looked in wonderment,' Nah, must be the setting sun.'
"Yeah?" She prodded.
"It was me." He shrugged, making it sound like they were talking about the weather.
"But...but...we are like best friends." Kaoru stuttered out, utterly surprised.
"But I still like you," He said and then, out of the blue, hugged her," I've always wanted to hold you like this. Ever since your grandma's death, I've been waiting to hold you like this. I always wanted to lend you a shoulder, but you never give me the chance. I never forget your birthday, I just want to make your eighteenth birthday memorable." Then he buried his face deeply into her jet black hair and took a deep breath. Jasmine.
"Sou...?She trailed off as she let go of her cello and backpack and hugged him back," I...I like you too."
The couple stayed like that for some time before they finally released each other.
"Oh my god!" Kaoru shrieked suddenly, not believing what she was seeing," My cello!!" And there it was, floating in the lake, lazily and all," Um...Soujirou? Think you can get it for me?"
"Kaoru!!"
I thought it was pretty sweet...you? did you get a cavity? lol well, review to let me know your thoughts! happy new year!!