All characters owned by Shirodaira Kyou and Mizuno Eita except for Miyuki Rai.

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A violin. I reached over and picked it up. I checked the strings, tuned it a bit, then grabbed the bow and listened to a few notes before I really started to play.

It'd been so long that I thought that I'd forgotten how to play, but as I listened to the song I knew that I never would. Never again. I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me. After a few minutes, I noticed that someone was playing the piano with it. I spun around, and there he was.

"Ayumu."

He looked up and smiled at me, his fingers flying over the keys. It amazed me how skilled he was at it, being the kind of guy who didn't really care much for anything. But I saw it with my own eyes, the "Pianist with Angelic Hands."

I smiled back at him and danced a bit to the song while listening to our duet, my fiery hair swishing behind me. The song kept changing: a slow song, to one with energy, one with sorrow, and another with happiness, fast and then slow, then back again. We matched each other, note for note and I began to laugh. I hadn't had so much fun since...

I played one last, long note before returning the violin and its bow to their case. I headed toward the door of the band room in Tsukiomi High School when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"So, you're Miyuki Rai," Ayumu stated. He already knew enough about me. He didn't need to know any more than everyone else.

"Yeah, and you're Ayumu Narumi," I replied, turning to face him. "I thought you didn't play the piano anymore."

"Not usually."

"What was that from earlier then?"

He shrugged and said, "It was just a whim. No big deal. Why did you stop playing?"

"That's none of your business," I whispered and looked away. I didn't need anyone seeing the tears I cried.

He gave me this funny look before he sighed and wiped away a stray tear running down my face. I hadn't realized that it was there. He made me look at him, and what was strange was that I let him. I'd never let anyone else touch me, not since then.

"Miyuki, don't give up on it. Not the way I did. 'Keizoku wa chikara nari.'"

I remembered that quote from one of my books. I scribbled it on my papers sometimes when I couldn't focus that day. "'Continuance is strength.' Have you been reading through my stuff?"

"No, I wouldn't dream of it," Ayumu cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "But would you tell me what's wrong?"

"Why? So more people will feel bad for me? I don't need your sympathy, Ayumu. Not yours, nor anyone else's!" The tears were down running in rivers now. I was on the verge of breaking down, and Ayumu probably knew that as well.

"If you don't want sympathy, then fine. I was only going to see if you'd tell me why you're always keeping to yourself. All I know about you is how you look, how old you are, and what your name is. And now I know you play the violin, or used to. Even the braided-haired girl doesn't know much about you." I almost laughed in spite of myself. Poor Hiyono Yuizaki was known to Ayumu only as a girl with braids.

I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about it. When I made my decision, I started with a small sigh. "I'm an orphan, I have been since I was five. My parents both disappeared and were, later, found in a city in a completely different country with knives in their backs." I waited for a moment, then continued. "Someone had kidnapped them and tortured them until they had enough and decided to dump them in a park. I saw the bruises and cuts on them and since that day I haven't even touched a violin, much less listened to music until now. The violin was how my parents found each other."

It was quiet for a bit, until Ayumu decided to tell me about himself. It made me feel better, telling someone about my past and knowing that I didn't have it as hard as others. But then I got to thinking, why not me?

After he was finished, he asked me if I felt better. I told him I was, and I found that I was sitting on the piano bench with him, running my hands over the black and white keys.

He watched for a minute, smiling. Every time I saw him smile, I smiled, too. It was a rare thing, but it always sort of made me feel warmer, lighter.

I guess he noticed that, because his smile stayed there for the rest of the day. Before I knew it, we'd skipped all of our classes and stayed in that room, just talking, and no one had known or cared. We didn't either.

By the time I finally had the sense to look out the window, the sun had begun to set. It was even more beautiful than the last time I'd cared to watch it.

I looked back and found Ayumu watching me. Just then, I realized how close we were and I could feel the my cheeks getting warmer as I tried to hide it by looking down at my feet. All he did was laugh and put his hand under my chin so he could see my face.

At that moment, my only thought was that he had the most beautiful eyes filled with more sorrow than I'd ever known was possible. We leaned in and when our lips grazed, he crashed his onto mine. My hand went up to his face and we broke off a short moment later, his brown eyes searching my emerald ones.

Moments passed, and we kept on kissing each other until we finally decided to leave the school. We slipped out without anyone knowing, and before we parted ways, Ayumu leaned down and gave me another peck on the lips.

"Don't ever give up, Miyuki. Don't you dare forget how music can make you feel," he whispered.

I watched as he turned and walked towards his house and I yelled back, "Never, Ayumu!"