I glanced at my watch and frowned. Tsubaki and Watari were supposed to be here already, yet there I was; alone. Grumbling, I decided to text Tsubaki. Just as I went to start typing, I heard a melodica from afar.
"Huh?" Shaking my head, I followed the sound and came across a girl playing, as I'd heard, a melodica; beautifully, I might add. Without meaning to, I stood and stared. She finished a minute later and our eyes met before she spoke to the children who had been watching her with admiration. They joined her playing and the scene could only be described as something out of a child's storybook. I almost didn't notice the pigeons that perched overhead as they played. It was as if everything around this girl moved to the rhythm she's set. I faintly heard footsteps as I watched; the girl was gathered her things. She turned around when I heard Tsubaki's voice from behind me.
"You got here before us so you could meet her first! Nice one, Kousei!" The girl joined us as Tsubaki loudly beamed her greeting and flashed a bright smile. Tsubaki grinned back.
"Well, I guess I had better introduce you all! Kousei, this is Kaori Miyazono. Kousei, this Kaori, the violinist I told you about. This guy back here is Watari Ryota, the dependable Friend A." Watari gave a small smile as Tsubaki wrapped her arm tight around his shoulder. I looked away to glance at the building a few yards from where we stood. I hadn't noticed we were so close to Towa Hall, where I had spent hours in countless piano competitions.
"Shoot!" Kaori exclaimed suddenly, "If I don't hurry I'm gonna be late."
"Late for what?" Tsubaki questioned, looking concerned.
"I have a competition at Towa in ten minutes." She replied, her gaze shifting to the Hall.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tsubaki replied, dragging Watari by the arm. Kaori took hold on my hand, practically staring me down,though her smile stayed.
"You wanna come along?" She asked. I nodded, mesmerized for a second in her gaze. She and I followed Watari and Tsubaki. We got to the hall in the nick of time, surprisingly.
"See you guys in a bit! I've gotta go backstage." Kaori grinned and went to join the other participants.
"So, Kousei. What do you think?" Tsubaki's question would have been surprising had she not done similar things in the past.
"She's," I paused. I just met the girl! How was I supposed to feel? Kaori had me wrapped around her finger the moment she was a bit cheesy, but I gave a small smile. "She's amazing." I finished, somewhat flustered. Tsubaki looked positively ecstatic.
"You like her!" She exclaimed. I chuckled dryly and scratched my neck at her outburst.
"Dude, you do. Don't act like you don't! Kaori's just as smitten with you, man, trust me." Watari spoke with conviction. I knew he and Tsubaki had had this set up from the start. Kaori's friends with Tsubaki, so I'm sure they helped each other out somehow. Then again, that just an inference. I was clueless as to what had really transpired.
"You sure about that?" I asked. Both Watari and Tsubaki nodded confidently.
"Come on! Let's go get good seats." I followed my friends into the auditorium and had momentary déja vú. I'd been in here countless times, rarely as a spectator, but I knew Towa Hall better than I knew the piano keys I could no longer hear. About fifteen minutes into the competition, Kaori went up on stage. Tsubaki had to rouse Watari from sleep, but I didn't pay them very much attention. Kaori glanced at her accompanist, and appeared to take deep breath. The accompanist played a single note before she chimed in. Kaori wasn't playing the score we'd heard thrice before as it was written. She plays with moxie, pride, emotion. The ones I'd played like that had earned me a hit on a the head and regret I still carried with me. Hearing Kaori play was something I'd remember forever. She had the entire audience captured from the first note, then continued to keep us on the edge of our seats with the rest of the piece. As she played, I could almost see colors dancing around her, coming from her violin. The accompanist struggled to keep up, but she played on without a care. When she finished, Kaori bowed, then exited. Afterwards, we (being Watari, Tsubaki, and I) caught up with her.

"How'd I do?" Kaori asked, sounding genuinely eager for my opinion. She been given flowers by a couple of little girls, along with adamant praise; she accepted them gratefully before turning to me.

"You were amazing. Your playing was erratic, off score, and the poor accompanist could barely keep up with you, but I'm sure you'll win audience favorite." I blushed and met her steady gaze before continuing. "You were the best musician that played, in my opinion. No doubt you'll move on." She grinned, setting her flowers down next her violin case. What she did next surprised me more than her performance. Kaori kissed me, then whispered a goodbye, taking my hand and squeezing it, as if to say that she'd see me again soon. She waved to Tsubaki and Watari, then left.
"Is there any way I could get her phone number from you, Tsubaki?" I was in a bit of daze from her kiss, but I shook it off and resolved to call or text her later. That is, if Tsubaki gives me her number.
"Sure, lover boy. Give me your phone," She replied, taking out hers. I handed it over and a few seconds later, Tsubaki handed it back. I had a new contact under Kaori's name.
"Thanks." I said, blushing a little. It was sort of out of character for me to get a girl's phone number, but I figured it'd socially unacceptable not to.
"No problem. Listen, we've got practice in a little bit. Catch you later?" Tsubaki's question was rhetorical, so there was really no point in asking, but she did anyway.
"Yeah. Have fun." I waved at them, and left.

Later, I found myself texting Kaori. Nothing flashy; a simple 'hi, this is so-and-so, when can I see you again?'. She responded quickly with: "Hey Kousei! Does tomorrow after school work?" I smiled despite myself, sending a response immediately to take her up on her offer. I halfway expected my mother to come in and check up on me, as she always did, but she'd been dead for just over a year. I missed her every day. My house, empty with her gone and my dad on one of his frequent and long business trips. It was getting to the point where I couldn't really remember the daily sounds of family life. I shook the thoughts away as my phone buzzed. Kaori was calling.

"Hello?"
"Hi, Kousei. What's up?" Her reply was quick, cheerful as always. I smiled.
"Not much. I'm really bored."
"Me too. So, about tomorrow. Can we meet in the music room?" I wasn't phased by her query. Two child music prodigies meeting in a music room makes sense.
"Yeah. Don't expect me to play anything, though." I could see her frown in my mind's eye.
"Why not, if you don't mind me asking?" Kaori wasn't asking to be rude, I knew, but it upset me to think about why I'd given up something I loved.
"I'll explain tomorrow. I'm tired. See you tomorrow, yeah?" I asked, yawning
"If you show up, that is. Good night." She, too, yawned. I chuckled before replying.
"Night." With that, we hung up. I turned off my phone and bedroom light, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

Hello, my loves! I hope you enjoyed that. This chapter was Beta'd by the lovely pyrog9991. More to come soon.
-Jen