Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'oro
Sequel-ish of my 'Unplanned Lesson' in my shewhomustnotbementioned account.
Teach Me
Ryotaro Tsuchiura gone crazy teaching an amateur
Engulfed in the midst of mixed emotion, and mind swirling with questions and utter confusion, Ryotaro Tsuchiura sauntered toward the music room he reserved for that day. Playing the piano was always an effective aid to appease the commencing war inside his mind. Every time, by touching the smooth ivory and ebony keys, he would feel at ease, and the clarity of his mind would often return. However, it seemed like that day was not one of those, where playing piano would wash away his mind from unbidden thoughts. Apparently, it made it worse...
Especially as once he opened the door, the center of his inner turmoil appeared with a strangled gasp. Ryotaro stopped, frozen in place. His eyebrows inched higher and wrinkled into a 'v' shape to hide his own surprise—more likely to hide the torrent of interrelated and unexplainable feelings drowning him from the inside. It seemed like there was a sea in high tide suddenly appeared inside of him. The beat of his heart sped fast giving him a hard time breathing properly. His stomach lurched and as if it was throbbing in unison with his uneasy heart.
Damn.
Those inexplicable behaviors he had been acting in the past few day were because of a certain meeting held in the same music room. Why did he ever think he could divert his attention when he was actually—unintentionally—walking to the same path where everything started. What confused him more was why he was making it a big deal while the lady in question looked at him with innocent blue eyes.
"W-what are you doing here?" Nami questioned, clearing her suddenly dried throat.
"What are you doing here, too?" Ryotaro repeated with the same level of curiosity.
"I booked this room."
"You?"
"Well, there's no rule saying student who doesn't know how to play the piano can't book this room."
After the ice had been broken, Ryotaro studied her with calmness. "But..." he grunted, scratching the back of his head. "You and piano doesn't go along in the same sentence, Amou." he grinned, feeling more comfortable, nonetheless the silent sense of foreboding remained in the shadow, barely noticeable but still there. He inhaled deeply, accumulating Nami's attention.
"Well, we don't. That's why we're acquainting with each other." Nami frowned. "Hello, Mister Piano, I'm Amou Nami, can we be friends." she sarcastically intoned.
"Well, Amou, I don't wish to disturb your date..." he paused, accenting the word date longer than his other words. "But, it's my time to use this room."
"How so, I just got in—" Nami looked at her wrist watch to counter him, but abruptly stopped with another gasp. This time she let it out loudly. "This can't be true! I'm sitting here doing nothing."
"Obviously."
"Tsuchiura, this isn't funny. I took a lot of effort to book this room. Can't a journalist who doesn't know anything about music play the piano even once."
"What do you know about music and notes."
"Nothing." she bluntly replied, pressing keys. "Just trying. Looking at you playing with a smile makes me curious." she grinned. "Why don't you teach me?"
"Oy!"
"I won't leave this room unless I learned something." she crossed her arms against her chest, lips curling into a pout.
Without his notice, he was staring at her lips as it formed words he cared nothing about, anymore. All he did was gawked and tried stopping himself from kissing that pout away. Ryotaro coughed, looking away to hide the mortified flush coloring his cheeks.
Nami raised a brow sounding complaining yet her shoulder stiffened remembering the time when he volunteered to teach her. It was something awkward that even a Nami would blush at the thought. But of course she wouldn't let him see it. "Whatever." she stared at the piano as if it was the most interesting thing to look at. "I'm staying here."
Kami, what did I do to deserve this. Ryotaro leaned at the other side of the piano, intentionally leaving a good space between them to at least lighten the tension. He pressed some keys and created a familiar sound. "Fine, just one."
Nami suppress a giggle. "What was that? I'm not a nursery student, Tsuchiura."
"You won't just sit there and play something Liszt's in your first try."
Nami sighed and concentrate on how his hand fluttered, touched the keys as it produced a melody. "I don't have a choice, right? And I won't leave this room unless I learned one piece."
"You said that already." Ryotaro scowled, more like frowning at himself for giving in to her lure.
Nami looked intently and tried to remember his previous lecture about the position of the hands. She then concentrate on the book she read about the basic playing of the piano. She pressed the key she believed has the same note with his. Then one more keys, then another, and more keys until she was playing the same melody he was playing. It might be rough and sometimes off key but she still managed to follow him. Not that the piece was something hard, she knew well, even a child can play it closed eyes. She could, too, only if she plays it often.
Ryotaro glanced as the woman tried her best to perfect Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.His lips lifted into an amused smile, considering the situation. As if on cue, Nami glanced back, contentment glimmering in the depth of blue orbs.
"Oh my goodness! I did it." she laughed, chuckled and jumped at his direction in excitement. "I played it!" she wrapped her arms around him into a tight hug, ignoring the fact her arms were not long enough compared to his big body. "I can't thank you enough, Ryou."
Ryotaro blinked, froze and blinked some more, bearing in mind that the abrupt action the brunette did was something he hadn't seen she did before. He watched as she smiled, laughed, shook her head and giggled and laughed some more. Her face flushed in excitement and pure glee, her eyes somewhat watery, Ryotaro surmised, it was because of her continuous chortle, maybe, tears of joy. He mentally laughed. He never thought Amou Nami could be that childish at times. And seeing this sight of her gave a pleasant thump in his heart.
In a matter of seconds, his earlier predicament returned in full force. The drowning sensation in his guts up to his chest clawed back in him.
His arm automatically moved at her side, tightly holding her in place. Nami looked at him.
He leaned, and her heart roared with his action. Nami swept a quick glance at her surrounding, spotting her camera an arm length away from them. She ducked, hitting his chin as she grabbed her camera and twirled to face him. "It was nice of you, Tsuchiura. Thank you for teaching me." she smiled for the last time before storming out of the room.
Damn.
Ryotaro stared at the door even if the brunette left minutes ago. He combed his hair in anxiety. "Great, Ryotaro, what have you done?" he hissed.
Just when he was about to stand he caught a glimpse of a notebook. He grabbed it and planned on giving it to the lost and found area.
~NeKo Meow~
What was he doing here! Ryotaro messed his hair for the nth time, walking back and forth in front of the Press Club room like a husband waiting for his wife to give birth to their child. He hissed, pulled some more hair and glared at the doorknob. He scowled and glared at the door as though he could actually produce a hole over it. In that moment he wished he had x ray vision or something of the sort.
Is she there?
He mentally screamed, mentally banged his head on the wall, and if possible he wouldn't disturb anyone, he would bump his head on the door.
"Ugh, Ryotaro, what are you doing here?" he frustratingly exhaled, waiting for hours in front of the clubroom, never having the guts to knock or open the door.
What if
What and if when put together they create a possibility. What if she's mad? What if she doesn't talk to him anymore? What if she's scared of him now? What if she sees him as a maniac!?
"What if I just bang my head on the wall literally to end this misery." Ryotaro exhaled. What was happening to him? He shook his head, trying to gain composure but failing miserably. He had fallen. Ever since that incident he couldn't stop but think about her. Her eyes, her smile, her face, her lip—
The door creaked open, revealing the woman of his thought.
"What are you doing here, Tsuchiura?" Nami asked.
A long pause followed before he managed a small reply. "I found your notebook."
"Oh!"
"You...er...forgot it in the practice room last time."
"Thanks." Nami grinned. "How long have you been standing there?"
Noticing the hint of playfulness in her voice, Ryotaro slightly frowned. "You know." It was not a question.
"Anyone would hear your footsteps. It sounds like you want to crack the floor. What's your problem?"
You're my problem. "Nothing."
"Wanna come in?" Nami opened the door wider, inviting him inside the clubroom. "You can look at what press club do." she turned around and walked in.
"No, it's okay. I just dropped by to give it to you."
"For hours, huh?" Nami smirked, feeling his scowl boring holes at the back of her head. "Just kidding."
Ryotaro ignored her sarcastic retort and just busied himself looking at her camera.
"You can try it, it doesn't bite."
"I'm not interested, thank you."
"Oh! Come on, I know you are."
"No."
"Yes."
"No, as in No."
"Yes as in Yes."
"No."
"No?"
"Yes!" he exhaled.
"Great." Nami grabbed her camera and gave it to him. "This is a camera. Ca-me-ra."
"I know what it is, Amou." he massaged his nape and frowned. "I'm going."
But even when he said it already, he couldn't somehow step a foot toward the door.
"Just kidding, Tsuchiura. I'll teach you how to use it." Nami didn't give him a chance to talk, starting her summarized lecture about photography. Seemingly, the guy listen intently.
"So, this is the shutter release?" Ryotaro asked and Nami nodded in response. "That's quite easy."
"Really huh."
"Yes." Ryotaro brought the camera up to his eye and focus it on Nami, waiting her to stand still before clicking the button.
"I said, capture something interesting."
"Yes..." Ryotaro grinned and sauntered toward the window.
After a while of capturing the tree, which he didn't know why, he turned around and saw her writing in her notebook. Ryotaro ambled to her direction, put the camera on the table and watched as her brows furrowed, inched higher, and arched in frustration. Seemingly, she didn't notice him, more so, she was ignoring his presence.
Ryotaro continued his scrutiny, sitting beside her. Silently being tormented as the girl kept quiet, staying in her own world. She frowned, she pouted, and smiled... hitting the pencil on her head and biting the tip of it in complete concentration.
She looked at him, but he looked away, acting as if he wasn't watching her. Nami secretly grinned and returned on writing.
"You're doing that on purpose." Ryotaro cracked the silence.
"Huh?" Nami glanced at him, questionably. "Doing what?"
"That."
"That?" Nami smiled knowingly, tapping the pencil on her cheek.
Ryotaro's forehead wrinkled, leaning toward her to scowl. "That"
"This?" she mimicked his action. It wasn't in her plan, it just happened, and it was too late to take it back.
She kissed him, ever so lightly.
She didn't let him kiss her back, though, as she moved away before he could have a chance. She again grabbed her notebook and stood up. "I forgot, I have to talk to my adviser." She turned around and walked as fast as she could.
Left alone, once more. Ryotaro hissed. "Damn, woman what are you doing to me."
At the hallway, Nami stopped walking and leaned by the window, letting the breeze of cold February cool her warm cheeks. She inhaled deeply, inhaling every bit of air as though she hadn't breathed for a long while.
She was just teasing him that lead to something she didn't expect doing. It was unintentional, but why was she affected.
"What have you done, Nami?"
~END~
Authoress' Corner:
Weird is weird, digressing is digressing.
This is supposed to be a drabble.
Sorry for boring everyone.
I supposedly posting this last week, but I decided to post this on Nami's Birthday.
One down ten more to go