Hello and welcome! This is not my first La Corda D'oro story, but it is my first in a long time. I recently moved back in with my mother –yay for being broke– and found my entire collection of the manga. After reading through that about five times, I ended up re-watching most of the anime and a part of Blue Sky. I started to wonder why Len randomly showed up at Seiso, and what was going on in his life. So, I decided to start putting this story together.

I should mention now that this is going to be a mixture of manga canon, anime canon, and AU. I don't plan on adding any original characters into this story, but I do not want to be held to that. I do plan on attempting to explore at least a little into the lives of each of the main canon from the manga and show. As in both, some characters may be skimmed over slightly, I apologize if I do not get every character touched on equally. Also, I know that the summary is rather vague about who this story is about. I'm going to be up front about this, this story is probably going to be rather Len and Kahoko heavy. I just want to give everyone a heads up.

Onto important information for the story. In the manga it says that Blue Sky takes place eight years after the main canon. I am placing Kahoko at twenty-four. I might be doing my math wrong, but from what I can tell in the manga and anime, she was sixteen throughout both and so now she should be twenty-four. I actually think that might be the only important information needed at the moment. Hopefully I'm not forgetting something.

Anyways, this is a strictly fan based story. All rights go to KOEI and Yuki Kure.

"Thank you, Hino-sensei!"

"Don't forget to practice your bowing everyone. I expect to see improvement next week!" Kahoko Hino hollered after the children who were dashing out the door of the classroom. She watched each of them exit in a rush with their violins in hand.

"I knew that you would be a natural," a voice behind her caught her off guard. Turning around, she caught sight of Shinobu Ousaki putting his own violin away.

When he had first approached her about teaching the class, she declined instantly. Even after she'd managed to get into the music department at Seiso Academy and the university program, she didn't feel right being entrusted to teach children about music. She still regularly had difficulties with her own performance. It wasn't until Shinobu ensured her that she would be a perfect fit that she began to consider the idea –not to mention the fact that she did need a job.

"I wouldn't say natural. I've never naturally taken to the violin," Kahoko said. Even when she'd first picked up the instrument, it was not her natural abilities that held her up but the magic Lili had placed on the violin.

Shinobu shook his head, as he did so often when speaking with Kahoko, "That's not what I'm talking about. What I mean is that you work so well with the children, and they really respect you. Besides, we are all still learning. What really matters is that we continue to build a space where everyone can enjoy music. You don't have to be so worried about your skill level."

It was a common lecture that Shinobu had given her over the years. In response, she nodded her head. He was right, but it didn't mean she could simply stop comparing herself to others. While she continued to work on her own performance, there were constant updates from the other concours contestants all those years back. Len was traveling around Europe, Ryoutaro was guest performing with various orchestras across the world, and Keiichi would be holding a recital in the United States within the month. Azuma, Kazuki, and Shoko were working hard every day with the local symphony orchestra to create performances for the community. Even Aoi found time to perform occasionally while traveling to various tennis competitions.

Seeing the growing look of frustration on Kahoko's face, Shinobu quickly shifted the subject away, "Did you see the posters for the symphony? Nami said that they are going to write a whole article about the upcoming concert in the magazine she's been working with lately."

"Kazuki showed me the two designs they were trying to decide between last week. Which one did they go with?" Despite the fact that the samples were for orchestra members' eyes only, Kazuki often let the secrets spill for Kahoko. "And Nami called me about the article. She wants to interview me after the performance to get my perspective. I told her that I couldn't. I'm not the right person to interview for something like that."

"You know that she's still going to track you down, right? Once Nami decides on something, there is no stopping her. As for the poster, they went with the skyline of the city with the featured pianist. I heard that Ryoutaro introduced him to the conductor. They must have met while abroad. I think he's from England," Shinobu added. He had been rather surprised to hear that someone from England would be the guest performer in one of their city's local performances.

A slight pout flashed over Kahoko's face. She didn't feel comfortable being quoted in articles that Nami wrote. When they were back in high school, the paper only went to the students, but now she sent them far and wide. There were people outside of the country that often ordered the magazines she wrote for. For some reason, it was just too much for Kahoko to handle –knowing that people outside of Japan were reading and agreeing or disagreeing with her opinion.

"Don't make me think about it, Shinobu!" she covered her face with both hands.

"It's really nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about," he smiled before shutting his violin case. "I will be going ahead of you. I have some plans tonight."

"Good night, Shinobu," Kahoko said, lowering her hands from her face. She still had to put away her own violin before leaving for the day.

As Shinobu left the room, she picked up her instrument and began cleaning off the rosin off the strings. The first day she instructed the class, she was reminded of all those years back, when Len first learned the truth without knowing it. At the time, she was angry with Lili for putting her in such a place, but now she could be nothing but thankful. It was because of Lili that her life was put on the path of music. It was irreplaceable.

Putting her violin in its case, she shut and latched it, picked it up, and headed for the door herself. It was still early evening, but she had a few errands to run before returning home. When she reached university, she moved out of her parents home and into a nearby apartment. Her house was close to Seiso University, but her mother and sister had trouble with her staying up all night to practice the violin. The apartment she'd moved into accepted and preferred to have music majors living within its walls. Since graduating, she continued to live there because it was cheaper than most other places, and she was able to play when she so chose.

She didn't mind living alone, though she often returned to her parent's house for meals. She never felt like cooking when she got home, but her wallet let her know quickly that she had no choice in the matter. She could not afford to live off restaurants and pre-packaged meals. As long as she informed her mother beforehand, she was always welcome to eat there. Unfortunately, today she had not called ahead and would have to rely on herself. Therefore, the market was one of the places she had to stop by before returning home, but it was not the first one.

"Kahoko!" Minami greeted as she entered the small music shop the man owned. Throughout all of her years learning music, the shop remained a constant for her. She rarely set foot in other music stores, and when she did she often felt bad for not going to Minami's.

"Good afternoon, Minami," she greeted back to the older man.

"Here to pick up the sheet music you put on hold?" he asked, reaching below the counter where he kept the holds.

Kahoko nodded as she made her way to the counter and took her wallet out of her purse. She'd looked all around the city for the sheet music, but couldn't find it. In the end, she had to order it and wait for it to come in.

By the time Kahoko had her money out, Minami had rung up the music and was ready for her to hand him the yen. Over the years, they'd both grown faster with their transactions. Within minutes, the sheet music was placed into a brown cover and given to her, but before leaving she had to ask him, "Did you hear about the symphony concert?"

In an instant, he pointed towards the small corkboard that he kept up in the shop solely to hang posters for various classical –and occasionally jazz– events. There, right in the center of the board, the skyline of Yokohama was the backdrop behind a young, fresh-faced man. He did speak up to add, "Nami came in earlier with the poster. She said that Ryoutaro plans to return for the concert. I keep telling him that he needs to settle in for a while. Susumu will only be young once. He's going to regret not seeing his son grow up."

Kahoko couldn't help but grin. While she got Shinobu's cheer-up lecture on a regular basis, it was nothing compared to the amount of times Minami lectured Ryoutaro about being around for his son. She hadn't been there for the first lecture, but apparently it had begun when they first announced the pregnancy to the shopkeeper. Nami left shortly after the announcement, but he'd spent two whole hours in the shop that day –being told to buy a house and settle down in Yokohama until his child was grown. As expected, Ryoutaro hadn't followed the command.

When she had spoken to him about the matter, she learned of other side of the story. Ryoutaro and Nami had planned to start a family without the security of a house. They preferred living in apartments. It was easier to live in temporary housing when they had no idea where they would end up. He traveled often for performances while she traveled for stories. And –when it came to being at home– he was actually rarely gone. He travelled as little as needed –only arriving at a job for the minimum time needed for rehearsals and the performance itself.

Minami lectured him out of care, but he tended to exaggerate the circumstances surrounding the Tsuchiura family.

"Nami said that he calls every night when he's away to read Susumu a bedtime story," Kahoko pointed out. For the career path that Ryoutaro chose to travel down, it seemed that he was learning to balance his obligations surprisingly well.

Minami, however, did not seem to think so as he shook his head, "It's not the same."

"I'm sure that Ryoutaro and Nami will buy a house one day," Kahoko said, trying to cheer the man up from his small rant of frustration. "Until then, we will just have to be happy that Ryoutaro is spreading his music with people across the world."

That seemed to do it. While Minami did not agree with Ryoutaro constant disappearances –even after marrying and starting a family– he could not contain the amount of pride he had in Ryoutaro's piano playing. At the mention of it, his eyes lit up.

"Did you see the article written about his performance in Moscow? That young journalist truly understands what music is," Minami nodded his head in approval.

"I did! Nami sent me a copy," Kahoko smiled. At the mention of the article a thought ran across her mind. "Maybe I'll look it over when I get home. Nami wants to interview me after the performance here. I could get some pointers from his writing."

Minami's left eyebrow rose as he glanced to Kahoko, "It may be useful to see how others describe music, but don't take too much of it to heart. Nami will want your own personal opinion."

Kahoko leaned against the counter, slumping her shoulder down, "I know. I just don't know what I'll say about it. I've never been great at putting my feelings for music into vivid, colorful words."

"Trust Nami. She would not have asked you if she did not believe in your abilities and knowledge," Minami spoke the first encouraging words that truly connected with Kahoko.

She might not feel confident in her own abilities, but she believed in Nami. It was clear back at Seiso Academy that she would one day become a world-class journalist. She knew who to approach, and how to get the best angles on every story. Even if Kahoko gave her little to work with, she was certain that Nami would find a way to write a compelling article.

"Thank you, Minami. I'll see you soon," Kahoko bid him farewell. She waved one last time as she reached the door and left.

As she walked down the street, her stomach began to grumble out of hunger. If she had no control, she would have walked right into the convenient store and bought a pork bun to tied her over until she reached the market and home. In truth, it took all of the little self-control she had to stop her from doing exactly that. To keep her mind busy, as she walked past the store and towards the market, she ran through possible dinner ideas in her head.

Noodles sounded good, but she'd have to buy next to all of the ingredients to make that. She had almost everything needed for omurice –save for the eggs. The main problem she was having was actually having to cook herself food when she returned home. Her feet were beginning to ache, and she wanted to play through the sheet music at least once before bed. Cooking would take up more of her precious time.

When she reached the market, she wandered around the aisles attempting to settle on one dish. The fact that she had her violin and sheet music with her aided her in minimizing what she bought, since she would have to carry it all in one hand. After one full walk through the market, she settled on omurice. Eggs were cheap enough for her budget and easy enough to carry home. She took a small container to the counter and paid.

Once she was outside of the store, she focused on getting back to her apartment without any distractions. There were plenty of shops on the way from the building Shinobu and she ran the lessons to her apartment building. While some were stationary shops or clothing that she didn't often buy, there were plenty of bakeries and cafés as well. They tempted her on a daily basis. She'd tried to place a rule, for herself, to only get a treat when she had reached one of her goals, but it wasn't working all too well.

As she reached her building, she let out a heavy breath –thankful that she had made it without giving in to her temptations. Now, all she had to do was climb up five flights of stairs to get to her door. Her mother had waited until the last week before university started to agree to help her occasionally with rent and other payments. She was working for Minami at the time, but even that wouldn't always cover the fees. When she was finally able to speak with the landlord, there was only one room open. After moving all of her belongings up to the fifth floor, she decided against moving down to a lower floor even when the rooms became vacant. It was too much effort for her while she was in school, and she had grown rather fond of her room and decorations.

On the days that she grew bitter climbing up the stairs, she reminded herself that it was a good workout if nothing else. Today, she had to resort to thinking about how much trouble it would be to move every piece of furniture that she owned down to the second floor, and how she didn't even know how much longer she would live there. The less moving she had to do the better.

By the time she'd reached her floor, she was out of breath and could feel sweat dripping down the back of her neck. It was a common occurrence for her to instantly jump in the shower when she returned to her apartment. On top of that, her stomach was reminding her that she had skipped lunch earlier that day because she was running late for lessons.

"I thought you said you were going to move to a lower floor?" the voice took her by surprise. She recognized the tone without having to look up, but she couldn't believe it.

"Tsukimori-kun."

It'd been seven years since he asked her to stop calling him by that name. They were out as a group celebrating their graduations. While he spent his entire senior year studying abroad, he was still technically a student at Seiso and had returned in time for the ceremony. It was then that Ryoutaro announced his decision to continue in music and pursue a career in the field. He would be joining Kahoko at Seiso University for four more years. It was also when Len announced that he was accepted into a university in Vienna. That night, as they walked home together, he had asked her to start using his first name.

In the moment, it had felt like some type of milestone for the two of them. Despite the fact that he left the following weekend to perform in Germany before his university began in September. It seemed like a reminder that regardless of how far they were from each other, they would keep each other nearby. But even after that, she had trouble remembering to call him by such. He never got angry with her about it, but often corrected her. It was a constant reminder –a reminder of who they were, and the distance that separated them.

"Kahoko."

Thank you for reading! Reviews are highly appreciated!