Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda d'Oro and its characters. I'm just an aspiring writer :')

Chapter 1: Change of Plans
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The Yunoki main house is filled with muted solemnity as the members of the family pay their last respects to the family matriarch. Azuma kept his good-natured façade while entertaining the guests, smiling and gracefully conversing with them, but careful in not drawing attention to himself. Now that his grandmother has passed away, his future is at the mercy of his eldest brother's decisions. And quite honestly, he doesn't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing. He grew up in the shadow of his two older brothers, and was unable to form any personal relationship with them. They were all groomed to be the successors of a very important family business and tradition. They were taught that such intimacy, even familial, does not suit those of their stature.

He is currently a sophomore in an elite business school in London, per request of his late grandmother. His sudden return to Japan was due to her unexpected death. He had come to accept his responsibilities as the third son and was going to forget his repressed desires and capabilities, albeit unwillingly. But coming back to Japan stirred up unwanted and conflicting emotions. He was certain he could keep up this façade, but coming back again made him reminisce the bond he was forced to leave — the bond with the people who had made his life and his music a little bit more meaningful, and of that certain person who had broken into his carefully guarded self-control.

Left in his solitude, Azuma poured out his heart in a mellow and soulful melody (Albinoni's Adagio) to calm his senses.

'Yunoki! Why didn't you inform us you were in Japan?' Kazuki demanded on the other end of the line. Azuma sighed as he anticipated his friend's fussing. Despite the fact that they had somehow grown apart due to the distance and a certain redhead, his cheerful friend still tries to maintain their friendship, occasionally sending e-mails to him to update him on the happenings of everybody's lives. For him, that information was for awareness' sake only. He had not intended to come back and re-acquaint with them. He was pretty much moving on with his new responsibility, and dealing with them would just complicate things.

"Sorry about that. It was pretty much unexpected, and I wouldn't be staying for long. I still have to go back to London"

"But you could have at least warned us so we could have some get-together! Say, are you free tomorrow? Your flight shouldn't be that soon, right? You would still have a lot things to patch up now that your obaa-san's gone.. " There was a long pause on the other end of the line "… and um, I'm sorry about your obaa-san." Azuma could picture Kazuki scratching his head.

Sigh. He reverted to his kind disposition "Thank you Hihara-kun. I am fine, and our family's holding up well. I believe I can meet with you tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know when I will be free."

"Awesome! I'll let the others know. Ja!" Azuma sighed again as Kazuki ended the call. 'It seems that I can't avoid them now', he thought to himself.

A light tap on his door interrupted him from his reverie. Miyabi revealed herself and informed him that Onii-sama has requested for his presence.

"Hai. I will be there."

His two older brothers were already seated in the residence office room. They had always been apathetic to him. They have caught on with Azuma's surpassing skills and seemed to have a mutual distaste for him. Azuma is aware of this but he has prepared himself not to be surprised by whatever they might come up with. Despite the gravity of his position, he doesn't concern himself with petty brotherly jealousy.

"Onii-sama" Azuma bowed and greeted with a smile.

"Azuma" his eldest brother regarded him with a stern face. "We all know that as the eldest I will be taking up the position as head of the family, now that Otou-sama has long passed the responsibility to us. I personally find it a waste of investment by sending you off to London. The company is more that able to persist even with just the two of us", the eldest brother spoke with authority. "However, you will not disgrace our family by doing nothing. You are still expected to perform your duties. You will be transferred here in Tokyo University, and you will continue studying business administration." he paused. "That is all."

Azuma had anticipated this. He knows that his brothers would plot something that would further up their rank from him and put him in place. But he could still use the situation to his advantage. He smirked in his head as he visualize the reorganization of his life. His brothers didn't know that they had just made his life easier for him. With a smile, he bowed and regarded his brother, "Hai, onii-sama".

Author's Note: This is my first ever fanfic. yey! \^^/ so I would greatly appreciate reviews and comments. Also, I'm open for suggestions. In this story, I would like to develop Asuma and kahoko's relationship slow, from friendship. Of course there would be the usual rivalries. :))