Akira: Hello people, how're you doing? Fine I hope. Okay… this was kind of inspired by the song 'Garnet' by Oku Hanako. I think this story is rather typical if you ask me, but I just have to get it out before the idea goes away. Bear with me please, I know I should finish my stories first before I start a new one but I just can't help myself, lol.

Chapter I

My name is Tenou Haruka.

This is the story of my seventeenth summer.

The story of how I met her.

And this is the one story, which will stay with me for the rest of my life.

xxxxx

Bored to death; was the only phrase that could describe how the students felt at the moment. Listening to the old droning Ishikawa-sensei wasn't really helping at all, as was listening to the sounds of the chalk scratching against the blackboard while he wrote random Japanese terms on it, as was listening to the high pitched chirps of the cicadas on the trees outside the classroom. No one was paying any attention due to the heat, and apparently, the teacher did not notice either. They were all waiting impatiently for the bell that signaled the end of lessons to ring. After all, it was already the last lesson of the day before school closed for summer vacations.

A mess of long blond locks sprawled across the small desk and its edges beside the window while soft snores emitted from the figure who had her head on the table; sleeping as dead as a log. It wasn't long before a piece of pink chalk found its way onto the mess of blonde tresses and the figure let out an unhappy grunt as she slowly raised her head to look at the 'shooter' of the piece of chalk.

"Tenou, is my lesson that boring? I know this is the last day of school, but I would have preferred if you actually paid some attention."

"Don't worry sensei, she's like that in other classes too," rang a male voice from the back of the room while the rest of her classmates laughed along.

Tenou Haruka was not a girly girl, nor was she a tomboyish girl. She was just… herself; the entity who wasn't interested in anything at all. One could clearly tell that her facial features were androgynous; neither feminine nor masculine. With the height of a hundred and eighty-four centimeters, she easily towered over boys of her age. Her shoulder length blond hair was a little wavy at the ends and her blond fringes parted just above her left brow while a few strands of her bangs fell into her striking teal green eyes which always held a distant look that showed no emotions. One would normally associate Tenou Haruka with words like 'uninterested' or 'anti-social' and most of the students would steer clear from her path just because she didn't like interacting much.

With the intention to raise his objection at the students' volume level, the balding teacher opened his mouth to speak only to have his voice drowned out by the ringing bell which signaled the end of the day, followed by the happy cheers of the students as they chorused "otsukaresama deshita" to the teacher and ushered him out of the room. The room was soon filled with chatters of the students' holiday plans and goodbyes as they slung their bags over their shoulders and chanted "natsu yasumi da!" animatedly, excited about the summer break which had just begun for them.

The blond girl slowly yawned and stretched herself lazily as she stood up to collect her stationeries which were spread across the desk and stuffed them inside her stationary case disgruntled from having being woken up in a rude manner.

Just then, all of a sudden her teammate on the track team, Elza Grey, decided to give her a hard pat on the back, earning a glare from her in response.

"Hey! How're you going to spend your summer this year, Haruka? We're planning to go to the beach together, you wanna come along?"

'She dropped the honorifics again,' thought Haruka as she continued to pack her bag.

"Thank you for the invitation, Grey-san, but I'm going to Karuizawa again this year. My parents are needed at the hospital for an important meeting again," Haruka replied with disinterest as she glanced out the window for a second.

'It's going be so freaking hot outside… I hate summers. And why do I even bother to answer her every time? Just leave me alone already; I have no interest in talking to uninteresting people,' thought the blond girl again.

The redhead placed a hand under her chin and struck a thinking pose as she spoke, "Aw, that's too bad I guess. By the way, it's Elza. I've always wanted to go to Karuizawa for a nice vacation, but I just never really had the time to. Oh well, either way, this just means that I won't be seeing you for the summer practices again."

"I suppose so, Grey-san," came the languid reply as the tall girl lazily slung her bag over her right shoulder and walked out of the classroom with long strides. The other girl frowned a little when Haruka addressed her formally again but made no effort to correct the mistake and quickened her pace to match the taller girl's. It wasn't long before Haruka noticed that a majority of the people who walked passed them often slowed down and stared at her while giggling amongst themselves.

The blond athlete raised her brow enquiringly at them before popping an unexpected question at her fellow athlete, "am I dressed weird?"

The redhead stopped in her tracks and peered up and down the blonde's muscular figure before bursting into a fit of giggles herself. The good-looking blonde, annoyed at the action growled and asked impatiently, "what is it that's so funny?"

"Haruka, if you're seriously considering about dyeing your hair pink, I suggest you don't, because it seriously doesn't suit you," while shaking with giggles, the indigo eyed girl stood on her tiptoes and reached for the top of an annoyed Haruka's head and removed a piece of pink colored chalk from her head.

The Tenou girl grumbled again and ruffled her own hair in attempt to dust herself off of the pink residue that probably collected itself on her head and with one last sweep, she combed her hand through the soft golden tresses and her messed up hair fell back into place again.

Muttering a word of thanks to the indigo eyed girl, she gave a light wave with her hand and bade her goodbye lazily as they parted ways.

xxxxx

After walking for at least a good five minutes or so, she stopped outside a small café at the corner of the worn out street and threw a fleeting glance at the glistening black grand piano which stood proudly on the slightly raised platform where pianists performed; just like he always did years ago.

She let out a sigh as she turned around and faced an unmoving signboard standing by the road side while she spoke, 'I know you're there, show yourself already.'

'Idiots,' she secretly thought.

As if it was his cue, the tall dark haired man who was dressed in an expensive looking black suit appeared from where he was hiding and played with his slick brown hair embarrassedly for being caught. "I'm sorry Haruka-sama," apologized the man as he lowered his head in shame and guilt before continuing, "I was told-

It was no use talking to them after all, she decided. Maybe it would've been better off if she ran away from home instead. But then again with her family's influence, it would probably take them no less than one day to find her in some hotel lying on the bed while being bored out of her life.

"Whatever, I'm going straight home already. So leave me alone," she interrupted him in the middle of his sentence and her voice trailed off at the end of her sentence stuffed her hand inside her pocket as she walked home with a couple of black Mercedes trailing after her and she thought again, 'don't they feel hot when they dress like this under the blazing sun?'

xxxxx

"Tadaima," called Haruka out of habit even though there wasn't anyone at home to greet her except for the maids and servants who replied with a courteous "okaeri nasai" and returned to their respective jobs soon after. After kicking off her shoes, she trudged up the stairs to her room and threw her book bag to some corner of her messy room before flinging herself onto the soft mattress on her bed. With a loud exasperated sigh, she placed her forearm over her emotionless greenish eyes tiredly.

'Life is boring,' she thought.

The flight to Karuizawa was scheduled to take off in a few hours, but she was not interested in visiting that boring place again. There would surely be a function after the meeting, and she would surely be dragged to the function whether she likes it or not, and at the function, she would be asked to play the piano for her parents to show off their 'outstanding' daughter. It wasn't that she minded playing the piano, the feeling that they were using her as an exhibit simply irked her to no end. Sometimes she really did wonder if they were her real parents, even though they do love her a lot. Additionally, the party was normally filled with rich and haughty young men who were constantly trying to get into her parents' good books for business opportunities and for her attention as well.

They surely weren't an interesting bunch of people who deserved her attention. They only cared for the money that her parents had, and that was all. She let out a frustrated groan and flung her forearm away from her eyes, letting it fall dead onto the soft mattress with a sound 'thud'.

She closed her eyes, and then opened them again.

Close eyes, and open them again.

Close them again, and open them once more.

How much time had passed? She couldn't really tell.

A knock on the door was heard before it opened fully, revealing a man in his fifties as he bowed slightly while he said politely, "Haruka-sama, it is time to leave. Your parents are already waiting downstairs."

She sat up fully and nodded at the elderly man and gave him her reply few seconds later, "I'll be there in a minute."

With another polite bow, the man dismissed himself by saying, "Well then, please excuse me."

'I don't want to entertain those irritating guys, but I have to be at the stupid party. How do I avoid them?' thought Haruka as she sat at the edge of her bed, taking her time to ponder over the problem. She looked around her room for something that would keep the guys away and her teal gaze soon fell onto something that lay innocently on the top of her study desk.

'Okaa-sama would probably kill me for this but…'

Well, she just had to try.

She took a deep breath and picked the item off of the desk and stuffed it inside her bag pack with a couple of things that she would need and left the room with a slightly satisfied smile on her face.

"Konnichiwa, Otou-sama, Okaa-sama, are we ready to go?" said Haruka as she spotted her parents from the second storey of the mansion.

Sitting on the leather sofa was a blond man who had grayish streaks in his wavy hair and a woman with auburn colored hair. He whipped his head around at the sound of his daughter's voice and set down the exquisite looking tea cup on the coffee table as he cleared his throat to speak. He stood from his position and offered a hand to his wife before heading towards their daughter with a smile on his handsome face.

It was evident where Haruka got her looks and height from. If she had worn her hair cropped and short like her father's they would probably look almost identical except for the fact that the outline of his jaw was firm and square, unlike Haruka's. The shape of her face and her eyes were probably the only things Haruka had inherited from her mother; and that was it.

Tenou Toshihiko was a tall man and a man of a few words. He possessed a pair of hazel brown eyes which contained depth, wisdom, and maturity. His ability to accomplish tasks was simply uncanny. You could throw ten thousand documents at him this day and he could be done with them by the next. That was how he was. A talented man with abilities like no others, and that, was Tenou Toshihiko.

Meanwhile, Tenou Miyuki was the perfect wife. She was a head shorter than her husband and her daughter. Always faithful and loyal to her husband, aiding him in any way she could; not that he really needed any help anyway. Her long auburn hair always had a certain glow to it and when she looks at you in the eyes, you find yourself mesmerized and lost like a little lamb which lost its way home. Yes, that was how beautiful her eyes were, how dangerously attractive they were, and the story of how she captured the heart of Tenou Toshihiko with just a simple look was no myth.

Her parents were simply beautiful and perfect; unlike her. And as perfect as they were, they expected their child to be perfect as well. To be talented in different areas; such as music, sports, academics, and many more. But much to their dismay, Haruka seemingly had no interest in anything at all; not even life.

"How was your last day in school?" a gentle voice inquired as they came face to face within the distance of three feet apart.

"It was fine, Okaa-sama," replied Haruka in a bored tone as she ran a hand through her long blond hair which was starting to get in the way.

"Let us depart then, they're waiting for us," said Toshihiko as he wrapped his free arm around Haruka's smaller shoulders.

xxxxx

"Konbanwa, Toshihiko ji-san, Miyuki ba-san, I hope you'll enjoy the trip," greeted the captain as he bowed to the tall blond man in respect.

"Ah, konbanwa, Kiyoharu-kun, I'm sure the flight will be a delightful one with you around," Toshihiko laughed and patted the other blond man on his shoulders with two heavy and large hands.

"I'm Yoshiharu, Toshihiko ji-san," corrected the man as he looked at the ground, a little disappointed of the mistake that the older man made.

The older man raised a brow at his answer and stared straight into the captain's eyes. Within seconds, he laughed lightly and answered confidently, "You can't fool me, Kiyoharu-kun."

The captain laughed and replied nervously, "You got me, Oji-san. How could you tell?"

The Tenou man gave him a mysterious smile and replied with a simple "I have my ways" and led his wife towards their seating area.

A brilliant smile could soon be seen on his face as he turned to the younger Tenou on the plane while her parents strolled to their personal seats, giving her a boyish and casual greeting while he ruffled her hair like he always did whenever they met up.

"Yo, Haru!" he slung an arm over her shoulders and continued, "Enjoying your summer vacation?"

She frowned and swatted his hand away as she retorted in an irritating tone, "No I'm not, and don't call me Haru, there're three springs in the family, Haru-chan." (1)

Not long after, her frown broke into a smile and she gave the young blond man a friendly hug and a pat on the back as they shared a toothy grin. She took a step back and took a good look at the tall man, nodding her head in approval.

"Seems like you've grown a teeny bit taller, Haru-chan," teased Haruka as she raised her hand to show a tiny gap between her fingers to emphasize how little he'd grown.

Haruka's cousin, Tenou Kiyoharu was one of the three people who understood her best; his older twin brother, Yoshiharu being the second, and the last was Tenou Haruka herself. The three of them had been close ever since they were young and they spent most of their childhood together. Playing games, running around the Tenou mansion and creating troubles for their nannies were what they did best.

The Tenou brothers were almost as tall as Haruka was, perhaps only a few centimeters shorter. They both had short golden blond hair and hazy blue eyes. When put together, people could hardly tell the brothers apart as they were alike in many aspects. They were two years older than Haruka was, and had graduated from high school nearly a year ago. The older brother, Yoshiharu was more sensible and responsible while the younger brother Kiyoharu had a more playful nature as he was almost always the one who instigated all the tricks that they played on the adults when they were still children.

The young Tenou man growled playfully at his sound of his nickname and rested his arm on his young cousin's shoulders as he asked, "So… are we ready to meet the handsome young lads, Haru?"

The beautiful face grew into a frown as she thought of the party that would soon take place in the pension near the hospital.

"Buzz off, Haru-chan. You know I'm not interested. As a matter of fact, I have formulated a plan to avoid them fully; though Otou-sama and Okaa-sama may not approve of it."

"Oh? Getting smart now, are we? Let me in on the fun too!"

"Alright, but on the condition that you don't rat out on me, Haru-chan."

"Aw c'mon, you've known me for years, Haru. Am I the type to sell his buddies out?"

"Yes" was her unwavering answer. And he gave up in mock frustration.

"Fine, I swear that my lips are sealed. I won't tell anyone other than Haru-nii."

"Well, it goes like this…"

A while later…

"Why that's a brilliant plan, Haru!" exclaimed the blond man as he slapped his thigh in his excitement and spoke again, this time in a much lower volume after the glare that was sent in his direction, "I'd love to see the look on Miyuki ba-san's face when she sees you later."

"Yeah… just don't do anything stupid and help me out."

xxxxx

While seated beside the window, the young blonde leaned into her hand as she rested her elbow on the armrest of the seat, staring at the fluffy clouds below the wings of the jet.

'Today may be an interesting day,' she smiled to herself.

xxxxx

"Tenou Haruka!" exclaimed her mother in surprise. What came into Miyuki's sight was unexpected.

"Whatever happened to your hair?"

Standing right in front of her, was a tall young 'man' sporting short golden tousle, dressed in her cousin's light blue and white stripped polo shirt paired with snow white slacks and light brown leather shoes.

She rubbed the nape of her neck and replied sheepishly, "Well… The weather is too hot, so I decided to get a haircut."

Almost identical teal green eyes narrowed skeptically and another question was posed, "And your choice of dressing?"

At that inquiry, Haruka quickly looked to her older cousins for support.

Kiyoharu looked to his brother nervously while Yoshiharu laughed with equal nervousness as he interrupted, "Miyuki ba-san, it's good to have a change of image once in a while, isn't it?"

"I agree that a change of image is good once in a while but this… she looks… just like-

"Me?" a deep voice finished her sentence.

"No, Toshi! Well yes, she does look just like you. But she looks just like a boy!"

"It's fine, Yuki, maybe this change isn't that bad after all," he turned to his young daughter and gave her a little smile. It felt as if he knew this was going to happen sooner or later.

xxxxx

"Tenou-sama, as we all know, there will be a few new labs in the east wing for researching purposes as well as new single wards in the west wing."

The Tenou head nodded sternly at the director as he scanned the surroundings, nodding in approval. Meanwhile, the young Tenou heir gazed out the window, looking listless and bored while she listened to what the director has to say about the latest developments in the hospital. As the group stopped in the lobby for a short break, Haruka took the chance to stretch herself and gave a light yawn as she plopped down onto the nearest sofa in sight.

After a few drinks were passed around and quickly consumed, the director spoke once again, "Sir, I believe it's time to proceed. Shall we?"

'Just how much further is that geezer going to take us?'

Toshi, as if reading her mind, walked towards his daughter and patted the blonde girl on her head while he spoke, "If you're tired, go for a short walk. I will continue with the rest of them."

At that very sentence, her teal green eyes regained their former glow visibly and she thanked her father for the favor.

"Thank you for being understanding, Otou-sama," said Haruka.

"Just remember to return before the party starts, I will be waiting for you here."

The blonde nodded in understanding and the group set off again, this time, to god knows where.

Walking to the canteen, she grabbed herself a drink and took the elevator up to where her parents' office was supposed to be.

The elevator stopped with a 'ding', and the blonde stepped out quickly, turning her head around for the sign which would direct her to the office.

Following the sign, she stopped by a door with her father's nametag and raised her hand to turn the knob only to stop suddenly.

'Huh? Music?'

She whipped her head around, listening more intently as she followed the sound slowly. The melody sounded so delicate that it made her stop her breathing, feeling as if even a little breath would blow the melody away. The Tenou girl took her steps slow and light, until she came to a door that led to the roof.

'What beautiful sounds… It's been ages since I've heard something like this. Who is it?'

The door was left ajar, and her curiosity was killing her.

Gently and silently, she opened the door.

The sight that greeted her was unbelievable.

Her lips parted as she spoke in a loud whisper.

"An angel…?"

The figure stopped immediately at the voice of a stranger and then, teal green eyes met ocean blue ones.

And that was how we first met.

End of Chapter I

-Omake-

'Huh? Music? Where's it coming from?'

The blonde girl followed the trail of music until she came to a door which led to the rooftop.

Opening the door gently, her eyes were fixated onto a white figure playing the violin animatedly.

She took slow silent steps towards the figure, hoping to see the face of the person who could play such wonderful music…

"An ange-

Bzzt!

"Huh? Whoa!"

The music stopped completely as she tripped over an extended cord which was connected to a CD player not far from the figure.

And that was how our protagonists met.

End of Omake

Akira: Lol, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The little omake wasn't really funny I know. I just feel that I have to get it out of my system somehow lol. It wasn't very nicely written, I have to admit. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Do leave a review if you like. No obligations here but I sure would like to know how the readers think of this. :)