Disclaimer: La Corda d'Oro is Kure Yuki's.

Beta reader: ThinE

I'm finally back, it's been more than 2 years. I missed this fandom so much! Oh, happy belated birthday, dear annalisemarie99! :)

Dream Melodies

Surely it wasn't coincidence that they were all here, celebrating her first formal recital.

It had been a long way; when she was a kid, never did she think she could play the violin, let alone have the chance to play at a concert hall. She wanted to be a singer once, but as soon as she turned eight, she considered becoming a wife instead. It was the big brother next door, whom she kind of worshipped as a young girl for his kind personality. When he got married in a chapel, her eyes brightened and it was then that she thought marriage was every girl's dream.

Since she met Lily and her wonderful, talented friends in that unforgettable second year of high school, however, she began chasing a whole new dream. The beauty of music had seeped into her, the sweetness of first love had introduced her to so-called youth. Though first love was rarely meant to be eternal, all the things she had learnt from her high school days were such that she could never let it leave her memory. And now that she had stepped on the beginning of her career as a violinist—the gate of her dream coming true—she almost couldn't believe what she saw.

First, it was Hihara Kazuki who had come into her view. His hands spread open as if ready to give her the warmest embrace, the corners of his eyes stretched to tiny lines thanks to his wide grin. Behind him, Shimizu Keiichi was smiling as sweet as an angel, a brown tie awkwardly hung around his collar and peeked from under the gray suit. When she was unable to say anything, a bouquet of roses and lilies were shoved into her vision, followed by the most gentlemanly smile from one Yunoki Azuma. Fuyuumi Shouko and Amou Nami were wrapped in their best dresses, waltzing to her almost instantly and pulled her to a group hug. Then, simple greetings were exchanged as Tsukimori Len nodded in acknowledgement.

She didn't really say anything about the recital to anyone in particular—save for her boyfriend and family. It was merely a small open stage, located in a small prefecture; it was actually a wonder that there was even such a place to perform. But then again, there were people who loved music everywhere, and she didn't really think it was important to play only in front of a specific scale of audience—well, not that she could choose, though. She was given a chance to play, and she was happy just for that reason. Nonetheless, she knew her friends were all so out of reach, what with having amazing jobs as musicians and businessmen, that she couldn't bring herself to invite them.

Yet now, they were all there, basking in delight as she stood rock-still at the back of the stage. The audience, mostly middle-aged people and their grandchildren, were chatting animatedly to their own acquaintances, mentioning about her performance, creating buzzing sounds in the background. When she could actually muster to say something, though still entirely being overjoyed, she could only bow her head earnestly as a 'thank you' slipped out of her lips. Genuine smiles were what she obtained in reply.

"Congratulations on your first recital," said Ryoutaro between his soft laughter; the khaki suit completed his tan complexion perfectly. He glanced up at her as he sat on the grass, taking in her nervous look, before patting the handkerchief he had laid besides him. "Sit, Kahoko?" he offered with a teasing smile.

"You really know how to surprise me," Kahoko laughed meekly, positioning herself on the offered space, careful so that her baby blue, knee-length dress wouldn't touch the drying grass. She drew her knees up to rest her chin over with, her arms tangled below her thighs to prevent the fabric blown by the wind. Letting a serene sigh out of her lips, she smiled at her friends who were chattering near the river, not far from the stage. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I just want them to remember those days," Ryoutaro stretched his arms above his head, "after all it's one of the rare occasions for us to perform together."

"Just like the first day of the concourse," Kahoko chuckled, "thank you for sparing your time for me, when you're so busy writing a new song for that prime time drama."

"Anything for you." Pecking Kahoko on the forehead, Ryoutaro sighed contentedly at the girl's delight. He gazed at their friends who were exchanging news a few meters from where he and Kahoko sat, his eyes for some reason locked on Fuyuumi's belly. "…She's gonna be a parent," he commented.

"You mean they're gonna be parents," Kahoko laughed lightly, pointing at Len, her ex-boyfriend, who was now wrapping Fuyuumi's shoulders with his suit jacket. Ryoutaro nodded solemnly, as if deep in thought.

"Never thought that iceberg can be a father."

"Well… things change," said Kahoko quietly, her eyes trained on the blue sky above before waving as Hihara called her. He had taken off his shoes, lightly skipping in the water, with Amou busy taking pictures of said famous commercial model, and Shimizu yawning beside her. "But then again, there are some things that remain the same."

"True," Ryoutaro nodded. "Oh, Shimizu said he can only be in Japan for two days. He has to get back to France tomorrow morning. So much for being a high-demand-cellist, huh."

"Jealous much?" Kahoko teased, to which Ryoutaro merely ruffled her hair in response.

"And how about Yunoki-senpai?" she continued.

Ryoutaro shrugged. "I heard there are some talks about him being the heir of his family. Well, his first brother has died from an accident and the second one chose to elope, so..."

"I hope he's okay," Kahoko frowned at the news. "That's not quite a good thing, but if it's Yunoki-senpai…"

"Well, Kahoko," Ryoutaro cut in, suddenly brushing his thumb over her cheek, urging her to stare at him in bewilderment. "Don't you think it's time for us to change too?"

For a moment, only silence followed. At first she just kept her eyes on Ryoutaro's, seeking for answers behind those words. Then the realization dawned on her. She put her palm on top of Ryoutaro's warm one, eyes slightly wavering. Ryoutaro smiled.

"How about we make your childhood dream come true?"

Ryoutaro's thumb now stroked Kahoko's cheekbone softly in circular motions. For what seemed like forever, she almost forgot how to speak; lips quivered if only slightly. Her eyes glazed, before soft laughter escaped from her lips, and she rested her forehead on Ryoutaro's crook of neck.

"How do you know about my childhood dream?"

"Found your elementary school's essay when your mother asked me to help cleaning the warehouse," Ryoutaro shrugged, threading his free fingers with Kahoko's hair. Said girl laughed a little bit louder, half-amused and half-embarrassed.

"Oh no, that's—I even forgot I ever wrote that."

"Now you remember," Ryoutaro kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet floral scent that lingered on Kahoko's features. "And I'm guessing you're ready to make it come true."

As Kahoko's laughter dissipated into spring breeze and nothingness embraced them again, she took a deep breath, hands snaking around Ryoutaro's waist. "Well, I… " She began, voice shook. "Thank you, Ryoutaro-kun…"

"Is that a yes?" he whispered.

"…You don't need to ask the obvious."

Upon the answer, Ryoutaro laughed as expressively as he could, sending a punch to the air to emphasize his happiness. Instantly a loud cheer was heard—the courtesy of their friends, causing her to bury her face even deeper in Ryoutaro's neck in surprise.

So all her friends knew, and that was why they were stealing glances at them all the while, hoping to capture the moment. She chuckled at the thought. Really, sometimes Ryoutaro was just too much.

He wasn't really different from the moment she met him for the first time. Sometimes his tendency to act straightforwardly and lose his temper on mundane things caused them to be involved in heated arguments. Yet, sometimes he could be the sweetest guy on Earth, all romantic and gentle, making Kahoko feel treasured like a princess or even a queen. Nevertheless, there was only one thing she was sure of…

Despite all his flaws and finenesses, he was the man she chose—the man who chose to be with her. The man who could fulfil her childhood dream, completing the other dream she had just accomplished. The man who was going to spend his whole life with her.

Bracing herself to shift so that she could see the glee on her friends' faces, she hugged Ryoutaro tighter as a tear threatened to grace its way on her cheek. She closed her eyes briefly to blink the moisture away, smiling just so wide as she sensed all the cheers dull away. Her mind wandered to the precious memory.

Lily, it's not the violin romance. It's not first love for the both of us. We don't make a legend. But we certainly will create our own story, writing every single page in our book with memories. We might fight, we might cry, and might have a lot of problems ahead. But we'll make it work, and we'll laugh again after every storm. So, Lily…

It's how romance's supposed to be, right?

At the back of her mind, she could see Lily grin merrily.

~fin~

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