Hello! This is my contribution to a story swap with cheerfulhoshi. I have to admit, this pairing would have never occurred to me in a million years, but it was interesting to give it the old college try. =)

I hope you like it cheerfulhoshi!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kiniro no Corda or any affiliates.

It's odd the things that change a person. Sometimes they're obvious, like the death of a family member or achieving a lifelong dream. And other times, they're like this: slipping into one's life unexpectedly through the most mundane of circumstances and creating ripples that have consequences far larger and deeper than could be imagined for an act that on the surface is so insignificant. In this case, it had started with a simple greeting.

"Hey."

Shouko Fuyuumi simply kept walking, ignoring the salutation as she had countless others. It wasn't that she was rude; it simply didn't occur to her to stop. It was after school and the quad bustled with various friends meeting up to go places. It wasn't uncommon to hear dozens of various exchanges over the course of an afternoon. No one ever called out to her, so why should she pay attention when an unfamiliar voice spoke behind her?

"Hey."

She smiled down at her clarinet case as she headed for the school gardens. It was such a lovely day. Usually she didn't practice outdoors because having people around when she practiced made her feel self-conscious, but there was just something in the air that made her want to find a secluded corner of the garden and commune with nature for a bit.

"Hey!"

Maybe she'd play some songs that reminded her of autumn. Summer had mellowed out a bit and thankfully taken some of the humidity with it. The flowers weren't at their peak anymore, but that was fine with her. There would be fewer people around because of it, and their vivid colors were still full of the life and fun she wanted to surround herself with.

"Hey, you!" A hand clapped itself on her shoulder and whirled her around, revealing the irritated face of a boy with purple-red, spiky, windswept hair. "Don't you know it's rude to ignore people when they're talking to you?"

She blinked in surprise and uncertainty. "Uh, umm…" she cocked her head slightly, "I-I'm s-s-sorry, but…do-do I know you?"

He blinked for a second, before smiling a little apologetically. "No, I suppose you don't." His face was all business again. "I'm looking for the main office. Can you give me directions?"

"O-of course," she murmured.

As soon as she finished, he nodded curtly and thanked her. That should have been all there was to it. It really should have. But for some reason, she continued the conversation.

She observed his clothing with the unobtrusive eye of one accustomed to being in the background. He certainly didn't look like a transfer student. She was pretty sure that was the uniform for a prestigious middle school in the area. "Umm…wh-why are you l-looking f-for the office…?" she asked hesitantly.

His eyebrows shot up. Considering how mousy and timid she seemed, he hadn't expected her to keep talking. "Why do you wanna know?" he asked in a dry tone that despite being a question said, "Back off," loud and clear.

Her face flushed in mortification. "Ah! I-I'm so s-s-sorry! I-I-I sh-shouldn't have pried! You-you're right, i-it's really n-n-none of my business."

He smirked as a chuckle tugged at his lips. She was certainly high strung. "You're kind of weird." He flicked a stray strand of hair out of his face. "But you're a pretty talented clarinetist."

Her eyes widened. "Y-y-you've heard m-me p-p-play?"

"Yeah, I was at the exhibition with Akihiko-san." He shrugged. "The level of your ensemble was pretty decent."

"Oh…umm…thank you," she murmured. Faint praise indeed.

"Your violinist was kind of stiff," he clarified. "It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"I think Tsukimori-senpai played very well," she said loyally. The words caught her a bit off-guard. It wasn't that she didn't think Tsukimori-senpai had played well, but, well, when it came to potential conflict, and especially with a complete stranger, avoidance was her middle name. Maybe some of Kaho-senpai's bravery and brightness was rubbing off on her.

He dismissed her defense with a simple, "Well, you're a woodwind player, so I guess you wouldn't notice nuances like that."

"I-I s-still think he played very well."

"Better than me?" he smirked.

"I…I wouldn't know," she replied meekly.

"You think he's better than me," his eyes narrowed.

"I-I…d-didn't say that," she answered in a slight panic.

"I saw the look in your eyes," he challenged as the competitor in him reared up. For some reason, he didn't like the idea of this fragile-looking girl thinking he couldn't play. And in some ways, this irrational desire to prove himself galled him even more. He knew he was good. He didn't need anyone else's approval. Especially this random competition participant who, on occasion, almost seemed like she was afraid of her own shadow. He gave her a sharp look. "Let's go."

"Wh-wh-where?"

"To wherever you were going." He motioned to her case. "You were planning to practice, right?"

She just nodded dumbly.

"So lead the way."

She didn't know why she did it. She had no particular desire to spend more time with this brash, bossy boy who had insulted her…uh…erm…Tsukimori-senpai wasn't really her friend, but she felt like they were more than acquaintances. So that made him her…senpai…. Wow, that was lame. She resisted the strong desire to bang her head against a wall or some other hard surface for thinking something so dumb.

"Do you often practice here?"

She glanced over in surprise at the boy as his eyes swept over the garden.

"I expected you to take me to a practice room."

"Umm…if-if you w-w-would like to go to a practice room, w-we c-c-can."

"No," he jerked his head in a shake, "here's fine." He began to unpack.

As she mutely watched him, she wondered what kind of music he'd play. He was kind of rude, and weirdly competitive, but he gave off this aura of being unwaveringly confident in his skills. She envied that confidence. She always got so nervous whenever she played in front of people. Her notes would waver and float out of her grasp.

Her eyes widened as he coaxed music out of the stringed instrument on his shoulder, totally absorbing her. It was showy, and full of confidence; it was like he had converted his personality into musical notes. It called to the soul as if saying, "Come, listen to my music; I guarantee you won't be disappointed." His strokes were powerful; his tone was full; his fingering light and nimble.

When he finished, all she could do was stare. He smirked. "So…who do you think is better? Me or that Tsukimori-senpai?"

She blushed a little under his intense gaze. "I…" she hesitated before replying, "Tsu-Tsukimori-senpai."

His eyebrows shot up in confusion. He had seen how affected she had been by his playing. What the heck was going on? "Why?" he asked sharply. When she didn't answer, he bent down so he could look her straight in the eye. "Answer me."

She flushed deeply. "Your-your technique is flawless, and-and you play very powerfully. I…I was c-c-completely absorbed by your playing. But…" she paused before continuing, "but…the-the only thing that-that w-will move people's hearts is-is your own." Her light pink eyes timidly met his violet eyes. "Y-your playing…is b-brash and c-confident. It…sucks people in b-because your p-personality is l-l-like that. But…where is your heart? I still don't know it. At…at least I hear…s-s-some of Tsukimori-senpai's when he plays." At his astonished gaze, her face turned a flaming red that paired with her glass-green hair reminded one of a Christmas display. "I…I'm s-sorry. I-I sh-shouldn't have said that." She turned to flee.

"Wait."

She halted and hesitantly turned. There was a funny look in his eyes she couldn't place.

"What's your name?"

"Sh-Sh-Shouko F-F-Fuyuumi."

"Kiriya Etou," he smiled a little. "I'll see you around, Shouko Fuyuumi."

She just nodded and turned to go. But then she stopped. She bit her lip in indecision before whirling around and rushing back to him. She looked earnestly into his eyes as her heart pounded in her throat. "Y-you played w-w-wonderfully E-Etou-san. I...I wish I could play like you." And with those final words, she fled the scene, leaving a strangely content violinist in her wake.

Yes, he would definitely see her around.

And that's the end! I'm sorry if Kiriya was kind of out-of-character. I don't read the manga, and he didn't show up a lot in the anime, so I went with what I had. And I'm sorry it wasn't that incredibly romantic cheerfulhoshi!

Thank you for reading!