People of Fanfiction, I have returned. Haha.
So sorry if I made a crappy one last time.
I promise you that this story will have some sense in it.
Trust me, it will.
Please enjoy! Thank you!
I DON'T OWN LA CORDA D'ORO AND THE MUSIC THAT I USED
*~Prologue~*
March
…
..
.
"Please bring this over to table 3…" a lady said, handing over the tray of wanton noodles to the waitress. The lady was middle-aged, as seen in the creases and wrinkles of her face and skin, and her somewhat protruding belly. Nevertheless, she was a jolly person. Always full of joy in spite of the increasing number of backaches she'd received.
"Hai! Hai!" the waitress shouted across the room, carrying another empty tray to be washed. Unlike the old lady, she was much younger, evident in the vibrant color of her skin and her fast movements. She brisk walked to the counter to get the tray of hot noodles, and delivered it to the old man sitting at table three. "Here we go! Enjoy your meal, oji-san!" she smiled at the old man. The man stared at her pretty face, and he smiled back at her.
Another old man stepped out of the busy kitchen to be with his wife at the counter. He embraced her, and they both turned their heads to the young waitress. "She is really hard-working, Mama-san…" he said to his wife, "she's a great asset to our small business."
"Hai, Papa-san..." she said in return. Then a playful thought came upon her. "What if we adopt her?"
The old man chuckled. "Don't be silly Mama-san! She's already 18! And besides…" he paused for a second to take a look at the young lady, "She's far too special for us to handle."
…
Later that busy day, the couple went to the apartment upstairs to check up on her. But other than that, they wanted to talk to her about something important.
Knock-knock was the sound heard in the apartment from the other side of the door. She immediately stopped doing the dishes, even if there were only a few, and greeted the old couple with a charming smile as the door opened. "Ah! Konbanwa!"
"Konbanwa too…" the old man greeted, and she made a gesture for them to go inside. She led them into the small living room, and they sat near the small wooden coffee table during morning-slash-dining table at night. The old couple scanned the place, and smiled when they saw a pile of laundry bags at one corner near the window.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed, and began to pick up the laundry bags and hide them in the small kitchen to their left. "I will have washed them by tomorrow afternoon."
"Now, now… don't be in a rush. Papa-san and I are here to talk to you." The old woman said to her.
"Talk to me about what?" the girl said, and she suddenly thought of something. "Ah! Did I give you the wrong order? Did I deliver a tray of noodles to the wrong table?" she said, waving her arms up and down exaggeratedly. The two visitors laughed. "Calm down! You did nothing wrong!"
"Thank God…" she sighed in relief. "I couldn't bear it if I did. I owe you a lot, you know, and I want to give you the best that I've got!"
The couple was amused. "Well… that's exactly why we came. Seeing that you give your 100% in your work, we decided to thank you with a gift."
"Oh, no please…" she refused shyly, "letting me stay here and eat here for free is enough. Your generosity and kindness is already a gift to me…"
The old man shook his head. "No, for all of the great things you've done for the two of us, you deserve more. And what better way could we think of?"
"That's right." the lady agreed and took her hand. "Dear, you're like family to us. Even though you've only been with us for two years, we've always seen you as our own." The girl looked at her as she spoke lovingly. She smiled.
"Okay…" she said, "it's like I could do something to stop you from doing anything anyway…" The three of them laughed.
"Getting back to business," the man straightened up, "you haven't studied for a while, right?"
"Hai." she nodded absently. "The last time I went to school was when I was in 9th grade at Namimori Junior High."
The lady gasped. "Oh my, you haven't been to school for three years!" she said. "You've already missed a lot!"
The girl nodded again, but now she was confused: what's going on?
"But, you do want to continue your studies right?" the man asked. She nodded once more.
"Hai. If I could, I want to finish until I graduate from college. But since I'm on my own, I have no choice but to work." She explained. The couple stared at each other with complicated facial expressions. "But I don't mind!" she cheerfully intervened, "Besides, who wouldn't want to work for kind people like you?"
After what seemed like mental telepathy between husband and wife, they nodded their heads together, making the girl more confused.
"We've decided to enroll you in Seiso." The man said firmly. "You'll be attending that school this coming September."
"Eh?" the girl widened her eyes in surprise.
"You'll have enough time to review for the qualification exams, at least three and a half months. And by September, you'll become a third year student attending the prestigious Gakuin Seiso!" the lady said with stars in her eyes.
"Wait!" the girl exclaimed, "I'm not sure if I could go back studying! Especially, I didn't have a chance to be a freshman and sophomore! How could I keep up with them?" she was in a state of panic, while the two remained calm and composed.
"Don't worry dear," said the lady coolly, "We'll buy you books covering both elementary and intermediate subjects in high school, and we'll give you more time to rest so that you can review."
Both of them heard her sigh.
"We believe in your abilities." The man smiled, "You are a responsible, industrious, and intelligent girl. We know you could do it. Just believe in yourself…"
The girl reflected for a while as the couple waited for her answer. They trust me a lot, she thought, and it would be rather awful if she disappoint the two people who cared for her. She has no choice but to accept their gift of education. Besides, she missed school. It would be a dream come true to enter the school gates once more. She'd like to feel the thrill of meeting friends and going out with them. She'd like to glance at cute boys in different clubs. And she'd like to wear that cute Seiso Gakuin seifuku!
But then again, she hesitated; it's hard to face the crowd again. And there are lots of expectations to be met. She doesn't know if she'll be able to do well, especially for an out-of-school youth like her.
"So, what will it be?" the man asked, face full of expectation. The lady was breathless as well.
It's either a yes or no…
She looked them straight in the eye.
Choose one and live with it.
Hayakawa Riza parted her lips to speak.
.
.
.
…
August
…
..
.
"Booooring!" a little fairy yawned as he flew by a statue when a girl entered the gates of Seiso. Lili turned his little head to gaze upon that girl, who's walking towards the main building, holding an envelope.
"Eh? Another new student?" he exclaimed. "I wonder what's going to be her part in this school's history…"
It seems that every time a new student enters the academy, that person could entirely change everyone's life. Who knows? Maybe that girl will leave a mark not only in Seiso, but also in each and everyone's hearts.
"Konnichiwa?" she asked. The lady at the front desk turned her head, and smiled at the girl.
"Oh, what is it?" she asked. The girl handed her the envelope, and the lady scanned the contents. "I'm Hayakawa Riza-san. I came here the other day to take the entrance exam."
The lady smiled when she recognized her name. "Ah, you came here to see the result of your exam?"
"Hai. I also brought some documents, my bio data, and also my recent school records that the faculty asked me to bring."
"Okay." The lady said, arranging the papers and putting them back inside the envelope. "You may know your results inside the head's office. And you might want to bring these to the main office." She handed her the envelope.
"Hai. Arigato onigaishimasu." Riza then took the envelope and headed to the main office.
She walked by, noticing the school's prestige. She awed when she saw the numerous awards displayed down the hall. Seiso was the best musical academy last year, and the previous years before that. She was also captivated by the sight of gigantic trophies won by the school through music festivals and international competitions around the world. Not only that, but also the countless medals won by the contestants in academic competitions. By now, she realized that Seiso really is the best academy in the district, or if not, in the country.
The pressure's on, she sighed, I'll be facing brainy, musical geniuses for the entire school year.
She reached the office, and handed the papers to the secretary. Just then, a man in classy garments stepped in the room. It was the descendant of the school's founder, Kira Akihiko. The sight of Hayakawa-san immediately caught his attention.
"Tell me," he whispered to another official who just walked in, "In what department is she enrolling to?"
"Eh? Chairman Kira-san?" the man was amazed. It's the first time Kira had an interest in one of the school's enrollees.
Kira let out an impatient grunt. The man has to answer based on what he knows or else. Hmmm… he sure is one intimidating character.
"Well, it seems that she's going to the General Education Department, Kira-san. But why suddenly ask for that?"
He let out a bunch of sweat drops while Kira-san sighed. Why did he ask for that anyway? He always felt a little uneasy towards Chairman Kira.
"Just so you know that if the school does not support enough music students, I will divide the school into two." He said, giving his kouhai the tiger look, and made it more frightening because of his blood-red eyes.
"H-hai…" the kouhai quivered. He cleared his throat and straightened his collar, so that Chairman Kira wouldn't notice his discomfort. Suddenly, his face brightened, as if he thought of the possible cure for cancer.
"Ne, Chairman Kira-san?" he acknowledged, "Would you give me the permission to have a brief interview with that girl?"
Kira-san raised a brow, still frowning. "For what, Yamada-san?" he asked.
"It's for the school's sake, Kira-san. Think about it…" he said with intent, "What if that girl has a talent in music, but wants to hide it? This school is all about discovering and shaping pure talent, not so the students would be afraid and hide theirs…"
"This school is about producing musical virtuosos who want to excel in every performance and who are determined to face the world, Yamada-san. We don't want shy, preoccupied teenagers to grace the music scene." He stood taller, emphasizing each and every single word that he spoke. The kouhai was speechless, and so were the other people inside the office, including the girl they were talking about. He took a breath, shrugged, and looked at the kouhai one last time.
"Fine. Do as you please." He said and walked out.
Seconds after the shock Yamada-san experienced, he walked towards Hayakawa-san, and introduced himself to the young lady.
"Konnichiwa, I'm Yamada Kouzuto-san. I'm the one in-charge of the auditions for the music department." He smiled warmly.
"Hajimemashite, sensei. I'm Hayakawa Riza-san." She nodded.
"I'd like to conduct a short interview with you, Hayakawa-san. Um, do you mind if we start here and now?"
"No," she said, "not at all, sensei."
The sensei smiled and led Hayakawa-san to the small receiving area near the file room.
"So, Hayakawa-san, I assume that you are about 17 to 18 years old." He started.
"Actually, I'm 18." She said.
"I thought so. Now, from what I've observed earlier, you were enrolling to the General Education Department of our school. And I thought to myself: there's something special about this girl…"
She blushed. "Sensei?"
"What I mean to say is that you look like you're no ordinary girl, Hayakawa-san. I can sense fresh talent in you. And I could say that I've never been wrong about that."
"So what is it that you want sensei?" she asked.
Yamada-sensei looked at her encouragingly. "Take the auditions."
Hayakawa-san felt like a tidal wave crashed on her. The feeling was so intense that she lost thought of everything else.
She took one more look at Yamada-sensei. He had such a nice smile and she could sense that his intentions were good, but she can't help but hesitate. She's being pressured again.
They were silent for a moment, when Yamada-sensei broke the ice.
"Do you like music?"
Do I like music? "I love music. Music keeps me company when the rest of the world has gone out."
He smiled at her answer. "Then, you could sing or play any instrument."
"Hai. I used to play the guitar, and I always sing or hum around when I feel like it."
Yamada-sensei stood up and smiled at her once again. "Good then. I'll see you in the school's auditorium after thirty minutes, Hayakawa-san."
What? She stared blankly in shock. I haven't even said anything!
"Domo arigato for the time!" he bade and walked out the door.
The door closed, and she was left standing as if her feet were glued to the floor. Stupid, stupid!, she frowned. All she ever wanted to do was to be a student wearing the Gen Ed uniform and living a normal school life. But it's too late. Yamada-sensei's expecting her to appear inside the auditorium. What will she do? Will she sing?
I haven't sung for a long time… what will I do? Should I sing? Maybe I should just tell him that I don't even want to be in the music department… but….
But what?, a little voice said to her. Are you still scared to try? Why are you even scared? The voice in her head continued to talk to her. She shook her head, and laughed the voice off her mind. I'm going nuts!, she thought, giggling.
"It wouldn't hurt to try, though…" a tiny voice emerged out of nowhere. She continued on laughing, still thinking that she's thinking to herself again.
Not until a floating bubble floated in front of her face and spoke.
"What's so funny?" the bubble popped, and a tiny blue fairy came about. Hayakawa-san looked at the creature, still thinking that's it's just her imagination, and laughed again. Oh man! I am crazy! HAHAHA!
The little fairy became annoyed with all the laughing, so he pointed his wand to the girl's face. "Hey! I'm talking to YOU! Can you even see me? Hello?" it flew around her, waving its wand angrily towards the girl.
Hayakawa-san stopped laughing, realizing that she's had enough. Now that she's back to her senses, she noticed a tiny floating object circling around her, producing tiny, angry noises. Shock ran through her body when she saw the little fairy up close, and she closed her eyes as quickly as she could.
There is no way that a fairy can exist in the real world! There's just no way!, she said to herself, eyes closed and her heart throbbing. She doesn't want to open her eyes forever, not with the creepy fairy still flying around!
Suddenly the noise had disappeared. She could open her eyes now. But she was still frightened, so she waited another minute. No more tiny noise! Good! She opened her eyes, looked around, no fairy! She sighed in relief. "I thought so! No fairy!"
"Think again." Lili reappeared in front of her, making her shocked once again. She wanted to scream and run, but the fairy spoke.
"Please don't do what you're about to do", Lili said, and Hayakawa-san just stared at the magical creature with eyes wide open and her entire body shaking like crazy.
She gulped, and sweated as she tried to open her mouth to say something.
"Who… who are you?" she pointed at Lili with her trembling finger.
"I'm Lili, a music fairy." He grinned, pointing to himself. "I'm also the guardian fairy of this prestigious musical academy." Lili confidently flew around the place, studying the scared girl. "Hayakawa Riza-san, right?" he asked.
"How'd you know my name?" she gasped, but now a little less scared and a little more amazed.
Lili crossed his arms behind his neck and continued to float. "I'm a fairy," he explained, "I have mysterious magical powers that even I can't explain. All I know is that when I took a look at you, I already knew who you are."
"Sugoi!" Hayakawa-san exclaimed, astounded. "But… other people don't seem to notice you." She frowned.
"True." Lili let out a pitiful sigh. "But that doesn't matter now!" he cheerfully said, "I'm so happy that you can see me!"
Hayakawa-san giggled as she looked at the cute little fairy. What a magical encounter!, she thought to herself, I feel so lucky! I've seen a fairy with my own two eyes!
"Would you sing?" the fairy asked, and the girl grimaced and looked away.
"I… I don't think I can…" was her sad and honest answer.
The little fairy didn't believe her. "You can do it, Hayakawa Riza. I know you can."
Hayakawa-san's face brightened just a little, but then again she frowned. Lili rolled his eyes.
"Come on," he said, leading her outside. "I'll take you to a place where you could think."
And they went outside, to the part of the school where the school bells are. Lili remembered the time when he rang the bells for the first time in 25 years. He smiled as both he and Hayakawa-san approached it.
"It's pretty quiet here…" Hayakawa-san observed. The place was far from the noise outside the academy, and all she could hear was the music created by nature.
Lili stopped flying and floated steadily. "I'll be in the auditorium. But for now, I'm giving you time to reflect." He waved his wand around, creating the same bubble where he appeared. "Until then, Hayakawa Riza!" and then he vanished.
"Lili..!" she called, but the fairy had already disappeared. She looked around and sighed. She's all alone now, and all she could do was to take Lili's suggestion and think.
She closed her eyes and remembered the distant memories left behind by her early years of childhood.
Flashback…
It was Christmas Eve, the night was cold and the sky was dark, a sure sign that it was going to snow. There were bright lights everywhere and carols could be heard inside the city playhouse. This year, kindergartners were performing a nativity play, to demonstrate the humble birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round 'yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace…
A girl playing Angel Gabriel sang. She has such a warm voice that dissipated the chills that were brought about by winter. Her parents watched her proudly in one corner of the theater, and other people who were watching were greatly moved by her performance. People clapped their hands together for the adorable angel after her song.
The play has finished when the little girl playing the little angel rushed to her parents who welcomed her with a warm hug.
"Outo-san! Okaa-san!" little Riza-chan ran to her parents. "Did you see me? Did you see me?"
"Hai, musume…" her mother hugged her as her father smiled at her. "You were magical on that stage…"
"You were amazing, sunshine." Her father stroke her back lovingly. "You have the most beautiful voice…"
"Really?" she asked, her big eyes filled with gladness.
"Truly." Her parents embraced her tighter and kissed her cheek. Little Riza-chan smiled and hugged back her mommy and daddy.
"I love you, outo-san and okaa-san..."
.
.
.
"I love you, outo-san and okaa-san…" Hayakawa-san thought out loud as she counted the clouds that were moving across the big blue sky. Suddenly remembering her childhood, she wanted to cry, but that would be awkward. So she stood up, inhaled, opened her mouth and sang a tune taught to her by her beloved okaa-san.
Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory…
(A/N: the song was "Once Upon a December" if you know the movie "Anastasia.")
She exhaled, and smiled to herself. Singing always made her feel good. And now that she has finally sung, she realized how much she missed it. She loves to sing, and even the bitter memories couldn't do anything to stop her from loving it even more. She looked once again to the clear blue sky, and felt a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. No, she won't hide away anymore, now that she has finally found the courage to sing again.
She marched towards the auditorium, her heart filled with determination and eagerness to face Yamada-sensei and sing for him.
"Oh, Hayakawa-san! I'm so glad you decided to come." Yamada-sensei welcomed her.
"Are you ready?"
"Hai, sensei." She said with willpower. Yamada-sensei then told her to come up the stage.
Now, she's on the stage, feeling the heat of the light and the intensity of the silence. She took the microphone off the mic stand and held it with a steady grip.
"Okay. What will you do, Hayakawa-san?" Yamada-sensei asked, sitting in one corner of the auditorium, but not too far from the stage.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll be singing 'This Is Me', sensei."
Yamada sensei nodded, signaling for her to start. She inhaled for the last time, raised her mic, and began to sing.
I've always been the kind of girl that hid my face
So afraid to tell the world what I've got to say
But I have this dream, right inside of me
I'm gonna let it show, it's time to let you know
To let you know…
Yamada-sensei smiled from ear to ear upon hearing her captivating voice. I was right!, he thought as he took some notes on her singing.
This is real, this is me
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now
Gonna let the light shine on me
Now I found who I am
There's no way to hold it in
No more hiding who I wanna be
This is me…
She finished the song wonderfully and Yamada-sensei's applause resonated in the entire auditorium. "Bravo, Hayakawa-san!"
She bowed, and smiled at the cheering sensei. Lili was also there, comfortably sitting on his favorite spot, silently admiring her.
"Arigato, sensei!" she beamed. "How'd I go?"
"You were fantastic! You-"
"Failed." Kira-san who was inside the auditorium a while ago interrupted their moment of celebration. (Ouch…)
Both Hayakawa-san and Yamada-sensei grew pale. "But why, Chairman Kira-san?" Yamada-sensei asked flabbergasted.
"She's under qualified to be in the Music Department. She can't even play a single instrument! Tell me, Yamada-san: how can she be in the Music Department?" he asked his kouhai with the same blazing eyes.
"It's time we change the rules, Kira-san. Her talent is exceptional! Even greater than those of the music students!" Yamada defended.
Lili wanted to go right in front of Kira-san and whack him in the face with his wand. "That's too harsh, you hear me? TOO HARSH!" he yelled across the auditorium. Kira heard him, but he ignored the little fairy.
Hayakawa-san heard him too, but she was too petrified to even move. She watched the two men argue about her performance, then the time came when both of them seemed to have given up.
Kira-san looked at her and she became more terrified. The sight of his blood-red eyes took her breath away, and she trembled like a scared little kitten during a thunderstorm.
"You're nothing great." He said unsympathetically, "You may now leave. You're wasting your time."
His words struck her like a painful jab in the chest. Over and over again his words resonated in her head. You're nothing great. You're wasting your time.
Kira-san left the auditorium and Lili followed him. Yamada-sensei stayed in to comfort the poor girl.
"I'm so sorry about that, Hayakawa-san. Kira-san is usually forgiving but…" he continued on, but he couldn't think of anything else to say in front of a girl who's about to break down. He sighed sympathetically. "Gomenasai, Hayakawa-san…"
"Iie…" she tried to hold back her tears that were welling in her eyes. "Daijobu, sensei… I'm okay…"
"Are you sure?" he asked, worried.
"Hai!" she released a fake smile. "Don't worry sensei! Gomen for making you worry."
She promptly left the auditorium to cry outside. She doesn't want Yamada-sensei to see her cry. Kira's words continued on replaying inside her mind, and the more times she thought of it, more tears would fall from her eyes.
What did I do wrong?, she sobbed, forcing the heavy feeling to go away. Oh Lord, help me!
She continued on running until she was outside the school. She ran across the block, when suddenly she bumped on a certain green-haired boy.
"Hey!" he exclaimed angrily. But when he saw the tears that filled her eyes, he felt sorry for her. He stopped walking and stared at the running girl until she was out of his sight. That's too bad, he thought, she was beautiful but she had to cry. Who could be the heartless jerk that made her cry? Tsuchiura-kun clenched his fists, and his anger has only faded when he turned the other way and continued on walking to his destination.
Later that day…
"So, how did it go?" Mama-san asked her while wiping the dishes. Hayakawa-san decided to help her.
"I passed the exam." She said casually, "I'll be in the General Department this year."
Mama-san's face brightened. "You passed the exam? Now that's great news!"
Hayakawa-san let out a wry smile and continued on doing the other dishes.
"Ne, Riza-chan, you seem upset…" Mama-san noticed her unusual sadness. "Why is it?"
"It's nothing," Hayakawa-san shook her head. "I'm just a little tired. That's all."
"Then take a rest, dear. I will take care of the dishes."
"Iie, daijobu." She lied. The poor old lady needed help with the dishes, and she doesn't want to slack just because of that horrible experience. So, even if it is against her will, she'll have to lie and pretend. She doesn't want Mama-san to get disappointed as well.
The both of them finished the dishes silently, Hayakawa-san avoiding to have any conversation. Mama-san just stared worriedly at her, but kept quiet because she might upset the girl more. Mama-san only spoke when Hayakawa-san was about to go upstairs to her apartment.
"Oyasumi nasai, Riza-chan." The old lady smiled.
"Hai." Hayakawa-san turned her head and smiled. A real smile. "Oyasumi nasai to you and Papa-san too."
She got to her apartment and went to bed. But before she slept, she said a simple prayer:
Dear God, thanks a lot for giving me all of the blessings that I had for today. I'm so sorry if I made some pretty stupid mistakes. Please guide me so that I could live the life You want me to have. I love You. Amen.
Hayakawa-san closed her eyes and waited to have a wonderful dream.
Notes:
Hayakawa Riza is an original character that I've invented. She's a Japanese Christian.
(Sounds weird, but hey, one percent of the Japanese population (I think) are Christians.)
So are Mama-san and Papa-san. Don't forget about Yamada Kouzuto-san. (I meant to say that they are my original characters.)
Any comments on grammar? Feel free to correct me.
Desperately needing some tips on how to write a good story. Any tip will do.
More information about the story location, since I don't know where the heck in Japan is Yokohama. (Wikipedia says the anime was plotted there)
I used a lot of Japanese words, and I will probably use more in the next chapters. Feel free to use translators.
Anyway, I have no idea about when classes start in Japan. But then, it's a fanfic, so I guess it's okay if I set it in September.
Criticism is appreciated. But please don't overdo it.
Thank you once again! God bless ya!