Intermezzo – A new story guaranteed to depress. An antithesis to A Roman Holiday.

Disclaimer: Nodame, Chiaki and Streseman are the invention of Tomoko Ninomiya. Any similarities to persons dead/alive or situations real/imagined is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1 : Prelude

She had done it. She was now in the company of a very select group of pianists… She now had under her belt, the instrument's three most coveted prizes and completed a successful world tour. All in a matter of five years. But now Noda Megumi was world weary and ready to take a much needed break… to find refuge in her family home and get away from it all.

She was in New York, performing with the New York Symphony Orchestra as a finale to her world tour. One of her greatest dream had come to pass… to perform Rhapsody in Blue in the States although in one important way, it was a dream only partially realized.

An old friend had come to visit… the great, if somewhat lascivious Franz Streseman had come backstage to congratulate her.

"Nodame… my dear girl… well done." He said heartily.

"Milch… you came!" She exclaimed, embracing him warmly. "It's wonderful to see a friendly face."

"Of course I came, child. Your greatest triumph. How could I not have come? You did it, Nodame. You faced the music head on and see now where it has taken you."

"Well, you were right, Milch… the music rings true for those who dare to face it courageously…"

"You're certainly proof of that, my dear."

Streseman did not like how she was looking. In many ways she had not changed. But the conspicuous liveliness that made her the warm-hearted individual that she was missing and it troubled him.

"Are you alright, Nodame? You don't look too well."

"I'm just tired… you know what it's like… living out of a suitcase for weeks and months. Not to mention a grueling schedule of practice sessions, press conferences and interviews. I've just about had my fill. To be honest, I am ready to get back to a normal, mundane life."

"A normal life? People like you and I don't have normal lives."

"A girl can dream, can't she?" Nodame gave something akin to a smile.

That's better. Streseman noted. "I don't know anyone who has worked harder than you in the last five years."

"I do." Nodame shot him a significant look.

"Hmph…" was Streseman's disgruntled response. They both knew exactly who she was referring to.

"Has that person been in contact you?" Streseman asked.

Nodame shook her head. "I haven't seen or heard from him in five years."

"What the heck happened to the two of you? Everything was fine one minute and then the next you're living separate lives."

"I'm not sure myself, Milch… I've asked myself that question many times in the past five years."

"I don't understand that person. How could he do this to you? Discarding you like yesterday's breakfast."

"Hush.. Milch… you mustn't blame him. It could've been my fault."

"Somehow I very much doubt it." Streseman muttered. "At least he should have said something… given you reasons." Streseman was in his one of his moods… being belligerent and wonderfully supportive. But he'd always been supportive of her, of them. Nodame had never been entirely sure why. Perhaps Streseman was a closet romantic… And then maybe not… Still there was no doubt in her mind that his concern for her had always been genuine.

"I know."

"And yet you've held yourself together admirably all this time, Nodame. I'm really proud of you."

"Playing music has been my greatest comfort and my joy these past few years. In some ways this whole thing has compelled me to push myself even further than I thought I was capable of."

Unknown to them, the person they were discussing was sitting in the audience that night, taking care to remain anonymous. He had followed her world tour with the greatest of interest, observing that in five years she had gained an incredible mastery over her instrument and was enjoying a spate of much deserved successes. She had exceeded even his own expectations. Watching her play on this occasion brought to mind a lingering pride that he had helped her recognize her potential but an ever pervasive sadness that he would only be on the sidelines where her career was concerned. Clearly, her music would forever have a hold on him… for better or for worse.

The woman that had accompanied him was the beautiful Marian Rothwell, a cellist of some renown. She was his regular escort at such events and gossip had them pegged to be married some time down the track, in the next year or so. Like him, she belonged to a wealthy family… made up largely of musicians and doctors.

"This is the first time I've seen her perform live. What is it that she does to the piano? Or is it the piano that possesses her? It's intense without being overly aggressive, bold without being ostentatious. And she draws the audience into the piece and puts them into a trance. It's quite an experience. I can see why you're such a fan."

"I'm not exactly a fan."

"If you're not a fan, what do you call it… you have all her albums and you've been to most of her New York performances and you know exactly where she's performing next. Sounds fanatical to me." She gave him a knowing grin. "Don't worry, I'm not jealous."

"You have no reason to be." I'm over her.

He had met Marian while starting his role as music director at the Chamber Orchestra of New York. She was attracted to his quiet self-confidence and he grew to enjoy her company. It was his first serious relationship in over five years. Nonetheless, there was something about Chiaki Shinichi that she couldn't put her finger on. She had accepted early on that he was not a man to give himself over to emotional outbursts but still she couldn't help sensing that he was holding back. Clearly there was a part of him that was closed to her… a childhood trauma perhaps? Or even a deep tragedy? Whatever it was, she was barred from making in-roads.

Her musical family took to him quickly. Conversations with the Rothwells ranged from the stimulating, to the heated but seldom uninteresting. After the madness that was the Noda family, the Rothwells were happily sane. Chiaki knew that he liked Marian well enough but was still carrying far too much baggage as far as a certain Miss Noda was concerned… a lot of unresolved anger… to dare go further. Like it or not, Nodame was a difficult act to follow… her madness, her brilliance had been both captivating and frustrating… and larger than life. It was like going an adventure of a lifetime and then returning to a sedentary life. She turned his life upside down and now, by his own choice, he had to go on without her.

Nodame didn't have that same choice. Not that she would have ever chosen to walk away from him. He was the great love of her life. Music would only go so far in filling that void but lately, the void had turned into a gaping wound. At times, she would feel a pang or two. On other occasions it would throb so unbearably that it took all her inner resources not to break down into tears. Her heart had been broken but the worse of it was she didn't know why. Bit by bit, she was being eaten up inside.

Chiaki thought more than once or twice about making his presence known at one of the concerts. He didn't know what that would achieve apart from a few awkward moments. He'd been to most of her concerts… and he'd even flown to see her take the Chopin prize. The amazing thing about Nodame was that just when one thought she had reached the heights of her prowess, she always went on to prove that she had not come to the end of her gifts. He just kept falling in love with her over and over again. But his pride wouldn't let him go back to her.

She had broken his heart all those years ago and he still didn't know why. He should have confronted her then and there but the feelings were raw and he was half expecting her to come crawling back. There was a time he did wonder if he'd fall victim to one of her outrageous demonstrations of anger but the flying kick never returned… and he often wondered why… almost wishing that it would.

No one was more astonished over Nodame's success than Nodame herself. She didn't set out to prove herself or to prove to anyone what she was capable of. In truth, she wasn't an ambitious soul, mostly she had been driven by desperate need to hide her pain. Of late, the pain was becoming more unbearable. Tiredness… loss… pining for what could have been. They were a lethal combination for a morose disposition.

Franz Streseman, underneath all his cavalier facade, was very fond of Nodame. It was, as he had said, due to the fact that he saw a little of himself in her. But he didn't want her to have the lonely life that he led… she deserved better… much better. Unfortunately she was fixated on that one person and she would never be satisfied elsewhere. He empathized fully but he knew where that particular road would lead to. He missed the vivacious and jubilant Nodame. It was unnatural to see her looking like a ghost of her former self. Heartbreaking, almost. There were times, he would catch glimpses of her former self but they were more fleeting than his dalliances. Mostly, he directed his wrath against Chiaki… that cold fish… it was definitely his fault whatever it was. That boy was always indecisive about Nodame and didn't have the decency to break it off properly when he finally made up his mind to move on without her. Streseman had not seen Chiaki in two years. His only protégé… had certainly achieved success in their field but at the end of the day, Streseman knew better than most how achingly lonely success could be without someone to share it with.

He heard that Chiaki had taken up with a cellist somewhere in New York. Sigh… When in the world did things take a turn for the worse? For the great Franz Streseman, in the cosmic scheme of things, something had gone dreadfully wrong.

Author's Note:

Believe it or not, any resemblance to some of the new stories posted recently here is purely coincidental. This story was developed around the same time as A Roman Holiday and I started working on it while on holidays. I had considered abandoning the story initially but finally decided that the direction I was taking it was slightly different. I wrote it as a kind of antithesis to A Roman Holiday... an alternate "what if" story.

My plan is to alternate a comedic/romantic story (more like the manga) with an angsty/romantic one.