Chapter 1
Itachi Uchiha was always punctual. He locked the door of his apartment and started to walk down the steps, checking his watch to see if he was on time. Thinking about the material he would give his students today and ignoring the singing of birds in the fall air, he quickened his steps slightly, not wanting to be late on the first day of school. He was just about to check his watch again, obsessively, when he heard a door slam behind him, effectively silencing the birds, and turned around to see a girl locking her door. When they faced each other, Itachi's coal black eyes widened imperceptibly and their gaze locked.
She looked like a goddess. Her blond hair tumbled in the wind, tousled almost elegantly. Sea-green eyes regarded him coolly, as if she were analyzing him. Itachi felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on him.
When he didn't move from the stairs, she made a sound of disgust and vaulted the railing. Landing with her knees bent, she immediately and professionally dropped into a roll, turning the energy from the jump that should have broken both her knees, into kinetic energy. Seamlessly connecting the roll into a slow jog, she quickly disappeared around the corner, finally breaking the spell she had over Itachi.
She had a bag on, he thought to himself, starting to descend the steps again, but no uniform, just leggings and a shirt. Is she a student? He thought about it but shook his head. Deciding he had spent enough time thinking about the mysterious girl who lived next to him, he filed away the thought in his head and continued on his walk to Koroki High School.
"Welcome, students," Itachi said to his homeroom, "Most of you are aware that this is your junior year and also your most important year. I encourage you all to do your best. I will be your homeroom teacher as well as your English teacher. For those who have the highest-level math, which is Level 4, I will also be your teacher. For those who are in the ensemble, Violin Lesson," he smiled, "I will see you again." He heard twitters from the girls and nods of acceptance from the boys. It was common knowledge that he was the most well-liked and 'coolest' teacher in the entire school. "Are there any questions?" Immediately, most of the girls' hands shot up. He gestured to a girl sitting in the front row.
"Itachi-sensei, do you have a girlfriend?" Three-fourths of the remaining hands went down, signaling that his had been the prevalent question, at least for the girls. He sighed internally, but smiled.
"No, I don't. Most ladies my age don't like the fact that I devote more of my time to my students that I do to them." The class laughed at this remark, further strengthening their approval for their teacher. He chose another girl, sitting towards the middle.
"Sensei, how old are you?"
"I'm 26." The rest of the hands dropped, except one. "Yes?"
"Are the glasses you wear real?" Itachi smiled again, much like the first time, indifferently.
"No, I don't need them. But they match the teacher image, yes?" The girls blushed at this smile. At this point, they would have blushed at a frown. "Alright, if those are all the questions, please go to your next class. If you have Level 4 math, please stay here." Most of the students filed out of the classroom, occasional whispers of 'he's so hot' floating above clusters of girls. After more students had walked in, he shut the door and turned to his small class. "Who here is a senior?" Every student except one raised his or her hand. He began to pass out a diagnostic test. When he got to the student who didn't raise her hand, he studied her while he handed her the test. Her blond hair was pulled into a braid and the dark brown frame of her glasses contrasted with her pale skin. Noticing that she didn't look up, he crouched so that his face was level with hers. "What's your name?"
It took all the composure that he had to stop all signs of shock from flooding to his face as he came face to face with the girl from earlier in the morning. He thought she was going to scowl but she smiled sweetly instead.
"My name is Choko," she replied, not recognizing or choosing not to recognize him.
"Like chocolate?" he asked in English. She smiled as stunningly as the first time, this time a little wider.
"No." She wrote out the kanji of her name on the top of her test paper. "Like this."
"The Butterfly Child. What an interesting character combination. Are you in my homeroom, Choko?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"I heard you requested to be moved up to this class."
"I did." He tapped the paper on her desk.
"I want you to fill out this test as honestly as you can. We have to check if this class is right for you."
"Yes, Sensei."
"Do I have any other classes with you?"
"It seems like I have both English and Violin Lesson with you." His eyebrows shot up.
"You have to be very proficient to get into Violin Lesson. Do you play the violin well?" She shrugged, looking at her elegant fingers.
"Well enough. But I need a new violin."
"Since this is a private school, we provide you with one, so don't worry." He chuckled at the dubious look on her face. "I promise it's a decent one. We go through a huge selection of violins to find the right on for you." Although she had scowled at him before, Itachi already felt at ease with her. He checked his watch and stood up. "I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time. You can have extra time if you need."
"It's fine."
"Since we have three classes together, I'm sure I'll get to know you very well." She simply smiled in response.
Even though she had been given the least time, she still finished first.
"I'll see you fourth hour for English," Itachi said, handing her the homework when she placed the test on his desk. Once again, she simply smiled. After she left, he started to grade her test.
"Perfect score, huh?" he mumbled under his breath. Taking off his glasses, he ran a hand through his black hair, tightening his ponytail. Then, he sighed and started to grade the other tests. He wished fourth hour would arrive.
Eventually, the bell for fourth hour rang and his third English class of the morning walked in. After going through the basic introduction, in English of course, he passed out another diagnostic.
"Choko, can you stay after class when you're finished with you're test?" She looked up from her diagnostic. "I want to speak to you about you test scores when I finish grading your English diagnostic," he said, reverting back to Japanese.
"Okay," she replied in English, the word sweet in her mouth. Sure enough, she handed in her test first and sat back down in her seat.
Perfect score again, he thought, briefly glancing at the gorgeous and demure girl sitting quietly by the window near the back.
When the room had cleared out, he sat in a seat in front of her.
"Choko, am I taking away from your lunch?"
"It's fine, Sensei, I didn't pay for a meal plan."
"You don't eat lunch?"
"I'm usually not hungry at this time." He studied her for a second and shrugged, rolling up his sleeves.
"Choko, I graded your exam and found out you got a perfect score in both of them."
"It was an easy test."
"Granted, but you didn't make one error, mathematical or grammatical. That, and you finished twice as fast as everyone else did."
"What did others' get?"
"90's and a couple of 95's."
"It was an easy test," she repeated, her strawberry-pale lips curving up in her sweet smile. He stood up.
"If you want any extra work, just ask."
"Can I have some extra work now?" Itachi's eyebrows shot up.
"That's the first time I heard a student say that."
"I… I really want to go to a good college and get a good job."
"So you can earn a lot of money?"
"So I can be recognized," she replied firmly, "although the money would be nice, I guess."
"Why do you want to be recognized so much?" She opened her mouth but clicked it shut immediately.
"Personal reasons."
"I won't pry." He walked to the front of the room and extracted a couple of books. "Do one chapter every 2 weeks from these two books. I'll check once you're done." He thought she was going to complain about the load of work, so he was surprised when she stood up, clutching the books tightly to her chest, determination shining in her eyes.
"Thank you, Sensei." Smiling her stunning smile one more time, she walked out of the room.
The room filled with the clear notes of two violins being tuned. One male and one female student, both of them tuning their violins, looked furtively at Choko, the only student to have ever gotten into Violin Lesson without her own violin. Choko, in turn, looked hungrily at their instruments, her face showing the longing she felt to hold one in her hands.
"Okay, class." Itachi walked in and shut the door, "Get to know each other very well, because the people in this room are going to be your friends and competitors for the rest of the year. You may introduce yourselves." After a brief silence, a brown-haired girl with blond highlights tossed her head impudently.
"My name is Kimi. I'm a junior and have been a straight-A student. I'm in seven clubs and the captain for the girls' soccer team. I've been playing violin for 10 years." Her brown eyes narrowed at the others, especially Choko, daring them to match her expertise.
"My name is Seiji." He yawned, leaning back and using the bow to scratch his spiky red hair. "I've been playing violin for 5 years."
"My name is Choko. I've been playing violin for 2 years." Kimi snorted in derision while Seiji merely yawned again.
"Sensei!" Kimi cried, whirling on Itachi, "isn't 2 years too little experience to get into Violin Lesson?"
"I didn't get in, I just asked to be in it." The brunette glared at the calm blonde.
"You're going way over you head in this. Violin Lesson isn't just some fun band. It's the number one violin ensemble in northern Japan!" Choko smiled slightly.
"Well, it sounded like fun, so I asked to be put it."
"You overconfident, little b—"
"Enough, Kimi." She fell silent, scowling. "Choko's the only one who doesn't have a violin. We're going to go buy one for her. You two, practice your scales. Your fingers better be flying when I come back." She had to run to keep up with Itachi's long strides.
"Sensei, why are you so angry?" The curious voice that floated over his shoulder made him slow down a little bit.
"She's your classmate, she should treat you better." He glanced back and just caught the lonely expression that passed over Choko's face.
"Well, the world isn't always kind and nice." Itachi smiled ruefully.
"I guess you're right. Anyway, that girl is annoying beyond her good."
The street was not as busy as it would have been if school had been out. They walked in silence, the occasional crunching of a leaf and conversation of people passing by punctuating the fall air.
"Sensei?"
"Hm?" She trotted so that she was in front of him walking backwards.
"Can… can I have any violin I want?"
"Any violin that's within school budget."
"What's the budget?" she asked breathlessly.
"$300." Her face fell instantly.
"Oh… Does the violin belong to me?"
"No, to the school." No student's face of disappointment had affected him this much before. "I'm sure if you play very well, the principal could be convinced to give you a better violin." She smiled sweetly, if not a little sadly, and resumed walking next to him. "How come you don't have a violin of your own?"
"Ah… Money is a little tight in my family right now." He did not say anything, having gone through many conversations like this to know enough to keep his mouth closed.
"Welcome, welcome!" the shop-owner said cheerfully in English, "And aren't you a pretty young thing?" Choko's mouth curved up at the shopkeeper's enthusiasm. "So, are you here with your boyfriend?" she whispered, gesturing to Itachi, who was already looking at some of the cheaper violins.
"No, ma'am, that's my teacher. And I can speak Japanese, although I am grateful for your consideration."
"Bi-lingual, eh? Smart, pretty, young girl. What can I get you, honey?"
"I'm looking for a violin, ma'am."
"Hmmm… I think I have the perfect one for you!" She went over to a case along the far wall, as if she had memorized the positions of all the instruments.
"How about this one?" After gliding her hands over the smooth wood, Choko tucked the violin under her chin and started to play.
Itachi turned around when he heard what felt like the ebbing of the tide. The music rushed in and pulled away, gurgling, cheerful. And with her cool, sea-foam eyes and light blonde hair, he could almost see the ocean reflected in her figure.
"Oh my." The shopkeeper had her hand up to her mouth. Choko played a couple more notes, like drops of pure water falling into a spring, then withdrew the violin from herself.
"I… really like it." She seemed pleasantly surprised. "It's nice. But ma'am," she turned to the shopkeeper, "judging by the sound, this violin is too expensive for me."
"Pretty pet, I have never seen anyone play like that for… for 15 years. Not since my husband played to me under the stars." The shopkeeper thought for a bit. "Honey, I'll lower the price, just for you, to however low you want it." But Choko was shaking her head before the shopkeeper had even finished her sentence.
"Ma'am, that's charity." But Itachi could see how hard it was for her to let go of the violin and give it to the shopkeeper.
That takes some self-control, he thought, never forgetting the sight of her eyes traveling hungrily over the others' violins.
"Outstanding morals, beautiful, smart… my dear child, you are an angel. But please, your performance was payment enough."
"Ma'am, that's charity disguised with feathers."
"How about this one, Choko?" Itachi held out the best violin he could find under $300. Though the sound was still beautiful under her elegant fingers, the quality barely compared.
"This will be fine."
When they returned, there was only 10 minutes left in the period.
"What took so long, Sensei?" Kimi complained, still playing the violin. As promised, her fingers were flying up and down the stem, deftly pressing strings. Seiji, on the other hand, was snoring serenely, his instrument still in the case. Itachi hit him hard on the head with the spine of a book.
"So what violin did you get?" Kimi smirked at the cheap brand Choko held up. Seiji rubbed his head and yawned, sleepily smiling at Choko.
"Don't worry 'bout it, Choko. Everyone starts off with a violin like that." Itachi immediately forgave the red-haired boy for sleeping.
"It's good enough," Choko replied, smiling. Itachi saw her hands tighten on the handle of the case.
"Okay, students," the attention quickly shifted to him, "we have about 7 minutes left, so you may leave early if you want."
"Sensei," Kimi's voice turned flattering, "perhaps you can show us a sample of your talent?" At this, Seiji, and Choko, who had been talking, looked up eagerly. Itachi sighed and took out his violin from the case, wincing slightly at Kimi's nod of approval upon seeing the expensive violin. But Choko did not seem to mind, only looked at Itachi, waiting for him to start playing.
Choko laughed when he plated his first note, a laugh of joy and excitement. It was a beautiful laugh that seemed to bubble up from the depths of her sea green eyes and come pouring fourth to fill the room, frothy and light. It washed up to his fingers, making them play lighter, more deftly.
His last note was almost non-existent; Kimi's open-mouthed stare was affecting him. She shook her head, as if clearing it, and laughed, too. After Choko's laugh, hers sounded like a badly tuned string.
"That was amazing, Sensei!" Kimi sputtered and Seiji nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Thank you; I have been practicing for a very long time," he looked towards Choko, who was looking at the clock with a wistful expression on her face. "Did you like it, Choko?" She turned back and smiled her eyes still longing for something.
"It was wonderful, Sensei. It reminded me of drifting butterflies." Itachi looked at her with a thoughtful expression on is face.
"I'm sorry for imposing on you, Choko, but can you stay after class again?" Itachi didn't expect her to know what 'imposing' meant in English, so he was surprised, once again, when she responded fluently.
"Not at all, Sensei." He was sure few other students in this school were as fluent as her.
"Okay, class dismissed!" Kimi quickly packed up her violin and flounced out of the room, running to make it to soccer practice. Seiji, on the other hand, leisurely packed up his things.
"You want me to wait for you, Choko?"
"It's okay, Seiji. Sensei said I have to talk to him." He shrugged and yawned.
"If he gives you detention, tell me, okay? I'll make sure to get detention, too." With that, he grinned and ambled out of the room. Once again, Itachi sat in a chair opposite of her.
"Choko, don't you live right next to me?" Her pale skin tinged pink, starting at the tip of her ears.
"It was y-you this m-morning, S-sensei!" Choko stammered out. "I apologize for my rude behavior. I thought I was late and when I saw you blocking the stairs, I was very frustrated and I—" Itachi shushed her with a wave of his hand.
"No, it was my fault. I should have let you pass. I was just preoccupied this morning and when you slammed the door, I startled me a bit." Choko was still pink. "Choko, why don't we walk home together from now on? I wouldn't be good if you got into trouble on the streets and as far as I know, none of the students live near us. Although," he added as a joke, "I don't think Seiji would mind walking the opposite way." Choko relaxed at this and smiled a little bit wider than usual.
"Seiji is a good friend," she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Well then," Itachi said, rising, "pack up your things. I have something to do in my office, so I'll meet you outside."
"How come you don't have a jacket, Choko?" Itachi asked while they were walking.
"It's not cold, Sensei."
"You are amazing," he muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing." After walking for a while, Itachi noticed she was falling behind. He glanced behind him to see Choko dexterously snatching leaves from the air, silently laughing. But when she felt his gaze, she lowered her arm, her ears turning pink again.
"I don't usually have time to notice things like leaves falling because I'm usually very busy. So I sometimes go overboard when I see these things and act like a child—"
"It's fine to act like a child." Itachi smiled at her, "You should enjoy your childhood. You won't get a second chance at it." Gradually, the pink tinge disappeared from her face as they resumed walking. "Choko," Itachi hesitated, "is everything alright at home?" Choko didn't respond. "You often look very… lonely. And often, you look at the clock with a sad expression on your face, like you are dreading something unpleasant to happen. So I just wanted to know—"
"Please don't pry, Sensei." Her voice was quiet and her eyes were fixed on the ground. Itachi closed his mouth and smiled.
"I apologize."
They walked the rest of the way in silence.