It was Music... By: Seishin no Hime.
WARNING: Before you start reading this let me warn you that I have only watched 9 episodes of the anime and read 7 chapters of the manga. I have NOT played the games so anything that is revealed about either Myoga Reiji or Kohinata Kanade's characters in later episodes, chapters or the game has not been taken into account here.
That being said, I absolutely love Myoga Reiji's character and from the first time i saw him and Kanade interact they were were officially my OTP.
So this one-shot is my version of how I think that their lives COULD turn out. By no means am I saying that this is what will happen or even that this is likely to happen, because it really isn't.
If you ship it, then enjoy ^^ If you don't, then fair enough, each to their own.
Standard Disclaimers apply.
Myoga Reiji x Kohinata Kanade.
She couldn't believe that she'd forgotten. It had been a long time ago but that excuse the fact that she had failed to recall the event, even upon his prompting during the semifinals of the competition.
For the longest time she had wondered why he seemed to hate her with a passion. She didn't understand him and that ultimately lead to them both being hurt emotionally.
Reiji wasn't a bad person. He was a person who had been through so much pain and suffering in his life, the kind of suffering that she didn't think she would live through. The violin and his younger sister Shiori were the only things that he could really lean on in his life and, albeit unintentionally, she had undermined him in one of those two categories.
In her younger days Kanade hadn't really understood the meaning of the word 'competition'. For her, it was just another chance to play the instrument that she loved and share her love of music with those who chose to listen. It wasn't the scores or the prizes, it was just Kanade and the Violin.
Growing up, she had Ritsu and Kyoya by her side, people who could share in her love of the violin. She could make beautiful sounds with them. Myoga Reiji didn't have that. All he had was the violin, his sounds were lonely and wistful but you could hear that he found solace in the music none the less.
When Reiji chose to compete in competitions it was his way of finding people who loved the same kind of thing as him, people who, at least on some level, he could share the home he found in music with.
So on the evening when she was 8 and he was 9 she didn't think much of being handed the trophy after performing Camille Saint saens: Danse Macabre. She had smiled brightly, glad that she could play her violin. She didn't think much of the red-haired boy who had approached her after the competition was over, after all, she had to get home, Ritsu-kun and Kyoya were waiting for her! She never thought that maybe he had wanted to talk to her, no idea that he was feeling so terribly alone.
It was this moment that would bring him to resent her so terribly in the future. When that time came she felt helpless and pitiful, like she was being victimized, she had no idea that by showing that she clearly had no recollection of him she would only bring him to hate her more.
Really, it was no surprise that Amane Gakuen beat Seiso Gakuen in the finals of the competition. Myoga Reiji worked incredibly hard to get to where he had been at the time of the competition. Kanade was proud to say that she had done her absolute best and didn't regret losing to him for a second. No amount of practice could beat the amount of pure passion and talent that went into Reiji's performance.
The real surprise came when he approached her after the competition was over and said that he'd be willing to explain why he had treated her so bitterly since they had met. It was more than she could have expected in any case. It wasn't an apology for his actions but she wasn't expecting one nor did she deserve one. The sadness she felt when his tale was over was overwhelming and she had cried for him because he refused to cry for himself.
If she hadn't been so overwhelmed by the sadness she probably would have laughed at the panicked look on his face when the first few tears slid down her face. It had been awkward and they hadn't left that meeting friends by any means, but it was the first step, one of many, towards finally reconciling and being able to start fresh.
Two years later they performed together for the first time (Sarasate: Airs Bohemiens Op.20). It wasn't flawless, no musical performance ever is, but it was pretty damn close and it had been a turning point in their relationship.
Of course it would be music that eventually brought them together, it was after all, what caused them to meet in the first place, all those years ago. The violin, which had once been what started their drawn-out conflict, is what had been the true turning point towards a new light.
They began to meet more often, they would often go out with Sousuke and Sei or Kyoya, Haruto and Sakaki-senpai, occasionally Ritsu would even tag along. She learned more about how he had originally come to learn the violin and he told her stories of how he had tried to teach Shiori the violin only to give up when he thought he might actually go deaf.
During those times she would find herself listening to his laughter more than the actual story. It was refreshing to see him smiling, refreshing that he was able to smile after everything that he had been through and she looked forward to their meetings for that sole purpose.
The first they went out alone, just the two of them, it was strange and slightly awkward but they laughed it off and only after she nearly managed to fall down a flight of stairs by tripping over her own feet did the tension leave the air completely. The rest of their 'date' was spent talking about what they were planning to do when they finished their respective music course at university.
Unsurprisingly, Reiji wanted to become a traveling performer but Kanade decided, halfway through her major, that she would much prefer to teach the violin to young children. The main reason for this choice was that she wanted children to be able to find that kind of peace in music that she and Reiji had been able to find when they were children. She hoped that she would be able to make the lives of some of those who were suffering just a little bit better.
When they did graduate, Kanade felt a wave of sadness that she had not expected to feel. She came to the sudden realization that once Reiji left to travel, it would become much more difficult to stay in contact with one another. Later that day he congratulated her and gave her warm hug, telling her that he was proud of her but she could see the same sadness reflected in his eyes
As it turned out, it was barely a year later when she heard from his again. This contact came in the form of a letter which she was surprised to find when she returned to her apartment in the middle of February. It read:
Kohinata-san,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am doing well, the weather in America is terribly cold right now but I am able to find time to curl up in front of the fire and finally write this.
Much of my time is consumed by practice and when I am not practicing, it feels as though I am always performing.
It is not the same performing without Amamiya-san and Sousuke or yourself but it has a rather enjoyable quality in and of itself. How are you finding she role as a teacher instead of that as a student? I assume that you are also finding it to be a rather strange but bearable change.
I am sorry that I've not gotten in contact before now but I am sorry to say that it looks as though I will not be returning to Japan for a few years.
-Myoga Reiji.
That was the first of many letters that they went on to exchange. They didn't talk about anything terribly deep, preferring to keep the conversations light but at one point, about 3 years after they had graduated, Kanade had mentioned in passing that her parents had passed away and Reiji wouldn't let the issue go until her knew for sure that she was definitely okay.
It was a total of 6 six years later that he finally returned for good. She was 25, he was 26. For a while they danced around each other, not really sure what to say because it is harder to talk to somebody face-to-face that to talk to them through a letter. It was 2 months later when Haruto got into an accident and ended up in the hospital that she finally broke down and he was there to comfort her. Yet again, it was turning point in their relationship.
She had cried for hours, terrified that he wouldn't wake up and he had held her close and assured her that everything would be fine. As it turned out, everything was fine and Haruto woke up 2 days later. He was released from the hospital within the week.
Most people would assume that she was the one that confessed her feelings first but in fact Reiji was the one that calmly told her a few months later that he had liked her a long time and that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. Of course, she accepted.
They dated for a grand total of 10 months before he asked her to marry him. It wasn't a big affair and he didn't get down on one knee to ask for her hand. He simply asked her when they were curled up on the couch, her back against his chest and his arms around her waist. Although shocked, she didn't hesitate to say yes, after all, the thought of refusing never once crossed her mind.
Neither of them being the kind if people to drag things out, they were engaged for 6 months before they were finally to ready to tie the knot.
And that was why Kanade was now waiting anxiously for the wedding march to start so that Ritsu could take her arm and lead her down the aisle. She was excited for what would happen in the future and she couldn't wait to begin her future with Reiji.
It was music that made him hate her, it was music that brought them together, it was music that helped them to reconcile and now it was music that was signaling that it was time for her to walk down the aisle that signified the beginning of the rest of her life.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought, what could be improved, what you liked or just to generally say hi! It is much appreciated!
Sei x