I'm back! Sorry for disappearing without a trace, I had been shifting my stuff into my dorm, so was really busy with that, and to top it all, THERE'S NO INTERNET IN THE ROOM! *sobs*
And a lot of you must be thinking 'why on earth is this girl publishing another story when she still has so many to complete?' ANS: I had an attack of the plot bunnies. So I hope you all like this story. It's my first featuring the KahoXKaji pairing.
Oh, and I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to update my fics so pl don't think I've vanished off the face of the earth, I will keep on making appearances.
Enjoy!
The fact was, I had seen it coming. I'm not trying to sound mean, but that's the truth. It was all there; the decreasing number of visits, the disappointment, the loss of passion in her music. It was so obvious that these symptoms could result in only one ending. But of course, she was always an optimist, a quality that I had always adored. However, it was this that was going to bring the greatest disappointment in her life. Arms crossed, I leaned against the wall while her voice floated through the air.
"B…but Len, you can't be serious. I mean, you're only going abroad, we can still-"
"It won't work out Kahoko. No matter how much we try to make it work, it won't bring us any satisfaction. Besides, I might choose to settle down in England. What will you do then? You can't possibly spend your whole life waiting for me."
"I can! You don't understand Len! You never will! I always try to look for solutions and you are nothing but a pessimist! How can you give up what we have so easily?" Her voice was choked, and I knew she was on the verge of losing control.
"Believe me Kahoko, it's not easy for me at all. But how can you convince yourself that everything will be the same even after a year? Or possibly five? Or ten?"
"You're making it sound impossible!" Her voice had taken on a high pitch. "You still don't get it! The only thing you can figure out is how to switch between octaves on your violin! That's the reason why you're going isn't it? To indulge yourself in your music? Would you allow your violin to replace the past few months?"
"It's not like that Kaho-"
"Forget it Len. I don't want to argue. Now please tell me what your final choice is."
A long silence passed between them and I swore I could have heard each of her heartbeats thudding as slowly as the seconds hand on a clock.
"I think we should break up Kahoko," Tsukimori said softly.
"What?" Kahoko's voice had taken on a whisper that had the effect of one letting out their last breath. I closed my eyes at the sound. My poor girl. True, I loved her, but she didn't deserve to have that said to her. I knew how she felt; her heart had been all but ripped out and shred to bits.
"That's my final word Hino."
I raised my head at Tsukimori's sentence. Hino. No more intimacy between them. He really was serious.
"You can't be," countered Kahoko after a beat. "No, I don't believe it."
"I'm sorry Hino," was all Tsukimori offered her.
"I'm sorry too Tsukimori," bit out the red-haired girl in anguish. "I'm sorry for ever believing that I held a position greater than your music. Clearly, that wasn't the case at all. Here I am trying to make it work, and you want to break it off!"
"That's not what I-"
"Don't try to defend yourself now! It's over. Go and spend the rest of your life in England. Marry your violin for all I care! I hate you Tsukimori!"
Her first sob burst into the silent afternoon. I literally felt my heart bleeding inside at the sound. I knew she couldn't hate him; she loved him so much that she wanted to cling on to him and cry until the last of Heaven's jewels stopped glittering. The sound of rapid footsteps brought me back and I cautiously peeped around the edge of the wall. Kahoko was running away from Tsukimori towards the gate as fast as she could, her red tresses flying behind her.
Tsukimori hadn't moved at all and remained, still as concrete, watching her retreat. His hands fisted before he suddenly lowered his face.
"I'm sorry Kahoko," he whispered in a voice that was just loud enough for me to hear.
"I'll always love you." With that, he slowly started to move towards the gate.
I walked away in the opposite direction. Typical Tsukimori. Short, and to the point. But that didn't mean it had made things any easier for them. I sighed and rubbed my temples. If I were him, I could have never brought myself to let her go. From another's point of view, that might seem selfish. But Tsukimori had done what he felt was best and to be perfectly honest, I had to admire him for it. It wouldn't have been easy to give up the girl you love and then force her to accept it when she remained blind to the situation and you had already worked out the pros and cons.
But still, a guy can't stop wishing, can he?