A/N: Hello, my darlings! Back with another La Corda D'oro fanfiction.
I have finals tomorrow and it's currently 10:53 PM.
I wish finals was creative writing for 2 hours. -sigh.-
"I've had it, Tsukimori!"
The voice of an angry male echoed through the empty practice rooms of the music building.
"Your expectations of me are too high to be accomplished! Yet, you still repremand me when I make even the slightest mistake! I've had enough!" Tsukimori's accompanist shouted, throwing the sheet music on the floor. "Find yourself another accompanist!" He proceeded to the door of the practice room they shared and slammed the door, rather harshly, on his way out.
Tsukimori sighed and raked his fingers through his blue hair. He picked up the sheet music from the floor and placed it in his folder. He silently packed up his beloved instrument, gathered his things, and walked out of the room, ending practice earlier than usual.
Walking down the hallway, he heard an ominious thunk on the floor.
Turning the corner, he was met with the sight of a girl on the floor, and papers scattered all over the floor.
He watched as she got up, dusted her skirt, and proceeded to pick up all the papers.
Tsukimori planned to walk past the girl and ignore her presence was even there in the first place, however, the look of sadness hidden behind her spectacle-framed face was enough to give him the slightest need to rethink his decision.
And it wasn't like he could walk past her without stepping on one of the sheet musics on the floor.
He wordlessly walked over to her, placed his violin case on the floor safely, and helped her pick up her papers.
"Thank you very much." The girl smiled at him, as they picked up the papers together, earning a curt nod from him in acknowledgement.
He took the chance to observe her, because underneath his arrogant demeanor, he was a very observant person.
She was a second year music student, like him. He found himself wondering why he had never seen her around before. Maybe she was a transfer student? She had large, rectangular black rimmed glasses that sat gently on the bridge of her nose that protected her large, hazel eyes. As she turned around to collect the papers laying behind her, he noticed her dark brown hair was tied into a ponytail that was slightly messed up because of the fall earlier. She had thin, gentle white fingers with a light mint green painted on the nails. He thought that color described her accurately- quiet, but with a subtle brightness that only few come to appreciate.
"Here." He said, handing her the stack of papers he had after they finished collecting every single one.
She bowed formally and thanked him as she regained her natural posture. She smiled and politely apoligized for the trouble she had put him through, which he responded with a simple, 'it was nothing.'
Then they parted ways, and he found himself wondering about her smile. How it seemed vaguely familiar- like he had seen it before.
He watched as her figure got smaller and smaller as she walked down the hallway, and when it completely disappeared as she turned the corner.
He gathered his things and walked home.
The next day at school, he found his eyes wandering the campus for a certain someone, though he had no idea why. He didn't even know her name, and yet he had the audacity to seek her presence.
It was early in the morning when he entered the hallway full of practice rooms. Usually no one would be present beside himself when he arrived, because everyone was at home gaining their few extra hours of sleep before the school day started.
But today, he wasn't alone.
He heard a beautiful piano melody echo through the hallway, and he found himself unconciously walking towards it.
Stopping in front of the room in the very corner of the hallway, he watched in admiration as her fingers glided over the keys with such precision and accuracy, yet still maintaining the constant tempo and emotion the piece was meant to share with the listeners. It reminded him of the gentle way she handled the papers yesterday; being careful not to wrinkle or dirty them.
He inwardly cringed as she played a wrong note, and listened to how she played that particular measure over and over again until she prefected it. Then she went back and played the whole section, and he watched at how she smiled at her accomplishment, but shortly after, focusing on the rest of the music.
Tsukimori was broken out of his trance when she stopped playing. He watched as her brown eyes behind her long eyelashes and glasses looked at him in surprise, but shortly after, relief.
She motioned for him to come in.
"Good morning, Tsukimori-kun." She smiled.
"Good morning," he said. "How do you know who I am?" he asked.
"You're rather famous around these halls, you know." she said, staring at the ivory keys of the piano. "There's not a single teacher who doesn't think that you have a great future ahead of you. And I whole-heartedly agree with them. Your performance in the first concours was amazing." She looked at him and laughed. "You probably don't even know who I am, yet I'm complementing you so spiritedly."
He nodded, not knowing how to respond.
"I'll let you find out who I am on your own." She smiled, with a hint of mischievousness hidden in her eyes.
He nodded. "Your playing is impeccable." He complemented her.
"Thank you." She responded.
Just then he had a great idea.
"Would you like to be my accompanist for the rest of the music competition?" He asked.
She stared at him in shock. "Not to be rude, but why?"
He looked to the side. "My old accompanist couldn't handle the requirements to succeed."
She looked at the piano for a few moments, before responding.
"Sure."
"Your tempo is slightly off." Tsukimori said, taking his violin off his chin and sighing.
She smiled slightly. "Sorry. I'll be sure to fix it in the next rep."
"Please do." He said, placing his violin back on his chin and counting them off.
"Are you nervous, Tsukimori-kun?" She asked, stretching her fingers before she went on stage.
"Such emotions are unnessecary." He responded, staring straight ahead at the stage before him.
"I see." she said, "I wish you the best of luck, then."
He nodded, looking at her.
"Tsukimori-kun, where's your accompanist? You're next!" Kanazawa said.
"She's right here." He said.
"There's no one there, Tsukimori. Go get your accompanist right now." Kanazawa said, walking away to stall a little time.
Tsukimori looked at the girl in confusion. She was right next to him, but Kanazawa couldn't see her?
"Looks like my secret is out." She giggled. "Shall we go now? We're next."
Tsukimori nodded in confusion.
"Tsukimori! Where's your accompanist? You can't just walk out there without someone playing piano for you." Kanazawa said.
Tsukimori looked absentmindedly at the girl next to him, and watched as she looked at her shoes. His eyes widened as he saw a tear slip out of her right eye.
"I can play for him if his accompanist bailed." Tsuchiura said, walking up to Len and nodding. "Let's go."
"But, my accompanist is right-"
"Your accompanist quit on you without telling you? That's so mean!" Hihara shouted, earning a slight shush from Yunoki.
He looked straight at the girl standing there, tears sliding down her cheeks as she smiled at him.
"What are you all-" He began.
"Don't worry, Tsukimori-kun!" Hihara cheerfully said, as he ran towards him.
"Wait, Hihara-" His eyes widened as he watched Hihara run straight through his accompanist as if she wasn't even there; like thin-air.
"You got this! Tsuchiura's really good at sightreading! You'll do fine!" Hihara said, grabbing Tsukimori's shoulders and giving him a good pat on the back.
"Next up is Tsukimori Len-kun from class 2-A, performing..."
"That's you. Let's go." Tsuchiura said, nudging Tsukimori forward.
His feet unwillingly walked towards the stage, but his eyes stayed glued on the smiling, crying girl waving at him as he walked further and further. He watched as she mouthed a quiet 'good luck' to him, before he turned around and was met with the bright stage lights.
"That was great, Tsukimori-kun!" Hino said.
"Thank you." Tsukimori said, as his eyes strayed over all the participants backstage, looking for a certain someone.
"May I leave now?" He asked Kanazawa.
"Tsukimori, are you sick or something?" He asked, placing a hand over Tsukimori's forehead.
"There's nothing else happening after this since I am the last performer. May I leave?" Tsukimori hastly asked.
Kanazawa eyed him carefully. "Yes, you are dismissed."
Tsukimori walked out of the auditorium, changed in the dressing room, and walked towards the practice rooms.
"Hey."
The girl turned around from her seat by the window. "Tsukimori-kun. Your performance was flawless like always." She smiled.
He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, watching it pass right through her body.
"Who are you?" Tsukimori asked, in a state of bewilderment and anger.
She looked away.
"...you really don't remember me, Tsukimori-kun?" she whispered.
He eyed her in curiousity. "Have we met before?"
There was a moment of silence before she whispered something nearly inaudible, but Len caught it.
"Len-chan?"
Suddenly he looked at her in a new light. He had met her before, but it was so long ago that it must have slipped his mind.
Carefully thinking back, he remembered small bits of memory, but most importantly, he remembered her name.
"Fujiwara Midori." He whispered.
She smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Len."
He sighed. "The only person I let call me by that absurd name."
She giggled.
Tsukimori and Fujiwara had met when they were toddlers, barely learning to walk. Their families had been friends, and they met on a visit to the Tsukimori household. They had befriended each other through means of Hamai Misa, and had been friends well through the second grade until she moved away because of her father's job relocation.
"It's nice to see you again." Tsukimori said awkwardly. "...but what happened?"
"I was hit by a car on the way home from school, and I died." She said, as if it wasn't a big deal.
His eyes widened. "I never even heard any news about your passing from my parents. I'm sorry I wasn't aware." He said, looking down, sadly, at her.
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it."
"But, why are you... here?" He said.
"Remember that promise we made the day I moved?" She said, looking up at him.
"Len-chan!" She shouted, as she ran over to him from their car.
"What is it?" He asked.
She took his hands in hers as she smiled brightly.
"I promise I'll come see you again! Wait for me!" She said as she gave him a brief hug, and ran back to the car where her parents were waiting.
"Fujiwara-san..." he whispered.
She stood up from her seat by the window and walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Even though he couldn't feel her touch, he felt her warmth that radianted from her.
"It was great to see you again, Len-chan. Please don't ever stop playing music. Your playing can take you far and wide."
He nodded, unsure of what to say.
Tsukimori closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and exhaled saying, "Thank you."
He opened his eyes and she was gone, the only remains of her was her warmth that was leaving his body quickly.
He smiled and walked over to the window, looking up at the sky.
"Thank you, Midori-chan."
