Disclaimer – I don't own La Corda D'oro or any of its characters.

Playing Second Fiddle

The blood rushed from his face. His hand clenched painfully tight, his fingernails digging into his palm, almost drawing blood with the effort of not saying anything.

You are cordially invited to celebrate

the wedding of...

"Hey, bro! You better come soon, breakfast's..." His voice died away as Haruki Hihara noticed his brother's slightly contorted face and clenched fists. He walked over to where Kazuki was standing and shook him gently. "Kazuki? Kazuki, are you okay? Who's that from anyway?" He nodded towards the envelope that Kazuki was clutching.

...Kahoko Hino...

Kahoko Hino...

His voice choked. "I think I'll skip today." He shook himself from his brother's grasp, and walked outside the house blindly, not caring where he went.

...Kahoko Hino

and

Len Tsukimori

on Friday afternoon

June the...

The rest of the words just seemed to blur in his mind. All he could see before him were the words Kahoko Hino and Len Tsukimori... wedding...

He just didn't understand why it hurt so much.

I've always been second in Kahoko's heart, whether as a friend or...something more.

He knew this would happen someday. And yet... he couldn't stop the hot tears from leaking out, even as he rubbed them away furiously.

What's wrong with me? I always expected this... and I am happy for her, but... I don't think I can face them... face her.

He finally lifted his eyes up from the road, and looked around to see where he was. He was, he realized with a pang, at the very basketball court where he first understood the depth of his feeling for Kahoko. He knew right from then, that what he had for her wasn't a mere schoolboy crush – it was something much, much more.

He looked at the crushed envelope in his hand. I'm sorry, Kahoko. He let his fingers loose, and it fell to the ground. It was then that he noticed another piece of paper sticking out of it. He bent down and picked it up again and smoothed it out.

Dear Kazuki,

It's been so long since we last met! I heard from Azuma that you were back in Japan, and I feel so happy now. I couldn't believe that I was going to go through the most important day in my life, and you wouldn't be there! I almost bribed Azuma into kidnapping you and bringing you back.

I don't want to hear that you won't be coming, alright? Now that you are here, even the great trumpeter has to take time out of his busy schedule and come meet me. Or else!

Looking forward to meeting you,

Kaho

Kaho...

It was he who had coined that nickname, sitting right here next to the very same water tap.

"Even if it's just a scratch, you should take care of it – what if it affects your performance in the selections?" He knew Kahoko was saying something to him, but all that he could sense was the feeling of being so close to her... so close he could smell the shampoo she used.

Suddenly, an image of another nose coming close to the same vivid red locks, of lips dropping a kiss on her hair... a strand of violet hair touching her head... came to his mind. He jerked back, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Kahoko looked at him. "It's nothing."

"There." She brought out a Band-Aid from her bag and put it on the wound. "It may look a bit tacky, but bear with it for now, okay?"

"It's fine, Kaho." He immediately blushed red. "I mean, I can use your name, right? It sounds so cute. Kaho." Kahoko still looked slightly surprised. Kazuki blushed again.

"Y-you could call me Kazuki!" "Err... no, I think I'll pass."

She smiled, a bright sunny smile that left him slightly dazed. "I'll see you later!"

It was only after staring at her walking away that that he realized it – he had fallen for Kahoko Hino.

He remembered her ever-present smile. It never failed to brighten his day up. He remembered how dependant he had grown on that smile, the absence of which tore at his heart, and made him miserable for the whole day. During his self-imposed exile from Japan, the one thing he longed for the most was to see her again. Not just remain with his memories of her.

Will I be the reason she doesn't smile as radiantly on the most important day of her life?

...I can't refuse her.

He walked back rapidly to his home and brushed past his brother, who was waiting for him at the door. He swiftly climbed up the stairs to his old room, ignoring his family's concerned 'Kazuki!'s.

He dug deep into his wardrobe, and finally emerged with a suit in his hand. The suit which he had worn to the first selection.

"It's been a while."

He had been standing before an elegant house, staring at the gate for the past five minutes. Every time his hand rose to ring the bell, something made him withdraw the hand and drop it by his side again. This is ridiculous!, he berated himself. I'm just an old friend visiting another friend before her wedding. What am I hesitating for?

Another failed attempt. Maybe I should just go back home.

It was then that he heard a loud peal of laughter from within the house. It was as if his heart just stopped beating for a moment. And in that instant Kazuki Hihara knew that there was no way he could ever turn back.

He recognized that laughter. No matter that he hadn't heard it for more than five years. There was simply no mistaking the laughter of Kahoko Hino.

He gritted his teeth and rang the bell with rather unnecessary force. The laughter died down and he heard footsteps coming towards the door. It opened, and he saw himself looking down at a rather pretty brunette, who somehow seemed somewhat familiar.

"Ka...zuki-san?" She must have seen the confusion in his eyes, because she followed with "I'm Nami. Remember? The persistent journalist from our school days?"

"Oh." Now he understood why she seemed so familiar. "Nami-san, it's been ages."

"Of course. But you aren't here to talk to me, are you?" She gave him a sharp look, which made him very uncomfortable. Those brown eyes seemed to see a lot more than he was comfortable with.

She gave a small sigh. "Kahoko never really realized what all of you felt for her, but she isn't stupid, you know." Signalling for Kazuki to follow her, she continued "Or maybe not that stupid anyway. My point is, it took her ages to take this decision, and although I know she'll be overjoyed to see you, I don't want her to second-guess herself after this. Any idiot with half a brain can see what you feel. Just don't be too obvious and spoil her big day."

He gave a slight nod. "I think I can manage that much."

Nami gave a sudden grin. "I'm being too presumptuous again, aren't I? I think you'll be fine. She's in there." She pointed to a door to Kazuki's right.

A ripping sound came from behind the door, followed by a loud exclamation. "Kaho-chan! That's the second veil you've ripped today!"

His heart gave a sudden leap as he heard the familiar voice that haunted his dreams. "Oh, Mio-chan! I'm so sorry!" A part of him just wanted to burst through the door and see the owner of the voice with his own eyes. But another part of him was nervous, hesitant... Just don't be too obvious and spoil her big day...

He approached the door and slowly pushed it open. His eyes took in the scene before him.

There were two girls in bridesmaids' dresses who he vaguely remembered as Kahoko's school friends, examining a torn veil. And in the middle of the room stood Kahoko, who looked...beautiful. There was no other way to describe her.

She was a vision in a simple and elegant white dress. He found himself marvelling; Only she can wear something like that and pull it off. Her striking red hair was done up in an intricate manner, with a few strands artistically escaping from the sides. And her big, expressive eyes simply seemed to shine with intense happiness. "Nami, who was it? Look wha..." She looked up, and her words died away.

"Kazuki...?" If he had thought her eyes big before, it was nothing compared to how much her eyes widened now. He walked into the room, and stood before her.

And suddenly, her face broke into a huge smile, and she ran over and threw her arms around him. He held her, breathing in her scent, which was just so... her. Over the years, the two had shared many hugs, and he had never known her to smell of anything but sakura blossoms and roses.

She moved and he let go. He noticed that Mio and Nao had left the room, giving them some privacy. "Kazuki, you came!" Her eyes were sparkling with joy. "I knew you would, but I never expected you to turn up at my house!"

"Of course I'd come. I didn't want to meet you for the first time after five years in the wedding hall. Besides I wanted to see whether Len's provided my princess with the perfect house."

Kahoko blushed and laughed. "Well, I hope you're satisfied. When did you come back, anyway? And I want to hear all about the world-famous Kazuki Hihara's tours and all the countries you've visited and everything!"

"Are you sure you want to? You might get late to your own wedding, you know."

"Kazuki!"

They talked for a long time. After they had exhausted all topics, they sat in companiable silence for a while. Kazuki couldn't believe how hard it was to talk so normally around her. He had buried the lovesick fool inside him, but all he wanted to do was beg her to not do this, to go with him... but he couldn't. I hope you appreciate this, Nami.

"I noticed, you know." Kahoko suddenly broke the silence. "You're wearing the same suit you wore to the first selection, aren't you?" "Yeah."

She smiled. "It's just so you. You're the only one I know who can wear something that informal and pull it off. You haven't changed at all, have you?"

"Well..." Kahoko stood up. "I... I guess we'd better going then." She started to move towards the door.

Like a flash, Kazuki was up and had caught hold of her hand. "Ka-" she began, but stopped as he pulled her into another hug. She let out a deep breath, and leaned her head against his shoulder. It felt so natural. So warm... and comfortable.

Kazuki whispered into her hair. "You are going to be happy, aren't you? I don't ever want to see you cry like you did back in senior year."

"Kaho!" Kazuki looked up from the piles of books in front of him. "Come on, sit down." It was only then that he got a close look at her. Her nose was red, and her eyes bloodshot. "Kaho, what's wrong?" he asked in concern. He drew her into a long hug. He could practically feel her body shake as she tried to suppress her tears. Slowly, he felt her reserve breaking down, and soon she was sobbing into his shirt, crying as if her heart was breaking.

It took a while for Kahoko to stop crying. And all Kazuki could do was hold her tight and whisper "Shhh... it's going to be alright..." Finally, Kahoko calmed down enough to tell him about breaking off her relationship with Len.

"I... I know Len's amazing and he needs to practice really hard... I mean, he's already got selected into the Royal Academy of Music. It's just that... he doesn't seem to have time for us anymore. I haven't played a duet with him for months... forget that, I haven't even seen him for a month even though he's been here all this time! I know he's got concerts and things, and I know I'm not as great at playing the violin as he is-"

At this point, she was cut off by Kazuki. "Don't you ever think that way again. Your music is as good as his, if not better. It's got so much feel in it – Tsukimori couldn't get that even if he tried for a hundred years!" Kahoko had never seen that dangerous light in his gentle eyes before; fiercely protective and challenging at the same time.

He's the last person who deserves her! Anyone who makes a person like Kaho cry has to be the most cold-hearted, despicable...

He shut his eyes and let out a deep breath. Several locks of his unruly jade hair fell over his eyes, hiding them from view. When he finally looked up again, the fire had died out of his eyes, and his gaze was his normal temperate one. Gods, this is hard.

"Kaho... you know you won't be happy. Knowing Tsukimori, this has probably only happened because he doesn't have the slightest idea what to do – not because he has no affection for you. You should go and... talk it out with him..."

Kahoko and Len got back together soon after that.

Or so he heard. Kazuki got in to Julliard and the next time he met Kahoko was on her wedding morning.

Maybe I was stupid back then, he thought. But I don't think I could have stood there and watched her cry any more than I can now.

Kahoko moved back. "I guess... I should probably go now. Nami and the others must have been waiting with the veil for ages." She moved towards the door.

"Kaho?" She looked back again. "Here." He dropped a small box into her hand. "I'll meet you again at the wedding hall, alright?" He walked out of the room. She heard his voice as he said something to Nami. She opened it, curious to know what it was.

Her breath caught as she gingerly lifted out a porcelain music box of exquisite craftsmanship. Her hand shook slightly as she turned the knob.

Soft, familiar music played from the tiny box. Pachelbel's Canon.

She stared at it in a daze. Suddenly, she seemed to snap out of it and ran down as fast as her heels would permit. "Kazuki! Kazuki, wait!"

He was already at the gate when her voice reached him and he turned back. She walked up to him and stood facing him. "H-how did you know about my music box?"

A small smile appeared on Kazuki's face. "You're my princess." He simply said. His eyes tender and loving, he gave her cheek a slight caress. Then he turned around and walked out.

She stared at his retreating back until he completely disappeared from view.

Kazuki had been the only person who had been able to repair her music box when it broke before. Soon after he had gone away, it had fallen from her hand and shattered into a hundred pieces once again. Although she tried not to show it, it had saddened her exceedingly. And many people had tried to fix it, but none had succeeded. Music boxes playing 'Canon' weren't available in any shop either.

It was the first time she realized how much she depended on him and how much she missed him now he wasn't there.

She slowly walked back to the house and up to her room. Turning the knob around once more, she gently set it on her dressing table and heard the sweet melody ring out again.

Okay... so that was my first attempt at writing La Corda D'oro fanfiction. Kazuki might seem slightly OOC, but I wrote him that way because in this fic, he's in his mid-twenties, as are the rest. He's grown up, and matured. I've tried to keep Kahoko and Nami as IC as possible, but as far as Nami's concerned...hmmm.

I'm not sure how accurate the scene where Kazuki nicknames her Kaho is – I haven't watched La Corda for quite some time. I apologize for any glaring mistakes I might have made.

Chapter 2 is the actual wedding. It should be up pretty soon.

Love it or hate it? Let me know. Just press the Review button down there, and make my day!