"Good to last. " Kaori sang into the microphone. After the sound manager behind the glass gave her a thumbs up, she pulled off the headphones. She came out of the sound booth and was assaulted by good jobs and congratulations. She smiled and said her thanks. The rest of the band had already done their recordings which was strange. usually Kaori was the first to record for songs. But on this chart, she was dragging her feet. She had written the song and composed the music too. The song was called "Apple and Cinnamon" and it was probably one of the best songs that Hakumei would produce. That's what bothered Kaori the most.

A week passed since Kaori recorded "Apple and Cinnamon" and now she was at the cover shot for the album cover. The model was a sexy enough blonde foreigner. He didn't know very much Japanese, but Kaori knew English. So there wasn't a language barrier. He was very relieved when he learned that Kaori knew English and was slightly embarrassed at his Japanese.
"It's good to know that we don't need a translator following us around all day.." he said after they'd come out of make-up and wardrobe. Kaori smiled at him. They joked and became friends quickly. Levi had been modeling since he was about fifteen and they were the same age. He was amazed at how quickly Kaori and Hakumei had come to fame just out of high school.

Eventually, they were put together and the modeling began. They tried a variety of different poses, but none seemed quite right. Kaori bit her lip. She tugged on the coat that Levi was wearing.
"Can we try something real quick?" she asked softly. Levi blinked at her, but then smiled.
" Of course!" he exclaimed. Kaori told him to just follow her and act as his emotions took him.
He blinked at her, thinking that was a strange idea, but nodded anyway. Kaori took a step back from him, her demeanor changing.
"Levi-kun...I...You know that I love you...or...I thought I did...I mean..no..I do love you..." she looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion, then dipped her head again, "I don't know how to say it...I just...when I talk to you, my tongue feels like it swells in my mouth and my stomach is full of butterflies.." She shook her head, unable to say the right words. "That's how it used to be But now, " she whispered,

" I don't know what to think." Levi stared down at Kaori. Tears began to well in her eyes. She was truly full of turmoil at the words she was saying. He bit his lip, his brow furrowing slightly.
" Kaori..I.." his eyes darted sideways, his mouth opening and closing in indecision. The photographer looked on in awe. Everyone on set had stopped moving and were now closed in on the two teenagers. Kaori's hands came to her eyes and pressed, trying to stop the flow of tears.
" I just...don't know what to do..." she hiccuped. Levi closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, he gently grabbed Kaori's hands with his own. Slowly, he brought them down, straight in front of her. He took half a step forward and gently pressed his lips to Kaori's forehead.
"It's alright.." he said softly. The photographer jumped on his camera. He took a million and three pictures at that single moment.
"That's it! That's the picture! That's a wrap everybody!" the director yelled, clapping. Everyone else clapped and began to pack up. Levi and Kaori seemed frozen in time, her tears the only thing moving in their little section of winter.

Within a week, the album was on the shelves and selling out instantly. A tv commercial played in the middle of Tokyo and one man stopped to watch it.
"Happiness don't last that long
What we had was beautiful.
Let's not get started with the 'he said she said'
Sometimes it just doesn't go as planned.."

the lead singer of Hakumei sung on the screen.
"In stores now! Hakumei's newest album, "Dissection"! Featuring the new hit singles like "Don't Be Jealous of My Boogie", "Main Event", "Champion" and the number one chart topping hit, "Apple and Cinnamon". Get your copy now!" said the announcer. The TV then changed to a soap commercial and the man blinked. He pulled his knit hat tighter over his flaming orange hair. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number on speed dial.
"...Sasori? Do we have Hakumei's newest album yet?"
"They have a new album out?"
"Yeah, I just saw a spot for it on the Jumbo." the man said, waiting to cross the street.
"..Strange..Kaori didn't tell me anything about a new album..." answered Sasori.
"Yeah, me neither." said the man. He closed his phone and crossed the street.