Disclaimer: I don't own La Corda d'oro.
Aoi was bored to death. He already knew the lesson and the teacher was making it extremely boring. However, two words from a group of guys to his right caught his attention: "Transfer student." Aoi inched closer to the guys to hear their conversation.
"... coming tomorrow. The teachers said it's a she. I sneaked into the school director's office to see her form."
"Awesome! What did it say?"
"She can play at least two instruments! I can't remember how many, though."
"Woah."
"I wonder why she wasn't placed in the Musical Department."
"Beats me but besides the fact that she's musically inclined, she's also freaking smart!"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah! She skipped a couple of years!"
"Wow."
"Uh-huh. And she's also really sporty."
Athletic. Aoi thought. Sporty is such a childish term.
"Well. That's settled. All we need now is her appearance. If she's hot, I call dibs."
"Oi! No fair!"
"Mr. Kaji!" The teacher's voice caused Aoi to scramble away from the guys and stand up awkwardly.
"Um, yes, Sensei?" He said, sheepishly.
"What is the answer to the mathematical equation on the board?" All the girls, except Kahoko, turned to look at him expectantly. Aoi stared at the teacher like he was an idiot.
"Sensei, I believe that this is Integrated Science and not Mathematics," he said. The teacher snorted.
"Of course I knew that. I was just seeing if you were paying attention or not. You may take your seat," replied the teacher. Aoi smiled and sat down. He looked towards his left. Hino-san was sitting next to the window, copying every single boring detail that the teacher was saying about polar molecules.
Ah, Hino-san. Aoi used to have a crush on her. Emphasis on used to. Now? Well, it faded. Besides, she's with Tsukimori-kun. To be honest, he's happy for them. Though, he still finds it strange that Tsukimori's now his bestfriend. Aoi leaned closer to the guys again.
"I heard that she's coming from Hachioji." Aoi froze. Hachioji...
~Flashback~
"Aoiiiiiiiii! Hurry up!" shouted a girl with dark brown eyes and brown hair that was so dark it was almost black which was tied in a ponytail. Aoi coughed.
"I'm coming, Yumi." The girl, Yumi snorted.
"Aoi! You're nine! And I'm, what, seven! PLUS, you're a boy! Aren't boys supposed to be faster than girls?" she said once Aoi reached her. Aoi laughed and ruffled her hair which made her growl and step on his foot.
"Yumi, you're not a stereotypical girl! You're different," he said while hopping on one foot. "AND, I was just going easy!" Yumi started laughing.
"Yeah right!"
"Will I ever see you again?" Yumi turned around.
"I'm not sure. Though, we're still going to be in Hachioji, we'll be living a lot farther," she replied. They stayed quiet for a while.
"But hey! It's not like it's the end of the world! You're my childhood friend! Nothing's EVER going to change that." Yumi smiled. "And Aoi, you're thirteen. Don't tell me you're still a sissy?" Aoi rolled her eyes and gave her a friendly punch on the shoulder.
"I'm not a sissy nor was I ever one! You underestimate me too much."
"Nuh-uh!"
~End Flashback~
"Kaji-kun? Kaji-kun? Hello?" Aoi snapped back into reality.
"Integrated Science ended 5 minutes ago and you were staring blankly. Is everything alright?" Hino was waving her hand in front of Aoi's eyes who just grinned.
"Ah, I'm alright. I was just thinking of... something," he replied. Hino smiled sweetly.
"Okay! I'll be with Len in the Music Room if you need me," she said. Then she turned and left the room. After she left, Aoi sighed and leaned back. Yumi Tsukino. He just suddenly remembered her after hearing Hachioji. Thinking about her again, the last time he saw her, was 3 years ago. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable after hearing the guys talk about the transfer student who'll be arriving tomorrow. The guys' description matched her perfectly. She was indeed smart, and Aoi wouldn't be surprised if she bypassed two years of education. She does Wushu, Archery, Soccer, Basketball... the list goes on. And as for the musical instruments? Aoi chuckled. Yumi can play the piano, violin, and the flute. In the last letter he received from her, she said that she had begun taking up guitar lessons. And that was 2 years ago. After that, she stopped writing and so did he.
The Next Day...
"Class! We have a new transfer student! She'll be arriving in a few minutes. Please appear presentable and no lewd comments please." Everyone suddenly started talking about the new student. Aoi shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The other guys started placing bets on her hair color, eye color, etc.,
Hino was staring intently at the door. Aoi sighed helplessly and followed suit. He saw Nami Amou from Class 2-1 just outside the door of Class 2-2 ready to get a picture of the new student... whoever she is. Suddenly the teacher ran back inside the classroom.
"Excuse me, Class. The transfer student has arrived."
"Say cheese!" Aoi heard Nami say. There was a low growl that Nami didn't seem to notice.
"This'll make great news!" And Nami ran off.
"Class please welcome your new transfer student." Mysterious Transfer Student entered the classroom and faced the class. Aoi felt his breath catch.
"C'mon. Don't be shy. Introduce yourself to the class." The Transfer Student rolled her eyes.
"I beg your pardon... sir... but I wasn't shy. I just wasn't sure whether I should proceed or not," she said. "Good Morning. My name is Yumi Tsukino. I came from Hachioji." She paused. Uncertain about what she should do next. "Er... any questions?" One of the guys who were "gossiping" earlier suddenly raised his hand. Yumi scratched her head and the guy stood up.
"Are you single?" he asked earnestly. The class laughed at him but Aoi just kept staring at Yumi waiting for her answer. She chuckled.
"Yes. But..." she looked at him from head-to-toe. "You're not my type." The guy sheepishly sat down. Another one stood up.
"So what are your interests?" he asked.
"Well, for starters. I like music. I can play five instruments, namely: the piano, violin, guitar, flute, and the drums. I also compose my own songs. I enjoy sports. I write stories... That's basically it." Everyone stared at her in awe. The teacher laughed.
"Well... Now, we're done finding out very interesting things about you Ms. Tsukino. Let's find you a place to sit. You don't see anyone you recognize, do you?" Aoi tensed up as Yumi scanned the room. She was about to say 'no' to the teacher but... she saw him.
"Aoi?" she said and covered her mouth.
"Mr. Kaji, do you know Ms. Tsukino?" asked the teacher. Aoi nodded.
"Now, Mr. Kaji. Be a gentleman, and escort Ms. Tsukino to the empty seat to your left and... Mr. Kaji?" Aoi didn't seem to have any control over his body. The shock of seeing his childhood friend right there in front of the class made him move without him really knowing it. Before he fully realized it, he was standing in front of his childhood friend with whom he lost contact two years ago, and he suddenly hugged her. Some of the girls in the class groaned in despair and some of the guys' mouths dropped open. Aoi didn't care. He felt his eyes dampen. Yumi smirked and hugged him back.
"It's been three years since we last saw each other and you're STILL a sissy, Aoi," she said. Aoi chuckled and let go of Yumi.
"I'm NOT a sissy. It's just that..." he faltered. "The last time I heard of you was two years ago." Then the bell rang and the teacher seemed happy when it did.
"Class dismissed! Mr. Kaji, please show Ms. Tsukino around." Aoi nodded and looked at Yumi who was staring at the floor. He was DYING to ask her why she stopped writing.
"Well? Why did you stop writing?"
"I got, um, busy. I'm starving. Anything interesting in your cafeteria?" she said. Aoi's lips parted in surprise. That wasn't the Yumi he knew. But nevertheless, he nodded and led her to the caf. Along the way, she talked about some of her adventures after she stopped writing and Aoi shared his. They laughed heartily at some of the stories. Then...
"Ah, so you're the transfer student." Aoi and Yumi stopped talking and turned around.
"My name is Kiriya Etou. Just so you'll know, I don't study in this school. I'm very unimpressed with the 'level' of this Academy but... I still go here during my free time to see if there are any people here with potential. And YOU Ms... Tsukino? Seem to have a great potential. I read through your form... somewhere you don't need to know and, well, you play FIVE instruments? Am I right? So I propose that-" Yumi put a hand directly in front of Kiriya's face.
"Quit your blundering whats-your-face. What do you REALLY want to say?" she demanded. Kiriya smirked.
"I suggest that you join the concours," he said. Yumi looked puzzled.
"Concours?" she replied. Kiriya grinned.
"Why don't you ask your friend, Aoi, over here. He's not going to join anyway because, well, because he's talentless!" said Kiriya. Aoi froze, not because of Kiriya's insult, but because of how Yumi could react... and she reacted the way he expected her to.
"What did you say about my childhood friend?" she asked.
"He's talentless! Y'know, without talent! He can't play the viola properly!" Kiriya answered, promptly. Aoi heard Yumi growl. He grabbed her wrist to calm her but it didn't work.
"I'VE KNOWN FOR NEARLY TWELVE YEARS AND YOU TELL ME HE CAN'T PLAY THE VIOLA PROPERLY? AOI IS A PRO IN THE VIOLA! HE CAN PLAY ANYTHING WITH THAT INSTRUMENT OF HIS! GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL!" Yumi snapped. Then she turned around and started walking briskly away. Aoi chuckled and was about to follow Kaida when Kiriya grabbed his shoulder.
"Be glad you had your girlfriend protecting you, Kaji," he said. If Aoi was drinking something he would have spewed it in Kiriya's face.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. First off, Yumi is not my girlfriend. And second, she's just my childhood friend. And third, I can take care of myself, thank you very much," he replied. Then Aoi shrugged of Kiriya's hand and jogged to catch up with Yumi. Kiriya rolled his eyes and walked away.
Little did the three of them know that a pesky reporter had been taking pictures of the scene.
"This'll make a great story!" Nami whispered to herself.
"So do you want to join?" asked Aoi. Yumi shrugged.
"It sounds interesting. But, well, I'm not familiar with the other competitors," she replied. Aoi raised an eyebrow.
"The other competitors? Well... I can introduce you to them. Do you remember the red-headed girl by the window?" asked Aoi. Yumi scratched her head.
"Yes, but... wait. Don't tell me she's competing?" she asked. Aoi chuckled.
"Well, she is." Yumi stared at him.
"What's her instrument?"
"Are you done eating?" he said instead. Yumi seemed stunned.
"Well, yes, but-" Aoi stood up and grabbed Yumi's hand then half-dragged, half-led her out of the cafeteria.
"Ask her yourself." Yumi try to resist.
"C'mon don't be such a weenie!" Yumi rolled her eyes.
"I'm NOT a weenie. But, fine. I won't resist," she said.
Ah, childhood friends. Just so you people will know, this was written for two friends of mine! They're childhood friends and one of them looks and acts like Aoi and the other, well, Yumi's based on her. Please Review!