Author's Note: YEAH! * Pumps fist into air. * Chapter 2 is out! It's still my first story and I wasn't really sure how to continue so I thought that this was the best way, maybe . . . . .? Please R&R! CRISTISM IS GOOD! Anyways, thanks for reading. Ganbatte and fighting! (I recently learned that another Fanfic has the same title as this one. Sorry, didn't mean to use the same name!)
Disclaimer: I do not own High School Debut. If I did, Yoh Komiyama would be mine. Sorry, Haruna! XD
Love Symphony
Chapter 2/Begin
"Nee-chan! Wake up! Breakfast is almost ready!" Haruna's brother called from downstairs.
Haruna bolted straight up from her bed. She was too excited for her new job at HIGH NOTES. She opened her closet, and, pondering, chose what she thought was right for the occasion. Haruna ran down to eat breakfast. As soon as she finished, she sprinted to the cute little music shop, wanting to impress Takeda with her spirit. But he wasn't there. Instead, she found her sempai in the shop.
"Ah! Sempai – I mean, Hiroki – I'm here!" she called loudly.
Hiroki rolled his eyes a bit. He was polishing the glass case with the beautiful violin inside. "I can see that." He turned to face her and his eyes widened. "What the heck are you wearing?!"
Haruna looked down at her dress. Was it really that bad? It was a bit, er, bright, but still something she thought was appropriate. "Go change," he ordered, "there are a few HIGH NOTES T-shirts in the back. Put one on. The bottom of your dress goes with the shirt. And while you're at it, could you move the boxes filled with flutes over here?"
She nodded. There really are a few T-shirts back here, Haruna thought as she put on one in the bathroom. She looked at the mirror. Whoa, somehow this T-shirt DOES look great with my dress! Hiroki knows how to make girls look nice. Like Yoh. Then she spotted the box of flutes and moved it over to where Hiroki was wiping the case. He gave her a once-over and nodded in approval. Hiroki opened the shop and waited for customers. Just then, Takeda walked into the store and headed to his office. It's Takeda! He didn't greet us, Haruna thought. She was about to say hi when a man walked into the store. Hiroki walked over to help him. More customers flooded in. Haruna helped move boxes mostly, but collected money sometimes. The day passed quickly without any real problems. As they were about to close the store, a little girl came in and started to cry.
Hiroki stepped closer to the girl and asked in a friendly tone, "What's wrong?" She shook her head, but wouldn't say anything. "My name's Hiroki-kun. This is Haruna-chan. What's your name?" Haruna smiled at the little girl.
"Yu-Yuki. I want . . . . . I want my mommy!" she wailed and burst into tears. Hiroki's expression softened. Haruna had never seen a little girl cry so much. She felt a motherly instinct take over.
"We'll find your mommy, Yuki-chan," Haruna murmured. "It's all right." But seeing the girl cry made Haruna want to cry too. Tears formed and fell down her cheeks. Suddenly, she saw Hiroki take the special violin from its case. A calm expression took over as he tilted his head to the violin and started playing.
A sweet, gentle melody seemed to float from the violin into their ears. Haruna felt as if she was in another world. She momentarily forgot where she was. Yuki stopped crying and her eyes widened at Hiroki. It was a stare of awe. Haruna had the same expression on her face. She didn't think that anyone could have made such a beautiful sound. Haunting, yet calming. Simple, yet unforgettable. Hiroki lowered the violin and his slender fingers put it back in its case.
"Yuki!" A tall woman rushed into the store, her face full of worry and anxiety. She scooped the small child into a big hug and held tight. "Don't ever run off again. Mommy was so worried!"
Yuki held onto the woman with her chubby arms and smiled as bright as the sun. "Mommy! I made some new friends!" She hopped off her mother's arms and ran straight into Hiroki's. "You play music? It's good!" Hiroki thanked her with a pat on the head. The girl grinned. Then she smiled at Haruna.
The woman turned around. "Ah, I forgot to thank you! Please excuse my manners!" She bowed slightly at Haruna and Hiroki.
Haruna shook her head rapidly, "Ack! No need to thank us!" The woman smiled gratefully and held hands with Yuki. As they left, Yuki waved and yelled out Hiroki's name. He laughed. Haruna's heart seemed to catch in her chest. His smile was like Yoh's. He looked over at her, and for some reason, Haruna felt as if she had been caught doing something wrong. Her whole face turned red as she blushed. Slowly she lifted her eyes to meet Hiroki's. "Wow! I didn't know you could play violin!"
He gave her a weird expression. It wasn't hostile, but it made Haruna feel as if she had mentioned something she shouldn't have. She stared back at him in an awkward moment of silence. "Yeah," he finally said. "My mother used to play." Then Hiroki turned around like he didn't want to say anymore. She caught an expression on his face that she hadn't expected to see.
Haruna put her hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?" He looked at her. How could a happy-go-lucky girl like her understand what he was going through? But there was something trusting in her expression that told him she would understand. He led the way to the park.
The wind blew slightly as the two walked to the park where Haruna had spent a lot of time with Yoh, sharing both happy and heart-breaking moments. It was where he had agreed to be her coach. Haruna smiled a little, feeling nostalgic for the days when Yoh had been beside her. Even with Mami, Asami, Fumi and Asaoka nearby, sometimes she wondered if she could take the loneliness of her long-distance relationship. Would she feel better if she broke up - ? WHAT AM I THINKING?! Haruna screamed at herself. She couldn't break up with Yoh! That thought will never cross my mind ever again! Yoh is the best boyfriend ever! Haruna buried her head in her arms dramatically, ashamed of herself. WAAH! I'm sorry, Yoh! I'm such a bad girlfriend! A chuckle brought her back to reality.
"What the heck are you doing?" Hiroki laughed. He really is like Yoh. Even their laughter is the almost the same, Haruna thought. "What?" He had stopped laughing, and was staring at her.
"I was just thinking that you look really nice when you laugh." Haruna suddenly felt better, and smiled. For Yoh, she would be strong! She pumped her fists in the air, silently telling herself that nothing could bring them apart.
Hiroki blushed, slightly annoyed. "What are you saying?" Then he pointed to the swings. "Do want to sit there?" They plopped down and a calm silence passed between them for a minute before Hiroki took a deep breath.
"Haruna," he started, "do you really want to know?" She nodded eagerly, wanting to listen and help him feel better like he had helped her. He sighed, and plucked a stick off the ground. Silently he examined it, not meeting her eyes, as he said, "Hayato Takeda . . . . . He's my father."
Haruna's eyes widened enormously. "What?!" How could a nice guy like Hiroki be the son of Takeda? She tried to think it through.
He nodded slightly. "Yeah. My mother passed away while giving birth to me. I never really knew her, except that her name was Shizuka," he said, gazing off into space. Haruna sucked in a breath. She didn't know that Hiroki didn't have a mother. "Takeda really loved her, so even though he said that her death wasn't my fault, I knew he blamed me. I did everything I could to make Takeda proud. I earned top grades, played sports, but still he ignored me. Then I saw a photo of Mother playing violin. I thought that if I became a great violinist like her, he would come to treat me like a son." Hiroki shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, but Haruna could feel the sad aura surrounding him. "Of course, he didn't care if I played violin. He wouldn't have cared if I ran away and joined the circus. He put all his thought into HIGH NOTES." Hiroki sighed a bit. "We grew apart. I changed my name to Hiroki Yamazaki. It was Mom's maiden name." He looked at Haruna, who was staring back at him with shock. Then he blinked, as if coming back into reality. "Sorry, I didn't mean to dump all this on you."
"No! I wanted to know! But someday Takeda will finally see how great you are! I know it!" Haruna pumped her fist into the sky. "We'll have to work hard!"
He got off the swing. What was it about her that made him feel at ease? "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He started to walk away, leaving Haruna behind, but turned around midway with a grin. "And don't wear that dress."
Yoh was at the airport, annoyed at the weather. A bad thunderstorm had delayed the plane form departing, so now he was stuck in a plane with a crying baby and a flirty flight attendant who wouldn't. Leave. Him. Alone. His mind wandered, and somehow he started thinking of Mizuki.
"Good bye, Yoh," Mizuki said.
"It's only vacation. I'll be back," he promised. He used to good at taking care of girls, but now it was the position was switched: Haruna was the one who protected him.
Mizuki looked at him. "It's just . . . . . I really wanted you to stay here. I know you have a girlfriend, so can we at least be friends? It's enough just to be near you."
"I thought we already were friends," Yoh said. Mizuki burst into a dazzling smile, which caused all the guys around her to melt but Yoh. She hugged him with a squeal, making Yoh blush. How bothersome was it that everyone was looking at them like they were a couple being separated?
Ping! Yoh snapped back to reality. Was that his phone? He grabbed it from his pocket and checked his messages. It was Haruna.
From: HARUNA NAGASHIMA
Subject: I GOT A JOB! (^o^)
Yoh! I got a job at the music store! It's called HIGH NOTES. I'm happy! I hope I get to see you soon. I miss you! ^_^
Yoh responded with his usual, "Yeah, yeah," but he couldn't deny it: he was dying to see Haruna.
Chapter 2/End
Author's Note: Do you like the way the story's going? I didn't write much from Yoh's POV this time, but I wanted to concentrate more on Hiroki. Sorry for the late update. Too much to do :0 Anyways, thanks for reading! * Grins. * I'll try to update Chapter 3 soon!
