{Chapter 1: Of All People}
I was told I wasn't needed anymore.
My long black hair bounced as my fingertips playfully slide on the railing.
I was told that I should just ignore these feelings for the best..
My heels click as I walk down the stairs with ease as if I have never left.
Yet I couldn't resist, after all this time... I can't help but turn back to the people who has given me this opportunity in the first place.
My heart pounds.. I know I can't deny how much I waited for this moment. Everything feels numb because the excitement is overflowing inside of me.
I'm coming... Friends...
"1..2..3..1..2..3.."
"Stop the music."
A tough day at work for Starish as usual. Right after their regular studies, Starish has to head straight to the reserved practice room to where Ai, Reiji, Camus, and Ranmaru are ready to give their whippings.
"Cecil, your footwork are a disgrace! Refrain from doing such poor work!" The cold words smack them harshly. Well, it wasn't unusual. They were their superiors, and Cecil was already use to Camus's slick attacking words.
"Now, Now Camus." Reiji tries to cool down the tempered Camus with his hands acting like fans. His strained smile tried to brighten things up, but to no avail, Camus looked in the other direction, eyes close, with a disappointed look.
"Tsk. Don't act like a child." Ranmaru murmured. His hands were folded and his legs were neatly crossed.
"What did you say?" Camus opened his eyes and glared at Ranmaru across the room.
"You heard me." Ranmaru threw back at Camus.
After a few months into the master course, everyone thought that, once a month, it was a good idea to bring everyone together to practice as one. You may think, once a month is too little practice time, but really, it was the most everyone could take.
"Start the music again please. From the beginning" Ai tapped the piano lightly to motion Haruka to start playing. Haruka had shown great improvement from when she first learned how to play... In fact.. Quartet Night was told in the following year, Haruka would turn into Quartet Night's composer. This was kept for a surprise however. Starish would need to go through Saotome's mental tests.
Ranmaru seemed to be really against it at first, but within these three month daily meetings, he seemed to complain a lot less.
Haruka was the best person to bring Quartet Night back at the moment. STARISH is a upcoming rising only one true reason behind their fame, Nanami Haruka. Additionally, Ranmaru had earned somewhat of a respect for Haruka after hearing that she had only recently learned how to read music and got to a proficient level in months.
Beautiful sounds came out of the piano forming a melody. It sounded pretty, but also upbeat enough to dance with. She knew just the right combinations of music. STARISH took strength in the music she made.
"You need to slide a bit more to the left, Ren." Ranmaru commented while he pointed at his feet. Ren, professionally, just kept dancing, but took special note. It seemed as if in these three months, everyone has learned not to set up the temper in the seniors.
"Keep up the pace Otoya, you need to bring your arms a little more higher." Reiji was usually the only bright one in the room. It wasn't a bad thing, definitely, but it wasn't a good thing either.
His social bubbly self would somehow manage to catch Haruka off her feet... It bothered everyone to say at the very least.
"Haruka.." Taking the small advantage, thinking no one was watching, Reiji slides over to chat Haruka up. Yup. That was the way Reiji is. He was the type that was so friendly that any girl could fall for his kindness.
Seeing this, Otoya falls to the floor purposely, catching everyone's attention. "Ow." He painfully yelps. Tokiya has done some acting lessons with Otoya for a reason, these were one of the times to test out the hard work.
Haruka quickly separated herself from Reiji to Otoya.
What a useful day this was. In the end, STARISH, including Haruka, and Quartet Night walked their way to the academy infirmary. Otoya tried to protest that he was fine, but, well... Reiji couldn't let Otoya just off the hook for distracting Haruka. Basically, with other students around, they dragged Otoya with rope and everything down the hall. Otoya's loud protests captures more than one's attention.
Just as they were going to reach the infirmary, by chance, they ran into Ringo.
"Shining requests for the following, Mikaze Ai, Kurosaki Ranmaru, Kutobuki Reiji, and last of all... Camus. Right away." Ringo points as he reads the name off an imaginary list aloud. "He's in his office- Oh my, Otoya?" He blinks his eyes as if he doesn't believe such a sight.
"Shining did?" Camus flicks his eyes in irritation. It seems he was already irritated the moment they left the practice room. He completely ignored Otoya's case sadly.
"We should go if it's a request from the old man." Ranmaru starts walking his way from the front of the group to the direction of Saotome's office without consulting anyone.
"Sigh...He's capable of finding us himself isn't he if it's so urgent." Camus states as positively as he could muster up.
"Guess we're following." Ai was already following the two when Reiji's head pops over Ai's shoulder and his hands snake around Ai's arm comfortably, almost naturally even. "Ringo, mind if you send the kids to the infirmary? Otoya-" Before Reiji could even fully explain, as his hand lets free of Otoya, STARISH makes a quick dash around the corner. "Run!" Syo yells while running in a mad dash.
Ringo shrugs his shoulders and smiles. "I'll see to them. Just.. Uh.. Go on ahead." Ringo strained a smile when he sees Reiji so tempted to run after the group."Okay." Ai continues to move forward though, and was forced to pull Reiji all the way to the office. His face doesn't seem too bothered, like it hasn't been the first time this has happened.
In a beeline, the four made it to Saotome's office.
Camus wasn't at all willing to wait for Saotome to grant permission to walk in when Ai decided to knock on the door. Reaching for the handle, Camus impatiently opened the door "You called for us?"
Saotome sat in his seat, already looking in his direction as if expecting the sight to all play out.
"Sit down boys." His voice was surprisingly sounding unhappy. Saotome stood from his desk chair and walked around while Quartet Night make themselves comfortable on the couches.
"Is something wrong?" Ranmaru rested his arms to the edges of the head cocked back while Ai took a seat next to him. His hands were resting on top of his crossed legs. "From his tone of voice, I would think so."
"Did someone die?" Reiji asked the seemingly most tragic news that could be possible at the moment. "Oh!" He let out a shout that made Camus next to him stare at him with wide eyes. "I didn't see Hyunga-sensei today!"
"Can you be... More calm please." Camus let out a sigh and looked in Saotome direction. "I doubt anything happened to him.. Right?" Something in his voice said that a part of him believed in Reiji.
"No, no. Nothing too serious." Saotome took off his sunglasses to wipe on his shirt. "It's just a matter of.. The surprise for the following year." Saotome didn't the idea, but.. "There's another composer that Ringo thought might be better for Quartet Night. The composer is actually in the building right now-"
"That's preposterous." Camus shot back Saotome. "Everyone loves Haruka's music, and in the following year, she's going to make better music." Ranmaru continued to support this fact.
"You said so yourself." Ai could remember the exact quote. "Haruka has potential for a great flashy comeback."
"...But Ringo recommended this composer, let's at least hear him out." Reiji butts in which brings everyone to silence to listen to Saotome.
"The composer is..."
There's a reason why everyone left the word best alone.
The word best is reserved for the very origin of Quartet Night.
The door slams open with Ranmaru and Reiji racing down the hallway. The sound of their shoes screeching as they run echoes through the hall. Camus widens his eyes as he shoots up in his chair. "She agreed with this!?" Ai sits in silence, a bit taken back, though it was kind of expected that she would return at some point.
"Yup." Saotome shook his head as he walked around his office. It looked like Saotome didn't seem at all comfortable with this idea. "In fact, according to Ringo, she was happy to book her own ticket for a direct flight here. I was suppose to give you the message that she was going to meet everyone at the cafeteria."
"Those idiots just went without knowing where she was." Camus looked at the open door with a facepalm. "Looks like Ai and I will be the first ones there."
"Not necessarily, if she had been walking around the school, they should be able to tell where she is." Ai and Camus met eyes just before Camus turns away with closed eyes and a somewhat calm face. "I'll go after those knuckle heads. You..." Camus's words trailed off while he walks to the door. "Do whatever you like.."
Ai watches as Camus, with quick steps, disappears behind the brown door. His footsteps seems to go even faster assumingly from the way the heels of his boots click on the shiny floors.
"It looks like he's excited too to see her." Ai says in his usual flat tone and looked in the direction of Saotome. "...But you say she's just a recommendation.. You have the final say, don't you?" Ai uncrosses his legs and rests his elbow on the arm rest. His head in his palm as he looks up at the fustrated man.
"I expect nothing less from you Mikaze." A smile slips from Saotome's face. "Of course, being the supervisor of all my students to their stardom, yes I do have the final say. It's hard to say who gets to be the both are talented in their own special ways. As you know.. I don't get along with 'her' very well either. So chances are.." Saotome shook his head, and looked very tired from the thought.
Mikaze studied his expression before standing up. "I see." He said in a way where Saotome doesn't see a reason to explain any further. "Hope you have it all figured out soon." Mikaze bows and takes his leave from the office after closing the door behind him.
Ai is walking down the hall when suddenly something tingles under his nostrils. The scent of sweet vanilla lingered around his sense of smell. Without any further hesitation, Ai followed the path of sweet pursuit.